Seattle to Ensenada , Mexico
Newport to Ensenada, Mexico
10/8 – 10/9 Monday/Tuesday
Latitude: 31:50.64 N Longitude: 123:37.53 W
Weather: mostly sunny Wind: 0450 8-10 kts. Barometer: 1012
Engine Hours: 694 Fuel on Board: 331
Trip Distance/Total: 133/4467
A 2:00PM departure today is necessary to make
The first adventure occurs early in the afternoon off
We are just off
I’m standing midnight to five watches when a huge target appears on the radar at about 6 miles range. It turns out to be one of several weekly cruise ships between LA and
Wandering Star in Hotel Coral Marina, Ensenada, Mexico
###
On the hard in Newport Beach
9/25 to 10/7
Lots to do these last weeks before departure to
The 2nd week, WS was pulled out of the water and set on the hard, her bottom painted with special anti-fouling paint, her blue hull polished and waxed, and the prop balanced and tuned. We found the prop was 600 grams out of balance (34 grams is the acceptable limit) which was the cause of the vibration issue form the beginning. Trying to live aboard while doing all this work is never easy but it feels good to get old problems solved at long last.
While all this is going on Jo and I are busy doing the provisioning and supply work necessary for an extended stay in
###
Early Morning Arrival in Newport Beach
9/24 Monday
We were just a mile off Newport’s breakwater so we headed in to the anchorage area just off the south end of Lido Island and dropped the hook. We have had a vibration issue in the drive train so here we will spend a couple of weeks and have WS hauled out, the vibration fixed, bottom painted and checked out in general for the voyage to Mexico.We spent the day checking in with the good people at Newport Harbor Yacht Club. Even though the club is not technically open on Mondays, the staff is most accommodating and gives us full run of the facilities. We also manage to do some food shopping, wash some clothes and get a visit from some friends on New Paige, Joan, Roger and daughter Paige, on a spanking new Nordhavn 55. A nice evening was spent together with the exception of me putting a hole in our dinghy tube on an upturned prop at the dinghy dock. Ouch! At least it does not sink with the hard bottom RIB design and the other three tubes still holding air.
###
Ventura Harbor to Newport Beach - overnight passage
9/23 Sunday
Latitude: 33:35.18 N Longitude: 117:53.07 W
Weather: mostly sunny Wind: 0450 6-8 kts. Barometer: 1015
Engine Hours: 670 Fuel on Board: 367
Trip Distance/Total: 90/4310 Departed Ventura in the early evening just as the bright orange sun was sinking behind Santa Rosa Island. The overnight run was mostly quiet except for some excitement off the Long Beach breakwater on Jo’s watch at about 4 AM when two cruise ships converged on us. Being only a few miles offshore, it was difficult to sort out all of the background radar clutter and determine clearly the heading and speed of all the boats you could see out the windows. We finally sorted it all out - sped up a little to let one ship pass behind and paralleled our course with the other ship till both were out of range.
###
Point Piedras Blancos to Ventura Harbor
9/22 Saturday
Latitude: 34:14.79 N Longitude: 119:15.64 W
Weather: mostly sunny Wind: 0450 6-8 kts. Barometer: 1012
Engine Hours: 649 Fuel on Board: 406
Trip Distance/Total: 123/4216
Like a bath tub best describes the sea state today. Warm sun and blue skies sure feel good after months of rain and gloom. Our California Dolphins are back too! Dozens of them joyfully play in our bow wave for miles and miles. So different from their northern cousins who scarcely give us the time of day and certainly have no time for fun.
The day passes quietly with Jo working on her photos in the laptop and me reading on the forward deck enjoying the sunshine. Once we are around Pt Conception tonight, the rest will be easy. On the way north, Wandering Star I struggled all night against fierce wind and seas to round this Point. Tonight looks like it will be the exception. No fog, 6-8 knots of west wind and a gentle rolling swell directly from astern.
By 7PM, we are two miles to sea off Point Arguella. It is so calm, Jo and I are able to eat dinner together in the salon while watching our course and radar on our TV as we round Point Conception. Once clear of the Point, we slow down to 5 knots so we will arrive off the Ventura Breakwater at first light.
Spent most of the day with my family seeing WS for the first time and cruising the harbor. Beautiful day here and we were reluctant to leave as we look at our little Ventura Yacht Club guest dock longingly but passed her by to continue on to Newport.
###
San Francisco to off Point Piedras Blancas
9/21 Friday
Latitude: 35:16.17 N Longitude: 121:17.07 W
Weather: partly cloudy, some sun Wind: 2700 6-8 kts. Barometer: 1012
Engine Hours: 624 Fuel on Board: 474
Trip Distance/Total: 170/4092
A beautiful day to leave San Francisco Bay…sun shining, no fog, and a gentle ebb tide to carry us out under the Golden Gate Bridge. There is always a little apprehension about the state of the open sea beyond the Bridge until you are out there to see for yourself. The bay can be so calm when there is turmoil outside. Today though was perfect and once we cross the bar to turn south, wind and waves worked together to help encourage the start of our final leg south.
The day passes easily with the five foot Southeast swell off of our starboard stern quarter to let us know we are out at sea. The wind is also from the stern and just about our speed so it has little effect on Wandering Star. Traveling down the coast at about ten miles off shore does not give you much to look at as far as scenery but is the safest distance for night travel, avoids the kelp beds and any renegade crab traps (season has not started yet but abandoned traps are still a hazard) in the shallow water closer to land.
Jo takes the first night watch after dinner so I get to sleep from 7 to midnight and do my watch from then till 6 am. We are trying to get larger spans of uninterrupted sleep time to get some better quality rest. With just the two of us, the concern is to be always well rested enough to make good decisions should anything unexpected happen at sea.
The plan now is to head straight for Newport to get our final boat work done before the Mexico adventure begins in November. We hope to make a quick stop in Ventura to see the family on Sunday but need to use this weather window and get south to Newport by mid-week.
Piedras Blancas lighthouse is brightly visible ten miles off to port. The half moon is even out tonight for awhile and later, after the moon sets, the clear, dark skies are filled with stars. It is one of those special nights at sea…quiet, friendly and beautiful. For me, it is the essence of why I am out here.
###
Sausalito Yacht Harbor
9/16 to 9/20
After one night at anchor in Richardson Bay, our friends at Marota Yacht Sales were able to find us a slip along the waterfront that was not being used at present. Here we will be able to do some repairs, change the engine oil, re-provision for the rest of the journey and catch up on some sleep. This is not to mention the wining and dining so good along the Sausalito streets.
By Wednesday it is blowing a full gale with gusts in our slip up to 35 knots. Dottie & Ken left yesterday to be ahead of it but we will wait it out and hopefully leave by Friday or Saturday at the latest.
###
Point Arena to San Francisco
9/15 Saturday
Latitude: 37:51.32 N Longitude: 122:28.16 W
Weather: overcast, patchy fog Wind: 450 2-5 kts. Barometer: 1016
Engine Hours: 585 Fuel on Board: 550
Trip Distance/Total: 231/3911
Under the Golden Gate Bridge at 0900! It took 224 engine hours and 286 gallons of fuel to run the 826 nautical miles from Seattle with only two stops. Last night was exceptionally calm so all except for one afternoon, this often rough passage was just about as easy as one could possible hope for - perhaps the many wishes from the new friends left behind for “fair winds and calm seas” did the trick.
The albacore have just started to run so the locals were out in force as we left Eureka heading south. Mostly sport fisherman, this gang all seems to work together to find the fish and then tell all where to go and the race is on. The radio chatter was non-stop with each catch “in the box” duly shared, kidded about, and reported to old Nellie back on shore who seems to be the group cheerleader and general advice giver/morale builder.
Just by luck, we had to go right through this small fleet of fun guys about ten miles out from Eel River just before Cape Mendocino. I jumped down for my new pole and had my line in quick as we passed through the “Bite” zone and even managed to have one on for a minute but could not slow down WS fast enough to keep him on for the catch. I’m sure it was huge!
There was the usual thick San Francisco morning fog the last 50-miles coming into the Bay but just as we approached the Bridge it started to lift and by the time the anchor was set off Sausalito, the sun was shining and the city beautiful. The crew immediately took a quick nap before deciding just where we want to hang out the next few days. We have reservations at the marina in the city and back in Sausalito starting Tuesday. Equally good choices so we may do both and with Owen coming tomorrow, the city side will be convenient for his drive up from Santa Cruz.
The weather outside is not looking good for the rest of the week with high seas and strong wind through Friday so we will just have to enjoy our time here to the maximum before starting the rest of the journey south to San Diego.
Passing under the Golden Gate Bridge
###
Eureka to Point Arena
9/14 Friday
Latitude: 38:54.90 N Longitude: 123:43.39 W
Weather: overcast, patchy fog Wind: 450 2-5 kts. Barometer: 1015
Engine Hours: 585 Fuel on Board: 550
Trip Distance/Total: 151/3832
As I’m sitting here this morning watching the sun come over the fog shrouded northern coast of California about ten-miles to sea, I was trying to reason out what puts me here. In other words, revisiting the tired old question of why do men go to sea? For us pleasure boaters, it’s not to make a living, if fact, quite the opposite is true. It usually takes all we have financially and then some just to indulge our craving for this lifestyle.
There are probably many reasons we love blue water cruising and I’m sure it is a different combination of things for each individual. The sense of adventure for sure, each day unfolds new experiences not found or even possible in most other shore side activities. Independence and self- reliance figure in strongly, as ones sea survival can depend on just how well your hands and mind can manage working together in difficult or downright frightening circumstances..
Then there’s the natural component. Like back packing or mountain climbing, you can’t help feeling a part of the environment rather than just an outside observer. Cold when it’s cold, wet when it’s wet and often slightly nauseous, comfort certainly isn’t any part of the appeal. However, there is a special awareness and appreciation for our wonderful planet that only comes from being at the mercy of weather, wind and waves.
In my case and perhaps in many, there is an innate physical pull towards a life on the water. I first felt it strongly growing up in land locked Pittsburgh where as early as 8 or 9 years old, I dreamed of joining the navy and going to sea. More compelling towards some genetic influence was the fact that my birth father, who I did not even know till late in life, had the same calling for the sea as does my brother Ray who was raised under his influence. With me there was no environmental factor, just a knowing that this is where I truly belong.
Enough philosophy for today, which has just been getting more and more beautiful by the way, with very calm seas, little or no wind and the heart warming prospect of arriving under the Golden Gate Bridge by first light tomorrow morning.
###
Cape Blanco OR to Eureka, CA
9/12-9/13 Wednesday/Thursday
Latitude: 40:52.62 N Longitude: 124:21.87 W
Weather: overcast & fog Wind: 450 2-5 kts. Barometer: 1015
Engine Hours: 561 Fuel on Board: 581
Trip Distance/Total: 145/3680
Rounded Point Blanco at first light with smooth seas and little wind. Debate all morning has centered upon the cruising strategy from here to San Francisco Bay. Entering the Bay on a flood tide can be critical as ebb tides often exceed our boats hull speed. Ship’s computer shows a morning flood on Saturday so it is decided to have a quick stop in Eureka tomorrow morning (so DW can add fuel) and all be back out on the water after night fall.
Tonight is dark and quiet. Little fishing traffic in the area makes for nothing on the radar screen to watch either. Jo takes the first watch so I can get some quality sleep and then I take over from 2AM till sunrise. By watching a couple of episodes of “24″as I stand watch, I am wound up enough so that staying awake is not a problem.
By late afternoon, we are in California waters for the first time since WS I was sold in Sausalito last June. In fact, we are just off Crescent City, California and by morning’s first light we’re lined up with the buoys, ready to cross the bar into Humboldt Bay and the city of Eureka. With the waves still flat and no wind, crossing this bar will be a pleasure as it can be a boater’s worst nightmare when wind and waves pipe up.
It has taken us 55 hours of continuous running to do the 482 miles here from Cape Flattery, WA. By 7:30AM, we’re tied up to the public dock and ready for our day in Eureka. After a tasty shepherd’s pie lunch in a neat Irish Pub, it’s back to WS and a good long nap so we’re ready to take off tonight at 11PM for the last 36-hour, 200-mile non-stop run to San Francisco before the weather turns rotten as promised on Sunday.
###
Cape Lookout, OR to Cape Blanco, OR
9/11 Tuesday
Latitude:42:50.98 N Longitude: 124:33.57 W
Weather: overcast, fog Wind: 1800 3-5kts. Barometer: 1015
Engine Hours: 561 Fuel on Board: 581
Trip Distance/Total: 154/1535
A dark, but not so “stormy” night…actually quite a nice night. Winds are soft and the sea is gentle as we head for Cape Blanco and the California border. It’s one AM and I just came on watch after 4 hours of much needed sleep. With no moon, it is black as pitch but comfortable “seeing” with our radar.
Today’s journey south has been a routine of standing watches, napping, doing crosswords, watching season four of “24″, email with a signal from who knows where, and eating of course. Time goes fast at sea and it seems we are always busy when we are off watch and not gazing out at the water. The sun never was able to break through but visibility was good all day and tonight has stayed the same.
As of now the plan is to stop at Brookings harbor tomorrow just this side of the CA/OR border and regroup overnight for the run to San Francisco. The forecast looks so good that we may just decide to keep going too as great weather like this is often a long time coming to this part of our journey.
Its 3:00AM now and only three hours till it starts to get light. Another blip just showed up on the radar a couple of miles ahead so I’ll need to pay attention to that for awhile as we speed along through the black night at seven knots.
###
Neah Bay, WA to Cape Lookout, OR
9/10 Monday
Latitude:45:20.37 N Longitude: 121.00.53 W
Weather: clear, sunny Wind: 0100 10kts. Barometer: 1020
Engine Hours: 511 Fuel on Board: 705
Trip Distance/Total: 188/3387
We rounded the rocks of Cape Flattery lighthouse by 0720 in the morning for the beginning of our many thousand mile trip south (hopefully all the way to the Panama Canal). But one step at a time for now, we must first run the fearful and inhospitable Washington/Oregon coastline. This section is known for its nasty weather, huge seas, few harbors with their dreaded, impassable bars often closing the few ports of refuge that do exist for days at a time.
Today’s weather started out as the rare exception. By mid-morning, both crews were enjoying clear skies, warm sunshine, and a gentle, playful swell on the starboard quarter with little, if any wind. By dark things began to change. The wind started to rise and the swell increased steadily so that by the time (1:30 AM) we hit the Oregon border all hell was breaking loose. DW choose to try the offshore route remaining about 20-miles out all night while WS took the “express route” just 5-10 miles offshore and noted for being a 2-mile wide, crab trap free zone.
It was an exceptionally dark, moonless night. Nothing could be seen outside of the pilot houses. Both strategies had their merit but the outside route proved to be much rougher while the inside route was rough enough and also plagued by a thick fog just off the Columbia River entrance. It was here in the middle of the night things really turned ugly.
Relying and radar and plotter alone, WS was besieged by fishing boats pouring out of the River (six at one time) and heading right for us without regard for the zero visibility.
What was really weird was that one boat came directly at us and seemed intent on a collision course- changing course and speed to intercept us no matter what we did. Finally with our engine all but stopped, all outside lights on and our fog horn blaring, we could just make out its lights 100 yards off our starboard rail. It paused for a minute, circled around in front of us to the port side, then sped off to harass some other boats closer to shore. Judging by its’ speed, you would think it was the Coast Guard on some kind of security patrol but its tactics were so invasive and even dangerous, we can only hope it was just some local character having fun at our expense.
The rest of the night was as uneventful as it was sleepless after all the excitement. We crossed quietly into Oregon waters and by daybreak were just north of Cape Lookout. The fog thinned just enough to make driving easy as we began day two of the trip south.
###
Port Townsend to Neah Bay
9/9 Sunday
Latitude:48:22.45 N Longitude: 124:35.98 W
Weather: clear, sunny Wind: 90 0 16kts. Barometer: 1022
Engine Hours: 500 Fuel on Board: 736
Trip Distance/Total: 78/3199
A big day today, all the way down the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Port Townsend to the very northwest tip of the lower 48, Cape Flattery. We up anchor early to catch the most of ebbing tide which races out the strait early this morning taking us along at over 10 knots. By Port Angeles, the northwest ocean swell is apparent as it rolls down the strait right on our nose for a very rocky ride but WS handles the short steep waves effortlessly.
It is 5:30 by the time we pull off the deep water into the quiet and remote, Neah Bay. This bay is the home of the whale hunting Makah Indians and their quiet village is on the outer edge of Olympic National Park. Not much to see or do here but we decide to use the dock so we can stretch our legs ashore before the coming several days at sea. D & K anchor out in the bay but join us for the walk and dinner aboard WS as darkness falls.
###
Seattle to Port Townsend
9/8 Sunday
Latitude:48:06.45 N Longitude: 122:45.83 W
Weather: clear, sunny Wind: 18 0 14kts. Barometer: 1023
Engine Hours: 493 Fuel on Board: 750
Trip Distance/Total: 35/3120
Back on the salt…
We finally disentangled ourselves from the Selene service dock at high noon. Isaac was laying on the final coat of varnish on the rail just minutes before our departure but if you don’t set a deadline for departure and stick to it, you would never get done. WS had her swim step gelcoat problem repaired, her electronics tuned up with a few new features added, woodwork done on the aforementioned rail and an engine mount replaced and realigned during our 10-day stay.
Next a stop at the fuel dock to replace the 400 gallons of fuel we used since leaving Sitka and we are ready, at last, for the locks out of Lake Union. Infinite patience would be prerequisite for putting up with these locks on a regular basis. On a summer weekend, you can wait for an eternity for your turn to go through only to have a commercial vessel show up at the last minute to claim priority. This time we are lucky and manage to get a spot in the smaller lock before a State ferry under tow commandeered the large lock we thought we would be using.
Once past this 1.5 hour delay, we are back in salt water and on our way to Port Townsend to rendezvous with Dreamweaver (DW) waiting for us at anchor. It’s a beautiful day in the sound for the crossing with many sailboats out enjoying the last of summer’s good sailing weather. The current is with us most of the way so we make great time and are able to take the last of the ebb through the Port Townsend canal into the back bay and the anchorage before dark.
It is just getting dusk when we spot DW anchored next to the ferry terminal and soon have our hook set in 27′ of good holding mud right next door. Dottie & Ken are off at the Wooden Boat Show, the big event of the year for the Port, so we settle in for dinner and await their return. A quick visit with them on board to catch up and plan our early departure then it’s off to bed for both crews.
Fuel Notes:
Added 403.7 gallons at $2.99/gallon
To date fuel used at filling; 1366 at 498 engine hours.
Usable on board 750+gallons. Average = 2.5gal/hour.
###
