Monday, September 29, 2008

Web Gallery Pictures

I know it will be hard to believe that this is the "Mini" Slideshow (because there are still 252 photos) but believe me, we took many, many more! So this really IS the "pared down" version. But I also know there are WAY too many pictures for most people to be interested in, so please browse as much or as little as you desire.

To view the slide show just click here: http://gallery.me.com/alexus309/100186

Monday, September 22, 2008

Bodgea Bay to Alameda California Sept. 18, 2008

Up early with NO fog, but with calm seas (same as last three days) and perfect cruising weather. On the way we saw whales, seals, dolphins and the seas were smooth and flat. A very different experience coming around Point Reyes compared to May 9th. We got around the point and visibility was so good you could see the tower of the golden gate bridge. The sun was out, sea’s flat, 3 feet at 16 seconds and maybe a slight breeze. It was so good it allowed me to sit in the sun on the fly bridge and catch up the blog. We are so excited to be back. We are returning to Grand Marina, slip A21 and will be there until Monday, when we have the boat hauled out for some work. Then back to Grand Marina to rest, visit with friends and family and enjoy not moving for a few weeks. We will be leaving sometime in late October to head for Marina Del Rey for Thanksgiving and spend the winter in the Southern California area.

Fort Bragg to Bodega Bay Sept. 17th, 2008

We left at first light again, this time with no fog and decent visibility. And once again, we had a great sea day with 3 to 5 foot swells at 14 seconds, NW winds at 5 to 8 knots. Just another 10 hour cruise day, and we arrived in Bodega Bay at about 4:30pm and went right to the fuel dock. Fuel was $3.62 a gallon, the lowest we had paid since beginning this trip. NuMoon was definitely thirsty! (she took just over 300 gallons) We pulled into a slip right across from the fuel dock in Spud Marina, and I made dinner so we could relax and just sit on the boat without being underway and attentive. We were in bed by 10:00pm as we knew again we would be leaving at sun up.

Eureka to Fort Bragg Sept.16th, 2008

We left again at first light for another long day of cruising. The seas again were 3-5 feet at 11 seconds, winds 8 knots NW, but once again visibility is limited. We were in for another day of radar watch, and attention to the charts.

But regardless of the fog, we had a hitchhiker for part of the trip. It was a little yellow bird that was not only NOT scared of us, he seemed to be cold and simply wanted to get warm by sleeping on Deb's lap or sitting in front of the small electric heater we had going in the fly bridge. He was VERY cute!!! And after a couple hours riding with us, he just flew away...

We called the Carine’s restaurant in Fort Bragg to see if we could use their dock again, but they were closed. We had kept the card we had gotten from another dock tenent, Les, and gave him a call. He said the spot was open and to come on in. We tried calling Ted and Bobbi, but there was a disconnect recording. Seems they had moved on. When we docked in Fort Bragg, Les did mention that Ted and Bobbi had moved to Arizona. Seems it was a slow summer for everyone and there is not much job opportunity or money in Fort Bragg. We caught up with Les and he said he is also moving on. He plans on leaving the first week in October and will head for the Martinez Marina here in the bay area. We wish him well and perhaps we may see him again. We had dinner at Silver’s and walked back to the boat for another early night in preparation for yet another early morning.

Crescent City to Eureka Sept. 15, 2008

Crescent City is a bay and has no bar to cross, so entrance and exit is very simple compared to the other locations we had stayed. Up again at first light and on the open water by 7am. Seas again were good 3 foot swells at 11 seconds and winds 3-5 knots, all from the NW. Due to fog, visibility has been poor, at less than 1/2 nautical mile, and we have run the radar the whole way. It makes for a tough run as you don’t really relax with such limited visibility. The fog lifted as we came closer to Fort Bragg. That is a good thing, especially since their entrance channel can have a rough bar at times. We were fortunate that the seas were calm, no wind and in we went. We had called our friend, Rhonda, to let her know we were on our way back and she wanted to meet us for dinner so we could meet her heartthrob, Rich. We docked at Woodley Island Marina and Rhonda was there at 4:45. It was great to see her again and she also wanted us to see Rich’s house in Eureka. His house is fantastic! Big open rooms, very comfortable and homey, on five acres and surrounded by wildlife, or as Rhonda says “critters”. These critters include foxes, bats, bears and deer. Rich came and met us at his house. He is a very nice guy, is a bicyclist, plays guitars and collects them too! Off we went to dinner at the place they met. It was a great restaurant with good food and nice people. Rich and Rhonda walk in, and everyone greets them by name. We had a wonderful evening of conversation and laughter, but it ended too soon. They drove us back to the boat and we said our good byes. We reminded Rhonda that the roads go both directions. Perhaps we will see her again in this neck of the woods.

Bandon Oregon to Crescent City California Sept. 14th

We left Bandon with nice seas but LOTS of fog, as the sets of gales had finally broken. We knew we would have a long day into Crescent City, but at least we would be in California. Up early again to leave at first light, just before sunrise and we made the 93 mile, 12-hour day and arrived just before sunset. There is not much in Crescent City and we had been on the boat all day. We walked across an RV par to the only restaurant, and had a good meal, paid our docking fees at the Harbor office, and walked back to the boat. We turned in at about 9:30pm as we knew we would have another long day to Eureka.

And since the fog lasted nearly all day, we didn't take ANY pictures.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Umpqua River – Salmon Harbor to Coquille River Bandon Oregon Sept. 11th -12th

We left Salmon Harbor just after first light to make our way to Bandon. It was the best sea day we have had in sometime. The winds were light NW 5 to 10 knots, and the seas were NW 5-7 feet at 8 seconds and the sun was out with no fog. It stayed a nice day the entire way to Bandon. We arrived in Bandon at about 11:30 and it also has a bar to cross. The Coquille River bar is less challenging than Umpqua, less shallow, less shoaling and not as long of a channel. We can actually see the bar from the aft deck and even better from the fly bridge where we are docked in the marina, slip C22. The folks at Bandon had been holding the slip for us as we had contacted them when we were in Salmon Harbor. Thank you Trudy and company!!!! Bandon is a cute little town and of the three, Coos Bay, Salmon Harbor and Bandon, we enjoyed Bandon for its number of restaurants, charm and facilities. The marina is right below all the activity and very convenient. The docks could use some work, but I they are decent for wood docks and has plenty of space between boats. We met Gerry and Terry who have the most beautiful 88 foot sailboat named Absolut Freedom. With 88 feet and a 21 foot beam, pilot house and cockpit, they have a wonderful layout and unbelievable living space. The salon is exquisite and expansive and the galley is fantastic for cooking. Their master stateroom is the entire aft and with the cockpit above and exit to the cockpit, it feels like cathedral ceilings. Gerry and Terry are warm, friendly people who have built and recently sold a resort they created from scratch. They plan to spend three more years consulting /contracting to the resort then head out for their sailing adventure. Tomorrow Sept. 12th we hope to head out early for Brookings Oregon. It is about 74 miles which will mean a 9-10 hour day of cruising. Well in the night I heard a noise and thought someone had come aboard the boat, but then I realized it was that the wind had come up significantly, not a good sign. At 6am Alexus was up and checking the weather on the radio. For today Sept. 12th, the weather was small craft warning here in Bandon, which is not bad, but near St. George where we were heading, the weather had deteriorated to Gale warnings, with winds 35-40 knots and seas 8 -10 feet with 3-4 foot of wind waves. So, we turned off the radio and went back to bed. It looks like we may be here for a couple of days until the weather breaks again and we can make progress south towards home.

Newport to Umpqua River, Salmon Harbor Sept. 8th – 10th, 2008





Overall, the weather has been decent in the morning and deteriorates quickly in the afternoon. The seas have been fair, 5-8 feet at 7-9 seconds, not steep swells and trailing north winds at 15-20 with gust of 25 knots, but afternoons quickly went to 25 -35 knots with gust of 40 knots and the seas increase due to wind another 2-4 feet. Not where you want to be to avoid a rough ride, and we promised ourselves we were not in a hurry, so no more rough rides if possible. While leaving Newport and heading south, since we had been into Coos Bay on the way north and considering the afternoon weather, we decided to pull into the Umpqua River and Salmon Harbor, which is in Winchester Bay. The bar at Salmon Harbor is a little tricky and small given that about a third of it on the north side has significant shoaling and the depths decrease to 12- 20 feet over some of the bar. At least that is what our depth sounder showed. The ride in wasn’t bad given the decent sea conditions in the early morning as we arrived at the bar at about 1: 45 on our cruise from Newport. The town of Winchester Bay, on the Umpqua River is where the Salmon Harbor Marina is located. It is a very small town, and the transients tie up to the dock, on a side tie. Next to us on the dock we met John and Mary, who were from Mississippi, really friendly folks who also gave us some great tomatoes and corn. They offered us a ride into Reedsport if we needed anything, and made us feel welcome on the dock. However, our plan was to stay one night and make Bandon the next day. Well the North Winds had other ideas as we continued to wait out the weather and adding to the problem were the conditions on the bar. At one time we had heard from the Coast Guard reports that Florence, Coos Bay and Umpqua were all closed to any size recreational vessel and only commercial traffic was allowed to cross. When the bars re-opened to vessels over 40 feet, we decided to still wait a while longer, as we are only 42 feet, but when they were closed completely we wondered what they did with folks trying to come in to seek shelter and we thought about the folks we met in Newport and wished them all safe. As it would happen on day two in Umpqua we were working on the boat doing little clean up things and small maintenance when we heard “Hey NuMoon” , and Del, Trudy and John from the Nordhavn named "Island Grace" walked up the dock. They wanted to make a long run, not harbor hop, and decided to wait out the weather in Newport. While waiting, they had rented a car to go exploring. They said a couple of the sailboats had left and we all hoped they were in decent seas. So we chatted a while and took pictures and off they went to continue exploring. We returned to waiting out the weather. We hoped to make another 40 mile short hop in the early morning to Bandon on the Coquille River, at least that way we felt we were making some progress south as it takes about 5 hours for us to go 40 miles.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Girabaldi – Tillamook Bay to Newport Oregon Sept. 4-7th, 2008

We left Girabaldi and headed for Newport. The winds were NW 15-20 knots and seas were 3-5 feet at 7 seconds. Once again we had wind and current helping us move back down the coast so we made better time than our last trip on this stretch of ocean. When we headed across the bar and into the channel at Newport around 1:30 and the winds had picked up considerably. As we attempted to dock, it was helpful that the wind was pushing us against the dock. The winds had picked up considerably, to 25-30 knots, and gale-force gusts of 35-40 were predicted for that evening and night. We were safely tied up for the next four days, along with an entire dock of southbound sailboats, and one Nordhavn power boat, who were also delayed by the wind and eagerly awaiting for the conditions to improve.

During our four days in Newport we met our fellow dock mates, and to help pass the time, rented a car and toured the surrounding area, including Depoe Bay, Florence and Toledo. We also made contact with some friends we had made at Trawler fest, Douglas and Gerry Cochrane who live just down the road from Newport. (From previous posts you may recognize them as the couple who just bought a Nordhavn boat at the Trawler Fest in Anacortes.) Her name is Four Seasons and they were both excited and anxious to be dual boat owners, as they still had their other boat.

We gave them a call and found that Douglas was coming into Newport to pick up some things from Ursa Major, as she is moored in Newport. We also learned they had just sold their business Fabtrol and Gerry was busy and somewhat numb from working through the sale of the business she and her husband Douglas built from scratch. We got to see Douglas and Ursa Major and were happy that we could at least speak with Gerry by phone and wished them both the best and much happiness as they start their new adventures. Douglas also mentioned they were written up in the local paper the Eugene Register. We found a copy of the paper and learned more about how they built their business. They are great people and I am sure our paths will cross again sometime. It sounds like Gerry may only be taking a sabbatical as she said she still has one more business in her!!! Tonight we are getting ready to head to Coos Bay. We will leave again at first light. Seas are expected to be4-5 feet at 7 seconds and winds will be 18-20 knots out of the NW. We want to be in Coos Bay before late afternoon as we know the winds will pick up again in the afternoon.

Grays Harbor Washington to Girabaldi – Tillamook Bay Oregon Sept.3, 2008

We left Grays Harbor Washington early and arrived in Girabaldi, Tillamook Bay, Oregon with decent weather. As we communicate with people who don’t cruise or sail, they seem surprised at how long it takes us to transit a distance. When we average 8 to 9 knots (10 mph), it would be about the same as someone jogging that same distance. Most people are familiar with the time it takes to travel by car, but as a comparison, we are much slower than many bicyclists.

Leaving Gray’s Harbor, the seas were 3 to 5 feet at 11 seconds and winds were NW at 15-20 knots. While heading south, with the swells and wind behind us, we have improved upon some of our northbound travel days by as much as 1-2 hours. Girabaldi is still a good stopping point for the night, but has limited services at the marina. There is one café and thankfully it was open as we decided to have an early dinner and rest for our next leg of the trip home.

La Push Washington to Westport, Grays Harbor Sept. 1-2, 2008


We left La Push at first light and made our way to Westport in Grays Harbor Washington. Winds were NW at 14-19 knots and seas were 5-7 feet at 11 seconds. After a few days of getting up at 4:30 or 4:45 to be on the water at first light, we decided to spend an extra day in Westport. As a very active commercial fishing village and a tourist location there is plenty to see, do and enjoy. The harbor is well maintained and very inexpensive at $15.00 per day including electricity. The weather had started to warm up, the sun was out and it got to about 65-68 degrees. So we enjoyed the extra day of rest. We returned to one of the restaurants we visited on our way up. We were greeted warmly by Mary who had waited on us back in late May when things were colder and less crowded with visitors. All in all, we had a good restful and enjoyable time in Westport.

Neah Bay to La Push Washington August 31, 2008

We left Neah Bay early, at first light to take advantage of the ebb tide and current. But because we were leaving on the ebb, going out around Cape Flattery was a little rougher than when we came into the Straight of Juan De Fuca in June. However, a few hours later, we arrived in La Push which had an easy entrance across their ocean bar. La Push is a much better location to stop when traveling north and timing your entrance to the straight. When traveling South it makes for a shorter day than going all the way to Grays harbor. La Push is also a Tribal Reservation, however, it is a much improved over Neah Bay and has a positive and busy feel as compared to Neah Bay which feels somewhat depressing. They have a few more services, a grocery store, a restaurant and odds and end shops. The marina is in better shape than that at Neah Bay and the tribe continues to develop the area. There is a new RV park going in that will be very nice when it is completed.

Port Angeles to Neah Bay August 30th, 2008


We left Port Angeles and traveled to Neah Bay. The weather was much the same as when we arrived in June, cold and rainy, but we arrived safely in Neah Bay. There is not much new to say about Neah Bay as nothing has changed and there remains little in the way of services. It is a safe place to dock before rounding Cape Flattery from Juan De Fuca Straight into the Pacific Ocean.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Port Townsend to Port Angeles August 27th to August 29th, 2008

I think my computer is rusting, rain and more rain. Lucky us! The Washington folks are complaining that their Labor Day holiday weekend will be in the low 50’s with snow down to the five thousand foot level. Something the local newscaster called November weather. We left Port Townsend and docked at Port Angeles. Since Port Angeles it is a short 20 miles over to Victoria Canada, we decided to take a ferry to Victoria the next day.




I We would have taken our boat, but the cost of fuel and time was not worth the effort. On the ferry, it only cost $12.50 per person each way, and since we decided to bring our bikes, it was $5.00 more. The trip over to Victoria was very inexpensive and it takes only 90 minutes. Once again we left in the rain. We rode our bikes to the ferry building at 7:30am and were on the ferry leaving for Victoria at 8:10am. When we arrived in Victoria is was partly cloudy and the day ended up being decent. We bought tickets for the hop on hop off bus, locked up our bikes and off we went. The stop we got off on was Craigdarroch Castle. It was a mansion built by the Dunsmuir family that had made millions in coal and railroads the late 1800’s. They are the same Dunsmuir family whose son built a mansion near San Jose, it was interesting in that I had been in the Dunsmuir Mansion for a work event, as it has been converted to an upscale hotel and conference location. We spent until 7:30pm in Victoria and returned that day on the ferry. We thought we would be able to leave Port Angeles, Friday August 29th and start towards Nea Bay, but the weather in the Straight of Juan De Fuca has become even worse, with swells of 6 feet and wind waves of 4-6 feet and Gale force winds at 30 to 40 knots. So we will wait out the weather here in Port Angeles and watch TV and eat popcorn. Hopefully, weather permitting we can head to Nea Bay early tomorrow around 6am. Once there, it will be a weather watch again to make our way around Cape Flattery and back into the Pacific Ocean.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Port Ludlow to Port Townsend August 25-26th, 2008

We left Port Ludlow in the rain and were hopeful that at least the rain would stop for a few hours while we were in Port Townsend. We got our wish!!!! While it was windy and about 58 degrees, it was not raining.




Port Townsend is a great old town with lots of buildings built in the late 1800’s that have been restored and are simply lovely. We spent two great days here in and out of shops and looking at the buildings. We went to the Rose Theatre to see two movies. The Rose is a small restored theatre where the staff, with their 3x 5 note cards in hand, and in front of the audience introduces the movie, provides some background information, and gives information about coming attractions. The theatre has one small screen room and a slightly larger screen room with a small organ where they have accompanied silent films and small balcony we just had to go look at. The Rose has a wonderful feel and beautiful colors. Billie, I think this is the kind of theatre you had wanted to own at one time. Well enough about the theatre, what about the movies? We saw was Vicky, Cristina, Barcelona, a new Woody Allen movie in his traditional style and the second movie was Pineapple Express. Pineapple Express was aptly described by the theatre staff as a “stoner, slasher, action comedy”. It was one comedy I would barely recommend, but would wait for pay per view rather than movie theatre cost. They were both entertaining and added to the town’s enjoyment.

Seattle to Port Ludlow August 24th, 2008

We left Seattle in the rain and docked in Port Ludlow in the rain. We had a nice little dinner at a restaurant next to the marina. Port Ludlow is very rural and there is not much around. With the continued rain and cold we did not even want to ride the bikes around the area. So another short visit and off we went the next day to Port Townsend.

Tacoma to Seattle August 21-23rd, 2008

We left Tacoma in the rain and by the time we got to Seattle it had returned to patchy sunshine. We wanted to play tourists in Seattle. The three cities of Vancouver Canada, Seattle Washington and California’s San Francisco have a similar feel. They are large metropolitan cities surrounded by water and are destinations for travelers from all countries. I think that Vancouver had weather closer to San Francisco. Seattle seems to have more rain than either Vancouver or San Francisco. Regardless of the rain we played tourist. We had brunch at the Space Needle and toured the city and lakes in an amphibious vehicle called the Duck. It is a great little tour of the city of Seattle and it was fun to enter Lake Union in a vehicle that in the water looks like a floating open bus. We also got to spend a little more time playing tourist with MK. We managed to pull her away from pet duty and unpacking since their recent move to Bainbridge Island. Rachel we missed you and we took good care of MK.

Olympia to Tacoma Washington August 20th, 2008

We left Olympia in the rain and went to the Tacoma Yacht Club. The Tacoma YC is a full service Yacht Club. They manage their own marina and the club house is large with a restaurant that belongs to the club. The Tacoma Club has been in existence since the early 1900’s. Although very nice, there is not much other than the Yacht Club at the end of a point of land. So we spent the night cocooned in the boat. The weather has not been great and even the locals are a little tired of the cold and rain. It rained the entire time we were on our way to and in Tacoma.

Olympia Washington August 18 -19th , 2008

Well the Diesel Duck did arrive over at the SwanTown Marina which is a short ½ mile walk from the west harbor of Budd Inlet. We spent some time aboard the Duck watching her be commissioned. This particular boat was not quite the “motorsailer” that Alexus was interested in seeing. The owner of the boat spent more effort on making it very robust with both flopper stoppers and sailing stability assist, as he has two small boys. As a result, "sail only" performance was not really important to him.

We spent the rest of the time touring Olympia and enjoying the sights. Olympia is a very laid back town and the Olympia Yacht Club is right across from the Capitol Building so we had a great view of the lake, and park area in front of the Capitol Building. We had lunch at the Oyster House Restaurant, which is an old restaurant famous for the Olympia Oysters. While in Olympia, we met and spoke with Mike Phillips, a yacht broker in Olympia, that we had met previously at Trawler Fest. He came aboard to look over NuMoon and hear about all the improvements we had made to her. Of course Mike was interested in sending us home in a new Seahorse Trawler, but we are not ready for a new boat until we decide what we want to do next in boating.