Monthly Archives: August 2017

Cheap and Easy(ish) Boat Trick: Cockpit Shade

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This summer the Pacific Northwest fell under the spell of a particularly hot couple of weeks. We had temps in the triple digits in some places, and, while I’m not complaining, it became clear that we needed something to protect our delicate pacific northwest skin from the rays of blistering sun. Those hot days reminded me that we are, in fact, headed for weather that may be even hotter, and sun that is definitely stronger. We needed shade in our cockpit!

I left openings so it’s easy to get in and out of the cockpit without detaching the cover.

Galapagos came with a full set of canvas for the cockpit, including a pretty neat shade enclosure made of some kind of heavy screen material. Alas, it was falling apart. Literally. I mean the fabric was disintegrating. We trashed it. But I began noodling out how I could make a simple shade enclosure that would fit the bill as a ‘cheap and easy boat trick’. It had to be easy to deploy and easy to store.  This turned out to be cheap, and if you have a sewing machine, which I do not, then it would be easy. I had to do everything by hand, so let’s call this ‘easy-ish’. It’s definitely easy to deploy and store.

I ordered two rolls of extra heavy Coolaroo Outdoor Shade cloth from Amazon; enough to go around the entire cockpit, including the windows in the front when they are fully open. (You can certainly order directly from Coolaroo, but it’s more expensive that way.) This fabric is rated to block 86-90% of UV rays.

To attach the side and back panels to the cockpit, I wanted to use the existing aluminum bolt rope channels (called an Awning Track on Sailrite). Yes, this is the bolt rope that is used to make sails.  This is how our current heavy canvas enclosure is attached. I ordered 12 feet of bolt rope from Sailrite. To hold the panels down onto the outside of the dodger, I used plastic grommets in the corners.

Cost of materials:

Sunshade cloth $38
Bolt rope $27.60 plus shipping
Grommets: 2 packages $8.60
Needles, thread, para cord – 0 because I have those things already.

Total cost: $74.20 plus however much I paid for shipping from Sailrite.

I know alot of people who sew all the time would probably get busy making some kind of pattern for this thing but that’s way too much trouble. I do better just holding the fabric in place and cutting around the shape, leaving enough room for mistakes and to make a neat edge. If I have to stop and make some kind of pattern, this stops being ‘easy-ish’ and falls into the ‘hard’ category. Plus I don’t have a flat surface large enough to lay out fabric of this size.

The needle is VERY sharp.

Making the side panels was dead easy once I figured out how I could stitch bolt rope by hand. This stuff is extra stiff, my fingers are old, and 12 feet is a long way to sew this stuff by hand.  I tried using Mike’s Speedy Stitcher, but it’s made to be used with heavy waxed thread. It didn’t work well with the thread I was using; heavy outdoor ‘sail’ thread. Plus it was cumbersome. My patience wore thin. What did the trick was using the speedy stitcher as an awl to poke holes along the bolt rope. Those holes allowed my heavy needle to go through with little trouble and I made short work of getting the bolt rope attached to the panels after that.

I wanted the back panel to be in two pieces and I wanted it to go all the way back to the cockpit combing, past the mizzen mast.  A previous owner had attached heavy plastic hooks along the side of the combing and these made excellent attachment points for small bungee loops that I could put through the grommets.This part of the enclosure is large, so I didn’t want to have to take it down and store it somewhere. I wanted to be able to roll it up and tie it out of the way.

All rolled up at the back of the cockpit.

The side panels are held down by putting the grommets over stainless steel screws I put in the teak dodger in strategic places. This fabric is not meant to hold snaps. The weave is too open. Grommets work better.

The most challenging part of this project was the front, which I made in two pieces. Because we wanted the windows to be able to open, I had two different measurements for the length required to go around them. Looking more at getting something functional and fast to deploy rather than something with a tailored fit, I opted to cut two lengths of the fabric that would cover the windows on each side at their widest-open setting, then fold the extra away and secure with a bungee through a grommet if the windows were closed. It’s the least pleasing part of the project visually, but it works great and I was able to leave enough space at the top to be able to see over the top of the screen.

Openings left on either side to get in and out easily and for air flow. It feels a bit like a tent inside. Cozy and cooler than the outside.

We are very happy with the results. We store the large front pieces, which we use much less often than the other parts. The back pieces stay rolled up and out of the way unless we need them. The side panels are folded and stored in cockpit storage. The whole set up is versatile. I have no idea how long this fabric will last in the tropics, given that the sun there eats things fast. But at this price, I can buy more fabric in the states when I come to visit and remake the thing in a day if necessary. The bolt rope is protected from UV as it’s underneath the dodger. I wouldn’t have to buy that again. And the grommets are cheap.

Here’s a photo of one of the front panels. Honestly we do not use them very much up here because our cockpit seats are set well back from the windows and the dodger top has a generous overhang in the front. It has to be pretty hot to deploy these. It’s possible in the future if we end up using these front pieces a lot I may decide to make 4 panels for the front, making one panel each for the opening windows and one panel that covers the two fixed windows on each side. That would require more attachment points, which means more little holes in the dodger. But it would look better and might give us even more flexibility. The way I have it now,  wanting the flexibility of opening the windows, which we almost always have open, means there has to be enough fabric to accommodate that. For now, I call this ‘good enough’. I did end up using large cup hooks tucked up under the dodger top so that I could put two little bungees on one attachment point.

Not great, but effective.

We’re still anchored here at Cabbage Island. It’s a great place and one of our favorites. S/V Galapagos, out.

 

Destination: Point Disney

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One of the requirements of a good anchorage for us is the ability to go to shore and do some walking. It’s easy to just sit around on a boat and that’s bad for us in many ways. After several days of walking the county roads, there was one last place we wanted to go: to the top of the rocks of the prominant Point Disney, located at the south end of Cowlitz Bay.

Point Disney

Point Disney preserve is protected from development by The Land Bank and the San Juan Preservation Trust. It offers mature growth forest and rocky cliffs that are home to some of the healthiest madrona trees we’ve seen, as well as  juniper, oak groves and grasses. We had heard rumors of a trail to the top, but there is no public signage pointing the way, and an interweb search showed nothing in terms of getting to the top of the rock.

After a long-time resident gave us some directions on taking the ‘long way’ to the cliff, we found ourselves wandering in lovely woods, but with no idea which direction to go. Was that a right turn he said? Or a left turn? Google Maps works, but shows only the county road system. We had left that far behind us. We were getting a little anxious because most of the land on this island is privately owned. In our country you do not walk on private land without permission (unlike the way more civilized, in this regard, United Kingdom where you have the right to ramble). This is especially true on an island where many people take their privacy VERY seriously.

Can you find Galapagos?

Fortunately, we came upon a man chopping wood with a long, sharp axe. I say fortunately because this was a person who turned out to be helpful, if not startled by our appearance on the trail. He directed us to the actual trailhead for Point Disney, which, it turns out, is right on the beach by the public dock. Who knew? He informed us that  the ‘long way’ to get to the top of the rock is up the mountain road on the other side of the island, but it involves going over several private land parcels. I guess our first resident didn’t mind us walking on private land.

The trailhead is under a large tree that grows out onto the beach by the county dock, just at the high tide line. The branches come down so low that the entrance to the trail is obscured. Once you locate it, however, the trailhead is obvious.

Mike enjoying the cold water close to the trailhead, at the end of the hike.

Be prepared. This trail is extremely steep. I’m not sure how one rates the difficulty of a trail, but on a scale of 1-5 where 1 is flat walking and 5 is scrambling over huge rocks and possibly rappelling down crevasses, I’d say this is a 3.5 or even a 4 until you get to the ridge. After that it’s easier. But you are going to be hiking up a very steep incline for about a mile with almost no relief. You can extrapolate from that data how the trail is coming down. Let’s just say you will want to take great care not to let your feet go faster than the rest of your body on the downhill hike. I wouldn’t take young children on this hike unless you are prepared to carry them the whole way.

The brutal nature of that uphill climb is more than compensated for by the magnificent views at the top. There are plenty of tall grasses and large, flat rocks to rest weary muscles. I think this is the only time I’ve ever seen an eagle from a vantage point well above the bird. We watched porpoises feeding in the hypnotizing currents below.

The smokey haze of the forest fires to the north still obscuring the view. See the eagle in the tree on the right? He’s way down there.

On the hike down, we were itchy from the grass seeds and brush and sweaty from the effort. It was high tide when we returned, and we were grateful to walk in the cold water up to the knees. Who needs a spa? We can sweat and then jump in a cold pool just by doing this hike on a warm day.

If you come, please respect the privacy of the people on the island. You’ll find most people friendly and helpful, but others are not crazy about visitors and worry the island will become too popular. I feel like this is unlikely given the lack of amenities that most people want but I see that they experience what must be a delicate balance between being welcoming without being too encouraging.  A few bad experiences with visitors have left a lasting impression here. I was told that airplanes buzz the island, trying to get a look at how people live there. That’s sure irritating, but I guess they should be grateful that no one flies a drone over their private land, as so many boat travelers have experienced. Talk about invading privacy!

In fact, one woman was concerned that I would write about the island. We had a conversation about experiences they have had with outsiders in the past and at the time, I found myself agreeing with her not to write about a specific experience there.  But that felt bad to me and I think it was an unfair request.   I understand the desire for privacy, and I’m sorry that they are not immune from the bad experiences we have all had with other people at one time or another; you know, people who trash a beach or who break someone’s stuff, or who steal things. That happens everywhere, even on islands where people have gone to live to escape the rest of humanity and invent their own version of what they think is paradise. It’s pretty hard to be a part of the San Juan Islands and not have anyone know your island exists. In addition, Point Disney is public land that has been set aside for the public to appreciate. Those are public roads and a public dock.

So I’ve tried to split the difference between her concerns about privacy and my desire and right to write about our experiences by not naming the island in this post and by changing the title of the post I put up the morning before I talked with her. I hope these gestures will suffice to communicate my good will.

If  you go, be a good ambassador for the rest of us. Use the dinghy dock on the side away from the load/unload area. Stick to the public roads (unless directed, as we were, by a native), and take all trash out with you.

 

Destination:A Private Island

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In the many years we’ve done summer cruises in the Pacific Northwest, we’ve almost always chosen to skip over the San Juan Islands. We always thought they were too crowded and after a brief overnight somewhere, we’d continue up to the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. That’s because we didn’t have time to linger places. We had jobs to come back to. Now that we have the time, I’m glad we’ve lingered here.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Waldron_Island_locator_map.svg

You won’t find much information on Waldron Island in the cruising guides, and that’s just fine with us. That’s because there is no infrastructure for tourists here. There is no park, no rest room, no available water or fuel, no place to put your garbage. There is no Starbucks, no restaurant, no bar, no ice cream stand no way, no how. If you’re looking for action, you won’t find it here.

If you are looking for peace, quiet, and long, lazy days you won’t be disappointed. You will need to plan to anchor out. We are anchored in Cowlitz Bay, that big bite on the southwest side of the island. There is a county dock for your dinghy, and for larger boats to load and unload. But it’s not there to tie the big boat to and go ashore. It’s a well-used load/unload area and if you leave your boat tied there, you will almost certainly inconvenience someone else.  All the mooring balls are private, but there is plenty of room to anchor well clear of the dock and the shallower water where a healthy eel grass population thrives. The local boats are all small and utilitarian, even the sailboats. You won’t find mega yachts here.

Once you land your dinghy away from the load/unload area, you’ll find several miles of sandy road provided by San Juan County and maintained by one of the residents. These are perfect for long walks on roads that see very little traffic. This island is completely counter to the hustle of busy Friday Harbor.

Waldron does have its own post office. It’s really old-school and that makes it delightful.

Mike explores the ‘international’ airport. The sign on the door gently reminds people that this is a quiet community and that while they understand the need for air travel, when possible they prefer you come by boat. Those chairs? They are the lounge area.

Cowlitz Bay looks unprotected as an anchorage, and yet it is uncannily quiet and has been so for the last three days. (Of course, we are in the middle of a pretty solid high pressure period.) Although it is open to southwest and northwest wind and fetch, it is far enough north that it is actually blocked to the worst of southwest winds by Vancouver Island, then Spieden and Stuart Islands. Northwest winds could be more of a problem.

In addition there is surprisingly little boat traffic. Boundary Pass to the north side of the island sees most of the traffic, and travelers coming from the Sucia Islands to the east and traveling to the western islands are more likely to take the route either to the north or the south of the bay. There is no ferry to this island. The water is quiet, even though the anchorage feels exposed. There is the occasional big ship that passes along the north side, and eventually their wake will get to us. Today we got some good rolling and it really took us by surprise. As a rule it’s a casual wake by the time it reaches our boat and causes only a slight disturbance. We’ve spent three nights of dead calm anchored here.

The reef is the little patch of blue.

A word of caution: Beware of Mouatt Reef, a charted but unmarked reef as shown on the GPS screenshot above. Key words here are charted and unmarked. There is no buoy or any other aid to navigation to alert you to the reef; only a careful watching of your chart. Yesterday a sailboat sat on that reef for a few hours, waiting for the tide to lift him off. We hope there was no damage to the boat.

The gift of blackberries on our walk. “MMM, these are warm and soft, like they’ve been in God’s pocket.” said Michael.

In addition to the long, leisurely walks, Cowlitz Bay offers excellent kayaking, especially at low tide. The healthy eel grass population sports a wide assortment of schools of baby fish, including baby halibut (or maybe ling cod?) that scoot across the sandy floor. Hundreds of baby crabs scuttle on the sand and cling to the grass. I observed oyster catchers on the shore, and a bald eagle watched me closely as he scavenged along the mud flat. It’s easy to spend several hours floating along in a kind of meditative bliss watching the movements beneath the boat in the shallows. But word of warning: you’ll want to stay away from the points on either side of the bay except at slack tide. There are wicked currents there and they may not be taking you the direction you want to go.

Floating over the eel grass.

Mr. Eagle, flying low.

With the unblocked western exposure, I was hoping for some stunning sunsets from this anchorage and I’m sure that generally speaking it wouldn’t disappoint. However, all the islands are still covered with smoke from the forest fires in British Columbia. The smoke, combined with fog because the high pressure system is preventing moisture from getting up further into the atmosphere, creates a dense haze that obscures the sun completely once it gets low enough in the sky. Still, there is a beauty to this and it has created an other-worldly atmosphere here.

Taken just before the sun disappeared in the mist. You can see the sunspot in this photo.

The evening when all the world was pink. We breathed in pink, moist air. It was like another planet.

We may move on today, but in a way that would be a shame. We’ve now been here long enough for the local wildlife to want to explore us. Last night we awoke to the voices of otters chattering and messing around in our dinghy, which was floating behind us. We like otters as a rule and I thought that was kind of cute. But then they started making a racket and I decided we’d had enough of their shenanigans. They were interrupting my beauty sleep.

Mike flipped on the floodlight on deck and that stopped them for about 30 seconds. So I went up on deck only to come face to face with a brazen otter climbing up our swim step with one foot on deck already. We stared each other down as 5 of his kindred souls frolicked around in the dinghy. These were bold otters. It took my walking purposefully toward them, talking in my stern ‘no nonsense, now’ voice to get them to slide back in the water and away from the boat. Smugly, I raised the dinghy, secure in my human superiority,  and went back to bed.

However, the otters were not to be out done so quickly. Sometime later Mike awoke to an otter face looking in his window. It was still early, but the sun was up. He managed a couple of photos of the stealthy intruders; raccoons of the sea. Raising the dinghy must have been seen as a challenge as they were aboard it, swinging in the air hanging off the davits. They could probably wreck havoc on deck if left unchecked, but still, I love it that they came on board, even if they did leave us a little ‘gift’ on top of one of the coiled dock lines. It’s a small price to pay to be part of their world for a little while. Maybe we’ll stay another day.