Category Archives: Sailboats

Make New Friends, and Set Your Brain on Fire

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This weekend we did the unthinkable: we went to Friday Harbor and back in one day. A trip that takes us three days on Moonrise took us 3 hours or so on the Victoria Clipper, a boat that is the marine equivalent of a South African taxi. It’s really fast,  not particularly comfortable and lots of people are crammed onto it, but it gets you where you are going and the scenery can be pretty. Plus, in the case of the Clipper, there is unlimited free coffee and tea, and the coffee is actually not bad. Bring your own food. Just saying.

Bye bye, Seattle.

We went to Friday Harbor to meet up with Steven Roberts of Nomadness fame. Steven, who refers to himself as a ‘technomad’, is the inventor of the Microship and has spent his life inventing geeky things and playing with interesting integrated systems of all kinds. He owns an Amazon 44, a steel sailboat which is a pretty dreamy boat. I’ll be writing a review of the boat for Three Sheets Northwest and he is considering putting his boat up for sale. For now, just know that this boat could take someone literally anywhere they wanted to sail in safety and in style.

I’ve been a fan of Steven’s website for a couple of years now. He has many cool ‘boat hacking’ kinds of ideas that he shares with people, such as holding curtains to your boat ports with earth magnets for a clean and easy look, and a portable boat seat that attaches to the steps of the companionway. I’m saving those posts for later because, hey, the rain is here which means that boat season is pretty much over and I’m going to be scrounging for copy.

S/V Nomadness at her great dock location in Friday Harbor.

But I know that you are dying to find out how our brains got set on fire; why we could literally feel the heat as our neurons made new connections in uncharted territory. It all happened because of our new friend Steven’s forward rowing system on his sailing dinghy. You know how it’s impossible to see where you are going when you row a little boat the normal way? I hate that and many is the time that I turn around and row backwards, bow first, which is not a particularly efficient way to row. (Plus, people look at you like you don’t know what you are doing, and certain types of men try to correct you.)

I managed to NOT hit the pilings behind me. This was encouraging.

So Steven just couldn’t let us get away without letting us try rowing his sailing dinghy with the special forward rowing system. We’re game to be laughed at, so we both said , ‘Sure! We will set our brains on fire for other people’s amusement! No problem!’. And so it came to pass. I went first, managing to get the boat out from the dock, row around, and come back without actually crashing into anything. Oh, the hilarity! Then it was Mike’s turn. He is left handed in a big way. I don’t know if that matters, but perhaps it does. All I know is that if you think it is easy, you try it.  He may have taken photos of me, but I VIDEO taped him! Enjoy! (And just ignore that conversation Steven and I are having. I don’t know how to remove it.)

[vsw id=”IFRqAlhvkic&feature” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”]

After a great visit with Steven and Nomadness, we had a couple of hours to ‘do’ Friday Harbor. What we ‘did’ was eat lunch at Pablito’s Taqueria: Mexican food meets Pacific Northwest.  I’m not particularly a ‘foodie’, but the Coffee Braised Pork Taco made a party in my mouth. Yum and Yum! I would take the Clipper back to Friday Harbor just so I could order those tacos again. Forget the rice and beans and whatever else was on my plate.  Give me the taco and a good beer and I’ll be happy. If you go to Friday Harbor, go get some of these pork tacos. You won’t be disappointed.

I care nothing about any of these other foods. I am all over those coffee braised pork tacos.

 

What’s Happening?

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We are in the transitional time of year here in the Pacific Northwest. Actually, it feels a little bit early for the grey skies but they descended upon us with a vengeance last week, dumping buckets of heavy rain, causing us to close the ports and hatches on Moonrise. Have to say it’s good to have a dry boat. The sun takes longer to burn off the clouds in the morning, the world begins to feel small; womb like. Apparently we are in for an early fall this year, more’s the pity. So all the more reason to seize the day as often as possible and get out on the boat. Just going down to the marina improves our mood. We breathe audible sighs of relief at the open space and the water.

Unseasonably good wind!

On the boat sales front, things are looking up. We feel movement in the air and it’s not just wind on the water. We showed Moonrise to a very nice man who is a knowledgeable buyer, knows what he wants, and is looking for a boat to sail to Alaska with his son. We would love to think that Moonrise would find a home with a family! That would make us feel very good. The same day we received another call from someone looking for a boat for himself and his wife, also a good candidate for Moonrise as we know how comfortable she is for a couple who just wants to spend time alone. The level of interest in our girl is picking up, giving us hope that she will find the right new home soon and we will not actually have to sail her to Mexico and beyond, a trip that would be sure to cause anxiety in my family (and myself, to be brutally honest).

These folks were just drifting around in the light wind, reading a book on deck, enjoying the warm sunshine.

Meanwhile our ad is getting interest from people who might like to work out a trade with us. Wouldn’t it be something if everything kind of fell together all at the same time? Keep your fingers crossed for us and do whatever other little rituals to the Gods of fortune feel right to you. We’re doing our best to just kind of stand back and observe this whole thing, doing our part to allow things to happen without forcing them. And we’re also doing our best to keep all of our options open. It’s a delicate balance, to be sure.

To continue our education about all things boating, Mike and I are excited to go up to Friday Harbor next weekend via the Victoria Clipper. (That’s right, any excuse to get away.) A trip that would take us 2-3 days on Moonrise can be had for a little over an hour on the Clipper. We’ll be meeting up with Steven Roberts of Nomadness.com and taking a look at his Amazon 44, probably just about the dreamiest boat I can imagine. If you are an engineering geek or any kind of inventor person, you owe it to yourself to explore his website in depth. If you are not particularly geeky, I warn you that Steven speaks in a foreign tongue but the photos are pretty. Put on your Star Trek outfits and beam yourself up to his site. I cannot wait to meet him and see his boat.

Meanwhile, we are enjoying Moonrise so much right now. We realize that when we do get that bigger and heavier boat, we’re going to be giving up for awhile the kind of sailing we can get on Moonrise; ghosting along at 4 knots in about 7 knots of wind, sails completely balanced. We’re willing to give that up for the comfort afforded by a bigger boat, but we do plan to enjoy it while we have it.

My sailor man. He’s a keeper. Damn! I am one lucky woman. 

 

Sea Scouts: A Beautiful Odyssey

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Spoiler Alert! Shameless plug for donations below!

 

Melissa recently wrote an article for ThreeSheetsNW.com on the Odyssey,  (SSS Odyssey, Tacoma’s Maritime Jewel) . This ninety foot Sparkman and Stephens yawl is docked on the Foss Waterway and is always a beautiful site underway.  Melissa and I enjoy every encounter we have with her. From Princess Louisa Inlet to Budd Inlet, she makes the Salish Sea a little prettier.

All the hard work pays off on a day like this.

Keeping this jewel looking good and sailing well is no easy task. The Sea Scout Troop 190 works long hours maintaining the boat, taking her to maritime festivals and providing week long High Adventure cruises for Boy Scout Troops around the country. While such efforts are great fun and perfect training opportunities for young scouts, they also raise badly needed funds to ensure that the mission and the boat can continue.

The Sea Scout Mission

Skipper Dan Dawes quizzes a new scout. Yes, Sir, Skipper, Sir!

As a Sea Scout Ship, the adult leaders on board are tasked with educating and mentoring the young scouts in the the safe operation of this historic vessel. If anyone deserves a lifetime achievement award for dedication to our community, it would be these men and women who volunteer their time and experience. Every outing on the Odyssey requires an adult skipper, licensed by the Coast Guard to operate a  vessel of this size. So at a minimum they possess a 100 ton ticket. Many of these professionals have had long careers in the Merchant Marines, Coast Guard or the Navy. In addition to the skipper, there is always one other adult on board to manage the various other operations of the boat, KP,  watch schedules, cleanup and a myriad other functions needed for the efficient, safe operation of the ship.

Such experience on board a ship the size of the Odyssey is vital. The scouts themselves perform all the duties and make key decisions at every turn in the safe handling of the ship. Navigation, docking, anchoring, sail change; all of the the many decisions that must be made on any ship are made by these young men and women, aged 13 to 21. Melissa and I felt some pride in knowing that these young adults will be tomorrow’s capable leaders.

Scouts checking their charts at the Nav Station. Course headings are called up to the helm at least every fifteen minutes, then recorded in the log book.

All Hands On Deck!

In addition to the usual skills learned as a Sea Scout, none can be more important than the quick response to an emergency. Melissa and I got to witness a couple of drills when we were guests aboard the Odyssey on Mother’s Day this spring (see: Unlimited Weekend). During our cruise north to Tacoma,  the ship suddenly slowed to a crawl. I heard one of the senior scouts calling ‘All hands on deck! All hands on deck!’. Just short minutes later roll was called as all were gathered in the cockpit area. Skipper Dawes reported the scenario for the drill:  that we had just struck an object and were taking on water. Then, one at a time he drilled individual scouts on the actions needed to handle the situation. “Where is the damage control kit? Go and put your hands on it.”  “How do you activate the life raft? How many people can she carry? What is the proper radio transmission in this situation? Who will radio a Pan Pan?”. These and many more questions were fired at the scouts. Some of the older hands bit their tongues as the skipper grilled the newer scouts and put a bit of pressure on them. Much better to squirm a little now and learn the correct way to respond to an emergency than to panic when you are needed for the real thing.

We were proud to see our future leaders being groomed aboard the Odyssey

These drills are not just for the fun of it. They are required per Coast Guard regulations and the scouts are preparing to be tested. Soon there will be a Coast Guard representative on board watching and taking notes, scoring the scouts on their performance. Passing the test is critical as Odyssey carries passengers other than crew. During the summer months, in particular, Boy Scout troops sign up to be taken on their High Adventure cruises up to the San Juan and Gulf Islands. This is one of the major money making operations for Odyssey, which spends many thousands of dollars a year on fuel alone.

The ‘Man Overboard’ drill is another important exercise. Shortly after passing Pt. Defiance, the alarm was sounded and the ‘spotter’ claimed his place, pointing directly at the victim, a certain ‘Freddy Fender’. Odyssey slowly circled, the dinghy was lowered into the water and a scout deployed. Another went to the bow and prepared to throw the flotation device.

Nice arm!

All went smoothly until it looked like we might be in the way of the ferry to Vashon Island. Should we give way? Call off the drill?  We were all worried Mr. Fender would be run down. This was a timed drill, and just that amount of slight dithering threw everyone off the mark. I fear Mr. Fender did not live to see another day. It’s obvious the scouts have run this drill many times, but they were disappointed that this time it took just seconds too long. For the Coast Guard, that can’t happen, even if a ferry is approaching. On the long wish list for this troop is a full submersion survival suit that would allow them to practice with a live human being. Sounds like a great plan!

Victim retrieved

 How you can support the Sea Scout program

(Yes, a shameless plug.)

Some serious timber for a serious ship

These kids are the future leaders of our country and, frankly, with kids like these in command we can all breathe a sigh of relief. Many of the senior scouts have goals that include attending maritime academies as well as active duty service in the Navy or Coast Guard. It’s hard to put a price on the experience, training, and discipline that they gain from participating in this program; the kind of learning that schools simply cannot offer for any amount of money. Having this program in Tacoma benefits us all.

A program of this size and complexity runs on the tireless efforts of the scouts, their adult leaders (God Bless ’em) and contributions from many generous sponsors. If you ever go aboard the ship for a visit, you will see the donation box below, ready to accept a donation. But why wait? Thanks to the magic of the Interweb, you can click on the image below and make a contribution to the Odyssey right now. The Tacoma Youth Marine Foundation supports programs like the Sea Scouts and serves as the Odyssey’s home port. As a 501c3 organization, all contributions are tax deductible.

 

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