Thursday, June 17, 2010

San Juan Islands - Day 4 - Clark Island

This is the last part of a four part series of our sailing trip to the San Juan Islands over Memorial Day weekend.
Day 4 - Rosario, Orcas Island to Clark Island


Our last full day vacation was upon us and we just couldn't bring ourselves to leave Rosario without enjoying the warmth of the pool and hot tub one last time. We walked up to the Mansion fairly early and were greeted by a "closed" sign. I tried the door and found it to be open. I looked right and left, and saw a cleaning lady vacuuming the floors with her back turned to me. I gave Captain Mike the let's-go-quietly-wave, and ducking behind her we ran down the stairs to the spa. All the towels had been put away, but I remembered from our snooping around the day before that there was a (real!) ships door near the pool, behind which was the supply closet. We had a long soak and played with the beach ball in the pool. By the time we headed back to the boat our skin was wrinkly and beet-red. I was just hoping that the warmth would last me all day.

We left for Clark Island around 10:30 am and motored on a windless, cloudy day. Along the way we took a little detour to scout out Doe Bay for possible future visits since we had read about the hot springs there. Regrettably, it seemed more like summer camp with some cabins and lots of tents perched on a hill side and there were no mooring buoys or docks near there.

Around 2pm we arrived at Clark Island, dropped anchor on the east side and pulled the stern up on the beach so we could explore the island. Clark Island is quite flat with long beaches on the east and west sides.  Beautiful wild roses were blooming everywhere when we arrived. 
After our walk we noticed that we were going to have neighbors for the night. A small group had arrived in three kayaks and they were busy setting up their shelters. It was starting to rain again after a mostly dry day. We pulled up our anchor, secured a mooring ball for the night, and hung towels from the sides of the bimini to make the cockpit more enclosed and keep out the rain. For dinner we made some Halibut Fajitas we found on GalleySwap 

Around 3am we were awoken to a very rolly anchorage. The wind had picked up and the tides had come up so far that the protective reef was completely covered. We slept well for a few more hours knowing that we were securely tied to a mooring ball. By 7am I started to think about the last time we tried to get back to Bellingham from the San Juans and told the Captain that we had to leave "right now"! Last fourth of July weekend the winds picked up right when were trying to leave (we were already pushing it with a late departure) and we were unable to cross Rosario Strait because our engine kept stalling when we slammed into a trough. We had to wait at Matia Island for several hours until the wind abated and the tide switched around making the waves less steep. This time we headed across right away and even had a very pleasant crossing. We slogged down Hale Passage in a head wind on a favorable tide. By noon we were back in Bellingham ready to haul the boat and drive back to Portland.

Right after we pulled the boat out of the water the clouds parted and the sun shone brightly the rest of the day!


On the way back we checked in at another closed scale. We had gained 200 pounds!
Truck: 4,920
Boat 3,700

PASSAGE NOTES AND PHOTOS

6 mooring balls on east side - not very protected at high tide when reef is under water
3 mooring balls on west side - could get pretty rough in north or south winds





Obstruction Pass at the south end of Orcas Island, the rough water is caused solely by current
Webfoot on the beach at Clark Island
Beach on east side of Clark Island
Video of view of Orcas Island from south end of Clark Island
West side of Clark Island
Our mooring ball
Dinner aboard Webfoot
Rain.... rain.... rain... If you look closely you can see the raindrops
Back in Bellingham at the ramp
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Wednesday, June 9, 2010

San Juan Islands - Day 3 - Rosario, Orcas Island


This is part three of a four part series of our sailing trip to the San Juan Islands over Memorial Day weekend.


Day 3 - Friday Harbor to Rosario, Orcas Island

Since it seemed like the cold and rain was going to stick around we were looking for a place to go where we could warm up a little. So off to Rosario Resort it was! We left Friday Harbor in a light rain and as soon we were out of the harbor we realized that the wind would be perfect for sailing. So we raised our only sail and were off to a nice downwind run (read this if you are wondering why we only had one sail).

We were happily sailing along when I went below to get get us a snack and heard an odd noise. At first I couldn't place it, but then I remembered that we had recently installed our new bilge pump and it appeared that it was busily pumping water. I moved a few things to get to it and noticed a fair amount of water in our bilge! I immediately alerted Captain Mike and was asked if it was salt or fresh water. I have tasted a lot bilge water in my time and this time I was grateful that we do not have an inboard engine. Our bilge water was pristine so I did not hesitate. It was very salty! Not good! I immediately started to search everywhere for a point of intrusion and after a few nervous minutes we determined that it was likely an attachment point for the rudder and a very slow leak. Since we had been running with the wind and had the boat more loaded than usual, the stern was more exposed to the water than usual. It was a fix we would have to make when the boat was back on the trailer and we would just have to keep an eye on it.

We were getting close to Rosario Resort and readied the boat for arrival. We arrived just in time for the Organ concert and headed up the hill after securing the boat. After the concert and a tour of the mansion we got our bathing suits and went to the hot tub and warm indoor pool. All this was followed by lamb cooked on our rail BBQ and dessert of Nutty Cookies I found on GalleySwap. We don't have an oven on board so had I made them ahead of time. It was a great evening! If you've never been to Rosario it is defiantly worth a visit!


PASSAGE NOTES AND PHOTOS

When staying in their marina the spa facilities in the mansion are included! Pool, hot tub, unlimited hot showers, gym, sauna, fireplaces, and beautiful locker rooms. Rosario Marina can be reached on 78A. Visit their website for more info.



Rosario Resort


The organ pipes

The 85° pool



The marina at Rosario Resort




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Wednesday, June 2, 2010

San Juan Islands - Day 2 - Friday Harbor

This is part two of a four part series of our sailing trip to the San Juan Islands over Memorial Day weekend.

Day 2 - Matia Island to Friday Harbor



On Friday I woke up to a wet and cloudy day. Captain Mike had already been up for some time and had gone for a run around the island. After we had some breakfast we donned our long undies, foulies, hats, gloves, and life vests and pulled up the anchor. We were still deciding whether to go to Roche Harbor or Friday Harbor. I really like both towns but Friday Harbor has a bigger selection of restaurants and Friday is date night! And no Friday would be complete without visiting Friday Harbor. It was a wet and windy ride, heading straight into the chop. Knowing there would be a hot shower at the end we had a lot of fun getting wet and keeping warm with hot cocoa.

When we got within 5 minutes of Friday Harbor we called the marina via VHF and were immediately assigned a slip on one of their large overnight docks.  They charge roughly one dollar per foot (I say roughly because it varies by season) and a couple of dollars for electricity. Be sure to bring lots of quarters since showers are a quarter per minute with a five minute minimum. 

Since our little boat does not have a heater we brought a small electric heater with tilt-shut-off from home which we would only be able to use at the dock. Friday in Friday Harbor was very chilly and we had lots of wet cloths so we were glad to have remembered it... until it stopped working... Our boat is equipped with shore-power and two GFCI protected outlets. After running the heater for a while we heard the outlet go "pop" and off went the cozy heater. We tried and tried to push the reset button but it was stuck. Captain Mike turned of the shore-power and unscrewed the outlet. There was quite a bit of corrosion so we headed into town to scout out a new outlet and some lunch.

A little ways up the main road (Spring Street - it's hard to miss) is an Ace hardware store conveniently located just across the street from a West Marine Express. At Ace we bought a new outdoor GFCI outlet and then had lunch overlooking the harbor at Blue Water Bar & Grill which had fairly average food. Everyone's tastes are different so I won't make this into a food critic blog but it wasn't our favorite. The view sure was nice though!

When we got back to the boat Captain Mike installed the new outlet and voilà! we had heat. Our little boat almost felt like a luxury yacht. We cleaned up, took naps, and caught up on some reading since, of course, it was raining again. When the rain let up we partook in one of our favorite activities: Dock Walking. It is always amazing to see all the different states of disrepair some owners let their boats be in. After we had our fill of of Ooohs and Ahhhs and Would-you-look-at-that-boat-can-you-believe-its we headed into town for our dinner date.

When we got to the restaurant I had eyed earlier we were told that they were already closed. I was appalled until I looked at my watch and noticed it was already after 9 o'clock. The long Pacific Northwest had fooled me again. Of course since we had not seen the sun all day it is perfectly excusable. We walked all over town and found that the entire town shuts down by nine. We were starting to head back to the boat via the high road (1st Street) when we saw a sign for a restaurant and tried our luck. They must be the only restaurant in town that serves dinner until 10pm. Not to mention that the Bluff Restaurant is very nice with a gorgeous view of the harbor below. Perfect for date night! We enjoyed fresh mussels, crab cakes, and a couple of drinks. A perfect ending to another rainy day in the San Juan's.


PASSAGE NOTES AND PHOTOS

Quick overview if Friday Harbor amenities


A blustery day


Though you have the right-of-way look out for float planes pulling into Friday Harbor

 
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San Juan Islands - Day 1 - Matia Island

This is the first part of a 4 part series of our sailing trip to the San Juan Islands over Memorial Day weekend.

Day 1 - Launch, Bellingham to Matia Island





We towed Webfoot up to Bellingham from Portland, this being our third trip (second with this boat) to the islands one would think not too much could go wrong...

We left Wednesday after work with a fully loaded boat and truck. On the way we pulled off at a closed truck scale. Even when closed they usually don't turn off the scales and it's good to know we aren't nearing the truck's towing capacity of 5,000 pounds. The boat weighed in at just under 3,500 pounds with most of our gear on board - save the cooler, some food, and tools which were in the truck. When we arrived all we needed was fuel for the boat. As of last weekend, Bellingham gas stations still have ethanol free gas which is a big bonus!

We got to Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham just before midnight, parked in the trailer lot, and went to sleep in our cozy aft berth. The new curtains really came in handy in the well-lit parking lot. In the morning we got some quick coffee and breakfast at that famous Seattle coffee shop and started getting the boat ready to launch. I was below organizing the items we had just brought in from the truck while Captain Mike was getting ready to raise the mast when I heard him exclaim: "OH NO!". So I popped my head out and after quickly analyzing the situation realized our biggest mistake to date: We had left the jib and its furling system hanging on the garage ceiling. So much for my detailed checklists... It's a long drive to Bellingham so going home to pick it up was out of the question. We had to come to terms with the fact that we would not be doing much sailing on this trip. We used the line to lift the mast as a fore-stay and added an extra line for safety. We weren't about to lose another mast, but that's another story....

After everything was ready to go we drove to the ramp to put Webfoot into the water. The aft end was floating just fine; only the boat wouldn't budge from the trailer. We pushed and pulled to no avail. No matter how far we backed into the water the bow kept resting on the V-shaped cushion that stops the boat from moving farther forward. The entire boat was off the trailer except the upper bow section. Captain Mike did a sort of backwards "mac-bump" (a real "mac-bump" is done by driving forwards with the boat on the trailer and then slamming on the brakes to slide the boat forward on the trailer). After several "bumps" we were finally able to launch and ready to go by noon!

We high-tailed it out of Bellingham on a cloudy day headed for Matia Island (pronounced: MAH-tea-ah). We arrived on Matia in the late afternoon - plenty of time to explore the island thanks to our long summer days in the Pacific Northwest. Matia Island is a state park and must hold the record for the most slugs per square foot. They are taking over! We anchored at the head of a huge cove on the east side of the island and had it all to ourselves! Despite it being Memorial Day weekend it appears that most people stayed home due to an unpleasant weather forecast. While hiking around the island on the roughly one mile long trail we passed by Rolfe Cove which had just two boats in it. We had stayed there last year waiting for weather to pass before heading back across Rosario Strait and found it to be very well protected - so well that we were unable to tell when the weather had improved. Rolfe Cove has a small dock, several mooring buoys, a bathroom, and a long beach.

After our hike around the island we cooked up some dinner, enjoyed a nice glass of wine with our Wild Salmon over Penne (see recipe here) and relaxed in our cozy cabin (it had started to rain and it lasted all night and most of the next day...).


PASSAGE NOTES AND PHOTOS
Squalicum Harbor Launch Ramp, $5 to launch and park for free up to 5 days, longer if you call ahead


The temporary forestay






Rolfe Cove with dock and mooring buoys









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