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West Coast Cruising
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Click here to see Week 2 (as incorrectly linked in our November newsletter announcement, many apologies)

About the Authors: Jan and Don Cosby have spent 30 years boating, four of which were spent living aboard a steel Bruce Roberts designed Spray 36. They have cruised the Atlantic, Mediterranean, and Caribbean, and are about to embark on another adventure. This summer, starting in late July, they will spend five weeks taking a 36’ Sabreline trawler one way from Bellingham, WA, to Juneau, AK. Since they are sailors by tradition, both the type of boat and the cruising area make for a completely new experience.

Jan has worked at Bluewater Books and Charts for 13 years now, in the chart department and behind the scenes. She provides the expertise behind Bluewater’s help e-mail system, so chances are good that anybody who has ever e-mailed Bluewater for any reason has heard from Jan.

Jim and Sue Masters are longtime friends of Jan and Don. The two couples met in 1968 at Purdue University in Indiana, and they have cruised together all over the world. Jim and Sue sailed with the Cosbys in Hawaii, the Caribbean, the Bahamas, and on the Great Circle. The Masters currently live in Centralia, WA, and own a 21’ fishing boat. They spend a great deal of time fishing in the Strait of Juan De Fuca.

This is the second installation of a series outlining the preparation for and completion of the trip. For the first installation, please see our July newsletter. Jan and Don are back in Ft. Lauderdale, and Jan was sorely missed at Bluewater. Please call Bluewater Books and Charts if you are planning a similar voyage, or if you need advice on charts and guides for any part of the world.

Starring: Jan and Don Cosby - Jim and Sue Masters

Editor’s Note: This is the third installment from Jan, Don, Jim and Sue. To read the last one and to learn more about Bluewater’s star cruisers, please see our September newsletter. I hope you’re enjoying reading about their adventures as much as I am. Stay tuned for the next installation.

The Inside Passage—Getting Underway (Part III)

All summer we continued to be amazed that the charter company and the boat owner agreed to allow us to take SUNNY SUE, their Sabreline 36, 900 miles from its home base in Bellingham, Washington, to Juneau, Alaska . Most charterers in this region don’t go any further north than Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. We kept thinking they would come to their senses at the last minute and tell us to get lost. But July 22 finally arrived and, sure enough, they handed us the keys.

Well, they didn’t hand us the keys right away. First we had to demonstrate that we knew something about how to operate a boat. We had to back her out of the slip and tool around the harbor for a bit and get the pointy end back in between the pilings and get her tied up again without crashing and burning. This was the first experience for us with twin screw boats, so we were a tad apprehensive about that. But Jim very calmly and very slowly drove the boat and listened carefully to the check-out captain’s instructions, and in the process he fell madly in love with all twin-screw boats. Don didn’t have to drive the boat, so we can only assume they were either sufficiently awed by Jim’s abilities or Don had asked the right questions.

Next we had to endure a "check-out". A charter check-out is basically a data dump during which every switch, valve, lever, light, gauge, dial, instrument, and system from the bilge to the bimini top is pointed to and explained about, all in less than two hours. We listened intently and did our best to commit everything to memory. We probably retained about 25% of it. Also, about 10% of what they told us turned out to be wrong. But we had five weeks to figure everything out, and we already had a pretty good idea about the really important stuff.

Talk about stuff. We had a lot of stuff! We had shipped big boxes of stuff ahead to the marina, and Jim had dropped off lots of stuff at the marina ahead of time. And now the back of his Suburban was full of stuff. So we carted all that stuff down to the boat and then went out and spent the whole evening buying even more stuff which we had to put away before we could go to bed. And we still needed more stuff!

Jim had done his homework. He had laid out an itinerary that was flexible enough to allow for weather delays, while at the same time making sure we could spend time at the more spectacular places. He also made sure we had all 92 of the proper Canadian and U.S. paper charts on board as well as the correct Navionics chips for the Raymarine E120 plotter. His choices for paper charts for U.S. waters were either the pre-printed ones from NOAA or the new print-on-demand charts by OceanGrafix. The obvious choice was the OceanGrafix charts, which, at the moment they are being printed out for each customer order, are up to date as to the latest notice to mariners. Jim and Sue had also attended a seminar by guidebook authors Don and Leanne Douglas about cruising the Inside Passage and had picked up lots of important tips about how to make the trip more enjoyable.

The plan was for the guys to be co-captains, taking two hour watches at the helm, and for each couple to take turns running the galley for a week at a time. Many would call this the perfect formula for the tragic end of a long and beautiful friendship. But we had all cruised together many times over the years on other boats, so we are all pretty much used to each other. None of us sweats the small stuff anyway, or has anything to prove, so there were no fistfights or mutinies. Actually, the only unforgivable sin a crewmember was likely to commit was to spill the tequila.

At about noon on Saturday, July 23, we motored out into Bellingham Bay, rounded the lower end of Lummi Island, and headed west to the Gulf Islands and Bedwell Harbor on Pender Island. We cleared Canadian Customs there, then let the tide flush us out through the Pender Canal and on north to Montague Harbor where we anchored for the night. The whole day was a learning experience, right down to figuring out how the 300’ anchor chain was marked. Unfortunately, learning curves, instead of being smooth and predictable, have invisible ripples and steps upon which the unwary can bump his nose and bark his shins. Navigating the boat was easy compared to the brain-cramping chore of learning how to navigate through the levels on levels of the many functions of the digital chart plotter/GPS/RADAR/fish finder/DVD monitor/food processor. Okay, it didn‘t puree. But it had at least eleven different ways to display your speed and direction, and that was just the ones in English. We would later come to realize that the thing had more features and functions than any vessel without missile launchers would ever need. But the boat ran fine, the anchor set well, the crew was tired but happy, and we were on our way!

SUNDAY: Dodd Narrows is on the way to Nanaimo, which is on the east side of Vancouver Island. The current through the narrows was running about 3 knots against us. But it is a short channel, so we just fell in line with the sailboats and we all wallowed through the whirlpools together. We wanted to check our fuel consumption, so we filled up at the fuel dock in Nanaimo. It had taken 248 liters ($233 Canadian) to go 78 miles. Ouch!

The guy running the fuel dock was getting off work and he offered to take us in his SUV to Costco. So we quickly moved the boat to the visitor’s dock and took off with him. We split up into teams in Costco and managed to buy another US$450.00 worth of stuff. The taxi driver felt sorry for us and helped carry our stuff down to the boat. Afterwards we were looking at the waterline stripe to see if it was still above the waterline. Amazingly, it was, but we had a definite list to starboard. Must have been all those canned goods.

MONDAY: The first order of business was to go shopping for yet more stuff. The women headed to the nearby supermarket and the guys deployed on a search mission for dry ice to put in the coolers to prevent our more susceptible stuff like steaks and chops, etc. from spoiling. The guys returned two hours later with 45 pounds of dry ice in their backpacks. Neither of them could bend at the waist until several hours later. The gals were successful too, and their new load of stuff brought the trim of the boat back to near normal.

At 11:30 we pronounced ourselves fully provisioned and ready to head north again. We got all set up for steering from the fly bridge, headed out through the commercial harbor, made a hard left into the Straits of Georgia, and immediately got a face full of spray. It had been relativly quiet in the harbor, but there was a stiff NW wind blowing out in the Straits. We tried all different speeds and tacks before deciding the rough ride was just not worth it. The BC weather radio forecast was for even more slop later in the PM, and it sounded better for the next morning, so we opted for the peace and quiet of nearby Nanoose Harbor. We were delighted to have the harbor to ourselves with good holding and good protection from the NW wind. We kicked back and enjoyed afternoon naps, happy hour on the fly bridge, a great evening meal, and a quiet night at anchor.

TUESDAY: We got up early to get a head start on the weather. It didn’t work. It was still blowing like stink out in the Straits. More rested and more motivated, we decided to get it over with, so we put Sunny Sue up on plane and hung on. At 14 knots the Detroits were growling at 2400 RPM’s and the needles on the fuel gauges were dropping back at an alarming rate. But the Saberline was taking the waves well and she felt very solid under us. By mid-morning we were finally starting to get some protection from the land, and at 12:30 we arrived at the fuel dock in Campbell river. We had covered about 80 miles from Nanaimo, and it took 104 gallons (US$291) of diesel to refill the tanks. That meant we were spending almost $4 per mile for fuel! We decided to slow down.

Seymour Narrows is a 13-mile-long channel that starts just above Campbell River and leads into Johnstone Strait at the north end. The current through there can run up to 8 knots, at which time there are actual rapids with standing waves in the shallower and narrower sections. Add the effect of a stiff wind opposing the current, and it could make you feel like a gecko with no toenails riding a tennis ball in a washing machine. After consulting the tide/current tables we decided our best shot at slack tide was for the next morning, so we motored into Gowlland Harbor and put the hook down for the night. We agonized over the tide/current table books, checking and rechecking ourselves, all through the first part of the trip. Then we learned that this data is available on the plotter if one knows how to access it. Just another little speed bump on the ol’ learning curve.

WEDNESDAY: We pulled the anchor up at about 9:00, which we calculated would put us at Seymour Narrows just before high tide. The Narrows were nice and flat, and there was a local commercial fishing boat going our way at our speed, so we fell in behind him and let him set our line for us. We figured he would know where the most favorable currents would be, so we stayed behind him most of the morning. That plan worked fine until we reached the upper end of Discovery Passage and turned west into Johnstone Strait. By now the tide was running out pretty good and there was a strong wind coming in the Strait to counter it, and the seas got lumpy again. The local guy kept on going west and we put up with it for a while, but it kept getting worse and there was a forecast for 25-30 knots on the nose that afternoon, so we made a hard right into Mayne Passage, which is known locally as Blind Channel. As soon as we got off Johnstone Strait we had following wind and seas and we could relax again. We hooked around the east end of W. Thurlow Island and, as we headed west again in Chancellor Channel, we expected the same blast of wind on our nose. It didn’t happen. As we learned over the next three weeks, (another pot hole in that learning curve) there are very often gale winds blowing in Johnstone Strait while nearby channels stay relatively calm. We turned north into Wellbore Channel, and as we approached the narrows at Whirlpool Rapids we could see a southbound tug with a log boom in tow crawling toward the narrows from the north. Thankfully, the current from the outgoing tide held him back long enough for us to slide past him before he got to the narrow part.

We entered Forward Harbor to anchor for the night in scenic Douglas Bay. The surounding hills were steep and high, and far beyond the end of the bay there were snow-capped mountains. We had not seen many boats through the day, so we were very surprised when we found 17 boats huddled in that tiny anchorage. To make matters worse, one guy had dropped his anchor almost on the beach in the middle of the whole mess and put out about 400 feet of anchor line. Then when any boat tried to anchor near him he came out waving his arms and yelling at them to keep away. He needed, after all, about 800 feet of swinging room up and down the beach. After we took our turn being yelled at, we went to the outside of the group and anchored in 65’. We wondered what that guy would do if the wind changed during the night and a high tide deposited his boat a few dozen feet up the bank. We did not actually WISH for that to happen, of course. Heh!

THURSDAY: The first thing we did was to bang into another giant step on the ol’ learning curve. During our checkout, we were sternly warned to leave the house batteries and starting batteries combined all the time. But the refrigerator, the inverter, and the other loads had pulled all of the batteries down overnight. The port engine would not crank fast enough to start. It just growled a slow "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO, NO". Holding our breath, we hit the starter switch for the starboard engine. It didn’t crank at near full speed but it started. That gave us enough juice to eventually start the port engine. Once we started breathing again we pulled the anchor up and headed west. For the rest of the trip we combined the starting and house batteries during the day when they were all charging, and turned the switch at night to isolate (save) the starting batteries. Eventually we learned that the real problem was that there was not enough charging capacity to bring the batteries up while we were motoring. We have a strong aversion for marinas, which have a ready supply of shore power, so day by day the batteries had just gradually gone down. But no two boats are alike, and Sunny Sue had many great features to offset this deficiency. We quit using the microwave and the electric coffeemaker except when we were at the dock and the flat battery problem went away. The propane stove had its own separate learning curve, but it worked great for cooking and it served us well enough for making coffee and warming things.

As we motored west out Sunderland Channel we saw something few people ever see. There was a deer swimming across the channel toward the south shore, which was still several miles away. He eyed us nervously as we passed by. We wondered what in the world could have motivated him to attempt such a perilous journey. We hoped it was love, or something like it!

Johnstone Strait was reasonably tame when we got to it, so we carried on westward to turn north and then east into Havannah Channel. Then we hooked around Root Point and back to the west into Chatham Channel. At Minstrel Island we turned left through the "Blow Hole" and into Lagoon Cove to buy fuel. We had slowed down to 7 knots for about 70 miles and we were wondering what the effect would be on our fuel consumption. We only needed 24.1 gallons to fill up, so our mileage had improved dramatically. The narrows at "Blow Hole" channel were pretty docile, so we never learned why it was called that, but those are words former cruising sailors don’t want to see on any chart. The marina staff in Lagoon Cove were the friendliest we have ever encountered. They were having a shrimp fest that evening with fresh-caught shrimp on the barby. We were tempted to stay, and would have if it had not been so early in the day.

So, instead, we headed out Knight Inlet to Providence Channel, which leads out into the dreaded Queen Charlotte Strait. When we got out into the fearsome big water of Queen Charlotte Strait we expected nasty head seas at the very least, but there were not even any whitecaps. We decided to take advantage of the settled conditions and keep going. Naturally, the whitecaps came back when we were halfway to Blunden Harbor, and then it got worse very quickly. But there was no place to duck in for the night without doubling back and losing a lot of ground, so we kept on in steadily worsening conditions throughout the afternoon. It had gotten pretty bumpy by the time we reached the protection of Blunden Harbor.

There seems to be a rule that the later it is and the more tired you are, the more likely it is you will have trouble setting the anchor. The bottom in Blunden Harbor felt like a marble floor with two inches of chocolate pudding on top. Actually, it was just weeds and grass. We had to move several times before, finally, at 7:30, the anchor bit and held well enough for that time of day. You experienced cruisers will know what that means.

FRIDAY, July 29: Our next passage was out into Queen Charlotte Sound and around Cape Caution. We would not have been surprised to spend several days waiting for decent weather to make this leg of the trip in reasonable safety. Queen Charlotte Sound is unavoidable and it is completely open to the North Pacific. We had been advised to wait for combined seas of one meter or less at the outer buoy. According to BC weather we had exactly that, so off we went. It was flat calm! The seas must have been all swells. The swells were not good for the appetite of the crew, but we were able to chug right along to Pruth Bay on Calvert Island. A very important milestone passed with a little rain, a couple of queasy stomachs, but no tight jaws!

One week gone already! Somebody needs to re-examine Einstein’s theories about time. There has got to be a law he overlooked that would account for the huge difference between "work" time and "vacation time". However, we could not have been more pleased about being this far north already, having Queen Charlotte Sound behind us, and being so much closer to Alaska!