23ft in the PNW

[Frank]

New arrival this afternoon. Had to move to let her in. About a 25fter, cabin removed and new one built for more headroom. Gotta love it!!  A "hippy chic" is the captain    ;)   After tying up...she sailed her little pram out to visit friends on an anchored boat. Love seeing younger people "doing it"

[Cyric30]

LOL Ya CJ 74s nit bad about Half as young as you  ;D  *Its not drive by more like,Sail by Harassment* *ducks**runs for cover* :o

HEY!! Nuttin wrong with 74  ;D ;D

[CharlieJ]

 ;D ;D ;D

[Frank]

Winding down......

Had plans for more "putting" around, but steady gales and the ability to get to where I haul out has cut them short. Very "small windows" on the major Straight's right now as winter's SE gales keep a coming.

A few pics of the last couple of weeks...

[Frank]

It ain't lookin pretty out there......

I left at dawn, well before sun up today to make Powell River before the gale started. Had planned on one more stop at Lund.....couldn't.

Had the idea of going up to Princess Louisa Inlet....EXTREMELY "mystical"...beyond words. I've not seen it with snow capped peaks before...

Can't get out of here in time...and even if I could....will be overcast for days!

Looking like "maybe" early Friday morning I can do the last 25 miles "into it" to get back to where the boat gets hauled....

Winds

Issued 04:00 PM PST 30 November 2015
Tonight and Tuesday
Gale warning in effect.
Wind southeast 15 to 25 knots increasing to southeast 30 to 40 this evening then becoming southeast 35 to 45 Tuesday afternoon. Wind diminishing to southeast 25 to 35 Tuesday evening.
Weather & Visibility

Issued 04:00 PM PST 30 November 2015
Tonight and Tuesday
Periods of rain beginning this evening.
Extended Forecast
Issued 04:00 PM PST 30 November 2015
Wednesday
Wind southeast 15 to 25 knots increasing to southeast 25 to 35 in the afternoon.
Thursday
Wind southeast 30 to 40 knots diminishing to south 15 to 25 late in the day.
Friday
Wind south 15 to 25 knots increasing to southeast 25 to 35.
Stay connected
ATOM

List of Official Text Forecasts
Resources

[Tim]

Glad you made it to Powell. There is a lot more to do there, much better restaurant choices.

[Frank]

Yes...a week at Lund would get "long..."
I've got to know some ole lads on boats here at Powell, so a bit of a social life as well.
AND....1st thing upon arriving was taking the bus up to the mall (my knees can't do that much uphill) and buy a better electric heater!  Plugged it in last night...1st "very warm" evening/night in a long time   :D
Life's little luxury's.....all for $17.99

[CharlieJ]

 :D :D

Warm is very nice!!

On Jan 4th, 2010, I was in Punta Gorda Florida, at Laishley Marina, and it was 23 degrees. Didn't get above 30 for 10 days. A friend brought me an electric heater- zero on the shelves in stores-all sold out.

Ran that sucker 24-7 for 10 days!!!

[Frank]

It ain't looking pretty out there:

Issued 04:00 PM PST 01 December 2015
Tonight and Wednesday
Gale warning in effect.
Wind southeast 30 to 40 knots diminishing to southeast 15 to 25 near midnight then increasing to southeast 25 to 35 Wednesday afternoon.
Weather & Visibility

Issued 04:00 PM PST 01 December 2015
Tonight and Wednesday
Periods of rain ending near midnight. Rain beginning Wednesday afternoon.
Extended Forecast
Issued 04:00 PM PST 01 December 2015
Thursday
Wind southeast 30 to 40 knots diminishing to southeast 15 to 25 in the afternoon.
Friday
Wind southeast 15 to 25 knots.
Saturday
Wind southeast 25 to 35 knots.

Looks very much like my last few days of this cruise will be "hunkered down" here with one long, boring, slog to windward heading S for 25miles when it settles down a bit so I can haul out. No complaints...it's been great!! Kinda of reminds me of that Gordon Lightfoot tune ...one line is "when the gales of November come early"....well...they ain't early...but they ARE here!! Another line in that tune is "when the waves turn the minutes to hours". Think I'll be feeling that when I finally head back S.     "up/down/splash.....up/down/splash" (shelves clearing off in the process)

So...for all intents...fall PNW cruise of 2015 is over (except for that one slog S)

A few random thoughts.......

Launched Sept 29th.
Total miles this cruise on Emma B to date (ad 25 for final return): 718
Haul out scheduled for Dec 10th
Total time on boat: 63 days (+9 nights on friends trawler)
Total single handed: 48 (although basically singlehanded with crew)
Gales caught out in: 2
Tidal rapids run: 10 (solo)  (15 counting crewing)
Narrows with range markers passed through:2
Whale sightings: 2.....one Humpback, one pod of Orcas
Porpoise sightings.......over 10
Porpoises swimming along bow wave: 5 times (once several for extended time)
Sea Lion sightings: 6 times
Seals: like squirrels back home...
Bald Eagles: frequent
Moments spent in "AHHHHH"......too frequent to count!
Fish caught: over 25 (could have caught more...but why?)
Anchorages: Melanie Cove, Prideaux Haven, Squirrel Cove, Von  Donop, Douglas Bay, Behind Yorke Island, Blenkinsop Bay, Joe Cove
Marinas/docks (several not open): West View, Lund, Cortez Bay, Gorge Harbour, Heriot Bay,  Squirrel Cove (docked to get fuel/supplies), Smugglers Cove, Okeover Arm, Big Bay, Lagoon Cove, Kwatsi Bay, Shawl Bay, Echo Bay

Funky people met: lots!   :-)

Number of times thinking I was nuts doing this: 2

Number of times in "ahhhh":  countless

Misc:

This is SO different from home or Bahamas. You can anchor in less than 25ft of water in the middle of the Sea of Abaco!!  Here....often you are 50ft offshore and in 200+ft of water.The depth sounder being "off soundings" is not uncommon....often over 1000 or even 2000ft deep!

Protected...and "shallow" bays are not common..

Beach's are rare. The coastline is typically very unforgiving,

These waters, this time of year, will challenge every aspect of your seamanship ability....every aspect!  Literally!  Like most things in life....the effort is worthwhile.

I worried too much about running rapids "with the current" (within reason)

Kept wanting to take pictures....every turn (guess when that urge stops....time for different cruising grounds)

Learned to cook on very "low heat" to prolong the warmth without using Espar  (diesel range)

You truly are "alone" up there!!!   I keep my lifejacket handy on a cockpit settee, wore it while in the dingy, but the dingy is really your "only saviour" here!       If you go in...ya gotta get out... FAST...or your dead. That simple. I had mental/visual  practice runs getting into the dingy from both the "sinking boat" and from "the water having fallen in".....knowing the only chance to survive in either situation was getting out of the water fast and into it !!

A great sleeping bag and down jacket are your "best friends"

Loved the IPad for everything! Weather, tides/currents, route planning, banking and boat porn. They are great!!

Funny....as much as I have truly loved this adventure, and it has been just that, I'm now ready to "go home".    My couch is calling....fire stoked, birds at feeder, movie on...."warm n comfy"
Yep...I'm ready!  :-)

If ya can...in any way...get out here (summer is easier)...DO IT!!!!!

[Frank]

Well.....long story-short...I made it back to where "Emma B" gets hauled out.
Other than loading...PNW cruise for 2015 is over. I'm pecking this out with Emma B getting laid on her side AT A DOCK!
Left well before daybreak Friday knowing the window...although not perfect, would quickly close. I'm not comfortable running before daylight here with the floating logs, but the window was very small...I was on "alert" until sun up. Got a bit of a good spanking once around Grief Point when the mid moring winds came but I was far enough along that it only "hurt" for about 1-1/2 hours. Wussed out and cut into a channel, up and around an island (out of he SE) back to where I had to enter. Turned a 25 mile trip into 35...but the extra miles were realative calm.
Glad I'm here....   Had I not left....doubt I would have made it in time to haul out and get my flight home!!
Check "current conditions" out there!!!!
Pic is leaving about 45 minutes before day break.


Grief Point09:00 PM PST 06 December 2015
This table is a summary of hourly weather conditions for the past 24 hours.
Please note that these observations might not always be representative of weather conditions over their associated marine area.
Wind
(knots)
06 December 2015
21:00   ESE 40 gust 50   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
20:00   E 47 gust 53   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
19:00   ESE 43 gust 49   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A   N/A
18:00   ESE 37 gust 47   N/A   N/A

[s/v Faith]

Another amazing adventure in your scrap book Frank, thank you for taking the time and the pictures to allow us to share it with you.

Fair Winds!

[Tim]

Yep, when it's time to go, it's time time to go. Glad you have her safely put up.

I remember having to leave Refuge for Powell one "O" dark thirty for the same reason, had the first Mate on the deck with a flashlight looking for deadheads.

Thanks for sharing.

[lance on cloud nine]

Yes! Thank you so much for posting your trip.

[s/v Emerald Tide]

Amazing pictures, Frank. I think this trip needs to go on my bucket list. Thanks for sharing the journey!

[SeaHusky]

Great thread and pics!
I too am thinking about how to get there, the Panama canal or the NW passage?

[Frank]

Either of those is toooooo much of an adventure for me   

Like anywhere....there is a good used boat market out there....
Fly in...buy.....cruise.....sell.....return   ;)
A pretty cheap way to do a long season (may-november)
if thats what you were thinking......

however.....Panama and up would be awesome   :D

[CharlieJ]

Either of those is toooooo much of an adventure for me   

I'm with you. 10-15 years ago? maybe, not now  :o

[SeaHusky]

I still have some years to go but as my health is not good the NW passage is not feasible but the Panama canal is.
My post was partly a joke but only partly. Everyone I read about who has passed the canal has done a beeline for the Galapagos and then Polynesia. None from this side of the Atlantic goes north from there missing sea of Cortez (except "Maxiswede" who I haven seen post for a while), PNW, Hawai...  I just think that there is a lot to explore that is all but forgotten?

[Frank]

The PNW is truly enchanting! The further N you go...the more dramatic the scenery and whale sightings become more frequent.
There are several good books on the history of the "inside passage" area (WA to Alaska)  It was booming (relatively speaking) 100+ yrs ago. Pretty isolated now. Definite "bucket list" material

[SeaHusky]

Is there an inland waterway via the great lakes from the east coast to the west?