Salish Sea Pilot Guides. Anyone use them?

[SV Dayenu]

Hi all,
It's been a while since I've posted anything about "Dayenu" (our Chrysler 26'). We photo and video documented everything we've been doing and had (still have), plans to start a you-tube vlog... BUT, the more we did, the more we realized just how much we want to sail off, how close we were to being ready and just kept working and working on her. So much so, that we now have a date for our first extended cruise: Leaving Medford Oregon via trailer and splashing in Anacortes for a month of sailing, hitting almost all the islands and including Canada (Sidney and Buchart gardens).

I was surprised to find how many paper charts I already had. We also have a Garmin 640 with Blue-chart Vision chips for the area (including Canada). We also have about a half dozen guide books (some great with chartlets), and I've ordered a few Canadian charts for the area we'll be sailing in.

I discovered the "Salish Sea Pilot" website after unsuccessfully wanting to download Active Captain onto our lap top for off-line use. For $9.99 CD each, they seam like a great source for info. I tried downloading their sample but failed three times.

Anyone have any experience with this resource? Without peeking at their sample, it's hard to determine if we'll gain anything more than we already have. (Of course, many would suggest that you can't have enough... But we do have a LOT! LOL!) Mostly interested in "local knowledge" for approaches, anchoring etc...

We'll be taking lots of photos and videos during our trip!

Here are a few photos of Dayenu under our make-shift tent. Kept the snow off and allowed us to do some work over the winter, but most times, it was just too cold.  For our Christmas gift to each other, we saved our $$ and drove up to Portland to visit the used chandleries there for a few days... Found a Lewmar manual windless for $300! (Hard to find, let along finding it fro that price! Took it apart, cleaned and re-greased it... It's ready to install!) We also purchased a new 25# Mantus anchor, swivel and 50' of 5/16" G4 chain among other things... Discovered an unused 12g water tank under the rear double berth that we were not aware of!!! ;) Also purchased a flexible 13g water tank to add to our water supply. We've been removing items from the boat to work on in the shop so we can re-install when it warms up.

Planning to leave first week in July... WE CAN'T WAIT! LOL!  =D

Hope all is well with you all!
Best,
Richard & Tresa

[Frank]

Great to hear from you.
I'm not familiar with the guides, but thanks for the update on your progress with the boat. Too funny that you found a water tank you didn't know was there 😃  Keep us posted as you continue to refit and eventually.... your cruises!
Have fun!!

[Owly055]

     Considering the currents, tidal rips and overfalls, and wind conditions in the area, I would be in favor of gathering any and all resources on the area, especially current local resources..... Nobody needs surprises on that kind of coastline!     

                                                                                   H.W.

[SV Dayenu]

Thanks guys!
I was thinking the same thing... Never enough info!? LOL! I emailed them and will try again to see if I can get their "sample" to check out info.

So much to do before we leave!!!   :o
I've edited our "to do list" several times already!

One of the major refit projects is creating a bow roller for our new Mantus anchor, modifying our anchor locker and installing the manual windlass. Our original anchor locker hatch extends pretty far into the bow and the anchor extends over that. I removed the single cleat at the bow and getting ready to cut our locker hatch perpendicular to the center line. I'll then refit the forward part to become a permanent part of the deck. This will provide more mounting space for the roller (more secure and strong), while still leaving enough hatch space to stow chain and rode. The windlass will be just behind the rear opening.

Just discovered the sale going on at Defender and bought a few items (flexible water tank, chain tensioner and a HT shackle for the ground tackle.

Other projects include 200W of solar and creating a breaker box for our 110v system.

The dame of our boat (Dayenu... meaning: "That would have been enough"), came from when we brought her home. The boat was such a deal! I've never seen a boat for sale in such impeccable condition!!! We never bothered checking all the lockers to see what came with it. (Depth, wind speed, wind direction, VHF, knotmeter, CD player, NEW 9.9 merc electric, 7 NEW sails plus spinnaker and pole. Fortress and genuine bruce anchors... the list went on and on.

When we got her home, we started exploring... My frist thought was "It would be great if he had an autopilot (I had seen the mount for one on the tiller...) There it was... new, in the case with instructions! Then Tresa said, It would be great to find an inflatable PFD (I had one for years), there they were! THREE of them, still in their original packaging! Also found new magma BBQ, custom teak cockpit table, new, unused lines, TONS and TONS of spare parts for everything!

The C-26 galley hand faucet ran down to a 5 gallon plastic water bottle underneath the counter... That was the standard "stock" set up... When we uncovered Dayenu to work on her over the winter, we removed just about everything. The C-26 has a larger double berth underneath the cockpit. When I removed the boards underneath the cushions support, that's where I found the water tank! This was my second C-26 and I knew that area was super shallow, so I wasn't expecting to find anything. The previous owner had a custom water tank fit into that area!

That's why we didn't know there was a water tank already in place! LOL!

So far, our water tankage (without extra jerry cans), will be 25 ~ 30 gal... With a few extra 1gal jugs placed around the boat (low), we should be fine on the hook (not visiting ports where water is available, for at least a week.

OK... back to work here...

We've been photo and video documenting EVERYTHING we've been doing towards reaching our goal of extended cruising with the plans to start a youtube channel... LOTS covered, including shutting down our self sustainable city lot farm (We were producing over 70% of our food, including chickens, rabbits, quail and tilapia in aquaponic systems, when we decided to follow our hearts as crusiers.) Plans include San Juan Islands, Sea of Cortez, ICW and the Bahamas...

We'll document our trip, but I don't see finding time to edit and post images/videos until after we get back! LOL! =D

Thanks again!
Richard & Tresa

[SV Dayenu]

Just an FYI:
we purchased both the San Juan Islands and Gulf islands guide.
TOTALLY worth the money! (Canadian: $9.99 / USD: $7.50)

I paid via PayPal and an email with the PDF files attached, arrived in minutes!

I don't think I'd use these as our only guides, but there's a LOT of great info in them and you don't have to be online to access them. Well though out, easy to find what you're looking for. Fairly detailed charts and good info.

I'd buy them again.

We also purchased the Wagoneer Cruising guide... VERY mixed feelings.

There's an incredible amount of info, especially for the first timer to the islands..

What I'm not happy with (and red about these two issues on the Amazon reviews), are:

It's printed on thin paper, very much like a magazine.

What makes it even more like a magazine is that it is FILLED with advertisements! They're sprinkled throughout the guide making it hard to follow what you're reading...

Definitely worth it for planning, but unlike many of the other guide books we've had for years, not something I would want to use to access information while deciding were to go, or refresh memory regarding approaches and hazards while on route.

We did order some Canadian charts for the gulf islands... Wow! They're beautiful! (Maybe it was that I forgot what freshly printed charts smelled like... Not "like" fresh printed dollars, but the same mental stimulation regarding destinations! LOL!

OK... Reduced our "must do" list for prepping and added up what the new work will cost ($,2,000!) Yikes! This does include 2 new semi-flexible 100watt solar panels, two charge controllers (back up), a Pro-mariner dual bank battery charger and a piece of teak that cost $175!!! Last time I purchased teak it was about $6 per board ft. This was almost $30 per board foot! (New companionway hatch guides, OB bracket for our stern rail and a small bowsprit for a roller I still have to fabricate for our new #25 Mantus anchor... Oh yeah, 50' of 5/16" G4 HT chain and shackles... Geese, the list just goes on and on... As I remember with past boats, it never ends, does it? LOL!
Take care.
Richard

[CharlieJ]

LOL on the teak.. Next time look for Ipe- finishes like teak but is much cheaper. VERY dense wood- won't float