Last cruise for the year

Big Mac · Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 6:34 pm Post subject: Last cruise for the year

I needed to adjust some new keel rollers that I had installed so Nov. 1st was a very nice day to take the Mary Ellen up to Mayfield Lake. When we got there it was only 39 degrees so I fired up the trusty Wallas heater and off we went. Not another boat on the lake all day. Got the rollers adjusted and had a nice lunch. It is really nice this time of year when you are on the water and no other boats are around. Very peaceful. Hope to get another cruise in, but if not this was a good one. I put a few pics in our album of the trip.

DaveS · Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 8:07 pm Post subject:

As far as I'm concerned there is never a "last cruise for the year" in the Puget Sound Area (unless it is December 31). On Tuesday I cruised from Everett to Seattle, spent the night at Bell Harbor Marina and returned yesterday afternoon arriving at the house just before the torrential downpour.
The only other vessels that I encountered were two small fishing boats, the Buoy Tender, One Tug, a couple of Ferry Boats and four tribal gilnettters in Elliott Bay.
Gotta Love It!

c-ness · Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:08 pm Post subject:

I agree. In the great PNW it's time to boat all year long. That's why we have a C-dory!!

mmitchell · Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:20 pm Post subject:

It's funny you say that. We always wonder whey so many people in Seattle put there boat away. It never really gets that cold in the Seattle area:). Just saying

C-Nile · Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 9:43 pm Post subject:

How's the end of March for Cruising in the San Juans and the Seattle/Olympia area? Is the latter warmer than the former? I'm interested, because my wife and I are going back out to Washington toward the end of March.

Thanks!

Rich

DaveS · Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 11:59 pm Post subject:

hardee · Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 12:36 am Post subject:

C-Nile · Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 9:50 am Post subject:

Sea Shift, Harvey:

Thanks for you reassuring input. It sounds like conditions will be similar to what we had experienced out in Washington recently with respect to wind followed by periods of relative calm, albeit with colder nights. With respect to heat, we plan to heat the boat with our Wallas if temperatures dip significantly lower than 40 degrees (we'll open a window on the opposite side of the Wallas exhaust, and have a CO detector in the cabin as a safety measure.) We plan to spend much of our time in Anacortes; we love the town, its friendly and courteous people of all ages, and Cap Sante Boat Haven. It's too bad we can't magically dematerialize the town and most importantly -- its residents, and have it re-materialize on the East Coast. Speaking of the East Coast, I was pricing Transient Berth fees in New England, and for a CD 22, for instance, it could cost as much $85 (excluding electricity) for an overnight stay -- what a shock when compared to Anacortes, La Conner or Friday harbor! My wife and I are sure envious that you live in the PNW and have such reasonably priced facilities, as well as perhaps the greatest cruising grounds on the planet.

Thanks!

Rich

DaveS · Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:54 am Post subject:

T.R. Bauer · Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 10:01 am Post subject:

I even boat here in Alaska in the winter. Last year my son and I spent the night on a very cold boat in Homer when it was only 4 degrees. I had to chip the ice out in the slip to get the boat out into open water.

But, after that, it was great. We caught 4 winter kings and a couple of small butts on trolling gear.

We have done the same thing in Seward as well. I can't wait for our Christmas winter king trip to Seward if the weather cooperates.

Pat Anderson · Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 2:11 pm Post subject:

Rich, ANY time of year is great in the San Juans! If you are inclined to anchor as we are, you will find you have a lot of anchorages (and marine state parks) that are crowded in the summer all to yourself. Cabin heat is the key. BUT pay attention to the weather forecast, especially wind and wind wave heights! You DON'T want to get caught out at Sucia in a gale warning, especially the one time NOAA is correct on its forecast! Just trust us on THAT one!

C-Nile · Posted: Sat Nov 05, 2011 4:36 pm Post subject:

Sea Shift:
I hear you on the electric heat. It's simple enough to get a 30 AMP twistlock to 15 AMP adapter, hook-up a GFI to a robust, 15 AMP extension cord, and use a small cube-style heater.

Pat:
So the NOAA is about as accurate on your coast as ours? On our maiden voyage of the Marinaut, Les Lampman was accompanying Betty and I for a short run through Deception pass into the Rosario Straight. The wind picked up, and we found ourselves in 2 to 3 foot waves. An experienced boater like Les would have stuck to the leeward side of islands and hugged the shore, but fools venture where angels fear to tread, and I stayed pretty much in open water. At any rate, the boat was running very well in the heavy seas, when out of nowhere we were hit amidships by a reflective wave of somewhere between 4 and 5 feet or more. The boat sort of leaned a foot to port then righted itself. It was not a very pleasant feeling. We felt safe at that level of wave height, but I would not want to take a 7 or 8 foot wave broadsides. That's what so interesting (and dangerous) about the PNW. We generally don't get reflective waves in Long Island Sound. My wife and I are 2 feet seas or less boaters, and if we have to we'll venture out in 3 feet, but that's it. More than 3 feet, we want to stay at shore. The nice thing about our boat and the facilities in your area, is that waiting for the seas to calm -- even a few days, is a pleasurable experience in itself. We were stuck at La Conner with 30 knot winds for several days in September, but after the storm had passed, we did have several, relative calm days.

Thanks all,

Rich

hardee · Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 5:06 am Post subject:

Rich,

The weather typically cycles, high pressures provide a nice stable clear time. A stable high may last 3-5 days, then degenerate to a low system. The low will bring with it, less stable and with probably, inbound winds. the velocity will depend on the proximity of the two systems. The low will probably last a couple days +/- and the process continues. Crossing the straits on the building high, generally done early in the day for the better crossing conditions, should result in a 2-3 days stretch to spin through the islands and still have a good return day.

Our waves here are results of several sources. Rollers from the open ocean to the west. Wind waves, from which ever direction the wind has been blowing from, and they will increase with the fetch (length of open water) available. Tidal waves (no not tsunami) that are results of the tide movement, the mass of water interacting with the bottom or channel topography. What can make things exciting is getting them all together, and that can be from several directions. Local term for that, the washing machine affect.

The good part. 1. Our boats float, and 2. Experience yields improved judgment.

Enjoy.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

C-Nile · Posted: Mon Nov 07, 2011 11:55 am Post subject:

Thanks Harvey, for your advice; we'll use it. You're right -- it does take experience to really understand your cruising grounds, and on so many levels different from what we experience in the relatively docile waters of Long Island Sound. The average depth of Long Island Sound is around 60 feet. Puget Sound can have depths of 900 feet! Further, we have relatively flat sandy bottoms, while Puget sound can be quite rocky and varied elevations in depth. We were traveling on the West side of San Juan Island in water over 800 feet deep in following seas when suddenly the seas got a lot rougher due to an abrupt change in bottom elevation that kicked up the waves on the surface.

All this is not to say that we don't get dangerous conditions in Long Island Sound, either. With high winds over our shallow waters, this can cause quite a fetch, and wave height can easily hit 8 feet or more.

We have a lot to learn about the PNW, and have found that it is best to err on the side of caution.

Rich