First time ever in a C-Dory

[C-Hawk]

Yea- I did have Fishtales all fixed up. Dang it PJ loved that sofa!
Getting a new boat was not what I was wanting to do!
Ya know, these boats are great "little" pocket cruisers, but unbeknownst to us, there was something seriously wrong with the hull- we're just damn lucky it didn't go wrong while we were out on the ocean.
We missed some of our best cruising weather here in our area. Fishing is down for the next couple of months, but if I go diving, I'll have to be a boat ho.

Scot Reynolds at the Factory promised to take care of us----- been 3 months and we are still waiting.

Sorry don't want to vent too much- still wanting to give the Factory a chance to make it right.

Roger

[dogon dory]

Sorry, Folks - Post Deleted By Author

[RichardW]

My "C Dory never been there" tale is rather mundane compared to the swashbuckling adventures just recounted. We are Tennessee River rats up here in North Alabama.

I often use C Eagle for wildlife photography and find huge advantage in the shallow draft and access that it affords.
Late last January I got wind of some American White Pelicans who had temporarily migrated into the end of Limestone Creek, part of the Wheeler National Wildlife Reserve, and decided to mosey downstream from our home port of Ditto Landing in Huntsville.


The water was already somewhat low but we eased into the creek and headed carefully toward the swampy flats to find our quarry. The water was only 6 ft near the main river and dropped steadily. As we idled into the shallows with eyes on the sonar, the pilgrims (perch jerkers) along the bank ogled us mightily as they expected us to run aground any second. We made it in close enough and stopped at 16 inches of water to take our shots.

No real problems getting out with the moter tilted up a bit. I don't know of any kind of live aboard cruiser that would have allowed us to go into such a place.

I believe that the pilgrims were dissapointed that we did not get stuck>

[Hunkydory]

[SeaSpray]

Hi Roger,

I was wondering why you where getting a new 22! Now that you have spilled the beans maybe you will start a new thread and give us the details. Do we need to check our boats for a major problem?

I like your new boat name.
Steve

[dogon dory]

Sorry, Folks - Post Deleted By Author

[Larry H]

Ok,

In the spirit of this thread:

After cruising our trimaran for 10 years in Southern California and the Northwest from Puget sound to the Klemtu,BC area we got a CD22 'just for So Cal in the winter'

We started cruising our 1991 CD22 in the fall of 1990 by going out to Lake Havasu, then to Cat Harbor, Catalina Island. After that introduction, I said to Nancy, 'lets go to Alaska next summer'. After some resistance she agreed and we outfitted, planned and finally trailered up to the north end of Vancouver Island and launched.

A week later, we arrived in Ketchikan, and started our Alaska exploring. Didn't get to far that year, but we did hit every bar in Ketchikan and got to Neets and Clue Bay.

The following year we launched at Prince Rupert and got as far as Sitka.

I think we were the first people doing long distance cruising in a C-Dory. The only other C-Dorys we saw were local boats in SE. Most folks we met couldn't believe we travelled that far in a 22 ft boat. Oh, we also had our two old cats with us.

After that, life got in the way and we didn't return to Alaska by boat until this year.

We did go to Catalina in the winter, and to Lake Mead and the Calif Delta and lot of other places.

I might write up some of them later.

The big first for us was doing long distance cruising in a C-Dory.

Larry H

[Dora~Jean]

Good one Larry. I'd classify your trips to Alaska as being more adventurous than 99+% of the boat population! Yes, do write up what you can on your trips, I for one would be most interested. Thanks.

[Hunkydory]

[Hunkydory]

Dan---No not pissed off, just me being mildly irritated, but my reaction to your post was overstated and again like my response to Joe undeserved. My apologies to you also.

Enjoyed and wouldn't mind another discussion on prudence, but hopefully not on this thread. Was only looking forward to some good past experiences and story telling when I started it. Could well be that my choice of title has led us off in this direction instead. My reaction was due more to your tone than the substance of what you wrote. you do seem to have a propensity for seeking formats to let the hot air out of some and I'm inclined to enjoy the process more when its me with the pin. In at least this we may be similar especially when I suspect neither of us feels we have any hot air to expel in the first place.

Wills try my best for a definition of what a seldom seen place is to me and in relation to what. A bit more of back ground first.

Your normal Alaska living conditions described by you are almost the same as ours here in Wyoming except we've never lived near or in a town of over a thousand people. The present town of Cokeville, Wy has 500. When we moved to Wyoming it was into a isolated one room log cabin with my wife and three young boys ages three to nine. Had electrical power, but no TV or phone. Annual snow fall of 20 feet or more. Over 100 miles one way to work over seldom traveled roads in weather conditions unimaginable to most. That was only the first 6 months. The other 27 years in 15 different homes in Colorado and Wyoming were in larger homes but similar surroundings. The majority of my working life has been spent in extremely hazardous occupations. We have and continue to love our way of life here, but when we switch from our normal life and enter what we define as an adventure it means taking the challenges of our normal living to a higher level. In the past we were willing to endure considerable hardship for the pleasure of seeing and experiencing being in places that due to these hardships were seldom seen by others. Now with the c-dory we can go mostly in comfort and experience the same. The risks have always been there in the past and now with some of the places we've been in the c-dory they might have even increased due to our lack of boating experience. Unlike you and most all others (you will see we really are different) the older we become the higher we have raised the risk factor we are willing to accept. The young have way more to lose. Our Signature Statement by Jack London is one we actually believe and live. Have few regrets in my life so far and I'd rather die a little early than sit in the rocking chair wishing I would have when I could have.

Living in similar surroundings I think our definition of seldom seen places would be much the same and even their relation to what-close. It’s more in the amount of acceptable risk and reason for searching them out us and most would differ. Most need a type of goal like fishing to even go. And the acceptable risk would be more in relation to that then other factors such as scenic beauty, wildlife viewing or the challenge of just making it there. Few want to take the challenge and risk of finding there own special place to anchor and explore, especially by themselves and the number diminishes rapidly in relationship to the distance and hazards that are between them and a known safe harbor. And there in I believe lies the difference in most peoples different definitions of there own seldom seen place as a goal for there cruising destination. Due to this I fully recognize that most others would not have the same definition of a seldom seen place as me. This does not make me superior in any way only different in my personal evaluation of risks and goals. There are others in this who group who are very similar in varying degrees, but it is a minority Going to a majority the closer the safe harbor and the safe harbor answers your question of what its relative to.

All---If any of you think because we make the kind of cruise we do that we think we are superior in anyway to those that don't choose to please believe me if anything the opposite is true. I still have very little real knowledge of seamanship, little ability to work on or change things on my own boat and I'm much lacking in formal education compared to most in this group. The only real knowledge I have to share here is my willingness to risk more and go further than most and the little I have learned from that. The differences causing me to think most would consider me to be if anything the inferior one.
If I have offended anyone with what they considered me projecting a superior attitude please accept my apologies too.

Richard and Cheryle----Really enjoyed your Tennessee River experience. The getting in close in shallow water to the photograph the wildlife is where this remarkable little house boat really excels. Its still one of our most favorite things to do.

Larry H----Sure hope you do write up some of those stories. Since our cruise this year I've re read many in this forum. Makes it even more interesting when you've been where they describe. There's still not a lot of c-dory's up there very far away from the harbors. We only saw one a few miles out of Juneau and one more in Red Bluff Bay being used as a dingy on a yacht.

Jay

[Doryman]

Jay, in reading your posts, I was reminded of those who participate in extreme sports. Do you feel any kinship with those people? Or perhaps more with expedition climbers?

[Hunkydory]

Warren

Can relate to the challenge thing involved and in my younger days pushed hard on the physical stuff, but I’ve always been more a loner and never had much interest in participating or viewing normal or extreme sports except when I played high school football and watched my sons do the same. The challenge and competition for me has always been more about competing and challenging myself and taking in the wonders of nature in the process. Expedition Mountain climbing is a complete group effort and that would take to much of my freedom away, so I really don't relate to either one.

Whom I do feel a close kindred spirit with is the author of “The Curve of Time” Wylie Blanchet and El & Bill, though in no way do I consider myself in there league or ability.

The advantage I have in being able to live the kind of live I do is my Life’s partner and wife of almost 40 years---Jo-Lee. Though physically never able to follow some of her own individual dreams, she is more adventuress and will tolerate much worse conditions without complaint then me. The combination of the two of us in a 22' c-dory boat is much like our everyday life a perfect match and allows both of us to pursue, experience and share our individual dreams of adventure.

It’s easy to go awry in trying to communicate in this Internet form, so I hope I don’t project in my post that Jo-Lee and I are fearless seekers of adventure. Nothing could be further from the truth. Unlike the characters in some of the adventure stories I enjoy reading we both can be very fearful and have at many times been stalked by the night terrors. We just do our best to overcome them, so we can enjoy the overall experience.

Thanks for the recommendation of the book The Hungry Ocean by Linda Greenlaw on a different thread am looking forward to it’s arrival and another good read.

Jay

[Larry H]

Here is another story:

We left Kake headed to Sitka one fine morning. All went well as we pulled into Angoon to refuel. Angoon's dock is inside an inlet with a narrow, rocky, entrance with fast currents.
After negotiating the entrance and the refuelling routine, we returned thru the entrance, crossed Chatham and entered Peril Strait. Nearing the end of Peril Strait we negotiated Sergius Narrows and continued on towards Sitka.

About this time, the fog started. As we travelled, the fog got lower and lower. Finally we could just barely see under the fog, but the channels were narrow so we continued(no radar).
I became aware of a sound that is unmistakable, the slow exhaust pulse of a radial aircraft engine.

The engine sound grew louder and louder and I was wondering where the plane was, after all, it was very foggy.
Suddenly I was looking out the starboard window directly at the pilot!! The Beaver's floats were just clearing the water.

Considering that the plane was flying at about 60 knots, I definitely felt a tightening of my rear area! The plane was not landing, just flying low and disappeared into the fog ahead. I wondered if he knew I was there and what he would have done if he had been 50 ft to his left!!

But, no collision, no problem and we continued on into Sitka.

Larry H

[Doryman]

[Hunkydory]

Larry H

Interesting story and well demonstrates just one of the risk of boating in these waters. All the float planes in the Inland Passage area create the need for some extra precautions when entering or exiting many of the harbors. We have had two fairly close calls both caused by our not realizing the danger and giving the watch out that's needed. One was on Atlin Lake just over the ice fields from Juneau and the other at Pelican. Towns and Harbors we have found that take a more diligent view to the air on approach in the northern inland passage are Pelican and Petersburg. Especially Pelican during the fishing season when the fish catch is being flown out and the weather is minimal for flying to say the least. Like your story near Sitka I'm sure there are many near misses there and near many other harbors too.

Warren

Am just about finished with the Hungry Ocean (a very good read) and have ordered "Heart of the Raincoast" by Alexandra Morton and Billy Proctor, and "Tales from the Hidden Basin" by Dick Hammond. Hope they are as good.

Jay