Ducking into Newport, Oregon

16-18 September 2012

Newport Bay Marina

Approaching the Newport Bay Bridge.

We decided to pull into Newport Bay last night as the combination of wind waves and ocean swell was making for a very rocky passage.  Richard and Tim, from Rhythm, communicated via VHF radio and made the call in the early morning.  I think the crews from both boats were happy to hear that we were pulling into Newport for at least a couple of days.

The Newport Sea Lion Ensemble between sets.

Richard and I tied up at Newport Bay Marina in the early afternoon; Rhythm having pulled into the marina a bit before us.  Aaron and I walked over to the touristy part of Old Newport in hopes of finding a decent grocery store but all that could be found was a small market with high prices.  I decided to take my grocery list into town the next day.  We did get the opportunity to attend the daily sea lion concert which was nothing short of musical.  

Stacey, me, Kathy, Tim and Richard at the Rogue Brewery.

We met Kathy, Tim, Stacey and Aaron from Rhythm, at the Rogue Brew Pub which was conveniently located just a short five minute walk from the marina.  We were so tired and our bodies were still rocking from being at sea for the past two and one half days that the burgers were ravenously consumed and the beers went down easily.  I don’t think anyone was up late that night.

The next day I walked into town to run errands with a stop at the local Fred Meyers high on my to do list.  Little did I know that the walk to the Fred Meyers and the other small errands I had would take nearly five hours!  Needless to say I was exhausted from the walk plus schlepping our groceries back to the boat.  But the chores for the day didn’t end there!  I still had to do laundry and get dinner going.  Richard was still working on getting his cabin organized so that he could actually sleep in it while we were in port.  He also installed the new boat radio that will allow us to hook up both our iPods and iTouch.

After dinner, I met Stacey and Aaron at the Rogue Brew Pub for a beer.  As we sat at the bar we talked about our respective experiences on the overnight passage we had just completed and discussed what the next overnight passage might entail.  It was another relatively early night for all of us.

Me and Stacey...so many kegs, so little time.

Tuesday found us completing boat chores and getting ready for the offshore passage down to Bodega Bay and San Francisco.  I worked on prepping meals that would be quick and hot for dinners, while Richard worked on his cabin and plotting the next leg of our passage.  In the afternoon, Stacey and I took the Rogue Brewery Tour.  Did you know that Rogue Brewery distributes in all 50 states and 37 countries worldwide?  Well, now you do.  Stacey and I worked on a sampler of beer and decided that Chipotle and Smoke beers were not our favorites (though we both admitted wanting to try the maple bacon flavored beer). 

After Richard got back from a trek across the bridge into town for a quick look around (and an ice cream cone) he did some baking in the afternoon so we now have fresh bread and breakfast bread on the boat.  Richard and Tim got together to discuss waypoints and a course has been plotted and a departure time set so I guess we are ready to go.

Making the Big Left Turn

14-16 September 2012

Off the Coast of Washington and Northern Oregon

Osprey downwind sailing in the Strait of Juan de Fuca.

We left Neah Bay Marina after fueling up and finishing lunch.  Blue skies and warm temperatures quickly gave way to brisk winds and cooler temperatures as we rounded Cape Flattery and headed south.  We began by motor-sailing but were able to kill the engine and downwind sail by late afternoon and through the night.  The nights were really cold and the swells out of the northwest were pretty big, making for a very rolly night.  

Sunset off the Washington coast.

The first sunset of the overnight passage was truly spectacular and reminded me of our trip to Hawai’i in 2010.  We didn’t see much in the way of wild life with the exception of albatrosses and other various sea birds.  I also contributed a fair amount of fishing equipment to the sea floor (as I always do!) without so much as a bite for the two days I had the line out.

Richard and Tim discussed our route and decided that we should pull into Newport Bay and wait things out as the northwest swell was predicted to diminish over the next few days which would give us a break from the “stomach woes” that swells tend to instigate.

Heading West out the Strait of Juan de Fuca

12-14 September 2012

Strait of Juan de Fuca, Washington

Nice catch...Coho salmon.

We got an early morning push out of Port Angeles and headed west out the Strait of Juan de Fuca towards Neah Bay.  We motored most of the way as there wasn’t much in the way of wind.  I did manage to catch a Coho salmon and quickly dispatched with the task of filleting it and putting it in freezer bags. 

As Richard and I had previously been to Neah Bay, we busied ourselves with boat tasks; lee cloths had to be put up, weather clothes hung, things that can move had to be stabilized in the cabin to minimize unexpected jettisoning of objects when waves hit, the dinghy needed to be lashed to the foredeck, among other things.  Unexpectedly, Richard ended up replacing the domestic water pump as it was acting up and we certainly didn’t want to contend with that offshore in a boat that was rocking and rolling.

I introduced the crew of Rhythm to the joys of berry picking while either at a marina or anchored out.  Pretty much everywhere Richard and I have travelled by boat, I have managed to find berries and have made it a point to always carry a gallon size freezer bag with me in my back pack or bag; you just never know when you are going to spot berries and when you do, you want to be prepared!  In the time we were tied up at the marina in Neah Bay, I picked quarts of blackberries and they went into everything from pies, to baked goods, on our pancakes, you name it.  If you could put a berry on it, we did put a berry on it.

We had a sturgeon taco night on our boat with the crew from Rhythm which was a big success.  All six of us sat down at the table and there were bowls of delicious food everywhere: grilled sturgeon I had caught on the Columbia River with my brother earlier in the year, guacamole, mango salsa, manchengo cheese, sour cream, cabbage, tortillas, chips and salsa, and a corn and bean salad that Stacey whipped up which caught everyone’s attention.  Richard had baked a key-lime pie-like dessert (minus the limes) and added a blackberry topping…really good!  No one went hungry that night and between the company, conversation, margaritas and beers, I’d say we had a great evening.

Day 2...Port Townsend to Port Angeles

11 September 2012

Port Angeles, Washington

Leaving Port Townsend with Rhythm right behind us.

We headed out of Port Townsend and went west towards Port Angles.  Richard and I got into the marina first and secured slips for both boats.  I made my way into town for a few groceries and noticed a huge blackberry stand along the way.  I made a mental note to hit the blackberries on my way back to the boat with my groceries and managed to pick a good half gallon before heading back to the boat.

As tomorrow was going to be a longer day going from Port Angeles to Neah Bay, Richard and I made it a quiet night and got ourselves ready for tomorrow’s departure.

Finally! Motoring out of Seattle...Day 1

10 September 2012

Port Townsend, Washington

Moments from sailing, okay, motoring, away.

Well, we did it…we tossed off the docklines this morning and motored out of the marina to begin our grand voyage!  Our friend Michael came down to the dock to see us off and helped us get ready for the much anticipated (and hugely overdue!) departure.  As we left Seattle (and Michael on the dock) behind us, Richard and I both realized that this was it, we were actually doing this thing we have been talking about for who knows how long.  Big deep breaths…

Day 1 Happy Hour on Osprey: (l-r) Aaron, Richard, Kathy, Tim and me.

The crew of Rhythm was hanging out on their deck waving us in as we pulled into the public marina in Port Townsend. We tied up alongside Rhythm and made arrangements for a happy hour on our boat.  Aaron, from Rhythm, brought out some scotch and the six of us toasted ourselves for making the first leg of our voyages.

To-Do Lists and Other Obstacles...

Seattle, Washington

In order to do to this...

(Sunday, August 26, 2012) So the packing continues; and so do the boat projects.  Richard is at the boat right now, hopefully, finalizing the watermaker install.  I'm at home entertaining potential renters and trying to get the last bits of packing done in addition to doing touch up painting and general cleaning. We are hoping to be out of the house by this Wednesday and living on the boat.  We would rather have a few days on the boat to get settled and then take off rather than move onto the boat and then leave for a week long sail down to San Francisco the very next day. That said, we have to be flexible and willing to alter our plans as projects get completed and, more importantly, when we feel the boat is ready for a departure.

...you have to get through the To-Do Lists.

To all the viewers out there, heed this message:  GET RID OF STUFF NOW!  Packing has got to be one of the most onerous tasks on the planet (save all the really tough stuff like brain surgery, saving the planet and stuff like that).  I am not one to hold onto many things.  Yes, I have a few things that I cannot let go of, but for the most part, if I haven't worn/used something in years, my opinion is that there is no need to hold onto it.  Besides, there are Goodwills everywhere that will take your stuff and then someone who wants and will use your stuff can take possession of it.  Having spent that last few weeks up to my eyes in bubble wrap, boxes and strapping tape, I think I am at liberty to make this pronouncement.  I'll step down from my soapbox now.

Richard wondering if anything else will fit in the storage unit.

(Wednesday, August 29, 2012) Okay, so Wednesday is almost over and we are still in the house. There was a lot more packing than anyone could have imagined and only today did we move the last of the big furniture out of the house. But there is still stuff that needs to be packed and moved into storage; not to mention the massive cleaning job that needs to get done (but when?!).  Needless to say, we are exhausted! And there are still countless rooms that require either touch up paint or full on re-painting. Realistically, we are setting the goal of moving onto the boat over the weekend or early part of next week based on how quickly house projects get completed.  

Hmm...looks tight.

My friend Kathy (of s/v Rhythm) came to the house yesterday so the two of us could go out to lunch.  She took one look at the house and promptly reported to Tim, her fiancee, "Those guys are crazy if they think they are going to be out of the house by the 1st!"  Well, as you all can see, Kathy is pretty perceptive!  Our bad luck ends up being their good luck as it pushes our departure date out a bit, which just happens to be closer to their departure date.  Kathy and I are very excited about "buddy boating" down the coast if the opportunity arises; and by the looks of things, it just may turn out that way.

Busy as Bees...

Seattle, Washington

Busy as Bees...

Well the time has arrived...sort of.  The past month has been busier than anyone could imagine and we have been trying to get as much done as humanly possible in the short amount of time that we have left.  I'll try to recap the events of the past month so people can get a sense of what we've been facing.





My last day of work was July 27th and as most of you can imagine, I was doing the Aretha Franklin Freedom dance the moment I sealed the corporate laptop and mailed it back to the company.  What I couldn't possibly have predicted was that I would be busier after I left work than when I was actually still employed.

Gary (r) and me getting ready to drop the pig into the imu.

The week after I stopped working, my parents and younger brother Gary and his partner, Stephanie, arrived for a Bournival get together at my other brother Gregg's house in Ridgefield, Washington.  In what has become a Bournival Brothers tradition, we cooked a pig luau-style.  As this was the second time we had cooked a pig in the ground we feel as though we handled the whole affair like seasoned pros.  The weather was warm and everyone enjoyed cooling off in the pool and playing the Bournival version of "Extreme Bocce".  Gary and Steph were the undisputed champs and will be taking their skills back to the East Coast where they will continue to dominate in the mixed couples leagues there.  We all wish them the best of luck in their upcoming tournaments!

We still have a bit of packing to do.

After seeing my family for a few days it was back to work on house and boat projects. Richard has been spending every day at the boat while I have been staying home to pack the house up and get everything ready to move into storage.  As you can see, there is quite a bit of work to be done.  We will be renting out the house while we are gone and putting all of our stuff in storage.

Richard and me, Kathy and Tim of s/v Rhythm.

In a random twist of events, a friend of mine from when I was working at Children's Hospital forwarded an Evite I had sent him to a mutual friend of ours who I hadn't seen since we had been skiing/boarding together about 5 or 6 years ago.  It turns out, Kathy, our mutual friend, and Tim, her fiancee, were also planning a cruise south beginning in September.  We connected and started making plans to "buddy boat" our way down to Mexico, if the opportunity arises.  Call it safety in numbers or just additional company, but I'm excited about the idea of sailing south with another like-minded couple.

The Hosts, Richard and me.

On Sunday, August 19th, Richard and I hosted a casual get together of friends at the Montlake Alehouse (which is conveniently located 2 blocks from our house).  It was great to see some of our friends that we hadn't seen in a while and have the opportunity to raise a pint and talk about our trip. Thanks to everyone who made it and all who wished us luck on our voyage.  Here are a few pictures from the get together.

John, Beth and Mark.

Richard and me and The Neighbors, Jack, Leslie and Fraser.

Otts and Will.

Bruce, Richard and Joe.

Ken and John.

Joe, Bruce, Richard and me.

Kathy, me, Richard and Tim.

Richard, me, Ken and Otts.

Me, Beth, Mark and Richard.

Richard, Ted, Ed, Kaler and Will.

Michael, Darren and me.

John, Michael, Ted and Darren.

Michael and Richard.

Back row: Ed, Richard, John, Wil, Michael.
Front row: Darren, Kaler, me and The Map, aka, The Tentative Plan.