Untied the lines and heading out for the Salish Sea.

[jssailem]

After a couple of hiccups and the installation of new equipment I finally untied the lines at 0630 this morning. I got out of the slip, small boat handling is just like riding a bike. Reached the fairway and was about to turn towards the marina exit, when the engine surges and stop. Crap…. What now. I coasted to a nearby end tie, nudged the dock and leaped off the boat to tie her up before she drifted away.

Back into the engine compartment. What stopped you baby? You have oil, topped up coolant, the filters are all new, Tranny is oiled. Oh damn nation. I forgot to open the fuel valve.

Ok I know this. Turn on the pump. Open the fuel lines let the air escape. Try the starter. Not feeling it yet old girl. Ok let’s go over this again. After about 30 minutes of playing nice, I let her set. Had a cup of coffee, and some yogurt. Finished the Wordle. Ok let’s try this again. Turn on the fuel pump. Fuel lines eased on 2 & 3 cylinders, ease the injector return lines on 1 and 4 cylinders to let the bubbles escape. Lets see if she is ready. Varrrooomm. Now that is a sweet sound.

We are off again.
No wind. Check out the new chart plotter with radar. It was exciting to explore and then see the boats coming at me. The ARPA is way cool. Lots more work needed to exploit the resource.

Decided to run the ditch to Anacortes. Once in front of the channel, if you look behind you, there is a range marker. Put the two markers one above th either and you are in the center of the channel.

Sailing what a joy. The new genoa has markers for reefing


Then there are the snow capped mountains popping out on the horizon.

This route is full of surprises. A baby seal peaked above the surface to check out what was happen. Before I could grab my camera mom appeared. She nudged the little one several times before the message was understood and both dove beneath the surface. Seals or humans Mom’s are teaching the little ones lessons.

Cruising up Saratoga passage, I saw young grey whale break surface, exhale then disappear into the deep. Probably feasting on the bounty of shrimp in the area.

Then as I neared the train swing bridge, north of La Conner, I came across this sad looking boat. It looks a little like a Catalina 27 that has seen better days.

It was so much fun to exercise the boat, calculate the tides, observe the water and the majesty of the Pacific Northwest waters.

I am provisioning in Anacortes. Got my US Border Customs Decal. Looks like rain may come in tonight. Just when I head to the border. Oh well another joy. Break out the foulies.

 

[Foswick]

A little rain, but it looks like winds, waves, and currents are all in your favor tomorrow. I predict a bit of sunshine by afternoon. Have a great sail!

We're headed over to Stuart Island in a few days, in a roundabout way. Maybe returning via Victoria.

 

[kappykaplan]

Varrrooomm. Now that is a sweet sound.

We are off again.

Stay safe, John.

 

[Hello Below]

John, did you get permission from @Terry Cox to anchor in his bay? Hmmm.

 

[jssailem]

Great question. I joined Terry in the bay. He chose first. Just as I was arriving, a Beneteau, which had anchored in Terry’s preferred spot, was leaving. Since it was too much trouble to raise and reset, he graciously allowed me to use his promo site. We spent a quiet evening. Took off about 0900 and headed for Bedwell to check in. Light wind and strong currents required the iron genny.
Here’s Terry in Belle Vie as we leave for Bedwell.


A Man, his Boat and the Sea.

 

[mermike]

I'm a few days behind you. Leaving Port Ludlow Sunday or Monday and heading north.

 

[MikeHoncho]

Whats the itinerary moving forward? I think we are going to stay in the Juans this year. Hoping to head north on the 20th or 21st.

 

[jssailem]

Well, I have had an adventure.
I came out of Annette Inlet and turned too soon. My charts and my head did not coordinate. I hit a reef that the repair guys call Money Maker. I got off the reef. There was no leaking. I headed to Van Isle to learn what I could about the damage. A guy came out with an underwater camera. It looks like I scraped the paint and dented the lead. I suspect I have been slowed a bit. Taking a rest day in Van Isle. I'll be heading north again late tomorrow or Sunday, trailing in the wake of Terry Cox, who is into exploring, perhaps Desolation Sound.

 

[kappykaplan]

Taking a rest day in Van Isle. I'll be heading north again late tomorrow or Sunday, trailing in the wake of Terry Cox, who is into exploring, perhaps Desolation Sound.

What's the old saying? If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen out there! Glad to hear the damage is minor.

 

[jssailem]

I feel like a rain cloud hovering over my head when I go sailing in Canada.

 

[jssailem]

I have spent a couple of days in Van Isle Marina. Boat has not taken on any new water. This is good news.

Found a shop that serves Fun Food in Sydney.

There are nice folk here ashore. It doesn't hurt that the weather is 77º F (25 C), with a Blue sky, sunny, and a gentle breeze.

I am off today, heading to Saturna, BC.

 

[Hello Below]

John, many of Saturna’s anchorages are open to north winds. Forecast shows upwards of 30 kts from the NW for that area today. Where will you hunker down?

 

[jssailem]

Still contemplating the passage.
This morning from the dock in Van Isle Marina.

The sky gives support for your forecast.

 

[jssailem]

There is discordance among the weather models for the early morning hours of Monday. Using Windy, the ECMWF forecast says gusts to 20. The NOAA GFS model says light breezes 6-8knts. The 5km NAM is reporting the 30kt gusts from 0100 to 0800 Monday morning. To err on the cautious side, I think Port Browning is a safe harbor for the night.

 

[Hello Below]

There is discordance among the weather models for the early morning hours of Monday. Using Windy, the ECMWF forecast says gusts to 20. The NOAA GFS model says light breezes 6-8knts. The 5km NAM is reporting the 30kt gusts from 0100 to 0800 Monday morning. To err on the cautious side, I think Port Browning is a safe harbor for the night.

Good choice John and you will be handy to Saturna for another day. Alternative could be Beaumont Marine Park mooring balls if available or Medicine Beach anchorage at the northern end of Bedwell Harbour. Or anchor off Poets Cove breakwater but would be in 50ish feet at high tide and a little more exposed from the NW then the other 2. All more or less on the way to Port Browning.

 

[MikeHoncho]

I've stayed in Irish Bay before when Winter Cove was busy. Had it all to ourselves and it was fairly sheltered.

 

[jssailem]

I made a quick stop in Saturna. Met Michael's son. He had a package of stuff from a couple of years ago that had been shipped inside Canada from Binnacle Marine. It is kind of like Christmas in July for my boat. The Government Dock was busy, but I found a spot to slip into for an hour. It was on the inside, like when Les, Ward, and I went on our 2019 sailing adventure. Since it was low tide, many of the rocks we saw deep were at the surface. I was glad I did not need to venture further up the dock.

 

[jssailem]

We have been experiencing large tide changes. 10 plus feet a period. Two times a day. The marine repair shops have been inundated with rudder, prop, and keel damage repairs.

One consultation is the moon images.
this was taken about 2330. The moon rising over Port Browning BC.

 

[jssailem]

In message #8, I shared that I had grounded on the reef outside Annette Inlet. Here is the rest of the story.

From a satellite view, Annette Inlet looks very inviting.

It is a lovely sheltered anchorage. Terry Cox on Belle Vie and I entered the inlet the afternoon of 10 July. Terry enticed me to get my dinghy inflated with the offer of a cold beer. I did get the dinghy launched. We spent a quiet evening at anchor, sharing stories, sipping beer, and devouring some of Terry's Chicken/Rice one-pot dinner. Getting back on the dinghy, I discovered it was taking on a bit of water. When I got it back on the Hadley, I found the drain plug was missing. Searching the box of miscellaneous boat parts, I found a plug for the drain.

On the morning of the 11th, I started early, making my way to Thetis Island to rendezvous with a group of Canadian Catalina owners. The tide was out, one of those full moon tides. I shared with Terry, "Remember, there is a rock outside of the inlet." He said, "Don't hit it". Yes, that would be a good thing to avoid.

As lovely as the inlet is for passing time on the water and enjoying the peaceful anchorage, unseen danger lurks beneath the entrance's surface.

Right about here in the circled area. No float or buoy marks its existence.

I saw this info on my chart. 6.6ft should not be a problem. I draw just under 5ft. Just need not to hit the rock.

I thought my course was following the Green line. I had my eyes out on the water. What I saw was open water. Then I saw Kelp ahead. I turned to Port to avoid the kelp.

Upon recreation, my course must have been along the red line. The tide was out, so the 6.6 ft of clearance was not a reality.

I came to a sudden stop. When I looked, I could see the rock about 8-10 feet off to starboard beneath the surface. The kelp was beyond the rock. I was on a ledge.

With each passing wave, the boat would lift, then set it back down on the reef. After a moment of considering the situation,

• Pounding on the reef was not good.
• I could be here for a long time until help might get to me.
• I need to get to shallow water, where I can mitigate the issue if I start to sink.
• I need to assess if I am taking on water.

Back at the helm, the prop and rudder were in clear water, not yet affected by the reef. Waiting for the next set of waves, I put the boat in hard reverse as it rose on the wave. It took a couple of tries, but then I was free. I headed back into the Inlet. I came close to the beach and anchored in about 6ft of water. I called Terry, who was still at anchor, and told him of my issue.
I spent an hour checking for water intrusion. It appeared I was not leaking. During that time, Terry reached out to Ganges Harbor, the nearest marina. They did not have a lift. The closest would be in Sydney, BC, about 12nm away. I made sure I had a working electrical bilge pump. I checked the manual bilge pump. I measured the level of fluid in the bilge (2 inches; it has never been a dry bilge). I contacted the Philbrooks Marine service in Tsehum Harbour. Discussed my boat condition and plan. They said they could help. I got Jim's cell number to call when I arrived. Terry abandoned his peaceful anchorage and thankfully buddy boated with me back to the Van Isle Marina and the potential of help.

Jim and the Philbrooks folks were a great help. They had a guy with an underwater camera who inspected my hull and keel. His observations: "You got lucky. You did hit the reef. You have some bad scrapes, but it looks like you are the winner this week. We have had 8 or 9 boats in with groundings. The guy on the other dock will be here for two or more weeks while we search for a prop.

With that good news, Terry and I continued our Canadian cruise, visiting Port Browning on North Pender and Saturna before I turned back to Anacortes, Port Ludlow, and eventually Everett.

Once in Everett, I called my friend Chris the Diver. He is busy during the season, but he was able to dive on my boat this past Sunday morning. The video he took of my keel is attached.

✂️ Keel on SV Hadley

60 seconds · Clipped by Cruise Sail · Original video "Aug 3rd 2025" by Christopher Parish

youtube.com

There is some fiberglass work to do. At this time, it looks like I may have escaped with just some nasty scratches.

 

[Terry Cox]

Whew!