California
- Thread starter Meriachee
- Start date
Plenty of places to get tossed from. Plenty. Ralph is lost in the mountains, trying not to get run over by a train.
Meriachee, We don't take the gulf islands for granted....
There are books... prose written about our waters.
Like "Tranquilty, A Memoir of an Anmerican Sailor"...
Excerpt from book:
Puget Sound may not look like much when you see it from the deck of a ferry moving along at a twenty-knot clip, but it’s a challenging and temperamental body of water to sail a small craft on. First and foremost, the skipper of a low-powered vessel like Tranquilitymust plan for the strong currents which go hand-in-hand with the fifteen-foot tides the region is known for. That’s a lot of water moving around. When the wind blows hard in the opposite direction of the current—which can run up to seven knots—a foul type of confused sea is kicked up which can delay a voyage or put a small boat at risk. Wind-against-tide they call it.
Puget Sound is nothing to play around with. It’s a vast expanse of water, more inland sea than sound in places and the surrounding terrain is generally unforgiving. Shoals extend far from shore in many places, while in others the water is too deep for a vessel to anchor a safe distance from shore. The mainland and islands are heavily wooded, there’s hundreds of bays and channels and inlets and passages that all look the same to the untrained eye, making it easy for a novice mariner to lose his bearings. To a beginner, Puget Sound waters can seem as listless or fearsome as the ocean. An anchorage that looks fine one day can turn into a dangerous blowhole the next, as the winds and weather move up and down the sound following the lay of the land. The forests come down to the shores of the sound, the hinterland rivers eat away at their banks, pick up dead trees and carry them to the sea, so there’s logs and stumps adrift to watch out for year-round. Several busy ports are in the region, so there’s a good deal of shipping traffic to steer clear of as well. You have storms in the fall and snows in the winter, gales in the spring and fogs in the summer. The pleasure-boating season is brief and uncertain, and, even in the middle of summer, the water is dangerously cold.
That is Puget Sound and a Puget Sound sailor is a very good sailor indeed.
Such words speak volumes about our waters....
There are books... prose written about our waters.
Like "Tranquilty, A Memoir of an Anmerican Sailor"...
Excerpt from book:
Puget Sound may not look like much when you see it from the deck of a ferry moving along at a twenty-knot clip, but it’s a challenging and temperamental body of water to sail a small craft on. First and foremost, the skipper of a low-powered vessel like Tranquilitymust plan for the strong currents which go hand-in-hand with the fifteen-foot tides the region is known for. That’s a lot of water moving around. When the wind blows hard in the opposite direction of the current—which can run up to seven knots—a foul type of confused sea is kicked up which can delay a voyage or put a small boat at risk. Wind-against-tide they call it.
Puget Sound is nothing to play around with. It’s a vast expanse of water, more inland sea than sound in places and the surrounding terrain is generally unforgiving. Shoals extend far from shore in many places, while in others the water is too deep for a vessel to anchor a safe distance from shore. The mainland and islands are heavily wooded, there’s hundreds of bays and channels and inlets and passages that all look the same to the untrained eye, making it easy for a novice mariner to lose his bearings. To a beginner, Puget Sound waters can seem as listless or fearsome as the ocean. An anchorage that looks fine one day can turn into a dangerous blowhole the next, as the winds and weather move up and down the sound following the lay of the land. The forests come down to the shores of the sound, the hinterland rivers eat away at their banks, pick up dead trees and carry them to the sea, so there’s logs and stumps adrift to watch out for year-round. Several busy ports are in the region, so there’s a good deal of shipping traffic to steer clear of as well. You have storms in the fall and snows in the winter, gales in the spring and fogs in the summer. The pleasure-boating season is brief and uncertain, and, even in the middle of summer, the water is dangerously cold.
That is Puget Sound and a Puget Sound sailor is a very good sailor indeed.
Monterey to Santa Cruz Santa Cruz to Monterey. There and back again! 
Moss Landing too. Turn the corner and you're at Pebble Beach. Go north and you're in GASP! San Francisco via Half Moon Bay. A few days each way. You can anchor off Capitola, too.
Nothing? One of the VERY best sailing days I had was in 2007, coming back north from Monterey. The bay is 3,000 feet deep, so NO F-ing crab traps! 12 knot west winds, reefed main and working jib. Four hours of sheer bliss. Nicely cushioned on the starboard low side cockpit, back against the cabin, reading a book, doodling around at five knots. Every fifteen minutes did a check for anything around, then back to relax. Just lovely. Almost like being out on the briny without having to go 12 hours west.
Yup no islands or anchorages, and maybe that'd get tiresome to some of you, but if your boat is there, that is something to learn to appreciate. I sure did. But like everything else, it all depends.
No deadheads, though.
Moss Landing too. Turn the corner and you're at Pebble Beach. Go north and you're in GASP! San Francisco via Half Moon Bay. A few days each way. You can anchor off Capitola, too.Nothing? One of the VERY best sailing days I had was in 2007, coming back north from Monterey. The bay is 3,000 feet deep, so NO F-ing crab traps! 12 knot west winds, reefed main and working jib. Four hours of sheer bliss. Nicely cushioned on the starboard low side cockpit, back against the cabin, reading a book, doodling around at five knots. Every fifteen minutes did a check for anything around, then back to relax. Just lovely. Almost like being out on the briny without having to go 12 hours west.
Yup no islands or anchorages, and maybe that'd get tiresome to some of you, but if your boat is there, that is something to learn to appreciate. I sure did. But like everything else, it all depends.
No deadheads, though.
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No disrespect but you hail from Alberta. What has that got to do with the Gulf Islands?
Freighters in Navy Channel? Never had that experince!! Maybe the odd small pleasure boat....
Um, how about, Monterey?
Or Santa Cruz, or Carmel, or, you know, the entire San Francisco Bay.
That's like not having a sailboat in New Zealand, because there's "few places to go".
Have you been to/sailed Monterey Bay?
Apples and Oranges, In the San Juans I thought "This is like a sailor's Disneyland", an anchorage within 20 miles in any direction, no waves, etc., but it's like being on an inland sea with tide races. 250 yards from my slip I'm in open ocean with nothing to hit until Japan, it's not got a lot of destinations but when I look around Dana Point I think "The weather's perfect and the bartenders know my name, what else can you want ?"
We had a few cycles this week so we ventured out to Santa Cruz, and down to Monterey.
The original commentary wasn't meant to annoy anybody, just a simple observation based on the unbroken expanse of water to the west.
The original commentary wasn't meant to annoy anybody, just a simple observation based on the unbroken expanse of water to the west.
Sounds like your stuck in an old episode of "Cheers". Only place you can be 250 yards from Open ocean to Japan is on the west coast. If you were in the Islands you'd have to navigate your boat many miles over Vancouver Island to even find water. Or a day or so back through the Strait with anchorages and marinas to stop at for a custom brew.
Having lived in both California, and the Pacific NW I can appreciate both regions, but for cruising beauty and excitement (except for the volume of bikini clad LA/San Diego beach goers) the Pacific NW is in a league of it's own.
up here on the inland seas we have biting black flies, huge thunderstorms, tornados, water spouts, may flys, flying ants, seagulls, ice issues, november winds, thermocline, dnr, coastguard, shariff, police, yuppers, badgers, wolverines, buckeyes, canadians, hoosiers, ....... and there is not even salt in the spray. you would not like it.
don't stop by. just a heads up
it's the yuppers that cause the most trouble from what i have seen. beware
don't stop by. just a heads up
it's the yuppers that cause the most trouble from what i have seen. beware
........ and i forgot, mosquitos . how could i forget mosquitos. the minnesota state bird, the north bay bombers. they can blacken out the sun. average adult size, 12 inches.
you wouldn't want to come here, but if you do, we'll be happy to point out where your doing everything wrong
you wouldn't want to come here, but if you do, we'll be happy to point out where your doing everything wrong
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Jon. Your going to confuse the Las Vegas folks without a picture...don't just sit there, pass the pasties please
Pasties=
Only because I'm married to a Michigander would I understand you meant...
You can see how a little confusion can get you in a lot of trouble...