Spent a memorable past few days taking my new (to me) 1986 Catalina 36 from Portland to Seattle. The trip was made possible by our very own LaDonna Bubak and the famous Rob Tryon. Both of them handled all the prep work themselves and Rob acted as river pilot and delivery skipper... Had a fantastic 2-day cruise down the Columbia river, complete with sunshine and local history lessons from Rob. It just so happens Rob is a great cook, even if I forgot to stock basic essentials such as salt, pepper, and butter! Met a couple friends in Astoria (bringing the crew to 4) for the notorious "bar" crossing. We motored out of the marina and took some deep breaths as we watched the swell break on the jetty on our way out. An hour later I asked Rob "is this the bar?" as we motored gently over spaced out rollers in the late morning sunshine. "This is it". We couldn't believe our luck in November to have such benign conditions! Not more than a couple hours later we spotted Orcas cruising up the coast... fantastic! The full harvest moon rose out of the east as the sunset fireworks subsided. We motored onward, picking up a light SE breeze which later rose to 15k. Perfect. 4 person watches made it easy and we enjoyed each other's company all the way up the coast. Rounding Tatoosh Island the next morning the wind kicked up out of the east to 25k, slowing our progress considerably and making for an uncomfortable ride. But no matter - the boat performed well, the crew was easy-going and experienced (remember, this IS November!). We stopped in Sekiu (Callam Bay) for a 20 minute fuel stop east of Neah Bay and were on our way. A long night of pounding into the waves ensued, but by the time the sun announced a new day on Monday we were around Pt. Wilson into Puget Sound. A calm trip down the Sound brought us into Elliot Bay to Harbor Island Marina by 1pm. Great boat, great crew, great trip. See you on the water! Trevor
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Glad you had a good trip
At this time of year you can only hope for calm seas but fair winds too? Unheard of!
LaDonna
At this time of year you can only hope for calm seas but fair winds too? Unheard of!
LaDonna
Man, is that ever true!
Sailors would give anything for those conditions in _summer_! Congrats on a daring and successful maiden voyage!
Sailors would give anything for those conditions in _summer_! Congrats on a daring and successful maiden voyage!
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