Winter Cruising Question

[Kings Gambit]

BTW, there’s a new pub, the Gateway Taphouse and Grill, that opened on Peace Portal Drive there in Blaine in December. Great spot; I visited it recently on their opening weekend. Make a nice “weekend” to come to Blaine, visit the pub for lunch (winter service) and/or other nice spots, load the boat and anchor overnight in Drayton Harbor for one or two nights, sail to Point Roberts to spend a night there in the Marina, then home. A great little shakedown IMO. Plenty of exposure to the cold temps.

www.gateway1890taphouse-grill.com

 

[Hello Below]

Thanks for the info. We are currently out of Blaine which makes Anacortes closer to 35NM I believe. But you bring up Bellingham which might also be a decent option. That is still 30NM if I can cut through Hale Passage which I would want to look into. Having a dock to tie up to with kiddos would be nice!

It is a trade off with a much shorter trip to Sucia(or similar) vs a longer trip and better amenities.

After what they have been through over the last couple of years, I am sure that the folks at Point Roberts marina would appreciated the support.

 

[Terry Cox]

Keep an eye on the forecast if you plan on anchoring in Drayton Harbor. Very exposed to a southerly with a long fetch. Good anchorage in calm seas, though.

 

[colb218]

Point Roberts sounds like a great idea! We have had the boat out a couple of times and have anchored in Drayton Harbor, albeit only for lunch.

I will def check out the new taphouse!

 

[Kings Gambit]

Keep an eye on the forecast if you plan on anchoring in Drayton Harbor. Very exposed to a southerly with a long fetch. Good anchorage in calm seas, though.

Hi Terry,
I don’t see that (fetch) on my chart. It might not be a good spot to anchor in a south wind, but it’s mostly shallow-water (i.e., fathom deep), or exposed, mud flats along the south rim of the basin. I don’t see how much sea could get pushed up in there from that direction.

 

[Terry Cox]

Hi Ray, Happy New Year.

Our boat was moored in Semiahmoo when we purchased her in 2002. Kept her there for three years and during that time each winter storm would damage the concrete floating breakwater that protected the marina from southerlies. Since it was a private marina, slip owners were on the hook to cover the cost for contractors to rebuild/repair the breakwater. Drayton Harbor head is about a mile south of the breakwater with no hills to deflect a south wind. Certainly not a long fetch, but enough of a one to build some pretty strong wave action with 50 MPH plus winds common during these winter storms

Summer season a different story. A very nice quiet mud bottom anchorage with good holding and mostly shallow; one to two fathoms as you say, much like Garrison Bay and Watmough Bay. Just advice to keep an eye on the forecast in the event of a strong southerly when one can head for marina protection before it arrives.

 

[jssailem]

Good to know. I'll put that in my boat log for future reference.

I thought perhaps it was a bit early in the AM and Terry had his mind on busing kids.
Commenting about Deer Harbor, as our conversation had focused on the San Juans.

But as always... Clarity in communication comes through.

2022 will the kids have Terry to greet them? "Good morning Mr. Cox"

 

[Kings Gambit]

I can see now why the Semiahmoo brkwater would be mauled in a 50-kt south wind it being right along the downwind border of the “deepwater” (25-3O ft) area. The basic formula for building sea state is wind speed, duration, and fetch. Raise wind speed and duration and you don’t need much fetch to push up the water, if there is water there to push up! I would not recommend doing it to anyone, but short of taking shelter in the Blaine Marina I’d get into the shallowest viable water just before the mud flats along the south rim. Of course, one must Take Care not to be in so close that the wind blows too much of the water out from under your keel!, which can happen, on a low tide which puts you aground stuck in the mud!

So maybe not such a good idea! As you say, monitor the forecast. Very cold, 50-kt wind anywhere does not make for a fun weekend outing!

 

[Kings Gambit]

Of course, one must Take Care not to be in so close that the wind blows too much of the water out from under your keel!, which can happen, on a low tide which puts you aground stuck in the mud!

In northwest Tampa Bay in November on low tides following a cold front, the strong NE wind would uncover bottom normally deep enough for a shallow draft boat to anchor over.

 

[Terry Cox]

2022 will the kids have Terry to greet them? "Good morning Mr. Cox"

No school on our first day back from the Holidays. Hazardous snow and ice conditions. Good thing as I'm just getting over a cold that our Son's family brought up from Texas.

Yes, I always greet them by their name and they refer to me as Mr. Terry.

 

[jssailem]

We have our comforting rain back. Temps in low 40's Grey sky. Creeks rising to edge of banks. Found a pair of trout fingerlings yesterday in the grass. They were a deposit after the last flood was replaced by ice and snow. Snow did a pretty good job preserving them. They were 30 yrds from the nearest stream.

There is a change coming in the weather... A bit drier...Here is the synopsis from Rufus.

By this coming weekend, the general wx pattern will shift into a drier mode. High pressure will center east of the Cascades and Low pressure systems will remain well offshore for several days, yielding dry days from Saturday Jan 8 through Wed Jan 19. With High pressure to the east, expect E-NE breezes to dominate those 7-10 days. Note: some solutions hint at more OR rain by the 11th; there could also be a system clipping the northern 1/2 of western WA sometime Fri the 14th. Both scenarios are iffy right now. The airmass east of the Cascades is not modeled to be ‘Arctic cold’, just seasonally colder than the west side. Mornings frosts are possible in wind-sheltered areas - typical for January. Fog at times and afternoon sunshine should be the main feature for about a week. Enjoy.​

​

Such a weather pattern could make for some DaySailing opportunities. A E-NE breeze would provie calm waters along the east side of any water. The inside passages are ideal for such conditions.

 

[colb218]

Good News! We made it off the dock yesterday. A quick trip over to Semiahmoo to fill up at their fuel dock and then out into the bay. It was only blowing 4-6 knots which wound up being perfect. I had taken the sails off to have them looked at by a local shop. I got the sails on in the slip and was glad to get them up in light air to make sure I did it correctly. All in all it was a great day to get out and ghost along. Even put my freshly installed, tested and triple checked propane stove to use to make lunch.

Kiddos loved it and stayed warm. My youngest fell asleep face down on the nav station as we were pulling back into the marina.

I had to pull my headsail back off and take it back to the sail loft. For some reason whoever altered the sail for a roller furler did so by adding an additional attachment point on the tack at the appropriate height for the new furler drum. My original tack now dangles of the drum and binds up with furling the sail. Sail loft said they had never seen it done that way.

A few lessons learned:

• Make sure reef lines are off any cleats/winches prior to raising the main
• Secure unused halyards to the base of the mast prior to unfurling the headsail
• I need to practice docking. Nothing catastrophic, but a loop around at the fuel dock and a bit of a leap when getting back into my marina.

 

[kappykaplan]

Make sure reef lines are off any cleats/winches prior to raising the main

Don't ask me how I know!

 

[Hello Below]

It is a very rare day in the winter on the PNW when you see a sky as clear and blue as what we had yesterday. It certainly was pleasant though.
Docking can been one of the most stressful evolutions in boating. Practice overtime will help you to gain confidence in how your boat handles in different situations. But there will still be those times when the best laid plans all of a sudden go to crap.
Never leap off but rather step off when departing a boat.

 

[colb218]

Never leap off but rather step off when departing a boat.

For sure. I said leap in my post but it was more of a larger step then I would have preferred. I had the boat stopped and we were maybe 1.5' off the dock. Had the wind been blowing the other direction I would have waited and we would have settled back onto the dock. I took a moment to decide if reversing and trying again was my best bet as I wondered where my helpful slipmate who cast me off was in my time of need. Unfortunately I am the 2nd boat on the finger so I don't have a lot of room to maneuver in once I get to my slip.

The bigger lesson for me was to make it crystal clear what docking procedure is. I made sure to tell no one to leave the boat until I said so and made sure they knew to not get off the boat without a line in their hand. We had fenders down and I had the stern line ready. When I lunged off I secured the stern line but the bow line was coiled on the anchor locker.

 

[Terry Cox]

A quick trip over to Semiahmoo to fill up at their fuel dock and then out into the bay.

Drayton Harbor? Looks so nice and clear. That would be Mt. Baker in the distance? Seems to have been a great shake down cruise. Thanks for posting.

 

[colb218]

That is Baker out in the distance, but we were in Semiahmoo Bay. You can see the entrance to Drayton Harbor just off my shroud. I think we technically crossed into Boundary Bay(AKA Canada) very briefly as well.

It was a great day!

 

[jssailem]

We all develop docking procedures that we like. I prefer to use the method described in this video.
The site at STRESS FREE SAILING calls it the Stern Bridle.

i find it safe even in the wild winds and cross currents we find here in the PacificNW.
As they say “ Try it you’ll like it”!

 

[colb218]

Another cruise in the books. Took up the suggestion of heading to Point Roberts this last weekend. Unfortunately there was little to no wind either day with the exception of a 30-45 minute window where I saw wind of 4.5-6knts. What is everyone's threshold for putting out the sails? I was VERY close but in the end everything died down as we moved out of the Strait of Georgia and into Semiahmoo Bay as I expected.

Fortunately the trip was a blast! Point Roberts is pretty empty, with the exception of what I assume was an abundance of Canadian driftwood. I was asked what my preferred tie up was and then given access to a double berth and told to pick which slip I preferred. We saw lots of wildlife including some orcas off our stern on the way home. We walked to the light house park which was a bit of trek, but not awful and def worth the trip.

On the way back I was enjoying my coffee reading a book while the family was eating breakfast down below. As I looked up to scan the horizon for driftwood and crab pots I noticed a quick moving CG boat approaching from the stern. They pulled along side and conducted their safety inspection. We were underway the entire time! The kiddos loved it and the boat crew let us take a photo with everyone.

Getting better at docking. Port tie up is getting easier, but I chose starboard as a new challenge at Port Roberts. The fuel dock there is also a starboard tie up and that went fine. The slip was a bit more difficult, but we made it. With how empty it was I figured it was the perfect time to practice. I also backed most the way down our fairway when leaving in the morning for more practice.

All tucked into our slip for the night

You can see the driftwood in the fairway here.

 

[jssailem]

Great pictures. Sounds like the outing was a lot of fun for all. You packed a lot of experiences into a short cruise. Good for you.

If the wind is not dead on the bow and there are no tidal/current constraints on the passage, I will unfurl my sails as soon as there is a breeze to sail. I figure the best enjoyment of a sail boat is to shut down the auxiliary power.

When the tide stops all motion and we start to slip backwards I figure that is a sign from the Wind gods that it is time to light the Iron Jenny.

It helps to have sails which can handle various wind conditions. An Asymmetrical will give you a sail to sail on a reach or down wind in a light breeze. A jib or a Genoa on a furler gives you flexibility in the amount of sail you open to the wind. While the main is a bit of work to get ready to raise or stow, I figure working the sails is a part of the experience on a sail boat.

Thanks for sharing the experience