November - Ugh!

The wind is blowing a gale from the NW and it's raining hard. It's blowing so hard I'm having to hold on to my hat as I walk down the dock to where the Independence is moored. There's even one foot waves in the marina. Suddenly the sky turns pink and the houses above the marina which were so warmly lit now are now dark. I look at the marina and there's still power. Another gust comes and the dock is rocking from the wind and the waves. I make it down to the boat cold and wet. I check the air temperature and it is a chilly 45 F. I plug in a small space heater to provide some warmth to the cold boat. I check the bilge and decide to start the boat. I hit the switch and about 12-14 seconds later the diesel comes to life with a roar. I reduce the RPMs to 650 and put it in gear and let the boat run in the slip. I am so happy that she fires up so readily, especially on this cold, windy, and dark night - not that I'm going anywhere. I gently pat the helm and say, "Good dependable girl." I turn on some lights, pour me a couple of fingers of whiskey and ride out the storm. I am amazed at how much the boat is rocking even though it is in the slip. Even above the idle of the engine I can hear the wind and the rain hitting the covered moorage. I'm glad I'm in the Independence.

I let the boat run for about 30-40 minutes until the engine warms up. There's a forecast in the next few days for snow and bitter cold. I figure this little run in the slip will help. As I sit and let the engine run I once again dream of summer cruising instead of dark, cold November days. Outside the wind continues to blow hard, and the rain continues to come down hard. I'm not looking forward for the long walk up the dock back to the car. I re-checked the air temperature inside the boat and now its a balmy 48 F. The running of the engine has warmed the boat up 3 degrees. I take the boat out of gear, let it idle for a few seconds, then rev the engine up to 1,500 RPM for about 10 seconds, then back down to idle for 30 seconds, and then hit the kill switch. Silence except for the outside wind and the noise of the rain hitting the covered moorage. I decide to pour just a bit more whiskey into my cup - I'm not ready to leave. I notice that the rain has stopped. I quickly finish my whiskey and close up the boat.

I start my walk up the dock and look at the hillside, all the homes are still in the dark. I can see candles flickering in the windows. I hope the power is on at home. A gust of wind almost rips my hat off my head. Oh how I dislike November.

Stats: running time (idling in place in gear) ~30 minutes, ending engine hours 6077.5.

Starting Her Up

I love diesel engines, especially the heart of the MV Independence. That big 6 cylinder, naturally aspirated, Ford-Lehman is a gem. She's got well over 6,070 hours on her and she's never missed a beat. To my credit, I keep the oil changed - every 100 hours with the crankcase, and every 50 hours for the injection pump, and do due diligence on the engine maintenance (e.g., impeller changed each season, zincs in the transmission & oil cooler changed, check all hoses, good fuel, etc.). And, my reward always a "rrrrr-rumble" and a quick start. How rewarding.

Yesterday, I came down and "started her up." I let her idle for a bit, then I decreased the RPMs, put her in gear, and let her warm up in place in the slip. The boat lurched forward in the slip stopping when her mooring lines would let her go no further. I simply sat and enjoyed a sip of whisky while the engine purred along and the prop wash made small ripples across the marina. I think somebody wondered what was going on because I saw a guy come quickly up the dock, rush to my stern and look in the water. Seeing the boat in the slip and trying to move forward must have concerned him; causing him to wonder what was going on. He looked inside my boat to ensure that all was well. I gave him a nod and wink, and he simply walked away. I don't think he still knew what was up because he was shaking his head. Oh well.

I watched an empty jug on the deck move along because of the engine vibration. First towards me then unexplicable then away, and then again towards me - interesting dance. I put the jug away and heard other things making music from the engine's vibration. I stepped out on deck myself, walked back to look at the prop wash and made sure there was water coming out of the exhaust. Stopping enough to think that all the mussels and barnacles (little bastards) on the dock enjoyed the prop wash. The mooring lines holding the Independence at bay were all taught and snug. All was well.

I returned to the lower helm station, watched the temperature gauge slowly climb to a point where it just stopped - well below any marks on the gauge that would cause me alarm that something was overheating. I watched the hour meter "tick" away counting the engine's time alive. The tachometer was steady at 650 RPM. I waited until 0.4 hours ticked away, pulled the lever to take the engine out of gear and then slowly raised the throttle to about 1,300 RPMs. Again all sounded well and good. A quick peek down into the bilge and again all looked good. I reduced the RPMs to 550, let it idle there for another minute, and then hit the kill switch. The engine alarm promptly sounded with an annoying buzz and I turned off the key. Silence. One more time I peeked down into the engine room and all looked good - no drips, no runs, no errors. I closed the engine lid and returned to my chair, took a sip of my whisky, looked out the front windows, and dreamed more of journeys past and some to come.

Outside the day was cloudy and cool, but the water was almost perfectly calm. It would have made for a nice afternoon cruise. Rather I sat and puttered about inside - stowing this & that away, checking a few things, and finishing my two fingers of whisky. It was another nice afternoon aboard the Independence.

Stats: running time (idling in place in gear) ~25 minutes, ending engine hours 6076.5.

Good Food & Good Company

Sunday, Sept. 6, 2010

I took Hank & Rocky - the dogs - to the beach so they could do their "dog stuff." Of course they ran all over the beach with Hank almost barking continuously. I'm sure other boats anchored in the bay wanting to sleep in enjoyed hearing dog barking. Oh well it was after 0800 anyway. Dave & Mary rowed over and watched the dogs play too.

Afterwards I went over and enjoyed a cup of coffee on the MV Explorer with Rob & Sandy. As I said earlier, I hadn't seen Sandy in over 30 years so we had a lot of catching up to do. We talked of then and now, and of course about boats. I invited them over for our traditional boat breakfast of corned beef hash.

Dave & Mary came, as well as Rob & Sandy. The galley was full with six (6) adults and two dogs. Kim had made a healthy batch of corned beef hash that was excellent. We sat around, supped together and chatted. It was a great time. By 1200 Dave & Mary left to make preparations to leave back to Olympia; they were going to sail back. Sandy & Rob stayed aboard for a bit longer and we continued to chat. Finally we bid them adieu and we too made preparations for leaving.

The wind was blowing about 12 knots from the SW but the sky seemed to be clearing. Although I knew that rain was on the way. It was tempting to stay another night at McMicken but we decided to head home. We weighed anchor at 1320. We cruised down Case Inlet, following the eastern shore of Hartstine Island until we spied the SV Mary O' Farrell under full sail in Dana Passage. Dave was enjoying the wind and a fair current. Prior to meeting the SV Mary O'Farrell I was doing 8 knots. I slowed down, circled the Mary O' Farrell just for fun, and then we motored on. There were quite a few sailboats out all enjoying the fair winds. It seemed that as we motored down Budd Inlet the wind abated a bit. There was no sign of any of the boating crowds because the tug boat races were long over. All that remained were the racing course markers. Kim met me at the dock because we had the Zipper. We got into our slip at 1400. We quickly unloaded the boat and then I sent Kim on her way back over to East Bay Marina so I could haul the Zipper.

It was a fun Labor Day weekend that makes boating oh so much fun and memorable. I really enjoyed meeting up with both the MV Explorer and the SV Mary O'Farrell.

Stats: 13.6 nm, average speed 5.1 knots, running time 2:39, ending engine hours 6076.1

Zipperin' to Allyn

Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010

Woke to cloudy skies and a brisk SW wind. Although for most of the night it was calm. After breakfast I cleaned up the Zipper. It was still filthy from our recent summer trip up the coast. So with lots of elbow grease and some scrubby pads I made her presentable.

We then went over to the SV Mary O'Farrell and picked up Dave & Mary for a Zipper trip to Allyn. We had a full crew contingent on the Zipper - Dave, Mary, Hank, Rocky, Kim and myself. The cruise up to Allyn was smooth for the most part with only rippled seas. We tied up to the Allyn dock and walked into town hoping to get some "Bubba's Big Burgers" but found it closed. So we walked farther down to "Leonard K's" and ordered some burgers and fish & chips to go. We walked back to the Port of Allyn beach front park and ate. While we ate we noticed that the wind from the SW was building - it was no longer rippled but about a 1' chop. We boarded the Zipper and started out neglected to notice that Hank's dog life jacket had been blown out of the boat. We flew S down Case Inlet at 20 knots riding over the tops of the chop.

We motored over into Jarrell's Cove where I was hoping to meet up with Sandy and Rob in the MV Explorer. Jarrell's Cove was quite crowded with all the dock space and mooring buoys taken. As we were motoring into Jarrell's Cove the MV Explorer had come in behind us. They looked for anchoring options and I encouraged them to join us in anchoring over at McMicken Island. Fortunately they decided to change their plans and join us. The wind had abated some for our quick cruise from Jarrell's Cove back to McMicken Island.

The MV Explorer arrived about 45 minutes later and anchored just behind the Independence. I hadn't seen Sandy in about 30 years and it was good to re-meet and catch up. The wind was brisk and cool from the SW.

Dave & Mary from the SV Mary O' Farrell came over for supper at 1900. We had a multi-course meal - smoked salmon appetizer, then my grilled spicy Vindaloo pork chops, corn on the cob, finished off with spicy red pepper scallop fettucine. It was a fun feast.

Zipper stats: 23 nm, average speed 15.1 knots, running time 1:42

McMicken Island Bound

Friday, Sept. 3, 2010

We launched the Zipper over at East Bay and then I drove the truck & empty trailer over to the marina and met Kim. She had Hank the dog as her crew mate for the short voyage, and I had Rocky the little demon dog for mine. This was going to be his first boat trip adventure.

We left the West Bay dock at 1450 for a Labor Day weekend trip to McMicken Island. Weather is mostly sunny and warm but the barometer is falling and there's mare's tails in the sky. I am reminded of the saying, "Mares tails and mackerel scales make lofty ships carry low sails." This means the weather is going to change. But for now it's a beautiful day. There's a 10+ knot breeze out of the WSW. Olympia is crowded because of the Harbor Days celebration and Tug Boat races.

When we left the tide was high, or near high, so we cruised straight up Budd Inlet instead of following the channel and going W around Olympia Shoal. We still stayed well E of the Olympia Shoal. Several other boats were plotting the same course which generally should be avoided because of shoal water. There were lots of boats out and boat traffic - boats coming into Olympia and Budd Inlet and boats leaving. We rounded Boston Harbor, made our way up Dana Passage and then N into Case Inlet. The cruise was quite enjoyable and uneventful.

We dropped the hook at 1730 and in 25' of water well W of McMicken Island, or about half-way between the island and the Hartstine Island shore. We were well N of the tombolo that connected McMicken Island to Hartstine and with the tide so high you saw no sign of it. There's a brisk SW breeze blowing through the anchorage. There's six boats here not counting the Independence.

After arriving I noticed that my depth sounder was not always working. I checked it and found that it was "chock-a-block" full of mussels to about the size of a volleyball. I layed down on the swim step and removed the little bastards - "no more free rides for you!"

We had a leisurely evening waiting for our friends in the SV Mary O'Farrell to arrive. They arrived just before 2000 and we met for a quick drink but we were all pretty tired, so the event was short lived. The SV Mary O'Farrell was anchored about 100 yards W of us.

Stats: 13.0 nm, average speed 5.4 knots, running time 2:44, ending engine hours 6073.2

Oil Change

6070.6 hours
Took advantage of some of the crew being out of town to do some needed engine maintenance. First, I checked to see if there was any "junk" on the leading end (intake) of the oil cooler. It was clean. Next I changed the injector oil. Its been over 50 hours, but the oil looked fine. Next I tackled the main engine oil change. Since I had no commitments I took my time to change the oil. First I sucked the oil out of the dip stick hole using the little portable oil changer pump which went quicker than I expected. I didn't start the engine to heat up the oil like I normally do. Rather the day was kind of warm and just sucked the oil out "cold." I had to use 3 containers to hold all the oil - or about 3.9 gallons. Next I removed all the old "oil zorb" pads and pillow out of the engine room. I didn't have an oil filter so I had to go to the store and buy a new Fram 8A oil filter. So when I took the oil up to the oil recycling center I went to the auto parts store too. When I came back I changed the oil filter and cleaned up. A trick I learned was to remove the oil filter bracket from the engine, then loosen the filter, then put a plastic zip lock bag around the filter and screw the filter off. When the filter is off, simply seal up the zip lock bag - no mess and no fuss. Finally I enjoyed a couple of fingers of whiskey after the oil changing project to relax. I'm ready for doing a little local cruise.

The last time the main engine oil was changed was at 5952.7 hours or 117.9 hours elapsed.

Post Trip Stats

I came down to the boat to tidy some things up, enjoy a finger or two of whiskey and quietly reminisce about the recent 2010 summer trip.

Here's some cumulative 2010 trip stats:

• Total engine hours for the trip: 112.6
• Total trip miles (not including Zipper excursions): 628.7 nm
• Total running time (not including Zipper excursions): 105 hours
• Average trip speed (not including Zipper excursions): 5.98 knots
• Average trip rpm (estimated): 1750 rpm
• Estimated fuel used (not including Zipper excursions): 175 gallons
• Nights anchored/moored out: 19
• Nights at a marina: 5
• Time spent: Priceless
  

Day 24 - Home

Saturday, July 31, 2010
We left our Eagle Island mooring buoy at 0655 under thick gray cloudy skies and a W wind about 10 knots or so. The current was flooding so we took advantage of it - although it was not flooding as hard as it was yesterday afternoon so the benefit to us was not that great. As we motored along I was hoping for more of a push from the flood current but it just never happened. So we took it slow - we were in no hurry to get home. Besides that, late yesterday I noticed that the temperature was a bit higher than normal, so there's probably a bunch of "junk" on the intake side of the oil cooler. Cruising through Central Puget Sound yesterday I noticed a lot of debris - eel grass, bits of kelp, algae, and other junk - in the water.

We had that persistent W - SW breeze all the way home; around Devils Head, down Dana Passage and into Budd Inlet. As it always is, it was relieving to round the Boston Harbor light and get your first glimpse of the state capitol and the end of our journey. I remembered the sailor's dilemma, "Can't wait to leave port, can't wait to get back." As we motored down Budd Inlet we started packing some things instinctively into bags and preparing for the end of our trip. Passing the #5 day mark into Olympia Harbor I started my chores of taking down the mast, radio antennas, and putting out the fenders. Just outside West Bay Marina Kim took the Zipper in and helped me bring the Independence into our slip. I noticed that we have two new sailboat neighbors on the other side of the finger pier and end of the dock. We'll haul the Zipper out this morning, since there's no convenient place to keep her for a day or two.

Well, it was a good safe trip. Once again the Independence took us the whole way up and back without any problems or concerns - she's a good boat. Thanks be to God for a safe trip.

All in all we traveled with the Zipper and Independence 667.7 nautical miles! We returned to our slip at 0940.

Stats: 15.3 nm, average speed 5.4 knots, running time 2:49, ending engine hours 6070.6.

Day 23 - Down the Sound

Friday, July 30, 2010

It is terribly foggy, you can't even see to the end of the breakwater, so the "viz" is about 1/4 mile or less. A neighboring motorsailer left at 0800 only to return because it was so "pea soupy out there." Earlier I heard the Kingston ferry do a "5 horn blast" probably because of some boater being in the ferry's way. By the time we decided to leave the fog was starting to lift and I didn't even have to turn on the radar. We left late so we would make the Tacoma Narrows on time to take advantage of the flood current on our last leg to home. We left Kingston late at 1005.

We motored out of Appletree Cove and into the Central Sound. The morning's fog and clouds were rapidly lifting to another clear and sunny day. There were quite a few boats out fishing and we avoided them and by the time we hit President Point they were all gone. I made for a way-point just off of the east side of Blake Island. I turned the helm over to Kim for a bit and I rested on the settee. It really was kind of boring cruising - there was no wind or boats, just heading S in the open central sound. By the time we hit the Blake Island waypoint I took over to do my "Colvos Passage thing" - that is, cruise close to the W shore of Vashon Island to take advantage of the back eddy. Besides that it makes it more interesting to see all the houses and stuff on shore. We made about 6.5 - 7 knots along the shore. I deviated from my route about 2/3 of the way down Colvos - near the Colvos #3 day marker - since the back eddy was kind of waning and I wasn't getting the speed I wanted. So I went straight and followed my GPS course to Pt. Richmond. We made Pt. Defiance according to schedule at 1526 (3:26 PM) and proceeded to ride the flood current into the South Sound. We started to make supper by Hyde Point on McNeil Island. As we were passing Eagle Island in Balch Passage I noticed that a mooring buoy on the W side of Eagle Island was available. So we decided to take advantage of it and stay out one more night.

Originally we planned to be in Olympia on Friday night to travel to Wenatchee by car on Saturday to pick up a new pup. But just before Eagle Island the lady we were getting the pup from called and said that Saturday was not available to pick up the pup. This further justified our staying out one more night. Besides that it was a beautiful sunny evening and now we were not in a hurry. We tied up to the mooring buoy at 1700.

We had already enjoyed supper so we lazily motored around the island in the Zipper enjoying the evening and sipping some after dinner drinks. There were plenty of Harbor seals about and a pair of bald eagles. A pair of Kingfishers were not happy with our interruption of there fishing and let us know with a noisy call. I then finished off the day with a cigar on the bow of the Independence.

As the evening wore on to night the weather changed to lots of low clouds and a 10-15 knot W wind which ended any sort of a peaceful evening and sleep.

Stats: 41.4 nm, average speed 6.0 knots, running time 6:56, ending engine hours 6067.5.

Day 22 - On to Kingston

Thursday, July 29, 2010
We untied from our mooring buoy at 0610 under foggy skies. Visibility was about 1 mile or less. I turned on the radar just to be safe. We cruised against an ebb current making only 4.5 knots or less to about Strawberry Point, Whidbey Island and Skagit Bay. Once we passed Strawberry Point we rode the southerly ebb to our advantage out of Saratoga Passage. It was pretty easy cruising in that there weren't too many boats out, and the weather was fairly calm. I laid down at about Columbia Beach (just after we passed the Clinton ferry) and let Kim take the helm until we reached about Possession Point - about an hour later. We had low clouds all the way to Kingston when it quickly burned off. Just by the Kingston ferry dock in the outer cove, Kim got into the Zipper and met me at the dock. We got to Kingston and tied up at the dock at about 1320 (1:20 PM). Initially we pulled into a slip because the gas dock was busy, however then we went over to the gas dock and filled up with diesel.

I put 150 gallons of diesel in at $2.90 a gallon for a total of $435.02. We last got fuel at 5967.7 hours which calculates to be 92.3 hours which calculated to be 1.63 gph! Most of our cruising rpm was at 1750 rpm which was a bit lower than years past.

It's good to be in Kingston. We've cruised 102 hours so far. We'll have a long cruising day tomorrow. We went up to Bella Luna for our traditional supper of a "Morgan's Special Pizza." As always it was very good. We ate about half, boxed the other half for tomorrow's breakfast and lunch for the cruise down.

Like yesterday, there was a minus tide around 1230-1300. As we were coming into to Appletree Cove I hailed a 30' planing cruiser boat on the VHF which was headed towards Appletree Cove Point but a bit too close to shore. I said, "You're cruising a bit to close to shore and as you get to the point it will be shoal." He was cruising fast and I don't think he payed attention to my radio call. As he approached the point he came to a dead stop. I think he discovered the shoal.

We met another boater from Olympia who had a blue heeler dog just like Hank. We chatted for a bit. He was just starting his vacation while we were ending ours. I passed on some of my boating knowledge during our conversation since he was a relatively new boater.

Stats: 43.6 nm, average speed 5.9 knots, running time 7:22, ending engine hours 6060.0.