true :)
> Both would be Stories to brag on for DECADES on this list!! >VBG<
yep!
> (Snip) And hope the Makah don't mistake you for a whale and the protesters
> don't
> mistake you for being a Makah...
>
> Whats a MAKAH? I Suspect its a Indian Tribe known for poaching
> whales, but I
> may be incorrect. Please explain.
Close. The Makah are a tribe of indians at Neah Bay, and the northwest tip
of the Olympic Peninsula (entrance to the Strait of Juan de Fuca.). They
recently won a court case allowing them to hunt a grey whale. Naturally,
they are getting protested severely, and it has recently turned a little
violent.
I have the dubious distinction of spending some time on that reservation,
when I played bass in a travelling band and our agent (somehow) got us two
shows out there. From what I remember, the whales are more likely to die
running into a protester's boat than by anything done by the Makahs.
> > Better be a serious camper to get a small boat past this gate.
> > Its a Whole
> > Day at Highway speeds to get past this area.... How many Small
> > Sailboat days
> > is this??
>
> MANY. :) And there ain't a whole lot of ports on the way.
>
> (Snip) Thus my comments about serious Boat Camping skills. A
> beautyful but
> desolate area for a Sailor, intent upon getting past it to see a
> enclosed hot
> shower (or ...insert your Fav "Civilized but not available on your Potter
> item").
>
> I've never sailed there. In two weeks I'm crossing the the strait (at
> night!) as part of a 3 man crew aboard a 42' Westsail on a
> 24-hour operating
> schedule. Our plan is to circumnavigate the San Juans and get back into
> seattle in a weekend, all under sail power except for docking.
> Plan is for
> about 180NM....
>
> Heavy trip, almost work I fear. Will test your seamanship AND your
> friendships. Good Sailing and Godspeed.
Thats the plan.
> I did something like that in the late 70's. A really nice trip.
> Stay aware
> of the tides and the ferry boat schedules. You can easily find thyself
> wandering about the Deep Blue Pacific given the speed of the
> Tidal Flow in the
> Straits. I DO hope you have radar or at worst a Full Moon and
> clear skys for
> some visibility.
I haven't checked the moon schedule, but we do have radar and radio. I've
done lots of Puget sound sailing and I concur that the Ferrys are generally
the scariest just cuz theres so many of them and they are so fast.
> That way the largish Trawlers can be seen and hopefully
> advoided. Those nets can really ruin your trip when they become ONE with
> your propeller, Dagger Board, Rudder... etc....
We'll be real careful. We'll pass the traffic lanes as quickly as possible
and once we get towards the islands things should mellow out.
> I suspect the 42 Footer has a slightly quicker possable hull
> speed than our
> beloved Potter. HOWEVER I can put my Potter 19 on a Ferryboat in
> Seattle and
> be Sailing in the San Juans before you clear Puget Sound. Sail the Juans,
> beaching to enjoy picnics here and there and advoid the expensive
> harbor areas
> (Have you SEEN the dock fees in the San Juans lately??? GAAK, can
> Pay for the
> whole Ferryboat trip there and back for less) and get home to
> Seattle easily
> in a weekend.
True, and I agree, and thats why I own a potter. But now my boat is out of
the water I'm dying to get under a sail, even if its not my boat. And I
could really use the experience of this trip. There will be two other crew
and they are far more experienced than me, so it should be an education.
> Thus my version of Pottering. Using those "Slightly slower than WW2
> Torpeados" Ferryboats someone posted about to get to my sailing
> area. Its not
> the sailing hours out of sight of land but the joys of puttering about
> beautyful costal inlets and lakes.
It is for me too.
> I am talking to a freighter Company about SHIPPING my Potter to
> the Bahamas
> for a week long sailing trip, then hauling it home to Charleston
> SC as I fly
> both ways. Yep, I'm a chicken but I like spending my dearly
> earned vacation
> time at the sailing area, not travelling there.
Nothing wrong with that, though I suspect it will be far cheaper just to
charter when you get there.