[WWP] 3 DAY VOYAGE

From: happy life skills foundation (hapilife@efn.org)
Date: Wed May 10 2000 - 10:52:33 PDT


Hi all!

I've been meaning to write this for about a week now, thought you'd all
enjoy it....our 3 day voyage on puget sound:

All week I worked on the hull mostly, gel coat repairs, waxing, polishing
etc....

We left on a saturday (around two weeks ago). WEather was partly sunny,
cool, nice. left from north end of Lake washington, headed down the lake
on a beam reach, around Sand Point, headed into the ship channel. Hit the
motor, stopped at UW docks, tied up, walked to the falafel stand, yummm!

ended up in Lake Union, in the middle of Seattle, it was calm there.
Searched for the guest moorages, couldn't find them, some folks on a huge
yacht said, "you can tie that little dinghy up next to US...and have some
wine....nice!

Slept very well, left at 6 am, headed west for the ballard locks. we were
the only ones in the locks. my wife was still sleeping when we did it.
It's kinda like being in the toilet tank when you flush, down goes the
water, up goes the walls, very easy. They had me hold one line amidships
to hold us stead to the walls.

Then...open the gates, ah, the smell of salt water!!! Another pretty sunny
day had me glad we bought the bimini from IM. We sailed out past shilshole
harbor and across to bainbridge island, crossing the shipping lanes
(pretty wild, like being a mosquito crossing the truck lanes on the
interstate). Ended up in Eagle harbor, where the state ferries are
repaired. The whole harbor was full of floating hulks, liveaboards.
WAshington has gotten pretty expensive to live so lots of folks have
bought old boats and anchor them in some of the harbors. The liveaboards
were very nice, we cruised over to see their home and asked where to buy
gas and they gave us about a gallon!

Went ashore and ate lunch. Left and slowly felt the south wind die out. it
got pretty hot out there, started motoring. then, just as my wife said,
"let's just turn off the motor and let nature take its course",....this
dark shadow came out of the north! The wind just started howling. I took
the genny off and hoisted the jib, we had a wonderful roller coaster ride
on the 7-8 foot swells on the sound, not steep, just FUN. It was kinda fun
watching the big boats all scrambling for the shore, handing their sails
and running, while we were totally comfortable in our stout little ship.

finally decided to head in. Went thru the locks again (like when the
toilet tank is filling up), motored back....thought about heading to
renton for indian food but realized it was too late and too far, went to
Lake union...again! But somebody was in 'our' spot...so we looked around,
found 'transient moorage', 3 hours free, overnight, a dollar a foot. But
we left so early that it was...FREE!

went down the canal into Lake washington again. headed south. wow, once
you get in between those floating bridges the swells get really steep and
from all directions. but we did not get pooped. but ended up motoring a
lot, the wind just died. Sailed past Bill Gates' "neighborhood", it looked
like a whole neighborhood really....ugh! so that's the success model...oh
well....

we crossed over and had lunch in Leschi, very beautiful part of seattle.
Then we decided to head north, get back earlier than later. I took a nap
and my wife sailed as the lorax just ghosted along with just a blush of a
breeze. it died out. I woke up and decided to row. after all, sailing is a
rather sedentary thing. and in a half hour i had rowed, pretty much from
the evergreen point floating bridge, all the way back to sand point! not
bad!

As we rounded the point the wind started up, not much but good enough to
take us home. We even were able to sail up the sammamish slough to the
launch....

It was a wonderful trip. The bimini is a great thing! saves yer skin. I
have to set up more stowage places, as we did have to move things around
to get in bed. But the potter 15 is a truly remarkable ship.....

Ken Silverman, p-15,"vegan lorax", bothell, WA

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