Looking at boats

On my way back from visiting my dad in Nova Scotia in late November, I stopped over in Toronto to drive to Erie PA to look at a Pacific Seacraft Orion. [Pacific Seacraft Orion 27' ]
I was looking at the Orion as it ticked a few boxes: smaller, sea worthy [ similar ratios to Tatoosh, only smaller boat!],etc.

This boat was well restored and in good shape. It has a few issues, as any boat will and I was relatively pleased with it. Some of the issues were:

• we had to phone the owner to find out where the oil dip stick was! it is impossible to see and you have to feel with one hand to get the stick back in...likely result in infrequent oil checking.
• I liked the dinette seating, but for inshore cruising this would mean to easy place for someone to flop down without climbing  into the V-berth
• the owner  had disconnected the water heater, which will need to be put back into service
• the winches had not been serviced for some time; they felt very sticky to me.
• another issue was the water tanks: these are built-in fibreglass and he had permanently sealed them - no access opening. Maybe I'm just being picky??
• a long galley (as opposed to a U-shaped galley) is not my favourite, especially for offshore or cooking underway.

The next Pacific Seacraft on the radar is the 31 foot. [ 31 ft Seacraft ]
In addition to ticking the boxes, it has more space, can sleep as many as Tatoosh for coastal cruising and better side decks,etc. There are 2 sea berths in the main cabin and the quarter berth is a double: so more crew or one crew with more storage!  The layout has the head at the bottom of the companion way steps which is nice: crew using the head don't have to walk through the boat and disturb anyone.

The hunt continues ( as does waiting to hear if my E-dock neighbour has made a decision to put in an offer on Tatoosh.

The downside of the 31 is that there are few for sale; there were only 79 made prior to 2005 when Pacific Seacraft starting to build them again based on demand, and they are still built in US.

Future of Tatoosh

I thought I would do a quick summary of my thought process (such as it is!) regarding the future of Tatoosh and my sailing.

The starting point for this reevaluation is two-fold. Firstly, recognition that the majority of my sailing so far has been short-handed, and will be so in the future  ( me and 1 or 2 crew) or solo. A smaller boat is easier to handle for aging crewmembers. If there is a need/desire for a family sail that can’t be accommodated on new boat, there is the option of chartering a boat for that, without having to own a large boat for this type of trip.

Secondly, now that I am more or less retired, I needed to evaluate whether it makes sense to carry the expense (maintenance, moorage, insurance, operation) of owning a large boat ( or indeed a boat at all!). The net result is that at some point soon, I should be on a smaller boat ( or plan on dying younger!)

A third factor is that I still want to tick-off the box labeled “do an ocean crossing on my own boat” before I die. This needs to happen sooner rather than later, as I am not getting any younger!

The boat options under consideration fall in 2 categories:

1) do the ‘voyage’ in Tatoosh, then sell-up and go smaller

2) sell Tatoosh now and do the ‘voyage’ in the new, albeit smaller boat

A fourth consideration is where the ‘voyage’ is to take place. The 2 options are

1) go south in Pacific Ocean

2) cross Atlantic to England

Voyage option 1, pro and con:

Pro:

·       It is warm!

·       Tatoosh is already in the Pacific Ocean

·       No boat shipment is required

·       Easier to convince crew to join me for a journey to Tahiti than to South Hampton!

·       Did I mention that IT IS WARM?

Con:

·       I have sailed in South Pacific already, as crew with Kris & Erik

·       This will not technically be an ocean crossing per se – so I don’t get to tick the box!

Voyage Option 2:

Pro:

·       Meets my criteria of doing an actual Ocean crossing

·       I’ve always wanted to sail to England!

Con:

·       Getting anyone to sail with me may be problematic, especially for return trip

·       Involves shipping Tatoosh to east coast (or new boat, if not purchased on East coast)

Boat Option 1: do it in Tatoosh

Pro:

·       Valiant is THE boat for open ocean cruising, why I got it in the first place

·       I know the boat well

·       Larger boat will be faster and potentially more comfortable

Con:

·       Will require $$ to get ready , and will be ‘sunk’ money as will not increase sale value

·       In fact, there will be maintenance to do after 5-7000 miles of sailing to get it ready for sale (this is equivalent to X seasons of coastal cruising) – more sunk money

Boat Option 2: do it in smaller boat

Pro:

·       Difference in sale price of Tatoosh and purchase price of replacement will give some $$ for the voyage fund

·       Any repairs/sails, etc for smaller boat will be cheaper

·       Any $$ put into replacement boat for the Voyage, will be to my credit as this will be boat I sail until I can’t sail anymore

Con:

·       Can’t own 2 boats, so Voyage timing will depend on timing of sale of Tatoosh and locating suitable replacement boat

·       Smaller boat will be a slower voyage but maybe not by much

·       Smaller boat may not have sufficient storage(food/water) for a voyage with more than 2 crew

Combining the Voyage options and boat options I came up these scenarios for evaluation:

Plan A:

1.     Sell Tatoosh now

2.     Buy replacement ( something like Orion 27) on east coast

3.     Sail to UK via Azores

4.     Return to Canada/Usa

5.     Ship boat back to west coast

Plan B:

1.     Ship Tatoosh to great Lakes

2.     Sail to East coast

3.     Sail to UK via Azores

4.     Return to Canada/Usa

5.     Sell Tatoosh

6.     Buy replacement on West Coast

Plan C:

1.     Sail Tatoosh to South Pacific via San Diego

2.     Return to California

3.     Sell Tatoosh

4.     Buy replacement on West Coast

Plan D:

1.     Sail Tatoosh to South Pacific via San Diego

2.     Return to Canada via Hawaii

3.     Sell Tatoosh

4.     Buy replacement on West Coast

Each of the proposed plans can be broken down into sections (or ‘legs’) so no one needs to have to commit to the whole trip. If I find that no one wants to join a particular leg of any plan, that may help me make a trip option decision.

The legs for the various plans:

Plan A:

A1: Position new boat in Nova Scotia –Season 1

A2: Sail to Azores (via south Atlantic) (2.5 weeks)- Season 1

A3: Sail Azores to England (2.5 weeks) – Season 1

A4: Sail England back to Canada/USA (this may be north Atlantic or retrace route out)-Season 2

Plan B:

B1: take Tatoosh from Great Lakes to Nova Scotia [ shipping to Halifax is prohibitive]

B2-B4 same as plan A.

Plan D:

D1: Sail to San Diego –Season 1

D2: Sail to Tahiti – Season 1

D3: Sail Tahiti to San Diego – Season 2

Plan D:

C1: Sail to San Diego (12 days) – Season 1

C2: Sail San Diego to Tahitti ( 3 weeks?) – Season 1

C3: Sail Tahiti to Hawaii (2 weeks)  - Season 2

C4: Sail Hawaii to Canada ( 3 weeks) – Season 2

I am sure some bright spark will ask, “why not just sail Tatoosh to the East Coast?”. This would require an additional season, more miles, and the need to find a suitable place to park Tatoosh in the Caribbean or close by, during hurricane season. For this reason

I’ve done what any respectable engineer would do and I made a spread-sheet to help evaluation the options; evaluation continues!

I welcome any comments or suggestions as well as any expression of interest in being crew for any of the legs of the various plans.

Stay tuned.

Leg 4- sunday

Leg 4- Sunday

Yesterday the rain stopped so we decided to go to Russel island. We had to
motor the whole way and arrived at about 4:30.

We were the only ones there which meant that either the wind forecast had
kept them away or it is just fall sailing.

As it turned out we had none of the north wind and spent a very quiet and
restful evening- unfortunately for Kevin he lost out in crib.

Today we toured the island after breakfast and we're back at E dock at
11:00. Kevin had enough time to help me take down and flake and bag the
mainsail and jib. Also got the pudgy on deck. It took us just over an hour
- when I do this myself it can be an all day event so his help was much
appreciated.

Now I will start the cleaning and stowing for leaving Tatoosh the winter. 

PS I should mention that I was working in shorts and a T shirt today!

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esther, bruce (2)

Looks great. What is the standard rate for the tooth fairy these days?!? On Sunday, 9 October 2016, esther warren <yarbex@gmail.com> wrote: -- Regards, Bruce Warren P. Eng

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Leg 4- Saturday morning

We arrived and anchored in port browning at 4:30. 

It was a day of winds from 1-20 kts. As has happened in the past , the winds were very variable coming through Navy Chanel and into Plumper sound. Kevin did well steering in the large gusts. We had a few tacks where we ended up going back on the previous tack and making 0 headway!

It is raining hard at the moment and our decision is to either leave in the rain( with the Bimini up) and anchor again, in the rain( forecast to be raining all day) or leave tomorrow for E dock from here. 

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Leg 4 Friday morning

We survived the SE gale. It was over 50 kts at kelp reef!

Wind has veered to SW and is now a steady 18-20 kts straight into the marina. We are going to sit tight and see if it drops a bit by noon then sail a route that is NOT INTO the wind !

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

leg 4-thursday night-gale

We sailed most of the way from Sidney Spit to Otter Bay, downwind in winds of 10-15kts.

Now docked on the outside dock at the Otter Bay marina; the storm wind will pin us to the dock, but that is better than straining the dock lines.

We took a walk to the the local Legion, had a beer and negotated some free milk ( store at marina is closed).

After we got back and made our dinner, the winds built up in earnest. As i write this they are gusting to 48 at Kelp Reef and we are seeing 27kts+ at the dock , in what should be prime protection from SE winds.

I am writing this late, as I probably won't sleep until things die down a bit in any event.

This is much more civilized than the night Richard and I spend during a gale at the marina in Ganges when the dock broke and we pulled out a fitting on Tatoosh!

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Leg4- Thursday morning

This is the calm before the storm. View at Sidney spit over our second coffee after porridge and strawberries. 

Gale force winds are forecast for this evening from SE. Most of the bay's and inlets around here are open to the southeast. Our plan is to head to otter bay; if we are stuck for another day we can access groceries if necessary. ( or catch some crabs)

Over and out

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Leg 4- Tuesday. & Wednesday

We left port Townsend Tuesday morning with a tricky exit involving a spring off the dock against the wind followed by a 180 turn through the wind in a small opening in the marina. There was a small group of port Townsend old salts watching with their coffees- I got the finger lift/wav when I as done so I think I passed the test. 

We sailed for a couple of hours and motored for about 4 arriving at Oak Bay just before 3 pm. After clearing customs we found that they only had 2 slips open, both a tight fit for Tatoosh. We got in to her berth with a "well done" from a local. 

After a grocery run to the store in the oak bay village I finally won some cribbage games. Kevin is still ahead by a slim margin!!

Today we had showers, purged the over chlorinated water from Seattle and replaced it with some good Canadian water(!) and we're off in 12 kts towards Bedwell. 

We had some good hours of sailing but didn't make much headway towards Bedwell and we ended up on a mooring bell at Sidney spit. 

We need to find a hidy-hole tomorrow as there is a gale forecast for Thursday night. 

Over and out. 

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Leg 4

Kevin's flight was late and tide would be against us so we opted to leave early Sunday.  We got to port Townsend at 13:30 on Sunday making great time with boost from the ebb tide. 

There was no wind forecast for today( Monday) so we had a layover day here. The diesel heater pump started leaking and we tracked down some parts but since it will require a bit of work have decided to tough it out for now.

Today has been 15 kts or more in town but less than 20 in the straight; now this evening it is blowing 20+ in the marina !! We will see what morning brings before making a final leave/stay decision. 

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Leg 3 ends

The gang got away at 7:30 for their flight to Calgary. Tatoosh is now a very silent ship. 😟

Kevin's flight is late. Plan will be either take off now against the tide and go to Kingston for a shorter run to port Townsend tomorrow OR leave early tomorrow for a long day to PT. 

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Leg three - Seattle.

I have been to Seattle a few times but always focused on boat stuff and visiting my friends Ralph and Roena. That is to say I had not been a tourist here before. 

We have been pleasantly surprised at what Seattle has to offer and realize that in our week here we are only scratching the surface. 

I must say that the search for a croissant has ended at Le Panier. It is a bakery that has been rated in the top 10 in USA. It is run by a French born and trained pastry chef. We went there yesterday and loaded up on bread, coffee and pain au chocolate. 

We have been to the aquarium( excellent), bused over to the Ballard locks and fish ladder. 

Mike and esther treated all of us to an excellent meal last night at an Asian style place. 

They are going to the space needle today ( Mike  is not busy with meetings this afternoon). Robin and I will organize her fast feet ticket and do some bunging out on Tatoosh. 

Robin leaves tomorrow, Mike et al on Saturday morning and Kevin arrives Saturday morning for leg #4. 

The weather continues to be perfect- sunny and 19-20.

 Over and out until start of leg 4

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Leg 3 - ends

I will do a more detailed update later. 

Mini version is that we motored to Kingston in Apple tree cove from port Townsend yesterday. Today we got some sailing in and then motored the last hour into down town Seattle. 

Arrived at Bell Harbor marina downtown Seattle at 4. Well located for doing things with the kids. But some of us older guys are suffering culture shock after San Juans/port Townsend- especially fighting downtown crowds to get groceries. 

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Auto spell

I just read the latest posting and realized I need to do a better job of editing the odd words injected by auto-spell correction. Hopefully you can figure out what the real words should be!😉

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Thursday

We left for port Townsend at 09:00 after some debate. It was decided that this was best weather window to get across Juan de Fuca given the forecast for Friday. 

We saw a sea lion in the water near cattle point( exit into the straight) then passed a rock with a number of them, including a huge bull. We read I our guide that a bull sa lion is larger than any bear. 

As we neared PT, we saw a strang flotilla coming towards us. Then a coast guard boat rapidly approach us. It had the dressed in black crew with a large machine Gun at the bow; we were in formed we were within the security safety zone for the warship. In the middle of the flotilla was a nuclear submarine! There were 2 large support vessels with outriders in front and back. We counted a total of 7 ships not including the sub. Prettying exciting for the kids( and us).

Then a wind built up and we could sera fog bank bearing down on us which caught up to us the temperature dropped, wind picked up and viability dropped to about a mod or less. Then as we approached the boat basin it lifted. 

There is a lot to do and see and we won't get to it all before we leave on Saturday. ( Friday is a layover day here tow air out the front and strong winds on Friday )

Nice surprise to have a call with Nora( and Leah and Neil 😊 befor dinner.  

PS: grampa lost the wrestling match in the V berth. 

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Tuesday / Wednesday

We motored from English camp to Friday Harbor ; no wind to speak of. 

I caused a docking rodeo by choosing wrong open slip ( ie pointing upwind rather than down wind). Wind got our bow as I tried to cut across wind to get into our slip. Tense but at the end no bodily or boat damage so sort of O K??

We are staying here two nights so that  we can have a day to poke around Friday Harbor. 

Current forecast is for a strong front to pass Thursday night/Friday so we hope to get away early and cross Juan de Fuca ( to Port Townsend) before the wind builds. 

Inspired by the whale costumes at the Whale museum the kids were up to their own costume party back at the boat. 

Tonight we had marinated pork tenderloin with steamed veggies and pan fried potatoes with herbs - not exactly living out of cans!!

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Away from E dock!

We left our berth, topped up fuel tank and were under way about 10:40. 

Wind was up to 18 for short while but had at least 15 kts most of the way across haro straight. We got to customs dock at Roche Harbor at 13:00, cleared customs and had our lunch on the customs dock. 

Then a short motor through Mosquito passage to Garrison bay. This is the historic site of English camp( the famous pig war). 

Kids rowed in while we prep dinner; plan is to go back in morning and hike to top of the hill. 

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Leg 3: crew on board

Robin arrived on the 13:30 ferry, followed by Mike and family at the airport at 6.

We moved some things out of the boat onto the car to make room. We have fit the 6 of us and associated gear and it doesn't feel as crowded as we thought. 

Esther made the V- berth look pretty cozy, a lot cozier than when it is a man-cave!

It is raining out, heater is on and the kids are painting in their journals for school ( they are documenting the trip). 

They are going to Esther's sister today, kids will sleep over and we wil take off tomorrow, weather permitting. 

Robin and I will have an exciting day of grocery shopping. 

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Fwd: Maintenance on a boat

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: bruce warren <bruce@bct-consulting.ca>
Date: Thursday, 15 September 2016
Subject: Maintenance on a boat
To: Theresa Turner <turner_3@telus.net>


I am waiting on arrival of robin tomorrow sometime and Mike et al tomorrow night. 

This is a short summary of a not unusual event in the life of Tatoosh. 

I think I have done enough cleaning to pass the up coming inspection so I thought I would do a minor task. Richard has noted that the retainer ring on the cockpit compass was loose, so I thought I'd fix it. So here goes for what should be a 5 minute task. 

- find proper screw driver 

- discover that the screw hole has either been stripped or screws are wrong size 

- search spares on board

- walk up to marina store and get what may be right diameter but are too long

- use new screw to "tap" new thread into hole

- fetch Dremel told to cut screws to proper length 

- discover that Dremel is not working( was working in May!?)

- try to disassemble to trouble shoot the Dremel but I need a star type driver. The ones I have are too big of course . Now have new item for the ToDo list. 

- dig out hack saw and vice grips, crouch on dock and saw off 1/4" of screw without drawing any blood!

- re- assemble, put away tools

Total time: just over 1 hour. Result: 1 item off the list and one item added, progress??

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Leg2-last day

Slow morning with fresh pita bread and coffee for breakfast. With no wind in the offing we motored the one hour back to E dock, had ham and eggs for lunch and started to bung out the boat. 

It started to rain so we went to town to look for books and have an early dinner. 

Richard is off back to Calgary. 

Leg 3 starts when Robim, Mike, esther, Adrian and Anna get here end of next wel. 

That should give me enough time to get Tatoosh from clean enough for 2 guys to clean enough for 2 women!

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Leg 2- day 6

Arrived at Royal cove , north end of Portland island by motor- no wind to sail. We are stern tied and enjoying a well earned cup of tea as the sun comes out. 

Will go for a walk about later. 

Over and out

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Leg 2-day5-6

Late update due to poor cel coverage. First the big news- learned that
Neil and Leah are having a boy! They had the big reveal using hidden
blue icing in cupcakes. We toasted with some ship's rum.

Yesterday we arrived at montigue and picked up a morning ball; Richard
at the helm. We had a great downwind sail from Sidney spit in winds
from 12-18 knots.

Today looks like mist/rain and little to no wind.

Mistakes

Yes, last post was a duplicate; and yes, it is day 5 not 4- yes I am tired!

View from galley port. 

Over and out and into our bunks. 

--

Regards,

 Bruce Warren  P. Eng

Day 4 crab update

We pulled the trap and had 3 crabs. I am claiming Victoria for the
bait holder I made ( from pvc piping). Prior to this I would tie the
bait cans in but the crabs would tear them apart and we would pull up
an empty trap with no bait.

There was a 4th crab, a big one hanging onto the outside of the trap
as pulled it up but he let go before he got in the boat- like any
good fishing story The Big One got away.

Leg2-day4-crabs

We are now 2 for 2 tries: I am claiming victory for the bait holder I
made. Before this I tied the cans inside the trap and the crabs would
just tear it open.

Bad news is we got 3 that were not keepers. There was a large one
hanging onto the outside of the trap when I pulled it up- but like any
good fishing story the Big One got away!

Leg2-day 5

We paid for our sailing day yesterday- zero wind today. Motored to
Sidney spit and anchored at about 2:39.

Put out the crab trap; strong current running - we had drifted about
10 boat lengths just getting trap ready. It took some effort to get
back to Tatoosh but all is well. We are just chilling until it is time
to eat, then once the tide has calmed down we will go and check for
crabs.

Over and out

Leg 2 - Day 4 - return to Canada

Simple update for today’s sailing: we left Port Townsend at 830, motored to mouth of the inlet, raised the sails , aimed directly for Oak Bay marina and then didn’t have to touch a thing. We put on the autopilot, tweaked it occasionally as wind was up and down from  16 to 8kts but in general, we had a straight-line, single tack to Oak Bay.As we crossed the US/Canada border, the sun came out, we dropped the stars & stripes and marveled at the lack of traffic in Juan de Fuca.

The customs check was painless, once I got a hold of an agent. Of some concern was that he didn’t seem to have access to Tatoosh’s boat registration numbers!.

We gave up on our quest for a Croissant ( now we have dough to make fresh pita bread, which we can pretend is a croissant) and I have given up my white tilly hat for lost! I only hope it is at lost and found back at Canoe Cove. I got that hat at a charity shop for $5, it fits well and I won’t be out $50 if it goes overboard ( or if I leave it at a shower!!!! Like Canoe cove???).

We took a bus to downtown Victoria’s inner harbour to wander the docks to look at the wooden boats in for the wooden boat festival. Lots of old, pretty boats, with MANY hours sunk into them!

Tomorrow’s plan will depend on the wind, as usual. We will make our way towards Portland or Otter Bay after getting some Canadian bought veg and fruit….