The following is a log written by the crew on the delivery of a sailboat from Oxnard to Orcas Island in October 2020.
When I first finalized the delivery and started looking for crew I was impressed with how many applicants we got. We got a dozen applicants with a two-week notice of departure. Many of the applicants were very experienced sailors so reading through the applications knowing we had to turn people away was hard. The factors for crew selection were a balance of experience and enthusiasm. These impromptu passages are wonderful opportunities to gain experience and miles so we didn’t want to just pick the most experienced applicants but rather leave with a balanced crew that had good chemistry. I’m glad to say that the crew bonded very well.
-Capt Balmer
Day One: Prep
The provisions run done by three of the crew while Mike and Rhys locate all spares, label the drawers and go through the boat stem to stern. Finding the boat to be very well equipped. A good size Tupperware container of head spares aboard. Unfortunately, the box was resting on the float switch for the bilge pump. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle.
When the provisions arrive they are stowed by two of the crew and their compartments labeled. A map of everything’s location is posted on the bulkhead.
The same divide and conquer when the day’s mission becomes securing tacos and Mexican beer. Bram heads to the gas station to get cervezas and the rest order food to go. The crew counts themselves fortunate to have a Spanish speaker in their ranks. Mariana is from Uruguay and deploys her charms on the folks working there.
Ships Log Day 2:
Blue Dragon is sailing close hauled in 10 knots of wind about 70 miles south of Monterey. Bram and Mariana made some wonderful burritos as we sailed through a break in the cloud cover we’ve had most of the day. We are fueling up in Monterey tomorrow and can afford to enjoy a little slow sailing this evening. We saw an interesting predatory sea bird called a Jaeger and a humpback.
Capt Rhys out
N35.36
W121.25
Ships Log Day 3:
After we passed Morro bay yesterday evening, we continued to tack between ~20+ kts. wind offshore and ~10 kts wind coastal, sailing Blue Dragon into the night. We took turns during our 4 hour, partly-overlapping watch schedule, alternating between sail and engine power.
As the night turned morning the engine propelled us into deep fog with less than 0.2NM visibility, dodging small craft and fishing vessels, often w/out AIS, radar deflection or lights. This made for a stressful morning before docking in Monterey for fuel, water and dropping off one of our crew members.
After our quick stop, now with a crew of 4, we set course for Bodega harbor where we plan for our next fill-up tomorrow.
We experienced some issues with our AIS which Capt Rhys found to be due to a loose wire, buried deep in one of the lazarets (ref pic posted earlier today).
Blue Dragon is scheduled to pass San Francisco late tonight, or early in the morning, and we hope to dock for fuel by midday tomorrow.
Crew is in great spirits as we prepare for night watches, currently bashing into 15~20 kts, right on the nose.
Bram, Blue Drago delivery crew.
Out.
N37.05’
W122.24’
AIS wiring
DAY 4-
After crossing San Francisco and countless shipping lanes in thick fog with no visibility fully relying on our instruments and compulsively checking AIS. We arrived at Bodega bay today around 7am. The entrance was hustling with small fishing boats racing to leave the harbor as we were trying to find our way in. The small boats seem inadequately prepared to be going out into thick fog, some of them lacking proper navigation lights. There was many sleepy cormorants lined up on the channel pilings with their bodies fluffed up and their necks deeply tucked away into their down. As we slowly approached, you could see some of them slowly waking up looking very groggy and annoyed. Unfortunately, I observed one negative human effect on this master fisher bird as I noticed two dead cormorants on those pilings that had hung themselves caught on fishing lines. We arrived at the fuel dock about 30 minutes too early and used this time to cook breakfast and do a small grocery run to get more essentials- “good” coffee and hot chocolate, now we can make mochas at least!! After fueling up in Bodega Bay, we topped off our water and continued on up the coast. The fog is thick and the temperature is dropping as make our way north. The crew has good energy today and it feels like we are all finally getting settled in and able to sleep. We spotted three humpbacks near our boat and have enjoyed watching them surface close enough to say hello and disappear back into the fog. The sea seems calm as of now, we are all eager for some wind up ahead! Next stop- Eureka. Off to cook some dinner!! N 38,56’ W 123,48’
Xx,
Mar
Day 5-
The Blue Dragon and crew continues north breaking the 500nm line and rounding Cape Mendocino. This cape can be a bit lumpy but today it was smooth motoring. My first watch is 6-9am, I get to see the darkness fade and light come over the ocean. We haven’t had actual sunrises as it’s been grey but that seems to fit the mood of the Pacific today, peaceful but brooding. After the Cape we made a quick fuel stop in Eureka, CA and back out onto the track.
Everyone on the crew is getting on well, cooking meals, cleaning up and keeping the boat in order. We had a good chat about options for the OR and WA legs, they will have a very different feal as a large low is tracking towards WA out of the Bering Sea. The plan, we have several, is to head as far north as we can and make the go/no go call nearer the time and as far north as we can go without getting into the new weather. Stay tuned.
I was on dinner duty and rallied a smoked salmon fettuccine Alfredo, as you do. We have been eating well every meal and I had to keep the standard up.
The delivery has been quiet, a few boats, no whales but we were visited by tiny finch like birds that seemed quite happy to sit on our hands and heads. I picked up some wheel wobble for a while but it was just some weed on the rudder that dropped off when we slowed, that was a relief that it wasn’t something mechanical.
Signing out after another day on the Blue Dragon, should be rolling into OR waters sometime overnight.
Mike
41° 41.769' N 124° 23.567' W
Day 6
Today we fueled up in Coos Bay and are now underway to Newport. We have been aware of the unpleasant weather ahead for a while and have waited until today to decide whether we would press on or tuck in somewhere to wait it out. After much deliberation and after having run every possible outcome we decided that we would wait it out in Newport. If we had pressed on our next safe bailout would have been Astoria. We would have arrived in the afternoon when it was forecast to be blowing around 20 knots this paired with the seas pushed from different directions offshore could result in an uncomfortable bar crossing and if the bar was closed we would have to sail back south to Newport or head on north in increasing wind and seas. This paired with a lee shore and a boat not designed for this sort of sailing made the call difficult but unanimous. I’m so glad to have a crew that isn’t trying to push things to stay on schedule and to have the support of Jason Christianson our weather router on shore keeping an eye on things.
We will all be glad for a break and a shower. And as it’s been a dry passage it doesn’t hurt that Newport has a brewery.
More to come.
44.8
124.12
Captain Rhys Balmer
Day 7
Blue Dragon is docked in Newport. Per previous post, we’re going to keep a tight watch on how the weather develops before proceeding. Newport is not a bad place to be “stuck” on
More to follow.
Day 9
After this morning’s meeting we have decided to stay another day and revisit the plan to head north tomorrow with a fresh forecast.
This was not an easy call however. The bar closures that were put in place yesterday were reduced today and it looked like there would be a short abatement in the conditions that may have allowed us to push north the 100 miles to Astoria. The first slack before flood tomorrow at the Columbia river bar was at 5 am and would be the soonest that the bar could be attempted. The wind which has been blowing from the West from 10 to 15 with West swell at 9 feet and a wind wave on top at 3 feet was predicted to pick up to 25 knots with gusts to 30 with a swell of 11 feet and wind wave of 5 feet in the afternoon tomorrow. If this arrived ahead of the prediction the Columbia River bar would close before we got there and we would be stuck out with no plan B close at hand.
When weighing the risks and benefits of this short push the analogy of a desperate football team’s play to gain only a few yards and no hope of a touch down came to mind. Our end zone was the Straits of Juan De Fuca, a 140 miles to the north where once around Cape Flattery we would be home free with wind and lee shore behind us.
The weather isnt the only consideration in a go no go call like this where you are choosing to leave safe harbor for another. The vessel and crew are factors that need to be considered as well. We are sailing a light displacement boat made for fair weather sailing and charters where day sailing and roomy accommodations were the priority in its design. The Blue Dragon is a lighter displacement boat and is relatively shallow drafted drawing 5 feet so breaking seas on the beam would be uncomfortable to say the least if it came to it. She also has an in-mast furling mainsail which although convenient for shorthanded sailing compromises strength and sail shortening abilities. Still another shortcoming in the boat’s design for what we were doing was the lack of proper sea berths below to allow the crew to get rest and charge up while underway.
If we did make it to Astoria we would be putting the boat on the other side of a bar that can only be attempted a few times a day when the tide is right making our next push north and its time of departure quite restricted. Here in Newport we are on the other side of one of the more benign bars on the west coast so we can leave pretty much whenever the next weather window presents itself.
All this paired with the crab pots we can’t avoid at night that could cripple our maneuverability if caught in the prop with a lee shore made the risk too great to take.
The challenges when coastal passagmaking are many. Fog, crab pots, heavy wind and seas, lee shores, seasickness, mechanical issues, and interpersonal friction aren’t all we have to contend with in our adventurous and salty undertakings. The decisions to wait can be be painful too, Under-minding our resolve as the pressure to stay on schedule and get back to land life mount. We should find find solace in the words of our friends and loved ones.
“Take care of yourself”
Captain Rhys Balmer
Standing by
Oct 14
And we are off! The bar opened at 10 am to vessels over 36 feet. The next point to pass is West Port this time tomorrow. Thank god we got out of there before the other bar opened and the crew wandered off.
Oct 15
This post was sent by Rhys using the Sat Phone, at 11:30am
Tough call today as we approached Westport and what would be our last fuel dock for many miles. Our fuel tank holds 35 gallons and we burn 0.8 gallons an hour at 2000 RPMs. At this RPM with favorable water we can make 7 knots. A little rounding gives us a gallon an hour and a range of 245 miles in good conditions. We have gone 140 miles since Newport. And we have another 100 to Cape Flattery and the entrance to the strait. Normally the first stop after rounding the cape coming from the south and the last stop before rounding from the north, is Neah Bay. Neah Bay is a quiet reservation town with a small port for commercial fishing boats. There is an anchorage with decent protection and some great family style restaurants in town. It is a great place to let your crew ashore as there is no alcohol allowed on the reservation. Unfortunately… but understandably, the people that live here have closed the town to outsiders due to covid 19. This puts our next opportunity for fueling 50 miles east in Port Angeles. We have 15 gallons of fuel in jerry cans on deck which extends our range nicely but I believe it is good practice to have 30 percent reserve to give yourself leeway for unknown factors.
The forecast tonight calls for winds building throughout the day and picking up to 25 knots from the west after midnight. Our choice was either go into Westport and fuel up so we have a good reserve of fuel for the rest of the trip but delay our approach to the cape and by doing so, subject the boat and crew to an early morning hammering, OR keep the throttle down and get to the cape before the worst of the weather hopeful we can use that 15 to 20 veering SW wind forecast this afternoon to extend our range and to get around the corner and down the strait to PA.
We put our heads together after coming close enough to the shore to get a fresh weather report off Westport to see if anything had changed since our evening offshore and in waters deep enough to be safe from crab pots, and we decided to push on.
Cruising with an unlimited schedule in coastal waters can be safe and comfortable and in the summer, going the direction of the prevailing winds, you don’t need the patience of a saint. However, delivering boats off season and with the shore side obligations of the mortal and employed one has to make calculated risks. We are weighing risk and benefit all the time out here. The constant decision making is tough even for a rested crew. It is as important to do preplanning and make notes, as it is to be ready to adapt to the changing conditions and data available.
We have been lucky to avoid rough weather at the capes south and even luckier to have a crew with the leeway and understanding to wait when we must but now is the time to push on.
Oct 16
We have arrived in Port Angelies and before the fuel dock opens. Everyone has gone back to bed after docking except me. There are only three bunks aboard which is fine when we are underway but a challenge when stopped. I wrote this the other day about our sleeping arrangements and it seems appropriate to share while I sit at the chart table in this happily snoring boat.
We wake at all hours
Our schedule is new and our days are broken into
1/4s
I have 12 to 3
It’s hard to know when to brush your teeth
Bram comes on at three
I get into the warm bunk he leaves
The warmest bunk is next to the engine
It’s also the loudest
70 decibels of humming iron
The quietest bunk is the Pullman berth in the bow
This is a double bed on the port side forward of the main bulkhead
It has a door but no lee cloth
Lee cloths prevent us from rolling out of our berths when we are sailing
The other berth in the main saloon it’s also on port and is the settee for the table
I made a lee cloth for it before we left
Everyone sleeps with their heads aft in case we run into a sleeping whale... or something else.
So far the best sleeper in the crew is Bram. He can fall asleep in minutes in whichever is the most uncomfortable bunk.
This is a sailor’s virtue
There is a saying that sleep is work underway.
I sleep whenever I can because I never know when I’ll be needed on deck.
We have arrived ahead of any real sailable wind but should see some breeze on the way to Cattle Pass.
Stay tuned
-Capt
Oct 16
In-mast furling is only convenient when it works. Look out for prebend in the rig.
We had an issue with our inmast furling. ... and sometimes there is only one way to fix it
Arrived
