Port Townsend Redux

We have been in Port Townsend since August 7 and will likely be here until the 19^th.  Our main purpose for being here has been to re-rig Ka’sala and that has been going very well.  We have a slip in the PT Boat Haven, which is near the mill and industrial areas.  The Boat Haven is about a kilometre south of the old Victorian town, which is tree lined and full of beautifully restored 19^th century buildings occupied by boutique hotels, gift shops and cafes.

Ariel shot of Port Townsend - Boat Haven in the foreground, Port Hudson at the far right, Point Wilson at the far left

We are happy at the Boat Haven.  It is clean, modern, well run and has all the conveniences we need such as laundry, showers, garbage disposal, groceries, chandleries, pubs and takeaways.  It is also not too expensive – currently a dollar a foot and they rent by slip size. (We are in a 35).  The one thing they do not have is free internet – you have to pay extra for that service through a private company – and that costs $10.00 a day, $30.00 a week for one device.  (We have multiple devices). 

PT Boat haven - We are past the second breakwater from the top - horizontal row, 5 down on the 2nd vertical row.  In the foreground of the haven is the haul out area, large boatyards in the back

One of the largest travel hoists I have ever seen - notice tha man to the right is shorter than the tires

Internet access has turned out to be a far greater problem for us than we realized.  Soon as we crossed the border into the US the SIM cards in our cell phones died – so no more access to data.  We figured we would buy some kind of package here with AT&T that might take us through to when we leave the US – sometime in November.  Unfortunately, the closest place to get an American SIM .card is Sequim – an hour’s drive away.  Fortunately for us, the rigging company has graciously allowed us to use their internet, but this involves sitting on a curb outside their building when they are closed and hanging out in their lunchroom when they are open.  As a result, our communications have been irregular.  We plan to go to Seattle from here and there, we should be able to get the plan we need to get our smartphones working again.  Oh, how we rely on internet access!

During the winter, Doug had contracted with Port Townsend Rigging to do the work on our mast.  As far as we know, the rig on Ka’sala is original, though we know it was taken down when she was shipped across the US from Florida to Vancouver in about 2006.  As our little ship has experienced tens of thousands of sea miles – around North America, the Caribbean, down to Mexico and two long off shore passages to and from Hawaii – we figured she was due for a new rig.  Doug decided on PT Rigging because they were the only company he could find in the Pacific Northwest who have a rotary swedging machine. He felt it would do a superior job of connecting the shrouds and stays to their fittings.

Doug working on the mast at the side

Swedger - rigging wires are placed behind the round door to the side

Inside Port Townsend Rigging - the lines are measured on the long table to the left

We had the mast pulled last Tuesday, but Doug spent a couple days before hand preparing the boat for its removal.

Crane on a truck pulled the mast off the boat

All the wires, halyards, the furler and stays wrapped and ready for removal.  Ka'sala is mast stepped, so the boot remains just forward of Doug's feet

Mastless Ka'sala - a sorry sight

Readying the mast for removal to the Rigger's shop

Justin and Doug walk the mast down the main road of the boatyard

Since then, the mast has been lying on its side beside the rigger’s building and Doug has been working on it each day – removing, cleaning up and sometimes replacing the numerous stainless steel fittings.  

At the top of the mast there are numerous things to attend to as this is where sensitive instruments such as antennas, lights and wind indicators are placed, in addition to rollers belaying multiple sheets and electrical wires within the mast.  When the mast is vertical on the boat, this type of servicing generally has to happen while swinging from a line so when it is horizontal it is a great opportunity to closely inspect and service everything on it.  As our mast is anodized aluminum there was no need to repaint.  Instead we cleaned and put a couple good coats of boat and airplane wax on it.

While Doug was doing all these things, Justin, the rigger in charge of our job, was measuring, cutting to length and swedging our new rigging wire.  

Justin working on the swedger

The stays to the sides of the mast are fairly straight forward, but the forestay is a bit more complicated because of the furling device and the backstay because of the antenna.  Doug has reattached the new stays and tomorrow the fore and aft will be attached before the mast goes back on.  Once that happens, Justin will tune the rig so it will perform optimally and safely.

Happily for us, we have not encountered any major problems or holdups in this operation.  The weather, for the most part, has been conducive to the work with only one day of rain.  The rigger is close enough that by bicycle we are there in a few minutes.  The people who work at PT Rigging are friendly, professional and helpful. However, we are looking forward to being operational again and continuing on our cruising adventure.

Ka'sala the junk heap!  We've piled everything on the carriage roof so I could put on two coats of varnish on the caprails - an easy job without all the shrouds!

While Doug has been working on the mast (well, I helped with the waxing), I have been doing the logistics.  Laundry, cleaning, shopping, cooking – things that seem pretty mundane at home are a little more complex and time consuming when you live on a sailboat!  I have also managed to touch up and get a couple coats of Cetol on the caprails.  Yesterday we plugged in to electricity and, in addition to hot water from the tap, I even got the chance to use my little vacuum cleaner!!!  (We are finding the solar panels and wind generator seems to keep the electrical systems working, but we do slowly build up a deficit over time).

We have also been able to get our American cruising license sorted out.  As I mentioned in a previous post, our clearance into the US at Roche Harbour was harried, the border protection people were overwhelmed and undermanned, and they refused to issue us a cruising licence because they were too busy.  They told us to get it in Port Townsend.  Sailors cruising in American waters need this license as it exempts them from taxes, levies and fees.  Each harbour they arrive in, they are expected to check in with border protection with their license number.  When we contacted border protection in PT we were informed we should have been issued the license in Roche Harbour – how is that for Catch 22?  However, Jeff, the customs officer who helped us, although initially annoyed, conceded that we weren’t the ones who had created the problem.   He was very accommodating and resolved the problem for us and issued us the license.  In retrospect, we realized the whole misunderstanding could have been avoided if we had called ahead to make an appointment to clear in at Port Townsend – we would certainly do this the next time.

Port Townsend hasn’t been all work and no play!  The first weekend we were here we jumped on our bikes and headed out to Fort Worden and Point Wilson for a look around.  Fort Worden is like the big sister of Fort Flagler which we had visited the week before on Marrowstone Island. 

We bicycled all over this area

Gun Emplacements 

  

Officers' Quarters at Fort Worden

The lighthouse at Point Wilson is now automated, but we were able to get a good look at the tidal rips nearby from the land.  

Lighthouse at Point Wilson

Sailboat in tidal rips off Point Wilson - Whidby Island and coastal mountains in background

There are bicycle lanes on many of Port Townsend’s streets and roads, as well as paths to connect them, so getting around by bicycle has been pretty easy.  We have baskets for the back which carry everything from groceries to tools.  Yesterday we decided to see where a path went that we had noticed at the far end of the boat haven.  We expected it would go as far as the mill, about a kilometre away.  Weren’t we pleasantly surprised to find we were on a multi use trail created from an old rail bed that wound its way along the ocean, through woods and small farm fields until, almost 8 miles later, it ended at Four Corners on the other side of the Peninsula?  Heavenly!

I’ve had a bit of time to browse in the shops, and we have gone out to the pubs a couple of times for the excellent draft beer and music.  The Farmer’s Market on Saturday has been a dream and reminds us of our own in Courtenay  - chock-a-block full of fresh veggies, fruit, pastries, arts, crafts, music and interesting people.

Busker at Farmer's Market - an interesting way to play a cello!

And it is to love - delicious!

Delicious beer in the lovely beach side garden at the Pourhouse

This weekend there is a classic car rally and the county fair.  There always seems to be something going on and you don’t have to be rich to enjoy it – even if our Canadian dollar is way below par!

Clock tower above the boat yard - chimes each hour

Mystery Bay, Marrowstone Island

August 4 - 7

On our first evening at anchor, the western wind howled through the bay reaching over 25 knots.  However, by nightfall it had fallen to a whisper, then disappeared, to present itself next morning from the south.  This pattern continued the three nights we stayed with varying wind intensities.  Puget Sound seems to act like a giant inlet pulling the cool air from Juan de Fuca in the afternoon/evening, and pushing the warm wind out in the morning.  You would think that on an especially hot day the wind would be intense, but that is not always the case, so we take it as it comes.

Lovely cloud patterns over Marrowstone Island

On our first full day at Mystery Bay we took the dinghy to shore to explore.  The small village of Norland, initially settled by Norwegians, is perched at the head of the bay, really only a general store now with scattered homes, cottages and small farms.  According to the state park host, Mystery Bay gets its name from a rather sordid past.  It was home for several generations of smugglers who, over time, illegally imported opium, people, booze and drugs.  The zigzagging entrance to the bay and shifting sands kept the whole place hidden and unapproachable.  Today no evidence remains of its shady past.

Abandoned barn in Norland

We went for a walk and came across Mystery Bay Farm which is home to a herd of goats.  The farmer makes pricy cheese and yoghurt available at the general store.  

The store itself is like something out of American Gothic – complete with wood stove, kitchen chairs, the smell of brewed coffee and, scattered around, every conceivable bit of brick-a-brack imaginable.

The next day we took the dinghy to the state park dock, determined to go for a good long hike.  We had noticed blackberries growing along the roads the day before so came prepared to pick some to go with the goat yoghurt we had bought.  It was a gorgeous, sunny, hot day and we enjoyed our walk down the dead-end Shwartz Road picking blackberries along the way, then on to the more promising East Beach Road.  On the eastern side of the island, we found a tiny county park with a few picnic tables.  On either side was an amazing, crumbling bluff-fronted sandy beach that ran all along Marrowstone Island.  

We couldn’t resist walking along, admiring the views of Admiralty Inlet and, but for a few dog walkers, having the place entirely to ourselves.  Unfortunately, the blackberries we had picked started to melt in my backpack and dripping purple juice down my back, making an interesting cleaning job when we got back to the boat.

On our final morning we woke to the first fog we have seen so far on our trip, but it was very wispy and by 9am it was gone. We enjoyed our three days in Mystery Bay and despite the guidebook warning that it was a busy place, we did not see much evidence of it – there was always plenty of room to anchor, room on the park mooring buoys and dock.  We sailed off the anchor into Kilisut Bay and gently sailed until we came to the shallow entrance, then motored through, sailing again across the channel to Port Townsend.

Ka'sala at anchor in Mystery Bay State Park - mooring buoys, pumpout station and docks in foreground

Port Townsend, Fort Flagler and Mystery Bay

We left Garrison Bay at 6am the next morning for Port Townsend.  The forecasted weather on the Canadian side was calling for 15 to 20 knots in the morning increasing to gales in the late afternoon and evening.  The US forecast called for 10 – 15 in the morning and up to 25 knots late afternoon/evening.  In addition to potential high winds, we also had to consider tides and currents.  We wanted to make sure we approached Port Townsend with the flow, as we remembered how rough it could be when the wind and tide were against each other.  Doug carefully planned it all out and we hoped for an invigorating sail.  As it turned out, we encountered no wind at all and, part way across, picked up a 3+ knot current against us in flat seas until the tide changed just off Point Wilson.  After slogging for the previous few hours, we flew into Port Townsend at 8 knots.  By 2:30 we were tied in to our assigned slip at the Port Townsend Boat Haven ($1.00 a foot – internet $10 bucks a day).

Port Townsend waterfront

Our intention was only to spend one night and use the time to provision, check in with Lisa at Port Townsend Rigging, shower, and clean Ka’sala.  We were able to accomplish all this, plus spend an hour in the Port Townsend Brewing Company’s excellent beer garden, listening to live music and sipping on their craft brew. 

Our appointment to re-rig was confirmed to begin on Monday, August 10, with the crane reserved to pull the mast on the Tuesday.  We decided to try to find a quiet anchorage for a few days to rest up as we would be busy next week.  We poured through the Yeadon-Jones Puget Sound: A Boater’s Guide, the newest in their Dreamspeaker series, to find someplace nearby and settled on Kilisut Harbour, between Indian and Marrowstone Island, an interior bay which housed two likely anchorages – one at Fort Flagler Park and the other at Mystery Bay State Park.  The weather promised to remain settled, though not as warm as the Canadian side of Juan de Fuca.

The entrance to the Kilisut Harbour is behind a spit and beside a navy dock that was servicing a nuclear submarine as we passed by.  There is a well defined channel, but it is shallow and narrow and we were entering at slack tide.  We meandered around, again in a strong current, then picked up a park mooring buoy at Fort Flagler rather than trying to anchor.  By this time the wind was also picking up, so it was a bit of an acrobatic exercise.  The buoys cost $15.00 per night and fees were payable each day by going ashore, though a park representative did drop by in the evening to be sure we had checked in.

On the mooring buoy at Fort Flagler State Park

We launched the dinghy and left it at the park dock.  We found a map at the concession and after some debate, were able to pick up the trail that ran around the boundary of the park.  Although the map was great for reference, it was by no means acute and we found ourselves turned around on a number of occasions, though never lost.  

Up until the day we arrived we did not know this fort existed, but logically it is a very strategic spot to defend Admiralty Inlet and the entrance to Puget Sound.  Huge castle-like battlements line the bluff facing out to sea and farther along is the garrison itself.  These fortifications were built at the beginning of the 19^th century, but were never put to use.  Now they lie as monuments to the past and the garrison is now used for youth camps and holiday homes, while other parts are set aside RV parks.  The whole area is connected by service roads and hiking trails.

Gun battlement at Fort Flagler looking across Admirilty Inlet to Whidby Island and out to Juan de Fuca Strait

Looking out to Point Wilson and Juan de Fuca Strait - Fort Flagler, Fort Worden (by Port Townsend) and Fort Casey (on Whidby Island all have battlements that formed a triangle range covering the entrance to Admirilty Inlet

Back on the mooring buoy, Ka’sala danced in the changing current and the afternoon westerly winds.  By nightfall it all quieted down and we had a restful night.  The next morning we decided to explore further in the harbour and arrived at Mystery Bay State Park by the tiny village of Norland in the early afternoon.  Although there are park mooring buoys and a dock as well, we decided to anchor to save a bit of money.  The chart indicates the bay is lined with shellfish farms though there is no visible evidence of them other than a processing plant which looked closed.  In the bay there are buoys marked “voluntary” anchoring. These ambiguous buoys seem to be asking boaters to consider not anchoring in the bay.  However, the park transient area seemed to encourage it.  In the end, we sunk the hook in front of the park dock in 7 meters of muck where we would stay for the next three nights.

Tide is out in Mystery Bay - park dock in the background (photo: Macleod.photoshelter.com)

Sidney Spit to Port Townsend via Roche Harbour and Garrison Bay

July 29 to August 3

Our week in Victoria passed quickly.  We were able to catch up with our good friends who live there and they spoiled us.  

Sony

Dave

Neil

Sid and Angie

We are so fortunate to have them in our lives and we will miss them when we are away.  Sometimes we ask ourselves why we are leaving behind so much?  Are we pursuing a foolish dream?  I am yet unable to honestly articulate our true reasons for this adventure, but intuitively I know it is the right thing for us to do.  For once in our lives we don’t have to have a concrete plan – everything is open ended - an enormous freedom and a great privilege. 

On our first day in Victoria we unpacked the bicycles and followed the Galloping Goose Trail almost to Sooke – about 45 kilometres.  Like Vancouver, Victoria has taken great strides to encourage cycling.  The Galloping Goose has actually been in existence for a number of years and on several occasions we have visited the city from Comox and brought our bikes with us to do these trails.  Originally railway beds, the Goose extends from downtown Victoria, through Sooke and on to the mountains beyond.  Another branch weaves its way all the way to Sidney at the end of the Saanich Peninsula.  There is also a connection that winds back through Esquimalt.  Many kilometres are paved and the rest is hard packed gravel – excellent for cycling.  

Galloping Goose

Additionally, there are bicycle routes throughout the city streets making commuting and getting around by bicycle extremely safe. 

On another day, we visited the Royal BC Museum.  The travelling exhibit this summer is The Gold Rush in BC: El Dorado.  

Associated with this interesting display, which demonstrates gold’s connection to a variety of world cultures, is an IMAX documentary about gold prospecting in the modern age in the Yukon and how it is valued in other parts of the world – not so much for its promise of riches, as it is for its beauty and esthetic, as well as its elusive quality.  I had just finished reading The Luminaries, by Eleanor Catton, set in the 1860’s New Zealand gold rush, so I was especially interested in viewing it.  In my Social Studies classes I taught students about the various gold rushes around the world.  For many, there is some kind of visceral attraction to gold – for those seek it, and for those who are fascinated by those who seek it. 

Ka'sala at busy Wharf Street docks

We left Victoria on the falling tide on Wednesday  morning (29/7) – happy to continue on our voyage, but we could have easily stayed longer in Victoria.  Both of us were feeling a little melancholy knowing our days in Canada were drawing to a close.  

Lyneita in front of the Empress

Leaving on a falling tide is amazing.  We retraced our route around the Trial Islands and this time, instead of following the shoreline inside the reefs at Oak Bay, we continued around the Discovery Islands as well.  What a ride!  At one point, although motoring at 5 knots, our speed over ground was over 10 knots!  We tried to sail, but the winds became so light the sails could not be filled, though the boat was pushed along by the current at close to 5 knots.  When we lost steerage, we packed it in and fired up the engine.  The sea that had bucked and heaved us into Victoria the week before was now as docile as a lamb.  Flat calm, no wind, warm sunshine, we African Queened our way to Sidney Spit, dropping the anchor in an 8 metre pot hole.  We will stay here for a few days, eating up our fresh produce and meat and trying to get our alcohol down to importable quantities.   Fun!!

Ka'sala at Sidney Spit

We launched the kayaks, paddled over to the federal park dock and went ashore at Sidney Spit. 

History of Sidney Spit

There is a lovely trail that winds itself through a tenting campsite, continues over a wide field and into a forested area.  Over the last century and a half, the island has been logged (though some old growth still remains), become a hunting destination for the rich of Victoria and a brickworks.  Evidence of the latter still remain as broken bricks are littered around the campsite and along the waterfront where the factory used to be, guarded over by a large colony of purple martins.  There is still evidence of clay excavation in dimpled fields.  Now, the island lies dormant, the home of deer and natural vegetation experiments.

 We circled round the trails and walked down to the beach facing San Juan Island which runs all the way to the end of the Spit and around to the anchorage.  The next day, I went ashore at low tide and followed this line of beach, marvelling at the abundant birdlife and gorgeous natural vistas.  I had it all to myself.

Sidney Spit - Mount Baker in the background

Sun sets on our last night in Canada

After three nights, we left this idyllic spot and motored across to Roche Harbour, San Juan Island, U.S.A.   There was no wind and the temperatures continued high, though the water averaged about 14 degrees.  Leaving the Spit at 8:30, we crossed a shifting sandbar with a 1.8 meters of water below us.  The passage was marked by strong currents, ripples and whirls.  The tidal flow changes back/forth and sideways all the way across.  At times it was with us, times against us, and times neutral up to 4 knots– no doubt affected by the full moon – which, in fact, would be a blue moon that evening. 

Blue Moon at Garrison Bay, San Juan Island

We cleared into US Customs in Roche Harbour at their designated docks at 10:30.  The officers were very harried and on edge, trying to sort through many boats, most of them Americans returning from trips to Canada.  We tried to obtain our cruising license, but were told they were too busy to do it.  However, not so busy that we were boarded by agricultural inspectors who wanted to see what foods we had with us.  They confiscated grapefruit and lemon – I knew citrus was not allowed, but thought if I peeled it I might get away with it.  No such luck.  I also had to forfeit tomatoes.  Interestingly, I had searched the internet for information on what food was not allowed into the US and found some information, but it wasn’t very detailed.  The inspector gave me a detailed pamphlet that I would have loved to have had before entering and would have appreciated it if I could have found it online.

After checking in, we motored around to Garrison Bay and dropped the hook in 5 meters in time for lunch.  We expected it to be quiet after Roche Harbour.  We remembered Paul and Becky, aboard their Jason 35, Zafo, telling us that they had it almost to themselves for a few days before they met up with us on our return cruise in 2011.  We were astonished by the number of boats of all sizes, power and sail, all over the area.  

Circling the "wagons"!

Within Garrison Bay there appeared to be at least two yacht clubs having rendezvous, as well as many others – all at anchor.  This came as quite a culture shock after the quiet anchorages of Canada!

When we were motoring in, I noticed what looked like a - surprise, surprise – garrison, at the foot of the bay.  We launched the kayaks to investigate and discovered “English Camp”. 

We were in ours bathing suits, so not really dressed for hiking and exploring, but we did foray a ‘ways in and wished we could have explored further and taken the walking trail.  Next time, I guess.

History of English Camp