Report on Cruises:
Fathers Day Cruise : Memorial Day Cruise, Penrose Point : McMicken Island Cruise, April : Jarrell Cove Cruise, March : Hope Island Cruise, February : Jarrell Cove Cruise, January : New Year’s Eve Cruise : Wine Festival Cruise, Swantown : Halloween Cruise, Longbranch : Commodores’ Cruise, Vaughn Bay : End of Summer Cruise to Jarrell Cove
Seems no one wanted to go that far; no one came.
Mark Welpman, Cygnet
Your Friendly Neighborhood Chair
I did not depart on Thursday like I thought I might, so I departed on Friday. The weather pretty much sucked. Rather it blew! I got off the docks at 10:30 started my run up Budd Inlet. I had to make some calibrations to my new Auto Helm 3000 that I had just installed. It was raining and the wind was blowing at 12 to 15 kts, so I let Auto drive while I went about the duties of putting up canvas. Sails set I took the helm back from Auto and was making 6.5 to 7 knots over ground. Not bad for single handing. I made a slow gibe into Dana Passage and ran wing on wing. I had some pretty interesting sailing. I made good time running Dana Passage and down Nisqually Reach.
I furled the jib going though Pitt Passage to control my speed. I saw eight feet of water, but no problem. Running into Carr Inlet the winds really started to blow. I really should have put a reef in the main and shrunk the jib, but I did not have that far to run. I was seeing speeds of 7.4 kts and Cygnet was sitting at 25 to 35 degrees starboard. In what seemed only a couple of minutes Mayo Cove came into sight. I made sure that I cleared the spit and turned the boat into the wind and started to drop sails. There were four SSSS boats in the cove riding anchors or buoys. I came in and ran up the starboard side of Pearl and tied up.
After getting settled in Andiamo sail in, followed by Pyxis and Koosha. The wind was building, so we set anchors off of all the boats on the raft. By dark we had about a dozen SSSS boats lying at anchor in the little bay. It rained and the wind blew all night. Crews went from boat to boat enjoying each other's company. Pearl turned into the impromptu Mother Ship. Bob and Shari Buelt hosted a little pizza party with boat made pizza from scratch. It was late into the night before everyone meandered back to their boats.
Saturday morning’s weather was not much better than the day before. Boats trickled in all day. By the time the potluck started we had 17 boat represented. The weather broke and the sun came out as we gathered on the beach. There was a ton of food and libation for everyone. A nice big fire burned and hotdogs and Smores roasted. Folks hung out until long after dark. After the potluck, the beach cleared and a few after potluck parties started on various boats. We hung out in the cockpit enjoying cocktails and visitors.
Sunday morning the winds died down. A couple of sailing dinghies were lunched and sailed around the little bay. SSSS boats started to slip their anchors and head home. By noon the rain came down in earnest and most everyone was shut up on their boat. By afternoon Koosha, Pearl, and Andiamo had broke the raft and headed back to Olympia. Cygnet and Pyxis remained and Lovejoy joined the raft. Everyone went over to Chalupa to see Kip’s Shipboard Brewing Station and sample some of his good. It was a pretty quiet evening onboard Cygnet.
Monday everyone cleared out of Mayo Cove by noon. The trip back was a mixed bag of sailing. I motored with Mr. Auto from Mayo Cove to Devils Head. The winds picked up, so I of course raised sails and shut off the motor. 15 tacks later I was in Budd Inlet making a broad reach back to Swantown. The Sun was out and the wind was blowing. Not a bad way to end a very soggy weekend. I think all who showed up had a good time in spite of the wind and rain. Sorry that many of you were deterred by the weather. But living in the Pacific Northwest, rain is part of the sailing experience. The only bad day on the water is the one you’re not on it. Have a great summer, see you all in the fall.
Boats in attendance in no particular order: Andiamo, Aquavit, Braking Wind, Chalupa, Cygnet, Filthy Whore, Gipsy Soul, Koosha, Harmony, Lovejoy, Paledales Pearl, Penguin, Puelche, Pyxis, Sassy, Side Track. My apologies for anyone who did not make the list.
Mark Welpman, Cygnet
Photos of sunrise Saturday by Glen HunterSo I lied! Well the weather was nice when we started. Friday was just a fantastic day to be on the water. It was very warm in the marina and there was a nice breeze blowing. We had a late because daily life and traffic got in the way. We got off the dock at around 17:45 and ran as fast as we could to get out of the Swantown. A nice breeze of about 12 to 14 kts blew out of the west, making for a very nice reach all the way up to Boston Harbor. It was perfect sailing conditions. We ran at about 7 kt the whole way up Budd Inlet. We ran wing on wing up Dana Passage, gybed and run up Case Inlet. Around Fudge Point, the sun was starting to set and we lost our wind. Sails down and motor on.
We rounded the point on McMicken Island at around 20:00. The sky was orange and pink with gray blue clouds over the Olympics. Four SSSS boat laid at anchor or were sitting on a ball. We quickly made up on the raft and settled in for the evening. Later in the evening the crews of Andiamo and Cygnet ended up on Pearl for night caps. It was the end of a beautiful day of southern Puget Sound sailing.
Day Two
Annette and I slept in late. Our heads did not pop above deck until well after 10:30. We kind of missed the morning. We made our way over to Pearl for Sheri’s Lattes and fresh baked banana muffins. We sat around watching SSSS boat make their way into the little cove and dropped anchors. The little harbor was filling in fast. The crew of Pearl had obligations back in Olympia and had to break raft. As soon as Pearl peeled off, Penguin and Puelche mated up with the raft. The weather started to deteriorate. I mean it really started to rain. Of course it started when I was rowing our dog to shore. What the hay who? The rain did not stop the crews from gathering. It was wet but not cold. At around 18:00 everyone converged on Andiamo. Plates were full and the potluck spilled over to all four boats on the raft. The weather was getting better as the evening went on. Most folks stuck around until about 20:30. A couple of folks rowed off into the inky night. In spite of the weather, it was a great potluck. Maybe next year we’ll make it back to the beach.
Day Three
Fog! We woke up to a nice blanket of fog. I made coffee and took Chloe, our dog, to shore. The fog was pretty thick. As I approached the island, the boats faded into the fog. I was enjoying the morning as several other pet owners made their way to shore for the morning walks. We had a fine consortium dinghies and dogs. We conversed about world peace as our dogs did their business. All the while the fog started to lift. After our dogs were done exchanging business cards with each other, sniffing butts, we all made our way back to our boats. Annette and I had to get back to Olympia early, so we said our good byes. The run back to Swantown was warm and sunny. Made me what to stick around for a day or so more. But we had to run.
Even though the weather on Saturday sucked, we have a great potluck. Again, thanks to those of you who took time out of your busy schedule to make the Cruise. Because of you we had a terrific time. Boats in attendance in no particular order: Aquavit, Skaga, Swirl II, Puelche, Pearl, Penguin, Paledales, Sidetrack, Patty Ann, Boru, String Games, Kalakala, Wind Swept, Andiamo, and Cygnet.
Mark Welpman, Cygnet
Your friendly neighborhood Cruise Chair
Friday’s weather forecast was for winds of 25 to 30 kts. I searched BIS, Weather Underground, Sail Flow and NOAA web sites with excitement. Knowing this would be a great sail for Cygnet. So I was pretty anxious to get on the water. I had to make my regular per Cruise stops. My brother Lenny was with me on this trip and was helping me get the Cruise together. I could not believe the gall of Lenny asking me to stop for a bite to eat on the way down to the boat. Doesn’t he know how important is to get on the water when there is wind? What is wrong with him?
We finally shoved off at a little after 1300. Wind was blowing a good 15 to 20 kts in the marina. Heading out the finger of docks, we turned south into the wind and raised canvas. We made our turnaround and headed out, running down wind, making 3 to 5 kts out of the marina under sail. What more could a guy ask for? We were running out the channel with big smiles on our faces. We made a turn north and start our run to Jarrell Cove. Coast Guard Seattle squawked small craft warning on the VHF. Yes it was going to blow!
Funny thing happen … by around Olympia Shoal, the wind died. Where did the wind go? Reluctantly I furled in the jib and started the motor. We ran Dana Passage, around the bottom of Hartstene Island and up to Point Wilson on the motor. The front must had passed through, because the wind started to vector out of the Southeast. The wind filled in, so the sails went back up, wing on wing and running. My brother says, “Hey when did you get the pole?” referring to my whisker pole. He said that he really liked it and asked me how many times had I flown it. I responded, “Including this time, twice”. He laughed. There was a boat, Penguin, to the north of us. So as any sailor would do we gave chase. We caught her at Dougall Point and sailed on. Andiamo was coming up fast on our tails. We all arrived at Jarrell Cove at nearly the same time.
Kathy, Penguin, had potato skins ready as she stepped off the boat. We all sat around for a couple of hours chatting. Everyone called it an early evening. Lenny and I watched a movie and we were in our bunks early. We had a pretty good day of sailing and a nice evening just hanging out.
Saturday:
Saturday morning was pretty quite. The sun was shining and a light mist was coming off the water. Around noon, folks started to mill about the dock. Before long a gathering was happening in front of Penguin. The boys had started to drink barley pops, talking about general boat nonsense and solving world peace. Jim on Skaga made the scary crossing from Jarrell Cove Marina to the Park Docks. After a quick tie up, Jim joined the group in front of Penguin. Kathy brought out her world renowned Snot Crackers and Data Bites. Don’t ask, just eat, but they are really yummy. It’s just how they look.
The party moved up to the head of the docks. The shelter was readied for the potluck and we all started a game of horseshoes. The kids explored and played with dogs in pursuit. We started a fire early and folks were enjoying a nice late winter afternoon. Later on in the afternoon, the cove filled with the smell of BBQ and dishing being readied for the potluck. Tami of Andiamo was rigging lanterns in the shelter. She kept asking Gene, her husband, how to tie a bowline. Gene told her to go ahead and use a snowflake knot. We asked what the heck is a snowflake knot is? Tami says “You know, the kind of knot that no two are ever tied the same”. We laughed and now we know what a snow flake knot is.
The potluck was its normal cornucopia of goodness. There was tons of good food, drinks and laughs. Great conversations went on around the fire until late at night. Around 2200 we left the fire and made our ways back to the icy dock. Several folks made their way to Cygnet for a nightcap, which end up lasting until 0100. We enjoyed Tyco and Kathy sharing stories about their trips up and down the west coast from Mexico to Canada and the trip down the entire Mississippi River. They have had some real adventures.
Sunday:
Hardly anyone was moving early in the morning. With the time change and the icy night, folks were reluctant to leave the warmth of their bunks. Around 0930 I went up to shower and clean pack up the shelter. Coming back to the boat, an impromptu breakfast was held on Cygnet with the crews of Andiamo, Pearl, and Penguin. Folks stuck around tell noon. Boats were departing one by one. We took our time, cleaned up a bit and then said our good byes. The run back to Olympia was cool and gray. Not much in the way of wind. Once again a great time was had by all. Thanks to those of you who could make it. We hope that more of you can make the McMicken Cruise next month. See you on the water!
Boats in attendance in no particular order: Andiamo III, Penguin, Pearl, Windswept, Skaga, Puelche, Love Joy, Harmony, and Cygnet.
Mark Welpman, Your friendly neighborhood Cruise Chair, Cygnet
Cruise photos by Mark WelpmanIt was Friday morning I was suffering the pre cruise blues. I really did not want to make all my customary trips to the store, SSSS storage, etc. It was nice outside, warm and sunny. I just wanted to get out on the water. So I did what I do best, procrastinate. My brother came over and we played two hours of Xbox 360. The best mind fodder ever invented. But now I really had to go.
Rushing out the door, I sped safety to my appointed destinations and found myself at the dock around 1430. Quickly I stowed everything below, fired up the motor and back out of the slip. There was a light breeze and now I was kicking myself for not getting out there earlier. Boy oh boy was it a fantastic day to be on the water. I was only wearing a long sleeve tee shirt and my life jacket. Yes I had pants on too! I hoisted the main as soon as I entered the channel heading out of Swantown. Shortly after crossing Markers 2 and 3 the headsail was flying. The boat gently heel to port and I was making about four knots. Sweet! My only disappointment was I was single handing and there was no one else to share this awesome day with.
The run to Hope Island was just wonderful. Somewhere near Olympia Shoal the wind started to die. So I dropped canvas and motored the rest of the way. Passing Dofflemyer Point, I spied Glen Hunter sitting in his big green Adirondack Chair on his deck looking back at me. He gave me a call to say hello. Before long I made the turn around Hunter Point. up Squaxin Pass. Two boats occupied the balls on the southern side of the Island, so I worried the mooring balls on the west side might be occupied as well. I rounded the point and saw three boats. I thought damn the bad luck, but realized that only two of the balls were taken. I made a bee line for the mooring and caught the last ball. I thought that I might be spending the night all by my lonesome. I sent out a couple of texts and found out that Pearl and Andiamo were right behind me.
About a half an hour after Cygnet secured on the mooring ball both boats came into view. We radioed each other. The plan was that Andiamo would pass Cygnet drop anchor and back to Cygnet and tie bow to stern. Then Pearl would do the same to Andiamo. Both Skippers did just that, as if they did it every day. After a while the crews settled down to a quite evening. The starts shone brightly in the sky. We had pizza on Andiamo and clam linguini on Pearl. The kids were having fun on Pearl. The boys migrated to Cygnet for a quite night cap. By 2230 everyone had made it back to their boats and were snug in their bunks.
The air was cold when I poked my head outside my sleeping bag. It was still a little dark outside, so I drifted back to sleep. A little while later I heard a clamor outside, and I heard someone say my name. Bob and Gene were topside trying to wake me up. So I popped my head through the forward hatch and said good morning. It was a spectacular day. The sun was warm on my face and not a cloud in the sky. I dropped down the hatch and got my morning started.
Boats started to arrive early. The main raft grew to seven boats. Three boats had a small rafted to the north of us and another three boats to the south. I walked around the Island and saw more SSSS boats on the east side of the Island. I hailed them and told them the fleet was on the other side of the island. I’m not sure if they came around or not.
The shore was filled with SSSS kids playing. Salty and Toby the dogs were splashing in the water barking and having a good ol time. Kids were beach combing and making little discoveries. Folks littered the shore and enjoyed the sun and conversation. A couple of boats put out their hammocks. I followed suite and enjoyed a wonderful nap in my hammock in the warm sun.
As the evening sat upon us, crews made their way back to their boats. The air was filled with the aroma barbeque and baking casseroles. Around 1800 everyone converged on Pearl. She turned into the impromptu potluck boat. There was so much food. People sat around for a couple of hours enjoying the starlit evening. Around the time dinner started Bodacious and Exact showed up. We tied them up but they did not drop anchors as the previous boats had.
I was sitting down getting ready to have seconds when someone called my name. Going topside to see what’s the matter, Gene Reynolds was in his dinghy starting the motor. The last two boats that arrived had not dropped anchors and now the current had put strain on the raft. Gene and I went out to the boat on the end raft and had Bodacious give us his anchor to take out and drop. Others adjusted mooring lines and took slack out of their anchor lines to readjust the raft. Because of the way the current was moving we could not get the strain off the boats and the mooring ball. After two attempts to set anchor Bodacious and Exact had to leave the raft. As soon as both boats broke raft the pressure was off the ball and we had no more problems.
Another clear cold night left us with fog and Ice on the decks. Folks were moving boat to boat for a little breakfast. Last runs to the island were made and by 1000 most boats had headed home. No wind to be had so I had to motor. I made a pit stop at Boston Harbor fuel and the pump out dock. By noon Cygnet was back in her slip. Turns out, it as an early summer weekend in February. What more could someone ask for. Special thanks to Gene Reynolds and Bob Buelt for all the help rafting boats. Also to all the great cooks who gave us a cornucopia of tasty dishes. Dinner was fantastic. Again these events happen because of you who show up. My hats off to all of you cooks. See you on the water.
Boats in attendance by order of arrival: Cygnet, Pearl, Andiamo III, Osa, Pleiades, Wind Swept, Sidetrack, Kalakala, Swirl II, Pattie Ann, Anam Cara, Dulcinea, Exact, and Bodacious III. A side note, I forgot to mention that Inati attended the New Years Cruise and I neglected to make sure their names made it into the S-t-S.
Mark Welpman, Cygnet, Your friendly neighborhood Cruise Chair
Cruise photos by Terry VanMeterFriday morning was the usual pre-cruise hustle. Pick up firewood, stop at Wally World for ice and grub and lastly the SSSS storage to grab the coolers. Shane, my neighbor, came along on the Cruise. We showed up at Swantown at around 1100 and took the better part of two hours getting off the dock. The first stop was the poop dock to offload … well, you know, poop! After pumping out we were on our merry way. We crossed markers "2" and "3" outbound around 1300, a little later than I would have liked. Weather was a little gray with sun breaks and not much wind. The air was warm for this time of year. So we forewent foul weather gear. We set the motor for 6 kts and relaxed and enjoyed the ride.
It was a very beautiful winter sail/motor. Mt Rainer sat tall off in Nisqually Reach in all her glory, draped in a robe of clouds. The Olympics stood brightly covered in snow. The sun was low on the Olympics as we turned up Pickering Pass. To my surprise two boats were in the pass running towards Jarrell Cove. I was hoping that they were South Sound Boats. Before long we too were making the turn into the cove. The trees shadows were growing long across the little cove. The two boats had docked at the pump out dock. Both boats flew SSSS Burgee. I hailed them and told them to go to the big dock. We talked back and forth, but I don’t think they could hear each other.
We rounded the inside point at Jarrell Cove and the big dock came into view. I was very pleased to see that two other boats were already at the dock. Our arrival made five SSSS boats. Captain Jim of French Leave/Out of Time was there to help dock Cygnet. Before we could tie up, Captain Ron of Exact was offering pancakes and bacon for dinner. After about 45 minutes of shooting the breeze we finally finished tie up the boat and rigging for shore. Soon there were chairs on the dock, propane heater started. A small crowd huddled around the heater. Penguin moved over from the pump out dock a short time later. After a while Captain Ron and Jim called it a night. We were enjoying barely pops and sea stories with the crew of Penguin when we noticed another boat picking its way through the darkness. It was Bodacious the last boat of the Tacoma contingency. I found out later that the Tacoma Boys have their own little chapter of SSSS. By the time lights were out we had a total of six SSSS boats in Jarrell Cove. It was nice to have so many early arrivers.
Saturday morning I was up early and walking the pier. It was a spectacular winter morning. Sun shone brightly on our little armada. At 0930 Andiamo was the first of the Saturday arrivers. By 15:00 the dock had filled in and boats were starting to raft. The dock was full of South Sounders running back and forth. Deck chairs were strewn all over the dock and clusters of folks were enjoying each other’s company. There were lots of smiling faces in the warm winter sun. At about 1730 the party started migrated up to the shelter at the top of the dock. By 1800 a nice bonfire was going, and hot entrees filled the picnic tables. The fire was lined with warm smile and full bellies. Slowly crews started to fade away into the darkness. When the crew of Cygnet left the fire was still lined with folks. I’m sure they stayed and enjoyed the great winter evening late into the night.
Sunday was the payback for the great winter weather we had. The rain started early and in earnest. I decided that when I went up to take a shower that would police the site of the previous night festivities. As usual the party site was very clean with exception of some forgotten cookware and plates. I made my way to the showers and dropped the trash.
I was pretty excited about a hot shower. I set up my wash kit, dropped a quarter into the timer, shazam … water. Being the first person of the day, I knew that it would take a minute or two to get hot water. So being the brave and not so bright sailor that I am, I thought that I would go for it and get wet in the cold water. The first three minutes consisted of me waiting for the hot water … Funny thing … The water did not get warmer, even after two quarters. The second three minute consisted of me gasping for air and trying to wash as fast as I could. Did you know that you can get brain freeze from outside your body? Not to mention my grapes turned into raisins. And the shower ran out of time before I could get the all shampoo rinsed out of my hair. I think the park turns off power to the water heater in the winter. I was clean and frozen, well kind of sort of clean, but defiantly frozen.
Back on the dock, Andiamo, Swirl II and Cygnet were the last boats to leave Jarrell Cove. We all left together. Through Pickering Pass the trio all stayed together. As we ran down Case Inlet the line of boats began to stretch out. The motor home was uneventful, other than to note no wind and lots of rain. Many South Sounders mentioned how much they enjoyed Jarrell Cove. They said they would be at the Jarrell Cove Cruise in March. We hope to see you there too!
Boats in attendance in no particular order: Andiamo III, Sea Bear, Penguin, Bodacious III, Wind Swept, Swirl II, Skaga, Exact, French Leave, Osa, Midnight Blue, Dulcinea, and Cygnet.
Mark Welpman, Cygnet, your friendly neighborhood Cruise Chair
January Cruise photos by Terry VanMeterThe weather was lousy, wet, wet and wet. Did I mention the wind? I made it to the Guest Dock at Swantown around 1500. As always Members were waiting on the dock to help tie up Cygnet. Several South Sound boats were already there. Most were hunkered down trying to stay warm and dry.
Folks started making the rounds early in the evening. There were several little groups going from boat to boat. Gusto as usual ended up being the Kid boat, with movies and kids snacks. Salty and Toby the dogs roamed the docks looking for hand outs and a little attention. There was something for everyone.
For us the party started on Andiamo with Pu Pu’s and drinks. Once we swelled to capacity on Andiamo the hoard stormed Gypsy Soul with food and drink. Chuck and Windy of Gypsy Soul were gracious hosts on their beautiful boat. There was a feast on Gypsy Soul. So much food!! Late in the evening the boys end up ended up on Pearl. At midnight the weather broke and we all ended up on the dock ringing in the New Year in grand fashion.
I’m happy to report that there were no incidences or accidents on New Year’s Eve. For a few of us, I know there was a piper to pay the next day. Ouch my poor head! New Year’s morning folks were a little slow to pop their heads above their hatches. At noon we had a big breakfast on board Cygnet. A few boats left, but most stayed a seconded day at the Guest Dock. The second night was much more subdued than the previous night. Good food and friends visiting one another. On the morning of the January 2, Shari on Pearl, invited the ladies in the Club for Lattes. By noon most folks had made their way back to their slips.
This was the third New Year’s Eve I’ve spent with South Sound. I have to say it was perhaps one of the most fun New Year’s I’ve had in a long time. Thanks for all who came out.
These Cruises are a success because of all of you. Thanks for showing up and Happy New Year! Boats in attendance and represented in no particular order: Pyxis, Andiamo III, Wind Swept, Murrelet, Pearl, Gypsy Soul, Spindrift, Pattie Ann, Gusto, Cygnet, Night Wind and High Hope.
Mark Welpman, Cygnet, your friendly neighborhood Cruise Chair
For those of us who endured the chilly weather, it was a great little Cruise. The setting was on the north lawn near the boat launch at Swantown. Two canopies were set up for us. Twinkle lights lit the canopy of our little get together. Hot food and hors d’oeuvre were served, with lots of wine and conversation. The heater was a very popular place to be. Wine tasting was put on by Tami Reynolds, Andiamo lll. She had several verities to choose from. She also demonstrated the importance of food pairing with wine. For me it was a good reason to nosh on good grub and good wine. There was plenty of both for everyone.
The creative juices were flowing for this year’s bottle entries. The bottles entered into the contest were as follows: Co-1st Place: The Space Needle by the Reynolds family, Andiamo lll. Co-1st Place: The Bottle in a Ship was a fully rigged Brig made by John Cullen. 2nd Place: Lighthouse Bottle by Cindy Steinberg. 3rd Place: “Educated Guess” by Glen Hunter, Sassy. Honorable Mentions: Golden Tree by Dave Horgan, Nautical Painting by Michael Fietsam, Merry Christmas Wrapper by Bill Hutchinson Ranger 20, Green Elf by Marti Walker, PFD Bottle and Santa Bottle by Will Deloney Love Joy, Brown Bag by unknown.
A side note. This year we asked the folks who entered the bottles if we could auction off the bottle at the December Meeting. They said yes and the proceeds will be donated to Olympia Food Bank.
We look forward to next year’s entries! We plan to have the Wine Cruise indoors next year. See you all on the New Year’s Cruise at Swantown Guest Docks!
See you on the water!
Mark Welpman, Cygnet
For those of you who did not make it to the Halloween Cruise, you missed a fantastic Cruise. The weather called for high wind on Friday. I sail off the dock at 1000. Sails were up and flying as soon as I cleared the dock. Wind was blowing 12 to 15kts and building. Wing on wing all the up down Budd Inlet, a reach up Dana Passage and close hall from Johnson Pt to Devils Head. I saw speeds up to 8kts. Friday was an epic day for sailing.
Sailing into Filucy Bay I saw Storebjorn, Legacy, Pegasus, Gusto, Manta, Sisu II and Pearl had already arrived. As always, the dock had plenty of folks waiting to help land Cygnet. Walking up to the Longbranch Office/shelter I found that Donna Richard and her crew had the shelter completely decorated. The three spooky boats were well on their way to being decorated. Two of the boats had square rigs with weather and war torn sail. Donna had arranged for skeleton and ghost crews and even a Voodoo Boat.
By dark there were 19 boats in Longbranch. Kids and dogs ran the docks and little gatherings were everywhere. There was an impromptu to potluck on Cygnet. After dinner I walked the dock to the sounds of laughter, smells of dinners cooking and warm smiles. We enjoyed the company of good friends and relaxing the rest of the evening.
As the evening grew late, the weather worsened. By midnight rain was beating down the little bay and wind was whistling through the halyards. Will Delony, a new Member, of Love Joy was sailing down from Tacoma and planed to be at Longbranch by midnight. Will was coming through the Narrows at the height of the storm. He said that he encountered six to eight foot swells as he ran against the outgoing tide. He ended up ducking in behind Fox Island to wait out the storm. Will made it into Longbranch at 0300. So much for his three hour tour.
Saturday was the main event. The weather cleared and it turned out to be a great day. Donna had organized a ton of activities for the kids. There was pumpkin carving, Mummy wrapping, and boat decorating contests. Boats continued to trickle in all day. By dark there were 33 boats on the dock and a total of 41 boats represented. The potluck was huge. There was a ton of food. About half of the folks were in costume. Laughter everywhere! After dinner the kids marched through the shelter showing off their costumes. The kids went trick or treating on the docks and scored hugely in the candy departing. The candy bags were over flowing.
There were lines to see the Spooky Boats. Most Scary was Legacy. Pegasus was a pirate ship with square rig sails. Storebjorn was the Voodoo Boat complete with potions and voodoo dolls. There were several boats that went all outs. Pen Oziequah was decked out to the nines. The festivities ended with the showing of the movie Young Frankenstein. The movie was complete with hot buttered popcorn.
Sunday morning Rod, Susan, Thera and Don were up early serving up their famous yeast rising waffles — not pancakes. Many other folks added other breakfast dishes. The waffles were wonderfully with all kinds of different toppings and whipped cream. The shelter was full of folks enjoying the morning. Everyone chipped in and helped with clean up. By noon Longbranch was empty. The motor sail home was fantastic. Sunny and relativity warm. South Sound boats were strung out along the route home. It was an awesome sight. I counted a parade of 16 boats ahead of me and a dozen or so behind me.
A special thanks to Donna Richard for all her hard work. She put in several weeks of perpetration and organized all the activities. She even had folks growing pumpkins for this event. We’d like to thank the folks who helped Donna. Of course Dave Knowlton who supplied much of the equipment such as heaters, coffee pot, pop and beer. Again, thanks to the crew of skipper and crew of Pax for the wonderful waffle breakfast. A big thanks for all who helped with set up and break down the shelter. Can’t wait for next year! It is you the folks who show up that make the events so much fun.
Boats in attendance in no particular order: Pleiades, Wind Swept, Harmony, Sidetrack, Spinner of Dreams, Andiamo III, Puelche, Pearl, Gusto, Pax, Inati, Dawn Trader, Skaga, Cygnet, Spindrift, Foot Prints in the Sea, Pegasus, Rushwind, Legacy, True Love, Storebjorn, Vintage, Love Joy, Sir Pending, Brass Ring, Chateau Sur Eau, Neptune Forte, Sea Bear, Sassy, Sisu II, Manta, Adelante, Pen Oziequah. Eight boat crews arrived by land. My apologies for any boats that I missed.
Mark S Welpman, Cygnet
Photos by Jim Mandes, Thera Black
Friday, Day 1
I wanted to be off the pier by 1400, but we managed to leave by 1600. The weather was very warm and sunny. Not a lick of wind anywhere. Three sailboats were out, and their sails looked like draperies. No sailing today. The tide was against us, so we would have to do our best to beat against it. I set the engine RPM to make 6 kts. and we made about 5.2 kts. over ground. It was an epic day to be on the water. Once we rounded Dana Passage into Case Inlet, you could look down towards Nisqually Reach and see Mt. Rainer, Mt. Bachelor, and to the north we could see all of the Olympics Mountains. The only thing that would have made it better was if we had wind.
As we ran north up Case Inlet, we chose to pass between Herron Island and Key Peninsula. The sun was low on the horizon and we could see the forecasted front overtaking the Olympic Mountains. The small ferry that runs between the Key Peninsula and the Herron Island passed us and greetings were exchanged. Before long Herron Island was behind us and the bluff that marks the entrance to Vaughn Bay was in view. I was lamenting the late start to Sam as darkness was ascending upon us. The chop was building making difficult to see the channel. Sam, my Uncle, was standing on the bow with a spot light and I was peering at the shore through the binoculars. By this time it was very dark. We managed to see the pilings that line the spit. Following the pilings we found the entrance.
It was not until we were about 100 yards from the entrance, before we were able to see it clearly. By this time I had slowed our speed. As we entered the channel and watched our fathometer carefully. We past the spit 30 yards to starboard and never saw a depth less than 15 feet. I corrected my course to run left to center channel and found 25 feet of water. A side note, we came in just after high tide. We were safely inside the bay.
After entering the Vaughn Bay we started looking for a place to drop the hook. When you come into the bay, the east side of the spit is relatively shallow. I could not find any water deeper than 15 feet. We then searched back and forth and up and down the bay in the dark looking for about 20 plus feet to drop the hook. We ended up running towards the south side of the bay and a little east to find deeper water. We dropped the hook in 25 feet of water, which gave us 12 feet water at low tide.
Soon after the anchor was set, Sam and I came topside to enjoy the evening. We spun on the anchor and watched God’s little lanterns burn in the sky and talked about life. It’s these precious moments that make life worth living.
Saturday, Day 2
Before going to bed, Sam predicted that is at would rain two o’clock in the morning. I said no, the rain would miss us or maybe a few showers, and with that I went to bed. From 0200 to around 0600 the rain beat against the hull and the wind howled through the halyards. The next morning I woke up at 0730, going topside the sky was gray and a stiff breeze blew out of the south. I made a pot of Joe and began to type up the previous days adventure. I made a quick call to Tom Ripple on Pyxis. He was supposed to come up Saturday morning from Portland, and be at the Cruise late. To my surprise he was rounding the southern point of Hartstene Island and starting his downwind run up Case Inlet. I figured that he would be in VHF range in about an hour.
The tide was out and we found ourselves sitting in a big bowl. Sam and I decided to row over to the spit and check out where we might have the potluck. Because of the tide, the spit was a good 15 to 20 feet above us. We pulled the dinghy about 10 feet up the side of the spit and climbed up the top. Cresting the spit we looked out over a gray and angry Case Inlet. Dark gray clouds hung low to the earth and the wind blew 15 to 20 kts. Pyxis was rounding up and was bucking the seas as Tom was furling his jib. Midnight Blue was crossing from Stretch Island where they had laid over for the night. It was more than a little bumpy coming across the inlet.
I was in communications with both Midnight Blue and Pyxis by radio. Pyxis entered the channel first. The tide was very low, Midnight Blue was holding back to see how Pyxis did. Pyxis draws five feet of water while Midnight Blue draws six feet. Sam and I walked to the entrance of the spit to watch the boats enter. As Pyxis was the first boat to arrive we decided to give Tom a two moon salute. He laughed as he threaded his way through the entrance. I was getting ready to hail Midnight Blue and give them the go ahead, when I looked over at Pyxis and saw that he had run aground just inside the channel. Tom said that the water went from 10 feet to 4 feet in a matter of about 20 yards. I radioed Midnight Blue to waive them off. They said that they would hang out somewhere until the tide came up a bit.
Sam and I fetched the dinghy and rowed over to assist Pyxis. When we were close enough, I asked how could I help. Tom in the most nonchalant manner said "after you row out my anchor, you can get me a beer". So that’s exactly what I did. Rowing back to Cygnet, I could see the water was only a few feet deep. What was amazing was there were thousands and thousands of starfish all over the bottom. Every color shape and size. I wish I had my camera.
In short order we made it back to Cygnet. I dropped of Sam, grabbed a couple of beers and rowed back over to Pyxis. By this time the tide was coming in quickly. Pyxis had spun on her keel and Tom was keeping tension on the anchor line. Boarding Pyxis I open a couple of beers. By the time we finished our beer, Pyxis was floating. We hauled the anchor and then gingerly picked our way through the shallow water. About ten minutes later Pyxis was rafted up to Cygnet.
For the next couple of hours boats started arriving by the twos and threes. As the tide filled in so did South Sound boats. Sam and I rowed back to shore and started to set up for the potluck. Sam and I were stacking wood for the fire, arranging logs and Sam made a nice table for all the plates. Around 1500 a Chinook helicopter passed directly overhead. Later I was told that it was Alex, our Past Commodore, flew over Vaughn Bay making his impromptu appearance. Alex was unable to attend the Cruise due to maintenance issues on a bird that was being delivered to our boys and girls in green. Hats off to Alex for his hard work keeping the birds flying!
Back on the water Commodore Don was welcoming everyone by kayaking boat to boat. He looked like a red humming bird buzzing back and forth between all the boats. I’m not sure but I think there was booze involved in many of his stops. At about 1730 we were pretty much set up on shore. Folks were ferrying back and forth between boats and shore. By the time the fire was started there were 20 boats at anchor in the little harbor. The food came in waves. There were pulled pork sandwiches, tuna salad, Kielbasa and vegetable grill, meat balls, and on and on it went. As I like to say "a cornucopia of goodness". I’m sorry if I did not mention your plate, but I know I ate it and it was all wonderful. Hey … What were in those cookies…. They were good!
During dinner, three more boats came in. As the sun was setting, folks were having great conservations, and was laughter everywhere. It was fun walking from group to group and talking with everyone. Folks were enjoying the fire and friends, and cocktails and conversation. As the night dwindled so did the fire and folks on shore. There was a hearty bunch that stayed on spit until almost 2300. Sam and Tom helped me police the beach in the dark. We watched folks row away into the darkness. The bioluminescence glowed with each oar stroke as they made the way back to their boats. It glowed so brightly that you could see the fish swimming. Thera Black was kayaking in the dark, watching the fish dart along the shoreline.
We loaded up the two dinghies and rowed back to the boats. The row back to Cygnet was beautiful. The sky was full of stars and the milky way stood directly overhead. Glowing vortexes spun off the tip off the oar blade with each stroke. The bay was full of mast anchor lights as our little armada laid at rest. Tom and I sat on Cygnet and a nightcap and called it a night.
Sunday Day 3.
I woke up early and started coffee. I poked my head topside to see if Pax had started waffles. The bay laid quiet, no one appeared to be topside enjoying the cool morning. I could hear Tom moving around Pyxis. I invited him over for coffee. He had just brewed a pot and brought it with him. I had to get back to Olympia early so I could not stay for waffles. I made up corn beef hash, eggs and pancakes. By 0900 I had pulled up the anchor and broke raft. Back on shore I could see Rod and Susan hulling up the spit a huge pot of waffle batter. By the time I cleared the spit a group of folks had made their way to shore and were enjoying hot waffles. Running close to shore, I received jeers from the Commodore. The trip back was not notable other than being another magnificent day on Puget Sound.
Boats in attendance, no particular order: Gray Seal, Maranatha, Midnight Blue, Pax, Murrelet, Pyxis, Wind Swept, Pandora, Sidetrack, Sir Pending, Sea Bear, Zealot, Skaga, Moment, Kalakala, Grendel, Balder, Vintage, Renoziquah and Cygnet. There were three other boats that did not sign in. The only bad day on the water is the day you’re on it.
A big thanks to Rod, Susan, Don, Thera, Tom and Sam for all the help with the cruise. Because of you guys, the cruise was a hit!
Mark Welpman, Your friendly neighborhood Cruise Chair, Cygnet
Cruise photos by Jim Findley,
Don Waterhouse, and
Nina Douglas
The Cruise to Jarrell Cove was attended by Roy and Nina Douglas on Gray Seal and Larry and Laurie King on Storm Seeker. The winds were great for our trip to Jarrell Cove and the weather was nice all weekend. We had a small potluck dinner on Saturday night. There was a minus 1.3 foot tide so we were careful to find a deep spot on the dock.
Larry King, Storm Seeker
Photos of the boats at dock, by Larry.