Coming Cruises 2012-13 :
May 25-26 Memorial Day Cruise Penrose Point :
June 15-16 Father's Day Cruise Oro Bay :
July 3 Independence Cruise - Boston Hbr / Qtrmastr Hbr :
July 20-21 Mid-Summer's Night Cruise Blake Island :
Aug. 17-18 End of Summer Cruise Jarrell Cove
Cruising with the SSSS 101
Report on Past Cruises:
April McMicken Island Cruise : March Jarrell Cove Cruise : February Hope Island Cruise : Island Home Cruise : Wine Tasting Cruise Tugboat Annie's : Halloween Cruise Longbranch : Oysterfest Cruise Shelton : Commodores’ Cruise Vaughn Bay : Jarrells Cove Cruise : Father’s Day Cruise, Oro Bay : Memorial Day Cruise, Penrose Point
I hope all of SSSS will join us for the Memorial Weekend Cruise to Penrose State Park. Penrose Park is a marvelous place to spend some quality cruising time. There are numerous moorage buoys and plenty of good holding anchorage. Ashore there is a long stretch of beach, walking trails, and picnic areas. Lots to explore.
To get there you'll have to navigate Pitt Passage. It is a narrow channel but mind the markers and you shouldn't have any trouble. It is best to go through at a slack tide but I've through at high tide, low tide, and most tides in between without any problems. Do remain mindful of shallows once through though and give all points a wide berth.
Follow the West shore North a ways, heading up Carr Inlet, and pick up a buoy or anchor in Mayo Cove. There are buoys along the South shore as well. As always, our famous pot-luck will be at 1800 sharp. Hope to see you all there.
Glen Hellman, Midnight Blue
A report is coming.
Glen & Ann, Midnight Blue
A truly beautiful week-end to be at such a beautiful park. Fourteen boats attended with a little better than twice that number of people. The weather was so nice we had the potluck right on the dock and it was fabulous! Much good cheer and camaraderie was shared by all. Boats in attendance were Nightwind, Gadzooks m2, Starbright, Paraiso, Karen Ann, Endurance, Dawn Trader, Drummer Girl, Lonbra de Luna, Tushita, Zephyr, Penguin, Windswept, and Midnight Blue.
Glen & Ann, Midnight Blue
Over now. A Report is coming
Glen Hellman, Midnight Blue
Another super successful joint cruise to Island Home. Island Home is the outpost of Olympia Yacht Club. It’s a beautiful little island just south of the Hartstene Island Bridge off Pickering Road in Shelton. There is a great clubhouse with a large kitchen and recreation room that easily accommodated our rather large group. There a large outdoor area with a shelter, horseshoe pit, walking trails, and benches from where to sit and look across at the unspoiled beauty of Hope and Squaxin Islands.
About a quarter of the boats in attendance made the trip out on Friday. We did some mingling and partook of an abundance of hors d’oeuvres.
Saturday was spent socializing, reading, lounging about, playing games, playing music, and generally just soaking-up the ambiance and comradery. We did have the boat bingo game going and around 1800 settled into the fabulous pot luck. Then, for the evening’s entertainment, Rod and Susan’s friend Melodee taught a swing dancing class. All seemed to enjoy it, certainly the dancers, but I’m sure the observers as well.
Sunday morning a small but dedicated cooking crew whipped up a fabulous breakfast consisting of eggs, sausage, fruit, and fabulous French Toast.
All in all, another great time at a fabulous location. We’re very lucky to be invited to such a wonderful place by our friends at OYC, especially now that they’ve made it officially an annual event. I encourage all our Members to seriously consider joining the Yacht Club. They’re a great group, very generous and gracious, and certainly offer many benefits including their Island Home outpost and marina facilities. They do have memberships and slips available at a fraction of what you’re probably paying now. They even have a membership special going if you hurry. So please do look into joining.
Special thanks to Barb, Suzie, Suzy, Joyce, Richard, Marti, Myra, Micki, Ann, The Musicians, and especially Melodee who came out of retirement to teach us lubbers a dance step or two.
Boats in attendance: Vintage, Voyager, Inati, Rob Roy, LaForza, Midnight Blue, Balder, Brass Ring, Nightwind, PenOziequah, Loon, D’Lavicea, Mongie Lee, Pax, Mischief, Jabiroo, Osa, Rushwind, Voyageur, Pandora, Maya, Penguin, Kaydee Marie, Kiss Intel II, Sunday’s Child, Dawn Treader, Starbright, Passages, Swirl II, Windswept, and Liberte.Special recognition goes to the wise few boaters who are members of both clubs
Glen & Ann Hellman, Midnight Blue
Yet another very successful wine tasting ruise for SSSS. There were about 30 people in attendance and about 14 decorated wine bottles entered. As always, the decorated wine bottles ranged from the simply elegant to the wildly complex. The pot-luck was once again fabulous and a wide variety of wines were shared amongst the attendees.
Thanks to West Bay Marina and Tugboat Annies for the use of their Viewpoint Room.
Glen Hellman, Midnight Blue
Despite somewhat inclement weather, as in buckets upon buckets of rain, the Halloween Cruise was once again a huge success. A total of twenty-nine boats, carrying at least twice that many people made the trek to Longbranch.
Several boats, Koosah, Pax the Space Spider, Midnight Blue, Cygnet, Stargazer, Columbia Transit and Getaway, came in on Friday for a little pre-cruise camaraderie. We spent the evening visiting, doing a little playing and singing, and just enjoying the great little marina and shelter at Longbranch.
The following day, Saturday, the rest of the South Sound flotilla began arriving. By early afternoon we were joined by Stargright, Loon, Sonrisa, Spinner, Paraiso, Pearl, Magic Carpet, Osa, Stargazer, Gizmo, Genesis, Mongie Lee, Ludus Amoris, Lowfer III, Touchrain, Moonshadow, Passages, Tushita, Grendel, Lovejoy, Puelche, and Windswept.
At around 1600, the pumpkin carving got underway under the gentle supervision of our Pumpkin Mistress, Joyce Mercury. The kids, and a few kid wannabees, did masterful and very creative work. So good in fact, the judges awarded each and every one an award and fabulous prize for all of our 12 pumpkin carving categories. At 1700 happy hour began in the shelter with an opportunity for all costumes to strut their costumed stuff. It was all quite entertaining.
At 1800 another fabulous pot-luck happened. The spread was extensive with the usual amazing variety of delicious eats and treats. After dinner, we held an in-shelter trick-or-treat since it was a little soggy outside. The kids all seemed to come away with a pretty good haul.
And then, as a special Halloween treat to South Sound Cruisers, and thanks to Rod and Susan’s guest and friend Melodee, we enjoyed swing dance lessons. Me and Rob Nelson did our best to fake our way through as close to swing music as we could muster, while a couple dozen or more swinging swing dancers took to the floor. There was lots of cool new dance moves to learn and Molodee made sure that everybody got to try their new moves with all the other dancers. It was a great way to meet and have fun with other Cruisers. I’m sure those not actively participating in the dancing enjoyed watching those who were. As usual, the band was exempted from the dancing, dang.
The rest of the evening was spent just enjoying friends, singing, playing, and just basking in the wonderful thing that is South Sound Cruising.
Next morning, Rod and Susan once again cooked up a hundred or so of their fabulous yeast raised Belgium waffles. Thera, hope you’re feeling better, provided sausages, and Dave Knowlton kept the coffee, tea, cider, and cocoa hot and plentiful.
My many thanks to all who helped make this a rousing success, including but not limited to Joyce, Marti, Rod, Susan, Dave, Micki, the other Dave, the other Micki, Rob, Linda, Melodee, Lexi, Richard, Sabra, and all others who helped make this year’s Halloween Cruise yet another to remember.
The ride home on Sunday was dry and beautiful!
Glen Hellman, Midnight Blue
Photos by Micki McNaughtoni : by Dave KnowltonAnother wonderful Oysterfest Cruise this year. In fact, perhaps the best one ever! Some of us headed up to Hope Island on Friday afternoon and had to face a beautiful sunny day and steady 15-knot winds. Of course, the wind was on our nose but even with a few tacks, Hope Island was easily made in a little over an hour and what a rare October day for a sail.
I rafted up with Dave and Mickie on Getaway. A little later we were joined by Terry and Val on Passages who anchored out for the evening. And, what an evening it was. It was very dark out there away from the city lights. The moon was waning and the sky was absolutely awesome. The Milky Way was as bright and dense as I remember seeing it. Although a little chilly to be sure, it was wonderfully clear and very beautiful.
Next morning around 0900, we were joined by Jim and Margaret on Columbia Transit, and Jim and Diana on Skaga. By about 0945, we had our four boats all rounded up and were wagon training it up Hammersley Inlet. It’s a very easy putt up Hammersley especially with a slack or favorable tide. Nothing scary about the navigation, just follow a reliable chart and avoid the clearly marked shallows. One key is to take a long arch around Arcadia Point or Picnic Island as the Shelton boaters refer to it.
As we entered Shelton Bay, we were greeted by fog and a thick acrid smelling smoky haze from the wildfires burning up there. But, as we entered the little Shelton Yacht Club Marina, it cleared up and bit and by around noon it had completely disappeared.
So we all took directions from the Harbormaster and got all rafted up and settled in to the marina. Pretty close quarters inside the marina and wind and tide are definitely a factor to keep in mind as you attempt to maneuver with at least some modicum of grace. The folks at Olympia Yacht Club had coffee and donuts waiting for use along with a very warm and gracious welcome.
Most of us caught the 1130 shuttle to Oysterfest where we happily went our varied ways and consumed many delectable seafood dishes and tasty beverages. Shuttles ran almost constantly so you could leave whenever you wanted and be delivered right back to the marina. Very cool! Oh, and did I mention it was an absolutely beautiful warm and sunny day.
Ann and Rick on Moment came in after we had already left for Oysterfest and apparently had some fun with the wind as they attempted to raft up in an already crowded marina. Unfortunately, none of us were there to take photos. Also we were joined by Larry and Laurel King on Storm Seeker.
Despite many valiant attempts to consume every last oyster in Mason County, our group was still ready for the evening potluck. We joined with Shelton Yacht Club for a joint venture and once again enjoyed amazing eats and terrific conversation with and amazing group of Shelton boaters.
Next morning, Shelton YC once again provided us with a terrific breakfast not to mention another beautiful day for our cruise home. We all easily got un-rafted and safely out of the marina. We again wagon trained it out Hammersley riding an ebbing tide. Not much wind so most motored home.
Glen Hellman, Midnight Blue
Photos by Glen: Entering Hammersley : Shelton YC
The Commodores’ Cruise, September 22-23, was again a great success. Four boats came in Friday afternoon: Terri Coe on Gratitude, Mark Welpman on Cygnet, Dave Moorehead and Mickie Hale on Getaway, and me on Midnight Blue. It was mostly a motorboat day. A little breeze came in around 1700 but by then we four had already anchored. We spend a beautiful afternoon and evening visiting and I think we were all sacked out by 2200.
An overcast morning led to cloud breaks and beautiful blue skies by early afternoon. Boats started arriving and by late afternoon we had a total of 14 boats and 30 boaters. We were joined by Dennis and Sherri Seibold on Blown Away, Steve Stark and Barbara Rosenbaun on Starbright, Valerie and Terry VanMeter on Passages, Tom and Michelle Ripple on Paraiso, Susan, Rod and Susan’s mother Lee on Pax The Space Spider, George and Betty Hanson on Gudenuph, Andy and Dee Saller on Liberty, Jack Daniels and Scott Schoch on Nirvana, Jim and Diana Findley on Skaga and Larry and Laurel King on Stormseeker. Will Delony and a guest drove in.
At 1500 I made my rounds to all the boats and handed out bags and the list of items needed for the scavenger hunt. I also met boats coming in after that so they could participate. The cut-off time was 1700 and we had a winner who managed to find all 10 items. The winners were Dave Moorhead and Mickie Hale from Getaway. They received a $25 gift certificate for Bayview or Ralph’s Thriftway stores. Many thanks to Kevin Storman and Stormans Inc for their generous donation of bags and the gift certificate. Be sure to shop with them often! Their Bayview store is beautiful, well stocked, and very convenient for all with downtown Olympia moorage.
The potluck was once again a rousing success with abundant and delicious dishes and a great variety of taste and texture. We did manage a couple of tables so thanks to those who brung ’em. Right after dinner we lit off a rousing bonfire, watched an amazing sunset, and sat through the evening visiting and talking sailing talk. Thanks to Mark and Terri for gathering the firewood.
The next morning greeted us with sunny clear skies and a light breeze. Of course, why would a breeze bother blowing if it’s not going to blow in the exact direction you’re going. Most boats sailed back and forth across Case Inlet for a couple hours but in the end, time beckoned and we all eventually motored on home.
Another great Cruise! Vaughn bay is a bit shallow but a beautiful little spot to anchor. This year, nobody dragged anchor or grounded. The sand spit is awesome, a great place to walk and check out all variety of tidal critters and driftwood. Thanks to all who attended and I hope those who didn’t will join us next year.
Glen Hellman, Midnight Blue.
Photos are from William Dietz, a local. He was going to do
an article about our cruise for the local paper
Cruise photos by Jim Findley
Diana and I left at 1300 to start the formidable and treacherous Jarrells Cove Crossing. We made it unscathed in 13.334 minutes to find a deserted dock, except for a 30 ft trawler tied to the end. We skillfully, with the help of the trawler skipper, secured our old and faithful Haida 26, Skaga to the dock and sat back to recover from the arduous trip. About 1400, Steve and Joy Roth on their Catalina 42, Tushita arrived, followed closely by Barbara Emmons and Joel Rett in Barbara's Morgan 38, Moonshadow and Mary Campbell and Mike Smith in Mary's Cascade 36 Sonrisa ll. We had a very tasty and well rounded potluck followed by a fire and marshmallows. At 0100 Joel and I got up and watched the Perseid meteor shower for a little over an hour. What a beautiful night! Sunday morning we had the usual lazing around and slow waking up and by noon everybody was headed for their home port.
Jim Findley, Skaga
Cruise photos by Jim FindleyIt is over now. A report is coming.
Your cruise chairs,
Dave and Mickie, Getaway
Another spectacular Cruise came together for the Memorial Weekend at Penrose Point State Park! The sun was warm and the winds gave everyone who wanted to a chance to put up the sails and turn off the engine.
We left Olympia on Friday and arrived at Penrose Point to be greeted by Susie and Roger on Boru. Saturday morning we had a great pancake breakfast aboard Boru, thank you Susie. You’re a great pancake chef! Cruisers arrived all day many having stopped off at Filucy Bay or other places Friday night.
Saturday felt like summer with the sun shining all day long. We had our potluck at the picnic area so we could light up some charcoal and grill hamburgers and salmon burgers. Osa’s crew got a campfire going in the fire pit. But a strong westerly kicked up, driving everyone back to their boats. Our dinghy motor had quit. Thanks to everyone who pitched in and took stuff back to Getaway. And thanks Glen, the new Cruise Chair nominee, for the tow back. We owe you Dude.
The Commodore arrived Sunday morning aboard Brass Ring with Rob making it 17 SSSS sailboats with a total of 38 Cruisers, including a couple that came by car. Sailboats present were Getaway, Passages, Starbright, Sidetrack, Midnight Blue, Kaydee Marie, Koosah, Pax the Space Spider, Nightwind, Paraiso, Tushita, Cygnet, Boru, Moonshadow, Osa, Jabiroo, and Brass Ring. Terri Coe drove to the potluck and brought cookies which was our only dessert.
Most boats headed out Sunday morning in all different directions. Getaway, Starbright, Moonshadow, and Brass Ring stayed put for another night. We had a delicious impromptu dinner hosted by Micki and Rob aboard Brass Ring. Good wine, good food and great people. We all left Penrose pretty early Sunday to take advantage of the tides.
All in all it was just another great South Sound Cruise. We had the honor of hosting as your Cruise Chairs. We can’t say enough about the wonderful time we’ve had being Cruise Chair. We’ve gotten to know you all so much better and have come to think of you as our sailing family. We look forward to supporting Glen and Ann Hellman as they take the helm, and to continue Cruising with all of you. What a great Club we have! And it’s you Members who make it great! Keep on doing what we’re doin’, it’s workin’!
Dave and Mickie, Getaway
What a great cruising weekend we had for the McMicken Island Cruise this year! Sunshine, no rain and great sailing breezes were ours to enjoy and enjoy we did. We had 13 sailboats and 2 motor vessel guests with a total of 29 cruisers and 7 four-legged friends taking advantage of the wonderful weather and camaraderie.
We left Olympia on Friday and arrived at Jarrell Cove at 1700 hours with sun in the cockpit the whole way and throughout the evening. Saturday morning our crew of two able bodied grandsons arrived and we sailed off for McMicken. We arrived there around 1300 and with the buoys all taken we anchored, twice just to try out Getaway’s new electric windlass. Works like a dream. There is a picnic table on McMicken down by the spit. We all gathered there for a happy hour and potluck which was as usual outstanding. We had new cruisers from the Club and a couple of guests in power boats. What fun.
Sailboats present were Getaway, Lookfar, Swirl II, Mischief, Passages, Starbright, Sir Pending, Murrelet, Inati, Sidetrack, Midnight Blue, Kalakala, Kaydee Marie, and motor vessels Patina and Hoku Kai. All sails were raised for the trip home Sunday at least to the end of Harstine Island. Steve Stark and Barb Rosenbaum on Starbright headed back to Gig Harbor and saw Orcas on the way. Check out their story in Three Sheets NW with a great photo of the whales. All in all, another great cruising weekend for the SSSS. Hope to see you all on Memorial weekend at Penrose Point.
Your Cruise Chairs,
Dave and Mickie, Getaway
Aloha! The weather report sounded great, a high of 79, and low of 71. Of course, that was Hawaii. For the Hawaiian themed Cruise to Jarrell Cove, we were looking at 47 and 38.
Oh well, this is the Northwest and we’re sailors dang it, so off to the Big Island. The weather on Saturday for the sail out was overcast and cold but dry. We had a favorable tide running out Dana Passage through early afternoon. A nice Southerly breeze piped up around 1300 and several SSSS boats enjoyed a lovely late winter sail ‘round Hartstene Point.
Eleven boats made the event, eight comfortably at the dock with no rafting necessary, and three at the buoys. The boats in attendance were Sassy, Mary Linda, Passages, Sidetrack, Starbright, Midnight Blue, Skaga, Genesis, Thuli, Tushita, and Solace.
The potluck dinner, as usual, was ample, varied, and delicious. Most in attendance were sporting some sort of Hawaiian clothing or accessory. But alas, it was cold and rainy, the shelter small, and the fire smokey, so the evening ended a little early at around 2030.
Sunday morning was a fine one though. There was much dockside socializing with the usual sailing yarns and outright lies. Jarrell Cove State Park is worth exploring with its open fields, clean (and warm) restrooms with showers, and trails through the woods. We took a nice walk along some of the local country roads and out to the head of the cove.
Boats slowly started casting off and heading for home and by 1400, the last of us was motoring out – just in time to enjoy the winds, gusts, and squalls moving through. All in all, another fine Cruise. Thanks to the Cruise Chair for making it happen.
Glen & Ann Hellman, Midnight Blue
Cruise photos by Glen Hunter : by Glen HellmanThe plan was to be at Hope Island on Saturday the 18th. But with the terrible weather, by popular demand we postponed the Cruise to Sunday. Most folks had Monday off for Presidents’ Day so it worked out well. The weather was fine Sunday with a nice southerly so we all got to sail all the way to Hope Island. Getaway was the first to arrive with Passages and Sir Pending close behind. Soon Joel and Barbara sailed in on Maranatha and later John and Kathleen on Alethea.
We ate dinner aboard Passages, Val and Terry as always great hosts. It was fun to meet John and Kathleen who live in Grants Pass and keep their boat at Swantown. Alethea is a classic beauty, a Pearson 43 built in 1968 just like Getaway. Thanks to all who showed up and hope to see you at the Luau at Jarrell Cove on March 10th.
Dave Moorehead and Mickie Hale, Getaway
Here’s hoping this report finds you all well after the winter snow and ice event that left so many without power for days on end. Fortunately, because of the tides, we moved the joint Cruise from that awful weekend to the one following and the cruising weather gods were with us. We had sun on Friday, warmer temps on Saturday and though we had rain on Sunday, no snow or ice. Hooray! Let’s hope we’re done with that nonsense for this winter.
With the nicer weather came a great turnout for this special cruise. We had a total of 34 boats from both clubs. 11 OYC boats: Penny’s Loafer, Grand Finale, Kinship, Kiss Intel II, LaForza, Recess, Sunday’s Child, Two Lefties, Voyageur, Wolf Gang II, Carol. 8 OYC/SSSS boats: Balder, D’Lavicea, Inati, Kalakala, Murrelett, Sidetrack, Vintage, Voyager. And 15 SSSS boats: Getaway, Midnight Blue, Mischief, Passages, Pax the Space Spider, Penguin, Puelche, Skaga, Brass Ring, Swirl II, Katie Marie, PenOziequah, Khamsin, Maranatha, Sir Pending. With a total headcount of 79 fun loving cruisers.
Most took advantage of the two night offering from OYC with about 10 boats coming in on Saturday. A big thank you to Rick and Barb Bergholtz for doing all the registration and collecting the money, buying all the beverages for the thirsty boaters and the countless other things they did to make this Cruise such a success. And a special thank you to Myra, our Past Commodore, for all her efforts in the planning process and for being everywhere, doing everything all weekend long. OYC Commodore, Leslie Thompson, and Past Commodore, Carol Robinson, provided eye openers and a very special breakfast Sunday morning that was attended and appreciated by all. We just can’t thank the OYC officers and members enough for their generosity and camaraderie that made this joint cruise so wonderful.
We had a great appetizer potluck on Friday night with lots of hearty offerings that left no room for dinner. People visited and got to know each other, played games, and some that brought their instruments and jammed together. The clubhouse is warm and inviting and we all took advantage of that.
Saturday everyone kept busy visiting, greeting new arrivals, walking the trails and filling in their boat bingo cards. Some even found time to relax in the clubhouse and read or knit or jam with their fellow musicians. We shot the cannon, you knew there was going to be cannon, for a sunset salute, kicked off happy hour, and played the boat bingo game followed by another great potluck. The good fun and fellowship continued into the night.
Sunday we all woke to a soggy morning as the rain had started around 0300. But with coffee, eye openers, and a great breakfast to look forward to in a warm dry place it wasn’t hard to get up and start the day. And what a great breakfast it was with bacon, French toast casserole, breakfast burritos, and fruit salad prepared and served by the OYC commodores. Again a big thanks.
Well after the cleanup people started departing for home. Yeah we all had to slog home in the rain but with full bellies, a warm feeling of friendships old and new and lots of great memories to contemplate. If you’re not cruising with this great group of South Sound Sailors, you are really missing out on a super way to enjoy being on the water. Hope to see you out there!
Your SSSS Cruise Chairs,
Dave Moorehead and Mickie Hale, Getaway
New Years Day. What a beautiful way to start the new year and what a great morning to wake up on your boat. The sun shining in the cockpit, we have 4th of Julys in the Pacific Northwest where the weather isn’t this nice! Dave and I walked down to the Spar for breakfast and talked about the really great time had by all the night before. It’s hard to imagine that anyone could have had a better New Year’s Eve celebration.
We had five boats at Percival Landing. We kicked off the evening on Getaway with happy hour and appetizers. We had so much food the party could have stayed right there and no one would have left hungry. But of course that didn’t happen.
People kept coming so some moved on to Puelche, Rod and Christina Macaya’s boat lit up with Christmas lights. They hosted the soup/salad course and there were lots of wonderful contributions there. Two types of soup and three salads to sample from.
Then on to Terry and Val VanMeter’s boat Passages for the main course. There we had lasagna and chicken curry. Yes the boats were crowded, lots of people came. I counted at least 30 and I’m sure I missed some. But that just made it real cozy and lots of fun.
We finished up dinner around 1830 hours and about 20 of us walked down to the State theater for the Stardust show. What a great performance featuring “Charlie Chaplin”, “Marlene Dietrich” and “John Wayne” to name a few with lots of laughs and forties music and dance. There was a New Year’s champagne toast at midnight, New York time, then the show finished up. There was a raffle afterwards and two of our group had their names drawn, Joel Rhett and Steve Pippin.
And the party didn’t end there. Back to Percival Landing we went for champagne and dessert on D’Levicea, Debe and Terry Anderson’s boat. Apple crisp, pumpkin pecan pie, fudge and brownies, oh my! And Eric provided fortune cookies too. I learned if you add the words “in bed” to your fortune, hilarity ensues.
Of course with us as Cruise Chairs you know there just had to be cannon fire. And a New Year’s salute right at midnight is almost mandatory. Apologies to Frank and Lisa Mighetto on Murrelett, who were already tucked in. But it was the perfect ending to a really great celebration. Thanks to all who came with their wonderful food, happy faces and good company, because these cruises would be no fun without all of you.
Mickie and Dave, Getaway
The wine tasting cruise at Tugboat Annie’s Viewpoint Room was a great success with 17 entries of decorated wine bottles! A big thank you to all 40 Cruisers and guests who attended and to those that put their creative talents to work for this event. This year we had everyone put their name in the hat and drew three names to be our judges for the wine bottles. Our judging panel turned out to be Rod Tharp and George and Betty Hansen. Thank you for your consensus on our top three prize winners from so many really cool entries. The prize winners were:
3rd place – Suzie Schaffer, with a beautiful handcrafted mermaid complete with seashells, won some chocolate covered raspberry candies from Trader Joe’s
2nd place - Bill Hutchison, with a two-bottle bridge with racing sailboats below and matchbook cars above, won a rum party pack
1st place – Marti Walker, with a wonderful handmade Father Christmas, won a $25 gift certificate from Tugboat Annie’s
This really was a fun event with so many new and old Members and their guests attending. And as always lots of good food and many bottles of good wine. Be sure to attend the December Meeting/Potluck so you too can see all the wonderfully decorated wine bottles. And don’t forget to bring money so you can bid on and take home one of the entries. This is our big community fundraiser of the year with all proceeds going to our local food bank.
We have to say it again: these cruises are only fun because of all of you that show up. Attendees: Clark, Gloria and Robin, Kadee Marie, Lee and Shelli Scifers, Ludus Amoris, Barbara Emmons, Roger and Suzie, Boru, Ivan and Rhonda Leith, Tuuli, Glen and Irene Hunter, Sassy, Micki McNaughton, Stargazer, Rob Nelson, Brass Ring, Jim and Diana Findley, Skaga, Bill and Barb Hutchinson, Mystify, Marti Walker, Terri Coe, Gratitude, Paul and Nancy Smith, Terry and Debe Anderson, D’Lavicea, Tony and Glenna Cox, Kathy, Penguin, Wendy and Ken, Frank and Lisa Mighetto, Murrelet, George and Betty Hansen, Gudenuph, Gina and friend, Windswept, Rod Tharp, Pax, Joe and Myra Downing, Vintage, and proud to be your Cruise Chairs,
Dave Moorehead and Mickie Hale, Getaway
Photos by Bill HutchinsonFriday October 28th dawned mostly cloudy with a nice breeze out of the SSW wafting through Swantown Marina. Mickie and I were up and about by 0730. We’d slept over aboard Getaway the night before as we still had a lot of stuff to load onto the boat for the Cruise and we wanted to ride an ebb tide to Longbranch. Thankfully the tide was almost high and the ramp to I dock was close to level. Two cart loads of pumpkins made their way down to the slip and one by one we passed them off to each other through the forward hatch and down into the V berth. I told Mickie it looked like a pumpkin bird had made a nest in our V berth and laid a mess of pumpkins when we weren’t looking. Dave and Linda Knowlton were readying Koosah for departure on H dock at the same time. I mentioned to Dave “Maybe I’d re-draw my waterline with all the cruise stuff aboard.” Three coolers of wine, beer and pop, 32 pumpkins, 4 boxes of decorations, etc.
By 1100 we were underway with Koosah close behind. We had our headsail out by the 5 marker, the breeze was still out of the SW 8 to 12 kts and we had a lovely sail north up Budd Inlet with Koosah slowly but surely gaining on us. At Dofflemyer Pt. Dave took the inside and jibed down Dana Passage ahead of us. Ahh, an experienced racers’ tactic. When it came time for us to jibe, we turned, back-winded the headsail and POP! Soon as the lazy sheet became the working sheet the shackle let go and the sail flogged uselessly in the building wind. All I could do was furl it in and crawl out on the pulpit and re-attach it, losing us even more ground! Koosah noticed our dilemma and called up to see if there was any trouble. Mickie told what had happened and that we were OK.
Quite a ways ahead we could make out another sailboat already up to Johnson Pt. Turned out it was Suzie and Roger on Boru. Suzie was reporting winds of 15 gusting to 20 where they were blowing up Nisqually Reach. Koosah and Getaway were listening in and decided it’s time to furl in a little headsail. By the time we got to Johnson Point it was blowing 18 steady gusting to 24 kts. Well, this is fun! Romping along on a beam to close reach, SOG showing 6.5 kts under reduced headsail alone!
Then the rain started. I forget to thank myself for my dodger often enough, but not today. It kept us fairly dry until we rounded Devil’s Head and the wind and rain was driving into the cockpit on that point of sail. OK, this isn’t fun anymore, I’m getting wet, the wind is still building, now gusting to 28, and I’m getting tired of this! Pushing on ’til we could see the entrance to Filucy Bay it was time to furl the rest of the sail in and motor in and tie up. Phew! That last part wasn’t fun at all!
Once we got inside the bay though, the wind subsided and with a sigh of relief we pulled in right behind Koosah and Boru already tied up. Also there were 13 boats from Day Island Yacht Club med-tied side by side along the west dock. The rain turned to drizzle, the wind inside the bay eased and we settled in. Soon Vintage with Myra, Joe, Marty, and Joyce and Balder with Jack and Joanne and Pax the Space Spider arrived with Rod, Don, and Thera aboard. I was so glad! Don Waterhouse is a genuine take-charge guy. He took over dockmaster duties the next day. We mingled on the docks with the Day Island group, getting aquatinted with their folks. Mickie and I spent some time aboard Koosah chatting with Dave and Linda.
We finally got the pumpkins out of the V berth and into the cockpit so we’d have someplace to crash, but leaving no room to sit or visit on Getaway. With no plans for an organized dinner Friday evening we all gathered on Balder for a spur-of-the-moment potluck followed by a rum tasting session on Getaway that pretty much killed off a bottle of Zaya Rum. But what fun! Good friends, good rum, what more could a sailor ask for?
Saturday morning the Day Island group hosted an omelet breakfast for all the cruisers. Let me tell you, those guys have omelet making down to a science. Pick your ingredients from a table of fillings, and as quick as can be they whip you up a personal omelet to die for. What a great way to start the day.
The weather Saturday was picture perfect evolving from a low scattered cloud cover scudding through the tree tops to full-blown cloudless blue skies with moderate temperatures, that added to the overall mood of reverie that was emerging among the cruisers. We got many thanks from folks for ordering up such a fine day. We did put our order in early, and we hope we haven’t used up our good weather karma just yet.
Around noonish more South Sound boats began arriving and as mentioned Don the Dockmaster par excellence assumed the duties of squeezing and shoehorning sailboats into the increasingly crowded little marina, med-tying the first arrivals and rafting the rest when the dock space filled up. It was a sight to behold! Rafted 5 and 6 deep everybody got in securely. All the skippers maneuvered their boats into very tight quarters expertly, as if they did it all the time. Even the Day Island group was amazed how we squeezed everybody in. It made a body proud to be a South Sound sailor. All at the direction of Don Waterhouse. Thanks Don! You make it look so easy!
With the help of Joe and others we got the pumpkins moved from Getaway’s cockpit and down to the shelter so the pumpkin carving could begin. We wish we’d had more kids to carve pumpkins but only a few attended this cruise. All our kids or grandkids are too old or something I guess, to participate in this kind of silliness. Oh well, and here’s where I get to commend the adult kids for the great jobs they did carving pumpkins. I especially liked Tyler Creviston’s rendition of our SSSS burgee in a pumpkin. I wouldn’t have thought it could be done. And the Halloween cat by Michelle, I think, aboard Paraiso was also a work of art. All the pumpkins were excellent, but we had to award the best carving to the youngest carver from the Day Island group. I’m sorry I didn’t get his name. It could’ve been the first pumpkin he ever carved. He got some help from his Grandpa but that’s OK. I think we made his day and in the end, that’s what it’s all about.
Just before the joint potluck between DIYC and SSSS was to begin we did a sunset salute with the cannon, again to everyone’s approval. All I need is half an excuse to load the cannon and fire it! It’s fun to make noise with black powder!
The potluck dinner. Oh, the potluck dinner! I gotta say, us South Sounders, and those Day Islanders, know how to eat. The food was abundant, plentiful, and if anyone went away not satisfied it was their own fault. If I’m ever marooned on a desert isle like Gilligan the memories of our SSSS potlucks will stop my tummy from growling, at least for a little while … then probably make it growl even louder. How can people pack such good eats aboard boats? They’re supposed to small and austere, but not our group. We have some un-heralded master chefs amongst our numbers. Ahhh!
And the costumes, oh my! We had Wonder Woman make an appearance, Woo Hoo! She’s hot! Glad she’s on my boat! The Flintstones from Vintage, Capt. Hook and Tinkerbell from Windswept, Popeye and Olive from Pax, Raggedy Anne and Andy from PenOzequah, a couple pumpkins from Pandora, a couple of beautiful Sea Sprites from Gratitude, and some Alpiners from Cygnet in addition to a very scary ghoul and an evil looking witch, I’m still not sure from where they appeared. Out of the ether! All the costumes were excellent, but we had to give the best costume award to Rich and Michelle Wells from PenOzequah for Raggedy Anne and Andy. They were perfect! Thanks guys! You added that extra special touch to the party!
After dinner and everyone had eaten as much as they could hold the tables were moved aside. Don Waterhouse brought out another of his many electronic gadgets and proceeded to be the DJ for music. We danced, played air guitar, sang along and really shook that poor ol’ shelter at the marina. Talk about rocking the dock! I know it’s floating, but that shelter was bouncing to the weight of the dancers. We did ourselves proud! Even the DIYC people remarked “Now these are the kind of people we can party with!”
Sunday morning we somehow managed to rouse ourselves after an epic evening of partying and get to the shelter to help set up the waffle breakfast. Rod, Don and Thera had things under control as they’ve obviously done this before. With maybe the largest pot I’ve ever seen of waffle batter they set up a bonifide production line of the finest Belgian Waffles you’ll ever taste. Hot waffle griddles rotated and handed off like jugglers, which is really what they were, and Thera managing the sausages and Marty pouring waffle batter into the griddles non-stop and the vast array of toppings brought by all the cruisers we all had a breakfast befitting royalty. How much better could this Cruise get?
I’d say without reservation our Club held its own and maybe exceeded expectations of all who attended. Cruises like this one don’t happen because Mickie and I organized it. They happen because we’re all South Sound Sailors and we all show up to add to the gathering and camaraderie that exists when a bunch of us rag-baggers get together and combine our efforts. It’s true, the sum of 1+1 is more than 2. There’s that synergistic multiplier effect that comes into play.
Well, as my hero Jimmy Buffett says, “That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.” Or, it’s a “Semi-true story, believe it or not. I made up a few things and there’s some I forgot.”
Thanks to all who attended, those I’ve forgotten to mention and those who’d rather not be mentioned. And, a special thanks to the DIYC gang, especially Brian and Randall for your help pulling this off. I knew there were some cool powerboaters out there. You guys confirmed it for me.
Boats in attendance in no particular order: SSSS; Koosah, Passages, Getaway, Nauti Dog, Pandora, Paraiso, The Stargazer, Cygnet, Gratitude, Love Joy, Tushita, Pax the Space Spider, Balder, Sassy, Vintage, PenOzequah, Audria, Moment, Sir Pending, Puelche, Starbright, Windswept, Boru, and the crew of Magic Carpet. From DIYC; Island Fever, Sea You, Karisma, Cherl Lynn, Joint Venture, This Is It, Imagine, Foolish Pleasure, McYacht, Gail Winds, Trilogy, Island Suite, Class C Lass. AT best I count 57 souls from SSSS and 30 souls from DIYC along with 6 four-legged crew members.
Thanks y’all! Dave and Mickie, Getaway
Halloween Cruise photos by Richard WellsFriday September 30 Getaway finally got away from her slip in Swantown at 1430 with us, her crew Mickie and Dave, aboard for the ride to Hope Island where we planned a meet-up with other South Sounders. The plan was to hang out ’til Saturday morning and lead the SSSS contingent of boats up Hammersley Inlet at near high tide.
Already there on a buoy was Liberte with Debra and Rob aboard. There was one more empty buoy so we tied Getaway to it. Arriving shortly after was Windswept with Tyler and Gina aboard and Maranatha with Joel and Matt and Pam aboard. Since there were no more buoys open, we rafted both boats alongside, one to port, one to starboard.
Rafting is a neat way to share a buoy or an anchor. Generally speaking, one wants sufficient fenders between the boats to prevent crunching together, bow and stern lines while keeping the spreaders on the boats purposefully mis-aligned with spring lines so they don’t foul each other as the boats inevitably rock side to side.
Not having rafted much, I learned a cool trick from Tyler on Windswept. Around 4 or 5 the following morning a fender or two between our boats started squeaking annoyingly as the boats shifted a little with passing waves. I tried to ignore it, but after 20 minutes or so I was just about to haul myself out of bed and re-adjust something when it quieted down. I breathed a sigh of relief and fell back asleep. The next morning I asked Tyler if he heard it and he replied, “Yeah. My solution is a little dishwashing soap on the hulls!” He’d gotten up and squirted a little on our hulls and the squeaking stopped. Good idea! I’ll file that one away for future reference.
Everyone was up and about around 0830 so we started up and untied our raft and along came George and Betty on Gudenuph! Alright! We now had a 5 boat parade to motor up the inlet.
Hammersley Inlet is a lovely cruise and we rode a dying flood tide most of the way in. I saw a 7.1 knot SOG on my GPS a couple times. I love it when I get a push from the tidal current. Upon arriving at the marina in Oakland Bay we peeked inside and it looked a little crowded at first glance so we milled around outside deciding what to do.
About that time Greg McMahon the SYC Port Captain called out on VHF to sailboats outside Shelton Marina and invited us in but we’d have to raft up with boats already inside. So we sent in Windswept and Gudenuph first, followed by Getaway and Maranatha. Liberte opted to anchor out. Getaway rafted to a huge powerboat that looked down on everything except our masthead. But it worked out fine, we were able to cross his swimdeck to get to the dock.
Needless to say, Oysterfest was great! Mason Transit provided free transportation from the marina. We gobbled up more oysters than I can count, listened to some good music near the beer tent, sampled a few wines at the wine tasting building and poked fingers in the touch tanks. The weather was pleasant with only a hint of drizzle once and very short lived. I can’t speak for all, but my favorite dish was the Boy Scout Troop 110’s grilled oysters on the half-shell with garlic butter. I know I ate more than 10. George said his favorite was the panko-fried oysters.
Back to the marina about 1630, again via a free ride on Mason Transit. It was time to prepare for the potluck dinner at the SYC clubhouse at 1900. During dinner we had a great opportunity to get to know the folks who make up Shelton Yacht Club. They were all very gracious and genuinely glad we’d made the trip to join them. They waived moorage fees for all attendees for the weekend. And they do have T-shirts with “I survived Hammersley Inlet” emblazoned across the front, although they were all gone by the time I decided to buy one.
The next morning SYC put on a great breakfast of your-choice-of-ingredients in a personally made omelet with croissants and fresh fruit and morning beverages. Again they went beyond expectations to make us feel welcome.
After breakfast and as the tide was high at about 1130 the South Sound cruisers decided to start the run down Hammersley for home. Getaway eased aside after Maranatha departed to allow the huge powerboat to depart, as he had to go all the way back to Lake Union. We departed at 1115 after thanking our hosts at SYC for their hospitality and a great cruise destination.
I think I can speak for all in our group and say we all had a terrific time, and hope that future Cruise Chairs can work this in as a regular scheduled Cruise. Thanks to all who attended, hope you all had as much fun as Mickie and I had.
Mickie & Dave
Friday September 23rd dawned as a pretty nice day for the first day of fall. The sun was shining and predictions for an 80 degree day were holding true. By the time we got all the gear gathered up for the Cruise and pumped out it was 1420. Away we went motoring north in Budd Inlet without a hint of any wind but lots of warm sunshine.
A turn east in Dana Passage put the afternoon sun right in the cockpit, Mickie’s favorite. North up Case Inlet, east of Herron Island., Windy Bluff became visible, marking the entrance to Vaughn Bay. The tide was ebbing, but there was plenty of water to get in, although it was running out of the bay like a little creek. Already there were Bob and Max on Sir Pending and Joel and John on Maranatha, we set our hook in 15 feet of water between them.
Saturday morning we went ashore to explore the spit and claim a spot for the evening’s festivities. We’d brought along an axe, hammer, saw and a few nails in case there was enough driftwood to build a makeshift table. We met up with Joel and John and decided on the location for our camp. We left the tools and went back to Getaway for supplies: beer, pop, wine, and water. Those two proceeded to construct a fine potluck table out of scraps on the spit. Thanks guys! I predict it’ll be there for next year’s; Cruise!
As the afternoon wore on, a few cruisers drifted in. Mickie worried that there might not be enough boats to have her boat-to-boat scavenger hunt but after 10 boats were in we decided to go ahead with it. I dinghied around and handed out shopping bags donated by Bayview Thriftway with the list of items to be scavenged while Mickie stayed aboard Getaway to hand out items to the hunters. Surprise! It turned out to be a big hit with cruisers dinghying from boat to boat gathering things on the list. Folks were even hitting up arriving boats before they could get their hooks down. We were cracking up watching people approach arriving boats. Since it was a race as well as a hunt, the first to hand in their completed list would win. Rick Giles on Moment was first to hand his in, but he was missing a marshmallow. Next were Joel and John and they had a complete list of items including a marshmallow, so they won the prize, a $25 gift certificate from Thriftway.
We got supplies ashore about 1630 for the potluck. At 1730 I fired our cannon to signal 30 minutes to dinner. As usual, the food was awesome! Everything from lasagna to salad, steamer clams, roast beef to a lemon cake and apple pie. Us South Sounders really know how to eat well.
We decided to do a sunset salute with the cannon, so at 1907 I lit it off again to the enjoyment of all. The echo return from the far shore was about fifteen seconds later and surprised even me with its strength. The campfire was lit, everyone gathered around and warmed up. Around 2030 it was getting quite dark with no moon out to light the bay, cruisers began departing the spit for their boats. I delivered Marty and Hans back to Pax and in the process realized I hadn’t secured the dinghy painter so it promptly found the outboard propeller and wrapped itself up. Thanks to the bioluminescence I was able to swish my hand in the water and see enough to unwrap it. I motored back to the spit and picked up my partner Mickie who’d stayed ashore to tidy up. We found our way back to Getaway and climbed aboard.
During the night the rain and wind came in. I guess some had to re-set their hooks. I slept like a log right through it all missing all the excitement. Dang!
Sunday morning dawned blustery with patchy sunshine and occasional showers moving through. As the tide was ebbing most delayed departure ’til after the low at about 1040. We went ashore and looked over the spit at Case inlet. Wow! Whitecaps as far as could be seen, right out of the south. It looked to be blowing 15 to 20 kts out there.
We hoisted our anchor at 1300, and it seemed like we had half the bottom on it as it came up. Please Santa; bring Davey an electric windlass for Christmas! I guess I set it pretty well on Friday. Probably why we didn’t drag and slept so soundly. We motored out of the bay right into the teeth of the blow. Right behind us was Thom and Teresa on Heather and Bob and Max on Sir Pending, followed by Windswept. I got one good picture of Thom’s boat half out of the water!
With a fetch of 12 miles up Case Inlet the wind pushed up wind waves 2-4 feet. The only place else I’ve seen those conditions was crossing the Strait of Wanta Puka last year. ’Course those were on the beam and we rolled instead. We pounded pretty hard against winds 18 to 24 with gusts to 30 most of the way to Herron Island. There we all ducked behind and had a respite from the wind. Of course Pax passed us about that time.
The rest of the way was a little easier, and we finally arrived back at Swantown at 1830. It took 3 1/2 hours to get there Friday, and 5 1/2 hours to get home. Total trip mileage 40.6 nm.
Our thanks to all who attended and helped make this our first Cruise as Cruise Chairs so enjoyable, for cleaning up so well afterwards, us South Sounders are a tidy bunch too, a special thanks to Joel and John for the fine buffet table they built, and to Alex and Joel for the Danish delivery boat to boat Sunday morning. Really hit the spot!
Boats in attendance were; Sir Pending, Maranatha, Getaway, Passages, Windswept, Fjord, Murrelet, Koosah, Swirl II, Moment, Pax the Space Spider, Nightwind, Heather, Skaga, and Puelche. There were 33 cruisers at the potluck and 3 four-legged friends.
Dave and Mickie, Getaway
Koosah was anchored in Vaughn Bay for the Commodores’ Cruise September 24th and 25th. Saturday was a wonderful day: Calm, warm with 15 boats enjoying a fun potluck on the spit. All knew however, that there was a menacing front on the way.
At 0300 hours, what sounded like a freight train running wildly down the track increased, emulating a Boeing 747 on takeoff. Anticipating what was about to occur, on went the polypropylene, the foul weather gear, and the engine. The wind increased; then the rain.
Climbing up the companion way stairs, I could see this huge ship passing on Koosah’s starboard side! Out of the darkness, over the howling wind, one could hear a Scottish brogue: “Jo, we are drifting!” As Swirl II slowly moved downwind, her anchor dragging, spotlights from around the bay illuminated her path. Once past Koosah, the danger was over. Swirl II’s anchor finally held as it slipped past Windswept and Tyler Creviston’s crew.
The fun however was just about to begin! In the darkness two anchor lights were slowly moving down wind. Nightwind and Maranatha had rafted together and were dragging anchor. To quote Alex Bromen, skipper of Nightwind: “It was sheer terror for a good while; guardian angels worked overtime! I discovered that flannel pajamas make lousy foul weather gear.”
I asked Alex if he saw Koosah’s reflective tape? “Reflective tape? All I saw were the headlights of your amazed eyes, your bow, and your anchor rode stuck under my rudder. With Joel Rett’s deck lights on I had very little night vision to see other boats as we tried to keep our boats under control and weave back through the fleet to find a spot and make another attempt to anchor. We were ultimately successful by treating our combined boats as a dual engine power boat against a strong headwind. Joel’s alertness and seamanship saved the night, and our respective boats. Mary Winkler also rose to the occasion and we were thankful to have John White crewing for Joel. It was a team effort with some pretty good crew coordination.”Joel added: “I guess 70’ of rode was not enough for two boats on a single anchor. It was a perfect storm of high tide, high winds, wild swings to each side of the anchor and probably not enough scope.”
As all were looking east down Vaughn Bay as Puelche, with Skipper Rodrigo Macaya, was slowly moving downwind! We weren’t sure if they were dragging or just letting out more scope.
Throughout this exciting experience, the bay was lit up with spotlights from Fjord, Passages, Pax the Space Spider, and a orange laser-like light from Frank Mighetto aboard Murrelett.
Around 0400 the wind died, the rain continued. All anchors seemed to be holding fast .
Koosah departed around 0600 in order to escape the bay before the falling tide locked everyone in. We missed the fresh pastries that Mary brought around to every boat in the bay. Alex said they were reparations for the anchor drill earlier in the morning! Later it was announced that Dave and Mickie, our Cruise Chairs, slept through the entire night!
Another wonderful and exciting weekend on the water!
Dave Knowlton, Koosah
The four woman crew of Liberte awoke at the break of dawn to get to the boat at a decent hour from Portland. The captain’s goal was to leave the dock without going aground on the noon minus tide. Even with our late arriving crew member we shipped out of Swantown by 1130, keeping a few feet of water under the keel through the channel.
It was a day most notable for its forever changing conditions. Clouds mixed with sun, winds 3-9 knots shifting from SW to W, yet enough to sail all the way to Jarrell Cove with a beautiful 6 hours on the water. Skipper Debra had her 19 year old daughter Rosi and her best friend Olivia on board for the first time and their first sail. Rosi did some driving while Olivia learned about winches and turned out to be an award-winning short order sandwich chef. Being new to her vessel and the Sound, every destination is an exploration and Debra had been looking forward to seeing the famous Jarrell Cove all season.
There were no disappointments. Even with our late arrival, there was still 1 mooring buoy left close to the T-shaped dock. With 3 or 4 passes in the strongest wind of the day and despite having to dodge the two part dinghy stowed on the bow, crew Becky skillfully grabbed the hook. It was the buoy right next to the dock so we made great entertainment for those tied up. Omega was one of them, whose boat partner was a Member and appreciated our friendly introduction and invitation. Our friends Mary Jane and Charlie Irwin had long secured Kiwanda’s anchorage nearby. There was not another SSSS burgee to be seen.
Former Member Sam and pet Jack Russell, Joey, from Pegasus just happened to be rowing by as Becky and I were assembling Charlie’s hand built dinghy I was trying out for the occasion. We were, quite ungraciously, lowering her under the lifelines and down the hull when he came to the rescue and caught the little rower easing her into the cove as Charlie observed, aghast.
My crew of three rowed on in while I gathering the food and tidied up from the sail. Bob, a friendly power boater from the dock, was hovering around in his own electric-powered dinghy and chivalrously offered to be my taxi service. I graciously accepted albeit without a dropped handkerchief in respect to his wife on board. Mary Jane was waiting for me on the dock and we hiked up to the picnic tables to look for any other SSSSs.
Ann and Tony from Pleiades had set up on one of the covered picnic tables with a pressure cooker filled with delicious pork and hominy. Glen and Irene of Sassy introduced themselves. The ten of us enjoyed an animated potluck overlooking the cove. It was a cool summer evening calling for a light fleece true to 2011 midsummer form.
As the little party broke up a park ranger came looking for the owner of Kiwanda as a guest had suggested, incorrectly of course, that her anchor was not holding. I am sure that added a little unneeded adrenaline to Mary Jane and Charlie’s celebratory ending of their month-long cruise northward and into Canada.
Numerous little boys fished from the dock until dusk leading into a very quiet night afloat. Sunday a.m. was cloudy and cool, with ominous clouds and a fast moving outgoing tide. Nonetheless I was committed to a good trial row of that dinghy and my crew to her photography. I rowed to the end of a lovely inlet where three boats were tied to a raft below an elegant home.
Kiwanda, Pleiades, and Sassy were gone by the time we untied at 1300 for a fast motor home, riding the tide with barely a wind directly on our bow all the way. A few sprinkles fell and there were a few sun breaks on Sunday, funny name for this day.
More than a few henna tattoos were drawn by the teens on their hands and feet. It was an all art day for them. This included a few tunes from the cockpit by Rosi on her ukulele. A few seals threw themselves out of the water in Budd Inlet, taunting us it seemed. In just over three hours we were pumped out and back in the slip. It was short, sweet and a place I look forward to revisiting for a hike and hours in the cockpit with a great novel.
Boats in attendance:
Liberte: Debra, Becky, Rosi and Olivia
Kiwanda: Charlie and Mary Jane Irwin
Pleiades: Tony and Ann and the elusive kids who stayed on board
Sassy: Glen and Irene
Saturday June 18th dawned drizzly and foggy in Budd Inlet. Since we were buddy-boating with Debra Glasser and her crew Lisa Heigh aboard Liberte, we decided to put off departure from Swantown until noon. Also we had a new swab on board, Mickie’s nephew Jared. So in the finest Capt. Ron tradition he was relegated to taking out the trash and pushing the dock cart up the steep ramp. Being his first sailboat ride I wanted to impress upon him the hierarchy of sea service. “Hey swab, listen up. Now the way it works shipboard, ya do yer job, ya do it good, ya get a better job. Learned that in re-hab, Boss.”
It meant we’d be bucking a flood tide, but better that than getting separated in poor visibility. So we wandered over to the Oly Farmers’ Market for a hearty send off breakfast of crab cakes benedicts at Dinghy’s. The weather improved as the morning wore on and by noon both boats were underway. By 5 marker we had our canvas up enjoying a beam reach sail in 7 to 11 knots of wind up Budd Inlet. In Dana Passage it turned into a downwind run, we tried a little wing on wing, not my favorite sail configuration, and sure enough thanks to the inattentiveness of the helmsman, me, a couple of accidental jibes occurred.
Past Johnson Point it became another beam reach on starboard tack all the way to Lyle Pt. where the flooding tide eddied around the point making progress almost impossible. At one point we hove to in order to allow Liberte to catch up. We did sail around the point and as soon as the entrance to Oro Bay came into sight, we doused the sails and motored in.
Already there and rafted were Terry and Val VanMeter aboard Passages and Rick and Ann Giles aboard Moment. Anchored solo was Charlie and MaryAnn Erwin aboard Kiwanda. Liberte decided to raft up with Kiwanda so we anchored close by solo.
We’d never been to an Oro Bay Cruise before so without further ado it was time to fire up the dinghy and go up to the head of the bay to check out the spread the Engvalls had laid out. And what a spread! The weather was still kind of iffy, and they had set up portable shelters and picnic tables and chairs for the arriving cruisers, along with a grill with chicken nicely cooking. The tide was in our favor too. If one doesn’t pick a high tide to go ashore there is a formidable mudflat to navigate. This time the tide was rising and we all were able to dinghy to shore.
After much camaraderie and food, the cruisers made their ways back to their respective boats and tucked in for the evening.
The following morning the rafts separated, good-byes passed around and everyone set sail for home.
Once again, I’d like to thank the Engvall clan for hosting our Cruise. You folks really went way beyond the call of duty to make everyone welcome and comfortable. Thank you so much!
And if he wasn’t scared off, nephew Jared might just get promoted to Mate one day.
Boats in attendance: Passages, Moment, Kiwanda, Liberte, and Getaway.
Dave &: Mickie, incoming Cruise Chairs
I had all the good intentions of getting off the dock on Friday and at least get halfway to Penrose Park. I had visions of sitting on the hook and enjoying a Barley Pop or perhaps some other libation containing the nectar of potatoes with a couple of olives. But as life has a way of changing your priorities, I found myself pretty pooped when I going home from work on Friday. I plopped down on my couch after a piece of pizza pie and fell fast asleep. So much for getting off the dock Friday night. To make matters worse, I had not seen much of this very attractive woman that I just happen to live with, and I kind of wanted to spend some time with her. Long story short, I ended up sleeping in of Saturday. I had even planned to get up early be at Penrose by noon. But that didn’t happen either.
I did drag my sorry butt down to the dock around noon and was off the dock by noon thirty. It was just an absolutely a fantastic day. Sun was out and it was actually warm. Running up Budd Inlet I passed the late start racers. Not much wind to contend with. As I rounded Dofflemyer Point I past Relief and Koosah then Power Surge. Because of my late start I had to buck the currents up Dana Passage. I ran the south shoreline to catch the back eddies and did pretty good job of keeping my speed above six knots. Pitt Pass was no problem. The shallowest I saw was 20 feet below the keel. Puelche ran up on me near Wyckoff Shoals. When I arrived in Mayo Cove, where there were several rafts building. Seems I was one of the late arrivals. Pearl was kind enough to let me raft up to them.
The potluck was its normal cornucopia of goodness. Okay I have to admit I made three turns through the line. The sun was shining warmly on us all. As the sun started to set the temperatures started to drop. Most folks made their way back to their boats. The Ripples on Paraiso brought some fire wood so a small contingency of South Sounders made their way to the fire ring and enjoyed the warmth of the fire late into the night.
Sunday was not as nice as Saturday weather wise, but it was relatively warm. Some of the South Sounders made their way to Oro Bay, Jarrell Cove and others back to Olympia. I stayed in Mayo Cove with a half dozen other SSSS boats. I spent the day sailing my little sailing dinghy. Now as this happens every year, there is a raft of boats that drags anchor and drift. This year it just so happen to be our raft that started to drift. Originally the wind was out of the north when the raft formed. Late Saturday evening the wind shifted to the south. Sunday afternoon the winds started to build. The raft swung around 1800. Pearl has a 55 pound CQR anchor out and paid out 200 feet of chain. When the wind shifted the anchor flipped and did not reset.
Will of Lovejoy was visiting. We were all sitting in the cockpit chatting when Will says “Hey you’re drifting.” I look out and see Pax and Argos flying by. I look behind us and see that we are closing on a big raft very fast. I ran up to the bow and tossed out my anchor. I started to pay out line and realized that we would hit the raft before I could set the anchor. At the same time the only person on Pearl, Marci, was reading a book. She jumped up and ran to the bow, got to the windless and stopped. We both realized that we did not know how to operated Pearl’s windless. I ran back to the cockpit and told Annette to toss me the keys to start the motor, she did and I turned over the motor and it just clicked. Now what? Annette quickly crossed connected the house battery bank with the starter battery and the motor came to life. I gunned the motor and halted the imminent collision. We kept the boats in place with the motor until Bob and crew made it back from shore. Then we maneuvered the boats safely away from the other raft and put out two anchors. No harm, no foul. The remainder of the evening was quite. We had dinner on Pearl. Everyone turned in early.
Monday morning the raft broke apart early. We had a quite morning. By 09:00 I ran Annette back to shore and pulled up anchor and headed back to Oly. The trip home was uneventful. It was a nice way to end my tenure as Cruise Chair.
Boats and Crews in attendance in no particular order: Cygnet, Storm Seeker, Getaway, Argos, Puelche, Koosah, Sidetrack, Paraiso, Swirl II, Lovejoy, Passages, Pleiades, Pax, Sassy, Gratitude, Power Serge, Vintage, Pen Oziequah.
See you on the water ...
Mark Welpman, Cygnet
Outgoing Cruise Chair
