here's what happens when a 700 ft ship going 20 knots hits a 20 ft wave going 20 knots in the other direction.

the ocean

I'm in a warm, dry coffeeshop in fremont, and all I can think about is what's going on off of cape flattery. Cape Flattery is the northwestern-most point in washington state, and is a literal turning point from sailing westward out of the straights of Juan de Fuca, to sailing southbound in the Pacific Ocean. It is also a figurative turning point in many ways for me. Its there that the voyage actually begins in my mind. It will most probably be a downhill run in the prevailing northwesterly wind, and so at that point, a sailing vessel is farily committed. Once that left hand corner is turned, to turn back would be..... harder. Its that left turn that I've been thinking about for so many years now. I passed those swell soaked rocks many times this spring and looked at them intently through binoculars from the stable deck of my containership and imagined that left turn, toward the warm south seas, away from the familar, entrapping Puget Sound. I fully expect the moment to be anticlimactic in reality, but its still going to be a very real point of departure.

7 Days!

Well. 7 days. Thats a little nervewracking. The boat is getting closer and closer to being ready and I think there's only a handful of small things to do. I think we can make it out by the 24th. We have a buddy boat that will be making the trip down to san francisco and they hope to leave the same time as us. I'll hope to post a picture of them soon.

I spent the entire day yesterday working, and made lots of progress stowing all of the stuff that just been piling up. She is actually looking yachtlike again and not like just a damp storage unit.

I think the time has come to spread the word about the blog, so feel free to pass it on if anyone is interested. Hopefully something interesting will happen sooon so then I can blog it.

This picture is my new home, Ewing St. Moorings. 624 West Ewing if anyone wants to find it online. My boat is just to the right of those boathouses with the red roofs. Its home to a motley collection of about-to-sink project boats. A perfect place to cause a rukus and savor my last weeks in seattle. Hopefully there will be a going away party here on the 22nd.

taking a day off

today I played bad golf with my dad. and also build a cradle to keep the liferaft in place on deck. The liferaft is a fairly important item, and so I'm feeling good about early AM departure on the 24th. if we get underway at 4 am we'll have a 3 knot ebb current pushing us toward port townsend and we should make it there in the early afternoon for a nap and a trip to Sirens.

preparations continue

Changing a light bulb takes 4 hrs on a sailboat! This is me up the rig putting in my new LED masthead Tricolor bulb. The best view is from aloft. I moved the boat yesterday to a new marina., Ewing Street Moorings. Its like a working maritime museum. I think I'm going to stay here as longs as possible before departure. Come visit.

Allah Shore

A departure date has been tenatively set for Sunday, September 23rd. The going away party will be held the evening of the 22nd. It should be at Shilshole? Sula is now in the Canal, bouncing around from one marina to the next, inching toward the salt water. The final crew list has been set. Dan, a professional sailor from the bay area, answered my posting on 38 north, and although I haven't met him, I'm sure will be quite an asset on the trip south to SF. My good friend John Wray is a professional writer from Brooklyn and despite the fact that he has no sailing experience, brings a great wit and unending fortitude in the face of constant danger and annoyance. I had the pleasure of joining John on his rafting trip down the mississippi river, and although it was a fairly dangerous and frazzling experience, my friendship with John emerged even stronger and the trip was an experience I'll think about fondly and often for the rest of my life.

So, crew, friends, family, anyone. Come to Shilshole Bay Marina on Saturday Sept 22nd and meet the crew and send them off to the wild blue yonder proper.