2015

BIRTH OF A CRUISER

So it ’15, I’m in Port /Townsend, Wa and have survived hurricane winds because I wasn’t watching weather (see Watching Weather) and I’m trying to find a place to put a rebuilt Yanmar 3GM30F 27 hp continuous, in Thalia to replace the aging, and twice rebuilt by me, Yanmar 3GMD, 20 hp continuous. I could’ve easily rebuilt it again, it’d always been fresh water cooled, but I was lusting after the extra 7 hp, hey, it’s 35% and hot to try out the Autostream feathering prop I’d picked up in Malaysia, just have to install it. (see Propellers) But not here, I can’t even find a dock that’ll let me tie up to switch engines using halyards,( it’s an easy job, I’ve had the engine out quite a few times), without 3rd party insurance and that’ll mean a survey. I’ve been sailing for a while and I’ve yet to have insurance, I’ve never hit anyone that I know of and have only been hit once. Ok, there’s been a certain amount of good fortune involved there, but I’d rather be lucky than good. Then I remember where I cleared into the USA, Port Angeles, Wa, Marina those guys were pretty cool, they laughed like hell when I cleared with Immigration and Customs. I anchored Thalia 100 meters out from the marina entrance and dinghied into the dock and called on the direct dial phone and was told to wait that the people would be 15 min, no problem. Two guys arrive soon in uniforms and ask “Where’s the boat?” I point to Thalia “About 100 meters out.” The guy looks incredulous and says “You know it’s customary to bring the boat to the Customs dock, right here.” “Oh sorry man, the last time I cleared into the USA was Fl in ’02.” I grovel “Well, we’ve changed things a bit, you by yourself?” He asks “Yes, but I can bring the boat here or you out there, whatever you like.” Really groveling now, it’s been a while since I cleared into the USA but I know these are the last people you want to antagonize. “Oh, what the hell.” He sighs “We can do it here, do you have your paperwork?” Absolutely. The marina guys were good enough to be quiet while this went on, only falling about the place laughing until I was legal and the officials were gone. So I phoned them from Port Townsend and asked “Hey, do you remember the cruiser who cleared Customs and Immigration on your dock from his dinghy?” “Sure George, how are you doing?” came the response. I explained that I needed to switch an engine and a dock that wasn’t going to bust me for no insurance. “No problem, when will you arrive? We’ve got a fixed crane that’ll make that an easy job.” I thanked them told them I could do it using halyards and we’d need the dock for +/- 10 days and I’d be there in 3 wks when the already ordered engine was shipping. I’d been in contact with an old Caribbean cruising buddy, who has since swallowed the anchor and lives on the strait between Vancouver Island and the mainland, while sailing across from japan. He promised to help. Cool, Norm is good people, so when I phoned and told him it was going to be Port Angeles he said “Nice place, I’ll see you there.” “Hey man, want one last chance to get wet and salty on a trip to Mexico?” I inquired “Nah, I’m too busy getting the house ready for winter, but if you want crew I know a guy that’d be interested. Call me in 3 days I’ll talk to him and let you know, he lives close to Port Townsend.” He replied “Cool, thanks man, call you in 3.” Was my response. So 4 days later I met Dan, nice guy, has a 35’ Baba, not a lot of experience, just in Puegot Sound and a life dream to take the boat to New Zealand, an admirable goal. I loved New Zealand, Thalia didn’t make it, we left her in Australia. You see when Debrae, a flat amazing sailor and an all around nice lady and I sailed north from American Samoa to Canton Is in the Phoenix group of the Kirabati Is, we broke the forestay chainplate in 12 kts of wind on the beam, didn’t lose the stick and were underway again in less than an hour with a stainless steel jury rig bunch of shackles. There was no way I’d trust it to an arduous trip to New Zealand, but no problem for a downwind run to Australia. Debrae and I flew to Dunedin on the south Island from Brisbane with mountain bikes and camping gear (yeah, we had it on the boat, no wonder the poor girl is overloaded) and spent 2 mths “freedom camping”, which means setting up a tent in other folks sheep pastures. It was magic. Anyway, back to Dan, we headed out to Thalia and he pronounced her good to go, she’d already done about 6 or 7,000 mi from Malaysian Borneo, through the Philippines and half way up Japan before sailing across to Vancouver Is and she looked it. But Dan saw past the obvious hard use and asked “Can I come to Mexico?” Hell yes. Truth to tell I don’t like long distance sailing, I think it’s 97% boredom, 2% bliss and 1% terror, you try to minimize the terror part, I’ve done a fair amount of singlehanding and crew is always welcome. Dan also said he wanted to help with the engine switch out, was that ok? Hell yes. Dan and Norm were both huge help and we were ready to go in 11 days with minimal cursing and problems, Dan’s wife cooked a huge amount of food, we just barely got it in the freezer, provisioned up and sailed direct to San Diego. There’s a Pactor/Sailmail system on Thalia and we were keeping a close watch on the weather, it was end of Sept and the weather can change rapidly in the pacific northwest. The only time we got any serious wind was a couple of days of 30 – 35 kts from the NW we knew it was coming and gave Cabo Blanco 125 mi of sea room and broad reached on a small jib hanked on to a removable inner forestay/backstay set up I’d installed before leaving Toronto. Dan did fine until the following seas got big and confessed that watching them made him nervous. “Look forward, they’re less ominous that way.” Was my advice. He agreed that was a good idea. We cleared out in San Diego after anchoring there for 10 days, entered Mexico at Ensenada. Other than it being the most expensive check in of my life it was easy, half the expense was the compulsory 3rd party Mexican insurance, 1st insurance since dock insurance in Toronto. We continued south playing cards and a lot of backgammon and talked about plans for getting his boat ready, we got on very well, until typhoon Grace reared her nasty head. “A category 5 typhoon is predicted to hit the Mxn coast around Manzanillo, I think it was, this is the most powerful typhoon to ever threaten the pacific coast.” Droned the weather warnings. We’d left Bahia Tortuga a couple of days before and were around 600 mi north of her predicted landfall. Dan looked at me with obvious alarm and stated “ We’re turning north. Yes.” “No, we’re way north of it, it won’t have any effect on us.” I said “I think the prudent thing would be to go north in case it turns.” He argued. “Well, we can easily get updates on position and course every 12 hrs, if it does turn so will we.” I explained. Dan continued to argue until I lost patience and told him “Look Dan, the only way you’re going north unless we turn the boat is to get out and swim and right now there’s no reason to turn the boat.” Dan sulked for a day or so until it was obvious that Grace wasn’t turning and when she made landfall apologized for doubting my decision, he realized, he said that I wasn’t going to put either Thalia or myself at risk and became his normal self. We rounded Cabo san Lucas and started anchoring our way up to La Paz, where he departed as per our original plan.

Good guy Dan, excellent crew, did everything I asked, was reliable on watch and even liked my cooking, especially blackened fish, which we ate a lot of. Why else would you keep a cast iron frying pan on board? He claimed to have learned a lot between helping me fix Thalia and sailing her, not that we ever steered except in harbor or anchoring and he resolved to upgrade the autopilot on his Baba and did. The last time I heard from him he’d sailed her down to San Diego and planned to jump off for the south pacific and New Zealand in Feb, following his dream. Maybe that’s what this cruising lifestyle is all about, the opportunity to follow your dreams. George and Thalia

“If I’m lyin’…”