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06-16-2013, 01:01 PM
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#1
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Guru
City: Tri Cities, WA
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,406
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Journey of a Lifetime
Well here we are, cruising merrily along at 10kts. We got an early start out of the marina right at 0500 and after a short wait to get into the Ballard Locks we went through without any hitches and now we’re in salt water.
I suppose I should start this with a mention of our trip over to Seattle. I was just a bit anxious to get there so I kicked up the speed a bit and we had a great trip over the Cascade mountains and got to Seattle ahead of schedule. We got to the boat, unloaded all the food and gear and had plenty of time before our “briefing” that Stuart had arranged. We were fortunate to have a neighbor of Stuart’s who was a career USCG officer give us some insight into what we could expect as we went down the coast. Rolland also brought along a stack of paper charts of the entire trip that he left with us. Nice guy that Rolland is. Thank you sir.
Following the briefing we started our dock party. We had friends, relatives and business associates of Stuarts show up and wish us well. A good time was had by all as we shared some funny tales about our boating experiences. I had my first screw up as chef ….I didn’t plan anything for last night’s dinner. I hadn’t even thought about it until the dock party was in full swing and someone asked what we were eating for dinner. Oops. I completely forgot about dinner. I hate it when I miss something like that. No big deal though. We borrowed a car and went up to a pizza joint and had a great pizza and a pitcher of PBR. Nice way to start the cruise.
It’s now about 7:30, we’re well out into Puget Sound (I know, the “new name” is supposed to be Salish Sea, but I ain’t a PC kinda guy!!!) heading toward Port Townsend. It’s sunny, calm, no wind, high thin clouds and just about as perfect as one could ask. LIFE IS GOOD!!!
It's 0900, we're abreast of Port Townsend cruising along at 10kts. If you're interested in watching our progress you can go to...
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/def...px?level0=100#
Look in the lowest of the three windows on the upper left side and type in Following Seas. It will automatically find us and show our track.
We're now in about a 3' chop that's right on the bow. We have some spray coming over the bow and we're bouncing around a bit. Doug has a 'sea sick watch' that I'm going to put on because of my vertigo issues. I'll let you know how it works.
This boat is beautiful. It has lots of room, as you would expect on a boat of this size. The staterooms are about the same size as on my boat but the galley and salon are larger. More on that later.
I'm going to quit for now and get this posted. It's hard to type on a keyboard that is bouncing.
__________________
Mike and Tina
1981 Boston Whaler 13'
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06-16-2013, 01:45 PM
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#2
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Guru
City: Longboat Key, FL
Vessel Name: Bucky
Vessel Model: Krogen Manatee 36 North Sea
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,196
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Bon voyage, fair winds, calm seas, all that other stuff that sounds comforting. A 55 SeaRay is a lot of boat. Somehow you managed to post while bouncing around and without a single misplaced letter or semi-colon. Thanks for staying in touch and allowing us to be part of your Journey of a Lifetime.
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06-16-2013, 02:03 PM
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#3
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Guru
City: somewhere
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,356
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Keep us abreast of your journey.
Which 55 Sea Ray do you have? Sounds nice.
__________________
Life is a Beach
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06-16-2013, 03:00 PM
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#4
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Guru
City: Hotel, CA
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 8,323
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GFC is not in his Sea Ray 55. He is part of a delivery crew for a Bayliner 5788 that belongs to a member named StuartT. GoAweigh2452 and Stray Cat are the other members of the crew. They are all TF'ers helping get Stuart's Bayliner from Seattle, WA to Stockton, CA.
The genesis of this can be seen at this thread http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s...tml#post163146
__________________
Craig
It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they've been fooled - Mark Twain
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06-16-2013, 03:06 PM
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#5
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Guru
City: somewhere
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 1,356
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My bad
__________________
Life is a Beach
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06-16-2013, 04:20 PM
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#6
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Guru
City: Longboat Key, FL
Vessel Name: Bucky
Vessel Model: Krogen Manatee 36 North Sea
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,196
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A 5788 Bayliner!? I thought SeaRay people didn't speak to Bayliner people. In the meantime, the 3 ft chop you reported shouldn't be much for that to handle, no?
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06-16-2013, 10:17 PM
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#8
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Guru
City: Adelaide
Vessel Name: Kokanee
Vessel Model: Cuddles 30 Pilot House Motor Sailer
Join Date: Jul 2012
Posts: 3,218
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Looking good, guys. Have a great trip, and don't let those little 6 ft waves bother you. The watch will sort you out.
Sounds like a comfortable boat.
When you stated: "The staterooms are about the same size as on my boat", I thought the same, but I was comparing to my entire boat.
Have fun!
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06-16-2013, 11:17 PM
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#9
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Guru
City: Seattle
Join Date: Apr 2012
Posts: 1,142
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GFC-wish I had known you were going through the locks this morning-we are just down the road at Shilshole, would have run down and given you a wave through!
Have a great trip, as Larry said-Fair winds and all that stuff!
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06-16-2013, 11:25 PM
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#10
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Guru
City: Tri Cities, WA
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,406
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I've taken some crap about the amount of food I bought for this trip so I thought I'd post this picture of our first dinner aboard. The menu....
Marinated Pork Tenderloin slow cooked with spices and served with cooked potatoes and carrots
Fresh green salad with grated cheese and a Bacon French dressing.
You don't see any frowns on this crew, do you?
Just a few notes about today's Journey. This is about the roughest water I've been
on. That's why our track has been a bit of zig-zagged. We started off this morning with very calm seas but as we ventured up Puget Sound and turned into the Straits of Juan de Fuca it got rougher. We had planned on cruising just outside the VTSS lanes but because of the water condition we turned in toward the coast. It worked for awhile but as we continued west toward Neah Bay it just kept getting rougher and rougher. By the time we were almost here we were running in 4'-6' seas with some higher. Add to that the waves from the commercial ocean boats we passed and it was not a comfortable ride.
I was wearing Doug's sea sickness band and it seemed to work to minimize the effects of the bouncing. As I'm typing this it's almost 9:30. We're comfortably at the dock and looking forward to a good night's sleep. We're planning on pulling out at 0500 again and running down to the Columbia River and stopping at Ilwaco.
That's all for tonight. I'm headed to bed, so see y'all tomorrow a.m.
__________________
Mike and Tina
1981 Boston Whaler 13'
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06-17-2013, 01:15 AM
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#11
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Guru
City: Port Ludlow
Vessel Name: Fiddler
Vessel Model: DeFever 46
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 703
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Thanks for posting. I'm looking forward to following your progress down the coast.
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06-17-2013, 08:24 AM
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#12
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Guru
City: Tri Cities, WA
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 4,406
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GoAweigh2452 and Stray Cat are the other members of the crew. They are all TF'ers helping get Stuart's Bayliner from Seattle, WA to Stockton, CA.
Actually Stray Cat couldn't join us on this trip. He's ready to take delivery of his 4788 so had to bag out on this trip.
A 5788 Bayliner!? I thought SeaRay people didn't speak to Bayliner people. In the meantime, the 3 ft chop you reported shouldn't be much for that to handle, no?
Hey, how about knocking off with the brand vs brand comments. This boat is beautiful and I'd be proud to own it. The 3' chop I mentioned quickly turned into a 5'-6' chop and with the winds that were blowing we had spray coming up over the boat just about all day. It made for an interesting ride but also made it difficult to move around inside the boat. They just never put enough grab handles inside these things any more.
Looking good, guys. Have a great trip, and don't let those little 6 ft waves bother you. The watch will sort you out.
The watch seemed to work well. I had developed a motion-sickness-induced headache before I put the watch on. I had the headache all day but it didn't get any worse so I'll credit the watch with that. It finally went away after we got in here last night and I feel great this morning.
GFC-wish I had known you were going through the locks this morning-we are just down the road at Shilshole, would have run down and given you a wave through!
That would have been nice, but most sane people aren't up that early on a Sunday morning!
It's 0630 and we're going to be shoving off soon. The goal today is Ilwaco, a run of about 180 miles and we'll overnight there. The Columbia River bar looks to be very placid today and that's a good thing 'cause it can be a bugger.
See y'all later.
__________________
Mike and Tina
1981 Boston Whaler 13'
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06-17-2013, 08:47 AM
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#13
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Guru
City: Everett, WA
Vessel Name: Honey Badger
Vessel Model: 42' CHB Europa
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 784
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Been fun watching these guys throughout the day. They have a SPOT messenger with them and their position is updated every 10 minutes via satellite at:
SPOT Shared Page
Quite an adventure they're on.
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06-17-2013, 11:42 AM
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#14
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Veteran Member
City: Stockton
Vessel Name: Following Seas
Vessel Model: 2001 Bayliner 5788
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 42
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Seas are increasing a bit as the morning wears on. Was just about to take a nap but getting bumpy. Should arrive the Columbia River Bar around 8pm, Ilwaco marina soon thereafter.
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06-17-2013, 01:23 PM
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#15
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Veteran Member
City: Meydenbauer Bay, WA
Vessel Name: SHASA
Vessel Model: Transworld 40 Sundeck
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 84
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SomeSailor
Been fun watching these guys throughout the day. They have a SPOT messenger with them and their position is updated every 10 minutes via satellite at:
SPOT Shared Page
Quite an adventure they're on.
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The Spot page is working well. I haven't been able to locate them on the Marine Traffic AIS page. Hope they are in smooth seas today.
Vic
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06-17-2013, 01:24 PM
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#16
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Guru
City: Longboat Key, FL
Vessel Name: Bucky
Vessel Model: Krogen Manatee 36 North Sea
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 5,196
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GFC
[b]
Hey, how about knocking off with the brand vs brand comments. This boat is beautiful and I'd be proud to own it.
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Sorry about that, GFC...all in jest. Truth is that I'd be mighty proud to own it too, and neither Sea Ray or Bayliner owners will talk to me. Anyway, it certainly is shaping up to be the Journey of a Lifetime. I envy you guys, out there, doing the guy thing, pals, rugged individualists, team players, conquering nature (OK, maybe more like humbly coping with nature). Thanks for bringing us along (virtually) with great photos and descriptions.
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06-17-2013, 01:37 PM
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#17
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Guru
City: Everett, WA
Vessel Name: Honey Badger
Vessel Model: 42' CHB Europa
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 784
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Looks like their weather might get more fun after this evening:
Weather looking good up this way... but chunkier as you head south.
P ZZ153-180045-
COASTAL WATERS FROM JAMES ISLAND TO POINT GRENVILLE OUT 10 NM-
845 AM PDT MON JUN 17 2013
TODAY
SE WIND TO 10 KT...BECOMING S 5 TO 15 KT IN THE AFTERNOON.
WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 3 FT AT 15 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF
SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
SE WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 3 FT
AT 15 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER
MIDNIGHT.
PZZ156-180045-
COASTAL WATERS FROM POINT GRENVILLE TO CAPE SHOALWATER OUT 10 NM-
845 AM PDT MON JUN 17 2013
TODAY
S WIND TO 10 KT. WIND WAVES 1 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL 3 FT AT
15 SECONDS. A CHANCE OF SHOWERS.
TONIGHT
S WIND 5 TO 15 KT. WIND WAVES 2 FT OR LESS. SW SWELL
4 FT AT 15 SECONDS. SHOWERS LIKELY...THEN A CHANCE OF SHOWERS AFTER
MIDNIGHT.
The bar may be be chunky:PZZ210-172230-
COLUMBIA RIVER BAR-
850 AM PDT MON JUN 17 2013
IN THE MAIN CHANNEL
COMBINED SEAS 3 FT TODAY AND TONIGHT...
THEN NEAR 4 FT ON TUE. HOWEVER...SEAS TEMPORARILY 4 FT DURING THE
EBBS WHICH WILL OCCUR AROUND 1130 AM TODAY AND 1245 AM TUE. Looking even more fun down toward Pt. St George and South towards the California / Oregon border:
SEAS GIVEN AS SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT...WHICH IS THE AVERAGE HEIGHT OF THE HIGHEST 1/3 OF THE WAVES. INDIVIDUAL WAVES MAY BE MORE THAN TWICE THE SIGNIFICANT WAVE HEIGHT.PZZ083-180345-
POINT ST. GEORGE TO POINT ARENA-
845 AM PDT MON JUN 17 2013
TODAY
W TO SW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 3 TO 6 FT. AREAS OF FOG
WITH VSBY 1 NM OR LESS LATE IN THE MORNING.
TONIGHT
W TO NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT.
TUE
W TO NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT.
TUE NIGHT
W TO NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 5 TO 6 FT.
WED
W TO NW WINDS 10 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 6 FT.
THU
N TO NW WINDS 10 TO 20 KT. SEAS 4 TO 7 FT.
FRI
NW PORTION...N TO NW WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SE PORTION...N TO
NW WINDS 15 TO 25 KT. SEAS 5 TO 9 FT.
$$
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06-17-2013, 02:52 PM
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#18
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Veteran Member
City: Stockton
Vessel Name: Following Seas
Vessel Model: 2001 Bayliner 5788
Join Date: May 2013
Posts: 42
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Pretty snotty out here right now. GFC Mike is at the helm. Getting pitched around a lot on these SW swells with a moderate chop. Not dangerous fortunately but no fun either.
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06-17-2013, 02:58 PM
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#19
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Master and Commander
City: Vallejo CA
Vessel Name: Carquinez Coot
Vessel Model: penultimate Seahorse Marine Coot hull #6
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 12,559
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A September voyage would probably be easier. But hang in there!
__________________
Kar-KEEN-ez Koot
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06-17-2013, 03:07 PM
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#20
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Guru
City: Everett, WA
Vessel Name: Honey Badger
Vessel Model: 42' CHB Europa
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 784
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Stuart;
You guys keeping good connections with your MyFi?
Lost your AIS tracking after that big left turn you made (heading south), but the SPOT is tracking you very nicely.
Any pics of the sea state?
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