Need advice for first longer cruise.
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dhays
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Depends on when you ask me. This is still what I am thinking.
7/21 Gig Harbor to Kingston ~4:30 hours
7/22 Kingston to Prevost Harbor, Stuart Isl ~9:30 hours
7/23 Prevost to Bedwell Harbor to clear customs then on to Nanaimo ~6:00 hours
7/24 Nanaimo to Powell River/Westview ~7:30 hours
Pick up kids that evening.
7/25 Power River to Squirrel Cove ~3:30 hours.
Depending on the actual time it takes us to get from Kingston across the Straits, we may push all the way to Bedwell on the 22nd if we can make it there before the customs office closes, or just anchor in Bedwell and hit the Customs dock before it opens at 8:00am. If we could clear customs the evening of the 22nd then we could get an earlier start for Nanaimo so we can be sure to hit the 1:00pm slack at Dodd Narrows.
Now, if by some chance the afternoon weather on the 23rd were to be flat calm in the Strait of Georgia, we could cross over to Gibsons that day then go up the mainland side of the Strait to Westview on the 24th. Not counting on that however and would expect to cross early in the morning on the 24th from Nanaimo.
The kids will be leaving Tacoma around 5:30am on the 25th to drive to Westview. They should have no problem making it there by that evening, even with the two ferry crossings. If weather ends up being bad on the morning of the 25th, we will call them and have them divert to Nanaimo to join us there where we will wait for a weather window.
From there it will be pretty relaxed. We will likely spend a couple days each a couple of places before heading back to Westview. Thinking an anchorage around Prideaux Haven then Pendrell Sound or some other place that strikes our fancy.
So there are several long days there. I can just here many TF'ers warming up to type that the days are too long, slow down and enjoy as well as "the most dangerous thing for a boater is a schedule". All true, but such is life.
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Hi Dave. Back on TF. Sent you a pm. Hope to talk tonight.
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Just want to give a public "Thank you" to Northern Spy.
He heard about a BC Ferry maintenance issue that will change the schedules this weekend when the kids were going to be driving North to meet us. He gave me the information as well as some excellent suggestions. His thoughtfulness may have saved us from some frustration and disappointment this weekend.
He heard about a BC Ferry maintenance issue that will change the schedules this weekend when the kids were going to be driving North to meet us. He gave me the information as well as some excellent suggestions. His thoughtfulness may have saved us from some frustration and disappointment this weekend.
Dave:
I just read this thread.
You have some great advice from knowledgeable folks like Spy and Hawg.
I would pick up the kids in Pender Harbour, not Powell River, esp with the smaller ferry on the Earles cove run. PH is a far better place for you to anchor for the night than PR.
I disagree with Hawg about Nanaimo. I like it there, especially Newcastle Island, and if you are fuelling, it is one of the better places to do so, if you need a marine store, Harbour Chandler is one of the best on the coast.
Use your "Sailflow" app for up to date conditions and predictions of winds for crossing the Strait. Cross from Nanaimo to Pender Harbour, avoiding area WG. At this time of year, rarely too rough. This week so far, it has been blowing softly SE, so great for where you are going.
I sympathize with your scheduling woes. I had the same time issues for years. I found that I could take 3 weeks and my clients would wait, but if I took 4, they would find someone else who would be there for them, and I might not get them back. I only took more than 3 weeks twice in all my years of practice, but that was enough to drive the message home. So I got used to having to cross Georgia Strait in less than optimal conditions. I found that a course change of 15 degrees would usually change a very uncomfortable ride to a pleasant one, though adding only a little time.
The best part of heading to Desolation Sound is sharing it with your family. Have a great holiday.
I just read this thread.
You have some great advice from knowledgeable folks like Spy and Hawg.
I would pick up the kids in Pender Harbour, not Powell River, esp with the smaller ferry on the Earles cove run. PH is a far better place for you to anchor for the night than PR.
I disagree with Hawg about Nanaimo. I like it there, especially Newcastle Island, and if you are fuelling, it is one of the better places to do so, if you need a marine store, Harbour Chandler is one of the best on the coast.
Use your "Sailflow" app for up to date conditions and predictions of winds for crossing the Strait. Cross from Nanaimo to Pender Harbour, avoiding area WG. At this time of year, rarely too rough. This week so far, it has been blowing softly SE, so great for where you are going.
I sympathize with your scheduling woes. I had the same time issues for years. I found that I could take 3 weeks and my clients would wait, but if I took 4, they would find someone else who would be there for them, and I might not get them back. I only took more than 3 weeks twice in all my years of practice, but that was enough to drive the message home. So I got used to having to cross Georgia Strait in less than optimal conditions. I found that a course change of 15 degrees would usually change a very uncomfortable ride to a pleasant one, though adding only a little time.
The best part of heading to Desolation Sound is sharing it with your family. Have a great holiday.
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Oh, I'm laughing now.Dave
Do not anchor in Bedwell before you clear Customs. They might tell you to leave Canada.
Did you git run off?
We are also heading north this week maybe see you up there... It is too late now but NEXUS is your friend for clearing customs both coming and going... The other thing is don't forget your DTOPS sticker you can get that online otherwise it's another 1/2 hour clearing US customs... Have a safe trip..
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We considered Pender, but since the kids only have a week, picking them up at Pender reduces the time they have in DS. Fortunately, there were able to get reservations on the Ferries going from Tsawwasson -> Nanaimo and from Comox to Power River. It should be a nice trip for them.
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Yup, with both my work schedule and my wife's, we weren't able to do the NEXUS thing, and didn't know about the DTOPS sticker until too late. Next time....
Keep an eye out for me. You should be able to see where we are with the SPOT link before. Give us a call if spot us.
An excellent choice and if they go back via the Sunshine Coast ferries they will have done the "circle route."
Have fun.
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Weather woes...
OK, I am still sitting in my den at home and already making alternate plans due to weather.
The forecast for the Juan de Fuca Strait tomorrow afternoon is gale warnings and 3-5ft seas. In the Strait, the wind will be against the current so those will be short, steep, and rather unpleasant. So....
I am considering alternatives. I could go through Deception Pass at the Noon slack tomorrow, but would still face the relatively open waters of the southern end of Rosario. Instead, I am considering making the long trek up the Swinomish channel and crossing Rosario to Thatcher Pass. I have never made that trip before and it makes it a much longer run. The forecast for Rosario is much more benign with small craft advisories and 2 foot wind waves.
If the weather conditions are too bad in Rosario, we can always wait it out in Anacortes.
Open to any thoughts on that idea...
OK, I am still sitting in my den at home and already making alternate plans due to weather.
The forecast for the Juan de Fuca Strait tomorrow afternoon is gale warnings and 3-5ft seas. In the Strait, the wind will be against the current so those will be short, steep, and rather unpleasant. So....
I am considering alternatives. I could go through Deception Pass at the Noon slack tomorrow, but would still face the relatively open waters of the southern end of Rosario. Instead, I am considering making the long trek up the Swinomish channel and crossing Rosario to Thatcher Pass. I have never made that trip before and it makes it a much longer run. The forecast for Rosario is much more benign with small craft advisories and 2 foot wind waves.
If the weather conditions are too bad in Rosario, we can always wait it out in Anacortes.
Open to any thoughts on that idea...
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dhays
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It's a plan and not a bad idea. Love Swinomish any time.
Schedules and weather...
Could you leave now and push through to Port Townsend, sit and watch Friday, then run to Sidney Saturday? Back on track.
We could, but even on Saturday the Strait will likely be less than pleasant. supposedly the wind falling 10-20 knots in the afternoon, but then increasing again. If the forecast is off a bit, there may not be much of a window and we could end up sitting in PT for a few days.
The Swinomish will get us farther North in quit water, then it is just a matter of getting across Rosario. The forecasts there are a bit better, but again with the current/wind combo, the waves will tend to be short and steep, but nothing like the Straits with a strong ebb current against a 20-30 kt wind.
I am just not sure of how quickly I can make the transit up the Swinomish, never having done it before.
Dave
Like Georgia Str, Juan de Fuca predictions are good only in Juan de Fuca. Rosario , Haro the San Juan Islands and the Gulf Islands are not predicted by the same rules. They are much more dependent upon local effects and generally don't get wild at all when the larger bodies of water follow the predictions (sometimes). Also, in recent times, the predictions are for the likelihood of worst case, and often never materialise, or, if they do, only in a portion of the whole area covered by the forecast.
EG: when Georgia Str, south of Nanaimo is predicting Gale Force, that will almost always be accurate at Entrance Island, but by the time you are down by Saturna, it will be calm. I have noticed this on uncountable crossings by ferry, coming out of Active Pass onto millpond conditions, with the Gale Force still blowing at Entrance.
All of this is to say, stay inside the San Juans as much as you can, and you should be fine. Then, when you cross Haro Str, you may be exposed to a short stretch of open water, but it is not likely to behave the same as Juan de Fuca. Once in the Gulf Islands, again you wil have lots of protection. While it can blow up in the Gulf Islands, it will never build waves higher than you can comfortably handle.
We live on Houston Passage, one that can get a decently strong SE or NW wind, and the worst case scenario here is about 2.5' chop. This discourages 30' sailboats pounding into it, but your 43 should have no difficulty. That rarely occurs for more than an hour in the afternoon, wind against tide.
Like Georgia Str, Juan de Fuca predictions are good only in Juan de Fuca. Rosario , Haro the San Juan Islands and the Gulf Islands are not predicted by the same rules. They are much more dependent upon local effects and generally don't get wild at all when the larger bodies of water follow the predictions (sometimes). Also, in recent times, the predictions are for the likelihood of worst case, and often never materialise, or, if they do, only in a portion of the whole area covered by the forecast.
EG: when Georgia Str, south of Nanaimo is predicting Gale Force, that will almost always be accurate at Entrance Island, but by the time you are down by Saturna, it will be calm. I have noticed this on uncountable crossings by ferry, coming out of Active Pass onto millpond conditions, with the Gale Force still blowing at Entrance.
All of this is to say, stay inside the San Juans as much as you can, and you should be fine. Then, when you cross Haro Str, you may be exposed to a short stretch of open water, but it is not likely to behave the same as Juan de Fuca. Once in the Gulf Islands, again you wil have lots of protection. While it can blow up in the Gulf Islands, it will never build waves higher than you can comfortably handle.
We live on Houston Passage, one that can get a decently strong SE or NW wind, and the worst case scenario here is about 2.5' chop. This discourages 30' sailboats pounding into it, but your 43 should have no difficulty. That rarely occurs for more than an hour in the afternoon, wind against tide.
drb1025
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There is a fairly large tide tomorrow afternoon at LaConner, starting with a minus tide around 2pm. You should go through the Swinomish on a rising tide and I suggest waiting until mid tide at 5-6pm so you have more depth. Also, the currents should be less at that time at the south entrance. You will easily get to Anacortes before sunset waiting for the rising tide. There is no way I would venture into the east strait with the current forecast.
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Perhaps you could head north thru Swinomish, then come up the Sunshine Coast, clear customs in Vancouver, then head north and cross the Strait of Georgia to Comox.
The Fraiser River delta can be uncomfortable, it's shallow and it seems that when it is rough the waves are steep... We have done it once and now we always go up and down the west side of straights. If it kicks up there are a lot more places to hole up on the west side...
Sorry Peter, not a good over all plan and he is not headed for Comox. Even if it were a good weather option, a Vancouver reporting is very much out of the way.
It's a long way north to anywhere from Swinomish, especially in an 8 knot boat and Sand Heads can be ugly.
Steady as she goes...San Juans; Gulf Islands; across the strait.
Never mind, they are on the move, let's see where they go. SPOT page
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Thanks for the heads up on the tide. It is exactly on the wrong direction at the wrong time. Anacortes isn't my final destination for the day so I may see I I can get an early start. I will be fighting the current the whole way and have to deal with a very low tide, but that will beat trying to cross the straight with the current forecast.
If the weather looks better tomorrow, I can always wait for the noon slack at deception and cut across there, but likely will head up past La Conner.
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Plan B on day 1. Kinship blew past Kingston already.
...I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable. Dwight D Eisenhower
...I have always found that plans are useless but planning is indispensable. Dwight D Eisenhower
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dhays
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Yup, will try to get onto Langley tonight to cut some time off of tomorrow.
Lol, feels kinda like stalking doesn't it?
Tonight, Everett?
Tomorrow, Swinomish (maybe Deception Pass) to Stuart Is (maybe beyond)?
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dhays
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I just got a slip set aside for me at Langley. That will put me a bit over 4 hours from La Conner tomorrow morning. My guess is that slack current in La Conner will be around 9:00am. So, a 5:00am start should work. Then if all goes well, another 6-7 hours to Bedwell.
Of course, that plan could change at any time. I really like that quote that Northern Spy posted.
And of course, if I was worried about stalking I wouldn't post the SPOT.
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dhays
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As Keith indicated above, the really strong winds in the East end of Juan de Fuca haven't materialized. Still happy with the decision to go up the Swinomish, as long as I don't run aground that is.
You'll be fine, just think about a big old sailboat keel stuck on the bottom of Kinship.
Don't round N "2" early and the range will be your best buddy.
You likely already noticed the aids (RRR) change a little past (north of) La Conner.
If you get a chance to stop in La Conner, reward yourselves with a Calico Cupboard cinnamon bun.
Bedwell for dinner and the sunset.
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We're just leaving Prideaux Haven, headed to Rebecca Spit. Beautiful weather up here!
I installed the Class B AIS just prior to departing, so y'all can find us if you wish.
I installed the Class B AIS just prior to departing, so y'all can find us if you wish.
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