Passagemaker Magazine's Trawler Fest is taking place in Anacortes, Washington this week May 14 - 19, 2013 and I will be teaching the "WOMEN AT THE HELM" class along with Captain Kathy Craig on Tuesday and Wednesday. The class is sold out but come join us on Thursday for a round table discussion with topics such as: Cruising Fears and Worries and how to deal with weather, gear or mechanical failures. Sea Sickness. VHF Radio Emergency Procedures. And more!!

Going Cruising!

I am heading out Sunday on "Ocean Spirit" a 57' Symbol Yacht with a party of four fantastic people. We will cruise north to Princess Louisa and anchor near Chatterbox Falls with stops along the way at Prevost Harbor on Stuart Island, Schooner Cove, and Pender Harbor. If you see us give us a shout or come by and swap stories.
Eventually three of us will make it up to the Octopus Islands Marine Provincial Park by way of Grace Harbour, Dent Island and Blind Bay Channel so look for us. I'll be back in Anacortes Marina by July 7th!  

Boating Course! Take the course even if it's not a requirement for your age!

https://elearning.boatus.org/     This Boat US site is great for boating knowledge and for the additional sites it will direct you to for further education and for helpful forms you can print.

Have your vessel safety checked (for free) and take America's Boating Course .....
Knowledge is safety!!

Cruising the San Juan Islands

Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes is a great beginning as a place to practice docking and it is  easier and cheaper for fueling and dumping the boat holding tank tank than many other marinas.

The following marinas and anchorages are listed in a possible circle route but distances are not so great that one cannot jump from one side of the San Juan Islands to the other. I always try to consider a circle for the purpose of saving on fuel costs.

Fisherman’s Bay, Lopez Island  (Lopez Islander Resort and Marina 360-468-2233) is a great place to enjoy an island way of life. Be prepared to wave, because Lopez is the Friendly Isle.   The island is popular for bicyclists; it is 15 miles long and 8 miles wide with 2,200 year round residents.  The entrance to Fisherman’s Bay is windy and shallow and should only be navigated at close to high tide.   The marina is within walking distance to Lopez Village where you can enjoy fine dining, grocery store, galleries, bakeries and coffee places. http://www.islandcam.com/fishermansbay.html   The other side of the island provides good anchorage in Hunter Bay or you might try for a mooring buoy at Spencer Spit on the east shore.

Port of Friday Harbor Marina ( 360-378-2688)is located on the east side of San Juan Island.  The 500 slip marina provides access to the Town of Friday Harbor, where one can find complete services for boaters including fuel. There is a customs office and terminal for ferries from Anacortes, as well as a Clipper Express service from Seattle, Victoria and Port Angeles, bus transportation to Roche Harbor with stops all around San Juan Island and even mo-ped rentals.  http://portfridayharbor.org/marina-webcam/

Parks Bay across the San Juan Channel from Friday Harbor is a fine anchorage but you can’t go ashore because the land is a biological preserve.

Roche Harbor, San Juan Island – (360-378-2155) So much to see and do that you really should look it up on the following web site. A trip to the San Juan’s is not complete without a stop at Roche Harbor.  http://www.rocheharbor.com/boating_themarina.html It is possible to anchor in the bay or in neighboring bays

Stuart Island Marine State Park has mooring buoys and a linear mooring system as well as great anchoring areas on both sides of the island at Reid Harbor and Prevost Harbor.

Sucia Island Marine State Park is the most heavily used Marine Park in the system but there are several coves to choose from for anchoring. This is not a well-protected anchorage when it’s windy.

Deer Harbor, Orcas Island – (360-376-3037)  is on the west side of the biggest of the San Juan Islands, with shuttle service to connect it to the rest of the island. The excellent Deer Harbor Inn Restaurant is ½ mile from the marina. http://www.boattravel.com/deerharbor/   Boats leaving Deer Harbor usually go through Pole Pass, a narrow notch that separates Crane Island from Orcas Island. It is narrow and should be transited one at a time at slow (no-wake) speed staying to the very center of the pass.

Rosario Resort, Orcas Island – The marina is small and the entrance can be a bit tricky so be sure you study the layout of the marina before entering. Dock help is always available to help with lines. http://www.rosarioresort.com/the-marina.aspx

Cypress Island has three areas with mooring buoys on the east side of the island and excellent hiking on shore. Eagle Harbor has several mooring buoys but only the outermost can be trusted in low tides. Pelican Beach is better but not as protected from the waves of passing boats. Cypress Head also has mooring buoys. 

Partners in boating

Partners in boating!

Two factors women should consider about taking a more active role:

First: What if the skipper becomes ill and cannot pilot the boat? The first mate should know how to get to the closest port and use the radio to call for help.

Second: The more involved you are the more fun you’ll have and the safer you’ll be.

Take away a measure of self-confidence and add a measure of fear and most anyone will lose interest.  Gentleman, if your wife or partner loses interest, she will find any and every excuse not to boat with you. And within two years your boat will be for sale!

If women learn basic boating skills they feel safer and as their knowledge and self confidence grow, their enjoyment level also rises.

Take turns at all on-board tasks.  Mix it up a little. Charting the course or at least following along on a paper chart is interesting. Using resources like cruising guides to get some background and history of the cruising route provides a lot of learning.

Recognize your fear but don’t dwell on it. Sometimes it’s better to follow the saying “Just do it!”

Warped batteries

This is one in a bank of six batteries that were "toasted" due to lack of fluid in the cells just because the owner failed to do regular maintenance!

Nordic Tug Interior Teak

Teak walls in Nordic Tugs....

If the walls and woodwork are grimy they can be cleaned with hot water mixed with a strong solution of TSP and scrubbed with green pads and then rinsed with clear water. Light sanding if necessary and then apply Seafin Teak Oil or an even mixture of Teak Oil and Formby’s Lemon Oil Treatment with a lint free rag. Repeat application as necessary and can be sanded with 400 grit wet/dry or OO bronze wool. Applying the teak oil and lemon oil mixture as regular maintenance keeps the wood in like-new condition