Our First Long Cruise

Getting off on our first long cruise got delayed due to small craft warnings and gale force winds, but it allowed us to continue working on the boat, fine tuning some things before heading out.  This included getting our Honda 8hp dinghy engine purring like a kitten, and we have to thank our moorage neighbor, Cliff, for his help.  A car mechanic during the week, we really appreciated him taking time out on his Saturday to help us.

So, with the gale force winds settling down and wave heights expected between 1-3 ft., we got up early Sunday morning to cross the Strait of Juan DeFuca.  Now, this is my first time across and so I have no experience to fall back on, but in my “rookie” opinion, it was pretty rough going across.  It may have been the effects of the gale force winds still evident from the night before, and maybe we should have waited a few extra hours, but off we went.  We had to zigzag our course in order to take the swells at our quarter instead of our beam, and then we’d head east for awhile in following seas.  At 7 knots, 4 hours later, we were in calmer waters in Rosario Strait, southeast of Lopez Island, with Deception Pass Bridge in the distance.  

 

We wanted to go through Deception Pass at slack tide, so we pulled into Bowman Bay to rest for a few hours. 

Bowman Bay is just north of Deception Pass, and was quite a treat.  A Washington State Park floating dock was available, along with four mooring buoys.  Also in the Bay was a dinghy-only dock, beach, boat ramp, and lots of hiking trails.  We tied up to the floating dock, made some lunch, grabbed a nap, and watched the eagles in the nearby trees.   One swooped down and caught a fish and we watched it tear it apart and then take it back to the nest.   

Hearing a splash under the dock near our boat, we knew we had a critter joining us.  A few minutes later, an otter jumped onto the dock and joined us.  Of course, no camera nearby, so just the memory and no photo to show you.  Lots of kayakers around the area.  The Bay was a beautiful place to rest for a few hours, but is exposed to northwest winds and we heard from others that at night the floating dock can be bouncy due to the wakes of large ships passing through Rosario Strait.  We hope to return for another visit in the future.

Slack tide time brought us through the Deception Pass and a flotilla of fishing boats with no noticeable passage through the mass.  However, being a 38-foot boat, they made openings for us to pass through, all of them shaking their heads “No,” when we asked if they had caught anything.

A ketch coming out as we went under the bridge.

Cloud Nine at the Dock of Deception Pass Marina

Through the Pass and around Ben Ure Island brought us into Cornet Bay and the Deception Pass Marina, a small marina with fuel dock and grocery store.  Very kind folks met us at the fuel dock, took our lines, and helped get us tied up.  Fishermen were at the top of the ramp cleaning their catch of Ling Cod.  There is a State Park in the area, with showers and docks just down the road one direction, and campground about a mile down the road the other direction. 

North Whidbey Island RV Park was just a mile down the road, where friends Nick & Mary and Tom & Carolyn were awaiting our arrival.  Dinner in Anacortes at the Rock Fish Grill with all, and we finished the night drinking wine on the Porter’s deck with a fire in their portable fire pit.  Good to have friends.

Tuesday morning we were treated to the extended family of Canadian Geese floating by as well as blue skies and warm sun. 

Plans are to head to LaConner and then Bellingham for a few days, visiting with more friends.  After that?  Wherever we want to go!!!

WINDOWS & FLOORING

 As mentioned in earlier post, the explosion the end of January caused damage to our windows and doors.  We received delivery of our Motion Windows bought from Peninsula Glass Company in Vancouver, WA.  (Very professional group and really nice windows!)  The first window has been installed after a few days of cutting, filling, epoxying, trying to fit it, more cutting and filling, etc., etc.  We're hoping the remaining three go quicker.  ;-)

Here's Jerry ripping out the old carpet in the salon.  You can see the boxes of wood flooring behind him.  He's putting in bamboo, which should look great!


You can also see in both of these photos the missing headliner.  I decided to let him finish his work putting down the new flooring and installing the remaining windows before we finish up with the headliner.  Let's just say it helps to avoid "accidents"?




Will post pictures of finished floor as soon as it's all down!

Opening Pandora's Box

Work, work, work.  That's what we've been doing on Cloud Nine since we brought her back from Port Townsend in August 2011.  Being that she's a 38-year-old wooden boat (translation:  in need of a lot of work), and she'd been neglected, every project we started seemed to uncover another area that needed tending to ... it was like opening Pandora's Box!


In all reality, Jerry has been the one working on Cloud Nine, day after day after day.  You see, I've been working full-time for an accounting office and just recently semi-retired.  I say "semi" because in all reality, at the age of 56, nothing is financing this retirement.  So, in between small side jobs teaching QuickBooks to anyone in need and picking up a couple of bookkeeping jobs, I join Jerry in the daily trip to the marina to work on getting Cloud Nine ready for a little summer cruising.


Most days will find my Energizer Bunny (what I affectionately call Jerry because of his endless energy) down at the marina working on the boat with occasional runs into town to our local Home Depot for tools, screws, glue, wood, paneling, more glue, etc.  Then a run back home to get on the internet to research how someone else resolved whatever problem has come up on this specific day.  Jerry is one of those guys who can do anything mechanical, electrical or with plumbing.  And what he doesn't know, he'll read and read until he learns how to do it.  Sometimes it doesn't work right the first time, but nothing gets this man down -- he just tries again.  He loves to quote Winston Churchill's "never, ever, ever give up".



For those of you interested in all the work that's been accomplished, the following is a list of everything done so far.  For those of you who could care less ... come on, admit it, there are a few of you ... you can skip this paragraph and continue below to the before and after pictures.  Jerry didn't take pictures during the process nor did he write down all that he did, but this is pretty close to what's been done:   In the v-berth, port windows were leaking and were removed with a temporary marine plywood closure in place until new port windows can be installed down the road; mattress was moldy due to said leaks and was removed and replaced; all the old vinyl wall covering removed, wood walls painted, and some vinyl replaced.  On the foredeck, the teak decking was leaking, support holding anchor was rotten, portions of inner hull were rotten; so teak decking was pulled up, marine plywood laid down, epoxied in place, and we've put the first of many layers of Safe-T-Deck paint; rebuilt anchor winch base and replaced rotten areas in inner hull running along foredeck.   Upper deck:  hole in upper deck dug up and patched with putty; propane line pulled and rerouted so that all the pipes ran outside of the boat with only two connections (one at tanks and one at stove).  Boat had no scuppers on the sides for water on the foredeck (just small drain holes), so scuppers were installed.  Dickinson heater had no connections, so we plumbed diesel fuel to it but grew tired of hearing the pump running all the time, so Jerry set up a gravity feed system with aluminum tank on the top deck; diesel fuel can be pumped up to the tank, then turn the valve and the diesel returns to the heater through gravity.  That didn't resolve all of our problems with the Dickinson heater, as it was not putting out the heat it should, so he took apart the carburetor and rebuilt it, took apart the entire heater for a thorough cleaning.  Kitchen:  when we went to move the kitchen sink to a more "usable" location, we found we had to replumb the entire boat with PEX because 38-year-old plumbing from Japan did not match anything available now in the U.S.; new counter in kitchen, extending old one further into salon to create more workable space; new propane stove and refrigerator; new sink, faucets and water filter.  Bathroom:  laid new tile down on floor; changed fitting on shower and moved heads and handles to a more convenient location; took out the forward head.  The explosion in January 2012 caused more problems:  replaced one window with three more to replace in the future; replaced antenna which was shattered in explosion and replaced radio at the same time; all doors will need to be replaced as they are just glued back together at the moment.  Other things we did were take out equipment no longer working or needed (TV antenna, direction finder), put speakers for stereo system in the pilothouse, and install electric heater in wall.


Before and after pictures of the work so far:

BEFORE:  Old kitchen with raised bar. 

Old kitchen had raised bar cutting down amount of counter space.

AFTER:  Bar removed and counter extended gives much more counter space

Old bar removed and counter extended gives more of an open feel and allows more working space.

BEFORE:  Kitchen from pilothouse.  The old sink was stuck over on the left side, right in the corner, which did allow more drawers, but forced you to bend way over in order to use the sink.











AFTER:  New sink moved over to right giving counter space between sink and stove (also new as old stove was rusted out at the bottom).  New stove is a Seaward and we love it!  Yes, we lost two drawers moving the sink, but it's much more convenient where it is now. 

BEFORE:  The salon and kitchen from the back door of the boat.  The salon has lots of space and most would love it the way it was, but ...

Oscar, our wood-carved Rainbow Rock Fish oversees our work.

 AFTER:  The addition of paneling warms up the salon.  Headliner has been pulled down because it was rotted after 38 years.  Reinforcement boards were screwed up into open areas to reinforce the top of the boat.  While it's open, new speaker wires have been run to surround sound system and wires also run for 110V lights above the settee.






So lots and lots of work done so far on Cloud Nine and yet, when you look at her current pictures, she looks like she still needs a lot done, and you'd be right.  We figure at least another year of hard work on her to get her "pretty" but we're going to enjoy every minute of it!  At least that's what we keep telling ourselves.

In the meantime, we're going to take her out for a 2-3 week cruise June 2012 and give ourselves a break and a little vacation.  We'll post photos of our travels and let you know where we're visiting.  

FOLLOW UP:  A couple of comments by friends asking if I'm planning on lifting my "delicate" fingers and do anything to "help".  (Don't you love sarcastic friends!)  So, just putting in that I'm taking all of the varnish off the teak on the outside of the boat as well as the one who has worked on the v-berth.  We have more photos to post with changes and will get to those soon.