I've been a bad girl!
We've covered a lot of ground since my last post. We're even in another country since then!
A week ago we left our anchorage on the west side of Sidney Island, Canada and crossed to Roche Harbor to check back into the US.
Roche Harbor Marina allows a temporary tie for short visits to the resort, so we went up to the Lime Kiln Cafe for what we call 'cheeseburgers in paradise', and to replenish salad fixings at the Company Store. We anchored for the night and went back to the dock the next morning for coffee and donuts.
Then off to Friday Harbor! We spent several days visiting friends, having coffee at The Bean, and more cheeseburgers at Herbs. Whew! Lots of 'junk' to walk off, but we DID plenty of walking too -- to church, several trips to the grocery, an eye appointment, and to pick up packages from friend Steve who graciously has been our 'depot'.
Then there was the big walk we took with Steve and his microship, from his lab near the airport to its new slip at the Port of Friday Harbor. But that deserves its own post.
At present I am writing from Port Ludlow, on our trip down the Sound to Bremerton, where we will visit my son Micah, and where we leave the boat for other travel next week.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
Cow Bay
On Tuesday we returned to Cowichan Bay to meet up with friend Rick Fletcher as he was doing a scooter tour of southern Vancouver Island.
We radioed the Wharfinger at Fisherman's Wharf and their available space was perfectly situated. We finished setting our lines and turned off the engine. And I hear a shout 'KRISTI!' They can't mean me; who would be calling me? I was sure that our friends Bob and Marilyn were not on their boat. I thought Bob was away on a job. But I look over and they are both there!
They were JUST ready to leave their slip when they saw us coming in, so they waited and came over for a quick chat. I learned my lesson. ALWAYS check ahead. Turns out, since they were leaving, we could have used their slip for the night. Oh well. Rick would be looking for us on the wharf.
Bob and Marilyn have many RV friends, and some were coming from Florida! They had gotten word that the friends had made it to Helena Montana, so it looked like they were actually going to make it (there were previous attempts to visit, that fell through). So Grey Hawk was leaving to go to Port Angeles to meet their friends and take them on a boat tour of parts of Puget Sound. Safe travels, all!
After Bob and Marilyn returned to their boat and sailed away, we cleared a bunk in the v-berth -- Al calls it the 'horizontal storage unit' -- for Rick to spend the night. Rick arrived in his riding gear, topped with a bright yellow safety vest. Al saw him ashore and went to meet him.
Rick brought a very welcome bottle of Columbia Crest wine! Cheese and crackers, French bread and butter, wine and conversation start off the visit. Salad and chicken tikki marsala are consumed, and the boys go to the back deck to enjoy the sunset, scotch and Cuban cigars.
I am doing the dishes and looking over the bay when I see this eagle fly in to enjoy the view also. I call him the Captain.
I finish up the dishes and head out to make sure the boys have seen the eagle and to join in their conversation for a while, staying UPwind, even though these good cigars are not as offensive as most.
Rick was the skipper for three charter sailing trips we have taken with him, the first introducing us to the San Juan Islands, and the last the Canadian Gulf Islands. We and he and his wife Christie have boated together on numerous occasions, aboard Viking Star for Christmas Ships, and cruising the Columbia River on their small sailboat.
Yesterday morning Rick left to continue his scooter trip and we went to the chandlery and the bakery. We left Cow Bay around noon, and went to Sidney Spit to hang out for a day or two more in Canada. Once we arrived there, we double checked the weather report and found high winds were forecast for Haro Strait, and we would not be very protected at the spit. So we pulled anchor and moved to the cove on the east side of Sidney Island where the locals have a dock and dropped anchor among a huge colony of Canadian Geese who calmly swim back and forth along the shore. We roll a bit from the ferry and freighters passing on the Strait, but it is not bad. Al checks the buoy reports for Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and they show winds from 20-30, as predicted.
I vote for just staying here, using our last lime to marinate some chicken for dinner, and use up the last of our 'garden vegetables' before crossing back into the USA, probably tomorrow.
We radioed the Wharfinger at Fisherman's Wharf and their available space was perfectly situated. We finished setting our lines and turned off the engine. And I hear a shout 'KRISTI!' They can't mean me; who would be calling me? I was sure that our friends Bob and Marilyn were not on their boat. I thought Bob was away on a job. But I look over and they are both there!
They were JUST ready to leave their slip when they saw us coming in, so they waited and came over for a quick chat. I learned my lesson. ALWAYS check ahead. Turns out, since they were leaving, we could have used their slip for the night. Oh well. Rick would be looking for us on the wharf.
Bob and Marilyn have many RV friends, and some were coming from Florida! They had gotten word that the friends had made it to Helena Montana, so it looked like they were actually going to make it (there were previous attempts to visit, that fell through). So Grey Hawk was leaving to go to Port Angeles to meet their friends and take them on a boat tour of parts of Puget Sound. Safe travels, all!
After Bob and Marilyn returned to their boat and sailed away, we cleared a bunk in the v-berth -- Al calls it the 'horizontal storage unit' -- for Rick to spend the night. Rick arrived in his riding gear, topped with a bright yellow safety vest. Al saw him ashore and went to meet him.
Rick brought a very welcome bottle of Columbia Crest wine! Cheese and crackers, French bread and butter, wine and conversation start off the visit. Salad and chicken tikki marsala are consumed, and the boys go to the back deck to enjoy the sunset, scotch and Cuban cigars.
I am doing the dishes and looking over the bay when I see this eagle fly in to enjoy the view also. I call him the Captain.
I finish up the dishes and head out to make sure the boys have seen the eagle and to join in their conversation for a while, staying UPwind, even though these good cigars are not as offensive as most.
Rick was the skipper for three charter sailing trips we have taken with him, the first introducing us to the San Juan Islands, and the last the Canadian Gulf Islands. We and he and his wife Christie have boated together on numerous occasions, aboard Viking Star for Christmas Ships, and cruising the Columbia River on their small sailboat.
Yesterday morning Rick left to continue his scooter trip and we went to the chandlery and the bakery. We left Cow Bay around noon, and went to Sidney Spit to hang out for a day or two more in Canada. Once we arrived there, we double checked the weather report and found high winds were forecast for Haro Strait, and we would not be very protected at the spit. So we pulled anchor and moved to the cove on the east side of Sidney Island where the locals have a dock and dropped anchor among a huge colony of Canadian Geese who calmly swim back and forth along the shore. We roll a bit from the ferry and freighters passing on the Strait, but it is not bad. Al checks the buoy reports for Haro Strait and the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and they show winds from 20-30, as predicted.
I vote for just staying here, using our last lime to marinate some chicken for dinner, and use up the last of our 'garden vegetables' before crossing back into the USA, probably tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Portland Island
We moved from Bedwell Harbour to Royal Cove on Portland Island Sunday. We were here two months ago and had our first stern-tie adventure. Surprisingly, we have not used a stern-tie again until our return!
Yesterday was a perfect day! We got off the boat and took a hike. The mosquitoes were not in thick clouds this time, but I caught one on my neck.
I swab the deck, preparing the boat for company. Al takes a much needed nap -- he has not been sleeping well, or at the least, waking while it is still dark -- very early on these long summer days. When he wakes, he sets off on another oyster hunting expedition (I am happy with beans and wieners). When Al returns, he says he's got something for me!
It's not very 'pearly' (kind of a dull white kidney bean), but it is a nice addition to my 'treasures from the sea' collection.
Yesterday was a perfect day! We got off the boat and took a hike. The mosquitoes were not in thick clouds this time, but I caught one on my neck.
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| A westerly view towards Fulford Harbor. That squared off mountain is very visible from many places in the San Juan Islands, and I had always wondered what it was called. I am still not sure. It could be Mt. Maxwell, or Mt. Belcher. |
I swab the deck, preparing the boat for company. Al takes a much needed nap -- he has not been sleeping well, or at the least, waking while it is still dark -- very early on these long summer days. When he wakes, he sets off on another oyster hunting expedition (I am happy with beans and wieners). When Al returns, he says he's got something for me!
It's not very 'pearly' (kind of a dull white kidney bean), but it is a nice addition to my 'treasures from the sea' collection.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
The Spirit of Freedom Visits
We completed a circumnavigation of South Pender Island yesterday, returning to anchor once again in front of Poets Cove in Bedwell Harbour. We settled in to check our email and facebook, and there is a message from Pamela saying they will be clearing customs at Bedwell today, and where were we?
We were at the right place at the right time!
They came over from Reid Harbor on Stuart Island this morning, and we had a nice visit on 'Spirit' first, then at the cafe for coffee.
They wanted to keep moving north to prepare for a Georgia Strait crossing on Monday, so after a couple of hours they were off -- sails up!
Pamela and her friend Tami were the hosts for the South Sound Sail-In that we attended in Filucy Bay last June. She gave us excellent advice for cruising the South Sound, and offered great hospitality at her home on several occasions through the summer and fall. They are on their way north for the summer, staying closer to home for longer than they usually do this year, getting to know their new granddaughter, Kourtney.
We hope our boating paths cross again later this season!
We were at the right place at the right time!
They came over from Reid Harbor on Stuart Island this morning, and we had a nice visit on 'Spirit' first, then at the cafe for coffee.
They wanted to keep moving north to prepare for a Georgia Strait crossing on Monday, so after a couple of hours they were off -- sails up!
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| The anchor is set, and Cliff hoists the courtesy flag. |
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| Pamela, Angel, and Cliff |
We hope our boating paths cross again later this season!
Friday, June 14, 2013
A Year with Solar, or is it: “Wait until he figures out what a monumental waste of money that was”. . . . .
Less than a month after installing our two large Solar Panels on Viking Star I overhead a passerby make the above statement to his companion. I did reply to him that he was a bit presumptive with his judgment and that modeling indicated they would have a ROI of less than 5 years. I can tell you he just discounted me as one of those ‘fantasy’ types. Well, here we are – a bit over 1 year on this system and I think it would be good to look back and see how well they actually worked. Was installing Solar a great idea, or as so elegantly put a ‘monumental waste of money’?
Before deciding to place the panels aboard, one of the greatest difficulties I had was getting actual DATA from folks on how their panels performed. I got things from ‘All We need’ to ‘Great’, to ‘Fills my batteries by 11am’. (Monumental guy did not have any panels, so I am not considering his input). But without exception: all the ‘observations’ were gut feelings. No real data.
Being a (at one time, before crossing to the dark world of Marketing) Engineer – this just would not do. So I set out to model the panels, you can read more about that here:
mvvikingstar.blogspot.com/2012/10/solar-panels-on-boat-modeling-and.html
To get actual data - the charge controller I purchased has data logging capabilities. But before we get much further, let’s make sure some ground rules are established:
That last point is a critical one, as it means -- almost without exception -- every AH we consume we need to make on the boat. Either via the large 270A Leece Neville alternator attached to our main engine, or via the Kubota Dc generator - OR via the Solar Panels. And this, to be fair, is huge. It is VERY EXPENSIVE to generate electricity on a boat. I estimate it costs $1.14 / 100Ah running the DC Generator – direct costs only (Oil and Fuel). That does NOT include any amortization for the original cost of the Generator, or depreciation for its replacement. Every 100Ah costs over a buck…. And with us away from the dock so long, costs add up very quickly!
OK, on to the results. Here is a graph of the actual daily AH log as provided from the Solar Regulator. The thin purple line is the actual daily results – you can see cloudy days and sunny ones. The black line is a 15 day rolling average - to try and smooth things out a little. Finally, the thick blue line is what the modeler predicted our output would be.
You can see the modeler did a rather good job of predicting. In fact, over the year the Actuals were 2% greater than the Modeler predicted. Looking behind the scenes in more detail: Over our cruising season (March through the end of October) we produced an average of 124.7Ah/day. We saved 245 hours of run-time on the generator and that results in a raw ROI of 5.5 years. Figuring in the Federal Tax Credit, it drops to 3.9 years.
So, for a boat cruising in the rainy Pacific Northwest, the Solar Panels have a ROI of under 4 years. And best of all? I do not need to listen to the Generator during most of the time as a result! In fact, we are back into the time of year where we likely will not need to use the Generator at all until the end of September. And then only when we do Laundry.
(To see all our posts on the Solar Panels, click here: http://mvvikingstar.blogspot.com/search/label/Solar )
Before deciding to place the panels aboard, one of the greatest difficulties I had was getting actual DATA from folks on how their panels performed. I got things from ‘All We need’ to ‘Great’, to ‘Fills my batteries by 11am’. (Monumental guy did not have any panels, so I am not considering his input). But without exception: all the ‘observations’ were gut feelings. No real data.
Being a (at one time, before crossing to the dark world of Marketing) Engineer – this just would not do. So I set out to model the panels, you can read more about that here:
mvvikingstar.blogspot.com/2012/10/solar-panels-on-boat-modeling-and.html
To get actual data - the charge controller I purchased has data logging capabilities. But before we get much further, let’s make sure some ground rules are established:
- We cruise in the Pacific Northwest- if you are somewhere else, likely your results will be different. (See the Modeling post to learn more).
- Our ‘Cruising’ season is March through the end of October. During this time we are very rarely in port, and even more rarely have access to low cost shore power.
That last point is a critical one, as it means -- almost without exception -- every AH we consume we need to make on the boat. Either via the large 270A Leece Neville alternator attached to our main engine, or via the Kubota Dc generator - OR via the Solar Panels. And this, to be fair, is huge. It is VERY EXPENSIVE to generate electricity on a boat. I estimate it costs $1.14 / 100Ah running the DC Generator – direct costs only (Oil and Fuel). That does NOT include any amortization for the original cost of the Generator, or depreciation for its replacement. Every 100Ah costs over a buck…. And with us away from the dock so long, costs add up very quickly!
OK, on to the results. Here is a graph of the actual daily AH log as provided from the Solar Regulator. The thin purple line is the actual daily results – you can see cloudy days and sunny ones. The black line is a 15 day rolling average - to try and smooth things out a little. Finally, the thick blue line is what the modeler predicted our output would be.
 |
| 1 year actual results (Click on image for a larger version) |
So, for a boat cruising in the rainy Pacific Northwest, the Solar Panels have a ROI of under 4 years. And best of all? I do not need to listen to the Generator during most of the time as a result! In fact, we are back into the time of year where we likely will not need to use the Generator at all until the end of September. And then only when we do Laundry.
(To see all our posts on the Solar Panels, click here: http://mvvikingstar.blogspot.com/search/label/Solar )
Thursday, June 13, 2013
The Canal
Last you heard, we were in Montague Harbour. From there we've been to Glenthorne Passage, Ganges, and Bedwell Harbour. And this morning we had another 'first'. We passed through Pender Canal to Port Browning.
Al asked if this were our first canal. I had to think, for quite a while, but finally agree. Did we pass through anything like that on our Columbia/Snake River trip? Not that I remember. What about that channel by LaConner? No, the Swinomish is a natural waterway. Yes it's been dredged, but it's natural. 'Canal' implies manmade.
We had some conversation about ways this compared to THE canal -- the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal is between North America and South America. Pender Canal divides North Pender Island from South Pender Island. Both canals are in a north/south orientation.
Al asked if this were our first canal. I had to think, for quite a while, but finally agree. Did we pass through anything like that on our Columbia/Snake River trip? Not that I remember. What about that channel by LaConner? No, the Swinomish is a natural waterway. Yes it's been dredged, but it's natural. 'Canal' implies manmade.
We had some conversation about ways this compared to THE canal -- the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal is between North America and South America. Pender Canal divides North Pender Island from South Pender Island. Both canals are in a north/south orientation.
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| Between the buoys and around the bend to the left... (After a short 'Securite' call on VHF-16 before entering - to avoid meeting someone headon..) |
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| Theres a small bridge. |
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| We are about as big a boat as can fit through! |
Monday, June 10, 2013
Bakery Boat???
OK,
Kristi and I are in Montague Harbor again, and this time at the ‘beginning’ of the Season (we are here after the 3-long after all!) So, where is the Boat? The Bakery Boat? Found a photo of her on Flicker, know what to look for. But even though there are about 50 boats anchored around here, no Bakery Boat. http://www.flickr.com/photos/adavey/3566874385/
Kind of feeling like Marvin the Martian from the Old Bugs Bunny cartoons: “Where is the ka-Boat? There was supposed to be an edalicious ka-Boat!”
Oh Well, to the marina. Perhaps the Ice Cream stand is open now. (They were painting it last time we came through). And maybe the Pub-bus is up http://hummingbirdpub.com/ (we walked last time..)
Update: Found their BLOG: http://atrevidabakery.blogspot.ca/ Hum... Nothing posted since last Fall...
Kristi and I are in Montague Harbor again, and this time at the ‘beginning’ of the Season (we are here after the 3-long after all!) So, where is the Boat? The Bakery Boat? Found a photo of her on Flicker, know what to look for. But even though there are about 50 boats anchored around here, no Bakery Boat. http://www.flickr.com/photos/adavey/3566874385/
Kind of feeling like Marvin the Martian from the Old Bugs Bunny cartoons: “Where is the ka-Boat? There was supposed to be an edalicious ka-Boat!”
Oh Well, to the marina. Perhaps the Ice Cream stand is open now. (They were painting it last time we came through). And maybe the Pub-bus is up http://hummingbirdpub.com/ (we walked last time..)
Update: Found their BLOG: http://atrevidabakery.blogspot.ca/ Hum... Nothing posted since last Fall...
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