Life On Water

I'm done with the trip!  The Blog will remain, but I won't be adding to it often, or at all for a long time.   I will continue to sail, continue to keep Altair, and I'd like to do another trip across the Pacific Ocean, or further, but for now I am hanging up my dirty captains' hat.

I would like to review the last four and a half years..
First, I have made a movie of the last bits of the trip when I had a video camera to work with.  You may have seen some of the footage before, but maybe not all of it. 

When I stopped working, I was dreaming about traveling with the boat, but not brave enough to take the first step off the continent. Instead I did some small trips around the Puget Sound to keep my mind off the deep waters. When I finally decided I was going to confront my fears of the ocean, and set out to make it to the beginning of the Pacific, I had to go up the Strait of Juan de Fuca, where I met a strong inflowing wind, which beat me into a scared submission. But I survived. The nice thing about survival, I feel, is that you can look back to the time before the event and realize that you are less scared of it. No longer is a storm an unknown. This was not really a storm, but it was a lot of wind, and I suffered a casualty, the loss of my beloved White Knight, a canoe that I was dragging behind. Still, afterward I could look back and see that Altair was undamaged and up to the task of defending me against the elements.

Sometimes I learn best by practicing and then spending time doing something else for a while, so I headed by car on a trip around the country. I drove to Rhode Island, to Cape Cod, and down the eastern seaboard, stopping in historical places, and then landing in Florida, before working back along the south towards California. When I got to California, I then flew to Costa Rica for the winter, and came to miss being aboard the boat, while seeing the wonderful opportunities that warm water sailing could hold.

 

 I was eager to get the boat to the warm, so when I got back to Seattle, and Altair, I then promptly took her north, to Alaska.

 It was a beautiful trip, because of the extremes. At the glaciers nearly all life is absent; only the barren rocks and crushed earth can stand the ice, but a short distance away from them the trees begin and life is flourishing. My life on water was also brought to an extreme, when I hit the Sherman Reef, and then pulled the boat off again. I put two holes in the bottom from the reef, and in my attempt to examine them, I made another, worse, hole in the side. My trip and my boat and even my life potentially had come to an edge, and I was forced to hold to a tight balance in order to get out. But despite the successful re-floating and patching of the holes, I had fallen out of love. Altair was no longer to be trusted.

 

I spent the winter living in Bellingham, with the boat in the bay, and after a few months I began to work on adding new systems (like LaFawnda), and over time I found my love and trust had returned.

I had also done a passage to San Francisco, and discovered the peaceful side of the Pacific, so I was finally ready, when spring came, to launch on a long trip. 

I left in May with my father, on a trip down the coast and that was successful and easy, so I did the next part alone. When I finally got to Mexico I dabbled on a solo overnight trip.

 

 It was surprisingly easy! My confidence in my solo sailing built over the next year in Mexico and I was ready the next May for a longer trip. 

 

I then set off for Hawaii, toured the islands, and now have returned. Alone.

All told, I have sailed 18,754 nautical miles in the last 4.5 years. That's more than 21,500 regular miles.

I burned 279 gallons of Diesel, for an average of 77.3 miles per gallon.

And I spent $14,500 for the boat part of the trip. That is purchase, insurance, repair, haul outs (three), storage in Mexico, fuel, parts and love.

I want to go over the price part more, because I believe that many people have the dream to go out sailing but are putting off the departure because they don't have the cash. I am a firm believer in small boats, and for the price of my trip (I didn't include the food price, because I eat cheaply, but others may not) you could not even buy a larger boat. I was looking at a beautiful 36 ft boat for $55,000, but if I had gone through with it, I wouldn't have gone. So if you want to sail around, I recommend this: Get a small boat, the smallest that you can possibly stand. Get it cheap, then check the most basic things on it, like the mast will stay up and the sails are ok and the engine starts (that one is more optional) and then untie it from the dock and start out on an adventure. For $30,000, I believe that you can get a boat and sail across the pacific or around the world (if you hurry), for 3 years.

I saw many people with nice big 40-50 ft boats who saw the same things I did, and although they might have had a more comfortable trip, I would argue that less comfort makes for a better trip. An adventure.

Continental

 After much stress and perfect conditions for racing down the Johnstone Strait, (where I was able to make 10 kts at times, because of currents) I got to Campbell River and called customs up, and they promptly cleared me over the phone.  So in my mind, I feel like I didn't really need to be here, since they didn't do anything in person.  What a nice welcome back present.
Despite these setbacks, I am feeling bright and chipper and very happy to be landed.  The trip down the island was nice, superbly pretty, and I had some dolphin visitors!
But first, the trip report:

When I left Hanalei Bay, I had a nice trade wind running from about due East, so I was able to point upwind a little (and I was going as high into the wind as I could).   This isn't the most comfortable sailing, so I was trying not to be down below that much.  After a few days of this, though I was making good progress, I could see the boat falling apart slowly from the bashing and beating against the waves.  I had tried to seal it up, but on this trip as well I was taking on water the whole way, and had to bail quite often.  There is a rail (a rub rail) that goes around the boat and it is this plastic thing that covers the "hull-deck join" which is the spot that the deck and the hull were attached together when they made the boat.  That rub rail was torn from the bow (by the waves) and then broke and I lost about 1/3 of the port side plastic thing, even though I tried to tie it back on.  So I had about 15 little quarter inch holes that would get pushed under water when going through a big wave, and that made everything wet in the front, and filled the bilge.  I am currently working on fixing that.
After four days the winds became light and though that was welcome because the seas dropped, so it was almost as calm as being on a lake, I wasn't able to make the progress, and I couldn't point as high, so I was going North and NW, instead of NE.  Still, out in that calm patch (this patch is about the size of the USA) there were lots of interesting garbage pieces, and fish under them.  I hooked into a few Mahi Mahi while puttering along.  I was using the motor on and off to keep moving for the next 11 days, and then ran out of fuel, so I made very slow progress for about 2 days until I was able to pick up a light westerly!  The winds blow in a circle around the North Pacific High, from the East in the trades and from the west above.  I thought I was saved, but the winds dropped and I had calms and winds on and off for the whole rest of the trip, and lots of dense fog making it very cold.
There was one "storm" that came through near the end, and I could see the swell growing bigger and bigger, then the wind came up and I was flying along.  I hit 13 knots down a wave before pulling in sail.

My AIS receiver worked like a charm, and I was able to see all the container ships as they passed, and then call them on the radio to ask if they could spot me.  Most of them could not.  I think that if I do this kind of trip again I will try to get AIS broadcast ability, and then they can see me as a dot on their screens, complete with boat name, speed and direction and everything, so I cannot be missed.  Radar is not necessary until you get close to land and have small boat traffic.
As I was about 400 miles from Port Hardy, I heard on the radio a small boat named "Zulu" calling.  I had met Zulu first in Mexico (or I had seen them there, but not spoken with the crew) and then in Hawaii, and we crossed paths within 10 miles out in the middle of the blue!  They had left 4 days before me, so I was pleased by my progress.

I ate a lot more than the other trip, so I ran out of food that I wanted to eat, and have been dreaming about things lately... 

Arrival (almost)

I arrived* in Canada today, after 30 days and 1 hour sailing.  The last few days were slow and hectic, since there is a lot of traffic that comes past the area up here, and then there are rocks.  So I finally made it past Cape Scott (the north end of Vancouver Island) and into the channel, and to Port Hardy!  Yay! 
But then when I got to the office and called canadian customs to tell them I arrived, well, I have made an error.  Port Hardy is not a "Port of Entry", so I cannot arrive here.  Therefore, I must un-arrive and go to Campbell River to enter Canada with all due haste.  But the Canadians are watching me, so I have to keep to a schedule, so I hope the weather is nice for me for the next few days so I can make it.
They were kind enough to allow me to stay the night here and get food, so that is the scoop right now.
I guess I'll write more about the trip in the future.

Departing thoughts

I'm finishing up here.  My work is nearly complete.  After more than three weeks on this island, I like it a lot.  There are so many waterfalls to visit, many beautiful bays to sail around in and anchor at, and a wonderful south and west side that I haven't explored hardly at all.  Its hard to chose my favorite island in Hawaii, but this might be it, except for the traffic.  Since there is only one road, and it doesn't go full circle, the traffic is always bad.  There is also the problem that erosion has made many cliffs and things that the road must go over and it gets narrow there, with lots of construction.  So this island is best with a motor scooter!
It seems that the tourist population use the guide books, because the "real gems" that I found were all crowded, but some of the less shiny gems were completely empty.  I walked up a few streams with nobody on them, while another waterfall was overrun with humans.  Still, I like people, and can get along with that species just fine.  I am most impressed with the many harbors.  On the north side there are so many little places to hide a boat it is fantastic!  All other islands (to my limited knowledge) were more dangerous and rougher conditions on their north sides, and lacked such a curvacious coast. 
 There are a lot of cool buildings in Hanalei, like this church, and many friendly boats as well.  This is Laysan, who I met in Lanai with Dad and then in Honolulu (their home) and now here. 
I went on a short trip to the south-west side, where the Waimea Canyon is.  It was very hot and dry there, feeling like another place alltogether.  This island has the spot of most rain on the planet, but this isn't it.
There are goats all over the island, but you wouldn't know it on the wet sides, since they hide carefully in the foliage and stay atop the cliffs (where you can't go).  On the dry side they stand out more.  Little billy goats gruffs romping around the erosive edges, scampering the slopes.  They are small goats, but I guess I don't really know the normal size.  I haven't seen any wild boar, but I think they are here and have seen some torn up soil that looks like a wallowing spot.  

So, on to the future!

I will be leaving tomorrow at noon, Hawaii time, and then tracking my positions with the SPOT tracker, which you can find the page for it HERE.   I'll be posting the position at 12:00am  and 12:00pm for the trip, but don't worry too much if I am unable to get it to work out properly, and you have to wait for a while to post a position, because there are a number of things that could go wrong with it, including it falling in the water, or getting wet and rusting up, or the batteries going dead.  I do have other emergency beacons (two of them) that I can use in the event of an emergency, so don't panic if the spot thing doesn't show.  But hopefully it will work out well.  
I will also try and talk to boats that I see and see if they are willing to post a comment on my location on this blog. 
I've got food and water for many many days at sea, probably about 100 days if I am careful with the water, or can catch some rain, so don't worry if I don't show up right away.  I am assuming that this trip might take about 26 days, but the winds up near the North Pacific High can be light for days at a time and then I would be stuck waiting. 
I will be awarding a fantastic prize to anyone who posts on a comment the most accurate time and day of landfall.  I am not sure exactly where I will go, but it might be the north end of Vancouver island, or it might be the tip of Washington state.  both are about 2250 nautical miles away, and I did the 3200 nm trip from PV to Hilo in 29 days 20 hours.  The weather conditions will be different.  I will define landfall as the time when I drop anchor, either in Neah Bay or in Port Hardy or nearby there.  Entry must be completed by August 20th for the prize.

Hanalei Bay Video

This is not just Hanalei Bay, but a little of the Na Pali Coast as well.

Further adventures in Hanalei Bay

I am discovering that I like it very much here in Kauai.  There is a ultimate frisbee game not far from the boat, the water is the calmest I have seen in all of Hawaii so far (excepting the inside of a breakwater), and the backdrop is a fantastic waterfall-strewn mountain that is glossed with green. 
The people have been friendly as well.  Today I went out for a little trip to another anchoring spot, upwind a little ways to the northernmost point, near Kiluea.  Its called "secret beach" so I can't tell you the exact location, that is classified. 
The water was nice there, and after a little dip and paddle around I sailed back, and did the unthinkable.  I caught a fish!  This is the first fish I have captured in all the Hawaiian islands!  It was a bluefin trevally, but since it speaks in a hawaiian language it is Ulua.  A sexy little bugger it was.  But I didn't eat it, since it was small and I had one before long ago in Costa Rica, and they aren't the best tasting fish. 
Life goes on, on the water.  I have about a week and a half before I head north, so today was a little bit of a trial run to see how I can do going to weather, and I believe if the sea stays as calm as it was today it will be all just fine.  I'm nervous about the trip, but I expect that to get worse in a week, and I'll be sad to leave the islands. 

North Shore

I've been working my way around the north shore of Kauai, and I like it.  It rains every day, but that isn't much trouble, you just close up the hatches and wait for it to stop.  There are a lot of rivers that run down a steep slope and I've walked up two of them, to nice waterfalls.  There are a few lava tubes as well, I have been staying near a beach called "tunnels" the last few nights and it has a big tube that ends in the beach.  I ventured down a little bit of the Na Pali coast, which is the un-roaded part of this island, a "lost" coast...  But I found it all right, and there are lots of people that hike the trails, so it has been found many times over.  On the way i saw this "new" bird.

 Here's a shot from the beach in the middle of the Na Pali coast, where the winds run strong and full of thunder. 

 These waterfalls are neat, but sometimes they aren't the high point of the hike.  I like walking up the river, feeling the rocks slide underfoot and looking for crawdads.  It is nice to get into fresh water also.  This waterfall had a great big pool at its base, so I got to swim in that. 

 I stayed the night out on the roadstead anchorage next to this beach, and it wasn't too bad, but still windy and the waves rolled the boat nicely.  There are beautiful sunsets that will make you believe out here.  They come right at the end of the day, so you have to wait for them. 

Kauai

I arrived in Kauai, feeling sore of throat and weak in the knees.  I must be losing my touch.  The trip from Honolulu took about 22 hours, but I could have arrived earlier if I wanted, I delayed a little to arrive in the daytime.
I had quite a lot of traffic.  Leaving Honolulu I had to dodge all sorts of boats, while commercial airplanes and fighter jets wove around overhead.  I saw 747s, an A380, DC10s as well as F-15, 16, 18, and F-22 fighters screaming past.  There is such a military presence in Honolulu that I even saw a Canadian Submarine!   At least it was a sub flying the canadian flag. 
There were tons of container ships and fuel ships and barges and tugs as well.  What a mess! 
I cleared Oahu and entered the channel as night fell.  Oahu has a very pretty western side, with cliffs and not a lot of people, it seems.  Right as the sun was setting I could see a Navy tug boat towing an old Navy ship to be shot at (probably) and sunk somewhere in the deep.  They were on a collision course with me, but I managed to make 7 knots at times and pull ahead, slowly.  Then another tug boat came at me later in the night and I turned around to delay my arrival in Kauai and to avoid the boat.  All boats at night seem to try to hit me.  As the new dawn was breaking I was able to witness the most beautiful sunrise, with beams of heaven gently touching down on the land and sea.

Numerous fishing boats also tried to brush against my prow, and I had to pick some flying fish off who were successful in collision.
So it was a long night.  But I got in all right, chased by a cruise ship, and then anchored in Nawiliwili harbor for two nights before heading on to Hanalei bay.  The trip north to Hanalei was the easiest windward side of an island trip I have done yet.  The windward side is usually a torrent of waves from all directions and the boat is super sluggish, but this time it was not so bad.   The wind came from the land and then when i cleared the island the trades came up, but not like they normally do.  There is a bubble of high pressure sitting over this spot and the winds are super light now. 
Kauai is super green and lush, so far as I have seen it.  If i make it over to the SW side the climate may change a bit however. 
For now, I will have to get used to the rain.