Captain's Log: Briskwater

01 August 2014 | Everett, Ballard Locks, Queen Queen City
30 July 2014 | Saratoga Passage, Everett
29 July 2014 | Swinomish Channel, La Conner, Skagit Bay, Oak Harbor
28 July 2014 | Rosario Strait, Harney Channel, Ship Harbor, Cap Sante Marina
27 July 2014 | Sucia Island, Deer Harbor, Orcas Island
25 July 2014 | Matia Island, North of Orcas Island
24 July 2014 | Blakely Island Marina
23 July 2014 | Rosario Resort, Orcas Island
21 July 2014 | Deer Harbor to Eastsound
20 July 2014 | Deer Harbor to Orcas Village
19 July 2014 | Anacortes, Guemes Island
18 July 2014 | San Juan Island, Orcas Island, Anacortes, Guemes Island
17 July 2014 | Roche Harbor
16 July 2014 | Friday Harbor, Turn Island
15 July 2014 | San Juan Channel
13 July 2014 | Fisherman Bay, Lopez Island
12 July 2014 | Skyline Marine Center - Do It Yourself Yard
07 July 2014 | Guemes Channel
06 July 2014 | Bowman Bay, Deception Pass State Park

11. The Lopez Wave

13 July 2014 | Fisherman Bay, Lopez Island
Capt. Jon Z.
Abiding by the currents and tides is crucial to arriving where you want to be...

After putting the boat in the water at Skyline Marina once we were finished working on her, we made our way to Fisherman Bay on Lopez Island.

Our first leg was to take us through Thatcher Pass, which provides passage from Rosario Strait (the north-south waters east of the San Juan Islands) to Lopez Sound and the waters between the four main San Juan Islands (San Juan, Orcas, Shaw, and Lopez). However, as the people at Skyline only put boats in the water at low tide, any journey into the waters directly following the put-in will be met with the flood, aka incoming high tide, which in this region means swiftly north-flowing currents.

As we approached Thatcher Pass from the southeast, our GPS consistently indicated our direction to be due north, which perplexed for a bit before we realized that the current was easily overpowering our little motor and sails to push us toward northlying Blakely Island. The biggest clue to our vector, and the ultimate motivator for us to change course, was the ever-incoming Lawson Rock, which marks the north side of the pass. At one point before redirection, I asked Sarah if she had seen what I had seen, namely, that the large rock to the north now looked a lot closer and a lot rocker, even though we had the bow pointed firmly to the west, our goal. Thinking quickly, we pointed the bow to the right (east of the rock), and in one fell swoop we were able to ride the current away from the hazard yet also away from our waypoint.

With the current now providing a swift push, we slingshotted north past the east coast of Blakely Island, with the GPS indicating a cumulative speed of 10.5 knots. 10.5! We'd always heard stories of sailors riding the tides for an extra gain in speed, but this was unheard of for little Briskwater; we must have made the nearly 5-nm bypass north around the island in 20-25 minutes (it felt shorter than that).

Our detour north around Blakely allowed us to push to the islands via Peavine Pass, between Obstruction Island and the north end of Blakely. While the current in the pass was strong, it was only pushing in our opposite direction, because now we were traveling southward as well as westward, negating much of the northward push under our beam. From Peavine, we made our way to Upright Head, on the northwest corner of Lopez, where the ferry lands; we then put up the sails to move south toward our destination of Fisherman Bay, in the middle of the west side of Lopez.

The Upright Channel provided some steady south winds and very few wind waves, perfect for tacking practice on our way south. We passed Flat Point while still tacking, and then power sailed to the entrance to Fisherman Bay.

Fisherman Bay is an ideal, idyllic location for anchoring or mooring a boat; apparently, the real trick is navigating into the bay from San Juan Channel, especially in a sailboat with any depth of draft. With the sails down, we consulted our San Juan Cruising Guide for directions on entering the bay, which is not visible from the north, as all we could see were sandy spits, which overlap to block any view of the bay. However, following the markers and our guide, we were able to make it into the bay, where we met my mom and Bill for dinner.

We anchored in the middle of the bay that night, and so far, over two nights, the bay has provided ample protection from the elements, making for peaceful nights aboard Briskwater. We are spending some days on Lopez exploring, snorkeling, and biking, and from here we plan on traveling the 4-5 nautical miles west to nearby Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, probably on Tuesday 7/15/14. We still want to see some of the southern bays on Lopez, mainly Watmough, Mud, and Davis.

Captain's note: Lots of people on Lopez Island wave when traveling, which gives off a hospitable and welcoming vibe. It's called the Lopez Wave. Info on the Lopez Wave.

Travel distance to date: 106.5 nm (all figures are approximate) I am using the distance calculator on this website to estimate our travel distance: DaftLogic
Highest speed to date: 10.5 kt
Gas used to date: 7.0 gal
Scariest moment to date: Trying to enter Thatcher Pass from the southeast while the northeast current (5-6 kt) pushed us dangerously close to the giant exposed Lawson Rock.
Best pizza eaten: Papa Murphy's take and bake at someone's house on Guemes Island. Much better than any pizzeria pizza so far.
Best spot to throw the Frisbee: The parade grounds at Fort Worden.
Best biscuits and gravy: Dad's Diner A Go-Go in Anacortes.
Comments
Vessel Name: Briskwater
Vessel Make/Model: Catalina 27 (Name: Briskwater)
Hailing Port: Queen City Yacht Club
Crew: Captain Jon and First Mate Sarah

San Juan Islands

Who: Captain Jon and First Mate Sarah
Port: Queen City Yacht Club
HI FAMILY AND FRIENDS. IF YOU DOWNLOAD GOOGLE EARTH (on the map page) YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ZOOM IN AND OUT ON THIS SITE AND SEE OUR ROUTE. ALSO, ON THE GOOGLE MAP, YOU WILL BE ABLE TO CLICK ON POINTS FOR JOURNAL ENTRIES. IT'S SUPER COOL!