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38 STORIES FROM 48 STRAITS RACES
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JANUARY 2024
30
FEATURES Ride Along on a Kitsap Fast Ferry
A PNW sailor gets perspectives from the bridge. By Devin Odell
48º NORTH
Discovering the Puget Sound Cruising Club A big anniversary brings one cruiser back to the beginning. By Elsie Hulsizer
38
Five Decades of Southern Straits Races
One sailor's stories and reflections about the event’s evolution. By Peter Salusbury
20
COLUMNS Close to the Water: Cruising with My Mate
A first adventure together offers rewards aplenty in the San Juans. By Bruce and Kate Bateau
22
NEW Column: Youth Sailing Beat
Observations and opportunities from a PNW listening tour. By Solvig Sayre
26
A Northwest Sailor Navigates the Past
Joys in the Boat: How an iconic sport helped define the region. By Lisa Mighetto
42
RACING Winter Vashon Aboard Cherokee
44
Red Ruby Project: Rolex Middle Sea Race
December sun, breeze, and a report from the overall winners. Down to the wire in the 600-miler for the Orcas Island duo.
ON THE COVER: On the wind! Steve Johnson’s TP52, Mist, and sea birds share a fresh breeze during a sunny Winter Vashon Race (race report page 42). Photo by Jan Anderson.
5
Background photo by Jan Anderson.
CONTENTS
34
JANUARY 2024
6
Editor SMALL EVENTS ARE GOOD? INDEED.
I spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about increasing participation in sailing and boating. From my years running a sailing club and school, to a long tenure as a member and chair or the Northwest Marine Trade Association’s Grow Boating Committee, to life now as an employee of a maritime non-profit with diverse regional growth initiatives, and, of course, as your editor — I might get locked into the idea that success looks like bigger events. To be sure, it’s a major priority for me as I put together our regional racing calendar, SARC, which comes out with this issue. My role in the SARC process is founded on a personal and professional motivation to help organizers arrange their events to reduce competition with one another and, thus, encourage participation around the region by allowing more boats to sail more events. I often declare that more racers equals more fun. Generally, I stand behind that. It’s a great chicken-egg question — do the biggest events in the region draw more boats because they are the most fun, or are they fun because they draw a huge number of boats? I caught myself in the echo chamber of my own outlook this month when I started reading new 48° North columnist Solvig Sayre’s story sharing observations and opportunities that might improve youth sailing in the Pacific Northwest (page 22). Solvig is the new Youth Sailing Director at The Sailing Foundation, and it is her opinion that, for youth sailing to grow and thrive here, the region really needs more small, casual events that welcome kids. The reasoning is sensible. Big events can offer the richest rewards for those at the front of the fleet, while smaller events actually grow the pool of those who love sailing by catering more equitably to the needs and desires throughout the fleet. She also sees value in keeping it super local, reducing the time, inconvenience, and expense of travel. It all decreases pressure, increases ease, and boosts the fun factor. Hit the brakes! This grassroots vibe is genuinely the opposite of my default idea. If I had my way, most weekends would be a huge regional party as scores of boats move from port to port, racing together in big fleets as much as possible. Still, as I let it sink in, Solvig’s rationale really resonated, and I appreciated the valuable divergent perspective. Maybe having a bunch of events on the same weekend with various organizers serving a specific, local population of sailors is exactly the right way to grow participation. In a way, Solvig’s ideas led me to recall my sailing club days. We had a really busy racing program that grew a ton. We were fortunate to have the local yacht clubs running races we could join, but often it felt like the sailing club teams were mainly just racing each other. We organized everything to fit the needs of a mostly-new-toracing audience. People progressed as sailors, more folks joined, and we had a heck of a good time — all in small, local fleets. For me, these ideas serve as yet another reminder that there’s not going to be a single approach, no magic bullet, that grows participation in boating and sailing. Big events help, and so do small ones; and fun is a worthy focus. Broadly speaking, it reinforces the idea that more diversity of sailors, events, and interests will better the waterborne communities of the Pacific Northwest. In other words, as you peruse the 2024 SARC, don’t only circle the big events! I’ll see you on the water,
48º NORTH
Volume XLIII, Number 6, January 2024 (206) 789-7350 info@48north.com | www.48north.com
Publisher Northwest Maritime Center Managing Editor Joe Cline joe@48north.com Editor Andy Cross andy@48north.com Designer Rainier Powers rainier@48north.com Advertising Sales Kachele Yelaca kachele@48north.com Classifieds classads48@48north.com Photographer Jan Anderson 48° North is published as a project of the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, WA – a 501(c)3 non-profit organization whose mission is to engage and educate people of all generations in traditional and contemporary maritime life, in a spirit of adventure and discovery. Northwest Maritime Center: 431 Water St, Port Townsend, WA 98368 (360) 385-3628 48° North encourages letters, photographs, manuscripts, burgees, and bribes. Emailed manuscripts and high quality digital images are best! We are not responsible for unsolicited materials. Articles express the author’s thoughts and may not reflect the opinions of the magazine. Reprinting in whole or part is expressly forbidden except by permission from the editor.
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10 All the Power You Need
LETTERS
Response to Paul Mais’s Article, “Sailing with Strangers” from the November 2023 Issue Dear 48° North, I’m glad Paul had good success, and his article provides a lot of great resources. While he addresses asking about skipper’s leadership style and other good information, I want to suggest that this seems a little light on good vetting — though that may be all we get. The problem with the basic interview and profile is people lie. They say nice things and then change. In my history, which includes several deliveries on the California coast, I have had to overtake skippers twice for the safety of the boat. Both incidents were with skippers who I knew and trusted who made a dangerous mistake, something to which they admitted once everyone calmed down. One was navigating a Santana 21 into the rocky area on the northwest side of California’s San Miquel Island in thick fog in the days before GPS. The other was when a when a poorly secured 1-gallon gas jug turned over and emptied out into the bilge. So, while asking is nice, when I invite crew for a longer voyage, I ask them for a day or two of shakedown. Prior to that, I like to have a “design meeting” where we talk about some of the things Paul suggests; our experiences and what we will or will not tolerate; when to execute sail changes and how; and try to get all the crew on the same page and in agreement. Even document what people agree to — not to point fingers later, but to remember what we agreed to. Next, use all the systems and use them in compromised scenarios. In advance of a planned sail to Alaska, I drop 300 feet of chain in 100 feet of water and retrieve it without the windlass. What actually happens when the battery reaches an early end of life 100 miles offshore? How is food organized, prepared, and is there a food cache process to ensure continued nutrition in a gale when cooking isn’t convenient? Also a pilot, I like to compare. Flying has the academics and the logbook to help vet candidates to share a flight with. But still, not everyone you work with should be trusted, especially (per recent news reports) if a fellow pilot is on magic mushrooms! In my sailing experience, though, the better sailors often do not have credentials to go with it — just great experience. Finally, and very important — medical. Would you sail with someone who hasn’t had a physical in 10 years? They might be a great sailor with excellent references, but what if this sailor doesn’t know they have developed diabetes and will need a USCG rescue 100 miles offshore. So, I also prefer to know all the medical information for all persons onboard. The best type of crew symbiosis can be observed in The Race To Alaska movie. Skipper Jeanne Goussev, of Sail Like a Girl (1st place 2018) and We Brake For Whales (1st place 2023), explains it simply, “We ask, we don’t demand. We look after the crew and we look after the boat.”
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48º NORTH
11
JANUARY 2024
News from the Northwest Maritime Center >> 48° North has been published by the Northwest Maritime Center (NWMC) since 2018. We are continually amazed and inspired by the important work of our colleagues and organization, and dedicate this page to sharing more about these activities with you. 48° North is part of something bigger, and we believe the mission-minded efforts of our organization matter to our readers.
EXPERIENTIAL EXPLORATION: 9TH GRADE AT MARITIME HIGH SCHOOL APPLICATION WINDOW FOR NEW STUDENTS OPEN UNTIL JANUARY 31, 2024 Think back to the start of high school. Did you have options? Many students today do, and for those interested in hands-on learning, the wide-ranging maritime field, or a more projectbased school experience, Maritime High School (MHS) offers an exciting new pathway. With the application deadline for prospective students at the end of January, MHS is preparing for the number of 9th grade students to double next year. Started in 2021 as a part of the Highline School District, MHS has grown and matured in just a few short years, now boasting more than 75 students across its inaugural three classes. While you may have recently read about a new partnership between MHS, NWMC, and Seattle Maritime Academy that helps 11th grade students pursue essential maritime credentials, 9th grade is where kids get their start by exploring the diverse array of maritime fields and opportunities. Ninth graders at MHS are given a remarkable chance to experience and explore the maritime world. Centered around quarterly projects — from vessel operations and navigation to building two sailboats — the first year at MHS also introduces students to maritime people and places, trades and communities with regular field trips, presentations by members of the maritime industry, and lots of time aboard the school's work-boat-style power catamaran, Admiral Jack. Current MHS 9th grader, Kali Rowlette, says she was drawn to MHS because, "I'm a very handson person." She has been "very shocked" by how much more experiential the learning has been than she expected. She particularly liked the three-day overnight trip to Blake Island State Park. Rowlette says that "being out on the boat a lot has made me interested in designing the interior of boats — how everything is mapped out, the plumbing and all that jazz, that sounds fun." Thanks to regular field trips, she reports, "my talking skills have gotten better because of how many times we go out into the community and actually talk to people."
Eleventh grade MHS students Mara Mersai and Henry Peters reflect on their first year and appreciate aspects similar to Rowlette. Mersai began at MHS driven by an interest in marine biology; but after spending time aboard Admiral Jack, she found that engaging in "vessel operations was very fun," and says her "interests are going more toward that...and the opportunities it offers" as she advances in school. Peters recalls the presentations to 9th graders by those working in maritime, "everyone from Puget Sound Pilots to maritime lawyers." He describes the "ladder" of relationships following the presentations — 10th grade students chose an individual maritime industry mentor who sticks with them all year; and then as 11th graders, students are given opportunities to go out and make their own connections as they narrow their educational focus to a particular pathway. For both Mersai and Peters, the 9th grade experience at MHS gave them a foundation on which they're building toward careers in the maritime world. Rowlette offers this advice for future MHS 9th graders: "Be yourself. Bring your interests, others will enjoy your interests." At a time when the next generation of the maritime workforce is front of mind for so many, Maritime High School is fostering the growth of some of those future leaders. Apply by January 31, 2024 for priority consideration for the 2024-25 school year. » maritime.highlineschools.org/admissions
EXPANDED SLATE OF 2024 ADULT CLASSES NOW OPEN In the classroom, on the water, and online, opportunities abound to learn and develop maritime skills for adult students at NWMC. Registration is now open, so be sure to explore
NWMC's new levels of sailing classes as well as an expanded selection of in-person navigation and maritime skills offerings — including an Official WA Boater Education Card class! » nwmaritime.org/programs/adult-programs
48º NORTH
MHS 9th grader, Kali Rowlette (right) learns about navigation on Admiral Jack.
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JANUARY 2024
Seattle Yachts Sailing Academy American Sailing Association (ASA) Certified Sailing School Based out of beautiful Anacortes, Washington, we offer a complete range of ASA courses from Basic Keelboat 101 through Advanced Coastal Cruising 106, Cruising Catamaran 114, Docking Endorsement 118, and private instruction. Schedule online NOW for our ASA Instructor Qualification Clinic (IQC). April 17-21. ASA 201, 203, 204, 218, and 205. www.sailtime.com/location/anacortes/sailing-school Pay online for courses throughout the 2022 season. Book Now! Courses are filling up fast! Call us at 360-299-0777 if you want to talk about your sailing future! 719 28th Street Anacortes, Washington 360-299-0777
48º NORTH
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JANUARY 2024
low tides » News & Events 2024 SEATTLE BOAT SHOW SEMINARS AND CLASSES ANNOUNCED Boat Show University (BSU) is back to provide new and experienced boaters with the opportunity to learn valuable skills, new regulations, innovations, and boating know-how in the Pacific Northwest. In-depth BSU classes organized by Waggoner Media can be purchased as individual or full-day classes (and include same-day show admission), or as a fullaccess discounted pass that includes all 18 BSU classes with daily show admission for a fully immersive experience. The 2024 Seattle Boat Show will once again have two locations, indoors at Lumen Field and on the water at the Port of Seattle's Bell Harbor Marina, and runs from Friday, Feb. 2 through Saturday, Feb. 10, 2024. A free shuttle will continuously operate between both show locations. Check out www.SeattleBoatShow.com for the full schedule of free boating and fishing seminars and BSU classes. It is sortable by keywords, seminar and class descriptions, and presenter biographies.
There is great news for boaters wanting to expand their nautical know-how! The Seattle Boat Show is back to its prepandemic formula of three stages for the free in-person boating and fishing seminars. There will be 124 in-person seminars (92 boating, 32 fishing) to choose from in 2024 — 44% more than 2023 — covering everything from boating safety, fishing techniques, navigation, cruising, the latest innovations, technology, and more, and a number of new topics and presenters. A selection of the 29 new free boating and fishing seminars includes: • Bluewater Adventures: 3 Boats and 30 Lessons Learned • Couples Therapy: How to Create a Winning Fishing Experience for Couples • Cruising Isn't My Partner's Dream: What Now? • Docking: Two People, One Line, Any Conditions, Full Control • Electronic Charts: Important and New Information You Need to Know • Managing Your Boat's Aging Electrical System • NW Cruising for Newbies • Wild Places: Big Adventures in Small Boats • Panel presentations on offshore cruising, fishing, and more
SHOW TICKETS: Adult Ticket - $20.00 online and $22 at the box office at Lumen Field or Bell Harbor Marina 9-Day Pass - $40.00 online and $42 at the box office at Lumen Field or Bell Harbor Marina Kids 17 & Under - Free Boat Show University Tickets (must be purchased in advance): $39: Includes a specific 90-minute class, same day admission to show, one Tunnel Club drink voucher. $99: Includes a specific 6-hour class, same day admission to the show, one Tunnel Club drink voucher. $249: Includes admission to all classes, nine days of admission to the show, nine Tunnel Club drink vouchers, and access to all 2024 Boat Show recordings online after the close of the show on February 10. » www.seattleboatshow.com
ANACORTES MARINE TRADES COMMITTEE DONATES $28,000 TO TWO LOCAL NON-PROFITS “We’re honored and grateful to receive these funds, which will allow us to get 'more future boaters of America' as I call them, on the water,” said Mary Trester, executive director, Anacortes Waterfront Alliance. The Skagit Valley College (SVC) Marine Technology program was allocated $10,000 to help procure outboard motors dedicated to training purposes. This initiative aims to enhance marine workforce development by providing essential resources for skill-building. Additionally, Shawn Ottenbreit of Salish Boat generously allowed SVC to purchase the outboard motors at cost and also donated $1,000, enabling the college to purchase seven outboards instead of five. » www.anacortes.org
The Marine Trades Committee of the Anacortes Chamber of Commerce proudly announced a contribution of $28,000 to bolster youth boating initiatives and support marine workforce development within Skagit County. These funds for community investment were sourced from the 2023 Anacortes Boat and Yacht Show, jointly organized by the Anacortes Chamber and the Northwest Marine Trade Association (NMTA). Of the total contribution, the Anacortes Waterfront Alliance (AWA) will receive $18,000 to acquire three new Tera sailboats. This generous donation will expand their capacity to engage more youth in their learn to sail classes (which currently sell out in 24 hours), increase the size of the fleet for their middle school racing team, and expand the size of their rental fleet. 48º NORTH
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Anacortes, nestled in the Pacific Northwest, boasts stunning landscapes, a vibrant coastal community, and a rich maritime history.
48º NORTH
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low tides » News & Events PORT OF BREMERTON NAMED WPPA PORT OF THE YEAR
WASHINGTON STATE PARKS CLOSES 35 MOORING BUOYS, PLANS REPLACEMENTS
Each year, the Washington Public Ports Association (WPPA) selects one port to honor as the Washington Port of the Year. This award is given to the Port that shows the greatest success in the industry, as a way to motivate continuous improvement and innovation. In December 2023, WPPA announced the Port of Bremerton as this year’s recipient. Since its beginning in 1913, Port of Bremerton's goal has been to make the greatest positive impact on community while maintaining integrity as a public port. As the largest port in Kitsap County, they do this through four facilities — Bremerton National Airport, Bremerton Marina, Port Orchard Marina, and Olympic View Industrial Park — while striving to increase economic development and improve local quality of life. Port CEO Jim Rothlin said, “The accomplishments of the past year didn’t happen overnight, but they had the biggest spotlight as of recent. We received $15.7 million in funding for our Port Orchard Marina breakwater, hosted US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg... added an electric charging conduit at Bremerton National Airport, started community initiatives, and more." “We work hard to make sure that each tax dollar received is put to good use and spent responsibly.... Our facilities contribute greatly to the local economy and region..." said Port Commission President Axel Strakeljahn. » www.portofbremerton.org
The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission (Parks) has identified 35 public recreational mooring buoys across western Washington that are at risk of breaking in the future. Starting in mid-November, Parks closed these buoys, which the agency plans to replace. Even though individual buoys are closed, the impacted parks will still have other mooring buoys available for use. Parks maintains 259 mooring buoys at 40 parks across the Puget Sound region and San Juan Islands. Sixteen parks will be affected by partial buoy closures. They are: Blake Island, Clark Island, Cutts Island, Fort Flagler, Fort Townsend, Fort Worden, Illahee, Jones Island, Kopachuck, Mystery Bay, Potlach, Sequim Bay, Stuart Island's Provost and Reid Harbors, Sucia Island's Fox Cove, and Twanoh. The agency plans to replace the existing anchors with modern helical screw-type anchors, with anticipated installation in winters 2024 and 2025. When finished, the upgraded systems will allow boats to safely tie up, and they will limit impacts on eelgrass, fish, marine mammals, and other fragile shallow marine environments. Using mooring buoys is important to help protect sensitive eelgrass habitats from anchor impact. To report a damaged buoy, contact infocent@parks.wa.gov. » www.parks.wa.gov/boat-moorage
CROSSWORD ACROSS
DOWN
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Voyage that’s a great achievement for a sailor, 3 words
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Point of sail from about 60 degrees to 160 degrees off the wind
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Resting on the ground or bottom
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Come apart
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It’s measured in fathoms
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Type of barrel used as part of a windlass
10 Own
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River of New York
11 GPS provides it
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Get hitched
14 Container
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Giving a boat a new coat
15 Above water
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“Obviously!”
16 Secure tightly, with “down”
11 Latitude, for short
17 Top
12 Naval ____ (training school)
18 Chunk of sandstone used to
13 Island off Cape Cod
scrub the decks
20 Toward the rear 21 Gentle breeze
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14 Overturned 15 At right angles to the
centerline of the ship
23 Approve
16 Waste container
24 Foot digit
17 Fastened using a rope
25 Direction pointer on land
19 Coffee choice
27 Secure
22 Toruing vehicle, abbr.
28 Avoid
23 Early afternoon
29 ____ sail: start on a voyage
26 Top grades
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» See solution on page 50
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low tides » Products News » EWINCHER SAILFORCE
Ewincher recently introduced their innovative SailForce winches, the next generation of electric winches that combine new motor technology with Australian made Hutton winches. Powered by a dedicated 30V lithium-ion battery, the winch is unique because it offers two speeds — fast and slow — with a super sensitive tension limiter that stops the winch when the limit has been reached. A wide range of tension limits can be configured to match the specificities of each boat. The winch only consumes 6 amps and, when it’s not in use, the battery pack is recharged from the boat’s 12V system. This eliminates the need to upgrade the capacity of your house battery bank. The battery pack can be placed anywhere on board by running a new cable or by connecting it to any 12V cable available. The SailForce electric winch comes with a 12V control panel and is available from size 40 to 70. Price: $1,228 - $6,478 » www.ewincher.com
» GILL VERSO LITE JACKET
When you need a handy waterproof outer layer to throw in a bag or keep aboard your boat, the new Gill Verso Lite Jacket is designed and built to do just that. Ideal for a range of activities on and off the water, the Verso Lite is made using Gill’s exclusive XPLORE® two-layer waterproof and breathable fabric. It is lightweight and able to pack down into its own pocket and stash away easily when not being worn. The jacket features an integrated hood with two-way adjustment and a shock cord retaining loop for stowing away while not in use. A front YKK AquaGuard zipper stops water intrusion and adjustable outer cuffs provide additional wet weather protection. The large zippered front cargo pocket has side entry hand pockets and the adjustable hem allows for a comfortable, customized fit. The Verso Lite Jacket comes in blue and black. Price: $165 » www.gillmarine.com
» EXPOSURE MARINE RAW PRO 2 HEADLAMP
Whether you’re racing or cruising, having a reliable headlamp aboard for each crewmember is a must. Designed for the rigors of the ocean and tested by racers during The Ocean Race, Exposure Marine’s newly updated RAW Pro 2 Headlamp is a go-to for its additional output power and longer run times. The RAW Pro 2 now offers up to 265 lumens bright white light for outstanding visibility on deck, together with 50% more red light output of 75 lumens for better night visibility, without any glare. Pre-set to switch on in its lowest red light setting, the RAW Pro 2 prevents any risk of compromising your or your crew’s night vision. A simple, single click operation switches the RAW Pro 2 from red to white, and up to high white mode. USB recharging takes just 1.5 hours and with the new through-case magnetic charging option you simply connect the charger lead with a quick ‘snap on’ motion. Silicone strips inside the headband improve the holding performance, removing any need for an overhead strap and also helping to channel sweat towards the back of the head. Price: $160 » www.exposureolas.com
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CLOSE TO THE WATER
CRUISING WITH MY MATE A FIRST CRUISE OFFERS REWARDS APLENTY IN THE SAN JUAN ISLANDS by Bruce & Kate Bateau
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heat wave had swept over the Pacific Northwest, but I wasn’t thinking about the temperature as Luna bucked and skidded over the knee-high chop during a crossing of Rosario Strait. Our 19-foot wooden catboat never faltered or showed signs of being tender on that July afternoon. But my senses were on high alert, as this was my wife Kate’s first openwater crossing in a small boat, not to mention it was also her first cruise. Thankfully, each time I glanced across the cockpit, there was no greenish tinge to her face nor clenched white knuckles. Instead, she gazed expectantly across the water towards the San Juan Islands, a tentative smile on her face. That lasted until we reached a place where I felt no need to fear, Thatcher Pass, the central entrance to the archipelago from the east. “Uh, Bruce, is that the ferry?” Kate asked. “Isn’t it getting kind of close?” I watched as the four-story ship emerged from behind the conifer-studded edge of Decatur Island. “We’ll be fine, as long as we give way,” I said. “Also, remember, we’ve got a 175-square-foot white sail that the captain can easily see.” This moment brought me back to our early discussions about how life together on the water might work. With our kids fully
independent, we finally had the chance to do something new together. I’d been taking extended cruises in small boats for a dozen years, and now Kate was curious to see what it was all about. Kate was always happier with a book than engaging in outdoor adventure. In deciding to come cruising, I knew she was venturing far from her comfort zone. Maybe, I suggested, she should take the woman-led sailing course offered by a local boating group? I didn’t expect her to become an expert prior to our journey, but she’d feel safer and more confident aboard, I believed, if she knew the basics and what to do should there be a problem “What if I just want to come sailing this one time,” she asked. “Not actually become a sailor?” I started to respond about being partners on the boat, like we were at home and while raising our kids. But then I paused. This was a perfectly reasonable question. “Okay, sure,” I said. Maybe treating a spark of sailing curiosity with care and patience might kindle a fire. “I mean, I want to know what to do if you get knocked out, or something,” Kate added. “But maybe everything else can wait.” And so, on an unusually hot summer day, we found ourselves launching Luna at Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes. Kate had broken her wrist a few weeks earlier, but the cast on her arm didn’t deter
Sailing Luna westward through the San Juan Islands on a beautiful summer day. Kate relaxes in the cockpit with a book. 48º NORTH
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her from nesting in the tiny cabin, hanging LED lights, arranging bedding, and organizing food, while I set up the rigging and threaded lines through the blocks. When we were both satisfied with the arrangements, we pulled away from the dock for a safety check in the placid waters beyond the breakwater. “So, if there’s a real situation, the most important thing is to de-power the mainsail,” I explained, while Kate looked ruefully from her cast to the halyards, clearly wondering how she might handle this, literally singlehanded. “And watch out that the boom or gaff doesn’t knock you on the head.” “And what about the radio?” she asked. After a few minutes of fiddling with the VHF’s buttons and self-consciously practicing how to make an emergency call, we both felt satisfied enough to embark on our two-week journey. With the timing of tidal currents and wind as our primary means for deciding where and when to go, we explored around Lopez Island for a few days, but Kate and I really wanted to see the less-visited islands, accessible only by private vessel, so off we went. Even with a mild breeze, I could stand in a Zen state at the tiller for hours, but during these slow passages, Kate preferred to retreat into the shade with a book and emerge when there was something new to see. Happily, we had a cabin for her and a cockpit for me. Reaching Jones Island State Park late in the day, we were lucky to find several openings at the dock and tied up. Soon, three small aluminum skiffs full of young families arrived, taking up the remaining space. Lounging in Luna’s comfy cockpit, we watched them unload toddlers, crab traps, swimming toys, and snacks, remembering the challenges of those busy parenting years and relishing our current untroubled tranquility. During the day, Kate lounged in the cockpit, treating Luna like a movable waterfront cabin. While I prefer the solitude of anchoring out, the people at the dock created a sense of comfort for her. When I needed some space, I wandered down the trails that skirt the perimeter of the island where I could hike, sketch, or just sit contemplatively, soaking in the many shades of blue. Our second day passed much like our first, with each of us hanging out or exploring at our own pace, joining together for meals and to share our observations of nature or our fellow boaters. This cruiser’s laziness was exactly the feeling I hoped Kate would experience and it continued as we happily made our
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rounds from island to island. Our main trip rule, besides being safe, was, “as long as it’s fun.” That is, as long as we were both enjoying ourselves, we’d keep venturing; but as soon as one person decided they were done, we’d head for home. But with increasingly cooler temperatures, sunny skies, and just enough wind to sail to our next port, neither of us had any desire to leave. Although there were a few tense moments, like when I got annoyed at Kate’s inability to hold a steady course at the tiller, or to balance the boat during a jibe, I tried to remember that my goal was to help her see what a cruise was like, not to make her a sailor. Overall, we were both surprised at how well we got along in these new circumstances, in a space smaller than any bedroom at home. I took care of boat handling and navigation; she planned and cooked all our meals and did cleanup duty. We did our best to be communicative while approaching a dock. When just a few days of vacation remained, we started wending our way towards home, aspiring to conclude with a night or two at James Island State Park. Alas, when we arrived at the tiny dock and cove, there was scarcely space for a dinghy. We hovered near shore as long as we could, hoping someone would leave, but it was clear that no one was budging, and we’d have to move on. During our cruise, I had tried to demonstrate, rather than instruct, but one lesson I emphasized was that timing is critical to a safe passage, especially on a small boat. So when a southwesterly wind started to ruffle the waters, I observed the conditions in Rosario through my binoculars, where I spotted not a single whitecap. With slack tide approaching, I knew this was an optimal time for us to cross the strait and make it back to Anacortes. Reluctantly, Kate agreed. We motored around the north end of James and into the strait. As I cut the engine and trimmed the sails, Luna began to surge forward with an invigorating rush of motion. I looked over at Kate. Gone was the grin of arrival; she was staring back at the now receding islands. “What’s up, you look kind of sad,” I asked. “I didn’t think I’d actually like this sailing business,” she admitted. “But now I wish we could stay longer.” Bruce Bateau sails and rows traditional boats with a modern twist in Portland, Oregon. His stories and adventures can be found at www.terrapintales.wordpress.com.
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YOUTH SAILING BEAT Photo by Maddy Lindburg.
OBSERVATIONS AND OPPORTUNITIES FROM MY FIRST SUMMER IN THE PNW
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by Solvig Sayre
n June, I came to the Pacific Northwest to be the new Youth Sailing Director at The Sailing Foundation, which has the mission to raise the level of sailing in the region. With previous experience on the US Sailing Team as well as leading junior sailing programs around the country, I am excited to be a part of youth sailing in the PNW as it continues to grow and thrive. As a first step this summer, I went on a listening tour, visiting 17 junior sailing programs and doing my best to understand their needs and to learn more about how they operate. Throughout the six-race Northwest Youth Racing Circuit (NWYRC), I saw a lot of what makes this region great, and also identified a few concepts that would make a big difference to the performance of the sailors. On my tour, I kept hearing, “We’re just the Northwest, we can’t compete,” but I came away impressed with the strengths of the region. One huge asset is the great deal of trust that exists between Northwest programs, and the unparalleled practice of collaboration. This results in a large number of very successful regionwide initiatives and circuits. For example, it was so wonderful to see the Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle go to Sail Sand Point 48º NORTH
and provide the race committee for their big NWYRC regatta. Coaches collaborate and work together to solve problems like I have never seen before, even welcoming coaches from other programs to share their knowledge with their sailors. It is inspiring to see how everyone truly wants to work together to raise the level and improve the opportunities in youth sailing. The Northwest’s geographic distance from other youth sailing hot spots has also produced some procedural isolation. Though there are things to learn from these other regions, I think this distance and isolation is a good thing. Actually, I see it as a great thing! What follows are a few of my related observations, and some of my ideas about opportunities and community action items. THE VALUE OF SMALL, LOCAL EVENTS Observation: In addition to the trust and collaboration between programs — and the resulting shared initiatives and circuits — There is also a strong culture of inclusiveness in the Northwest. This is obviously positive, so that we can grow our community and serve a greater population. However, it can also create some challenges for those entering the sport with little or no experience. At an event that includes everyone, it is more
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difficult to effectively cater to specific ages or levels of sailors. One response might be events that focus on particular groups of sailors, but another approach is to create more small, local events where varied interests and needs can take the lead. At a club I worked for in Texas, many sailors traveled to regional events, but there were also lots of opportunities for those who were newer to sailing or preferred to sail more casually. The club hosted a few dinghy regattas during the summer, mainly for the members. The neighboring club hosted a series of events for the youth programs nearby and it was a great training opportunity for both sailors and the race committee. Similarly, there’s a great regional circuit around San Francisco, but St. Francis Yacht Club still hosts dinghy regattas a few times a year, separate from the circuit. Opportunity: We need more B and C level events — smaller events that don’t require participants to travel far from home. Events of this type foster an environment centered around the needs of newer sailors and allow for space for advancing intermediate sailors to compete at the front of the fleet. Additionally, the Northwest is currently running into the issue of not having enough venues that can host several hundred boats, which JANUARY 2024
many of the circuit events now draw, so events with smaller fleets should also create more viable venue options. Smaller stand-alone events will also encourage more accomplished racers to try new things without it impacting the series results they’ve worked hard for. Though the opportunity I identified is to expand the offerings for small events, some terrific ones do exist already. One way that novice racers get out in Seattle is the Milfoil Dodger series. Milfoils are great one-day events with an emphasis on fun and learning. The barrier to entry is very low and these are much simpler events to run, with the expectation of 10-30 sailors coming. Relatedly, Corinthian Yacht Club of Seattle hosts many fantastic events that serve as vital bridges from the Milfoil series to the Northwest Youth Racing Circuit. The San Juans, Bellingham, Anacortes, and Oak Harbor have also created a circuit of high-school-style racing for local middle school sailors in RS Tera dinghies. This uses the assets in the region effectively, engages more middle school students, and is fueling new enthusiasm in the area. I am very excited to see the sailors progress as a result of this opportunity. Community’s Next Step: Consider hosting a dinghy regatta at your local club and feel free to put an entry cap on it! Tailor the event for your members (adults and youth) and invite a few programs around you. Is your club really enjoying RS Aeros and 29ers? Have a regatta for those boats and invite people who sail other boats to try them out! RACE COMMITTEE DEVELOPMENT Observation: To have better and more
numerous events, we need to get more people involved in race committees. The region is lucky to have a handful of very good PROs who run youth events, but presently there aren’t enough people with the desire and the know-how to facilitate the capacity for growth in youth sailing in the Northwest. We need more mentorship, race committee training, and outreach. There are lots of race committee jobs that require almost no training, and roles on the committee can be extremely varied and suit different people’s strengths, skills, and temperaments. Limited committee resources have a direct impact on the sailing experience for the kids. We had an event this past summer where there were six fleets on the same race course. This meant that in order to adjust the race course, all racing had to come to a stop. It also kept sailors strategizing about how to dodge other fleets, instead of thinking about what a wind shift might do. A more robust committee could have separated the fleets onto two race courses and helped the sailors have a more rewarding time on the water. Opportunity: On top of being great for the sailors, adding B and C level events would create opportunities for race committee training and add experienced people to the race committee community, reducing the burden on the handful of more experienced folks who are currently very active. This bigger pool of volunteers would also allow us to do a better job of running the events with up to 200 boats. Community’s Next Step: Reach out to your local sailing organizations and ask how to become involved in race committee. Go to the US Sailing website
and read about the roles on the race committee team, and consider what appeals to you. Ask your club to host more race committee training sessions. Are you a race committee member already? Invite a friend to join you! NORTHWEST YOUTH RACING CIRCUIT Observation: Another regional strength is the Northwest Youth Racing Circuit (NWYRC). This circuit of roughly six events in great venues attracts programs from all over the Northwest. The fleet is tight, so sailors are pushing each other to get better. From what I’ve seen around the country, most regattas and circuits die because the fleet is too spread out; it’s no fun to be in a dinghy and not see your friends smiling as you cross each other back and forth. In the Northwest, there is a big range of abilities, but everyone seems to find a group of sailors at their level that they are racing against. Opportunity: This network creates a great training tour for our sailors to experience traveling for events, different venues and conditions, and strong competition. This series requires a great deal of planning and support; and as the events continue to grow, the demands for support increase. Community’s Next Step: Volunteer! Race committee is a great place to start, but there’s also support in planning meals, assisting with housing, and various other shoreside projects. Let your skills and strength shine. A parent volunteer came on the race committee finish boat for the first time this summer and saved the regatta because she was so good at reading/hearing sail numbers finish in rapid succession and writing them down.
Sailors enjoying Bellingham Youth Regatta, one of the NWYRC events. Photo by Maddy Lindburg.
Fun sailing at the Northwest Junior Olympics. Photo by John Beaver. 48º NORTH
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While there's value in smaller events, the Northwest's commitment of inclusiveness makes big events like the Johnny Adams Memorial (JAM) Regatta on Bainbridge Island a summer highlight for everyone. Photo by Michael Dougherty.
Without her, I believe we would have had to scrap one race, which would have been heartbreaking. The good news is that so many of these volunteer opportunities are as fun as they are rewarding. There’s no limit to how the circuit can continue to grow and improve with increased volunteer support. GEOGRAPHIC DISTANCE AND PROCEDURAL ISOLATION Observation: There are the obvious challenges that come with being less connected (in all the ways) with the sailing activity in other regions of the country — from limited exposure to what the rest of the country has figured out, to not getting recognition for the region’s triumphs by having our sailors on display at many competitions nationally. It also can make it more difficult to draw in outside coaches. However, what might be seen as the Northwest’s greatest weakness is also the region’s greatest strength, because the region has not been exposed to bad practices cropping up around the country. One example is the way the junior sailing scene around the U.S. has shifted toward a “pay-to-play” landscape for sailors as young as 9 years old. Other nations have well-funded National Governing Bodies (NGBs) that tend to be tied to Olympic team development. These NGBs enable the execution of long-term strategies and create pathways that are relatively affordable for talented and dedicated sailors. The U.S. does not have an NGB that is financially supporting a unified and cohesive pathway and, in this vacuum, some coaches are seeing a 48º NORTH
lucrative business opportunity. Coaches are coming in and creating travel teams independent of yacht clubs. While some families find youth sailing to be expensive already, without club and community support, the cost to sail with these teams is even higher — effectively leading to a pay-to-play environment. This is troubling for many reasons: it creates a financial barrier to information, and leads to a sailing equivalent of a “brain drain” from local programs. Sailors who are driven and can afford to participate in a travel team are leaving their home programs, reducing support for those programs and leaving the sailors in the home programs without consistent exposure to this group of often more accomplished sailors. Travel team sailors seldom return to coach the next generation, and thus these programs miss out on the inspiration of seeing friends become great coaches too. Since the Northwest is largely isolated from the phenomenon, boasts the community strengths of trust and collaboration, and has strong leadership organizations, we are well positioned to initiate plans and pathways that reflect philosophies that have been successful in other nations. Opportunity: In Norway, their model mandates that athletes stay local in order to build strong foundations and to create a bigger pool of good athletes. In this environment, athletes wait to specialize in a chosen pursuit until they are between 17 to 27 years old, and thus peak at the correct time; also helping young enthusiasts avoid burnout. The British model has sailors stay with
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their local programs their entire junior career and when the junior sailors are recognized as having potential, national coaches come to the region and run clinics for these top sailors and their local fleets. At a certain level, the most talented sailors travel as a team outside of the region for competitions, but they always practice with their home programs. Keeping the talent local and the cost low, sailors are not priced out or asked to essentially become full-time travel athletes. Models like these mean that sailing skills and enjoyment increase locally, but it also means that the talent pool of skilled athletes is larger when it comes time for sailors to compete for senior world titles. The Northwest has a number of individuals, clubs, and organizations currently working towards systems that provide the best experience for young sailors and raise the level of sailing throughout the region, and these efforts are supported by the US Sailing Olympic Development Program. Community’s Next Step: Think about ways that you can support and enable a fun and rewarding local sailing environment for young people, and then take action. Help youth sailors develop a diverse love of sailing. Invite kids and their families to sail on your boat; volunteer at youth events; create a fun, casual dinghy regatta for your local community; or consider donating to the organizations endeavoring to grow and support youth sailing. Candidly, neither The Sailing Foundation nor any other Northwest entity can provide funding like international NGBs do. The Foundation does not have the legal control, but it is well positioned to put these proven philosophies in motion because of all the great things happening in the Pacific Northwest for sailors. All these strengths lead me to believe there is a strong future ahead for youth sailing in the Northwest. I’m still new to the region, but I think there is lots we can achieve together. Solvig Sayre is the newly hired Youth Sailing Director at The Sailing Foundation, where she works with programs around the Pacific Northwest. She has extensive experience on the US Sailing Team and leading youth programs around the country. Check www.nwyouthsailing.org. JANUARY 2024
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A NORTHWEST SAILOR NAVIGATES THE PAST
THE JOYS IN THE BOAT:
HOW AN ICONIC SPORT HELPED DEFINE THE REGION by Lisa Mighetto
M Vintage postcard, around 1910.
Windermere Cup, 1990s.
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y “gateway boat” was a rowing scull with double oars and a sliding seat. I nearly fell in the water at Green Lake the first time I attempted to board this 18-foot wherry from the dock, and once I managed to climb in, I became lost in a tangle of limbs and oars, all of which seemed too long and unwieldy to propel the boat forward. I had little experience with boats, so this served as an introduction to the skills that would serve me well in larger boats over the decades: balance, strength, grip, and rhythm with crew and the natural environment around me. Rowers face backward, which heightens awareness of what lies ahead, requiring coordination with others or reliance on navigational senses other than sight. Eventually, I found myself gliding across the water with remarkable speed, if not grace. This experience opened a new world for me, one that included the thrill of exploring the lakes, channels, and inlets of the Salish Sea under my own power, in sync with my boat. Competitive rowing further connected me with local traditions, based on affinity for water, boats, and camaraderie with crew. As a sport, rowing has long been important to the Pacific Northwest’s regional identity. The spectacle of shells skimming across Lake Union is as familiar to morning commuters along I-5 as the iconic sights of Mt. Rainier and the Space Needle. And the recent release of the film version of The Boys in the Boat, directed by George Clooney, and the exhibit Pulling Together, currently at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI), indicate that rowing stories from the past continue to resonate.
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JANUARY 2024
The Husky crew rows past the ASUW Shell House, early 20th century. Photo courtesy of MOHAI.
REGATTAS PAST AND PRESENT Competitive rowing was once the most popular collegiate sport in the United States. Former oarsmen from Cornell, Harvard, Yale, and other Ivy League schools brought it to the Pacific Northwest as they settled here during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. At that time rowing clubs began to emerge in cities along the shores of the Salish Sea. These were elite clubs with a strong social component. In addition to races, the Vancouver Rowing Club, for instance, held “jolly dances” and “delightful hops” as well as sumptuous dinners for its “aristocratic” membership [Seattle Daily Times, March 10 and July 2, 1902]. The appearance of rowing clubs in our region coincided with the establishment of yacht clubs, revealing a connection between rowing and yachting. “Great attention is being laid to all health-giving sports,” noted an 1892 article in the Seattle PostIntelligencer, “two of the foremost being yachting and rowing. With the advantages we have in beautiful and convenient waters, we should have a yachting and rowing club here very soon… “ [July 11, 1892]. The Seattle Yacht Club was formed that year. The Olympia Yacht Club, too, can trace its roots to a rowing club in south Puget Sound. Emerging at the same time, both yachting and rowing were leisure pursuits that employed techniques and skills once associated with the maritime industries essential to the growth of this region. Seattle and the Salish Sea offer a network of waterways with a mostly temperate climate — conditions that allowed competitive rowing to flourish year-round. Accordingly, the University of Washington’s move from downtown Seattle in 1895 to its current location on Lake Washington sparked interest in establishing a rowing program. In 1903, with support from the local business community, the UW men’s crew rowed in its first intercollegiate race, defeating the University of California and launching a decades-long rivalry with the Cal Bears. Four years later, the Husky rowing program purchased its first eight-oared shell from Cornell University, soon becoming the dominant rowing team on the Pacific Coast. In 1936 the UW crew was named best in the world after winning the Gold Medal in the Berlin Olympic games, foiling Hitler’s plan to showcase the Third Reich. Daniel James Brown’s best-selling book, The Boys in the Boat, tells the story of how these oarsmen with humble backgrounds broke through the classist barriers that characterized the sport to emerge victorious against all odds. The international attention focused on this crew, who rowed “like demons,” helped put Seattle on the map, galvanizing the city during the height of the Great Depression [Seattle Daily Times, July 15, 1936]. By the early 1940s, intercollegiate crew races on Lake Washington were drawing more than 200,000 spectators. The “Great Race” captured additional public interest in 1941. That year UW crew brought two of their eight-oared shells to the Swinomish Slough to face Indigenous canoers. Native paddlers had traveled the Salish Sea in cedar canoes for many centuries, and they often participated in rowing regattas [see Seattle Daily Times, June 21, 1907, for instance]. The Great Race pitted two, 11man racing canoes – Lone Eagle and Susie Q – against the Husky shells in a paddlers versus rowers competition. It is unclear who won, as publicity and kinship — not victory — was the point of this regatta. According to historian Bruce Miller, Native cedar canoes 48º NORTH
The ASUW Shell House, built as a Navy seaplane hangar in 1918, is visible from the water on the north side of the Montlake Cut.
“represented a connection to the land, to the water, and more generally, to an aboriginal world view,” while the Husky rowers “represented the vigor of a community” then based on fishing and logging, activities “intimately connected with the sea” [”The Great Race of 1941: A Coast Salish Public Relations Coup,” Pacific Northwest Quarterly, Summer 1998]. During the second half of the twentieth century, focus on rowing shifted to other sports. Even so, the UW crew program continued to thrive, encouraging the development of non-collegiate clubs on Lake Union, Green Lake, Gig Harbor, Port Townsend, and other locations. The passage of Title IX in 1972, which prohibited sexbased discrimination in schools, ensured female access to the sport, boosting the UW’s women’s program that had started earlier in the century. In 1987 the annual Windermere Cup began
Rower’s race through the Montlake Cut during the Windermere Cup.
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pairing the UW crew with international competitors, starting with rowers from the Soviet Union. This regatta takes place the first Saturday in May, coinciding with the Seattle Yacht Club’s Opening Day festivities. Thousands of spectators typically line the Montlake Cut for the event, which marks the official “start” of boating season. My sister-in-law Dianne rowed for Cal in this regatta in the 1980s. “We knew from the start that the Huskies were our arch rivals,” she recalled recently. Accustomed to rowing on lakes and estuaries in the San Francisco Bay area, she marveled at the size of the crowds watching her race in Seattle. “It was wall-towall people,” she remembered. “Everyone was yelling so loud you couldn’t even hear the coxswain. We weren’t used to the noise.” The Huskies won that race.
SPIRITUAL PURSUIT Perhaps all sports have a spiritual component, but in rowing it seems especially strong. “What is the spiritual value of rowing?” asked George Pocock, the legendary shell builder who arrived at the UW in 1912. “The losing of self entirely to the cooperative effort of the crew as a whole.” Many descriptions of rowing include the importance of “swing,” the Zen-like feeling that the crew achieves when perfectly synchronized and pulling in unison. “You can have… really strong athletes,” Tom Kellert, a crew coach for Seattle Prep recently commented, “but if they’re not connecting on a deeper level, the boat is not really going to go anywhere” [Chris Egan, “Prep Zone: Seattle Prep Rowers Make History at 2022 Nationals,” Sept. 28, 2022]. My husband Frank, who rowed competitively in the San Francisco Bay area, sees similarities between the rhythms of rowing and sailing with crew. “You have to find a groove,” he explained, “working in sync with each other and with the elements as you move across the water.” The significance of swing, described in the book The Boys in the Boat, also appears in the movie, with the coxswain inspiring the crew to row “as one.” Swing enhances speed and performance while allowing the boat to glide with grace and fluidity. 48º NORTH
LEGACY Cruise your boat along the Montlake Cut and you’ll see the old Associated Students of University of Washington (ASUW) Shell House still sitting on the north bank. Now shrouded in trees and bushes, it remains visible from the water and represents an intersection of stories in our region. The Duwamish and other Native peoples paddled their cedar canoes past this point long before the Ship Canal was completed in 1917. During World War I the US Navy constructed a seaplane hangar in this location, and the vacated building later housed the UW crew and George Pocock’s workshop. It was here that master craftsman Pocock, inspired by Native canoes, designed and built shells from the red cedar found in Washington and British Columbia. After exiting the Ship Canal, turn northward into Lake Washington and you can see the Conibear Shellhouse sitting in the shadow of Husky Stadium. Named for Hiram Conibear, who coached the UW men’s and women’s crew from 1907 to 1917, this structure has served as the center for UW rowing since its construction in 1949. Countless shells have rowed past these sites, continuing a legacy that goes back more than a century. Today, boaters can be drawn into the crew experience by viewing the slogans that rowers have painted along the walls of the cut over the years. Painting these pithy phrases has become a ritual for the classes of the UW rowing team. Some are inspirational “Speed Ain’t Free 23”; some promote political and social causes, “Believe Women”; some display a competitive spirit, “Let Them Eat Wake”; and some are whimsical, “Full Tilt Boogie.” Many are clever and thought-provoking. They speak to the exuberance, camaraderie, and teamwork that crews have contributed to our region. Rowing past these slogans in my wherry, I feel continuity with the past and our region’s deep connection to water. Lisa Mighetto is a sailor and historian residing in Seattle. She comes from a family of competitive rowers and is grateful to Dianne Willems for sharing her memories of racing in Seattle against the UW crew. For the record, Lisa is a fan of the Husky, not Cal, crew. For more information, see the Museum of History and Industry’s exhibit “Pulling Together: A Brief History of Rowing in Seattle,” available until June 2, 2024: https://mohai.org/exhibits/pullingtogether-a-brief-history-of-rowing-in-seattle/
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RIDE ALONG
A PNW SAILOR GETS PERSPECTIVES FROM THE BRIDGE OF A KITSAP FAST FERRY by Devin Odell
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Captain Tom Healy at the helm of the fast ferry, Finest. 48º NORTH
aptain Tom Healy looks forward to winter. Settling into his captain’s chair on the bridge of the Finest, a Kitsap Transit fast ferry, one afternoon in early December, he gestures through the windshield. Wind roughens the slate-gray waters, a chilly drizzle spatters against the windshield, and fog limits our visibility to about half a mile. “We have the whole field to ourselves,” he says with satisfaction. Healy looks the part, with a comfortably weathered face, full white beard, and long white hair flowing from under his black ball cap. On most days, his job is to pilot a high-speed catamaran, cruising between 28 and 35 knots — along with its passengers, on foot or traveling by bicycle, scooter, skateboards, or some other device in the ever-growing array of portable wheeled transport — from Kingston to Seattle and back again three times a day. Even with the nasty weather, the beginning of an atmospheric river, it’s an easier job in December than it is in July.
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As anybody who traverses or lives along these waters knows, on a summer day they fill with pleasure craft. Small recreational fishing boats trolling at 1 to 3 knots scatter along the shipping lanes; sailboats pour out of Shilshole Bay, Edmonds, and other marinas, beating, reaching, and running in every direction; and cruisers of all stripes plow up and down the Sound. This all means more headaches for Healy. I confess that, one day last summer, I became part of the problem. I left my slip in Kingston at noon to catch the incoming tide, hoping it and a 12-knot breeze from the north would carry my Westsail 28, Tuaq, nicely to one of the mooring buoys at Blake Island. South of Point Jefferson, I decided to jibe, changing my heading from southeast to southwest, to try to catch a fresher breeze. I had threaded through most of the fishing fleet, but there were several sailboats ahead of me beating up the channel. As I pushed the tiller over, I remember noting that these sailboats had the right-of-way, since I would be on a port tack and windward of all of them. JANUARY 2024
As my course changed and the boom snapped across, I heard the loud blast of a ship’s horn right behind me. I wheeled around, the jib flapping angrily and the unreleased main heeling me well over, to find a fast ferry bearing down, its twin pontoons pointed at me like the prongs of a carving fork. Focused on what lay ahead, I had neglected to look astern before I jibed. I had turned right into the ferry’s path. Once I was clear of the ferry and my heart rate dropped back down, I decided it was time to learn more about these sleek, swift vessels. What does the Salish Sea look like from the bridge of a fast ferry? And, more importantly, what should I and other pleasure boaters know about the best way to operate safely around them? To answer these questions, I set up a ride-along with Captain Healy and his crew on Kitsap Transit’s Kingston to Seattle run. Kitsap Transit is the largest operator of passenger-only ferries on Puget Sound. Following voter approval in 2016 of a 0.3-percent sales tax to fund the service, the agency has built its fleet to include seven high-speed catamarans providing service on weekdays (and Saturdays in the summer) to and from Seattle on three routes: six round-trips from Kingston; eight round-trips from Southworth; and two boats providing 20 round-trips from Bremerton, partially making up for reduction in service to one boat on that route by the Washington State Ferries. In the first quarter of 2023, ridership
had increased 66% from a year earlier, with about 2,400 boardings per day. (The agency also operates two foot ferries linking Annapolis and Port Orchard with Bremerton.) King County also operates passengeronly ferries, which it calls “water taxis,” between Seattle and Vashon Island, and Seattle and West Seattle, on regular weekday schedules. The two agencies currently share Pier 50 in Seattle, a facility owned by King County, although Kitsap Transit is exploring the possibility of developing its own terminal in Seattle, with the current favorite being Pier 48. Once the agency has a new facility, it will pursue its plans to develop an “Electric Fast Foil Ferry” capable of making the 30-mile round-trip to Bremerton on one battery charge. My ride-along with Captain Healy took place on the Finest. Built in 1996, the boat is the oldest in the agency’s fleet of fast ferries. (The agency’s oldest vessel, a foot ferry, is the delightful Carlisle II, built in 1917 and one of only two operational vessels from the Mosquitofleet era.) Acquired from New York — the name Finest refers to the NYPD — and refurbished in 2018, it has a length of 114 feet, a beam of 33 feet, and can carry 349 passengers. Its top speed is 32 knots and it can stop in less than four boat lengths. The other vessels in the fast ferry fleet include: the Commander, built in 2021 and usually used on the Kingston route, and its sistership the Enetai, built in 2020
TIPS FOR BOATING AROUND FAST FERRIES
and serving Southworth; the Reliance and the Lady Swift, also sisterships, built in 2019 and serving Bremerton; and the Rich Passage 1, the agency’s first fast ferry, built in 2010 and serving Bremerton. The agency also acquired the Solano from an agency serving San Francisco Bay and is currently refurbishing it as a backup vessel. The newer boats have cruising speeds of up to 38 knots, although the “service speed” — that is, the speed the ferries need to make to cross on schedule — is 28 knots. As Healy brings the Finest up to speed and heads out of Kingston Harbor, he takes out a cloth and patiently gives the windshield’s foggy glass a wipe. “I’m not saying it’s every boat I ever worked on, but pretty close,” he says, referring to the weak defogger. He turns to a deckhand standing behind him. “You can be the wiper,” he jokes. “Do you have that certification?” He turns to me to explain that “wiper” is usually a position in the engine room. “But not today.” Healy, 60, has been working on boats since he was a teenager in Southern California with a dream of a charter fishing boat of his own. That became a reality in his early 20s. Then, in the summer of 1989, with the Valdez oil spill in Alaska’s Prince William Sound, he discovered more lucrative ways to use his captain’s license and ended up running a variety of vessels, including tugboats, university research vessels and, for eight years, the Victoria Clipper. He has worked for Kitsap Transit for
At 114 feet, the Finest can carry 359 passengers and has a top speed of 32 knots.
• Look aft as well as forward, particularly when changing course. • Maintain course and speed until the ferry has passed. • Around shipping lanes, monitor VHF Channel 14 for traffic information (5A to the north) and Channel 13 for passing arrangements. • If in doubt, hail the ferry on Channel 13. • As much as possible, stay out of traffic lanes and cross them at right angles. • Slow down and let the ferry pass ahead of you — don’t make it a close call! 48º NORTH
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Captain Healy carefully maneauvers the ferry near Pier 50 in Seattle. Captain Healy's first recommendation for recreational boaters operating near fast ferries is, "Maintain course and speed."
six years and plans to continue with the agency until he retires. For a professional mariner who has spent years offshore, sleeping in your own bed every night and living only 20 minutes or so from your home port is hard to beat. In addition, the agency allows its employees some flexibility, within reason, to create their own schedules. With the agreement of the other captain on the Kingston route, Healy takes the morning runs one week and the afternoon runs the next. As we pass the “Sierra Foxtrot” or “SF” buoy marking the center of the shipping lanes east of President Point, Healy points to the large radar screen and shows me the image of a tug with a barge in the channel up ahead, not yet visible to us in the fog. He notes its speed and direction and alters our course slightly to increase the “CPA,” or closest point of avoidance. He also points out a small spot on the screen just off Jefferson Head, the only pleasure boat we’ll encounter on this run, although we’ll never see it in the fog. “Probably not a sailboat,” he comments, noting that it is traveling about seven knots straight into the wind. I ask how much flexibility they have in choosing their routes on each trip. “We generally stay in the traffic lanes, although we have a lot of flexibility if we inform Seattle traffic of our intentions,” he tells me. The ferry might depart from its lane, for example, to accommodate other ship traffic, especially around buoys, or to take a more comfortable 48º NORTH
course in certain weather and sea conditions. For example, when “it’s going good out of the northwest,” Healy will cut inside the “SF” for a more comfortable course into Kingston. I ask him what he would tell recreational boaters about operating around the fast ferries. “Maintain course and speed,” he says. Generally, he tells me, the skipper will “already have a tag on a boat” and has set a course to avoid it, so long as it doesn’t make any changes. “You can tell the moment the lights go on,” he says with a laugh when I tell him about my own experience. “But I’m a boater myself, so I know how it is. We’re the professionals in the situation and it’s important to make decisions that don’t put anybody at risk.” I’m impressed, as we travel through these familiar waters, by the vigilance of Healy and the other crewmembers. Even though they have traveled this route numerous times, they are plainly engaged in their work, paying the same close attention as if these waters were new to them. It is a good lesson for an amateur like me. I ask him how often recreational boaters hail him on the VHF radio to discuss passing arrangements. “Rarely,” he replies. “Generally, it’s the people who are more serious.” Like all commercial vessels, the fast ferries monitor Channel 14 and Channel 13. Channel 14 is the channel used by the Coast Guard’s Seattle Traffic Center, commonly known
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as “Seattle Traffic,” south of the “SC” Buoy off Bush Point on Whidbey Island. North of this point and on the east side of Whidbey, Seattle Traffic uses Channel 5A. Channel 13 is used for bridge-to-bridge communications and making passing arrangements. This is the best way to hail the ferries directly, although Seattle Traffic will often relay attempts to call the ferry on Channel 16. I made a mental note to expand my own monitoring beyond Channel 16. I ask him what type of pleasure boater behavior causes the most problems for the Kitsap Fast Ferries. “In the summer, we get cut off on a daily basis,” he says without hesitation, and the two deckhands on the bridge nod in agreement. “I can see it on the radar, somebody looping way out in front” as they try to outrun the fast-moving ferry. He notes that a safer practice, and one that would not cost much, if any, additional time, would be to slow down and take the ferry’s stern. “I also see a lot of what I call ‘point-topoint’ navigators,” he says. He explains that these are boaters who navigate from one point of land to the next, for example, coming out of Shilshole Bay Marina and setting a course for PointNo-Point. Given the configuration of the traffic lanes, such a course means that they cross the traffic lanes at a shallow angle, thus spending a lot of time in the danger zone. He recommends that boaters consider choosing a course to JANUARY 2024
Installing a new furler made sailing Aarluk much easier. comply more closely with Rule 10 of the Collision Regulations (ColRegs), which provides that a “vessel, shall so far as practicable, avoid crossing traffic lanes” and that, when it does cross the lanes, shall do so “on a heading as nearly as practicable at right angles to the general direction of traffic flow.” Under this rule, boaters might, for example, head up the east side of the TSS lanes from Shilshole to the SF Buoy near Kingston, then cross the lanes perpendicularly to the other side (staying clear of the KingstonEdmonds state ferry lane), where they would continue up the west side of the channel to Point-No-Point. This applies even more strongly in the narrow confines of Rich Passage, where currents can be strong and the boat traffic heavy. Here, he suggests that recreational boaters stay as far to the right (near shore) as possible. One further note as we pull into the dock: the fast ferries are very predictable. According to the agency’s website, they arrive within five minutes of their scheduled times 98 to 99 percent of the time. So, a quick look at the website should eliminate surprises like the one I experienced last summer. Lessons learned. Devin Odell is a retired judge who has taken up sailing on his Westsail 28. His homeport is Kingston, Wash., and he frequently plies the waters of Puget Sound between Port Townsend and Tacoma. 48º NORTH
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DISCOVERING THE PUGET SOUND CRUISING CLUB by Elsie Hulsizer
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he Puget Sound Cruising Club (PSCC) celebrated its 50 th anniversary on Friday, November 17. As fitting with the club’s traditions, it was a potluck — a feast, in fact — with PSCC providing a huge ham and everyone else chipping in with side dishes, salads, a cake, and more. Every seat was taken and cries of delight went out as members greeted others they hadn’t seen for years. The anniversary provided an occasion to look back fondly on the first PSCC meeting my husband, Steve, and I attended in 1978, at North Seattle College. I remember the lights of the auditorium going down and a picture on the screen of children diving from a sailboat in the South Pacific. “Cruising strengthened our family,” Jerry Jacobs, the presenter and one of the founding members of PSCC, said. Later in the talk, he showed their boat approaching a landfall under threatening skies. “At that time,” he said. “I would have traded our boat for a plow in Kansas.” I thought of Velella, a Rhodes design sloop, that Steve and I had just sailed from the east coast. It had tossed like a cork in giant waves in the Gulf Stream. I wouldn’t have traded Velella for a plow in Kansas, but I had longed to be back in the house we had sold in a Philadelphia suburb. “Are we crazy?” I asked myself more than once while clinging to Velella’s cockpit coaming. That voyage, from Boston to Seattle, was intended to be as much a journey home for us as a sail to exotic places. Six years before, both of us had graduated from the University 48º NORTH
of Washington. Steve, a newly commissioned naval officer, was sent to a destroyer in Newport, Rhode Island, where I found a job in my UW major: oceanography. We bought a trailerable 21-foot swingkeel sailboat and sailed it around Narragansett Bay, in the Cape Cod area, and Maine. We learned what to do with a swing keel when you run aground — crank it up and keep sailing. Three years after that, the Navy assigned Steve to the Philadelphia Navy Yard to repair submarines for foreign nations. I got a job in downtown Philadelphia writing Environmental Impact Statements. We bought Velella, a full keel sailboat and, when sailing in the Delaware River, learned what to do when you go aground in a boat with a full keel (you kedge: drop an anchor in deeper water and haul the boat to it). We began thinking of taking Velella offshore. Then, we discovered Velella’s delaminated decks. We learned how to rebuild fiberglass decks by using epoxy, elbow grease, and help from friends. Despite the delays and frustrations, the work we did put us in a good position to take the boat offshore. We knew how to do repairs, and had confidence in ourselves and Velella. Finally, with Steve’s Navy obligations behind him, we departed for Seattle. We first sailed north to Boston to say
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auditorium in the College. (PSCC now meets at the Puget Sound Yacht Club on North Northlake Way in Seattle on the third Friday of the month at 7 p.m.) By 1978 when Steve and I learned about PSCC, cruising had become an aspiration for many boaters. Lin and Larry Pardy’s injunction to, “Go small, go simple, but Helping out with a repair go now,” had inspired many aloft at a PSCC Raft-up in to head out in small boats. Mystery Bay in 2008. Sailing World magazine, established in 1975, also spread the word. Our Chesapeake 32 sloop fit right in with the many other cruising boats headed out at that time including older boats like Alberg 30s and new ones like Bristol Channel Cutters. “We’re a cruising club, not a yacht club,” is a statement frequently heard among PSCC members, often with emphasis as if to dare anyone to claim otherwise. Unlike many yacht clubs, PSCC doesn’t own its own building, doesn’t charge a membership fee, and doesn’t require an application to join. PSCC also does not have an elected bridge of officers — just a commodore. For years, commodore candidates were nominated or volunteered and were elected at the next meeting. Then, one year someone nominated Jay Maxwell who wasn’t present at the meeting. Someone else nominated Sue Maxwell, Jay’s wife, also absent. We decided they should choose and let us know the next month. But when they came to that meeting, they announced to the crowd that they would both be commodore. That started a run of about 10 years of married couple commodores until one of the partners rebelled and the club went back to a one-person commodore. Does the casual method of electing commodores make the process difficult? Yes. We’ve had cliff-hanger years when no one volunteered until the last minute, including this year when it was down to the wire until a relatively new member, Sheri Medley, stepped up. Her enthusiasm for sailing and love of fun promise a good year ahead. PSCC didn’t charge admission in its early years, merely putting a coffee can on the table for for voluntary donations of $1 a head. There were always enough donations until the time Robin Lee Graham, author of the book, Dove, gave a talk to the club. The auditorium was packed with members of the audience sitting in aisles. We worried about the fire marshall showing up to close us down. Expecting lots of donations from so many people, we were dismayed to find our coffee can still almost empty by the end of the meeting. It was time to get serious. We raised our fee to $2 and started collecting it at the door. There was dissent; some members resigned. We now have a volunteer treasurer who collects money (or PayPal) at the door and keeps track of our kitty. The funds help us pay for rent for a one-evening-per month use of a building and other minor costs.
Steve and Velella in Martinique on their way to Seattle in 1978. Photo courtesy of the author.
goodbye to family and friends, then turned south through the Intracoastal Waterway to our “jump off” point, Charleston, where we encountered those gigantic Gulf Stream seas. From there, we headed through the Caribbean Islands, then to the coast of Venezuela. Approaching a Venezuelan submarine in Puerto Cabello, I feared getting shot. But one of the submarine’s officers recognized Steve from the Philadelphia Navy Yard and invited us aboard, eventually serving as our guide to Venezuela. From Venezuela we transited the Panama Canal, cruised north to Acapulco, Mexico, then crossed the Pacific to Hawaii and finally headed to Seattle. A week away from Cape Flattery while motoring in a calm, we made a short diversion to pick up a glass ball, only to wind a rope around our propeller and break the propeller’s coupling in the process. Unable to use our engine, we sailed through the calms, into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound, to the Ballard Locks. There we hailed another sailboat to tow us through the locks and help us to our new moorage at Ewing Street Moorings. The sailboat that gave us a tow brought us to the entrance to the marina, where hands reached out to pull Velella to the dock. One of the welcoming party, a middle-aged man named Art, looked over Velella, inspected her worn varnish and frayed lines, noted her Philadelphia homeport, then looked us in the eyes, and said, “You should be members of the Puget Sound Cruising Club. I’ll take you to the next meeting.” As I sat in the auditorium during my first meeting, listening to the resounding applause after Jerry’s talk, I realized that most of the audience dreamed of sailing to far-away places as Steve and I had just done. We had found our boating home. A CRUISING CLUB, NOT A YACHT CLUB In November 1973, a small group of cruising sailors organized a meeting in the Seattle office of the now defunct cruising magazine Castoff. Their intent was to gather people interested in local and bluewater cruising. They expected only a few people to attend, but sailors crowded into the room, eager to hear a talk on cruising in Hawaii. Two attendees of that meeting were instructors at the North Seattle Community College, who arranged for the next meeting to take place in an 48º NORTH
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Local cruising raft-ups are one way members build camaraderie and share experience.
Potluck meals are a PSCC tradition!
PUGET SOUND CRUISING CLUB TODAY Puget Sound Cruising Club meets monthly (except in July and August when members are out cruising) at the Puget Sound Yacht Club on Northlake Way in Seattle. The weekend after most meetings they cruise to a local destination. Although club members insist they are not racers, PSCC usually hosts two quasi-races a year. The first is around Bainbridge Island, with racers choosing to go either way around. There is no first place, and second place takes honors. In the Tequila Race, racers vie for a bottle of tequila but the winner is determined by an unannounced list of quirky handicapped rules and must pour drinks for everyone else. In 2022 PSCC started a new tradition — organized group flotillas. Unlike professional flotillas, they don’t have a leader, just an organizer. Flotilla members all participate in collecting information for the cruise. PSCC’s 2022 flotilla was to Princess Louisa Inlet. The 2023 flotilla was to Barkley Sound and included seven boats, four who ventured out the Strait of Juan de Fuca and three who came from around the top of the island. In 2024, PSCC's flotilla will head north to Desolation Sound. To become a PSCC member, boaters only need to buy a burgee and sign a roster. Guests are always welcome. Members and guests pay either a $5 voluntary entry fee at each meeting or a $50 annual fee. PSCC has never refused entry for not paying. Inspiration comes from the monthly meetings that always include a speaker — usually a cruiser who has returned from distant places; a local expert on sail making, boat design, or boat building; or perhaps someone that a member meets on the dock who sounds interesting. The best speakers, who draw the biggest audiences, tend to be returning club members. Today, members returning from the South Pacific, Europe, or elsewhere make up a healthy percent of our meeting attendees. PUGET SOUND CRUISING CLUB MEMBERS Puget Sound Cruising Club burgees can be found flying in clubs and marinas around the world. Looking back over the years, some member accomplishments stand out. I think of our friends, Candy and David Masters, who completely rebuilt their 1962 steel yawl, Endeavor, over a period of 15 years, then sailed south around Cape Horn. In Patagonia, they took a National Geographic camera crew to waters rarely explored. After a stint on the U.S. Atlantic coast, they sailed north via Iceland to Ireland and Scotland then to England. The Seven Seas Cruising 48º NORTH
Association awarded them the Seven Seas Award in 2018, one year after David had passed away. Barbara and Jim Cole were in Malaysia when the pandemic started. Via Zoom they kept the Cruising Club up-to-date on their circumnavigation on their Halberg Rassy 36, Complexity (pictured in this article's feature image). Stranded at sea by the pandemic, they were forced to choose between the Indian Ocean route to South Africa and the Red Sea route to the Mediterranean, with potential risk of pirates. They chose the Red Sea, eventually making a successful transit to arrive in the Mediterranean. Ginger and Peter Nieman, who have shared stories in 48° North previously, departed in 2017 for their second circumnavigation in their 52-foot converted schooner Irene. Their first circumnavigation had been westabout from Seattle rounding the Cape of Good Hope and Cape Horn. On this second trip, they went east through the Northwest Passage. Stranded in Turkey during the Pandemic, they chose to head home going east through the Suez Canal. This nonstop voyage across the Indian Ocean during the monsoon season was rough and required extraordinary perseverance. For this accomplishment, the Cruising Club of America presented them with the 2021 Blue Water Medal. I’m proud that, thanks to the Puget Sound Cruising Club, sailors like these are my friends. Cheers to these first fifty years! The only thing more exciting than the education, support, community, and inspiration PSCC has facilitated in its first halfcentury through meetings, potlucks, raft-ups, and now flotillas, is the ways it may continue to do so for Puget Sound cruisers in the future. Elsie Hulsizer is the author of Voyages to Windward: Sailing Adventures on Vancouver’s West Coast (Harbour Publishing 2005, 2015) and Glaciers, Bears and Totems: Sailing in Search of the Real Southeast Alaska (Harbour Publishing 2010). In 1985 Elsie and her husband Steve Hulsizer sold their Chesapeake 32 Velella and purchased Osprey an Annapolis 44, which they cruised extensively in British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. Osprey is now for sale. www.elsiehulsizer.com/www.sailblogs.com/member/ ospreyvoyages Visit pugetsoundcruisingclub.org for more information including information about future meetings and cruises. All are welcome.
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48º NORTH
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REFLECTIONS ON FIVE DECADES OF SOUTHERN STRAITS RACES
Photo by Lin Parks.
WHEN 48° NORTH ASKED NEW SOUTHERN STRAITS REGATTA CHAIR, PETER SALUSBURY, IF HE COULD THINK OF AN INTERESTING STORY TO SHARE ABOUT THE CLASSIC EVENT, HE SAID, "HMM, HARD TO SAY... I'VE DONE 48 OF THEM." THAT'LL DO, PETER, THAT'LL DO!
by Peter Salusbury
The early Straits Races were epic, as seen with this broach sequence on the Columbia 50, Six Pack, from 1972.
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n 1970 at the age of 15, I was invited to race in my first Southern Straits Race on a newly launched Newport 27 with some neighborhood friends. The classic distance race had been started by West Vancouver Yacht Club only one year earlier. Little did I know that experience would forever change my Easter weekends. With 53 years and 48 completed “Straits Races” in my wake as either skipper or crew, it’s impossible not to reflect and ask the proverbial question, “What makes this race so special?” Here are my personal reflections on over five decades of Straits Races.
1970 TO 1979: THE EARLY EPIC YEARS The 1970s era of Straits Races frequently featured epic adventures, and this seemed to be especially true for the 2730 foot boats I was racing on as foredeck crew. Easter weekend was typically blustery, cold, and rough. At this time, the only course offered was a long course averaging about 125 nautical miles. Because of the distance and the speed of boats in that era, it was common to have the time limit set at 50 hours and, in 1974 sailing on the C&C 27 Vatican, we needed every bit of that time, finishing in the afternoon on Easter Sunday after starting on Friday morning. Food rationing was in full effect as our race extended past two days in duration. It’s funny to think that today we complain the race is too slow if we finish after midday on Saturday. It was also an era in which “old school” coastal navigation 48º NORTH
Photos by Sandy Huntingford. skills were required (it was long before Loran C or GPS) using hand bearing compasses, radio direction finders, and keeping running plots. In 1976, I had the chance to do navigation and foredeck on a new Peterson 35 Pearce Arrow. I remember using the Radio Direction Finder (RDF) most of the night to calculate our position and keep a running plot as we sailed from Sisters down to Entrance Island in reduced visibility and a stiff southeasterly breeze. It’s interesting to reflect on how much tougher navigation was back then compared to today’s GPS plotters and smartphone apps. We had a crack crew of Olympic sailors aboard and Pearce Arrow got the overall win that year. The other characteristic of the 1970s was all the IOR-optimized boats with tall, skinny aluminum masts and stainless steel wire standing rigging. Because of this, dismastings were not unusual in
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Peterson 35 Pearce Arrow in 1976, a year before its dismasting. Photo by Tom Leutwiler featured on cover of Pacific Yachting, June 1976.
Straits Races. In 1977, we were beating back from Ballenas Island on the last leg aboard Pearce Arrow when the cap shroud broke just as we were about to tack off the Worlecombe Island shore and suddenly the mast and sails were in the water. After calling “Mayday” we tried starting the engine, but the start button had been pushed into the lazarette, which was inaccessible — so no engine. By the time our competitors recognized we needed assistance, we were too close to the surf line and eventually we pounded up against a rocky ledge of the island. One by one, we took turns timing the violent pounding on the rocks and leapt off on to the rocky ledge. Eventually we all got off safely and then the rising tide picked up the boat on a wave and smashed it up on the ledge where we all had just been standing. As the tide came up during the day, the boat continued to wash farther up onto what was now a rocky beach. I still remember starting a campfire and cooking oysters as we stripped the boat of anything valuable. Fortunately, that night on a high tide, we were able to salvage the boat by pulling it off the beach, placing high volume bilge pumps inside and towing it to Fisherman’s Cove. And because lightning sometimes strikes twice, I enjoyed another dismasting the following year aboard the 41-foot Kanata, this time running downwind in a big breeze off Lasqueti Island. The hydraulic backstay adjuster broke, dumping the rig, full main, spinnaker, and jib over the side. Luckily, we were able to get the rig back up on deck, no one was hurt and we limped into False Bay for the night. Even after back-to-back dismastings, I kept coming back for more! 1980 TO 1989: SHORT COURSE, SAIL CHANGES & TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCES During the ‘80s, a short course was added to Southern Straits Race to reduce the suffering of smaller, slower boats. The short course became a big success, allowing smaller boats to complete the roughly 50 mile course in a manageable time. The 1980s were also characterized by the emergence of more available and affordable electronic navigation, in the form of Loran C. It was a steep learning curve for us all and not without some memorable experiences. Racing on the Peterson 35 Arluk in the 1983 race, the owner I was sailing with — who was a technology guru from Alberta — proudly came on deck to inform us that his prized Loran C had given us a confirmed position in the middle of the runway of Vancouver airport! Needless to say, these races required navigators to continue practicing the art the old-fashioned way using hand bearing compasses and radio direction finders. During the races in the ‘80s, we had to carry an almost absurd number of jibs, spinnakers, and bloopers to be competitive in IOR. It wasn’t unusual for competitive one-tonners and two-tonners to carry 15 or more sails, which kept the foredeck crew hopping as it seemed that for every 5-knot change in wind speed, we had to peel a jib or spinnaker. On Arluk, we did our best to reduce the number of spinnaker peels by blowing out two spinnakers in a strengthening southeasterly right after the start and before we had left English Bay, and then badly burning a third spinnaker the following morning while making breakfast. That was one way to keep the foredeck workload down, but the owner was not impressed. 48º NORTH
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Doug Race's SR33 Ballenas in 1996, which gave the author his first spinnaker runs with speeds in the high teens. Photo by Sea Snaps.
The author's Riptide 35, Longboard, racing in the 2022 edition of the Southern Straits Race. Photo by Doug Wardrop.
"On those special weekends when the sky is clear and cool, the scenery of the Strait of Georgia is unmatched with snow capped mountains and potential encounters with the local whale pods." Photo by Richard So.
1990 TO 1999: INSHORE COURSE, EMERGENCE OF LIGHTDISPLACEMENT FLYERS In the 1990s, a one-day inshore course was also added to long and short course options, allowing smaller boats who didn’t want to race overnight participate in the event. This inshore course has since become a staple for the Straits Race and has been a big draw in recent years for the smaller sport boats like the Melges 24s and Vipers. Though almost all of my Straits Races have been on the long course, in 1993 and 1994 I had the chance to sail the short course with Doug Race on his meticulously prepared Hotfoot 30 Ballenas, where we proudly took Line Honors in 1993 and divisional wins both years. The 1990s also saw the emergence of the light displacement flyers, most notably Jonathan McKee’s Riptide 35 Ripple, the Santa Cruz 50 Delicate Balance, the Nelson Marek 36 Surface Tension, the SR33 Ballenas, Sandy Huntingford’s General Hospital, and the NM 40 Occam’s Razor. For me, the 1996 race was most memorable, as we started in a light-but-building southeasterly breeze. I was sailing with Doug Race on his new SR33 Ballenas, which was a relatively light displacement downwind flyer, and we enjoyed a very fast downwind leg to Sisters hitting boat speeds in the high teens for the first time in our lives. But the star of that race was McKee’s Ripple, which was much faster downwind and was the second boat in the fleet around Sisters behind the maxi Cassiopeia. I’ll never forget watching them rocketing upwind with the water ballast in play on the way back. Many years later, that performance by Ripple inspired me to work with Paul Bieker and Jim Betts to create my own version of the Riptide 35 concept, which became Longboard. My other lasting memory of that 1996 race was the long beat back from Sisters in southeasterly that had by then risen above 25 knots on our way to the T10 mark off the Vancouver airport. 48º NORTH
There was a brief jib reach from Halibut Bank to White Islets where we had planned to put a kettle on to get some warm drinks in the crew, but the SR33 was so fast on the reach that the leg was finished before we knew it. By the time we got to T10, twotime Olympian Penny Stamper and I were the only two people left on deck, trading off helming and playing the main. Penny was the sweetest, nicest person in the world who never lost her cool, but just as we were about to round T10, she turned to me and yelled, “Upwind sucks!” In the end, it was all worth it as Ballenas took the division win. 2000 TO 2009: MEDIUM COURSE, TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENTS The aughts decade saw an ever-higher proportion of lightweight boats and, with improvements in rigging and more carbon masts, dismastings became thankfully rare. Navigation got much easier with the ubiquity of GPS, but was still not without some technical glitches. My GPS ‘glitch’ memory from that decade was in the 2009 race aboard Peter McCarthy’s 1D35 The Shadow. We rounded Sisters Islets in a fresh southeasterly and decided to short tack up the Vancouver Island shore to get out of the larger waves and look for the southerly shift in wind direction which sometimes occurs. We had a fancy new race tablet in the cockpit connected wirelessly to the onboard GPS receiver, so we were confident we could navigate our way through the Winchelsea Islands safely — what could go wrong? Wouldn’t you know it, as we started to thread our way through the islands, the tablet died along with the GPS signal. It was getting dark and we were somewhat committed to carry on, so out came the paper charts and hand bearing compass. We managed to safely work our way down that shore, picking up the southerly shift, and went on for the overall win on the 100-mile medium course (which had been added to the race offerings in 2007 to accommodate faster 30-35 foot boats). It
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may have been almost a decade into the new millennium, but here was one more example of never relying on any one piece of navigation equipment, and those traditional navigation skills really came in handy. 2010 TO 2023: SAFETY FOCUS, BEST STRAITS RACE EVER The famous 2010 Straits Race became a defining moment in the Pacific Northwest, with all overnight races placing a significant new focus on safety at sea. 2010 was the year that storm force conditions hit the race course forcing the race to be abandoned in the interests of participant safety. Two boats were dismasted, and the custom Clint Currie designed 30-foot Incisor was swamped with all six crew rescued, but suffering from hypothermia. Following the race, debrief sessions were held and lessons learned were developed. These takeaways have improved the safety culture of distance racing throughout the region, the Straits Race very much included. Most notably, the Safety at Sea program was developed in British Columbia and the two-day Offshore Personal Survival Course (OPSC) has been delivered multiple times per year in British Columbia since 2011. The demand from the racing community for the OPSC and the one-day Coastal Personal Survival Course (CPSC) sessions is high, with all sessions selling out quickly. From my perspective, most of the Straits Races since 2011 have had generally pleasant conditions, with the 2015 race being a noteworthy standout. We always dreamed of a Straits Race where we would start in a medium-to-strong southeasterly breeze to carry us to Sisters Islets, and then the wind would miraculously switch around to a nice steady northwesterly. Well, in 2015 that happened for the long course! The northwesterly came in just before Sisters, but we only had a light one-mile beat before rounding Sisters and relaunching the kite for a beautiful afternoon and evening downwind sail. It was a magical night with a lunar eclipse, shooting stars, and a rare “moonbow” from one of the brightest moons I’d ever experienced in Straits Race history. The predominately downwind and reaching conditions really favored us on Longboard and we proudly earned the overall win on the long course. It was definitely one of my favorite Straits Race memories.
Modern Straits Races have focused on safety and speed. Photo by Robert Torok. and friendly banter — exchanging hopes and expectations for the coming days, as well as recounting Straits Race adventures of the past. And then start day arrives and we hope for one of those magical races with either a fast downwind slide on a southeaster to Sisters Island, a warm Qualicum outflow wind during the night off the Winchelsea Islands, or a moonlit downwind sail home on a northwesterly… or all of the above like in 2015! On those special weekends when the sky is clear and cool, the scenery of the Strait of Georgia is unmatched, with snow capped mountains and potential encounters with the local whale pods. Experiencing the incredible beauty of the British Columbia coast has always been a major draw of the Southern Straits Race. Lastly, one of the reasons that makes me come back each year is simply taking on the challenges of an Easter weekend race, whatever weather conditions it throws at us, adapting to those challenges as a crew, and doing the best you can under the circumstances. Winning the race may be the primary objective, but I can recall many years when simply finishing the race and having fun with a great bunch of people was the lasting reward, no matter what the result. Whether it’s remembering a funny onboard story or overcoming the challenges of a wet and windy night, the Southern Straits Race has always been a personally rewarding event producing friendships that last a lifetime and memories that will never be forgotten. I’d like to thank the literally thousands of volunteers at my home club (and host of the Southern Straits Race), West Vancouver Yacht Club, who have contributed to the success and legacy of this important and remarkable event. The sense of community and commitment the club brings to this race is a hallmark of the culture at West Vancouver Yacht Club, something which all Straits Race participants benefit from.
WHAT MAKES SOUTHERN STRAITS SO SPECIAL While these are my memories of how the race has changed over the decades since its inception in 1969, there are so many attributes of the Southern Straits Race that have truly stood the test of time. Which brings me back to the question, “What makes this race so special?” One of the special aspects of the race is that it’s the first overnight race of the season, so it’s great to get the crew together after the winter break to work through the job jar on the boat, get out practicing, and set the boat up for the race. There’s that start of the season excitement as we plan for the race and look forward to what is always a new adventure to enjoy together. The other part of it being the first overnight race of the season is reconnecting with old friends from around the region, most of whom we haven’t seen since the previous race season. The prerace dinner and skipper’s meeting at the clubhouse on the night before the race is always a reunion of sorts, filled with laughter 48º NORTH
Peter Salusbury is the owner of the Riptide 35, Longboard, and is the regatta chair for WVYC's Southern Strait Race.
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Photo by Jan Anderson.
WINTER VASHON ON THE CAL 33
CHEROKEE
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ach year, on the first Saturday of December, the Tacoma Yacht Club’s Winter Vashon Race puts an exclamation point on the year of sailboat racing. It’s the last local distance race and kicks off the Southern Sound Series leading us into the new year. That series has one race each month over four months, offering some great winter racing for the weather tolerant. The first event is a 30.7 mile circumnavigation of Vashon Island. Easy enough, right? Right! Not so fast, since it is known for giving us every possible sailing day you can imagine — from happy racing under clear skies to foggy drifters, downpours and even snow. This time of year can be rewarding or frustrating. We have raced this series many times with our 1971 Cal 33 Cherokee, which was once owned by Pat Stewart and was handed down to me, Peter. Looking at a forecast of southwesterly breeze from 15 to 25 knots, I asked for a 6:45 a.m. dock call so we could depart at 7:15 for our delivery from Des Moines to Tacoma. We had coffee ready and breakfast burritos in the oven. With the blustery 48º NORTH
southerly, some boats had moved up their delivery even a few days to avoid the conditions. As the crew arrived, my brother Gordon and I had the boat rigged and everything but a few tasks done. We were eager to get going as we expected slow progress upwind against the waves. I let the last crew member, Patrick Doran, in the gate, and with a grin he pulled the collar of his foul weather jacket to flash me a Hawaiian shirt underneath! I chuckled and we chatted about the forecast. Soon, we headed out into the 25 knot southwest wind with the J4 up, motor sailing to steady us. Andy Ryan and Lonny Marble took turns at the helm taking us across to Mauri Island in search of some relief from the waves. Down below, a crew brief ensued, reviewing the sailing instructions, tides, and forecast winds. It looked to be a pretty typical reach until you can get more downwind and hoist the kite to run up Colvos Passage. John Hoag and I, who have been friends since high school and often sail on each others’ boats, discussed tactics at the start and sail selection.
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by Peter Stewart
Even though it would be windy, we laughed about how everything can change at the top of the island. We contemplated the spinnaker du jour, and selected the heavy one because a jibe at the top of the island might put too much strain on the lighter kite. Milling around the starting area, the winds were 15 to 25 knots off of Ruston, Patrick put away the J4 and teed up the J3 for the start while I checked in on the VHF. Ten minutes prior to our start, our seasoned crew was all set with full main and J3, ready to execute our plan. We wanted to start at the committee boat end, hold position, and get into Colvos sailing fast. We appeared to be sharing similar tactics with the Ranger 33 Aurora and Moore 24 Skosh. We took the stern of Aurora to sail a little higher. Gaining separation, we anticipated the hoist. Clearing the lee of Point Defiance, we now had southwest breeze of at least 25 knots, so as we turned north up Colvos, the Moore 24 was surfing under main and jib. I knew their kite would go up soon and, sure enough, it did. Having JANUARY 2024
had a spectacular broach on day one in Round the County, Cherokee deserved better. With a little comment about how to keep her on her feet, we set the kite. We got the boat in balance and the flat bottom girl was in her element. Cherokee has a big “J” measurement (14 feet from the forestay to the mast) and masthead kites, so our sails are large, but our rudder is not! We were ripping up Colvos at 8 to 10 knots in a fresh breeze, staying on our chosen path. We talked about how at home, 94-yearold Pat would be watching us on AIS, following along with the race. Lonny said, “You know who else would like this? Marc.” Marc Hulbert — a well-loved member of the sailing community who passed away this summer — raced with us on Cherokee for the last five years and was a big part of our program. “With Marc looking down on us and Pat watching from home, we better have a great race today,” I said. Patrick chimed in to say that Hawaiian shirt he was wearing had been Marc’s! Farther up Colvos, we were seeing lighter winds with strong header puffs. Calling puffs and staying coordinated in trim was critical to taking advantage of the puffs and keeping the speed up. We started passing some of the boats from classes that had started ahead of us as
we neared the top of Vashon Island. With lighter wind, we decided to get the genoa on deck for the rounding. With eyes on the committee boat and the limit mark, we contemplated our rounding. We decided we should just jibe at the mark, and then we needed to get east to escape this area. In these conditions, we now had the wrong spinnaker up, and we adjusted to the greatly oscillating shifts. It took a few miles of this before the southwesterly teasers finally prevailed. We were so preoccupied as we navigated the transition that little was said about boats having a tougher time at the top of the island. We soon realized that a number of them looked like they hadn’t moved for 15 minutes or more. Soon, we were into 15 knots of southwesterly wind, reaching with the big genoa toward Point Robinson and the finish beyond. We settled into the breeze; all we had to do was switch to the J3 for the leg to the finish. Normally, the faster boats would be past us way before this point. Our crewmate still on our minds, someone quoted Marc, “We’re not just racing for the class, we are racing for the overall!“ He loved to say stuff like that. Knowing that we were looking really good, I said, “This one’s for Marc, let’s finish it out smartly!”
The breeze picked up and we went to the J3 as we closed down on Point Robinson. We reefed the main for most of the final leg as the breeze built above 20 knots. A handful of the fastest boats passed us entering Commencement Bay, so we shook the reef as the breeze fell below 20 knots near the finish. “You’re not gonna let those boats get ahead of us, are you?” said John Hoag. A couple more tactical plays and wind shifts, and we finished in front of the Tacoma Yacht Club at 3:23 p.m. “That was for Marc!” we cheered as we steered away for the run to Des Moines. The crew was happy, we had good fortune to break away from so many of our competitors, but we have been on the other end of that countless times. That’s what brings us back out here. Class 2 was one by Custom 40 Madrona, Class 3 by Olson 40 String Theory (who took 2nd overall), Class 4 Jeanneau 519 Equus, Class 5 Burns 49 Schooner Sir Isaac, Class 6 J/80 Veloce, Class 7 Cherokee, Class 9 Pearson 36 Koosah, Class 10, Cal 40 White Squall. The overall went to Cherokee. It was a great start to the 2023-24 Southern Sound Series, and we look forward to the Duwamish Head Race in January. Full results at www.ssssclub.com/ southern-sound-series-racing
The Cherokee crew sailed fast, and navigated the breeze transition at the north end of Vashon well. Photo courtesy of Patrick Doran
Late Cherokee crewmember, Marc Hulbert, would have really liked Winter Vashon 2023. Photo courtesy of Patrick Doran. 48º NORTH
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RED RUBY PROJECT DOWN TO THE WIRE IN THE ROLEX MIDDLE SEA RACE
by Justin Wolfe Photo by Kurt Arrigo.
Red Ruby breaking away from the fleet by avoiding the Sicilian coast during a wind transition.
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here were 110 boats entered in this year’s Rolex Middle Sea Race. Red Ruby, our Jeanneau SunFast 3300, was among the group of seven 33-footers that were the smallest boats in a fleet that also included eight boats over 70 feet. The race course is 606 miles from Malta, counterclockwise around Sicily, and back to Malta. Stromboli, a mark of the course, is an active volcano. If you read this paragraph out loud, it will take you 24 seconds, which will matter later in this story. For Chris and I, our Middle Sea adventure began in Barcelona a week before the race started. We needed to deliver Red Ruby 700 miles to Malta for the start. Our delivery was a rather uneventful four days, but it did give us a nice opportunity to reacquaint ourselves with the boat, which we hadn’t seen since finishing Fastnet in July. It was warm, so our sea boots stayed on the dock. Malta, if you’ve never been, is a unique remote island outpost smack dab in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. On arrival, it has all of the appearances of a walled fortress, a role it has played many times over the last millennium. The start of the race would be in Grand Harbour, surrounded by the ancient city walls that provide stadium viewing to the start of this famous offshore yacht race. Appropriately, the start signal is a cannon. We were set to race Red Ruby doublehanded, as we typically do — our preferred way to go sailing that we honed for many years on the Salish Sea before starting to sail internationally. The speed of the fleet, though, was unusual. Out of 110 boats, we had the 104th fastest IRC rating, meaning we were nearly the
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slowest boat in the fleet. Adding to the challenge, the Middle Sea Race is known for offering a wide range of conditions. Indeed, we would see everything from near zero to 30 knots from every direction. We carried nine headsails and spinnakers on Red Ruby and we ended up using every one of them! Right after the starting cannon fired, the wind died. What looked to be a downwind start eventually became an upwind start, but it took us 10 minutes to get across the line. A cold front was working its way over the course and we saw wild changes in wind direction for the next few hours. By the time the wind settled into a 20 knot northerly behind the front, we had already done 10 sail changes and felt like we’d been in a boxing match. “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth,” said boxer Mike Tyson, and this was not at all how we planned to start a four-to-five-day race. By “cold” front, I mean the temperature dropped from the 80s to the 70s, still pretty warm to sailors from the Pacific Northwest. After a tough night of reaching then beating in 20-25 knots, we were well positioned in our fleet and working our way through the narrow Straits of Messina, hugging the shore, tacking frequently, and trying to avoid the strongest adverse current. Hours went by as we worked our way north through the Straits. Though we looked for every possible opportunity, a break for either of us to get some rest was non-existent. With all of the sail changes and boat handling this complex course was requiring, the Middle Sea Race was proving to be a real challenge for doublehanded sailing. The second night found us crawling past Stromboli, which was actually a welcome treat. As we approached the island, a flash of red broke the otherwise pitch-black night. Lava was shooting straight up from the top of the volcano like a geyser. We were so close we could hear the eruption. The eruptions would repeat eight times as we sailed past. Our fleet of little boats and doublehanders were quite close together approaching the western end of Sicily, and we had been enjoying pleasant VMG running with a kite all day. These gentle conditions were forecast to end, however, and we would soon transition to a tough upwind leg to the small island of Pantelleria, south of Sicily. Working through the transition from northeasterlies to the southeasterlies proved decisive. On Red Ruby, we opted to stay away from the Sicilian coast as the breeze dropped to almost nothing ahead of the southeasterly shift. The rest of our fleet did not. By morning, much to our surprise, we had a 20-plus mile lead over the next boat in our divisions (IRC 6, ORC 6, Doublehanded). But the race was barely half over, so anything could happen. The next morning, we escaped the clutches of Lampedusa, the southwestern most island of the course, and began an 80 mile close reach towards Malta and the finish line. The new northwesterly was stronger than the models suggested. Red Ruby loves to reach and we were flying. As we closed on Malta and regained cell reception, the tracker said we were second overall. To win the Rolex Middle Sea Race we needed to finish before 8:51:11 p.m. We had 33 miles to go and needed to average more than 8 knots in a 33-foot boat. The bigger boats ahead of us were going less than 7 knots. This was an overnight race at the end of October, so the dark 48º NORTH
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Checking out another US-based entry, Pyewacket 70, with navigator Peter Isler.
Red Ruby, at 33 feet, was one of the smallest, slowest-rated boats in the 110-boat fleet.
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Andrea Recordati, the owner of the race winning Bullitt, called up the Red Ruby duo, acknowledging the tiny margin of victory, to share a photo of the winner's trophy. Photo by Alex Turnbull.
From Orcas to Malta, the Red Ruby crew left their mark on Rolex Middle Sea Race, and vice versa!
came fairly early in the evening. As we approached Malta, it was blowing 20 knots and we couldn’t find the last mark of the course, backlit by the urban coastline, until we nearly ran into it. After rounding the mark just 1 mile from the finish, a high-speed ferry, similar to a large Victoria Clipper and going 30 knots, cut across our path. We luffed up and slowed to let the ferry pass in front. It was still blowing 20 knots. After four-and-a-half days, we sailed into Marsamxett Harbour and crossed the finish line. The time was 8:51:35. We missed the overall win by 24 seconds. We didn’t win the Rolex Middle Sea Race, but we certainly had an epic adventure, sailed our hearts out, and created a mountain of fantastic memories that we will treasure for the rest of our lives. The days after the race were a repeated celebration. People we’d never met before come up to congratulate us. Many girls and women came up to Chris and asked to share a photo. Couples sought us out to tell us they were interested in doublehanded racing. People were inspired. We sure felt like winners! That wraps up the 2023 season for Red Ruby. What a fantastic year that started in France in April with races in the Solent in May and June, IRC Doublehanded Europeans and Fastnet in July, which netted us (Jonathan, Alysoha, Carl, Chris, and Justin) a 2nd Overall in the UK Doublehanded Offshore Series, ORC Doublehanded Worlds in Barcelona (and a win!) in September, and the Middle Sea Race nail-biter in October. It is clear our unique partnership has been a success and it is in large part due to the partnership that has pushed us all to great results and a wonderful season of sailing memories. We’re grateful for our teammates, for these amazing opportunities to sail internationally, and to all of you.
Star Flyer, a sailing cruise ship, kindly let Red Ruby pass in front as they raced away from Sicily.
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Ballard Sails & Yacht Services new custom sails
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CLASSIFIEDS
BOATS FOR SALE
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60FT STEEL CUSTOM CREALOCK SCHOONER Just back from New Zealand! This 60' steel schooner will take you anywhere you want to go. Available to view in Tiburon. https://schoonershellback.com/ » Contact Robert M. Anderson IV • (707) 499-9414 • ali@mattole.org • $200,000
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TENDER FOR SALE 10 foot dinghy. Epoxy encapsulated, Chesapeake Light Craft Dinghy Kit. » Contact Richard Groesbeck • (360) 739-1575 • dickgroesbeck@gmail.com • $4,000 OBO
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28' BRISTOL CHANNEL CUTTER Built 1986 by the Sam Morse Co. Volvo D1-30 28hp low hours. Diesel bulkhead heater, Monitor windvane, 3 burner Force 10 propane stove with oven and broiler. Jib, staysail, mainsail, drifter, storm jib, storm trysail. Located Sitka, AK. Details at bristolchannelcutterforsale.com » Contact John Herchenrider • (907) 752-5033 • johnherch@gmail.com • $69,000
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38' INGRID KETCH DONNA MARIE Designed by William Atkin, built by Don Pitblado, launched in 1969. Only the second owner! Replaced kerosene lights with LED’s and brought much else into the current century. Sails fantastically! Comes with a 2.5 year prepaid buoy Vashon. Only selling because I’ve moved to NM! » Contact Martin Adams • (206) 713-1170 • catgilliam@gmail.com • $45,000
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CUSTOM 43’ EDSON SCHOCK KETCH (1973) Professionally built of mahogany planking over oak frames, Debonair has been lovingly maintained. Extensive upgrades include new electrical and 75hp Yanmar. Consistently turning heads, Debonair is a seaworthy passage-maker, recently completing a 16,000nm tour of the South and North Pacific. From rig to sails, systems to safety, Debonair is voyage-ready. Details: porttownsendboatco.com or www.yachtworld.com/yacht/1973-custom-edsonschock-43'-ketch-8441971/ » Contact Vance Rucker • ketchdebonair@gmail.com • $79,500
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VENTURE OF NEWPORT 23 Very attractive. Jaunty and sassy looking. Constant admiration at the dock. Swing keel. Pop top giving massive headroom. Most capacious of most any boat of 2000# bare. Very good galvanized. roller trailer (one issue). Excellent cushions. » Contact Richard Dodge • (206) 954-7208 • dodgerichard027@gmail.com • $4,999
JANUARY 2024
WANTED 38' NASHIRA SAILBOAT TRADE FOR CESSNA 172 AIRPLANE Sell or trade 38ft sailboat for airplane Cessna (172) Nashira is fiberglass boat. Ketch rigged (2 masts) double ender Bluewater ocean cruiser. Now in Cabo and La Paz with mooring. Also mooring in San Diego. Baha haha veteran 2013 and (2023). Lots of gear and spares. 2nd set of sails. » Contact Mike Floyd • (480) 406-3095 • Floydsgold@gmail.com • $59,000
MOORAGE
INSTRUCTION
Tethys
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Offshore Sailing for Women Nancy Erley, Instructor
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