Gig Harbor and points north

The month of May brought us rain, wind and sunshine, all the ingredients for a great week on the water. We launched Whisper at Gig Harbor, and I soloed on the boat to Camp Sealth, Blake Island, Poulsbo, Elliott Bay and Port Orchard.

Itinerary

• Sunday, May 21: Launch at Gig Harbor
• Monday, May 22: Gig Harbor to Camp Sealth
• Tuesday, May 23: Moored at Camp Sealth
• Wednesday, May 24: Camp Sealth to Blake Island
• Thursday, May 25: Blake Island to Poulsbo
• Friday, May 26: Poulsbo to Elliott Bay
• Saturday, May 27: Elliott Bay to Port Orchard

Sunday, May 21: Gig Harbor

The public ramp at Gig Harbor sports a new finger float (aerial view here, without float). I believe this was installed after the August 31, 2005 Harborview Marina fire (pictures here, Tacoma News Tribune article here).

We waited about 10 minutes for a slot to open up where we could back the boat and trailer into a side space for rigging.

The wide concrete ramp is on the south side of the float. This is a moderately shallow launch, but I was able to winkle Whisper off the bunks without too much trouble, although I did have to go wading. The float also has vinyl bumpers along the side, so if you forget to put your fenders out, no big deal.

Jerisich Public Dock (I haven’t found a good link for information about the dock, but there is a great Gig Harbor article here) was less than half full on Sunday afternoon so I tied up there for the night (aerial view here). Rain? You betcha. But even a rainy day on the boat is better than a day at work.

Monday, May 22: Camp Sealth

My passage to Camp Sealth was a slow drift downwind with just the genoa rolled out…very relaxing. There was no rush to get to the camp since it was only 4 1/2 nautical miles away, and the Envirothon competition wasn’t scheduled to start until noon on Tuesday.

For many years Camp Sealth was a Camp Fire Girls camp. Jan remembers going there in the late 1960s. Camp Fire Girls has become Camp Fire USA, and their programs have expanded quite a bit.

Wednesday, May 24: Blake Island

My stint as a judge for the Washington State Envirothon statewide competition ended today at Camp Sealth on Vashon Island. The camp kindly let me tie up to their private dock for the duration.

Leaving Camp Sealth at 3 pm, I ran downwind wing-on-wing most of the way up Colvos Passage, occasionally hitting +5 knots. Three little storms blew through, bringing rain and the wind that pushed up my boat speed, reaching a maximum of 5.9 knots. The sun popped out between each of the storms. I sailed until I neared the marina channel. Before entering, I hove to and stowed sails, then motored in. Two tugs with
tows chased me most of the way.

I found the Blake Island State Park marina (aerial view here) about half full. The park host expected it would start filling up Thursday afternoon because of the approaching long Memorial Day weekend. An informative brochure in PDF format is available here.

Thursday, May 25: Poulsbo

Expecting gusty winds, I left Blake Island State Park at 10 am with a single reef in the main, catching the turn of the tide as I entered Rich Passage, on my way to Poulsbo.

I sailed for a bit, but then multiple ferries, Navy vessels, and the beginning of a live fire exercise prompted me to motor-sail most of Rich Passage!

At noon I rounded Point White, unrolled the jenny and shut off the motor. This leg of the trip is a rehearsal for a future Northwest Potters trip.

Sailing by Illahee State Park revealed 5 buoys, a dock, and a ramp (sans pier). An hour later I had run three nautical miles wing-on-wing. As I passed University Point, the gentle breeze that had been pushing me up Port Orchard died, and I resumed motor sailing.

Keyport shows up as a massive clump of white/light buildings from miles away. Off Brownsville, I put the mainsail to bed. Arrival in Poulsbo was just before 3 pm, and I took a guest berth at the Poulsbo Marina on F dock for $15 a night (aerial view here).

Moorage at the marina puts you in the center of town, and there are plenty of things to see and do. Poulsbo has many small shops, bistros, cafe spots, pubs, etc. for those who want to wander through town. However, I was disappointed to see several empty storefronts, and the Marine Science Center appears to be closed and empty. (On February 8, 2005, their website announced the closure was due to lack of funding.)

Friday, May 26: Elliott Bay

I left Poulsbo at 8 am and reached the south entrance to Agate Pass (aerial view here) a little after 9 am. I watched the speed over ground on my GPS increased from 3.5 knots, to 4, to 5, to 6, to 7, to 8, and finally hitting 9 knots just past the Agate bridge! That was a blast.

Once out in the middle of Port Madison I found the wind was not out the southwest as predicted, but slightly east of south. My idea of a really long starboard tack to set myself up for a screaming broad reach toward Eagle Harbor went out the window.

I thought I could still make it with several long tacks, but wind waves and wakes were two to three feet high and steep, slamming into Whisper’s bow. Every time I got a little boat speed going, a large set of waves or wakes would stop me dead. At 10:30 am, I was still in the middle of Port Madison.

Looking eastward I could see a container ship, an ocean going tug, a tug with a tow, and two tug-like scow-looking things with a dozen or so containers on each. Plus, there was a bevy of pleasure boaters all leaving Shilshole and crossing the commercial traffic lanes every which way. Did I mention a couple of commercial fisher craft?

I doused all sail and motored the rest of the way, arriving at the Elliott Bay Marina about 1:30 pm (aerial view here).

Overnight fee at Elliot Bay Marina: $19. Unlike most moorages, the showers are included in the price, and are large. It was very nice to take a long, hot shower.

Looking like a green jewel in a sea of large white yachts, a dark green P15 was moored on the inner end of one of the docks.

Saturday, May 27: Port Orchard

Eggs Benedict for breakfast at Maggie Bluffs Marina Grill, then a leisurely departure from Elliott Bay Marina about 10:20 am.

Light winds meant I could finally shake out the reef in the main and unroll the full genoa. Whisper made about 3 knots on a long port tack, almost all the way to Blakely Rock (aerial view here). After avoiding a ferry leaving Eagle Harbor (aerial view here), I had to make two sets of short tacks to make Rich Passage, giving the Restoration Point shoal a wide berth (aerial view here)…and the wind died soon after. A cold, rainy weather cell was hanging out between Blake Island and Manchester, and it seemed to be sucking the available wind into it.

I left the main up and motored from buoy to buoy. Lots of recreational boat traffic passed me, headed for Bremerton and Port Orchard. About halfway through Rich Passage, the current picked up speed, and the wind started gusting moderately. With the main up and the motor at half
throttle, I was blown out of the passage at plus 7 knots.

My spouse was waiting at the Port Orchard ramp (aerial view here and a great aerial photo here) with the trailer, so I motored directly into the south wind all the way to the ramp.

While we were taking the boat out, we met Mike Ellis, the owner of Rich Passage Boats, LLC, taking a couple of Minto sailing dinghies out at the ramp. What beautiful little boats. View Mike’s gallery of Minto pictures here.

Lessons learned (and re-learned)

I had a great week and learned some additional things about sailing and working with Whisper.

• Reef early. Many times have I heard it and read it. The reality is Whisper has a nicer motion in heavier wind with a reef. She seems to sail just as fast with the reef as without, unless wind is light.
• Don’t pinch beating to windward. Trying to get the closest angle to the wind stalls the boat. Bearing off a bit allows Whisper to attain maximum speed, at the price of an additional tack or two.
• Don’t fight the weather. I’m out there to enjoy myself, not prove my endurance. When the endurance quotient exceeds my level of enjoyment, I’m not ashamed to crank up the outboard and enjoy the cruise.
• Call ahead for moorage. What a pleasure it was to have a slip already assigned at Elliott Bay Marina and know which side I’d be mooring on as that let me hang the fenders and arrange my dock lines before entering the crowded harbor.
• Check in regularly with someone ashore. My plans were very fluid, and I made several changes in my itinerary during the week. However, I made sure I communicated those changes with my spouse, and that little bit of effort was a comfort to us both.
• Pack extra food and water. I had another week of food and water still onboard at the end of this trip, and that meant I could stay in port for several extra days if weather pinned me on the “wrong” side of Puget Sound.
• Stay warm and dry. Good rain gear is worth the expense. By good, I mean apparel that will keep you dry in a cold, driving rain. It’s easier to stay dry than get dry once wet and cold. One of these days I’ll buy breathable rain gear, but for now, my foulies work well. I wore fleece pants under the bibs, and that greatly increased my comfort in the cold.
• Don’t forget why I’m out there. I sail for reflection. I sail because I enjoy harnessing the power of wind to move me where I want to go. I sail to enjoy the journey as much as the destination. I sail because I see much more at four knots than I would at 20 knots. When I forget these things, sailing is no longer enjoyable.