Back in the Wind
Jun 15th, 2008 by Elise
North to Alaska 2008 Series
15 June 2008
Lat N44.27.648
Lon W140.47.513
After taking a 56 hour hiatus, the winds finally returned to us late yesterday afternoon pushing Cutthroat along at a pleasant 6 – 7 knots with our trusty genyker (big ass sail) flying. Everyone aboard is much relieved! These winds weren’t anywhere on yesterdays GRIB files either. Today’s file however does support both the velocity and direction…so that’s a good thing. And it’s allowing us to once again project our route into Puget Sound. If it can just hold on now, we’ll all be happy. It’s funny how we can quickly set our mental time clocks to an anticipated arrival date based on information that is no longer valid. Then it’s so easy to be put out when something changes. Boy are we spoiled and desperately in need of control. That’s one of the things I really enjoy about this whole ocean sailing thing – it reminds you each and every day of the forces out there that we cannot influence. We can plan and prepare, but our ability to correctly anticipate each and every contingency just doesn’t exist. Letting go is the hard part. We are all so used to expecting immediate results – our instant gratification society. It just doesn’t work out here.
Now that the winds returned, we are actually on a port tack (where the wind comes across the left side of the boat first). For most of you reading this you’re muttering something brilliant to yourselves like. “SO.” But to us it really is a big deal. We spent the entire passage from Mexico to Hawaii on a starboard tack as well as the first 1500 miles of this trip. We’re almost never on a port tack. As a matter of fact, we had to stop and rearrange many things below deck that were secured before but are now potential flying targets…one just flew off a shelf as I’m writing this. It actually took us a couple of days after leaving Hawaii to get everything in place for the starboard tack (at least to minimize noise from things moving in closets and what not).
We charged the batteries off the main engine this morning. It only goes up to about 1000 rpm’s without a load now, but it was enough to get a good charge. The engine seemed okay as far as continuing to run – a huge leap forward! It is still without an official name, although Chuck and Paul’s friend Rob Stern suggested “Ernie” from Burt and Ernie fame. I think we’ll keep looking for a name. Christine, the Bi-Polar generator on the other hand, has been carrying the brunt of the charging workload for the last several days. The poor little thing is sounding rather pitiful by now, and only likes to run for 20 to 50 minutes at a stretch. She too is not appreciative of any substantial loads like running our water heater. But as long as we can charge the house batteries and make water from time to time, we are just fine and dandy.
Pat just presented everyone with a radar class – great stuff that will get everyone a bit more comfortable with this important feature – especially as we come closer to the coast line and the shipping channels and potential fog we may encounter outside of Puget Sound. Again, keeping the batteries charged so we can use this important feature is critical…
We’re celebrating Father’s Day on board Cutthroat today in recognition of the wonderful Dad’s that Roger, Chuck and Pat are to their families. And we want to wish their families’ the same good wishes. Sorry we’ve kept them away from all of you on this day of recognition – but know that they’re serving a higher cause.
The skies are mostly overcast, the temperature is probably in the high sixties during the day. The crew has donned gloves for the night watches now in addition to boots and some combination of jackets or foulies. Paul has everything he owns on…poor little Florida boy is cold! He also shaved his wanna be, 15 year old beard off today. We took before and after pictures for Lynn and Grandma. Between the beard and the watch cap he looked like he could either be on American Idol or be robbing liquor stores. He told us he can’t sing, so guess we know what that leaves. He looks much better with the shave!
Everyone else is fine – getting plenty of rest and enjoying the speed again.
With that, we wish all our family and friends the best, all those Dads a great day of recognition, and God Speed to the Cutthroat! We’re only about 700 miles out now and closing rapidly.
Roger, Elise, Bob, Chuck, Pat and Paul…
s/v Cutthroat
s/v Cutthroat
Sorry to read about the doldrums you have been through. There is little that is more frustrating, or boring.
Chuck – your trip is a hot topic around my house as I have sent all of your e-mail up dates home & Lindsay and me are tracking the trip on a map, as best we can.
Good luck the rest of the way.
Moose
So glad to HEAR OF GOOD WIND as tis the way of the sea. Now let these winds be constant and helpful to the good ship “Cutthroat” and crew. How I would love to be part of this adventure but fortunately I know my limitations at this stage of my life and will just enjoy reading your reports with all the comforts of home. Very old saying–TIME FOR EVERYTHING-
HAPPY FATHERS DAY-BELATED–TO ALL THE DADS !
AGAIN, YOU ARE ALL IN MY THOUGTS AND PRAYERS ! GOOD SAILING l, LOVE, MOM WAG AND MOLLY (WOOF-WOOF)
Hello Cutthroats:
Sounds like your adventure is going something like mine when I moved Reaching Deep north from PV to San Diego. Amazing the things that go wrong that you never expect.
In case you need it, there is a marina in Neah Bay which we stopped at when trying to bring a boat down from Port Townsend. We never finished the trip because of bad fuel problems, sound familiar? But we were able to get dragged back into Neah Bay by another boater. I think this is the farthest town north in the US. Anyway, it could be a place to stop if everything else is going wrong. They would have some supplies there because there is a lot of fishing working out of there.
Hope Bob is not getting too horny being gone this long. Be sure to keep an eye on him. And good luck to everyone!!!!!
Love, Dave and Cynthia
Hey Bob and Bob’s friends! Blow ye winds. . . Lived in Shelton on Hammersley Inlet for a couple of years. . . Check out the Makah Tribal Museum if you get up to Neah Bay, check out the Ozette Archaeological site if you can, take a walk through the grounds of the Centrum Foundation in Pt. Townsend and throw back a few local oysters. Get a downrigger and fish for salmon. Buy a loaf of bread and Dungeness crab at the Pike Place Market and dip both in melted butter until gone. The Olympic Rainforest is a hell of a place to spend the summer. And probably cheaper than Alaska.
Hi Roger
Did some thinking on the bad fuel you have onboard. have you tried to polish fuel to a 5 gallon fuel can? If you have not, connect a hose to the bleed port and put the other end into the empty fuel can. Turn on the fuel pump and open the bleed valve. There should be a steady flow if not I would look for a blockage. Once you have filled the fuel can, you can turn off the pump and close the bleed valve.
Now put the fuel inlet hose into fuel can, bleed the genset and see how it runs.
While the genset is running check the vacuum gage and let me know what the readings are.
You have most likely have tried this already.
Thank you
Andy Keenan
Great to hear that you are once again motoring (metaphorically speaking) along.
“Give me a spirit that on this life’s rough sea, loves t’ have his sails filled with a lusty wind.”
George Chapman