MV Dirona

Blogging Hiatus Until Mid-August

2008-07-17T05:56:01.4057275-07:00

We’re voyaging north to further explore the Hakai Luxvbalis Conservancy Area and the outer islands north of Seaforth Channel, so we won’t be blogging again until we’re back and caught up in the mid-August time frame. More then.

Jennifer & James Hamilton

Jennifer@mvdirona.com / jrh@mvdirona.com

From MV Dirona.

Reader Question: Boating Laptop

2008-07-13T12:36:01.5796846-07:00

Hi James,

As I recall, your website shows pictures of you using your laptop on the bridge of Dirona. Can you tell me what laptop you use that is viewable in the bright sunshine? Is your laptop dedicated to Nobeltec or other software or does is get all-around use?…….Excel, Word, Photoshop…..that sort of thing.

Nice work on Cruising the Secret Coast. I didn’t make Trawler Fest, but perhaps you could do a presentation for the Power Squadron in the fall?

Thanks,

Gerald Albertson

Response:

Gerald, you can buy products like the Panasonic Toughbook that are ruggedized. We chose to spend less and, if necessary, replace more frequently rather than pay extra for a ruggedized system. Essentially we self-insure. Over the course of the last 8 years, I think we have established that it was the right approach. We buy inexpensive laptops, they last quite well—typically around 3 years—and then we upgrade.

For screen brightness, any screen is a problem in the sun and there is no avoiding that problem entirely. We do find considerable variation in laptop screen brightness. We favor those that are on the bright side and we have always found them usable.

We run Nobeltec, Word (boat log), Excel (fuel log), Photoshop, weather software, a NMEA multiplexer, and logging software all on the same laptop (I wrote the last three software packages). If we ran single functionality, we probably would spend less time chasing the odd weird issue, but that would require more laptops. Each costs money and each requires power. We choose to run everything boat-related on the one boat laptop and it works fine. We do, however, have a backup laptop that is running Nobeltec and always is ready to go if we run into problems. And we have a backup GPS system in case the main GPS fails.

Sure, we would be happy to do a presentation for the Power Squadron in the fall.

--jrh

From MV Dirona.

Tacoma Tall Ship Parade of Sail

2008-07-08T16:56:09.2238261-07:00

While heading south through Colvos Passage on July 3^rd, we heard on the radio that Quartermaster Harbor was closed to all boats until 6pm that day due to the Tall Ship Parade of Sail. We arrived in the area just as the last one, the CGC Eagle, was leaving Quartermaster Harbor. An impressive number of pleasure craft surrounded the parade, and an equally impressive security contingent guarded the boats. The Eagle had a particularly large entourage: two 110-foot patrol boats, the Sea Lion and the Orcas, and two large tractor tugs, the Henry Foss and the Wedell Foss. A myriad of other small Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary craft in everything ranging from Coast Guard 27-foot utility boats to 50-foot pleasure-craft to jet skis zoomed throughout the crowds and the parading ships, while the Coast Guard’s 175-foot buoy tender Henry Blake stood off the entrance to Quartermaster Harbor.

We idled off the Ruston shore to watch the ships pass, then joined the crowds in the Foss Waterway as the ships docked and fighter planes swooped overhead.

From MV Dirona.

The McMullin Group

2008-06-30T05:42:10.2986305-07:00

Queen Charlotte Sound has many amazing white-sand beaches, but the best we’ve found are at the McMullin Group. The sand is deep and soft, and almost every beach has view east to the Coast Mountains.

The island group is wonderfully complex, making for interesting dinghy exploration. As we toured around, we kept finding what we thought was the best beach, only to find an even better one around the corner. And as at many of the nicer beaches in Queen Charlotte Sound, we found an elaborate kayaker camp, complete with a rope swing. From the camp, a trail led to the western side of the group, for views across the Pacific. We later took the dinghy into the outer reefs west of the islands. That was exciting—the seas were reasonably calm, but breakers crashed over the reefs all around us.

For more detail on the McMullin Group, directions and anchoring advice, see chapter twenty, Bardswell Group, in Cruising the Secret Coast.

From MV Dirona.

Let's Go Outdoors

2008-06-21T11:21:25.706-07:00

Earlier this month, Michael Short of the radio show Let’s Go Outdoors interviewed us on Cruising the Secret Coast. Michael asked a variety of questions, including how we got started in boating, why we wrote the book, and some of the experiences that have stood out over the years. The show aired this past weekend as Episode 10 of Let’s Go Outdoors Canada (LGO Canada). Listen online.

We lived for years in Victoria, B.C., where both our families had owned various small boats. Work took us to Toronto for a decade, and during this time James’ parents had purchased a larger boat, Hunter’s Moon, a Hunter 31. When we returned to the West Coast, the time we spent on Hunter’s Moon convinced us we needed a boat of our own.

We started out by going to the more well-known destinations: the San Juan and Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound and the Broughton Archipelago. As we travelled, we found that we especially enjoyed exploring and discovering less-known places. Although we didn’t realize it at the time, the book really started at Kildidt Inlet on our first trip to Queen Charlotte Sound, just north of Vancouver Island. Queen Charlotte Sound is complex, diverse and beautiful, and the majority wasn’t documented in any of the cruising guides. We had worked our way through Kildidt Narrows, where currents can reach 12 knots, anchored at the head, and spent hours exploring the area and researching the safest way for boats to enter. We also determined that the current correction listed in Sailing Directions was incorrect, and reported this to CHS, who issued a correction. Pacific Yachting published our findings and that encouraged more research and writing.

Anyone who travels the B.C. coast by boat will have countless stories to tell about the places they’ve visited, the people they’ve met, and of course, the amazing scenery. One experience that stood out for us was our visit to Wuikinuxv Village on the Wannock River at the head of Rivers Inlet. Wuikinuxv Village is the last remaining village of the Wuikinuxv Nation (formerly Oweekeno). We weren’t sure what to expect when we arrived. Their small village is not a tourist town, and visitors might be discouraged. We needn’t have worried—the people were friendly and a strong sense of community spirit is evident. A splendid cedar big house, under construction, was a highlight of our visit. We were fortunate to meet then-Chief Alex Chartrand, who took us through their big house site and told us much about Wuikinuxv history, a heritage that is intertwined with the Wannock River and its salmon. Most of Rivers Inlet’s salmon come from rivers that flow into Owikeno Lake—during large salmon runs the Wannock carried seemingly as much fish as water.

From MV Dirona.

Silverdale Whaling Days

2008-06-09T07:38:50.4870836-07:00

A few years back, we arrived one Friday night at Silverdale at the head of Dyes Inlet. It’s usually not a very busy place, but the docks were packed and a fair number of boats were at anchor. We dropped the hook away from the crowds a bit, nearer to the head, and settled in for the evening. About 9pm, a tug with a barge arrived from the south. The tug captain slowly picked through the anchored boats and eventually stopped near the head a few hundred yards away from our boat. We couldn’t figure out why a tug would be arriving at night like that and what it would be doing at the head. No docks or industry were there and there just didn’t seem to be any good reason for it.

We got our answer at 10pm. Explosions erupted on the barge and light filled the sky. It was a fireworks barge and we had the best seat in the house. We’d arrived at the beginning of Whaling Days. The annual event includes an always-impressive fireworks display, a street fair with live entertainment, and outrigger canoe races. It’s a real family affair—with kids and adults of all ages. On a hot summer day, the warmer waters of Dyes Inlet are ideal for swimming. The festival atmosphere extends to the docks—they’re packed and everyone is having a good time. Each year we’ve been, several dozen cigarette boats roared in on Saturday as part of a poker run and roared back out again just as quickly. We could hear their engines for miles.

From MV Dirona.

Bayliner 4087 Fuel Consumption?

2008-06-01T20:59:15.8793996-07:00

A recent question on Bayliner 4087 fuel consumption:

We are currently in negotiations to purchase a Bayliner 4087, 2001 model with 330 Cummins Engines. Can you set my expectations for fuel burn?

Second question, we have just sold our Grand Banks 32 for a faster boat. However, much of the time I do anticipate cruising in the 8- to 10-knot range. Will the Bayliner do that efficiently? I expect that it will run fine at those speeds, but with some hulls that are semi planning such as the 4087's, it may not be that comfortable.

Response:

Our 4087 is heavier than most at 29,000 pounds, so our fuel efficiency and speed numbers will be slightly lower than some. Wide open, the Cummins 270s will burn 29 GPH. The engines will not live long at that throttle position though. We run our boat very conservatively to get good engine longevity. We chose to use two basic speeds: 7.75 knots and around 13 or 14 knots. At 13 to 14 knots we burn 15 to 17 GPH. It takes roughly 320 HP to maintain that speed in our boat. You may chose to run faster than we do – most do – and, if you do, your burn rate will be higher.

At displacement speeds, you basically just pay for moving the displacement of the boat. The hull shape matters a bit but it's mostly just weight. At 7.5 to 7.75 knots, you'll burn under 3 GPH (right around 2.5GPH). We've lasted as much as 73 hours on a single fuel load (220 gallons) at those speeds and still had more than a quarter tank remaining. Because the Bayliner is lighter than your Grand Banks at displacement speeds, it'll consume less fuel down there.

For comfort at low speed, the boat does wander a bit and doesn't really like an aft quartering sea, but I just put it on autopilot and let the autopilot deal with it. It doesn't bother me a bit.

--jrh

From MV Dirona.

Andrew Anderson Marine Park

2008-05-27T15:39:30.8275-07:00

Andrew Anderson Marine Park, operated by the Anderson Island Parks and Recreation District, is a lovely park on the southwest side of Anderson Island in the south Puget Sound (map of area). The nature preserve, sometimes called Andy’s Marine Park, provides the only public saltwater shore access on the island and is part of the Cascadia Marine Trail system. Little-known to boaters, the park is popular with locals and kayakers and makes a great afternoon picnic stop.

The park meets saltwater at a sloping gravel beach packed with sand stars. Behind the beach is a delicate, protected lagoon. An old wooden floating bridge crosses the lagoon, where the sounds of chirping birds fills the air. Once across, a well-maintained trail climbs up into the woods behind. Signs along the way indentify the local where flora and fauna.

We moored at Tolmie Marine State Park and ran the dinghy across. Other moorages are at Oro Bay and Eagle Island Marine State Park. The Anderson Island Historical Society has a detailed map of the island. The terrain around the lagoon bridge can be very muddy—duck feet or rubber boots are helpful.

From MV Dirona.

1 week and 30 degrees later

2008-05-19T07:25:18.0579464-07:00

Last weekend we anchored off Blake Island Marine State Park. The high temperature for Saturday was 59F. A few other boats were about, but the marina was half-empty, all the buoys on the north side were free, a handful of boats were on the west side buoys, and a few kayakers had landed on the spit at the northwest corner. We walked around the island and met only one other person.

This weekend, the high temperature was a record 89F and the island was packed. Friday night a constant stream of boats entered the marina and returned back out a few minutes later because no moorage was available. We frequently anchor off the north side of Blake Island for the fabulous city views. The north-side buoys, despite the view, are rarely taken because the anchorage is exposed to wakes from large ships travelling through the nearby vessel traffic lanes. This weekend, all the north-side buoys were taken and as soon as one boat vacated a buoy, another quickly took it’s spot. It felt like the San Juan Islands on a busy long weekend. And on the west side tents and people packed the shores, while a mass of over 30 boats filled the anchorage. We’ve never seen it so busy.

05/10/08, looking northeast towards Seattle from the spit at the northwest corner of Blake Island:

05/10/08, looking south from the spit along the west side of Blake Island:

05/10/08, the half-empty marina at Blake Island’s northeast corner:

05/18/08, looking west along the north side of Blake Island, every buoy taken:

05/18/08, looking south towards the spit and the west side of Blake Island:

From MV Dirona.

Are Synthetic Oils Worth It?

2008-05-12T07:50:56.3667704-07:00

Some time back I came across a query on whether synthetic oil could be safely used in marine diesels. My response:

Most manufacturers permit the use of synthetics, but don't allow longer oil change intervals when employing them. The question I've always had is whether the gain is worth the cost. Some of the advantages of synthetics that spring to mind are 1) better performance at temperature extremes, and 2) slightly lower engine internal friction. In the past, when racing cars, we used synthetic engine oil at times on the premise that synthetics would provide adequate lubrication for very high load applications using lower viscosity oil. We were after the slight increase in usable horsepower provided by the small decrease in internal engine resistance obtained using a thinner oil. I believe this is likely measurable, but I don’t know if it’s really significant. I somewhat suspect that it’s close to an irrelevant gain but, when racing, we would take every trick we could get even if the gains were slight. I feel less inclined with recreational marine diesels and there is no way I would recommend using a lower viscosity oil than specified by the manufacturer, whether synthetic or not.

On the temperature extreme front, we felt that synthetics would allow us to operate the race engine longer before catastrophic failure when an engine was failing with low oil pressure or overheating. We might be able to get a lap or two more before it completely stopped operating. Overheating a diesel is close to the worse thing you can do, so the ability to operate somewhat longer under these conditions is not something I’m willing to pay all that much for. However, if you live in the arctic, the ability to start easily and get better lubrication faster on extreme low temp start-up could easily be worth the additional investment of synthetic engine oils.

When I was working as an auto mechanic in the early days of synthetics, I saw many instances of moving to a synthetic in an automotive engine causing much more oil leaking. Nothing catastrophic, but noticeably more leaks were common. It seemed that those that didn’t leak before changing didn’t leak after. But, those that did leak, would leak more after the change.

Like all things in engineering, it’s a cost/benefit trade-off. For me, the additional cost isn’t justified in my usage, but I know it works well for many. We’re still using dino oil in Dirona. I changed the oil this weekend, warmed it up, and checked levels as usual. The oil hardly showed any color (see below) -- just what we like to see. Whatever oil you chose, change frequently.

--jrh

From MV Dirona.

Secret Coast Reader Question: Anchor Buoy/Trip Line

2008-05-04T07:16:53.6746004-07:00

Hi. I just bought your book and love it. I'm a little confused about the anchor buoy/trip line system you describe in Chapter 4. We run a Bruce 33 lb. anchor off a 32-foot wooden Grand Banks.

If the anchor is fouled, it sounds like you approach the buoy while continuing to pick up the anchor rode. I suppose at this point you are almost directly above the anchor and find out it is fouled. If you cannot raise it do you then pick up the buoy system and just reverse or do you try and attach it to the windlass in order to trip the line/buoy? Is 1/8” line strong enough to do either?

Thanks for any advice,

Mark and Joan M.

Our response:

You’re right—if you can’t release the anchor with the anchor rode, you’re not going to release it with an 1/8” line. The purpose of the trip line is not to pull out the anchor by force. Rather, the goal is to unhook the flukes by picking up the anchor from the crown.

We retract the rode until it is up and down (meaning no slack) and attempt to raise the anchor. If the anchor were fouled, we’d then use a boat hook to bring the buoy system on board and pay out rode to provide some slack to the shank end of the anchor. We’d first try to release the anchor via the trip line by hand. The trip line is too small to fit around our windlass, so if that failed, we’d cleat the trip line to a bow cleat and slowly back down.

Jennifer & James

From MV Dirona.

One hour in 10 at Wide Open Throttle?

2008-04-26T12:08:07.4658382-07:00

Some time back I got a question from an owner of a larger Bayliner concerned that he wasn’t running his engines hard enough and that, as a consequence, they may not last as long. The advice he’d been given was that diesel engines need to run wide open for at least one hour in 10. In this case the comment was attributed to a professional service technician, but it’s not the first time I’ve heard it. I just shake my head when I hear these things. That's dangerous advice to be giving customers. It's 100% true that diesels hate running cold. If the engine isn't up to full operating temperature on each run, it is hard on them. No debating that point. But, wide open for 1 hour in 10 is a great way to get short life with the high-output, recreationally-rated diesel engines typically found in planing powerboats such as the Bayliner in question. Running low horsepower density, continuous duty rated engines at wide open is, of course, fine. But you’ll not find these engines in planing power boats.

Remember the height of the muscle care era of the 60’s and 70’s. The highest HP Corvette of 1970 put out roughly 1 HP/CID (cubic inch displacement). The B-series Cummins at 480HP is way beyond that 1 HP/CID mark – these are very high performance engines. These are not the huge, low stress, continuous-duty diesels that developed the deserved reputation for running “forever”. Modern recreationally rated (non-continuous duty) diesels are high performance engines and need to be treated with considerable care. Specifically, running at WOT for anything other than short duration is asking a lot and, if maintenance and propping is not perfect, short life result.

Our engines haven’t ever run at 100% throttle for more than 30 to 60 seconds at a time. I do this once every 6 months to check to see that they are operating correctly and can reach rated RPM +50 or more at full throttle in a fully loaded boat. If you can’t do this, your engines are over-loaded (see: Diesel Engine Overload) or suffering from a mechanical problem that needs attention. I’ve seen $50k destroyed in a few hundred hours via the combination of overload and running hard. See the pictures below sent to me from someone who had just read the Diesel Engine Overload article saying “I only wish I knew earlier.”

It’s one the leading destroyers of recreational marine engines. People buy a new boat and over time more and more “stuff” ends up on board and the bottom paint picks up minor growth. More often than not, a year later the boat becomes over-propped from these factors and, as a consequence, the engines are overloaded. Most owners think they can run at “200 RPM off the top”. They do so without worry, but wonder why they are smoking badly and sooting the transom heavily. If they are lucky, someone helps them. If not, another pair of engines won’t likely reach 1,000 hours without major service.

It’s worth mentioning that just about every larger Bayliner (and Meridian) is propped near the limit for a lightly loaded boat. If you have a Bayliner and haven’t taken 1” of pitch out from the factory configuration, you are probably over-propped. Some, including ours, needed 2” of pitch removed to get rated RPM+50 at WOT with a fully laden boat.

Back to the advice of running one hour in ten at wide open throttle. You’ll hear folks warning you that you need to run 75% load or better, or that you need to run 1 hour in 10 at max. The former is absolutely fine for a healthy engine, although unnecessary, and the later is a recipe for short engine life. You absolutely do need to ensure that the engines reaches full operating temp on every run and that is the intent of the 75% rule. By full operating temp, I don’t just mean that the coolant got to full temperature. You need the oil hot as well and you won’t get this idling at the dock. You can only get the oil hot when under load but, trust me, any of the larger Bayliners are under plenty of load well before 75% of WOT.

We chose to cruise Dirona’s engines at 150HP which is only 55% of rated output (Cummins 270Bs) and we often operate them for weeks at a time never over 30 HP (7.5 kts) when exploring new areas. This means that for weeks at a time, they never go beyond 10% of rated load but, at this load both oil and water are get hot, which is the important factor. You will hear terrible horror stories about how dangerous light load is to diesels but, as long as the engine is at full operating temperature and sees varying load conditions, this simply isn’t a problem. Dirona’s engines have well over 3,600 hours on them and we load forward to thousands more.

If you want to play it safe, run conservatively as we do and get the 5,000++ hours you deserve. There is no guarantee, a part failure can still get you but the odds are much better if you run conservatively. If you really feel need to run close to the HP limit, get proper instrumentation, especially pyrometers, and keep a very close eye on the engine operating conditions and maintenance. Under these high load conditions you have a much higher chance of early failure as there is no headroom at this load. For example, check out this thermostat failure: Cummins 270B Thermostat Failure. If we were running at very high loads when this happened, this small part failure could have overheated the engines perhaps before we noticed. At high load, you need to have perfect maintenance, great instrumentation and be very vigilant to any changes in engine health. No matter what you chose to do, make sure you can reach at least 50 RPM over rated (see the diesel overload article referenced above). If you are overloaded, backing off a few hundred RPM won’t protect you from catastrophic failure.

My view is that we need to prop correctly (no overload), get to full operating temp, run conservatively, and enjoy our engines for years. Running high output recreational rated diesels wide open for 1 hour in 10 is just plain bad advice.

--jrh

From MV Dirona.

Sauteed shrimp with spice rub

2008-04-21T06:12:08.9314436-07:00

When we leave the marina on a Friday after work, we often don’t reach an anchorage until well past 7pm. Although we could prepare a meal underway, usually we just like to enjoy being out on the water for a bit and winding down from the week. So on Friday night we typically favor lighter, simpler fare that is easy to prepare.

Most Friday night meals are accompanied with Rosemarie Diamante bread from the Essential Baking Company (we buy it at our local QFC.) We usually also boil a half-pound of frozen Edamame (soy beans in pod) that we buy at Uwajimaya in Bellevue. Recently, we’ve started eating more shrimp, and came up with a simple recipe that fit our Friday night dinner style perfectly.

1. Use 10-12 shelled, deveined, uncooked shrimp per batch

2. Heat a tablespoon or so of olive oil on medium to high heat

3. Sprinkle shrimp with spice rub. We used Nantucket Off-Shore Rasta Rub on the first batch and Dragon Rub on the second batch.

4. Sauté, spice rub side down, for about a minute

5. Sprinkle the other side with spice rub as the first side books

6. Sauté the other side for about another minute

7. Serve with wedges of fresh lemon

We use a variety of spice rubs, some that we make ourselves. One of our favorite recipes is Moroccan Spiced Chicken with Rosemary Oil. We also make blackened seasoning from one of Paul Prudhomme’s cookbooks. The Nantucket rubs are convenient to have on hand and have wonderful flavors. We particularly like boneless, skinless chicken breasts coated with their Rasta Rub and grilled.

From MV Dirona.

Transom Diesel Soot

2008-04-13T18:03:28.6670829-07:00

I recently had a question on how to eliminate diesel-engine sooting at the transom. It’s an interesting topic because almost everyone is convinced they have a solution. These solutions run from expensive diesel fuel additives to passing the diesel through permanent magnets on the way to the engines.

Overall, I’m pretty resistant to paying $300 for a simple permanent magnet even if it is packaged in a nice machined aluminum case. I’m a believer in simple systems and solutions. Generally, my preference is to start with looking at why the engine is smoking in the first place. One common cause of excess sooting in marine environments is engine overload. Boat builders specify props that allow the boat to produce the best speed possible when new and lightly loaded, and the engine manufacturer will ensure that configuration doesn’t overload the engine. But, as boats get older, more equipment is brought on board and boats typically get heavier. Dirona is perhaps an extreme example, but it makes the point clearly. Bayliner advertised the 4087 at 24,000 lbs and when it was last pulled out of the water, it was over 29,000 lbs. For those whose boat manufacturer props for maximum speed, problems can develop as the boat gets older, the tanks are filled, and the bottom becomes less than perfectly clean. The boat ends up dangerously over-propped and the engines will be overloaded under many conditions. Again, using Dirona as an example, Bayliner shipped the boat with 22x21x4 props. We’ve reduced pitch twice since it was new in 2000 and are now using 22X19X4 (see Avoiding Diesel Engine Overload for more details on how to know if you are correctly pitched).

When diesel engines are overloaded, they emit large amounts of soot. Black clouds aft are a sure sign that something is wrong and needs quick attention. I took the picture on the right back in 2004 at the end of the Memorial Day weekend. We were part of the usual stampede back to the Seattle area from the San Juan Islands, and I was amazed at how much smoke many of the boats were producing. The boat pictured below is a Bayliner 4788 and its engine is seriously overloaded. The best thing the owner of that boat could do is remove 2” to 3” of propeller pitch. If they did that, they would find they spent less time cleaning soot off the back of the boat and the engines would be under considerably less stress. Our Bayliner 4087 produces no visible smoke when under power and its engines will likely last much longer than the engines powering the boat in the picture.

Check to see if you are over-propped. It’s surprisingly common and, if you are, reducing pitch is easy and cheap, will reduce or eliminate transom soot, and your engines will have a much better chance to living a long and healthy life. It’s nice not having to clean the transom at each stop and potential longer engine life is an additional benefit that is hard not to like. Dirona’s engines have just crossed over 3,600 hours and we’re hoping for many more smoke and trouble free hours in the years to come.

James Hamilton

jrh@mvdirona.com

From MV Dirona.

Blog Data Corruption

2008-04-12T23:10:32.759-07:00

The only thing worse than no backups is restoring bad backups. A database guy should get these things right. But, I didn’t, and earlier today I made some major site-wide changes and, as a side effect, this blog was restored to December 4^th, 2007. I’m working on recovering the content and will come up with something over the next 24 hours. However it’s very likely that comments between Dec 4^th and earlier today will be lost. My apologies.

Update 2008.04.13: I was able to restore all content other than comments between 12/4/2007 and yesterday morning. All else is fine. I'm sorry about the RSS noise during the restore and for the lost comments. The backup/restore procedure problem is resolved. Please report any broken links or lingering issues. Thanks,

-jrh

James Hamilton, Windows Live Platform Services
Bldg RedW-D/2072, One Microsoft Way, Redmond, Washington, 98052
W:+1(425)703-9972 | C:+1(206)910-4692 | H:+1(206)201-1859 | JamesRH@microsoft.com

H:mvdirona.com | W:research.microsoft.com/~jamesrh | blog:http://perspectives.mvdirona.com

From MV Dirona.

Christmas in the San Juan Islands

2008-04-07T00:46:30.136-07:00

We always spent Christmas afloat, usually in Canadian waters. Some years we've travelled to the Sunshine Coast, Desolation Sound, or the Broughtons. This year we stayed closer to home, in the San Juan Islands. We had considered going to Barkley Sound on the west coast of Vancouver Island instead, but didn’t have time to research safe anchorages for winter storms. In the end, we were glad we didn’t go—the storms were worse this year than any previous Christmas afloat, and the west coast of Vancouver Island receives the brunt of them. While winter storms are the downside of winter boating, the upside is that we have all the best anchorages to ourselves. And we love being safe at anchor while a storm rolls through, especially if we have a view out to the wind and waves.

Pictures and stories from the trip are posted at http://www.mvdirona.com/trips/SanJuansChristmas2007/.

From MV Dirona.

They're here. They're finally here.

2008-03-29T00:58:14.258-07:00

This week, boxes of Cruising the Secret Coast were delivered to the warehouse at Robert Hale and Co. Click here for book details, including sample pages and an overview by Waggoner publisher Bob Hale, and to order online.

The book was a long time in coming. In 2002 we began researching what would become Secret Coast, and published our experiences in Pacific Yachting and PassageMaker magazines. And we sent our findings to Bob Hale, who printed many in the Waggoner Cruising Guide. At the same time, Jennifer also was working on a book describing the history of the Broughtons and surrounding area. Bob had reviewed several early manuscript drafts and provided critical feedback and advice.

By early 2004 we had enough material gathered to consider writing a cruising guide. The book was a natural companion to the Waggoner, and since we had been working so well with Bob as correspondents and on the history book, he was a natural choice as publisher. When we suggested the idea to Bob, he and the rest of team at Robert Hale and Co. were interested. We continued to gather material for the cruising guide and work on the history book until 2005, when it became clear that only one project could be done at a time. We decided to focus on the cruising guide and put the history book on hold.

Thus began an intensive two-year effort of writing, editing, map production, picture selection, and many, many, many rounds of reviewing and proof-reading. During that period we exchanged more than 1,500 emails with Bob and graphics designer Marni Erwin. Finally, following nearly a three-month print cycle overseas, the books have arrived. It’s wonderful to see the finished result.

We’ll be signing copies for the first time on April 12^th from 8am to 12pm at the 48° North/Fisheries Supply Boater’s Swap Meet. The annual event is popular. The Fisheries Supply upper and lower parking lots and the street west of the store will be open to people for selling, and Fisheries Supply also sells discontinued items at deep discounts. Although the official swap meet hours are 7am to 1pm, sellers start arriving at 4am to establish a good location, and the selling starts by 5am.

From MV Dirona.