Early this morning the commercial ship Amazon River arrived in Seattle from China. Part of the Amazon River's cargo was a cross-section of the current Nordhavn line: a 43, a 52, and a 68. The 52 was the first Nordhavn 52 in what I fully expect will be a very successful new line of Nordhavns. It was fun to see it on its inaugural US sailing.

The Nordhavn 68 in no-load form displaces 156 thousand pounds so its considerably heavier than the standard container that these cranes normally host off deck or from below. What follows is the launching of the 68 but all three followed the same procedure. The crane lowered four chains that are attached to the cradle that mounts the boat to the deck. The entire boat and cradle assembly is then carefully raised, shifted out beyond the ship to the water, and then lowered to the water.  As the boat lands in the water, a small craft drops off a couple of crew members. As they arrive on the boat, they first check to ensure the boat is watertight and safe, then inspect the mechanical systems before starting the boat.  With the engine running and the boat safe to sail, the crane lowers it another few feet allowing the boat to float off the cradle.  Then the boat is  backed free of the cradle and sailed to the commissioning port.  In this case, Elliott Bay Marina in Seattle.

All three vessels will be commissioned by Emerald Harbor Marine under the supervision of PAE project managers. We have a slip in Elliott Bay so we’ll be seeing lots of these three boats as we go back and forth.

 

Although bald eagles are among the largest birds we see on the coast, often we see gulls and other much smaller birds chasing eagles through the sky or tormenting them on a tree branch. This seems curious, given the difference in size. While eagles are excellent hunters, according to Bald Eagles: Their Life and Behavior in North America they are not above scavenging for their meals, or stealing food from other birds or preying on them. So to ward of threats to themselves and their young, smaller birds often harass eagles and other birds of prey. The larger birds mostly ignore these attacks, rarely fighting back. The eagle’s behaviour, from scavenging, to stealing food, to ignoring attacks, led Benjamin Franklin to oppose their choice for America’s seal:

I wish that the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country; he is a bird of bad moral character; he does not get his living honestly; you may have seen him perched on some dead tree; where, too lazy to fish for himself, he watches the labor of the fishing-hawk; and when that diligent bird has at length taken a fish, and is bearing it to its nest for the support of his mate and young ones, the bald eagle pursues him and takes it from him. . . .  Besides he is a rank coward; the little kingbird, not bigger than a sparrow, attacks him boldly and drives him out of the district. He is therefore by no means a proper emblem for the brave and honest.  

-- Benjamin Franklin in a letter to his daughter Sarah Bache

Occasionally, it would seem, the eagle doesn’t always ignore the attacks. One time while out in the dinghy, we started seeing white feathers massed on the water surface. A short distance away, we came across an eagle, tearing into what was left of a seagull clutched in its talons. That probably was just one taunt too many.

The Seattle Boat Show seminar schedule is now posted. We’ll be presenting some of our favorite destinations between Victoria and Bella Bella, along with and tips and techniques for improved boating safety and comfort, at 1pm on Saturday January 24^th. And we’ll be signing copies of Cruising the Secret Coast, our Waggoner sister publication, at the Armchair Sailor booth from 3-5pm on Saturday the 24^th and Saturday the 31^st.

One area we’ll highlight is Drury Inlet, our favorite destination in the Broughtons. Part of Drury Inlet’s attraction is ruins from an entire era of coastal logging, including springboard- scarred stumps, a large, well-preserved steam donkey, 1920s logging trucks, and a logging railway. Logging roads—both old and new—extend inland to tranquil lakes and to mountain ridges with wonderful saltwater views. Throughout these woods, contemporary independent loggers meld the past with the present as they salvage cedar from century-old stumps.