Travel to Astoria

This last weekend we went downriver to Astoria, which is the first leg of our trip to take Ablissian north to the San Juan and Gulf Islands.  The trip started with a fond farewell to our slip in Tomahawk Bay, then quickly ground to a halt when we arrived at the railroad bridge, called for an opening and were told they were having electrical problems and couldn't open.

We circled and eventually sailed a bit while waiting, and after about an hour the bridge was opened and we  started the motor and headed through. (the section on the right pivots to open the bridge)

We had bright sun and warm temperatures, with wind building through mid morning.  We found the new chart plotter to be a great addition to our paper charts - the combination made it very easy to stay in the channel. 

This was our first time past the railroad bridge, so it was interesting to see the west end of Hayden Island, the junction of the Willamette and then Sauvie Island.

We motored through what has been referred to as the jewel of the Columbia, a section around Walker Island with packed beaches, lots of jet skis and water skiers.  It was a really lovely section of the river.

As we traveled into the afternoon, we had a couple of close views of large ships - one of which passed us with little room to the side - and a second time a large Army Corps of Engineers vessel turned directly in front of us, forcing us to circle to avoid a collision.  But it was all manageable.


By 3pm the winds had picked up considerably and we found ourselves moving through 4-5 foot waves and 20-25 knots of wind.  Ablissian buried her bowsprit several times.  But the boat handled this very well and it was comfortable in the cockpit.  We were pleased to have a taste of this as it gave us more confidence for the off shore travel ahead of us.  We later confirmed that we were experiencing a small craft advisory.

We eventually decided to anchor at the Clifton Channel and leave the last bit of travel for the morning instead of continuing in the rough water.  We dropped anchor about 7:20pm.  This was our first time anchoring Ablissian and we were successful on the first try.  After a hot supper we did boat chores and turned in.  I woke several times to check the anchor but it was holding solid.

In the morning we got underway about 6:20.  There were some interesting rock formations and we saw more wildlife, including deer at the shore.  The last miles prior to Astoria open out to a wide, marshy section.  The channel is well marked and we were making excellent time with the current - up to 8 knots at one point!

Well before I expected it, we saw the Astoria Bridge in the distance, along with several very large ships anchored to the sides of the channel.  We rounded Tongue Point, passed under the bridge, turned into the West Basin Marina and found our slip for the week.  We called Taylor for our ride home and set about tidying the boat for departure.

She looks pretty good under the looming bridge!

Getting Closer

We have been working hard to gather all the needed items for the boat - getting ready to head north!  Great news on our crew - we are confirmed with a great group to head north with us.

Simon, Becky, Charley and Deb.

We were out with Simon and Becky on Saturday evening - lovely sail with good wind, followed by dinner in the cockpit.  Very nice.

Deb and Charley with us tonight on a peaceful evening sail.  We used just our staysail which kept the boat comfortable in 15+ knts of wind.

While none of us has yet crossed the Columbia Bar and gone north, our crew can claim voyages to Hawaii, Europe and the Straits of Georgia and Juan de Fuca.

The list of things to do before leaving seems to be getting longer rather than shorter.  Isn't that always the way?  One more weekend of tasks, then the following weekend we take the boat to Astoria to wait for our departure.

More Canvas

Despite the delay in posting, we have not been delayed in continued efforts to make boat improvements!  Yes, the main sail cover is complete, and turned out very well.  I will add the slits for the lazy jacks when we have them positioned.

See the contrast with the old teal colored dodger top?  We've removed the windows here, but left the top for sun and rain cover, but such a sad mix of old and new!

















So, the job continues.  After an intense weekend of sewing, the new dodger top is complete and the boat looks better for it:

Peter has been busy selecting and buying a radar package, which will be installed this week.  I'll spend next weekend working on the dodger windows and side pieces, and maybe we will even go sailing!  All of this work is in preparation for taking the boat north the first week of August.  Of course we have been sailing over the last couple of weeks, despite a very rainy June here in the Northwest.

Searching for wind?  Anticipating rain?  We had a little of both this day.

Working on New Canvas

Given our new paint job, new canvas appears to be in order.  Plus the existing canvas is worn just about beyond repair.  So the projects have begun!

First up was the tiller cover, to get get used to the new Sailrite machine and working with the heavy sunbrella fabric.  I used the existing cover (shown here) as a template.  The only challenge was the pleating to create the soft, padded end of the cover, but even with that this went very quickly.





The next project was to start on the winch covers.  I took measurements of the 7 winches, and following (more or less) the instructions from SailRite, I was able to churn out the first two.  They went pretty quickly and were not challenging to sew.  You can see the old canvas leaning against the piano in the background for color contrast.

My one lesson learned from winch cover one was not to wait until the end to insert the elastic in the internal cap - it is much easier to insert it before sewing the side seam and then attaching the circular top!

With these projects complete, it was time to tackle the main sail cover.  I ordered more fabric and materials from SailRite and studied their instructions for a standard cover.  After deliberating, I decided to copy the existing cover as I like the customized boom end piece and the fit with the buckles rather than toggles.  So on a nice day a couple of weekends ago, I laid out the cover on my fabric, traced the pattern and cut it out.

I should mention that I have been using a hot knife to cut the fabric as this seals the edges and limits the amount of seam finishing needed.  I also decided on matching thread rather than the standard white contrasting thread.  Peter and I walked the marina, looking at the covers on different boats, and I found I much preferred this look.

Sewing on this very large piece of fabric is challenging.  Our boom is about 16 feet, and I've extended the fabric at the end of the pattern to allow me room to do the custom end portion.  The existing cover is actually about 7 inches too short for some reason - I suspect it was either custom made and an error was made, or it was accidentally purchased in the wrong length.  So I will be fitting that portion on the boom to make sure it is correct.  The walking foot on the SailRite machine is wonderful - really helps when dealing with this heavy fabric.













The fitting at the mast went surprisingly smoothly - I put in some heavy nylon lining to withstand the chafing that will happen at this point.  And the zipper went in without difficulty.  I again followed an alternate method from the SailRite instructions.  Instead of sewing the zipper in from the wrong side, then turning and sewing the final seam, I did both seams from the front to make sure the two lines of stitching are parallel.  It wasn't difficult to do it this way.  I left the bottom of the zipper unfinished, as I want to finish the bottom of the cover, then lay the zipper end over that.  So with the mast fitting and zipper complete, I took it to the boat to fit the boom end.  It was fun to see it in place, and if I squint just right, I can imagine it as a finished product!  Next up - fitting the boom end.

RCYC Middle Distance Race

Ablissian has successfully completed her first race!  We finished fourth in our class (cruising class).  What a great day - Blain, Robin and I were crew with Peter at the helm.  The start was smooth - we did not have to fight for position much and were able to get off the line cleanly.

We found that reaching with our 150% genoa we were able to stay up with many of the boats flying spinnakers.  We had light wind but were able to make way up river against the current.
As we neared the 205 bridge, we caught the top of the fleet and all spread out across the river looking for wind lanes and current relief.  Soon after, boats flying spinnakers were able to pull away and we stayed even with our NFS competition.

As we neared the mark, we all struggled to make headway against the current.  We went wing and wing, struggled with river position and found ourselves even losing ground at one point against the current.  A tactical gamble did not pay off, and our competition rounded the mark ahead of us.  While we fought to round the mark in a dying breeze, they gained ground with the current in their favor.  It was a light air drift to the finish and we were not able to catch them.

Despite frequent rain squalls, we were able to stay warm in foul weather gear, and fueled by steady chips and beverages, we finished strong.  We are all hungry for more racing; Ablissian has proved she can hold her own!

  

A lot has happened in the last 9 days!  At the beginning of last week the mast was re-stepped by the boat yard - when I first saw her I realized how much difference the mast makes in the overall lines of the boat.  She was starting to look like our boat again.

 My first job was to re-connect the mast wiring.  This was my job as I had done the disconnection.  I was pleased to find that my careful notes made the job pretty easy and I was finished in about half an hour.  My goal was to be sitting in the cockpit relaxing when Peter arrived, which I was.  The only issue was that despite my careful work, the instruments wouldn't function.  Peter couldn't find the issue either, so we motored back to our marina ready to tackle this the next day.  Here is a quick shot of the wiring.

After taking time to follow the wires from the initial wiring panel, though connection to the instruments, to the wiring panel at the base of the mast, we still could not find the problem.  We looked at one of the wires that appeared to be   compromised, and cut back to "fresh" wire, but that didn't correct the problem.  I wasn't sure what we could do at the point short of getting help from an expert.  Another night passed and Peter woke up with the solution.  He remembered that there is a switch on the log tracking instrument - and found that this switch controlled the current to the instruments as well.  So all is good!  (Lesson learned - often sleeping on a problem helps you find the solution).

On Wednesday my shipment arrived from Sailrite - a new heavy-duty sewing machine, and materials to start work on replacing all of the teal colored canvas with new forest green canvas.  The old canvas was literally falling apart in places, so this is much more than a cosmetic need.  I was able to knock off one winch cover and the tiller cover over the weekend.  Next up is the mainsail cover - and I need to order more material for the remaining 6 winch covers.  We have plans for a number of other small canvas projects (line bags, jib sail bag, instrument cover, etc.) but the biggest job will be making a new dodger.  I'll get myself comfortable on the machine and materials with these small jobs before I take that on, but my initial feeling is that I'll be able to do this!

After the wiring, Peter took on the task of running the lines - he had marked all channels and was able to get things re-assembled fairly easily.  He took time during the process to wash the lines, many of which were a bit green with moss, so they look much better now.  Then on Sunday morning we put the mainsail on the boom and she was a fully functional sailboat again!  We took her out for our first sail since March - it was a nice day with sun mixed with clouds; not much wind but lots of boats out for spring sailing!

It Must be Spring!

It is a beautiful weekend in Portland.  Typical spring in the northwest, we have alternated heavy rain with warm sun, but the temperatures are in the 70's.  We started the weekend listening to a presentation on tips for crossing the Columbia River Bar, given at the Portland Yacht Club. We had a dual purpose:  of course to listen to the presentation, but also to walk the docks at the club as we expected to see a number of Cascade 36s.  The talk was really good - conducted by a man who regularly crosses the bar with his fishing boat, and supplemented by Dave, from the US Coastguard, who drives one of the Coastguard vessels at Astoria.  The talk was pretty casual, but had a number of good points and things to consider when making the crossing.  Afterward, I realized I forgot to ask my super newbie questions:  a) where is the best place to "sit" while waiting for optimal time to cross and b) how long in total does it take to cross?  So how do you know when to leave your sitting place and head out?  Any advice is welcome!

Our visit to the docks was disapointing in that we only saw one Cascade, but also good as we ran into Blain who was getting ready to head out sailing - we later saw them out on the river racing.  Interesting themes - Blain told us he felt his son kick in Robin's belly for the first time today (wow!), then as we walked up the dock we saw these adorable baby geese.  Must be spring!