48 36.575 North
122 58.797 West
We left Blind Bay by 1:00, letting the two state ferries sort out their passengers and get on their way. That left us nearly two hours to cross Harney Channel unmolested and enter West Sound. Ok, it really was only a 30 minute transit, but who wants to deal with two ferries in close proximity?
Our goal wasn’t much further, just north of Double Island, tucked into a cove with 15 feet under the keel, very protected from the south-south east winds we had been getting in Blind Bay. In less then half an hour we were anchored and enjoying drinks in a cove all to ourselves.
Before I leave you, let me explain that it didn’t go as well as expected. There were several lessons for the captain and crew, even in this ‘easy’ passage. When raising the anchor in Blind Bay, the chain stacked up in the chain tube and wedged against the capstan, jamming it cold. In my haste to clear the problem somehow I slipped the chain off the drum and down went the anchor and 25 feet of chain as fast as you can blink. Luckily I was able to pull the chain back up onto the capstan and then power the ground tackle up again. Scared me a bit, but all ended well. If that wasn’t bad enough, coming into our Double Island cove I made the newbie mistake of approaching the anchor point from upwind. Yes, the hook set well and held but it took twice as long as if I had done it right the first time and I’d be closer to the anchor spot I wanted.
So much to learn. With homes on the shore and towns nearby, it feels like a kids pool for those learning to swim. I’m glad for this. No mater what happens to our little boat, we can get it fixed here. In two months we wont have that luxury. It is a good time to learn and test our gear, boat, and ourselves.
122 58.797 West
We left Blind Bay by 1:00, letting the two state ferries sort out their passengers and get on their way. That left us nearly two hours to cross Harney Channel unmolested and enter West Sound. Ok, it really was only a 30 minute transit, but who wants to deal with two ferries in close proximity?
Our goal wasn’t much further, just north of Double Island, tucked into a cove with 15 feet under the keel, very protected from the south-south east winds we had been getting in Blind Bay. In less then half an hour we were anchored and enjoying drinks in a cove all to ourselves.
Before I leave you, let me explain that it didn’t go as well as expected. There were several lessons for the captain and crew, even in this ‘easy’ passage. When raising the anchor in Blind Bay, the chain stacked up in the chain tube and wedged against the capstan, jamming it cold. In my haste to clear the problem somehow I slipped the chain off the drum and down went the anchor and 25 feet of chain as fast as you can blink. Luckily I was able to pull the chain back up onto the capstan and then power the ground tackle up again. Scared me a bit, but all ended well. If that wasn’t bad enough, coming into our Double Island cove I made the newbie mistake of approaching the anchor point from upwind. Yes, the hook set well and held but it took twice as long as if I had done it right the first time and I’d be closer to the anchor spot I wanted.
So much to learn. With homes on the shore and towns nearby, it feels like a kids pool for those learning to swim. I’m glad for this. No mater what happens to our little boat, we can get it fixed here. In two months we wont have that luxury. It is a good time to learn and test our gear, boat, and ourselves.
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