A Passage of Firsts

Our voyage has begun! We cast off the dock lines in the wee hours of Saturday morning to catch the ebb tide and are now comfortably anchored in Hunter Bay on the Southeast part of Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands.

The ninety mile trip from Vashon Island took eleven hours, about two hours less than we planned due to the benefit of favorable currents through Admiralty Inlet. A small craft advisory was in effect for the Strait of Juan de Fuca for the afternoon. This trawler can handle most any weather and we were looking forward to a little excitement to start off our big trip. Despite the warnings, the wind was a no-show and it might have been the calmest afternoon crossing we’ve ever made.

We’ve made this passage aboard sailboats many times, but there were a number of new experiences that are worth sharing. Here are my “firsts” for our trip so far:

1. First single-day passage to the San Juan Islands without laying over in Port Townsend or other stop-over ahead of the straits.
2. First time I’ve enjoyed a hot shower while underway. Even on our largest sailboat, cruising accommodations were spartan and cramped. Having a full-size stand-up shower aboard is a wonderful luxury.
3. First night-time departure. Indiscretion has a FLIR infrared camera which provides a near-daylight view of the water ahead and around us, even in complete darkness. We could make out individual wavelets and any debris in the water quite easily as we made our way through the crowd of anchored boats in Quartermaster Harbor.
4. First full-day passage where I wasn’t cold or wet for long stretches. Comforts abound within the pilothouse of a trawler, regardless of the weather outside.
5. First time I’ve encountered sustained 11 knot speed over ground in a vessel under my command. Love those strong currents when they’re in our favor!
6. First time I’ve shared the helm so much. Lisa steered for a large portion of the trip, letting me shower, rest, and just enjoy the comfortable ride aboard a trawler. I love sitting in the shelter of our stern cockpit, watching the wake and miles roll away.

It was a good day.

This morning, we’re anchored in about 16 feet of water in Hunter Bay on the Southeast side of Lopez Island. The harbor is a popular stop-over spot for boaters needing to cross the strait, or like us, a protected place to anchor after a crossing. There are about fifteen boats anchored in the bay this Sunday morning with room for many more.

There is a public boat ramp with a dock which we’ve used with the dogs to do their business. The area is primarily residential with private beaches, so there isn’t much to do ashore, though it’s been a perfect spot to rest up and recharge before heading further North.

Boat Notes

We’re testing out a new WIFI/internet system on the boat.   We purchased a MOFI 4500 WIFI router which accepts cellphone style SIM cards for internet service.  We signed up for a $60 per month plan from OTR-Mobile which provides high speed unlimited data throughout the U.S.  This seemed a little too good to be true, so we were anxious to test it out.  We had spotty coverage as we crossed the Strait, but otherwise has worked perfectly.  Here on Lopez Island we have faster internet than we enjoy at home.  Go figure.

One of the things we’re still trying to learn is proper power management. Indiscretion has a lot of power-hungry systems which will quickly sap our batteries without recharging them via generator. We have an oversized generator that will develop issues if we run it just for battery charging. So, every morning and night, we run the generator to recharge the batteries, but also hunt for things we can turn on to put more load on the system. Last night we watched TV, turned on the air conditioning, and made 40 gallons of water with our watermaker. This morning, we’re doing laundry (my sailing friends are rolling their eyes now), heating the boat via the HVAC system, and making more water. Coming from a sailboat with very few systems and no generator, this has been a challenge to accept.