i'm back from my first dry-land-to-dry-land trip between Point Roberts and Semiahmoo, and learned SO MUCH from, and realised how much i didn't (still don't) know about, it.
Log - Point Roberts to Semiahmoo
(1st attempt)
-Took a sleeping pill the day before to ensure a good night sleep
-Checked weather, tides and currents, wind speed, and waves
-Loaded the boat with personal stuff
-Left dock in the morning
-Decent wind in the first 15-30 minutes
-'Westerley wind' came and wind speed and waves changed
-Boat was rocking in much higher waves, and some ropes were tangled
-Felt nauseous, and realised must return to dock
-When returning, commercial fishermen already laid nets
-Navigated back to dock without getting caught in the nets
-Arrived dock, ate, and rested in shade
(2nd attempt)
-Felt better, and made some changes for the rigging
-'Westerley wind' died down, and left dock at 5.30pm (sunset at 8.11pm)
-Wind was light to none
-Commercial fishermen were retrieving nets
-Saw many dolphins
-Motored all the way to Semiahmoo & arrived at 7.30pm
-Wind changed to light near Semiahmoo
-Had a good meal @ 9pm
Log (Semiahmoo to Point Roberts)
-Left dock at noon
-Wind was descent at the Semiahmoo habour
-Commercial fishermen were laying nets
-Spent a lot of time detouring and avoiding the nets
-Wind changed to light not long after leaving Semiahmoo
-Motored all the way to Point Roberts
-Wind changed to 10kts+ near Point Roberts
Learning
1. my boat's rigging system needs to be upgraded so the sails can be raised and lowered with me staying in the cockpit. when i raised the sail and jib, the wind and waves were fine. as soon as the 'Westerley Wind' hit, it was not fun going up to the front of the boat to lower them. any samples of this type of rigging out there (i.e. pictures, etc.) you could share with me?
2. tiller-autopilot is a very nice thing to have for a trip like this, at least for me. any suggestions as to which one is reliable as well as would be compatible with my handheld GPS: Garmin 78sc?
3. i was going with the current but the wind was too light for my ruddle to work normally. there were times the boat was turning to port when it should have been to starboard.
4. comercial fishing nets could cover a WIIIIIIIDDDDDDDEEEEE area of water. find out where they are before sailing would be helpful when planning a sailing route.
5. my boat doesn't have a portable toliet. to avoid peeing, i ended up not drinking enough water during the 5+ hours on the water. what happened? i dehydrated so much i also fainted after i arrived to the Point Roberts dock. i'm ordering http://www.amazon.com/Reliance-Produ...4491093&sr=8-2 like this weekend.
6. learning how to estimate arrvial time is very important. i'm going to see if my handheld GPS: Garmin 78sc has that feature.
7. sleeping pills and sailing might not have blended well for me. i had sailed in relatively high waves on a laser and didn't feel nauseous. i won't blame on aging, as it was only last year, so it must have been the sleeping pills.
8. i LOVE sailing, and my Macgregor!
9. ...there are more i wish to share but these are all for now. thank you for reading.
Kenneth on Blessed
