New Boat Brought Home

I’m a new member and Monthly Meeting bar keep in training. My name is Erik and I have been looking for a new boat for several years as my SJ23, all be it a great little boat, just isn’t the boat for The Trip. Those of you out there that have that dream of a Great Trip or shoving off or ... well just heading south till the sand is white, it’s warm on the toes, and the drinks come with little umbrellas ... yea they just are little reminders that you need sun screen in those latitudes.

Well after pondering over one boat design, then another and another, talking to owners, others looking, and drooling over pictures on the web, I decided it was time to get down and dirty and start looking at real boats. First though, I finally decided on a boat model, the Morgan 38 designed by Ted Brewer. There are over 500. With that many there are always several to choose from, you just have to get out there and take a look.

So the car got a work out, and week ends and vacation days got used relentlessly. Yea, there are some ugly ducks out there. Not that they can’t be cleaned up, if you have the talent, time and extra cash to plow back into it. They say, anything can be brought back to life, it just takes that special someone and some serious talent. As for me, well there are some things that I’m just not willing to tackle. But there are things that I want to do myself. So it was finding that boat ... and I tell ya, the pictures on the web .... well ... I’ll just say that not every picture represents the truth to the viewer.

So the boat now found, I’ve got to get her home! Oh yea, and I need a crew! Lucky me though, I have a great neighbor couple also afflicted with the love of sailing and also sail boat owners themselves. Returning SSSS Members, Jayne and Glen Patrick. Who have some close friends in Micki and Rob, also SSSS Members. Probably many of you know them quite well. And in short order I have a willing car driver, that was willing to spend 6 hours driving, after a full day’s work! Two crew in Glen and Rob, willing to sail a boat they hadn’t seen with their own eyes, And Rob hadn’t sailed with either Glen or myself. Now he had flown in a light aircraft with yours truly many many years ago. Only after joining SSSS, did Rob and I realize that we knew one another from nearly 15 years ago.

Now with Crew, Driver, boat and the Title Co telling me that the boat was mine ... When do I move her? Why Toliva Shoal weekend of course! The w/x forecast is for 29 degrees and snow at the start, Anacortes, and wind West turning to North by end of the day, Friday February 18th 2011. We arrive the night before. We had dinner at the local brewery/tavern then Jayne makes the three hour drive back home. Thank you Jayne! The men dig into the working of the new boat and get familiar with things ... like trying to light a Dickenson Chesapeake diesel heater ... alas to no avail. So we stay plugged to shore power and the radiant heat of an electrical appliance.

We awaken, shower, get groceries, and shove off about 0730, to a glorious sun rise, mountains covered in snow as a back drop. The seas were relatively calm with only 1-2' waves. We motor out of the harbor, turning left and out into the southern reaches of the San Juans. The Olympics showing their full glory of snow covered peaks, all be it with a background of some ugly looking clouds spritzing with snow flurries. An amazing 70 NM trip motor sailing with the jib from Anacortes and passing down town Seattle just before sun down. Yes in just over 10 hours, we arrived at Blake Island. We found a birth on the lee side of the first pier. Ahh, time to plug in, have dinner and get some rest for the next day. Listening to the w/x and hearing about the coming blow that night we really didn’t know how important that would be.

WIth Small craft advisory, winds blowing 25-40 kts and seas building to 4-6 feet just outside the break water, we were happy not to be on the hook! We still spent a sleepless night of getting up to check moorings, add more lines to try and reduce the stress and horrible pounding we were taking in our bunks as the waves rolled around the breakwater and bashed the docks. Wind wiping through the trees and tossing salt spray on anyone not properly attired ... yea underwear, out in that wind is not proper attire. But chasing down a sound or a loose halliard banging the mast like a string on a drum well, you have to do it sometimes. Some of you may know of what I speak and have seen the wash tub’s upside down and a string from the center to the top of an old broom handle. Not a good sounding musical item if I say so myself.

So the morning was tough, Breakfast was simple foods and coffee. Getting off the boat was a mater of timing the step to the wandering dock, then getting ashore before a wave comes through and soaks you. However from the beach, Colvos Passage looks good. Low and behold the moorings look like they have calm water! Oh well, I would never have thought that the night before!

The challenge, turning at the dock from nose in to nose out ... ooooh [four letter word here]. Hearing others chat and discuss the options ... some are saying 1300 to 1400 maybe. By 1000, we chat and with some dock attendants. We go for it.

The turn in the slip goes flawless, but backs were put to the test holding her to the dock with the wind howling. Crew come aboard as we power up and cast off, turning left then right into the channel and “SEAS!” Woo Hoo, Hi ho cowboy! Burry the nose into the oncoming wave, spray over the tall dodger and yes, we were covered and tasting the salty seas on our faces. Heading north, directly into the seas, far enough to make the turn in a lull ... yea ... that’s what we called it at the time! A few seconds really, before the next wave and we were surfing and heading south for Colvos, just passing off the shallows NE of Blake Island. Crowd on land waving us fair passage and encouragement. We haul out a stitch of a sail on the roller furling and begin surfing the swells.

Just 30 minutes after slack tides, we were at the Narrows. By then each of us had lunch. There we come into contact with the Toliva Shoal Race boats. What a sight! So many sailboats, flying sails, spinnakers, some even surfing with full sails. What a homecoming for a new boat! I thank you all for such a welcome to a new home for my new Morgan 38. She arrives home at 1620 in her new slip.

Special Thank You to Jayne, Glen and Rob! Without you, it would not have been possible.

Cheers to you all,
Erik Nystuen, Your new monthly meeting bar keep.