Linda and I departed our sailing friends, Infinity and Kabloona, in Port Browning, Canada, and cleared US Customs and Boarder Protection in Roche Harbor. Koosah sailed and motored to Hunter Bay on Lopez Island and anchored for the night. Our plan was to go through Deception Pass on the next day’s slack at 1012 hours.

We awoke around 0700 and prepared for our passage. There was a little fog in the bay and we decided to go ahead and begin the crossing. As we navigated through Lopez Pass into Rosario Strait the fog filled in. Visibility was approximately 100-200 feet with the sun attempting to burn its way through. We entered the Deception Pass waypoint into the chart plotter and small GPS that put a lollypop of the waypoint on our radar screen. We looked at our AIS screen and there was only one target appearing. We tuned on our automatic fog horn through the Standard Horizon 2100 VHF and were shocked the first time it blasted on! It was loud!

The compass bearing was determined. I was at the helm; Linda was monitoring the instruments at the chart table.

The first half of the journey was uneventful; stay on course, put on a wool hat and gloves to keep warm in the cold fog, and keep looking around outside and at the instruments inside. As we crossed the traffic lane we knew that something big was approaching ... it was on radar and the AIS. Koosah turned south so we would pass port to port and the huge barge and pusher tug passed us closer that I thought she would! Approximately ten minutes later a sailboat sounded her fog horn and slipped past our stern ... we could barely see her. As we approached Deception Pass more blips appeared on the radar. There were no new AIS targets. About a half a mile from the bridge the sun broke through! We had arrived at 1000 and were able to motor through the pass. We were elated but exhausted because of all the attention, and tension, we had to devote to the passage.

We motored to Strawberry Point passing racers returning from Whidbey Island Race Week; knowing that they had missed the slack and them not knowing how dense the fog was in Rosario Strait.

We were able to unfurl the genoa and motor sail for a few miles until the wind died. After Clinton the wind started to pick up from the northwest. We again set the genoa and headed for Kingston, anticipating a dock, showers, and a meal out. Upon our arrival in Kingston, Saturday evening, all the slips were filled and those that weren’t had a huge red RESERVED sign. No room at the inn!

We decided to continue south to Blakely Harbor and anchor. As we were departing I noticed a huge amount of crab traps. Then the heart-stopping sound of the prop: THUD, THUD, THUD. We had hit a crab trap and wrapped the line around our prop! The engine would run, but when it was put in gear, the THUD began again. We were on a lee shore and the wind was blowing around 15 knots from the northwest. The genoa was unfurled and we started slowing moving forward, but still slipping towards the lee shore! We hoisted the main as quickly as we could and picked up some speed and headed out to the traffic lanes. Away from the lee shore and with wind behind us we could now sail to Blakely Harbor.

About a half-hour later other boats began to pass us. Koosah should be going faster than them! Looking around and over the stern the lead line to a crab trap could be seen three feet underwater! The boat hook was able to reach the line but the pressure on it was too much to bring aboard. Linda headed Koosah up into irons to relieve the pressure on the line. I was able to grab some line and bring it close enough to cut off whatever we were dragging. We turned downwind and Koosah accelerated as she should have been doing all along! The prop was put in gear, but the THUD, THUD, THUD was still there; in reverse it killed the engine. We were not going to be able to use the engine until the line was cleared.

We made it to the navigation markers at Eagle Harbor, just north of Blakely Rock and the wind started to die. We had to make it to the harbor under sail! We entered Blakely Harbor under main alone and drifted to a stop in 80 feet of water. The anchor went down and all of our 50 feet of chain and 150 of nylon rode went down. Not quite a 3:1 scope, but that would have to do. Since it was almost dark we decided to deal with the issue in the morning.

I didn’t sleep much that night, pondering over the options: call for a diver Sunday morning; dive it myself (we carry a mask and snorkel but no wet suit); cut it off using a dive knife taped to a boat hook; tie the dinghy to the side of Koosah and push her home ... well, you get the idea.

Morning arrived and we decided to try the boat hook and knife option. As I was in the dinghy trying to make progress, a father and daughter came by in a kayak and asked if we needed assistance. We explained. The father said he could jump in and see what the prop looked like and we gratefully said that would be wonderful! He put on our swim mask and jumped in. He came up and said that he thought he could unwind it and that it was not tight around the prop since it was a lead line. He went down the second time and came up with a float and ten feet of lead line and stated that all should be fine! Whew! Were we relieved.

We attempted to donate some money for his daughter’s college fund but he only accepted some ice cream money for them. We started the engine and put it in gear. It worked!! We thanked him again, raised the 200 feet of anchor line and anchor and slowly motored out of the harbor. We were able to motor sail through the Tacoma Narrows to our destination anchorage in front of our friends home in Filucy Bay.

We made it back to Olympia the next day.

Afterthoughts: Although Koosah has radar, radar reflector, AIS, chart plotter, fog horn, most of the other vessels in the fog do not. Next time we may stay anchored until the fog lifts! We are aware of crab pots, but eventually one is bound to hit one. We are now thinking about adding those spurs to our shaft for the next time. We had motored and sailed for over 15 hours. It had been a very long day!

Dave and Linda Knowlton, Koosah

Koosah is now armed, crab pots watch out
Photos by Dave Knowlton