Pocket Yacht Palooza 2021 or That Time We Were in Washington for a Year One Weekend (Part I)

S/V Kat Boat at the PYP21. What's that in the background?

 The Kat Boat returned once more to the Pocket Yacht Palooza, held over the the third weekend of July in Port Townsend, Washington. The whole process took quite a lot of planning and logistics. The Navigator got our campground at Fort Worden State Park back in December. We did not manage a beach spot, good news as it turned out, so we got the final RV spot in the forest section. Kat Boat with the tow vehicle is 40' long so that's a must. Galen of the Port Townsend Pocket Yachters was a great help getting news out and ensuring things happen when they need to. We packed up on Thursday the 15th of July and ensured we went to bed early.

 The goal was to "search and destroy" on the way out of town. It's a ten hour drive from Missoula to PT so we left at 0400ish. The Lady and I picked up The Navigator and The Typesetter at their respective abodes and after ensuring everyone's comfort and safety we hit the road. Ahead of us were 566 miles, four mountain passes, two invasive species checks, and the section between Spokane and Ellensburg (The worst!) The drive thankfully was relatively uneventful and we made good time. There were almost no stops or slow downs for road construction, rare on I-90, and the only real sticking point was the slog through Tacoma. The Lady and I had a sailing charter on a catboat at 1700 and were projected to arrive at 1300. It looked like all was going to plan. Famous last words. A restroom stop was needed outside of Silverdale, WA and we dismounted the rig. That's when we found out what the odd metal screeching noise we were hearing intermittently was. The right side bearing. Except there was no bearing there anymore. 

 All that was left was the gaping maw of the hub and the naked stub of the axle. How the wheel didn't fall off we don't know but suddenly things got a whole lot worse in a very few seconds. The Typesetter quickly and correctly identified the problem and the prognosis was not good. At the minimum new bearings at the worst a new axle. I called Galen to let him know we were going to be late and if it was alright if I dropped the boat in the morning. He thanked me for the call and said that was fine. That out of the way we could move on to trying to fix the issue at hand. There were a few RV/trailer dealers nearby but no one had the needed parts and if they did or could get them they were three weeks out on openings. With nothing to loose we headed to the Silverdale NAPA to see what we could find there. It was the longest two mile drive of my life. It's sorta like the cartoons and walking off a cliff. You're all fat and happy until you look down. Well we had looked down and I certainly had my little sign up that said "%#!$@". 

  I can't say enough good things about the store or it's employees. Without them the whole trip would have been done with. We couldn't park with the trailer so we separated the units and got to work. The Typesetter is amazing in these circumstances. His knowledge of a wide range of mechanical skills are impressive. We needed to remove the remnants of the old bearing to ensure we could even attempt to get new bearings on. The entire hub and spindle had been red hot at one point during the debacle so things were not moving easy. We lost the head of a hammer trying to pound it off. The replacement bearing ended up being free due to scratch and dent so that was a minor miracle, not that it needed to be mind you. The tools we could buy and borrow. And that which we couldn't get was nearby. It was the most fortuitous circumstance in the near worst circumstances we could be in. We bought everyone lunch at the golden arches and a faint glimmer of hope was setting in.  It was getting on time wise and the Lady and I needed to head out for our charter about an hour way.  We left the boys to finish up and made the delightful drive to Port Townsend, a Victorian seaport and arts community.

 Early in the spring I learned that there was an honest to goodness catboat sailing out of Port Townsend. All I knew was I had to see her. I reached out to Left Coast Charters on Instagram and asked if I could come down and see the boat. This turned into a two hour charter. And it turned to be worth every cent paid. We arrived at the Port Townsend Boat Haven on time and met Erik, the day's captain and one of the boats owners. His wife Alyce Flanagan is the other owner. We were directed down the boat and climbed aboard. Katie M. was built in 2000 at the Northwest School of Wooden Boatbuilding. She's a Crosby design, a sister to the Breck Marshall of Mystic Seaport fame. 20' long and around 6,000lbs displacement. She's optimized for the day sailing trade and is kept in immaculate condition. When Erik purchased her in March 2021 she could not float. But several weeks of work and the boat is the equal of any cat on the water. 

Katie M.

 The most interesting thing about the boat was it's electric propulsion system. The system was by Torqeedo and Erik had set it up to be perfect for the type of work he does on the boat. The spinning prop charges the battery while underway and I can attest to it's ability to maneuver the boat equal of any diesel engine. After a short safety brief we were underway. This was the same route The Navigator and I took when we sailed at the 2019 PYP in Kat Boat. This time it was just in a much bigger catboat! Soon it was time to raise sail and I jumped at the chance. It was just like on my boat and even with the greater amount of canvas and much larger spars it was easy enough to hoist the peak and throat by hand, belay the throat and top off the peak. I don't think it's any more difficult on my boat actually. It was all so familiar but vastly different, if that makes any sense. We nosed off the wind and were off. I was offered the tiller and spent most of the voyage there. I should not I forgot how to sail for a bit but it came back soon enough. Katie M. responds as any boat does but I could not feel the legendary push and pull of the barndoor rudder. It wasn't near as bad as people make it out to be and once comfortable the boat was a dream to steer. Erik manned the mainsheet and put up with my occasionally lubberly handling of his boat. We took her as close as she'd lay to the winds and never once did she exhibit bad manners. I tacked, gybed, took power boat wakes, and attempted to avoid the ever present navigational hazards of crab pots, giant bull kelp and state ferries. It was a great time.

Drive panel and mainsheet. The panels stows completely when not in use.

Heading out in a bigger catboat

 

 

The Lady enjoying her cruise. I'm told the goal is to keep the flowers on the table.

Taking the helm. Not a fan of the tiller extension.

Tiller in hand and looking ahead. What a great sail!

It was race night and the schooner Martha was in fine form

Can't wait to sail again.

 While underway we got news the boys had succeeded in their task and were ready for pickup when we were done. We sadly said good bye to Erik and Katie M. and headed back to Silverdale. The bearings had been successfully applied and the would most likely get us home. If we were near the bottom of the barrel we were now on our way upward. It was a great feeling of relief. We made it to the campsite at duck, recreating the last time we were in town in 2019. The forest side of the Fort Warden campground was wonderful. Shaded and secluded it made for a wonderful place to fall asleep. Whatever tomorrow may bring we were in town, with a boat ready for a show and the entire weekend in front of us. 

-Information on some of this entry was taken from the Port Report Summer Fall 2021 Newsletter of the Port of Port Townsend. I'll update this entry once it becomes available online.

Salt Water 2019 Part 2: Salt Water and Schooners

In front of the NWMC

 The show is only a single day but we received permission to stay one more night as we had reservations at the Sequim Bay State Park the following evening. Our mission at this point was simple: We were going to sail on salt water or bust. The 21st of July was to be the day. The NWMC has a coffee stand in the lower floor. And while I stayed there it was a treat to simply pop my hatch and stroll over to Velocity for a chocolate croissant and a mocha. Something I could get used to. Launching from the NWMC is reserved for the rowing club and although we may have been able to get away with it the Port Townsend Boat Haven made a far better launching point for our adventure.  
  In addition to the Palooza there is also the Pocket Yacht Crooza which follows the event. Now this year it was scheduled to be a few days of sailing on Sequim Bay. Due to a variety of reasons beyond the scope of this blog that idea fell through about a month before the event. We had booked a campsite for three nights in anticipation and decided to keep them regardless. But some hardy folks were planning a sail to the east and spend a few days exploring the area around Marrowstone Island. And because of that we were but one of a small fleet launching that day. Sailing with friends is always more fun!

A huge racing yacht at Boat Haven

Dan by the Hawaiian Chieftain

Tiny fish in the harbor

 The Boat Haven is an amazing place. And we intended to explore more once our sail was done. We paid the $10 a day fee and proceeded to get the boat in the water. It was very interesting to see the difference in ramp design a tide causes. Ahead Standard on the electric spanker made for nice steady cruise out of the marina. This is the first time I've ever navigated in such quarters and we had no problem. Once past the break water we went head to wind, raised the sail and we were sailing.
 I'm not sure what I expected once we were on the water but it was business as usual. With the exception of keeping an eye out for ferries, lobster pots, and kelp mats. These are all hazards I don't usually run into on my normal cruising waters. Eventually we made our goal to sail to the beach in front of the NWMC where we had seen the SCAMPs the day before. If they could do it so could we!
We threaded the needle and ran ashore. A brief stop to see to necessities and then a perfect beach launch. The water was just cold enough to make the process interesting.
As we headed out into Port Townsend Bay a mast hove into view. And then another. I grabbed my skippers spyglass and when it's measly half power magnification did not help I used the superzoom on my camera. It was a schooner inbound under iron spanker!
 With shouted orders the Kat Boat quickly came about on an intercept course. Surging under a growing breeze I had intended to take her in charge. Turns out a 15' catboat is no match for a 107' schooner under power. We did get to watch her undertake the dance of the anchor and we sailed close by to hail them. I do enjoy to give a hearty "Whence and wither?" Turns out it was the 1922 Schooner Merrie Ellen. We sailed close by then  blasted under her bowsprit, gave three rousing cheers for gaff rigs and began our return to port.

Such a wonderful boat! The one behind ain't bad either

Proud skipper and a fine boat

Saltwater sailors!

 Our sailing done for the day we headed for Forks to visit a friend. We checked in to our campsite at Sequim State Park and took the surprisingly long drive to the coast. Being so close to the ocean we just had to see it. And so it was on to La Push where we gazed at the mighty Pacific. I will say now that looking out across that horizon it is my day to sometime sail beyond it. But not to far.

Bring me that horizon

 There were many more adventures the next day. But that is for the next time.

Salt Water 2019 Part 1: Getting There and a Boat Show

Pocket Yacht Palooza 2019

 One of the big goals for 2019 was attending the Pocket Yacht Palooza held at the Northwest Maritime Center in Port Townsend, WA. Our sailing friend Jim Young, who's wonderful Michalak Mikesboat Desdemona has graced these fair electronic pages, has attended in the past and spoke highly of it. There was a whole list of firsts that came with this idea. While not the unknown it would be the longest time away from home the boat in my care has ever been. And to say I was a touch nervous would be fair assessment. As it turned out I needn't have worried.
 The plan was simplicity in itself. With my friend Dan as Mate and crew we would trailer the Kat Boat from our home base here in Missoula to Port Townsend Washington the day before the event. The boat would serve as an RV for the whole of the time we were gone. Following the event we'd move to Sequim Bay State Park for a few days of sailing and then head home. In the immortal words of Jeremy Clarkson, "How hard can it be?"
 We departed early on Friday morning. Due to the fact I've never driven to Port Townsend via Tacoma before I was unsure of how long it would take. Google told me it would take nine hours. It would end up taking slightly longer then that. For this journey I was driving Shep, The Lady's suburban. The V8 and sleeping room would mean far easier travel then my own Subaru wagon. Here in the northwest invasive species boat check stations are a way of life. And during the summer you can expect one at or near every state border crossing. Washington by far had my favorite. Kat Boat was inspected by Officer Puddles, an IS Detection dog who even has her own Instagram feed. I was a huge fan. Safely cleared we continued west.

Best boat check ever!!!

 Before hitting Tacoma we had to traverse the Tiger Mountain Pass if we wanted to avoid Seattle. I'd never driven it before and it was quite a bit of traffic, most of it commercial. The turn at Snoqualime was backed up for a mile in what I can only think is standard conditions in the high summer. The drive though Tacoma was uneventful and we eventually made it to Port Townsend after traversing some of the most beautiful scenery of the trip. That part of the Olympic Peninsula was stunning.
 It was almost dark when we arrived, dropped the boat at the Northwest Maritime Center and found parking for the truck. The plan was I was going to sleep in the boat for the next two nights and Dan would sleep in the truck. That would continue for the rest of the trip. Dan is to tall to sleep in the boat. I fell asleep to moderate temperatures, clear sky, and a moon that defied description. With the gentle lapping of waves I soon fell asleep.

Not doing the view justice

 After taking care of the morning necessities I popped my head out of my hatch on Saturday the 20th of July to the most amazing view I've yet seen out of my boat. I'm an early riser by habit and the time change had not helped that. As I gazed from my vessel aground I could see right out into Port Townsend Bay. A low fog bank about a mile distant was in contrast to the otherwise sunny weather. A small traditionally rigged boat was silently making it's way towards the sound. I slipped on my shoes and headed to the NE waterfront. No one else was up and it was like being transported to the early part of the 20th century in New England. The moaning of a ships fog horn unseen in the grey bank intruded every minute or so. The classic measured tone of a bell buoy and the screech of seagulls added to the ambience. And with the smell of salt air I was at the moment were so many of my own day dreams had taken me. I'm not ashamed to admit it was a profoundly moving moment.

Morning in Port Townsend

What a morning!

This photo does not do the blueberry french toast and hand beaten scrambled eggs justice.

 But I was in town for a boat show so I took my time returning to the truck to wake the crew. After a rather expensive but artisanal breakfast at The Port Hudson Cafe, we got the boat set up for the show. Now the PYP is a celebration of small cruising craft. And I was surrounded by some very amazing boats. As they filtered in throughout the morning it was a joy to behold each one. The majority of the boats were on the hard but a few were on the waterfront. Most notably almost half a dozen SCAMPs of which were slated to cruise later that weekend. As usual Kat Boat won many hearts with her salty looks. I really enjoyed talking about how she was more then just looks but a capable inland cruiser with a design as driven by practicality as aesthetics.

Among friends

One of many SCAMPS that were on the beach

Point Hudson Marina

 Dan and I took the opportunity as well to explore the area. I got to try the multi-million dollar vessel simulator at the center and Dan took a walking tour of the downtown area. Port Townsend! What a place. They have one of the finest bookstores I've seen with five shelves of nautical books of all types. The Center itself is the hub of sailing in the area and with events like the Wooden Boat Show and RY2k being based there. It is a resort town so prices reflect this but a worthwhile place to spend some time. As the sign says it truly is a Victorian Seaport and Arts Community. I'd like to thank the organizers and in particular Marty Loken for the opportunity to attend the event. I'd like very much to do it again sometime.

Crew and I at our happy place