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.

Spring Time?

If you use your imagination your can see where our skeg will go on these plans.

  We've had a spat of unreasonably nice weather for march recently, we've seen sixty degrees! So of course I took full advantage. After much world problem solving and general jaw jacking the Typesetter and I have decided to add as skeg to the S/V Kat Boat. Jim was kind enough to include the space where a skeg could go in the plans. He did have drawn plans for a keelson but we've decided that a small foil at the back will do as well. This entailed the work I mentioned in the last post. Mainly getting the boat off the trailer. And one sunny day, it happened.

The Typsetter setting blocking.

She's up and off!

 Not only will this allow us to work under the boat but we can do some necessary inspections and work on the trailer in the meantime. I drew a center line on the bottom, taped it, and added paint remover. I let it sit for half an hour and then attacked it with a wire brush and a scraper. The scraper did nothing. The wire brush was genius. The Lady was a great help as my energy was sapped by the process. But with a little bit of sandpaper we got the area relatively clean.

Before

After

 In the following days I got a sheet of offsets for the skeg and The Typesetter was kind enough to cut out a single 3/4" blank. With some shaping it should join it's twin and once the weather returns we'll get it attached. Our Memorial Day Plans are now for an overnight so looking forward to that for sure. 

I should mention some auction and Craigslist doings. There was a wonderful it tired wooden boat up for auction at The Center For Wooden Boats'  gala auction. There was a bid placed but it was far outstripped. But the threat of the buzz saw has been avoided and that is a win our book any day. I tossed in my oar on some assorted vintage radios but no luck there either. Maybe next year. As we congratulated ourselves on missing the financial boondoggle that is bidding on marine hardware I happened to check our local Craigslist. I have a link to a search for sail powered vessels on my browser toolbar. And wouldn't you know it, a free small sailboat showed up. No centerboard or sail but decent enough kit for a knock about boat. Hope to get it in the water soon. WMSBA strikes again!

We're not sure of the make but it fits in a pickup bed!

Trailer Work

 

First sun of 2021!

  With two days of decent weather The Typsetter and I did some trailer work. With a full season in front of us and June being far closer then we think it is far better to do this work now then later. The original plan was to pull the trailer out from under the boat and send it for a tire check up. That was the plan until the RV landed back in our rear parkway. So new plan. I figured we could service the bearing buddies ourselves and I could take the tires in for a professional opinion. My opinion on tire ends at the point if they roll or not. So this required getting the tires off the boat.

 I acquired a grease gun and marine grease from Murdoch's and we returned to my place. After the required coffee mind you. The bearings were easily greased and at the rate I'm using it I have enough grease for approximately 243 years. Then it came time to jack and block the trailer and boat. Now I know very little about blocking and jacking. I was present when the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad volunteers moved some passengers cars around my old stomping grounds of Nevada City. Said one "You can do anything with jacks and enough blocking." And he was right. The previous day I had gone to a local building recycling center and purchased about 21' of 2x4 solely for turning into blocking. Turns out that was a good idea. 

 The Typsetter moves giant printing presses for a hobby so he's a good guy to have around when I attempt stuff like this. He did the first starboard side, and I the port. The wheels came off as they should and there was no obvious issues with the bearings or axles that we could surmise. That was a good thing. It's so important to look at stuff like this when you get a chance. Far to often I imagine boat owners don't. And a few hours of sitting in the mud will pay off handsomely once the season starts. Water takes no prisoners no matter if it's boat, trailer or sailor. 

The Typesetter contemplating how he got here.

 

 It's a good thing I took the tires in too. They are ripe for replacement and we'll go from the four ply to six ply in the process. I don't want to be out Port Townsend way and have any sort of issue. Heck I don't want to be up Flathead way and have any sort of issue. We've been there and done that.

 So the boat is on blocks until such time the tires are replaced. I need to get a spare and get that mounted as well. Did I mention the missing fender? The weather is only supposed to be this good ending today so we'll have to await our next work window But it does feel good now knowing I'm just a little bit closer to June.

Lighter by two wheels.

 

 I also purchased the foam for bench cushions and we'll start that project here soon too. Moving the Type IV's on every tack is really annoying and it's like sitting on concrete after two hours or so. Hopefully this will ensure a more comfortable ride in 2021.

Archipelago

The Flathead Archipelago

 Definition of archipelago
1 : an expanse of water with many scattered islands
2 : a group of islands
3 : something resembling an archipelago 

 A recent change in life means this summer is open to sailing. More sailing opportunity then I've had in the last decade. And I intend to use every single weekend I can. The official start of the sailing year is Junteenth weekend. And it's my intent to explore something I've had very little experience with. The stretch of water I'm calling the Flathead Archipelago. Sometimes called "The Narrows". 

 Flathead Lake is both fed and supplies stretches of the Flathead River. The river flows in from the north and out from the south. And if you move from the main body for the the lake in the north to Polson Bay in the south you'll pass through The Narrows. And if you look at a map and squint a bit you'll find the archipelago. The main bodies of terra firma are the Bull Islands, Little and Big. And to the west you find bays and inlets, tiny islands and other bodies of water and land just ripe to explore And that is what I plan on doing the weekend of Juneteenth.

 Now the reason I bring up the lake is that Flathead lake has a current. It's not much. Maybe one or two knots. And it's definitely not going be noticed in a speed boat under power or a keel boat with any sort of wind. But in a multi-chine plywood boat eleven and a half feet long you'll notice it. When the Typesetter and I circumnavigated the Bull Islands we encountered this current and it stopped us almost in our tracks. It's odd feeling to have a full sail and simply not be able to gain on a landmark.

 The plan is for the annual Finley Point Messabout to take place on Saturday, June 19th at Finley Point State Park.To get to the messabout the plan is take the S/V Kat Boat south from Big Arm State Park and sail across the lake to get to Finley Point. I've done this once before and it was an absolutely epic passage. Long enough to feel like you had really done something but no so long you were bored. We had scattered light squalls all day and in the end were were chased down by a solid black wall from the north. Throw in some equipment issues and good hands and it was a rollicking good time. But now that it's my second rodeo I have a few plans this time around.

 Just to the north west of The Narrows is a bay with protection to the east and west called Cat Bay. It is, as are most bays on Flathead surrounded by houses. The land bordering is private. But it may be just the spot to drop a lunch hook and prepare for the journey through the rest of the archipelago. If we get on the water early enough and the weather is at all decent spending a few hours just gunkholing may be just the thing to start the season. I know I can't wait. 

Cat Bay, Flathead

Been a Busy Summer!

Two catboats. The Bolger Bobcat S/V Zodiac is new.

  It's been a busy summer and I've been awful about updating. But here is a series of pictures that will update you on what's been happening with the IPNCo. 

7/16 New rudder for Kat Boat.

7/23 Learning to sail catamarans on Lake Coeur d'Alene

7/25 Ran the committee boat for the first time with Dan.

8/1 Sailed from Big Fork to Sommers and back.

8/9 Spend the weekend on Flathead

8/11 Picked up a new catboat

 In these unprecedented times (ugh) I've done more sailing then I ever have before. I have at least two full weekends of sailing left this year if not a few random days here and there. I'm off to Idaho week after next to sail both CdA and Pend Oreille, then the big hullabolloo for Labor Day up at the Yacht Club. And I have a boat to work on now too.

A July 4th to Remember

At Rest in Finley Point

 One thing I adore is having a boat that is not just functional, but beautiful too. I get questions and stares everywhere I go. From the Yacht Harbor to the gas station, everyone seems drawn to my little boat. The most asked question is "Did you build it yourself?" At this point I'm really close to answering yes. Because it sure feels that way.

 Over the beginning of the summer we've had quite a few days on the water. I sailed from Big Arm to Finley Point, a bucket list sail I've wanted to do for awhile. Spent the night on board with The Lady, and spend a fine 4th of July weekend out at Dayton. I've also lost one anchor, broken the lazy jacks, and seen what fine manners the boat has when sailed close hauled. And in front of me this week I have work. But more on that later.

Replaced the halyard cam cleats with horn cleats.

 The fact is we're still spending money at a decent rate to get the boat to the proper condition. And a lot of the work can only be found through empirical testing. This last weekend is a good example of that. My main ground tackle for the last few years has been 100' of nylon rode, backed with 10' of 1/4" chain and a Mantus Dingy Anchor. Other then a want to not stay put this has been a tried and true anchor system for awhile now on my boat. Never drug, reset with wind changes and reliable. On Independence Day however that was not the case.

 The forecast for the whole weekend was perfect sailing weather. The sun would be out to power the thermals that make the Big Arm/Dayton area some of the finest and most predictable sailing in the northwest. And if the morning of the 4th was any indication then that would be the case. I ended up overnighting in Dayton Bay after failing to make Cedar Island from Big Arm. I woke up and spend a wonderful day sailing to Wildhorse and back. By my count we had 17 sailboats out on the bay, enough for me to have to try and remember my rules of the road. That's rare.

Didn't quite make that Cedar Island on the 3rd

Hot breakfast=Luxury on a small boat

Sailed all the way to the beach

Wild Horse Island was very busy

Anchor down for the evening

 Recently I've been playing around with a stern anchor to stop the boat from dancing. Seemed to work well. With the usual solar easterlies blowing I dropped my bow anchor and set the stern one as well and got to work making dinner. Unbeknownst to me the wind has shifted 180 degrees and picked up. Dayton, unlike Big Arm is very deceiving when it comes to wind strength and apparent effects. Whereas Big Arm will become a churning mess of whitecaps and obvious doom, Dayton simply gets a touch lumpy. It took me a few minutes to figure out why my stern anchor was suddenly taut and my bow anchor line was slack. And then my sense of time goes out a bit as tends to happen when things happen rapidly. I let out all the scope to my rear anchor and that held for a bit. But as I watched the parallel shoreline it started to move. My first anchor dragging event. Knowing I could not reset as I drifted closer to the massed boats at the dock I tied the end of the stern rode to a fender and tossed it over board. Firing up the electric spanker I managed to work my way upwind and into the Bay. I reset my bow anchor and felt it bite. But the boat, true to it's nature swung broadside to the wind and took the full force beam on. That was enough for my hook to start dragging once more. I was again headed for a wall of docked boats. The hook reset temporarily and I thought "The hell with it!" hauled in the anchor and made a beeline for the service dock at the Dayton Yacht Harbor. I just needed to attached to something with no chance of movement. A fellow sailor caught my lines and helped make me fast. Everyone I spoke to up at Harbor House told me to get a slip. I spoke with one of the owners and secured an offer for a slip. I mistakenly tied up in the pump out dock but made sure to get out early in the morning.

Dayton Winds 7/4/20

 There was an upside to all this. I got to watch the most amazing fireworks display on my literal doorstep. I woke at 0530 to the sound of wavelets on the hull. The wind was still from the west, down a bit from what I remembered but decent sailing. I sailed off the dock around 0610 and figured I'd wait the wind out then anchor. Or I could beach on the dingy dock. But I was hungry and hauled the sails down in preparation for the morning respite.  The electric spanker refused to respond. With appropriate salty language I hauled the sails up and bore away from the boats back into the bay. The original plan was to sail to Big Arm, where my car was waiting, but I had instead asked The Lady to come haul me out at Dayton. I needed to ensure the Yacht Harbor got my payment for services rendered. So I simply sailed around the bay as the sun came up. I attempted to be as technical as I could. Worked on close-hauled sailing a bit, seeing where the luff would ruffle and catch the lifts and the headers. On Kat Boat the 1st reef is a good amount of working sail for all conditions. We chased the puffs as the wind slowly died down. By 0845 it was still again. I dropped my bow anchor on a short scope and waited. And sure enough, like clockwork, at 0900 the easterly solar wind set in. I hauled in the anchor and sailed to where The Lady waited at the new Dayton city dock. Although set up for power boaters it's a fine place to end a trip. It certainly was a 4th of July to remember.

What a display!

Morning rush hours at the dock

Famous Flathead Water

On the way to the dock.

Now sitting at home I can touch on a few things I learned. I lost the mushroom anchor when a powerboat removed my fender, which thankfully was retrieved. I've replaced it with a Danforth and the original 10' of 1/4" chain on a 100' of rode. My bow anchor now sports 20' of chain. I feel better with this tackle. I would like to thank all of my fellow sailors I interacted with on the 4th. My imposter syndrome not withstanding all knew the wind was not in the forecast, was not usual, and wanting to ensure my safety. They made this small boat sailor feel welcome all during the week and that meant a lot. I learned later someone blew a mainsail lug in the blow. And true to form Big Arm was a washing machine during the wind event. I'm not the only sailor who decided not to anchor that evening. We'll go out and anchor again in Dayton Bay I'm sure. But with some knowledge and forethought we'll hopefully be in a better way. And isn't that what this is all about?

My SPOT track.

First Weekend of the Year

A Record of Two Days Under Sail

First overnight trip of the season is in the books. Not quite what as planned but excellent sailing and a good time had by all. First time Big Am to Skeeko and back. Tacked the Cromwell Narrows on the return. Fell asleep to nesting osprey. Was a good time. I did accidentally have a timestamp on my camera but I think it works. Next weekend is rainy. We'll see when I hit the lake next

Cresting Arlee Hill

A great day for sailboats

Hobie Cat on Dayton Bay

Nesting osprey in Skeeko Bay

Sunset

Out of Helena

Overall we had a great sail. The sleeping out went well. I think that was largely due to using two anchors for the first time. I hung a mushroom anchor off the stern and stopped the boat spiraling at anchor. Granted we had to reset it due to north winds at 11pm the stay on the hook was much more comfortable. All in all a good shakedown for the year. With the all my off water events cancelled till September I expect there will be far more sailing this year then last year. I'm certainly looking forward to it.

Spring or Winter?

Empty slips at Dayton Yacht Harbor

 After two days of 70 degree weather, hit with a Winter Weather Advisory and had a bit of a winter wonderland. But during those two days I got a bit of work done. Here are some photos. Launch is set for April 25th, location TBD.

Twisted shackles for the halyards.

Sail rigged. Overpeaked in this image.

Cowl vent added.

Framing for the seats.

Interior cleaned.

Back under cover until next time.

Little Jobs

Sanded parts waiting for varnish

 We are at the strange time in winter. The weather is just warm enough to do outside work but not warm enough you want to stay in it for any extended time. So it's time for little jobs. I've removed what I could, hatches, door trim, a paddle and took it to my fathers for sanding and varnish. We've taken a timber I was saving and it's being turned into a rough boom. Today I've cleaned the port locker and will do the starboard later. Mold is a problem but we're ensuring that it's taken care of. The dry environment of Arizona was not ideal for the little spores but in the slightly damper environs of Montana the lockers have the slightest film. The plan is to seal them but they need to be clean before that step is taken.
 The boom has been removed and stripped as has the gooseneck. The original gooseneck is in a bad way and is in now way ready for the heavier boom I have coming. The search for a new one begins.

Bent in places it shouldn't be

 The hope is by getting these little jobs done now they won't have to be done later. I've also taken a rasp to the leeboard guard, hoping for a more vertical orientation. This was a failing noted by the former owner and resulted in slight lee help. Hopefully this will correct this but only sailing will let us know.