What I did with my summer
(or the search for, purchase
of, and the first cruise of my lovely little Baggy Wrinkle)!
Be Patient! The photos take time to
load, but are well worth it!
(Updates are now at the bottom of
the page)
Whew! I finally have time to sit down
and write. It's been a busy summer. I picked Sean up in the end of May and we
took off from Idaho to the coast. My property here had finally sold and been
paid for and it was time to go buy the boat of my dreams and get back to the
life of the sea that I am so comfortable with. It was a LONG trip, even though
we took the regular route from Harpster to Seattle through Othello. We had intended
to make the crossing at night, but plans do change! We ended up not leaving
until the morning and drove off into one of the hottest days that we have had
so far this year. The old Datsun didn't like the change in plans. Around
the middle of Washington, in Royal city, the radiator blew up. There was no
place in all of that lovely burg that could fix a radiator (much less speak
passable English). In Spanish, I asked the "mechanic" at the garage
where the nearest hardware store was. He directed Sean and me to the Ace Hardware.
There, I bought a butane tank and soldered up the leak so that I could make
it to somewhere there might be a place to get it fixed. We made it as far as
Vantage (where highway 90 crosses the Columbia). From there, we got a tow to
Ellensburg. Even the tow truck was starting to overheat as we went up the long
hill from Vantage to Ellensburg. It was the Memorial Day weekend and, amazingly
enough, there were a few places open. Schuk's Auto Parts was one of them. The
fellow that worked there couldn't have been more helpful. I replaced the old
water pump and bought a new (used from the wrecking yard) radiator and took
it to the radiator shop where the nice fellow cleaned the whole thing out. Once
the new radiator was installed, we were on the road again. The bloody thing
was still overheating, so I got off the highway and took back roads. At 50 mph,
she could maintain without spitting all her fluids, so we had a leisurely trip
over the top of Snoqualmie Pass. Once we reached the summit, it was all downhill.
Our first night we spent in Seattle.
We got a cheap hotel that had a spectacular view of downtown. It was close in
to all the yacht brokers in the area. We looked at a few boats the next day,
but none of the brokers were around on Sunday, so we shot up to Bellingham and
Blaine to look at other boats that I had seen on the Internet. On the way, Sean
and I attended the Church where I was baptized and Sean was dedicated. The boats
in Blaine were large, but much too scruffy. The ones in Bellingham were nice
enough, but the brokers couldn't be reached and it was frustrating! We decided
that the boats would still be for sale for a while and left for Port Townsend.
I had been corresponding with a broker there for the better part of
two months (since about the time that my neighbor stated his intention to buy
my place). Mahina Yachts had a 32' Angleman Ketch. I called to insure that there
was going to be someone there and we caught the first ferry across Admiralty
Inlet. We arrived at the prescribed hour and no yacht broker. We waited for
hours, but one of the associates finally arrived around noon. She led us to
Port Hadlock and we looked at a lovely old Angleman. She was the boat that I
had been dreaming of since I was a child. A real sea boat! I made an offer.
Carol made a call to the owner from her cell phone and made my offer. The lady
wanted more than the boat was worth. She had been recently divorced and claimed
a need to recoup her losses. I made a counter offer and Carol called her back,
but the lady didn't answer. Carol left us on the boat and headed back for her
office. She was going to keep trying to reach the lady and get back with us.
Sean and I stayed on the boat for the night and had a wonderful dinner at a
memorable cafe. The Ajax Cafe in Port Hadlock is a very worthwhile stop. The
food is really outstanding and the place has a lot of charm.
During the night, we got one of those
torrential downpours that happen so often in coastal Washington. The deck of
the Woodrose leaked like a sieve. In the morning we dried out and waited for
word from Carol. By non, still not having heard a word from Mahina Yacht, Sean
and I went back to the office in Port Townsend. Carol was not there, but the
broker (David somebody) was. I asked, "Have you heard anything from the
owner"? Dave replied condescending tone, "No! And I don't expect to.
I won't even make your counter offer until you sign all these documents".
Dave further inferred that we were some sort of transient bums to spend the
night on the boat and that we were not serious buyer. I took a long stare at
him and glassy eyed with outrage said, "In that case, Mr. Yacht Broker,
please give me back the $2000 deposit that I put down in earnest on the boat".
He gave me the check back and I immediately tore it up. I walked from his office
in total despair.
Sean and I decided to go visit Uncle Peter in Squim.
It was only a half-hour drive and I hadn't seen him for a couple of years. On
the way there, just outside of Squim, there was a small sign on the side of
the road that announced "John Wayne Marina". I knew that God had a
plan, I just didn't know what it was. At we got to the bottom of the hill to
the marina, I couldn't help but notice all the aluminum masts attached to their
corresponding plastic boats. I decided to take a look anyway.
Sometimes, if you look hard enough, one blade of
grass will stand out from the others. I first noticed that there was a small
topmast down on dock C. As I trudged up next to the boat, as I was really down,
she had the unmistakable lines of a Lyle Hess Renegade/Bristol Channel Cutter.
In my mind, I was remembering how much those things cost and that it was an
unobtainable goal on my budget. She was Baggy Wrinkle out of Sitka, Alaska.
Boats like this, when they are available, were few and far between. I looked
closer. On the port rail, written on a plaque about the dimensions of a dollar
bill, was the "FOR SALE" sign. I broke into a cold sweat. I almost
ran to call the number on the sign from the pay phone at the marina. The fellow
that answered the phone got to the bottom line right away. "I want $30K
for her"!, said Jason. I pondered and then blurted out, "Would $25K
cash take her"? There was a long silence and the Jason Tilley said, "Yep!
That would take her"
Jason was living with his wife Nicole and their son
in Port Orchard, Oregon and couldn't make it up for a couple of days, but his
father Bob lives in Discovery Bay just around the corner. Sean and I stayed
again in a hotel and met Bob the next morning at 10:00. He was a very pleasant
fellow and a retired cop. We removed the covers, he unlocked the companionway,
and we went below. I sat on the bunk and took a long, deep, sniff. There didn't
seem to be any rot. We looked around at the boat and inspected what was available
to the eye without taking too much apart. I knew that I had found a REAL DEAL!
I said, "Well Bob! We can take the run over to Port Townsend and I can
have a cashier's check for you by noon".
Sean and I spent our first night on Baggy Wrinkle
that night and I started to get a feel for the lady. She was obviously well
cared for and I went to sleep knowing that God had led me to making the right
choice even if I didn't make that choice myself.
Jason showed up two days later and went through the
vessel with me. I was amazed at all the stuff that was part of the deal. I had
just bought a completely equipped cruising vessel with all the trimmings right
down to the Aries vane gear, radar, depth sounder, SSB, etc. She has a 10 hp
Ferryman diesel that hand starts, a Dickinson Alaskan diesel fireplace, and
a propane stove with an oven. Actually, there would be too much to list here,
but she has everything and spares. Jason didn't really want to sell her, but
he has gone into business for himself and needs the money. Nicole was pleased
too. They had lived on the boat for six years and the guy that they bought it
from, a fellow named Jack, had lived aboard since she was built.
After Church on Sunday with Peter and Dawn, Sean
and I got ready to go for our cruise. We stocked food and headed out on the
morning tide through the narrow pass at Squim Bay. And out into the Straights
of Juan De Fuca. It was a beautiful day and there was a little wind to start
with, but it died later on in the day and we ended up motoring through Cattle
Pass and up the channel to Friday harbor. We anchored up there, spent a little
time in town, then got a good night's sleep. The next day, we were off to Anacortes.
The trip over was wonderful with a decent wind. The tide was really running
in Rosario Straight, so we anchored up inside of Strawberry Island and waited
for the ebb. About dark, we motored into Anacortes. After two days at the dock
and a trip to Squim by ferry to pick up the truck, we left the old Datsun in
the long term parking (FREE) at the Cap Sante Marina and took off for Bellingham.
WE spent the day slatting and motoring and dropped the hook in Fairhaven. After
a nice dinner at one of those 50s drive in diners, we went back to the boat
and turned into our bunks. The next day, we ran Hale's Passage between Lummi
Island and the mainland and turned west to Sucia Island and anchored in Echo
Bay. It was a lovely anchorage on a beautiful island and there were lots of
kids there for Sean to play with. In the old days, Sucia was a quarry island
and much of downtown Seattle was built from rock that came from the island.
We spent two days there while I hiked and Sean played with the other cruising
kids.
The weekend was over and many of the
families left to their appointed tasks, so Sean and I sailed for Stuart Island.
This is one of my favorite places in the San Juans, as there is no ferry and
there are old friends living there. I was distressed to learn that my old friend,
Ralph Erickson, had passed away, as did his son Erick. His wife, Florence, was
still there and it was good to see her again. Nothing much ever changes on Sturart
and the BLM is currently refurbishing the old lighthouse on Turn Point. The
are going to make an interpretive center there and have someone there full time
for the first time since solar panels came out.
Then, Sean and I went back to Friday
Harbor. You could never wear out your welcome on Stuart, but we were coming
down to the end of our vacation together. After two day there, we headed for
Peavine Pass between Orcas and Blakely, out into Rosario, and then around Towhead
north of Cypress. It was here that we had some of the best sailing that we had
in most of the cruise. It was a broad reach with 20 knots all the way down to
Swinomish Channel. The tide was just right too, so we really made time. It was
so nice to turn off the engine and fly under sail alone. We passed through La
Conner and out the channel to Saratoga Passage. From there, I steered north
to Deception Pass to fetch Coronet Bay just on this side of the pass. My friend
John has a marine response company there and he allowed that we have a mooring
for free while I took Sean back to Idaho. We spent some time there and Sean
had a great time playing with the little Asian children while their parents
and grand parents fished with jigs for herring and smelt.
I took Sean Back to Idaho on the appointed
day and returned alone. I missed him so much, but that's just the way life is.
I had a little accident and had to careen the boat and get the line out of the
wheel. While the tide was out, I put on new zinks and did a little caulking
in the hood ends of the garboard. The plan is to go to pick Sean up again
and we are going to go to Georgia to visit with mom. Then, we have to come back
to Idaho and get rid of the mobile home. When that is completed, I'll bring
the Baggy Wrinkle around to the Columbia, go up to the Snake, and end up in
Lewiston for the winter. I look forward to making this trip!
