Evolution of a Sailor

A New Sailing Blog

2010-01-05T07:31:00.000-08:00

On January 11th, 2010, Sid and I will leave for our shake-down cruise aboard our new boat, Quest. I have created a new blog for the journey so that we can keep family and friends up on our travels. We hope to update it every couple of days. You can check our progress and leave greetings, comments, and 'advice' as we go.

Here is the link, save it to your favorites!

http://sailingquest.blogspot.com/

Sailing Trip thru the San Juan Islands - May 5,6 & 7, 2009

2009-05-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Tues, May 5, 2009

It was partly cloudy, breezy and cool. A good day to set out for a 3 day cruise in the San Juan Islands off the coast of Washington.

About 7:30 am, Sid and I, along with his 11 week old Australian Shepherd puppy, Bo, went down to the marina to do a quick inventory of the boat we were going to take out. It actually belongs to a friend of his, so we had to see what we needed before we could set sail. Our goal was to leave by noon. After a brief inventory of equipment and goods, we had our morning planned. Basically, Sid had to replace some broken shivs on one of the blocks on the mainsail, while I did the grocery shopping and organized boxes and bags to be taken to the boat.

We made our goal and set out from Anacortez (1) just after noon. It was cloudy, with about a 15 knot breeze. Good sailing weather. I was so excited! I just love spending time with Sid, he's so cute and fun. And to sail with him was gonna be fantastic!

We planned to sail to Friday Harbor(2) on the east side of San Juan Island and stay the night there. Sid's sailing instruction started immediately. I was hoping he would actually put up the sails for the first time, and let me watch how it’s done, but no go. He is a firm teacher, and I had to raise the main halyard by myself.

I pulled and pulled as hard as I could, and the sail began going up. Sid was giving commands from behind the wheel. “PULL, PULL, COME ON, PULL!!!” I’m fairly strong for a typical 50 yr old woman, but with the sail only halfway up I just couldn't budge it any further, even with the winch! As I floundered, Sid shouted “PULL” even faster and louder. I was afraid that he was annoyed and frustrated at my weak ability, which made me feel frazzled and panicked. I felt like such a loser!
"Am I gonna blow it less than a mile out of the slip? He's never gonna want to sail with me if I can't pull my weight and help."
Then Sid noticed the sail was hung up in two places. He had me take the wheel while he went forward and fixed it. Then, the darn thing went up fine. Whew! That was touchy.

I must admit, during that initial sail raising, I wondered if I’d be able to sail with Sid, or anyone else for that matter. Having orders shouted at me was a new experience to me. It tended to fluster me and make me panic. But when I saw that he was his same sweet self once the sail was up, I figured it was nothing aimed at me personally, it’s just kind of the skippers job to give fast and firm direction. And Sid is good at being a skipper. So I figured if that’s how sailing goes, well, then I needed to learn NOT to panic and not to take it personal. I was determined to give it my very best and do this. I also learned that I need to wear gloves to pull the lines. My hands are apparently kind of wimpy and were sore after yanking on the lines so hard. But the good news is, future sail adjustments and reefs went much more smoothly. I figured we’d do just fine.

Meanwhile, Bo was snoozing comfortably in the cockpit. Unaware that anything was different in his world. Sid and I were both amazed at how totally at home he was on a rocking, heeling boat. He’d never been on one before, but he looked like he was born for sailing.

We had a little bit of rain off and on that day. We reached Friday Harbor(2) about 5 pm and tied up to a dock for the night. We discovered that the heater below deck didn’t work. So we used the oven for heat, as well as to cook some great ribs for dinner. Bo LOVED the bones!!!

It's amazing how much muscle it takes to sail. Not just hands and arms to pull in the lines, but also your legs, hips and back to keep your balance on a constanly moving and tossing vessel. I don't think I've ever slept so soundly as I did that night. The combination of the rocking boat, and my sore and tired body just knocked me OUT!

Wed, May 6
The next morning, the sails went up smoothly.

(I decided we needed to teach Bo to help!)

We had pretty steady rain, but good wind to fill the sails. We sailed around San Jan Island to the west side in search of orcas. Seeing one in wild is on my bucket list. Sid really wanted to find them for me. He really wanted to help me scratch that off my list. I loved that it was important to him. Despite the rain and clouds, visibility remained good. I watched for spouts, through the binocs. Sid said to also watch for groups of boats which would mean the whales had been sighted. It was a cold wet day, but I had on some great foul weather gear that Sid let me use., so I stayed dry and happy.

The sailing was great and the scenery was breathtaking. But alas, we never did see the orcas. We did, however, see a pod of Dall’s Porpoise. They came up just about 30 feet off the starboard bow! They were headed in the opposite direction we were going, so we didn’t get to watch them very long, but we did get to see them pretty closely! I think we counted 7 or 8 of them. It was cool!

It rained pretty much non-stop all day. Sid worried about how I was fairing. But it was all so beautiful and I LOVED it. At one point, I literally jumped up and down with excitment, and squeeled, “GOD, I LOVE THIS!” He was clearly surprised and pleased. (Apparently he tells everybody how I amazed him with my great attitude in the face of the nasty weather and no heater in the boat.) (I should thank Bob for making me tough.)

That afternoon, we stopped at Rouche Harbor(3) on the north side of San Jan Island to get diesel. That's where I really saw Sid's boating skills at work. He turned the boat, (a big 36 foot sailboat mind you,) 180 degrees in a tiny little docking area. He just kind of spun it in place on it's keel, and then he parallel parked that sucker between two other boats at the fuel dock! (Most people can't do that with a small car!) I was impressed to say the least. The guy is amazing.

It was still raining steadily when I snuck off to take a shower at the marina while we were docked for a while. (snuck? sneaked? hmmm,...) Anyway, the hot water felt absolutely heavenly, even if you do have to pay $3 for a 5 minute shower! Yes, coin operated showers.

Sid and Bo tried to fix the heater while I showered, but had no luck. Oh, well, good thing we had plenty of propane for the oven.

That evening we tied to a mooring buoy at Jones Island(4). The entire island is a state park, so there are no buildings on the island, except for a picnic shelter or two. A remarkably pristine area.

We ate a nice dinner and drank some wine. Then we played a cut-throat game of scrabble.
We were laughing and having such fun! But the stakes were high, and I lost big time! I think he cheats! Every weird word he spelled was actually IN the dictionary! Is it possible to actually MEMORIZE a dictionary??? OK, maybe he's smart too.

Well, that's the first half of the trip.
Tune in tomorrow for the rest of the cruise!

The second half of my San Juan Sailing Trip

2009-05-27T15:48:00.001-07:00

The evening of Wed. May 6th, we'd tied to a mooring buoy at Jones Island for the night.

Thur, May 7th, 2009
Jones Island State Park.

The morning dawned partly cloudy and fairly calm.
Before breakfast, we went for walk around the island. It was simply gorgeous!

There was deep green forest, with paths cut through for hiking. Every fallen log was covered with a thick, lush carpet of moss. Ferns covered the ground, and were growing in the trees. We saw several deer that were amazingly tame because there are no predators on the island.

Bo was soooo happy to really get to run and play and stretch his little legs for a while. I was afraid that he'd try to chase the deer. That herding instinct is so strong in Aussies right from birth. But he was so short that the brush hid them from his view. He never saw a single one.

After our walk, Sid put a couple of bagels in the oven for breakfast while I made coffee. I was looking forward to sitting in the cockpit and leisurely having coffee and bagles with him.

But then,…

Before we even got the bagles out of the oven, Sid suddenly jumped up and cast off the mooring lines. He called me up from below to take the wheel, and he went out on deck and began releasing the sails.

The sudden departure and decision to immediately get the sails up totally caught me off guard. When he told me to grab the mail halyard and start pulling, I was unprepared. I didn’t have gloves on, so I couldn’t pull very hard on the lines, (my hands were still sore). Plus I was trying to steer WHILE I was pulling. It frustrated Sid that I was not pulling the halyard fast enough. He began giving his orders from up at the mast, “PULL! Come on, PULL, Linda! PULL!”

Ok, .. again it flustered me and once again I floundered on my task. As the sail went up, the boat heeled over, and coffee cups, clothing bags and all the other loose 'things' down below deck went everywhere. After several times of raising and adjusting sails successfully as a team, I felt right back where I’d started on the first day. (snarl...)

When we finally got the sails up, Sid returned to the cockpit and silently took the wheel. My annoyance evident, I went down the companionway to the galley and picked up all the stuff that had slid across the boat when we heeled. Then I took the bagles out of the oven. They were burned. (sigh,…) Still wondering what lit the fire under Sid’s butt to leave anchor so quickly, I went up and stood in the companionway and just looked at him standing behind the wheel. He shifted his weight uncomfortably and returned my gaze.

I felt a strong need to establish some level of respect and cooperation between us. If we're going to sail together, we've got to be a team. So I said, “What we had here this morning was a failure to communicate.”

I told him I was unprepared and unaware of his intentions to set sail, so I did not have my gloves on, bagles were still in the oven, and things were not stowed properly below. I asked, “Isn’t it the skipper’s job to prepare and inform the crew of his intentions BEFORE they happen?”

"Uh,... yeah,.... it is. I'm sorry." He agreed that he had not given me warning, and admitted that he’d just made a quick decision because good winds had suddenly come up in the right direction. He felt bad for frustrating me again, but I felt that now some ground rules had been set. After a hug or two, all was forgiven quickly and we sailed on, drinking coffee and laughing about eating burned bagles. As we sailed back to Anacortes, the weather continued to improve.

Sid is not only a great sailor and teacher, but he's also one hell of a tour guide. He was wonderful at pointing out all the different islands, markers, buoys and passages. The sailing lessons never stoppped, but they were always peppered with interesting facts about the history and geology of the San Juan area. I was greatful for his willingness to share his knowledge. As he taught me to watch for red and green channel markers and what the numbers on them meant, he also told me about the settlements and uses of different islands that we passed. One of my favorites that he showed me was Yellow Island. In the 1940's, a husband and wife bought the island and built their home, barn and boat house completely out of drift wood. The wife planted wild flowers all over the entire island, which have multiplied and flourished over the years. The island now belongs to the Nature Conservancy and they maintain the driftwood buildings and give tours of the wild flower gardens. He really taught me so much. Did you know there are over 100 islands in the San Juan archipeligo? Wow!

As we approached the marina at Anacortes, the weather really cleared up and it actually became sunny, warm and beautiful. It was nice to take off our jackets. It also made unloading and securing the boat much more pleasant.

We finished the day back at Sid’s house, relaxing on his porch swing and drinking wine while we watched the world go by. Life is good.

The next morning, on the way to the airport, he showed me Anacortes from a tall peak above town. What a magnificent place. I can't wait to go back!

It's been almost 2 years,...

2009-05-27T09:05:00.000-07:00

I've decided to put a new set of sails on my blogging, and revive "Evolution of a Sailor." (at least for a while.)

Last January, I met this cute sailor named Sid, who lives up in Anacortes, north of Seattle. He is a Certified Captain through the Coast Guard and also teaches sailing lessons in the area up there. He is looking for a long term sailing partner, and I also want to sail, so.... I went up to visit him a couple of times in February, to check our compatablily level. Fortunately, we liked each other.

I've recently returned from a third visit, during which we finally got to go out on the boat and he gave me some REAL sailing lessons! It was a GREAT experience! I am sooo hooked! I hope to do it at least one more time before the summer is over. (Ok, maybe twice! - grin -)

I want to remember the details of the experience, and the best way to do that is by writing about it.

I hope to have my story up by tomorrow or Friday.

Ahoy!

Evolution on Hold

2007-07-30T05:45:00.003-07:00

Due to circumstances beyond my control, my time on Evolution has been suspended. (He got custody of the boat.) I will not be posting to this blog for a while, until my sailing resumes.

Please visit my other blog site "Hoootyhoot".

http://lovinglifeinlalaland.blogspot.com/

The Sherman Tank of Sewing Machines

2007-07-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

I’m doing a lot of sewing for Evolution. All the cushions need replaced, and I need to make some heavy duty, durable covers for the engine and some of the hardware. A few equipment bags for storage would be nice to.

Working with canvas and other heavy fabrics, can be a nightmare. After breaking several needles and smoking the motor on the ol’ Singer, trying to sew through four layers of canvas, one might be tempted to think it can’t be done and just give up.

Enter the Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1, the sherman tank of sewing machines. This is the coolest machine I have ever owned, and I’ve been sewing since I was 7 years old. (And NO! We won’t say how long that’s been!) Granted, it can’t embroider a tulip design on my tea towels, but it can sew through eight layers of heavy canvas, and then with a quick needle change, I can whip up a little satin evening dress!

My Sailrite is small, portable, and it's all metal, unlike most sewing machines that are plastic. It’s meant to be used in the damp, rugged, rough and tumble environment of a sailboat. It has a very heavy duty case to protect it. This baby could fly across the cabin during heavy seas, and not sustain a scratch. It might go right on through the hull,… but it wouldn’t get hurt in the process! Come to think of it, it could probably even double as an anchor!

The best part of my machine is,… for a fancy plastic machine that could do this, I’d have spent well over $1,000, and it would still burn out and/or break after a year or two of that treatment, but my Sailrite was under $800 and will travel the world with us, fixing sails and repairing cushions for many, many years!

P.S. I also do repairs and custom sewing. Got a project that needs done? Just whistle!

I joined a sailing club!

2007-07-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

I just joined the Oregon Women’s Sailing Association, (OWSA). Being new to the Portland area, and new to sailing, I thought it might be a great group to check out. I figured I could learn more about sailing, meet new people and maybe make some “girl friends” to do the lunch or drinks kind of things. You know, kill 3 birds with one stone!

Yesterday was OWSA’s summer picnic at Tamahawk Bay Marina from 4pm to 9pm. I was flying in from out of town, and my plane landed at 5:10pm, so Bob took me straight to the marina from the airport. He made himself scarce, thinking it was women only, but it looked like most of the women had their husbands with them.

I’m not sure the size of their membership, but there appeared to be a good turnout. As I met one or two women, they would take me around and introduce me to more, who then introduced me to even more! What a great group! I met a woman who has her boat moored just a few slips down from Evolution! Wow, neighbors! I also signed up to help with “Sail for the Cure”. (See the pink ribbon on the ‘port’ side of my blog here. Feel free to click on the link and make a donation!) :o)

‘Wednesday Night Sail’
Once a week, OWSA has a ‘Wednesday Night Sail’, and I am really eager to try it! Basically, they just all get together and take several boats out for an evening cruise on the river. It’s a great opportunity for me to crew on someone else’s boat, and to watch other experienced sailors in action. Maybe I can even get over my fear of heeling! I’m going to have to be super brave, because I’d be REALLY embarrassed if I screamed and peed my pants the first time the boat heeled over a little. I can see it now, these poor women trying to talk me, (in my soggy pants), down off the mast. I’m willing to bet I’d be asked to forgo any future participation in the Wednesday Night Sails! Or worse yet, maybe they’d use me as punishment. “Yea, Sue forgot to bring her famous jello salad last week, so next week,… she has to have Kay on her boat!” Hmm,… yeah, I think I’d better take a few precautions; maybe a little nip o’ rum and a nice absorbent ‘Depends’ and I should be good to go!

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aarrrgg... all sailin' vessels need a parrot, matey!

2007-07-02T11:25:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at the boat just fixing a few more things and doing more cleaning. We didn’t take her out, we just fiddle-farted around there in the slip. Since we weren’t going out, I thought it might be a good time to introduce Grace to Evolution.

Let me take a moment here to tell you about Grace. Gracie is our African Gray parrot. Like most highly intelligent parrots, Grays tend to be one person birds, meaning she loves me dearly, and is a poop to everyone else. She puts up with Bob because he isn’t intimidated by her, but if she can intimidate you - she will, and she uses it for all it’s worth. What all this means really is that when we take off to sail for long periods of time, we can’t leave Grace with a friend or family member, because everyone except us is afraid of her. So guess who else is going sailing!!!

Also, like most parrots, African Grays live to be about 70 years old. Gracie is currently about 6, so I’ve told my two daughters that when I finally kick the bucket, one of them is going to inherit her. They both stare at me wide eyed and say, "Not me!" So I can see it now,… at my funeral, as they slowly lower my casket into the ground, from inside there will be a little voice saying, "Hello? Hellooo? Good Morning! Hello???" And Lisa and Andrea will look at each other, smile, and shrug innocently.

Gracie has a huge vocabulary, can identify family members and pets by name, asks for what she wants, and let us know when she’s bored. She’s incredibly kicked back and very little seems to upset her. She has a great sense of humor and is overall content with life. She constantly reminds us that life is all about having a good time, as she swings from the ceiling of her cage by one foot, her wings all splayed out, and yells, "SUPERRRR CHICKENNN!!!"

She did fine at the boat. I didn’t take her travel cage because, even though it is much smaller than her home cage, it’s still pretty large. So she just rode on my shoulder or sat on her portable perch. She didn’t seem to mind being on the boat. The saloon is small enough that she probably just thought, "So this is a ‘people cage’, huh?" It did cloud up for a while, and got a little chilly. She shivered a bit, but did fine. We don’t have fuel in the little saloon stove, so we couldn’t heat it up for her. But it was still in the 60’s so I knew she wouldn’t freeze. She dealt with worse than that when we lived in the cabin up in the hills.

Grace has learned to enthusiastically call out ,"Ahoy, Mate!" But she needs to learn a lot more sailing phrases to become a REAL ship’s parrot.

Another rat jumps ship...

2007-06-29T07:39:00.000-07:00

We went over to Rocky Point to work on the boat the other day. Before going, we stopped and bought a telescoping broom handle and special brush head that was stiff for scrubbing the hull below the waterline. The handle cost $40, but because it extended to 12 feet verses the 7 feet of most handles, we sprung for it. Same with the $10 brush head.

Our $50 ‘broom’ worked great. Evolution got her bottom scrubbed, and I’m sure she enjoyed every minute of it! However, it’s the last time she’ll enjoy it, because like the bolt off the tiller handle, the broom decided to jump ship. Yep, it’s laying at the bottom of a 25 foot deep marina.

Bob laid it down on the dock while we walked over to the restroom, and upon our return, it was gone. Now either a band of renegade cliff swallows made off with it, or it went in the drink. We highly suspect the latter. We stood there and tried to figure out how to retrieve it. I offered to hold Bob by his ankles, and dangle him over the edge until he found it. But he still wouldn’t be able to reach it, and he didn’t like that idea anyway. Go figure! He thought of lowering a strong magnet on a rope, but I reminded him that the handle is aluminum, and the head was plastic, so that wouldn't work. He even considered snorkeling down to get it, but 25 feet is pretty deep. So I guess the broom stays below.

I’m glad I didn’t drop the darn thing down there. I’d have NEVER heard the end of it. But since it was him, well you know, accidents happen, it’s no big deal.

Hey! I'm needing some advise over here....

2007-06-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

The search for sailing lessons has begun, and there seems to be plenty around. Again, I’m faced with an amazing amount of choices. I can have a skipper work with me on my boat for $50 hr. or I can take private lessons on someone else’s boat for $33 an hour, or I can take a really in-depth class for two to three days for $350. That seems like a lot of money,... Bob never took lessons, he learned to sail by working on a boat, so he’s not offering much input in helping me decide what to do. But he is also from the old school of, "The best way to learn to ski is to stand at the top of the mountain, point your tips downhill and push off." To which my reaction would be, "Aaaaaaaahhhhh!" WHUMP! Tree. ...silence...

You know, I just don’t think this is an area to scrimp. If we’re really going to go out on the ocean, for months or years at a time, I think I should spring for the best I can find. Actually, I’m thinking of one of the full classes for $350, AND having someone come work with me, (us), on Evolution. I know Evolution is not the boat we will be on for years at a time when we are out crossing oceans. We’ll get a larger one for that. But we are planning on taking her up to Seattle and the San Juans, and depending on how she handles, we may even take her up the Inside Passage, which will take a few months. So I think having someone come on board and work with me on our boat is a good idea too. Hmmm, any suggestions? Do any of you local sailors have preferences or experience with any of these local sailing schools?

Evolution on the Move

2007-06-21T06:39:00.000-07:00

The slip at Tomahawk Bay where Evolution had been moored for the past 20+ years, was a long way from where Bob and I live, 32.4 miles give or take a foot, so we decided to move her a bit closer to home.

For our purposes, we were looking for something a bit further west. I was amazed at the number of marinas in this area. Do you realize that there are over 80 marinas on the Columbia and Willamette? And about 50 of them within a 15 mile area? There are not only a large number of marinas, but the amenities, services and prices vary greatly too. We found slips in our size range from $90 to $195. (If you'd like to know more about area marinas, you can email me, and I will share my reasearch with you.)

One marina, which shall remain nameless, after quoting us a price of $100 a month, suddenly realized he’d quoted us an incorrect price - after learning that our boat was old and still needing work. Yes, the stuffy ol’ gent ‘remembered’ the correct price was $195 a month! Well! (Humpphh!) We didn’t want to moor there anyway! Crusty ol’ fart!!! (Dang, there goes that small town hick sneaking out again!)

We did find a nice little marina, with power, water, fuel, and even a little store. Rocky Point Marina, on the Willamette channel, had it all at a great price, and it’s run by very pleasant people!

So last weekend Evolution packed her bags and said goodbye to the only home she’d ever known. She sailed quickly and easily down the river, as if she knew she was bound for exciting new adventures at last.

Lucy Re-incarnated?

2007-06-18T06:50:00.000-07:00

Oh boy! Time to go out on the Columbia River again!

After the misadventures of Evolutions first outing, Bob and I were very careful not to act so impulsively for Evolutions second little voyage. This time, Bob made sure that we’d attached the tiller handle, removed sail covers, closed hatches, and every thing else you’re supposed to do before casting off. (sheepish grin…) But despite our best efforts, we still had problems.

We were quickly reminded that Evolution had sat idyll for many years when we put the little 10 horse Honda in reverse, and carefully backed her out of the slip. The control linkage decided to jam, and we were stuck in reverse! (Geez, why does my life always seem like an episode of the I Love Lucy show!) Well, there we were cruising along in reverse, in an area PACKED with boats, unable to get the dumb thing even into neutral. Bob quickly killed the engine, and grabbed an oar to stop our backward motion. We ended up in another slip, just two away from our own. (sigh…) But good ol’ Bob broke out the tools, and after a few minutes and a few colorful swear words, the linkage lines were working properly, and off we went.

Hoisting the sails went well, and again all the sheets and halyards worked smoothly. The only problem we had now was the deck hand, (me). I had to help with the jib sheets, and at one point, as we were trying to move it from starboard to port, the jib filled with wind unexpectedly and I felt like I couldn’t control it. It was controlling me and I began to panic. Bob calmly handed me the tiller and took the sheet from me. He let the sheet slack, which took the wind out of the jib, and then he maneuvered it somehow and set it to the port side. I have so much to learn…

Ok, and I freaked out again when we heeled WAY over to starboard too. I was sitting on the port side and it still felt like we were going to lay it down! Bob claims we were only at about a 15 or 20 degree angle. It felt closer to 45 or 50 to me! After peeling me off his chest, Bob tried to tell me that heeling was part of the fun.

“Oh, I was having fun? Well, good thing you told me, because I mistook that feeling of dread for a near death experience!”

The truth is I’m fascinated by sailing. I LOVE being on the boat. I’ve been reading everything I can get my hands on about sailing for about a year, waiting anxiously to finally get a boat. Yet when I’m out there doing it, it can be pretty frightening at times. Trust me, I have no intention of ‘turning chicken’. I think it was Mark Twain that said, “Courage is not the lack of fear, it’s acting in spite of it.” I know I need to stick with it and turn the fear into respect. So, upon further reflection, I’ve decided that perhaps it would be best if I took sailing lessons this summer. I know Bob is a good sailor, and God knows the man is patient, but I think I’d feel better learning from someone else, someone who does it for a living. You know how it is, you never believed what your mother told you, but as soon as you heard it from someone else, it suddenly became gospel. Well, I think it might be the same with having your spouse tell you that heeling over at terrifying angles is fun. Maybe if an instructor, after peeling me off himself, is still saying it’s fun, I’ll believe him.

Anyone know a good, (and patient), instructor?

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Evolution of A First Mate

2007-06-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

Sailing was never a goal, or even a desire, for me. Frankly, I’d just never thought about it. Heck, I’d never even been near a sailboat before. Then I met Bob, who on our first date told me he planned to retire in a few years and circumnavigate the Pacific on a sailboat. He asked if I wanted to go along. I had recently left a stagnant marriage in which excitement was limited to navigating the "isles of the grocery store", I said, "Uh,… Sure!" So Bob took on a completely unskilled, basically clueless first mate.

At the time, Bob was without a boat because we’d been living inland, but his goal for the previous three years was to get back to his home in the Portland, Oregon area, along the Columbia River, and get another boat. So the move was made and the following weekend we decided to take a break from unpacking to go walk along some docks.

We were strolling along just enjoying the day when we saw a little 25ft sailboat in a slip. It looked sad, was growing suspicious green things, and hadn't been sailed in several years. It looked abandoned and badly in need of love. There was a sign taped on its bow saying "Must Sell, Make Offer." Thinking that this might be a good size boat for me to learn on, we went back the following Saturday to take a closer look at it.

The owner’s friend and caretaker, Ann, met us at the boat. She told us that the owner, an old bachelor I’ll call Charlie, was now in a nursing home. Charlie had purchased it new in 1984 and lived on it for eight years, right there in the slip. He only took it out onto the Columbia a couple of times. Unfortunately, his health deteriorated, and he could no longer live on board so it sat idle for 12 years. It was filthy. I think I know why he had never been married. Eeeewww!

Ann told us that Charlie’s niece had put a fair amount of money into it in 2003 so that she could sell it out from under him, but it didn't work for her. Ann showed us all the invoices and receipts for the work that had been done; new sails, rigging, and wiring, work on the outboard motor and more, about $8,000 worth. But it sat for another four years after that, so it looked pretty bad. Ann said she'd had her son try to start the motor, but despite his efforts, it was dead. They were asking $8,000, but she said she'd take $5,000 because both she and Charlie really wanted it sold. It was deteriorating and they both knew it. Thinking that it was in really bad shape, Bob offered $3,000, feeling certain that they would probably decline. Well, they took it. It's funny, as soon as Ann accepted the offer, Bob and I both looked at each other like, "Oh crap, she took that fast. We just made a BIG mistake." Oh well, like it or not, that Saturday afternoon, we'd bought ourselves a Hunter 25.5 sailboat.

That evening, we talked about a name for the boat, which had never been named. I told Bob that I could really associate with that little boat, because she and I had both sat idle for many years, deteriorating, wanting to do more and be more than our present situation was offering. Then Bob came along and gave us both a new lease on life. There were changes ahead for both her and I. Changes usually don’t come fast; in fact they’re often very gradual. Bob suggested a name befitting of the situation that also identified our shared belief on a major subject. We named her Evolution.

We spent all day Sunday on Evolution cleaning her. Bob attacked the outside, (hull, decks and cockpit), with a power washer; while I attacked the inside with rubber gloves, Lysol, bleach, a razor scraper and a pretty fair amount of nausea. YUK! We braced ourselves for several weeks of cleaning and repair. We were pooped by the end of the day.

The next day, Monday, we were back at the boat bright and early. I went back to cleaning the inside, while Bob started playing with the little ten horse Honda motor. He hooked up the gas tank, and determined that the gas wasn’t getting to the motor. The cleaning inside seemed to go faster than expected, so we stopped for lunch and to go to a nearby boat store to buy new gas line fittings. When we returned, Bob put the new fittings on, and $4.94 later the motor started on the first pull! Life giving blood, (ok, gasoline,) began flowing in, and the little motor came to life. She purred like a kitten!

We were so excited that the motor started so easily and seemed to be running so well that we decided to take her out for a little spin. We untied all the mooring lines, gave her a shove and hopped aboard. And so began the comedy of errors.

In our haste, we forgot about a little thing called the tiller. Yep, no ability to steer. The rudder was there, but we’d neglected to attach the handle. Mistake #1. So we were headed straight backward toward the boats on the next row of slips. As Bob gingerly tried to turn the boat with only the tiny motor, I swung below to retrieve the handle for the tiller. For as small as it was, that little Honda actually pushed the boat pretty well, so we over corrected and our bow swung around toward the other boats. Mistake #2. I promptly ran to the bow and stuck my foot out to keep us from hitting someone else’s pride and joy. Mistake #3. The other boat nearly pushed me overboard, and I raked my shin on their motor. But I did keep us from crashing into it. Using body parts as a fender is not a good idea. So we were now headed stern first into our original slip. Luckily (or unluckily for Bob’s pride) another boater was nearby and watching and probably trying hard not to laugh. He came to our rescue by catching our motor and keeping it from hitting the dock. Mark, the other boater, then held the stern in place so that Bob could attach the tiller handle.

While balancing the handle across the top of the rudder, Bob unscrewed the bolt to attach the handle. Mistake #4. The bolt chose that moment to commit suicide by leaping from Bob’s hands, sinking to the bottom of the drink. Aaaarrrgh….! With the boat being held by Mark and me, Bob removed the middle bolt from the tiller and used it to attach the handle. With steering capability restored, Mark turned us loose. Despite our mistakes, we were able to motor out of the marina without further mishap and our boat still intact, although I cannot say the same for our pride.

Once we were out into the Columbia, our quick little spin turned into a nice little jaunt. There was a little more boat traffic than we would have liked, but it was fun crossing the big wakes of the powerful cabin cruisers and having the water break over the bow. We decided to motor down the river a ways away from the mass of spiffy-dressed boaters near the entrance to the marina. We even got brave enough to kick the motor out of gear and test the sails and rigging, which I am pleased to say all worked well.

However, there was a small problem when a large number of really gross, bubble-butted spiders that had taken up residence in the previously abandoned sails began blowing down and falling all around us! I HATE spiders! Needless to say that didn’t go over real well with me. I didn’t realize how small 25 feet was until I was surrounded by spiders, and there was nowhere to run! Bob was pitching spiders overboard as fast as he could in order to keep the Coast Guard from coming to see what all the blood curdling screams were about. My shrieks were so shrill that Bob claims they opened the drawbridge down river for us. Yea, sure they did.

Once the boat was spider free we had a very nice sail: blue sky, a beautiful view of Mt. Hood, and just the right amount of breeze. It was the perfect day.

But the first time Evolution heeled over, having never been on a sail-boat before, I nearly wet my pants! I’d seen pictures of boats in that position, but it just didn’t look that scary. Well, I was terrified. As I clung to the rail I looked over at Bob for reassurance. He seemed content and perfectly calm, just enjoying the cruise. He was having a great time. I figured it must be normal, so I tried to act casual and just hung on for dear life.

On the cruise back, with the wind square at our back, we even sailed wing and wing for a while. We were moving along at a pretty good clip against a strong current and in a light breeze; it was like flying! As I became more comfortable, I even began helping with the sheets and tiller. I was feeling like quite the little sailor! Yeeehaw!!!! (Oops, that’s the small town inland hick coming out in me!)

We had anticipated that it would be weeks before we would have Evolution out on the water; we were really pleased with how she handled being out for the first time in so many years. The sails went up and down smoothly, there were no leaks, and the motor ran great. As it turns out, we’ve decided that we got a REALLY good deal. The little Hunter 25.5 is out doing what she loves to do, and she and Bob are patiently teaching me the ropes.

OK, consider me hooked!

Ahoy!

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Evolution of a Sailor

2007-06-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

This blog will chronicle my evolution as I leave my life as an inland landlubber, and transform into what I hope is a true and confident sailor. I will also contain additional tidbits of trivia, humor, and my own brand of drama, as they pertain to some of my other interests such as birds, wildlife and family, (which is just another form of wildlife). I hope you enjoy reading, and I love receiving your comments!