Cruising News



  • 27 Apr 2021 7:01 PM | Anonymous member

    April 8 – Cruiser Tips & Tricks & things that make your cruising experience better.

    The April cruising social focused on tips and tricks and things that make your cruising life more enjoyable and perhaps you can’t live without. We have hosted this event in the past and every time there are new ideas that surface. Below is a summary of the suggestions that were shared by the group this year.

    Plexus plastic cleaner and protectant/polish is a spray that Peggy uses on all their windows and vinyl surfaces on the boat. It was developed by the aviation industry and works on all vinyl window, hatch covers and most all plastic surfaces. Use with microfiber cloth for best results .

    Check out Waggoneers Guide for lots of information about traveling from Seattle to Alaska. This guide has more information than just on anchorages. It has valuable information about transiting, vhf radio, tides and more.

    Chris loves his fender hangers for quick adjustment of his fenders when coming into a new dock.

    Many of us know about Luci lanterns but a new product by Luci lights was suggested by Mara – it is a string of lights that is solar powered .  And they come in colors too. These offer a new dimension to soft lighting. For more on the good things that Luci does https://mpowerd.com/pages/impact


    Bill loves his stainless steel French coffee press which led to a discussion of small coffee grinders for the boat.  He also likes Gear Ties – industrial strength twist ties. Twist it, tie it and reuse it. They are handy for tying just about anything. They come in all sizes and bright colors and are available at your local hardware store and Fisheries.

    .

    Another good low tech suggestion came from Keith (who happens to be cruising in Mexico right now – the beauty of the Zoom calls). He loves his soft shackles which he uses for connecting metal blocks to metal toe rails or any other metal to metal to eliminate the wear and tear on the metal. He uses line made with Dyneema for super strength and minimum fraying. They are easy to make (see YouTube) or you can purchase them.

    One favorite for Paul and Suzette are the motion sensor lights in cabinets or even in the refrigerator. These lights make seeing into those dark holes much easier. They are readily available online. Paul also likes TriFlow lubricant for lubing the sail track – makes for an easy job of raising and lowering your sails.

    Hans recently removed a big trip hazard on his deck by installing stantion mounted fair leads for his roller furling lines.

    Moving on to more sophisticated high tech equipment – David likes his Vesper Marine AIS transmitter and receiver providing additional safety factors on his boat. And most importantly he likes the Anchor watch app that comes with this equipment which promotes sound sleep at anchor. He knows that in the rare event his anchor drags, this app will set off an alarm. He knows it works because the alarm has gone off when he went to raise his anchor in the morning. 

    A must have on Derek’s boat is a LED flashlight with magnet and red light function.

    On a rainy day, Bret can’t live without his plastic squeegee for clearing the water off his dodger windows. It is much more efficient that using a rag which will just smear the water around. Thanks Bret.

    A couple of other items worth mentioning – we discussed filtering drinking water (many boats do this) and it was suggested that you test your manual bilge pump on a fairly regular basis (when was the last time you tested yours?) so if you ever do need it, you know it works.

    Hope to see you at the next cruising Social.

    Submitted by Peggy Watt.


  • 19 Apr 2021 10:45 AM | Anonymous member

    We had a wonderful sail in up to 12 knots of a gentle breeze from Shilshole to Kingston for our club cruise  April 17-18.  Altair, Serendipity, Ete, Vinca, Wind Dancer, and Nancy Marie all sailed up the sound from Meadow Point about 11 AM.  We had a kind of sailing flotilla, crossing tacks, and taking pictures.   Outlaw and Lolo arrived a little later.   We welcomed Fred on Nancy Marie and Joel on Vinca each for their first club cruise!  New members Al and Cyndi with their beautiful Sabre 42 Serendipity came on their second cruise on Puget Sound.  After sailing on the dew of the Chesapeake Bay, Puget Sound is the real deep for Serendipity!  We had the best weather with sunshine and a temperature in the 70’s both days!  In Kingston some of us enjoyed Saturday afternoon crepes, and at diner we all had pizzas-to-go to eat socially distanced in the dockside outdoor gazebo or onboard the boats.  Sunday we woke to a warm and very calm day for the motor home to Shilshole.  Our next club cruise is a bit longer up to Langley May 3d and 4th.   Hope to see you there!

    Best regards,

    Chris McMuldroch


  • 29 Mar 2021 9:45 AM | Anonymous member

    On Saturday, March 20, 2021 four boats from CYC sailed into Blakely Harbor; Altair a Sceptre 41; Tula a J/40; Mara a Buchan 37; and Lolo a J/37.  Despite the weather warning, we had a pleasant sail from Shilshole to Bainbridge Island, even if the wind dropped from a gentle breeze to light air - it was nice to shake out our sails.  Mara rafted up to Tula, but then they are family (Bob & Margaret with Mara); whereas Altair (Paul & Suzette) and Lolo (David & Gyung) each chose to anchor a decent swing radius away from the rafted sailboats.   That afternoon, Suzette and Paul by dingy visited each of the cruising sailboats.  When they arrived at the anchored Lolo, Paul was handed a large contractor’s size garbage bag, and we all agreed let’s go to shore and clean-up whatever trash we may find around the public beach and the Blakely mill pond jetty bridge.  So, six of us met ashore, and collected around 40 pounds of garbage including quite a bit of plastic as the weather changed from sun to drizzle. 

     

    We called it as the clouds suggested this be a good time to get back to our boats.  Mara took some pictures and we said we can do a dingy rendezvous by Tula around sunset as we all oared or paddled back to our sailboats.  Well by the time we got to our boats, I think we independently came to the same conclusion, once out of foulies, down below and warm, going back out did not have quite the same appeal, so no dingy rendezvous.  It did rain most of the night, and this sailor found it quite tranquil.  I did wake up once and validated all our boats were still in the same swing position.  Such a great anchorage and I thought if it had not been for CYC, probably there would not have been any visiting sailboats (or boats) in Blakely Harbor that night.  Sunday morning, we all heard that we had small craft advisories for Puget Sound, and although it was quite peaceful in the harbor, we all needed to get back.  Paul & Suzette put their dingy to one last use for the morning and came by to pay their visit to each anchored boat sharing their plan to pull Altair’s hook and head back.  Gyung and I though that was best for us too; and as I was preparing my windless to pull up the anchor; out of my peripheral vision I realized there was Bob & Margaret on Tula coming around Lolo just to wish us a good sail back.  It was a great sail back, and out of the south we had a steady fresh to strong breeze with 24 knot puffs.  Gyung and I decided to just raise the main so with a double reef in, we sailed from just north adjacent of Blakely rock all the way to Shilshole without ever having to jibe.  Most of the trip our speed over ground was a steady 7 to 7.5 knots, so with a J/37 we were surfing. However, just because we like to sail in a breeze, does not mean we like docking with a blow astern.  Imagine our relief to see Suzette & Paul standing by our slip waving to let us know they were there to catch lines.  I am incredibly grateful for their help especially with that last puff as we made the final boat length into Lolo’s slip.  I am so glad we all got to be out on the water and flying our CYC burgees.  While the weather may have been wet and blustery; we still got some rays of sunshine, and after all we did mark the first day of spring sailing within view of a glorious Seattle skyline. 

    - David

    S/V Lolo


  • 10 Mar 2021 6:51 PM | Anonymous member

    The last weekend in February we had the first cruise of 2021 to the Blake Island Marina. It was a nice weekend with moderate southerly winds for a beat down on Saturday and a nice run back to Shilshole on Sunday with some boats hoisting spinnakers. Six CYC boats with 14 people attended plus a family of three that were thinking of becoming members. They had a great time with us on Saturday and signed up to become members via the CYC website Sunday morning. The wonders of modern technology!! Welcome to Nathan, Vanessa and Evelyn!! We are excited to have you as some of our newest members.

    The marina was full with 17 boats Saturday night. An additional 15 other boats had tried for spots without luck. The marina was a busy place on a nice winter weekend. All of the CYC boats managed to get a spot on the dock with Cruise Leader Morris Lowitz arriving last and having to wait on a mooring outside the marina until they could take the Load/Unload spot at dusk. A spot on the dock opened up first thing Sunday morning so they had a place on the dock instead of having to go back out to a mooring for breakfast. Morris brought his three person J-80 crew to help him sail his Jeanneau 44 Keala for the weekend. Thanks Morris for stepping up to lead this cruise. In fact this was not only Morris’ first time as Cruise Leader, but also his first CYC Cruise period. The other boats on the cruise were Solstice, Altair, Tula, Mara andMaggie May plus our new members on their Beneteau 393 Equilibrium.

    Saturday we had informal socially distanced cocktails on the dock at 5:00 with some people sitting on their boats. Everyone then did their own dinner before meeting up ashore for a fire. The group at the fire was never more than ten as people came and left during the evening by chance. We had a second campfire going in the event the group was larger at any one time and we needed to split up into two groups. The Shelters that we usually use for a potluck dinner and fire are currently closed due to COVID Restrictions. We took hikes around the island or out to the West End in small groups, great exercise and the chance to visit with old friends or make new acquaintances, even if the trails were a bit muddy in places.  A great start to the CYC Cruising Season and a wonderful group.


  • 13 Nov 2020 1:24 PM | Anonymous member

    The CYC November cruise (Nov 7-8) was originally scheduled for a chili cook off in Poulsbo but, due to reservation mix up on our end, we rescheduled for a Bainbridge island Public Dock cruise in Eagle Harbor and renamed it “The Dessert First and Box Wine tasting cruise”.  As the weather predictions developed during the week forecasting gusty winds to 30+ knots overnight on Saturday and Sunday, we decided to cancel the trip across the sound. We opted for an outdoor socially distanced gathering on K Dock at 3pm so that we could take advantage of the daylight. Everyone bundled up and enjoyed a beautiful afternoon on the dock.  We had representation from six boats which meant we had six yummy desserts and six boxwines to taste. A very impressive showing of  all homemade desserts - Chocolate ganache tart, Pumpkin cheesecake, individual apple pies, flourless chocolate cake, Russian Honey Cake, Carrot cake cupcakes.

    A good time was had and our dessert tummies full.  The afternoon ended with a stunning sunset and the wind filled in later as predicted. Thanks to all who attended, clearly we were all ready for a bit of social interaction.




  • 20 Oct 2020 8:58 AM | Anonymous member

    Our CYC Kingston cruise was well attended on Saturday with 10 boats and 22 people.  There was a nice southerly for the jaunt over, and many boats took advantage of the dry weather and 10-15 knot breeze.  Whales were seen by some boats - both on the way over and on the way back.

    We gathered on the dock to swap stories about our favorite places in the San Juans, meet several new members, and to reconnect with friends we haven’t seen in quite a while.  Some of the attendees were lucky enough to bump into a commercial crabber on the dock - and wound up with fresh crab for dinner!  Afterward, we were treated to a mini concert by Andrew Bereson on guitar and his bandmate on fiddle.  They played songs from memory well after the daylight had faded away.


    All in all - a wonderful time!      --Bret Phillips

  • 17 Aug 2020 2:30 PM | Anonymous member

    CYC’s annual Commodore Gibson race/cruise to Port Ludlow took place on August 15, with the follow on Gibson race back to Shilshole the next day.  Twelve CYC boats participated in at least one of the races. 

    It was a pursuit race with the slowest handicap boat starting first, and subsequent boats starting behind by the amount of time they owe the first starter.  Since you get your entire handicap time on the front end, the faster boats are catching up to the early starters through the entire race.  So in theory, every boat would arrive at the finish line at the same time. 

    The fleet was an extremely varied one.  At one end of the racer/cruiser spectrum was Rob Hodge’s 1960 vintage wooden Lightning that he has turned into a pocket cruiser with a micro cabin and a bowsprit for an asymmetric.  And a very different place was occupied by Andrew Bereson and family on their 20 ton full keel cruiser.  And in between were racer/cruisers of assorted characteristics and dimensions.

    Saturday featured a 15+ knot northerly beat to Foulweather Bluff with sunny skies and 80 degree temperatures.  It just doesn’t get better than this!  After a slalom racer start through all the fishing boats at Meadow Point, everyone sailed north against a building flood tide.  Many of the faster boats caught up with the early starters near Point No Point in the middle of more fishing boats.  By the end of the race, Jenny Heins and Tim Huse on Those Guys proved to everyone what a great upwind boat a J35 is in a breeze.  They were a full 12 minutes in front of the next finisher, Jane and Al Johnson on Charlotte.  The remaining finishers were Cindy Gossett and Derek Storm on Outlaw, Suzette Connolly and Paul Baker on Altair, Jim Medley and family on Puffin, Karen and David Barnes on Gratitude, Jennifer Lathrop and Chris McMuldroch on Wind Dancer, Jennifer Olegario and David Sinson on Aquavit, and Rob Hodge and his son John on Lady Jane.  Monica and Robinson Howell started the race but ultimately motored the rest of the way.

    Even though the covid19 virus shut down most of the weekend’s social activities, most participants still managed a dockside or cockpit dinner with at least 6 feet between folks and good conversation.

    Sunday’s return race to Shilshole (the Gibson race) had a slightly different cast of characters.  Puffin continued north to the San Juans, but Second Sun was returning from the San Juans on Saturday, and joined the race south on Sunday.  Sunday turned out to be the hottest day in many years of Seattle weather history with a high of 98 degrees.  And unfortunately, Saturday’s glorious breeze was replaced by alternating flat calm and temporary trickles of breeze.  Several of the smarter skippers looked at the weather and opted to just motor home.  Those that didn’t show such good judgement moved the Sunday start from Foulweather Bluff to Point No Point to attempt a start there.  There was enough breeze for the first few boats to get away, but later boats had progressively less breeze and watched the early starters slowly disappear over the horizon. 

    The early starter that totally got it right was Andy and Kate Bereson’s Second Son, a 20 ton full keel cruiser that you generally wouldn’t pick to win a light air battle.  They worked their way into an easterly that no one else found and simply sailed away from everyone.  Between a favorable flood tide on Sunday, and the fact that the sailing instructions had allowed for a “shorten course” finish line at latitude 47 degrees 48.90 minutes (Apple Cove Point), they were the only boat to reach that latitude before the Sunday time limit, so they were the winners of the Gibson race.

    So this year’s Commodore Gibson goes to show that CYC is a club that can work for all sorts of boats, and everyone can have a great time.  Hope to see lots of folks at next year’s Commodore Gibson in a non-covid19 world. 


  • 10 Jul 2020 2:26 PM | Anonymous member

    As written by Chris McMuldroch, cruise fleet captain -

    We had a nice group of 14 cruisers on our ZOOM meeting.  We mostly went around the room finding out where everyone was at, and what they have been doing boating recently.

    Ralph called in from the Sea of Cortez where their boat is on the hard for hurricane season.  They are in an apartment with internet and air conditioning!  David and his wife just pulled into Sucia in time to join the meeting.  There are lots of boats in the San Juans, but still room to anchor.  Since they can’t go farther North, they sail more, going short distances from one island to another – it actually sounds idyllic! Jack and Denise are in Oro Bay tonight.  It looks beautiful and calm.  Jack asked about the old ferry that is moored there.  They had also visited Dockton where they discovered the Dockton Forest, which has some long trails in the park across the street from the waterfront area. Kevin is getting ready to do an overnight shake down cruise out to Tatoosh Island and back in preparation for sailing down to San Francisco.  Derek and Cindy told us about Illahee State Park that they visited after the CYC cruise to Poulsbo.  There are mooring buoys, but one is near a drying rock, and one or two dry out at very low tides – be aware!  Jerry and Rhonda have “Dorothy” in Kingston.  They are considering a weekend in Langley by boat.  Robin is happy to back on her boat, and getting reacquainted with it.  Bill and Jean are day sailing their Yankee 30 in the San Juans.  Several people described seeing lots of private firework shows around the Sound over the July 4th weekend. 

     

    We reminded everyone of the Commodore Gibson weekend August 15 and 16 to Port Ludlow.  We need to make our individual slip reservations with the marina by July 24th.  There are a limited number of slips open this year. 

     

    Our plan to cruise to a marina in Gig Harbor for Labor Day weekend needs to be modified.  Marinas in Gig Harbor are closed to transients.  We could anchor, or change our destination.  Jack and I will coordinate on a modified plan.  We will update the CYC webpage.

     

    If anyone would like another cruise, feel free to propose one, and we can send out a listserve message to the group, and announce it on the CYC cruiser page.

     

    Several people indicated they would like to have another Cruiser Zoom meeting in August, so we will schedule one for August 13th at 6:30, and look forward to seeing everyone then!  If you have a topic or presentation for the evening, let me know.

     

    Best regards,

    Chris


  • 3 Jul 2020 4:22 PM | Anonymous member

    Five CYC boats were anchored in Poulsbo for July 3rd. Outlaw led Wind Dancer sailing across the Sound in a 12 knot breeze, and then into Keyport on Friday afternoon.  Kismet and Altair were already anchored.  Soliton came in later. 

    Friday was a bit cloudy, but Saturday and Sunday got sunnier and warmer!  The official July 3rd fireworks display was not held, but the fireworks at homes and parks around Liberty Bay were amazing.  It was hard to tell which was the main attraction, and which was a sideshow.  The fireworks were everywhere, especially on the Eastern shore.  Then on the Fourth there were even more fireworks, many from the same locations.  At the same time as the fireworks were beginning, the rising full moon was very orange – as a result of the lunar eclipse. As the moon rose higher in the sky it turned its usual white.  

    On Friday evening the traditional local club boat parade consisted of a single patriotically decorated boat serenading the anchored fleet.  On Saturday around dinner time, 4 sailboats entered Liberty Bay and sailed through the anchorage.  The beautiful local schooner Red Jacket was wonderful to watch as she tacked upwind through the anchored boats.  Jib, fore staysail, main staysail, and mainsail were pulling her along at 4 or 5 knots in a light Northerly breeze.  During tacks, only the jib is tacked and sheeted back in, the other three sails are all on booms.  See a description of Red Jacket at: https://classicyacht.org/boats/red-jacket.  She is now painted eggshell blue.   

    Social greetings were shared between CYC boats, and we had conversations between dinghies and cockpits.  Some of us met to walk to the Scandinavian grocery store and to one of the bakery shops. With the modern convenience of cell phones, we texted to find each other, and arrange meet-ups. We should trade phone numbers before all our cruises, it makes communications and meeting so easy. 

    The last boats left Poulsbo for home around noon on Sunday to transit Agate Pass during a -3 foot tide and slack current.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and even with just a 6 knot breeze, we watched Altair have a warm gentle sail home to Shilshole.  Although not spotted in Poulsbo, we can also report seeing “Gratitude” returning to Shilshole Sunday afternoon, proudly flying her CYC burgee, and Commodore’s blue pennant from the Starboard spreader! 

    Our next planned cruise is the Commodore Gibson race / cruise to Port Ludlow August 15 and 16th.  Register now!

    Stay safe, and don’t transmit - wear your mask.

    Chris McMuldroch


  • 21 Jun 2020 8:31 AM | Anonymous member

    Three CYC boats made history on June 17 and 18 by being a part of CYC’s First Annual Blake Island Midweek Cruise.  And what an event it was!  It featured spectacular weather, incredible views of Mt Baker and Mt Rainier, remarkable wildlife, and best of all, socially distant CYC comradery. 

    Participating boats included Wind Dancer (with Jennifer and Chris), Comet (with Monica and Robinson), and Charlotte (with Jane and Al).  We were able to get three adjoining spots at the dock on beautiful Blake Island.  After a socially distant hike around the island (see photo), we came back to our respective vessels and all had delightful dinners (separately, but sitting on the dock sort of together).

    Saturday night featured a brisk northerly that pushed a fair amount of chop into the marina that made enough noise to almost mask the sound of the raccoons partying overhead on our deck.  However, they did not wipe their feet prior to jumping on board so their footprints provided evidence of the night’s revelry. 

    Sunday morning breakfast happened, and everyone sailed off into a 10-knot northerly that provided the perfect amount of wind for a brisk sail home.

    Make sure that you put the “Second Annual Blake Island Midweek Cruise” on your bucket list for 2021.


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