Back on the Sound

Manning the Helm on My First Day Back Sailing on the Puget Sound

It's been a long time, too long in fact.  So many changes to span the last three or four years, but we are back to sailing, at least as a team.  Only this time we have a new sailboat; our previous sailboat was a bit shy on space for full-time living, so we sold Hana, our 30' Vashon Sailboat, and purchased Glamorgan, a 40' Valiant Sailboat.

Glamorgan at Port Ludlow, WA

I ended up stationed away from the Pacific Northwest, and my husband wanted to live on a sailboat closer to his work, so that meant an optimized layout, and larger beam.  Additionally, we'd like to have cruising and potential offshore sailing in our future, which meant the top of my list was stability.  Eventually we settled on a 40' Valiant, circa 1976, named Glamorgan.  The Valiant 40' is an incredible piece of engineering, and anyone seriously interested in sailboat design would find the book "Yacht Design According to Perry: My Boats and What Shaped Them" by Robert H. Perry a fascinating read.

A Preview of the Book (Courtesy of Amazon) is Available Here

During the time I was stationed away from the PNW, my husband worked on getting Glamorgan in semi-running shape.  He purchased Glamorgan from an estate sale where she was on the hard.  She's had two owners before us, and she was in need of some updates and upgrades.  According to our rigging team from Northwest Rigging, "It's like stepping into a time capsule."   As such, for her first year and a half, she remained on the hard in Anacortes, WA getting work done.

During her time in Anacortes we were able to get a new Volvo D2-40, three blade folding max prop, new holding tank, new standing and running rigging, new chainplates on completely replaced bulkheads, rewiring of the mast with new B&G wind instruments, and various other small items.  In February of this year she was finally re-launched and able to motor from Anacortes to our new home slip at Foss Harbor Marina in Tacoma, WA.  Our new marina has the advantage of much slower currents which makes leaving and returning to port much easier than in Bremerton, WA.

With live aboard privileges and a wife stationed 3,000 miles away, that meant lots of time for smaller projects to get accomplished on the boat.  The first was the installation of solar panels to take advantage of the long sunny days in the PNW (just kidding, but the solar panels help meet our electrical needs while underway).

Go Power Solar Panels Installed on Dodger

Another project was the refit of the refrigerator/freezer.  The one installed was original, and the worn engine driven compressor no longer functioned with the new engine and the holding plates put a much deeper power draw on our house batteries than we could safely support on solar panels.

All this work resulted in getting a sailboat in working order back on Puget Sound.  We hope to share many trips and adventures with you in the future.  And if you'd like a post specifically regarding any of the repair work mentioned above, please post in the comments and I will put together a specific post dedicated to a more in-depth coverage of the repair and upgrade efforts.

The next post will be dedicated to getting our dogs used to the new boat and taking them out sailing.  There will be several lessons learned, as well as our recommendations for getting older dogs comfortable with being on a sailboat.  Until then, keep sailing; we hope to see you out there.

Glamorgan on the Puget Sound

Our First Trip

Bringing Hana Home:

Hana moored at Port of Edmonds.

Our purchase was finally completed, and we were able to get up to Oak Harbor to bring our boat home.  After a quick trip into REI for some kick butt solar gear (Goal Zero Guide 10 Bundle at REI), we packed our bags and headed up to meet our new sailboat.

The trip out of Oak Harbor was ill timed, but since that was the only time our broker could meet us it would have to do.  We were fighting a low low tide and had to stay right in the middle of the channel as we were going out.  The upside came from the fact it was Tuesday, and there was no one else out on the water.  As we were transiting, we could hear the jets off in the distance doing their training exercises at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island.  

Once we turned south we caught a bit of breeze and spent a few hours sailing before the winds died down just south of Gedney (Hat) Island.  At this point it was nearly 1800 and we had spent the bulk of the day in the sun, so we decided we wanted to stop instead of traveling all the way to Bremerton that day.  Using our Cruising Guide (A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands by Migael Scherer) we found information for the Port of Edmonds and gave them a call to see if they would have any guest berths available.  After I explained that we would be gone early the next morning, as soon as the fuel dock opened, he said we could berth overnight at the travel lift pier.  

Port of Edmonds travel lift pier.

The travel lift pier was very nice, and just up the ramp was the entrance to Anthony's, so as soon as we pulled in I went up to place an order for fish and chips and their mahi-mahi fish tacos for us to have for supper.  Once that was in place, a quick walk down to the fuel dock and we filled out the after hours form for guests.  This was located in a small plastic box on the far end of the fuel dock, near the diesel pump.

After hours Guest Moorage forms and night drop.

The next morning the fuel dock opened at 0700, so we filled up our tanks with diesel and set about on our merry way.  The morning was breathtaking, enough of a breeze to sail, and sufficient traffic in the form of ferries and the Victoria Clipper to keep things interesting.  

The Victoria Clipper passing in front of Mount Rainier.

Victoria Clipper crossing behind the Kingston-Edmonds ferry.

As we headed towards home we had the choice to continue down through Puget Sound and then around to Sinclair Inlet, or to go through Agate Passage.  Since we had never been through Agate Passage, that was the obvious choice.  As we rounded into Port Madison, the winds really started picking up, to the point that we had to put away our jib.  As we drew closer to the Agate Passage bridge, we put away our sails to have more control (a bit of a newbie nerves, but it worked well for us).  Unfortunately, after we crossed the bridge into the passage and out of Port Madison, the winds died completely, and we made the last few hours to Bremerton under power.  I spent the time taking plenty of photos of the breathtaking homes along the water in Bainbridge Island.

Agate Passage bridge when approach from the north.

All-in-all, for our first trip it was great.  We were able to see many different things, without anything really going wrong to have us sufficiently excited for the next time we can go out.

My husband's handiwork to flemish the lines.  

Welcome to the Family Hana!

A New Boat: Our Vashon 30 Pilothouse Sailboat 

My husband and I are sailboat newbies; okay, so we took a handful of lessons while we were in Long Beach, CA, but this is really our first experience with sailboats. He has experience with power boats, mostly that he has been captaining them since he was young, and my experience is of a much larger nature (a Navy Destroyer during my early SWO years). However, sailing being new to us, we set out to find a boat that would work well for our family and the Puget Sound area.

We set about creating a list to determine what attributes we would want our boat to have. We had a pretty open mind and actually started out looking at both cruisers and sailboats. Our budget was not terribly large, but we didn't want to finance this endeavor, so we set about looking for the boats in our price range. Some were real fixer-uppers and others were pretty nice - essentially our options ran the gamut. We finally decided that since we would like to do weekend trips as well as extended trips up to the San Juan Islands, that anything below 28' would probably feel pretty cramped (Requirement #1. 28' or larger).

Next we started thinking about the cost to make a trip up to the San Juan Islands, and it became pretty clear after crunching some numbers that $1000 in fuel costs for a cabin cruiser with twin gasoline engines, that was a bit beyond our price range, so gasoline engines were off the list (Requirement #2. Diesel engines or Sail powered).

After that we started a deep dive into cabin layouts, and we wanted a floor plan that would allow us to move about comfortably, while still providing room for me to write while underway. Additionally, after looking at a few boats, we decided a pilothouse should be in our future. It would extend our underway season, and allow me to stay warm when the weather in the Pacific Northwest turns into rain and fog (Requirement #3. Pilothouse).

With those three main characteristics in mind, we started looking for boats that fit the bill. This led us to a Gulf '32, which already had a sale pending, so that was out before we ever got started. Next we found a Vashon '30. The boat met all our requirements, in that is is 30', has both sails and a Volvo Diesel engine, and last a pilothouse to help me stay warm. In reality, finding a boat we wanted to buy was just the beginning, after that the real hard part began.

1. Seeing the boat:
We went up to Oak Harbor, WA (a 2.5 hr trip if using the Port Townsend Ferry, or a 3.75 hour drive around) to view the boat. The boat was owned by a 91 year old man in Olympia who would single from Olympia up to British Columbia. We found the boat in good condition, if in need of some general housekeeping. However, the condition of everything visible was such that we decided to proceed with the process of purchasing the boat.

2. Submitting the offer:
 The paperwork required was minimal, just a statement that we intended to purchase the sailboat for our stated offering price. We were also able to stipulate the times we would like to complete the various parts of the purchase. For this we stated that we would like the seller to approve/reject our offer in 48 hours. In addition we asked for 2 weeks to complete our survey and sea trials run, after which we asked for 48 hours to submit in writing if we did not want to proceed with the purchase. Then we stipulated another week to complete the paperwork to close the sale. This length of time was a bit vexing for us, as we wanted to be in a boat by the time we were both scheduled to be on leave, but we thought we could push through quicker where possible.

3. Offer accepted:
It took approximately 6 hours from the time we submitted our offer to get the seller to accept our offer and proceed with the next steps of the process. In addition to submitting the offer, we placed 10% of our offering price into escrow. In fact, this part was the only easy part of the process once we got into things.

4. Scheduling the survey:
Our broker recommended we check out NAMS (National Association of Marine Surveyors) and SAMS (Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors) to find a marine surveyor to perform the survey. In addition to this information, we read various people's blogs and found that going through BoatUS they have a listing of surveyors they recommend, which will allow you to get insurance through BoatUS. Going through that list, we found three people who were in the vicinity of Oak Harbor who were listed on BoatUS. We had narrowed down our availability to attend the survey to June 24th (eating one week into our window, but our broker was going on vacation for the first week) , when I would be starting leave and could make the trek up to Oak Harbor. After knowing my availability, I began contacting the surveyors. The first two were busy on that day and would not be able to get to our survey until after the July 4th weekend. We called the third gentleman on our list, and he was available to complete the survey on the date we needed.

5. Completed the survey (almost):
Our broker stated that the small yard next to the Oak Harbor Marina could haul out our boat for the surveyors to complete the survey, so we arranged to have the boat hauled out at 0800, and began our research into marine surveys. We found a website, which I have included just below, that was very informative and guided us in the right direction for conducting/assisting in a survey.

Port Credit: Marine Surveys 101

Not being familiar with the area, we assumed (big mistake) everything would be ready to go for our survey. The yard was able to get the boat out of water on time, and I met with the surveyor just before to discuss his process and fee ($550 for the day). Everything appeared to be ready; the yard used an antiquated method of getting the boat out-a hydraulic trailer and semi set up that would just get the boat out of the water.

Once the boat was out of the water I found out the yard does not have the EPA permits to allow them to clean the hull. At this information, I felt cheated, our surveyor promptly quit (He told me he has a reputation to uphold), but at least he did not charge me for his travel time to La Conner. I explained the situation with the owner of the yard, who offered me a list of people who would come on short notice and complete a survey without a hull cleaning, but both of them were busy. As it was, I took a lot of photos of the hull, and the amount of growth was so minor I was quite impressed. You see, I am an engineer in the Navy, and while I felt comfortable looking at many aspects of the boat, I am in no way familiar with sailboats, their rigging or fiberglass, (additionally, my husband is also a mechanical engineer) which is why we wanted the opinion of the surveyor. However, our best laid plans went awry, and after speaking to the broker about our options knowing that we only had three more days to complete the survey to meet the terms of our offer, we decided that we would meet back up on Friday and go for the sea trials without conducting a survey. At this point our broker received a phone call where he found out the seller was in the hospital with a broken hip. So I figured, my day could certainly be worse.

6. Sea Trials:
My husband was finally on his vacation period from work, and we were able to head back up to Oak Harbor together. We made plans to sail in the evening that day, and despite their not being much wind, the sea trials went well. We only found a few things that concerned us, one being the switch for the bilge pump was not working and the other being the radar (an ancient relic, maybe from 1977 when the boat was manufactured). Neither of these were particularly upsetting to us, as my husband has the 'knack' to fix just about anything, and well, I am an expert manager. Needless to say, we were pleased after the sea trials (acceptance trials for the Navy folk) and decided to proceed with our purchase at the original price we offered. At this point our broker said he would let us know what could be done, if anything, to fast track the purchase.

7. Completing the purchase: 
This is where it got a bit tricky since the seller was in the hospital. Our broker said that we could meet him at his hospital to complete the sale and sign the paperwork if we brought a cashier's check (since we were not financing our purchase). It worked out that on Monday of that week, our broker could make the four hour trek down to the hospital, and my husband could drive the two hours down to complete the sale. After the paperwork was completed, we had the bill of sale and the title for the boat. After this we went to our local vehicle licensing location to get the boat registered. Unfortunately, the first location did not want to take our bill of sale as proof that our broker would be submitting the taxes on our behalf. We were told in no uncertain terms that the bill of sale needed to be on approved letter head with our broker's tax id number (which was on the bill of sale). After returning home and doing our research, we found the letter head requirement was not listed anywhere for Washington State. So we drove to the next town over to try our hand at getting our boat registered. This time everything went well and we had our 2016 stickers and our boat registered.

At this point the sailboat was legally ours. We arranged for moorage near our house, and ended up getting insurance through USAA (who sublets their boat and motorcycle insurance our to Progressive). At this point we were ready to head up to Oak Harbor and bring the sailboat back home to Bremerton.