Want to go for a boat ride?

[Gofirstclass]

The next morning we had 27/31 miles to go to reach John Day Dam, then another 25/28 miles to reach The Dalles Dam. The wind was blowing but not like the day before. We got in and out of both dams on schedule then went to the marina at The Dalles. Getting in there is a bit tricky in a calm wind and can be a PITA in a strong breeze which we had. You have to enter the breakwater, make a hard left turn (going downwind) then make a 180* turn and get parallel to the side tie dock. I had called ahead to arrange for that dock to make it a bit easier. We got in, make the 180* turn and I nailed the backing around to side tie. You gotta love a good docking.

The nearest restaurants to the marina are about a mile away. None of us wanted to walk that distance (it was all uphill). I saw a family who appeared to be living in the marina parking lot in a beat up old motorhome. I talked to the mother and offered her $10 to give us a lift for that mile and she readily agreed.

After a great meal in a sports bar we were looking at having to walk back. Now, for most of you walking a mile is not a big deal. For me, just coming out of chemo treatment, walking a mile is a big deal. As we came out of the restaurant there was a couple in their 30's who came out behind us. I asked them if they would give us a lift to the marina and showed them my retired LEO ID card to show they would be safe. The wife looked at the husband then back at me and said "We'd be honored". Come to find out he was a deputy sheriff so he and I had something in common. When we got to the marina we invited them aboard for a drink and they readily agreed. The thin blue line held strong that night!

Here's a shot of Beachcomber at the dock in The Dalles Marina.

 

[Gofirstclass]

OK, I'm finally getting some time to relax and get some pics uploaded

 

[Gofirstclass]

I guess I've had one (or two) too many gin & tonics. I seem to have duplicated soe of these posts but hey, most of you aren't bright enough to figure that out so forget I just said that.

Just kidding. I'm exhausted after unpacking the Suburban we rented then unpacking all the boxes of stuff off the boat then putting all that stuff away. Oh, and I did 4 loads of laundry, towels, etc.

I'm off to bed. Nighty Nite.

 

[Gofirstclass]

ay had a wonderful dinner ready for us of salmon and fresh asparagus stir fried with mushrooms and onions. Dessert was a shot or two of 12 year old scotch.

Here are some random shots of our time at Tom's.

 

[Gofirstclass]

The following morning (Saturday) we headed out from our last night on the Columbia. It was an easy cruise until we got almost to the end of the river when we encountered what we figured were about 1500-2000 fishing boats, all trying to catch the elusive Chinook Salmon. Most were not in the channel but there were enough in the channel that we often had to go out of the channel to safely proceed.

We were headed to Astoria, OR to fuel up. After a short wait while some fishing boats gassed up we pulled up to the dock and fueled up. Then it was back out onto the river for a short cruise to Ilwaco, the last marina on the river before crossing the infamous Columbia River Bar. The directions we got from the marina employee to get to our slip were rotten at best. Her directions were "come into the marina and head east then find the "The Rebel" and side tie across the dock from it. Well as we headed east inside the marina we had no idea which fairway we were to head down and had ZERO clue what The Rebel looked like or what kind of boat it was or even what style boat it was. I finally had to csll her back to get better directions and even then it was not much better.

We finally found the right dock and I had to walk the boat sideways to the dock so we could side tie. Wow, nailed another one.

We had a nice night there, getting things put away for the rough bar crossing the next day. We planned on pulling out of the marina about 8:00 a.m. so we all hit the sack early. As was the usual case, I was up around 5:30 and started the coffee. I fixed breakfast then cleaned up and put everything away. We got away from the dock right on schedule and followed the long, winding channel that led to the river. It was light but there was a heavy overcast that made it difficult to see very far out across the bar.

Once we got into the Columbia's channel we could really feel the current and the very confused seas. It seemed like they were coming at us from all sides so I stepped up the pace just a bit to lift the bow. That worked and we proceeded out without any issues. Waves were about 4'-6' and close together.

We had a LONG way to go so I didn't want to waste any time. Once we got beyond the effects of the river and the seas flattened out to about 4' swells we were able to step up the pace. I was running about 1100 rpm's and getting about 13-14kts.

We had planned on overnighting on the hook at Neah Bay. That would have been a run of 170 miles but as we rounded the corner of WA state (and the US) at Cape Flattery we decided to continue on to Port Angeles. I took the helm back and stepped it up to about 1700 rpm's with a speed of 24-25kts (about 27-28mph). It was another 62 miles to Port Angeles and I figured we'd be there well after their office closed so I phoned ahead to get a reservation. The guy we talked to was kind enough to let us just tie to the fuel dock. No power there but we didn't need it.

Port Angeles Marina is a tough place to get in to in the day time. It's even worse in the dark because the entrance is tough to find, not well lighted and there ain't no directional signs. After we rounded the long peninsula that shields the bay from the strong winds of the Strait of Juan de Fuca we had to first locate the marina then find the opening then find the way into the opening. Once inside we had to maneuver around a LONG sailboat that was tied on our port side, find the fuel dock and tie to it.

If I said it was the hardest marina to get into at night that I've ever encountered I would not be lying. But the silver lining to this was that we were first in line for fuel in the morning. See, things happen for a reason.

I have no photos from the part of the trip from Ilwaco forward to Seattle so I'll have to wait until I get them from Jim to post them. That having b een said, I'm off to bed.

Nighty Nite
....

 

[Gofirstclass]

Our last leg of the trip started with taking on fuel at 8:00 then hitting the road. We had about 70 nm/80m to go which, after our prior leg of ~230 miles this was a piece of cake. We had a heavy overcast when we started but that burned off by noonish and the rest of the time was spent in the sun. We ran at about 1100 rpm's and were getting a push from the tidal currents so were making about 15kts.

We got to the Ballard Lock and had to wait about 20-30 minutes to lock through. We were using the small lock and a Ranger tug went in ahead of us and tied to the starboard wall of the lock. The lockmaster told us to tie up opposite him. The lock is only 26' wide and the Ranger has an 8.5' beam. That left about 17.5' width for us to squeeze into. We needed to stay clear of the lock wall as we entered and keep enough room between the Ranger and our fenders so it was a bit tight. The skipper of the Ranger was getting VERY nervous and kept watching the diminishing space between our boats as I pulled in alongside him. Beachcomber has a beam of 15'7" so it was a bit of a tight fit. We made it with no scrapes or scratches so another "docking" was nailed.

We followed the Ranger out of the lock and he took off. I think he was relieved, to say the least.

After a short tour of Lake Union we got to Union Marine and called the broker to tell him we were standing by. He said to rig for a port tie and we'd be backing in. When I saw where he wanted to put us I almost crapped my britches. We had to back around another boat that was port tied, then fit between that boat and a metal building with a corner that was heavily dinged and dented by prior boaters who miss judged their approach.

This was like many dockings where, once you started your approach you were committed and just hoped for the best. I took it slow and easy and worked my way in between the stern of the boat and the corner of the building and got it safely in place.

 

[Gofirstclass]

On our last day of this journey I would have to say that I was in kind of a downer mood. I knew this would be the last time I'd ever see Beachcomber and I was bummed. We've all heard the old saying about the happiest days of a boater's life but I gotta tell you, this was not a happy day. At 9:15 I picked up the Suburban we rented from Enterprise and backed it down the dock to load everything. Jim did an excellent job of packing it and we were able to get everything to fit. We filled the back end and the area around the folded down double seat from top to bottom and front to back.

After we pulled away we stopped to get a sandwich at a little shop in downtown Seattle. The sandwich was great but the drive through downtown was depressing. The friggin' rioters had damaged every building and the stores had covered all their windows in plywood. Between the covered windows and the grafitti I was getting pissed. Friggin rioters. Makes me wonder why the city leaders have allowed this mayhem to continue unabated for almost 3 months. I figure the political party in charge of the cities where the rioting is happening are gathering votes.

I hope if their candidate wins the election we don't end up with 4 more years of riots and mayhem. Shoot the Bustards!

It was a long 3.5 hour drive in fairly heavy traffic down to Longview to kick Tom to the curb, then another 4.5 to Jim's house, then another 20 minutes to my house. It sure felt good to be home. I'm not sure who was happier to see me, my wife or the dog.

In the morning Sailor, our Lab, woke me up at 6:00 for his walk, then it was back home to unload all the boxes of stuff we'd unloaded off the boat. The Suburban had to be returned by 9:15 so there was a deadline I had to meet. I got it back there and my wife picked me up and we headed back home so I could unload the boxes and put stuff away and cut the lawn.

So that's the end of the trip. I figure I'll do a wrap-up but that will have to wait until later today.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Wrap up of our trip.


What a great trip this was. We covered a total of 556nm/640m in 7 days. That averages out to 80nm/day, but that figure is deceiving because on one day we traveled 202nm/232m. That was, by far, our longest day.


The weather window we lucked out in getting into was darn near perfect. Our first day out we encountered 4’-5’ waves with a strong wind on the bow. That was offset by the glassy smooth stretch of river between The Dalles and Bonneville lock. Hood River is known as the wind surfing capital of the world but there was zero wind the day we cruised that stretch. Other than those two extreme days, and the normal confused seas as we crossed the Columbia River Bar conditions were pretty darn good.


The selection of crew members for this trip was fairly easy. Tom was picked because he has a lot of experience crossing the bar and cruising up and down the coast. Jim was picked because he has cruised with me on trips to Portland (232 miles) and back. Both guys were invaluable to the trip. Between the two of them they drove about 80% of the way. I did all the docking and took my turn at the helm but they added a whole additional dimension to the trip.


Tom and I butted heads a few times and it all came down to our different ways of navigating. Tom likes to set a course and stick to it. Me, I prefer to navigate by Ded Reckoning. I point the boat where I need to go and just keep an eye on the plotter as we go. Tom, OTOH, would tell me “Mike, you’re getting off course, come 3 degrees to port.” My response was usually something like “Tom, I’m on my own course and I’m not going to change my course.”


My wife nailed it when she said that Tom and I are both “Type A” men and that’s where the friction came in. Fortunately both of us are adult enough to recognize that and put the differences aside so we could work together and remain friends.


Jim was a perfect fit and acted as the moderator. When Jim loaded up his gear on the boat I wasn’t sure the boat wouldn’t sink. He had dive gear in case we got a crab pot line caught in the props (we only saw one set of buoys!), a Garmin GPS/Plotter, additional VHF portable radio and an assortment of other gear.


On the trip covered 640 miles. We had pumped 330 gallons of fuel into the boat before we left. Our fuel stops were as follows:

St Helens, $605 (their receipt doesn’t list gallons burned)

Astoria, $203, 78 gallons

Port Angeles $439, 180 gallons

That gave us a total cost of $1907 or about $2.97 per mile which would roughly equate to about 1mpg if you don’t count the last 60 some miles from Port Angeles. Figuring that in would roughly come out to about .75mpg. Not too bad for a boat that size and considering the stiff headwinds we encountered at times but that was offset by the push we got going down the Columbia. The

only other costs were for moorage ($25 at Arlington) and a couple of meals for the three of us which totaled about $110.


Was it worth it? Absofreakinlutely! While I was/am sad about getting rid of Beachcomber we’re looking forward to our next adventures in a motorhome. My wife asked me a few months ago if I could really sell Beachcomber. My reply was “Yes, I love the boat but I’m not In Love with her.” Knowing that we’re headed off to land cruises instead of water cruises made the decision a lot easier.


My crew made this trip a lot more pleasurable than I would ever have guessed. We took it easy, laughed a lot and turned it into a week long pleasure cruise not a “forced march” thing. So thanks to Jim and Tom the boat is safely in Seattle waiting to give lots of fun times to her new owners.


Bon Voyage to whoever you may be.

 

[Chris-380]

Thats awesome, thanks for sharing this trip

Wrap up of our trip.


What a great trip this was. We covered a total of 556nm/640m in 7 days. That averages out to 80nm/day, but that figure is deceiving because on one day we traveled 202nm/232m. That was, by far, our longest day.


The weather window we lucked out in getting into was darn near perfect. Our first day out we encountered 4’-5’ waves with a strong wind on the bow. That was offset by the glassy smooth stretch of river between The Dalles and Bonneville lock. Hood River is known as the wind surfing capital of the world but there was zero wind the day we cruised that stretch. Other than those two extreme days, and the normal confused seas as we crossed the Columbia River Bar conditions were pretty darn good.


The selection of crew members for this trip was fairly easy. Tom was picked because he has a lot of experience crossing the bar and cruising up and down the coast. Jim was picked because he has cruised with me on trips to Portland (232 miles) and back. Both guys were invaluable to the trip. Between the two of them they drove about 80% of the way. I did all the docking and took my turn at the helm but they added a whole additional dimension to the trip.


Tom and I butted heads a few times and it all came down to our different ways of navigating. Tom likes to set a course and stick to it. Me, I prefer to navigate by Ded Reckoning. I point the boat where I need to go and just keep an eye on the plotter as we go. Tom, OTOH, would tell me “Mike, you’re getting off course, come 3 degrees to port.” My response was usually something like “Tom, I’m on my own course and I’m not going to change my course.”


My wife nailed it when she said that Tom and I are both “Type A” men and that’s where the friction came in. Fortunately both of us are adult enough to recognize that and put the differences aside so we could work together and remain friends.


Jim was a perfect fit and acted as the moderator. When Jim loaded up his gear on the boat I wasn’t sure the boat wouldn’t sink. He had dive gear in case we got a crab pot line caught in the props (we only saw one set of buoys!), a Garmin GPS/Plotter, additional VHF portable radio and an assortment of other gear.


On the trip covered 640 miles. We had pumped 330 gallons of fuel into the boat before we left. Our fuel stops were as follows:

St Helens, $605 (their receipt doesn’t list gallons burned)

Astoria, $203, 78 gallons

Port Angeles $439, 180 gallons

That gave us a total cost of $1907 or about $2.97 per mile which would roughly equate to about 1mpg if you don’t count the last 60 some miles from Port Angeles. Figuring that in would roughly come out to about .75mpg. Not too bad for a boat that size and considering the stiff headwinds we encountered at times but that was offset by the push we got going down the Columbia. The

only other costs were for moorage ($25 at Arlington) and a couple of meals for the three of us which totaled about $110.


Was it worth it? Absofreakinlutely! While I was/am sad about getting rid of Beachcomber we’re looking forward to our next adventures in a motorhome. My wife asked me a few months ago if I could really sell Beachcomber. My reply was “Yes, I love the boat but I’m not In Love with her.” Knowing that we’re headed off to land cruises instead of water cruises made the decision a lot easier.


My crew made this trip a lot more pleasurable than I would ever have guessed. We took it easy, laughed a lot and turned it into a week long pleasure cruise not a “forced march” thing. So thanks to Jim and Tom the boat is safely in Seattle waiting to give lots of fun times to her new owners.


Bon Voyage to whoever you may be.

 

[Joint Custody]

All of us have owned and sold boats and for me the day it goes is always a bitter sweet one even more so if you dont have a plan to replace it.

Knowing you through our time on the form here I know it was a tough one to walk away.
However most of us dont get the last great cruise .. most cases the boats are sold and you dont get to enjoy one last time.
Your blessed you not only got one last time you got your health back and got to enjoy the hell out of an amazing last ride. Just imagine if you couldn't have done it and had to watch Beach Comber leave her home port with some other knucklehead at the helm with no regards of getting the boat to the broker with no damage.

You still have that trip coming to Lake Powell one day and we will enjoy one or two on the water.
Make sure you check in on us with the progress of your land yacht!
Jim

 

[knot at work]

The next morning we had 27/31 miles to go to reach John Day Dam, then another 25/28 miles to reach The Dalles Dam. The wind was blowing but not like the day before. We got in and out of both dams on schedule then went to the marina at The Dalles. Getting in there is a bit tricky in a calm wind and can be a PITA in a strong breeze which we had. You have to enter the breakwater, make a hard left turn (going downwind) then make a 180* turn and get parallel to the side tie dock. I had called ahead to arrange for that dock to make it a bit easier. We got in, make the 180* turn and I nailed the backing around to side tie. You gotta love a good docking.

The nearest restaurants to the marina are about a mile away. None of us wanted to walk that distance (it was all uphill). I saw a family who appeared to be living in the marina parking lot in a beat up old motorhome. I talked to the mother and offered her $10 to give us a lift for that mile and she readily agreed.

After a great meal in a sports bar we were looking at having to walk back. Now, for most of you walking a mile is not a big deal. For me, just coming out of chemo treatment, walking a mile is a big deal. As we came out of the restaurant there was a couple in their 30's who came out behind us. I asked them if they would give us a lift to the marina and showed them my retired LEO ID card to show they would be safe. The wife looked at the husband then back at me and said "We'd be honored". Come to find out he was a deputy sheriff so he and I had something in common. When we got to the marina we invited them aboard for a drink and they readily agreed. The thin blue line held strong that night!

Here's a shot of Beachcomber at the dock in The Dalles Marina.

Retired Virginia Beach PD. Glad you were treated right. Not a lot of that going around these days.

 

[Gofirstclass]

Our ship's photographer, Jim, brought over a thumb drive today that had a couple hundred photos on it. I'm going to get them organized and uploaded to the third party site I use then I'll post them on here.

 

[Gofirstclass]

These photos are from the part of the trip between Tom's dock and Ilwaco.

I hate these rough waters....

another little fishing boat. Actuially it's a car carrier arriving from Japan.

Happy Crew, Happy Cruise

Passing under the 4 mile long Astoria bridge.

Beachcomber tucked in for the night and the crew is getting ready for an early morning bar crossing.

 

[Gofirstclass]

These are pics from our bar crossing (nothing spectacular there), our trip up the coast and down the Strait of Juan de Fuca. No "landing" photos from Port Angeles because it was too darn dark. That boat at 10 o'clock to our position is a USACE boat.

pfd's for all

A bit of spray but we encountered worse the first day out.

Watching our progress as we cross the bar and cruise on out a few miles to get away from the influence of the Columbia.

Checking the GPS as we pass Gray's Harbor entrance

Now you see why we designated Jim as the "ship's photographer". Nice shot Jim

The harbor at Port Angeles is undoubtedly the most difficult harbor I've ever entered at night. (Google it to see why) You have to go around a loooong spit that sticks out about a mile or so and curves to the NE. After you're safely around that you have to go almost all the way to the SW corner of that bay to find the marina. Then you have to enter between two poorly lighted markers and the entry has to be from the west.

Then, to make matters just that much more fun there is a HUGE sailboat that we had to duck around the bowsprit of in order to get to the fuel dock.

QUICK, someone hand the captain a cold beer.

 

[Gofirstclass]

These pics are from our last cruising day aboard Beachcomber. I was feeling pretty morose and I'm just glad the rest of the crew put up with my definite lack of enthusiasm.

Here's our starting point at the fuel dock in Port Angeles.

Here's the little tiny sailboat we had to maneuver around the bowsprit of to get to the fuel dock.

Here's the railroad bridge at the entrance from Admiralty Inlet to the Ballard locks.

Safely inside the small lock and tucked up pretty tight to the Ranger Tug next to us. I think we made the tug owner more than a bit nervous.

Tight against the wall and ready to be lifted.

Now take a close look at these next two pics. In the first one, note the boat in front of Beachcomber, then note how close we are on the stbd side to the blue metal building. To get in there we had to back around the boat in front of us. This was just like parallel parking a car except you're on the water. After swinging the stern to the port side to get into the right position I had to back up so the bow would clear the boat in front of us and do that without hitting the building.

QUICK, get the captain a cold beer.

We spent much of the afternoon and evening unloading what seemed like a never-ending line of boxes and plastic bags from the boat to the dock. We also had Jim's dive gear and electronics and Tom's electronics. Jim did a great job the next morning of packing it all into the Suburban.

There has to be one final photo and this is it. A shot of Lake Union taken from I-5 as we head south.

I can't say enough good about the jobs Tom and Jim did as members of the crew. This trip would not have been possible with just one other person, and Tina was not about to go out on the ocean. They stepped up and I appreciate all they did.

The trip was darn near perfect. The weather cooperated, the waters were pretty smooth in most parts and the boat ran without a flaw. Oh, and a good time was had by all.

<SNIFF><SNIFF>

 

[sbw1]

Interesting story!

 

[Groucho]

Awesome....Thanks for the ride along!

 

[The Bill Collector]

Mike, thanks for sharing. Is Steve your broker at LUSR ?

 

[Gofirstclass]

Mike, thanks for sharing. Is Steve your broker at LUSR ?

Yup, he is, though it's no longer known as LUSR. They bought or merged with the SR dealer in Portland so they changed the name of both stores to Union Marine.

 

[The Bill Collector]

Yup, he is, though it's no longer known as LUSR. They bought or merged with the SR dealer in Portland so they changed the name of both stores to Union Marine.

We know Steve & Heidi well and have had lots of fun on various docks with them. UM will always be LUSR to me... They changed the name when SR almost went out of the boating business...