FRIDAY, MAY 4, 2007 – Columbia River Bar and At Sea

We were all up bright and early in anticipation of leaving for our passage to Winchester Bay. Roseanne and I had already gotten everything cut-up and put in the crockpot for our dinner tonight and the guys had checked the weather on our internet websites for the forecast. Winds were down to 7 knots and forecast was for no more than 15 knots.  Seas were forecast to be 6-8', with 3 ' wind waves.  All looked good for a pleasant trip. Slack tide was at 1030 at the bar, and we wanted to leave about an hour before that, as it would take us about that amount of time to make our way to the bar.

We had just finished stowing everything, and John had started the engine to get underway, when we heard the crackle of the VHF and the announcement from the Coast Guard that the Columbia River Bar was closed. We were all really surprised to hear that as Buoyweather et al didn’t reflect conditions that warranted the closing of the bar (and Mark especially, as he has a fair amount of experience on this bar). But, hey, we were now in real time, so John called the Coast Guard to talk with them about the conditions, and sure enough the bar was closed, and had been all during the ebb tide. Perhaps they could open the bar once slack occurred and the flood tide began, but they would make no promises. Problem was, if we waited for the CG to open the bar, we could be more than an hour beyond slack by the time we reached the bar, so we decided we’d head out in hopes that they would open up the river bar once we arrived there. If they didn’t open it, we’d have to come back and wait for the next slack. So, at 0920, we loosed our lines and headed out while I called the Harbormaster and told him we were leaving, but might well be right back.

We made our way out towards the Columbia bar and arrived at the inner buoys well in time for slack. We had noticed a sailboat following us out of the marina, and they hailed us as we approached the buoy and started to turn back around. They were also wanting to cross the bar, so the 2 of us just milled about aimlessly, waiting, waiting, waiting for the CG to make a decision. We were soon joined by a fishing vessel, all of us being watched from the CG station, while we also had our binocs trained on the CG boats and the swells coming in across the bar. John finally hailed the CG on VHF and asked about the situation and was told to stand by, that they were sending one of the 47’s out to recheck the conditions and would get back to him. Me being me, of course, I couldn’t help silently wondering if we really wanted to be the test case for this morning’s reopening of the bar.

Sure enough, though, shortly thereafter, we saw the CG boat speed out and disappear into the swells of the bar, and I knew our die was cast (Really…..I LOVED the museum…..but do see it when you’re land-based!). Not too long after, the orange and white boat returned, and at 1115, the VHF came alive with the announcement that the Columbia River Bar was now open to vessels over 20’ in length…..Oh yay – that’s us…..

We, on Mystic Moon, came alive, too, as John revved up our engine and pointed our bow into the head-on swells to make our way out the river and into the Pacific. The CG boat sat in the swells and watched us as we led the charge across the bar, ready to assist if anyone needed it. (I just want to interject here, the Coast Guard is truly amazing in my book -- they are genuinely concerned about safety, and have earned my utmost respect!)

Well, okay, my angst aside, it wasn’t THAT bad, I guess….swells were large, 8-10’ feet with the occasional 12 footer, but there was no breaking water. Mystic did great and just rode up and over them, although I will say they looked impressive coming at us from the bow. It took us about 45 minutes to get across the bar (that’s part of the problem with the Columbia River – the bar is quite long), and by 1200 we were outside and able to point southwards towards the Umpqua River and Winchester Bay.

Once we were out of the shallows of the bar, the swells moderated to 4-6’, and the sun showed itself from behind the clouds. The day was really quite pleasant, although the swells were from the west and right on our beam, keeping the fins working hard. What roll we had was slow and consistent. It was actually quite comfortable to me, but for the first time, John felt queasy and took a nap mid-day.

We went all day and didn’t see a single other boat. We did see the very cool Tillamook Lighthouse, sitting out on the rock and also had to dodge a few crabpots. Most exciting, though was the puffin we passed! It was just one and he was sitting in the water resting. All through the PNW and Alaska I had been on a search for puffins and never saw them – and finally here off the coast of Oregon sits a lone guy. I was so excited that I fumbled my camera and never did get a shot of him. Isn’t it nice to know that some things just don’t change! J

The day passed very uneventfully, and John woke up feeling better. The cassoulet, which had been cooking most of the day, was finally ready (the crockpot fits perfectly in the sink – By the way, the rails in the refer, along with the nonskid worked GREAT! We had no issues at all this time with near-death experiences!) and we had dinner in the pilothouse, watching a beautiful sunset. As evening approached, we decided to change the watch schedule for this leg. Roseanne and I were to be on first watch from 2100 to 2400, then John from 2400 to 0300, and finally Mark from 0300 to 0600. Having 3 watchstanders enabled us to decrease the watches to 3 hours each and all of us would get a good 6 hour stretch of sleep.

Darkness fell rapidly once the sun went down. It was very dark on our watch, as the moon hadn’t risen yet. Fortunately, there were still very few boats; we spotted only a few fishing boats closer in towards shore and didn’t have to alter our course at all. When the moon finally did come up at 2345, it was a huge orange ball hanging just over the entrance to Depoe Bay – it was very beautiful and really lit up the night! Roseanne and I both agreed that it looked like Mystic Moon’s logo, with just a few wispy clouds stretched across its mid section. Way too Cool!!

At 2400, John relieved us, so Roseanne and I went below for some much needed shut-eye.

SATURDAY, MAY 5, 2007 – At Sea, Winchester Bay (Umpqua River) & Back At Sea

The alarm went off at 0550, so I dragged myself out of bed and pulled on my sweats. I had been comfortable enough, but really didn’t sleep very well. I think it is the noise of the stabilizers that is making me so restless, or perhaps the water hitting the boat on the beam as it passes underneath.  I suppose with enough time, though, I’d eventually get used to it and tune it out. Anyway, I went up to relieve Mark and he had had a good watch, with very little activity. The sunrise was quite beautiful this morning and the sky was filled with hues of pink and purple and red. We have been making very good time – really since last evening, getting better than 7 knots SOG at 1300 rpm. Before he went below to sleep, he reduced the engine to 1200 rpm since we were going to arrive at the Umpqua River Bar way too early. I sipped on my coffee, enjoying the view out the pilothouse windows and was soon joined by Roseanne.

By 0900, everyone was back up, as we were approaching the bar and listening to weather on the VHF. Weather is a really big issue on this coast because there are so few places to duck into. On top of that, the places that you could get into in fair weather often close the river bars when the weather turns ugly, so it’s not all that unusual for boats to get stuck out in weather by default. You certainly would be safer on the sea than trying to cross a treacherous river bar in foul weather. At any rate, it appeared that the forecast had changed again, and now they were predicting a system to come in during the next few days, creating strong winds and seas. We still had the major capes to go around, so we had a fair amount of discussion as to what our best course of action might be. We had hoped to spend the night and perhaps another day here in Winchester Bay, as Roseanne’s sister lives here and had planned a party for Mark’s birthday today. On the other hand, if we continued on, we had a good weather window to get all the way down to Bodega Bay ahead of any threatening weather systems. To further complicate matters, we had called the Umpqua River CG station, and the bar was currently closed, although they hoped to reopen it during slack tide. Well, let me just say the discussion was lively, all of us making valid points, but at the same time wanting to get into Winchester Bay for Mark’s bday and to see Roseanne’s sister.

Checking the tide and current tables again, John noted that there was a slack current at 0435 tomorrow morning. In the meantime, we saw the CG utility boat shoot out of the mouth of the river and the CG radioed us that the bar was reopened to boats larger than 35’. As captain of Mystic Moon, the final decision rested with John, and he decided that we’d go into Winchester Bay and then leave on the early morning slack tomorrow and then go non-stop from here to Bodega Bay. That should keep us clear of the weather, if the forecast holds. At the least, it would see us around the capes before weather would arrive.

Decision made, we approached the buoys marking the entrance to the bar. About that time, the CG boat came roaring by and asked if we’d ever crossed the Umpqua bar before. After hearing we had not, he offered to give us an escort in, which we really appreciated. Following him in, he radioed us that once we got tied up to the dock, they wanted to board us for an inspection. We said of course, and made our way into the East Basin (with a mere 1.5’ of water under our keel!), while they stopped and talked with a small fishing skiff.

The CG pulled up to the dock ahead of us just as we were docking and were waiting for us on the docks to board us, in spite of having had a courtesy inspection by the CGAux less than a week ago. I have to say though, they were very polite and courteous, but mostly they were very professional. They spent about an hour going through everything, checking all our safety equipment and gear, as well as the engineroom, heads, etc. and the only violation we had was that we had not put our name and reflective tape on the throwable pfd in the cockpit. He gave us a verbal warning on that, but issued us the CG sticker anyway. All –in-all, it was a very positive experience. The guys were quite personable, and at the end were very complimentary and admitted they really wanted to see our boat. I guess they don’t get that many boats our size in here very often. Upon leaving the boat, we mentioned to them that we were anticipating leaving on the early morning slack tide, and they said to check in with them this evening before going to bed to get bar conditions.

While in Winchester, we had just a lovely time with Chermaine, Roseanne’s sister and her family. They own some 12 acres just inland of the river, and it is beautiful! They have some cattle, several with calves, and they were great fun to watch. And the feast they laid out for us – holy cow :)! It was awesome! We spent an extremely pleasant afternoon, eating and visiting and celebrating Mark’s birthday. We were really glad we were able to come in! Thanks, Chermaine for your wonderful hospitality – you guys are the best!

It must have been close to 2000 or even 2030 by the time we waddled back down the dock to Mystic Moon. Going aboard, the first thing we did was check weather again – all looked good for an early departure – and called the Umpqua CG station to check on bar conditions. The bar was open, so it would stay open until the next slack tide. It looked like we were in business.

Not 15 minutes later, we heard someone knocking loudly on our boat. It was the CG officer from earlier today, along with his Commanding Officer. They had some concerns about us crossing the bar tomorrow morning. Apparently, the Umpqua River Bar is somewhat unique in that slack tide may not be the determining factor in crossing. He (the CO) was concerned about the amount of tidal exchange that was to occur at that particular slack and felt that it could be dangerous for us. He said that the conditions now are good and that if we could be underway shortly, they’d give us an escort out tonight. Wow! We were really grateful for their concerns and immediately took him up on the offer.

Quickly, we added water to one of our empty tanks and prepared Mystic Moon in record time to get underway. By 2145, we were leaving Winchester Bay, being led out the Umpqua River Bar by the Coast Guard in absolutely pitch black conditions. We couldn’t see much of anything except the lights in front of us leading the way. It was really kind of, um, sort of, um…. well, let’s just say that the KSP factor was off the charts, and the pucker factor for the entire group was even higher! Mark and I stepped outside in the Portuguese bridge to better be able to see, and it helped, but not much. The swells on the bar were fairly steep, but with the excellent help of the Coast Guard, we made it out safely and were soon back into the Pacific and on our way to Bodega Bay. I just can’t say enough about these guys! They are truly, truly a super group of men, and we genuinely appreciated everything Station Umpqua did to help us.

SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2007 – At Sea

Needless to say, we were all a little wound up and it took us a bit to unwind and relax into the passage mode. The night was still very dark, but the swells smoothed out a lot once we were into the ocean. I finally was able to relax enough to get some rest, as my and Roseanne’s watch came up at 0100. The seas were pretty smooth as we came on watch, and winds were in the 10 knot range. The moon was up and it was very bright. We saw very few ships, and those that we did see were off our starboard side, further out to sea and just faint lights in the distance. By 0400, we were off the tip of Cape Blanco and the seas and wind had picked up some, but the ride was still very comfortable, and we were able to get a few hours of good rest after John took over the watch.

By the time the sun was well up in the sky, the winds and swells began to pick up in earnest. We were running some 24 miles offshore, and the winds went from 16 knot up to 28 knots during the day. The swells similarly built, up to 8-10’, with the occasional 12 footer thrown in for good measure. Still, it was a gorgeous day – not a cloud in the sky, and with the wind & swell to our backs, Mystic Moon was as happy as a clam, riding the swells easily and happily. We had a couple of albatross circling around overhead, and John just couldn’t take it any more and had to put out a line for tuna. Mark spotted a !turtle! swimming on the surface of the water not far from our boat. We all saw it, and it was indeed a sea turtle, but I have no idea what kind. I didn’t know turtles came this far north! I’ll definitely have to look that one up once I get home to my books. He was large, too!

We also had a good sized pod of Pacific white-sided dolphins come play with us. They were racing in the bow wake and leaping through the big swells, then they’d turn around and do it all over again. Roseanne got really good video of them, but the best part was her excitement at seeing them. They were pretty cool, though, and they do seem to really enjoy this kind of play. I never get tired of seeing them!

By dinner time, the winds were back down to 15 knots, but the large swells stayed with us. We rounded Cape Mendocino at 1955 with swells still in the 8–10” range and winds at 14.2 knots.

Watches this night were different yet again. I really felt like I should do a watch on my own, and although Roseanne was a little reluctant to do one on her own, she gamely went along and took the first watch at 2100 to 2400. Mark stayed up with her for a while, but eventually went below to rest, leaving her on the bridge alone. She did great! There weren’t many boats, but it was pitch black and the swells were still just rolling through. Also, during her watch the winds really picked up yet again. She recorded winds of up to 38 knots close to midnight. The log notes read “swells, dark, very dark, swells, winds!” J She did GREAT! And we were all very proud of her!!

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2007 – At Sea to Bodega Bay

My watch started at 0300, and mercifully, by that time, the moon was up full in the sky and the winds had moderated back to 12 knots. I relieved John, who gave me the report and went below. In spite of still being 20 miles offshore, the swell was really starting to moderate as well, and I cranked up Roseanne’s Ipod and listened to music, watching the glow from the moon shimmering on the water. The solitude, beauty and serenity of the scene really moved me, and after the hectic-ness of the last few days, I felt a great peace and happiness settle upon me. I couldn’t believe we were really here, doing this, and were almost home. It all seemed a little unreal, and yet it wasn’t….

My entire watch was enveloped with a huge sense of calm, with Mystic gently riding up and over the swells, slowly but surely making her way towards land in the moonlight.  She seemed so at home on these seas, that I felt we were all just one with the ocean and night. The lights of Ft. Bragg were visible in the distance until the sun began to rise up behind them.

By 0910, we were only 2.5 nm offshore. We had just passed Pt. Arena and it was a gorgeous morning! The sea was so calm it was like a lake. The sky was clear and blue. You could feel the energy on board as we had successfully put the capes behind us and were almost to our destination. We spotted several schools of sail jellyfish in the calm waters – in fact, they were pretty much everywhere! We also happened upon a sea otter, who surfaced next to our boat and then dove and played off the stern in our wake for a little while. Crab pots also started to appear here and there, but no matter – the day was gorgeous, the seas were beautiful, and spring seemed to have arrived with us! We were in high spirits and arrived at the docks in Bodega Bay at 1515, and were welcomed by a ginormous sea lion swimming amongst the pilings and boats.

After getting settled in, we lowered the dinghy and went to The Tides (famous from the Hitchcock movie “The Birds”) and celebrated our good fortune and successful voyage. It was truly an amazing trip!!

TUESDAY, MAY 8, 2007 – Bodega Bay

This was a bit of a chill day for us. We slept in, and then worked on cleaning up the boat a bit, vacuuming and dusting inside and getting the worst of the salt off on the outside and planned to take the dinghy back into town and look around, maybe even do some beach combing this afternoon. Only problem was, when John went to start the dinghy, it wouldn’t start. We were all concerned that we had the dreaded “Bad Canadian Fuel Syndrome” and he worked with it for quite some time with little success. It would run at full throttle, but once it went into idle, it died. Finally, Mark and Roseanne and I decided to walk into town and John continued to work on the dinghy motor.

The town of Bodega Bay is really quite small – nothing much more than a fishing village, but it has charm and a fair amount of character. We had a good walk, stopped for lunch and strolled several of the shops that were open. John called later in the afternoon to report success with the dinghy motor, and brought the dinghy around to meet us back at The Tides for a drink. Roseanne and I continued to stroll our way back through the shops, and Mark went to meet up with John. The final analysis was that we had gotten water in the gas (long story, but we had found the fuel line sitting in the bottom of the dinghy bilge last night) and once he had gotten some fresh gas into the engine, it had kicked over and run fine. Woo-Hoo! Big relief on that one!

So, we did have our relaxing day, in the end…..the guys ended up taking out the dinghy for a run, while we went back to the boat and Roseanne helped me make up our boat cards. She’s really good at this stuff, and as an aside, she’s teaching a class on digital scrapbooking at the Trawlerfest in Poulsbo this June. If you’re at all interested in this, I’d highly recommend it, as she is amazing and very talented!

We ended our day by watching the fog roll into the bay and making up a big Taco feast aboard Mystic Moon. Tomorrow is the final leg of this journey, and we were all looking forward to going under the Golden Gate.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 9, 2007 – Bodega Bay to San Francisco

We were all up and ready to go this morning, even loosing the lines a few minutes early to get under way. We were given a parting bark from the resident sea lion and off the dock by 0745. The fog was still with us this morning, but it was high in the bay, so visibility was decent. By the way, I don’t think I mentioned the entrance into Bodega Bay – it has got to be one of the best buoyed entrances I’ve ever seen. The buoys are literally every 5 feet – I imagine it would be very runnable in fog, especially with decent radar.

Salmon season had opened at midnight, so we were preceded out of the bay by any number of fishing boats. It was actually very interesting to watch the boats getting ready to go out yesterday – the excitement was quite high amongst the fishermen.

Sure enough, we could see the fishing boats as we exited the bay. Many had gone towards the north, but some were headed south as well. The swells were an easy 6’, with a nice long period, so the going was pleasant. We noted some fishermen were already heading back in, hearing on the VHF that they’d already caught their limit. Once we came around Point Reyes, the swells were reduced to 1-3’, but crab pots were everywhere. It took all of us to look for pots, what with the couple mile visibility in the overcast and fog. There were also lots of fishing boats off Pt. Reyes, so we took care to give them plenty of room. We did have a sea lion pop up near us, and he was leaping in the air and doing flips. He passed our boat and then proceeded to do a couple of flips in our stern wake – guess he was happy the salmon were in, too!

The fog stayed with us until around 1230, when we could start to see the Golden Gate and Marin Headlands in the distance. The tops were shrouded in fog, but the landmarks were clearly visible. Just as we entered the shipping lanes into the San Francisco bar, we were joined by a small pod of dolphins. Sorry, guys, but I can’t help but take that as a good omen, and let’s face it…..it made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!! :) Such a nice welcome home!

The approach would take us about an hour, and we took that time to pour a glass of champagne and get Van Morrison on the speakers. And, as we continued our approach, the fog continued to burn off, so that at 1450, when we came under the Gate with “Into the Mystic” playing, the sun was peaking through, and the Gate had the classic fog halo on it. (Mark was kind enough to take the helm so that John and I could be outside together as we came under the Gate, and Roseanne took pictures for us – we couldn’t have any better friends!!!)

I absolutely cannot begin to tell you my feelings as we came under the Golden Gate. It was a mixture of sadness for an “era” ended; achievement for how far John and I have come and how much we have learned; elation at the thought of finally having our Mystic Moon home after spending the last 5 years in planning, building and cruising; and excitement and anticipation as to what lies ahead for us.

Okay…...Fine………..I was crying my eyes out, but it is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.

Eyes dried and smiling ear to ear, we decided we’d do a mini-tour of the Bay before heading to the marina. We passed Alacatraz and admired a fog-less City, snapping photos of Coit Tower and the TransAmerica Building. We did a fly-by of the St. Francis Yacht Club, turning smartly and briefly giving them a Mystic Mooning with our stern, and came around by the Bay Bridge and made our way to the buoys marking the Emeryville Marina entrance.

At 1630, we were safely tied up in our slip and finishing that bottle of champagne. We were at long last home…..

……at least for the next few months….. J

EPILOGUE – May 23, 2007

Mark and Roseanne stayed with us for the next few days before returning home, and I just want to publicly thank them for all their help and support on our passage south. Their presence was a huge help, and Mark’s experience gave us the confidence to actually enjoy the trip! We learned so much, and will forever be grateful!

To all the other Selene owners, you guys once again take the prize – the well-wishes, calls, concern, and comraderie make such a difference. We really, really appreciate all your positive thoughts and prayers, and most of all, your friendship!

The Coast Guard will from here forward have our undying respect and loyalty. What we saw and experienced with this fine group of men along the West Coast of the Northwest was nothing short of phenomenal. They simply do not get the credit they deserve. It has been one of the very few times I have said my line of “Your tax dollars at work” and meant it in a good way! They can have my tax dollars anytime!! Roseanne made an awesome card with pictures to send to the Umpqua River unit to express our special thanks to them.

Regarding weather and planning, as it turned out, in hindsight, we could have made all our stops and done our trip as originally planned.  However, with West Coast weather as unpredictable as it is, and given the information we had to work with, we are glad we did it the way we did and have no regrets whatsoever.  Afterall, we are safely here and had a great trip.  Having said that, though, each passage will be different, with different weather and conditions, and skippers should be prepared to plan accordingly and be flexible.

And finally, we so love our boat and have earned new respect for her, too.  She very much loved being in the ocean on a blue water passage -- I don't think I've ever seen her happier than she was in the swells and winds.  We are extremely excited about the times to come and the passages ahead of us!