It is overcast today, but not raining. By 0945, slack water is present in the Swinomish Channel, meaning it is time to cast off and head out. The currents in the channel can run up to three knots, and sometimes there is no slack - the current just changes directions.
With a full keel (weighted bottom that counteracts the sails and rigging above, and runs almost the entire length of the boat at the waterline) and one small prop, we do not have much power backing up, nor are we able to counteract a current hitting us from either side. Even with a barely perceptible current, Bobby backs "The Star" out of the slip as Jenny counteracts the current shoving the stern (rear of the boat) by applying the boat hook (metal pole) against something on the opposite side. Some boats, usually powerboats, have a bow thruster which provides this function with a push of a button. Bobby yells a bit after Jenny is already responding to the situation. Works just as well.
When we come into a slip/dock to tie-up, Jenny lays out the stern (rear) and bow (front) lines outside the rigging along the toerail (outside line of the deck) ending at the center of the boat next to the spring line. This way, she can hop off with the spring line and tie up "The Star" at the middle, then pick up the stern line and walk it back to the rear of the boat to tie off, and lastly get the bow line as she walks/runs forward. How quickly this is carried out depends on wind conditions and current. This is after laying out the fenders on whatever side we will tie up to the dock or possibly switching fenders and lines to the other side due to conditions as we approach the marina in whatever weather. Meanwhile, Bobby remains ensconced in the enclosure sitting at the wheel. This could be the major reason men like "boating"!
Today (Friday, 15 July), "The Star" heads north out of the Swinomish Channel, turns east into the Guemes Channel to pass Anacortes, crosses the Rosario Strait, and enters the San Juan Islands through Thatcher Pass. We round the north end of Lopez Island, and run the southern side of Shaw Island to head north up the San Juan Channel. At the north end of San Juan Island, we again head east into the Spieden Channel. Entering into Roche Harbor, our heading continues south into Mosquito Pass and onto Garrison Bay. A easy six-hour run.
Here, the S/V Kocoa (Jenny's parents' boat) is anchored. We slip alongside and tie-up together.
Anchoring is easier than tying up to a dock. After figuring out the water depth at high tide (and that you will have enough water underneath during low tide), adding in the height of the deck off the water, the anchor is dropped with enough chain to allow a scope of 3:1 feet in normal conditions. Windy conditions can increase the scope to 5:1 or even 10:1 in a gale/hurricane. After a fair amount of the chain is let out, back down on the anchor (engine in reverse) and ensure it bites into the bottom, then let out the remainder of the calculated amount of scope. Prudent sailors will use the GPS to confirm the anchor is set and remain aboard for an hour or so to ensure the boat is not drifting (a condition that may also arise upon change of current direction or increase of wind conditions). Upon departure, bring up the scope, keeping the boat fairly lined up on the chain, while idling forward enough to provide slack on the chain.
Tonight is a full moon. Bobby spends the part of the night watching the full moon between the clouds. The clouds' reflection in the water makes it seem as if "Wanderin' Star" is floating in the sky.
