October - ONN Weekend

This past 8 months have been a wonderful ride. Corleto has taught me more than I can possibly write down in this short post. And she still is teaching me little lessons each time I visit her at the dock. For the cash I laid down for her, she has been excellent value.

As some of you may remember, a fellow by the name David Kincaid (Kinc) helped me get her to Canadian waters back in Feb. Well Kinc extended an invitation to me to join a fall flotilla with 3 other boats set for the weekend after Canadian Thanksgiving. This fall sail had become a tradition for those involved. Up until this season, I had only heard stories of this fabled gathering. This year the Commodore had made room for one more boat. Corleto had been invited to the dance.

Being a newbie Skipper to the big weekend, Kinc offered his advice and his services to join the crew aboard Corleto. An offer which I cheerfully and graciously accepted.

Kinc and Murman aboard Corleto during the ONN Weekend

The whole idea of this weekend came about some years ago, to leave the first mates ashore, recruit some crew and head out into the "off" seasonal winds and tear ass around the bays and waterways of southern BC, under sail, boat healing, waves crashing over the bow becoming salty sailors each and everyone.

Well that was the idea. The reality was FOG and light wind. It was still a blast and I met some new faces and got reacquainted with some others. It was just great to get out there and have some fun.

Corleto showed herself well on day 1. Light winds in the fog, the group decided to race to the Bell Buoy and then to Snug Cove. After about 45 minutes- the race was called due to light or no winds- Corleto with her drifter sail had been the closest to the mark. I figured the Commodore called it off to prevent the "new" girl showing up the veterans. No matter, Kinc and I claimed victory and we'll just leave it at that.

Andy and Gord of the Sonoran Sol as the sail by Corleto

As the "camera" ship for this event we had mounted a series of GoPro cameras on various parts of the boat. On day two we mounted one on the Sonoran Sol, the Commodore's boat. We came back with some nice pics. Like any gathering, the ONN (Ongoing Nautical Nightmare) group had a ton of fun swapping sea stories and other tall tales over a celebratory "pop" or two when we all arrived at our berths both on Snug Cove and in Gibsons. The food was good and the company was better.

Kinc making sure his credit is good at Corleto's Casino deck

The casino aboard Corleto featured the blood sport of Backgammon. Just ask Kinc who's blood was all over the table,  the Skipper prefers his dice- "Loaded".

Indeed it was great fun, even if the "winds of November" didn't come early. I look forward as does Corleto to doing it all over again next October. Here's the Video- Enjoy

What's in the Bags?

It has been a pretty good summer for me and Corleto to get acquainted. She has tested, teased and taught me much. She reveals herself in bits and pieces, she likes to be sailed, she likes to be clean and she enjoys to be pampered. What boat doesn't?

She has rewarded me with the ultimate in escapism- that great place we all seek- refuge from our daily lives, a place to recharge and reload my mental batteries. Even if I do not get out on the water and hoist the sails, just sitting at the dock, putzing around, fiddling with wiring or messing around with rigging, there is a satisfaction and a peace that is hard to describe. I am a lucky man.

When I bought her back in February, she came with a full sail inventory. A Main, working Jib, a storm Jib, a Spinnaker and a sail called a Drifter. I believe when Corleto was a younger girl, she raced. One of her previous Skippers likely loved the competition. 

I did not buy her to race, I bought her to learn and to cruise. The majority of my time aboard her we have flown her jib and main. And you know, that was fine getting to know her and how she handles at different points of sail. 

But me being me, I gotta know what's in the rest of the sail bags. I had never flown a spinny. I don't even know how they are supposed to be rigged. I figured I would save that one for next season, perhaps take a Spinnaker Clinic at Coopers in the spring. But what really intrigued the hell out of me was this head sail called a "Drifter". 

I set out on the info web to find out. You know the folks who contribute to the Sailnet forum, they know their stuff. Several told me what I could expect from a "drifter" and come to find out it is a perfect light wind sail. 

Heading out for another beautiful day on the water

Well I could hardly wait to get back to the boat and fly this beauty. But every time we left the dock, the winds were too strong for the drifter. Then one afternoon while Charlene and I were out enjoying our day, the wind seemed to disappear. Both of us had been enjoying the quiet that comes with sails and a silent engine. I decided that this would be the day that the drifter would come out of the bag. 

The Drifter

I was astonished at just how big a sail it was. Once hoisted, Corleto reacted nicely. She liked the drifter. The hull began to glide through the water with barely a breath of wind filling this newly discovered beauty. 

We put it through most points of sail and enjoyed the ride. Before I knew it as the day began to turn to evening, the wind began to pick up. I turned the helm and put Corleto into a run. Wow. We surfed for a bit as we headed back to Horseshoe Bay, the wind picking up all the way. 

It's a beauty when its full, the drifter in about 4 kts of SE wind

Dousing the drifter with a steady wind was a bit of a challenge, but with Charlene on the helm keeping Corleto dead into the wind, I managed to get this beauty down without getting it wet. 

As we motored back to our slip, there were smiles all around. We had done something we had never done before, sailed with some speed with the drifter. 

Smiles all around

Shields Up!

When I was a boy, I used to love camping- what young lad didn't- Be it camping with my family or going to Scout camp, yes even my summer in the Military, I loved the experience of camping. But the one thing about the camping experience, that always was an annoyance of mine was,,,,,,,,, MOSQUITO'S!

These blood sucking MO FO's always found me and seemed to prefer filling up on some premium O Negative rather than dine on anyone nearby. And when settling down for the night, lights off and eyes closed, tucked away in my sleeping bag, there was always that one little SOB who could find their way near my ear and wake me from near sleep with their buzzing little wings.

Boating, call it camping on the water, surely would be different. Well that depends I suppose where you anchor or tie up. We found that even at Horseshoe Bay the little buggers like to come out just about the time you want to sit down and enjoy a meal or drink as you watch day turn into night.

We needed a solution. Our man Richard told us that he closes up for the night and uses a cover to go over his companion way to keep the bugs out from the cabin below. But what about being on deck?

The crew of Corleto thought about this problem. We could I suppose get some mosquito netting at a camping or boat store with it's insane Recreation/ Marine markup or we could use traditional repellents and candles to try to combat the little pests.

As we drove home one Saturday from the dock, Charlene says out of the blue, "Lets stop at IKEA, I think they have a solution to our problem."
I'm thinking, well when last I checked IKEA did not have a Marine section, I don't think they sell a FLURG sail or a POYNG anchor or a dingy that can only be assembled with an Alan key.
But I humour her and turn into the parking lot and in we go. And damn, don't you know my Chief Engineer heads right to the bedroom section and bam, she chucks a hooped thing into the basket, lets get two. Two hooped things into the basket. We head to the checkout and we are on our way.

A day or so later we are headed back to the boat with a new MAGMA BBQ and our magic IKEA hoops. We decide to enjoy our first BBQ on our boat when our day on the water is over. The evening is perfect. But wait, the smell of the grill and the fading daylight bring out those little buzzing insects and it is then I see the brilliance of Charlene's hoops of wonder. As we hang one from the boom over top of the Cockpit.

The magic hoop as it hangs from Corleto's boom

We sit down and enjoy a nice meal with zero bug interference. 

It is when we are away on our Schooner Cove trip that the icing on the cake comes when a number of boaters who see us with Mosquito canopy deployed, complement Charlene with what a clever idea it is. Some ask, "What marine store did you find it?"- Charlene answers "IKEA - 9 bucks." For a couple of boating noobs, we are pretty proud of our Mosquito Shield.

Chief Engineer and Idea Lady Charlene preparing to enjoy her morning Coffee under the protection of the SHIELD 

You can enjoy a bite free book, and a relaxing beverage under the SHIELD

So now whenever we settle down for the evening to enjoy some time on Corleto's decks with a nice meal and a glass of wine or a nice cold one, we put the Shield Up and sit back and enjoy our bug free evening.

Bug free and lovin' it.

A Whale of a Tale

Every weekend on the boat had brought us to a new learning level, be it chores around the dock, sail skills on the water, or how we could better interact as a crew,  we both learned something new each and every time. This growth was pointing us toward our first longer cruise. Up until now 4 hours on the water seemed to be the limit of Charlene's tolerance. No matter how I planned the best case for this trip would take about 6.5 hours to transit from our dock at Horseshoe Bay to Schooner Cove on Vancouver Island. This would test us both. For her, endurance. For me, patience and being able to confidently pilot Corleto into a strange and new harbour.

We were making the trip to visit one of Charlene's friends, who had recently moved to the Island. I chose Schooner Cove as it was close to our final destination. The entrance into the harbour looked fairly straight forward and for my first "cruise" it appeared to be a good destination.

All we needed now was a good weather window to align with my vacation time and we would be off. For a week prior, I watched the weather and predicted winds. I was hoping for a steady breeze that would not be hitting me dead on the nose as we made our crossing.

We set our sails on the morning of Monday July 22. The reports called for diminishing winds later in the day. I was ok with that as there were no wind warnings in effect for our part of the Straight. I set up a couple of GoPro cameras to record our adventure.

On our way for our first crossing of the Straight

The wind filled our sails as we set our course toward a point on the charts just off Cape Roger Curtis. I wanted to use this passage to work on my Charting skills and kept busy making notes and recording fixes and GPS coordinates and comparing and plotting them on my chart.
Charlene kept watch, read her book and enjoyed all that surrounded her.

"Wouldn't it be nice to see a whale? " I said to her
"That would be fantastic." She answered.

We had seen dolphin on a previous sail within the confines of Howe Sound. But had never encountered a whale.

We were making decent speed as we headed int the Straight, Cape Roger Curtis now abeam of us. Charlene spots a curious seal checking us out just off our starboard bow. I make note of the GPS and time of the sighting. The temperature is rising as the sun gets higher in the sky. This is going to be a warm one.

Round about 11:00 the winds die right off, so much so that the sails struggle to capture it. I decide to take the headsail down, but keep the main up. It's helping us along but barely. If anything the main acts as a shade. Its shadow a welcomed post for Charlene as she keeps a sharp eye, on the lookout for wayward logs or if we're lucky a spout from a surfacing whale.

Charlene under the shade of the main- her favorite spot on the boat.

Corleto's Universal engine is pushing us along at about 4.5 kts. By now the Vancouver side is looking smaller, and Vancouver Island is getting bigger. We are definitely making progress toward our destination.
I glance at my watch, it is time to make another plot on my chart. I go below to extrapolate the numbers in my notebook and plot them on the Chart.

Suddenly, "Murray get up here quick!" screams Charlene her voice pitch nearly giving me a heart attack.
I scramble up to the helm. She's pointing to a dark object with a dorsal fin less than 25 meters directly in front of my bow! Its a WHALE!
"Oh my God, it's wonderful!" Charlene still in an excited voice marvelling at the encounter.

I immediately grab the helm and bear the boat off in a 90 degree turn to port and slow the engine down to almost an idle to avoid the great beast. It's shadow I can clearly see off our starboard beam as it swims around and away from us. I went below to grab my camera, but when I returned it was gone.
Charlene saw it surface twice, I only saw it arch its back and dorsal fin and its shadow.
I quickly made note of the GPS and wrote it down.
We both strained our eyes to see if we could spot it again. It did not show itself to us again, and just like that the encounter was over.

I was kicking myself for not having any of the cameras rolling at that moment. There simply was no time. Not even a shot on the iPhone. I now have to hold my News Photographer manhood cheap, not even a single shot, I suck.

But the encounter was the high light of the crossing. It brought a nice boost to the crew during what could have been the dullest part of the day. It brought smiles and a realization that we are only guests on the oceans and it reinforced the notion that we must take care of these waterways.

On approach

It was not long before we were entering the barrier Islands as we approached the entrance to Schooner Cove. The islands were a nice change as their features made for a nice contrast from dark waters.
Before we knew it we were tied up, without incident and our first crossing was now in the log book.

Here is the video of our crossing. Please enjoy.

Victory

"With each weekend, each chore, my skipper is gaining confidence. I am growing fond of his crew mate, she makes great suggestions and keeps my new skipper in line. I think we could be sisters"- Corleto

With the summer cruising season upon us, I am anxious to get out on an extended cruise. But there is still so much to do. That "List" never seems to get shorter. But the last few weeks it feels like progress has been made with the completion of the "holding tank" problem and the addition of the Magma BBQ. Each of the last several weekends, the trip to the Marina involved work and no play.

The second weekend in July promised to be no different, until my newly promoted Chief Engineer suggested as we got to the dock- "Why don't we just sail today."

Music to my ears!

Corleto and her crew as she heads out into Howe Sound 

We cast off and set sail for waters nearby. This would act as an occasion to exercise the crew. We practiced our tacks and gybes. Otto worked flawlessly as we tested him with both motor and sail. We worked on our communication and did not play ourselves out. Both days were glorious and good for the soul. This is what I had visions of when I bought Corleto back in February.

Things that were so difficult on those early cruises, like sail trimming, keeping a steady helm, hoisting and dousing sails were becoming more relaxed and efficient.

Charlene on the helm in English Bay

Charlene was gaining confidence up on the bow. It was becoming her preferred position on the deck.
On that Sunday, in a stiff wind and bumpy chop, she scurried up to the bow and had that working jib down and secured so fast, you would have thought she had crewed an America's Cup boat. You could not wipe the look of pride off of my face after seeing that.
Coming into the dock, again her skill impresses me. She keeps those eyes sharp and anticipates the boat well. Stepping off the "fat" part of the boat and onto the dock she has that break line cleated in seconds. As couples go, we are not the "show".

After the engine is shut off and my stern line secured, we engage in a congratulatory embrace. The exchange celebrating how far we have come, in today's outing, and on our greater cruising journey. There is still much for us to learn together and we know it will be all in good time. For now we accept our boating victory- a good daysail, time on the water, together. This is our end of voyage ritual, one we borrowed from a more experienced couple we observed weeks ago. It is one we will carry into our voyages of the future, no matter how long or how short.

With Corleto snug in her berth, we treated ourselves to a nice hot meal prepared on our new marine grill. We sat back, enjoyed the view and enjoyed the trappings of boat ownership. With our first trans Straight of Georgia passage on the horizon, it was good to have crew moral at a high.

Victory!

Pumps and Prayers

I am going to forgo photos for this post as I believe the Theatre of the Mind is really all you need.

The weekend that I had been dreading was now upon me. I had asked for prayers, sought any information I could glean from any source. My man Richard (the mast climber) had given me some pointers and suggestions, but now it was up to me to cure Corleto of her bowel trouble. Yes I was about to tackle the nastiest of boat chores, the fixing of the holding tank system.

I had discovered that Corleto had a bit of leakage around a discharge pump every time we used the head. It would not manifest itself for several hours, but the tell tale sign of moisture and that distinctive odour suggested that all was not right with Coleleto's digestive system. Surgery would be required. But would it be a simple fix? Or a complete reconstruction of the system, only way to tell was to get in there and get'er done.
My first task was to steam off all of the build up around the pump. I used a hand steamer to do this. That is when I discovered cracks on the santi pipe around the pump. If I was lucky all it would be is a simple replacement of the cracked pipes and we would be done. I began with removal of the pipe from the thru hull to the pump, working backwards toward the holding tank itself.
That first section of hose came off with a bit of coaxing and only made a minor mess in the little compartment.
I could now inspect inside of the pump. This was not good as it was totally blocked by the crystals that had formed over the years. The pump would have to be removed and replaced. It too came off with a bit of coaxing and a couple of F-bombs. Now I had a bit of spillage of a darker, nastier nature. More F-Bombs. I had to cut a section of pipe to remove the cracks. I cut it just a bit short.  More spillage, even more F-Bombs. I quickly plugged the open pipe with a bung.

It was indeed fortunate that the spillage was contained within the small compartment and did not escape into the rest of the boat. I made a quick clean up and disinfected the area right away. Once everything was dry and clean I could perform the next test.
I needed to make sure that this pipe/pump was in fact, the problem. So I pumped some seawater into the system via the marine head. Provided nothing came out of the holding tank at the bottom and all other junctions and pipe joints did not weep, we could simply replace what had been removed. Simple. It only dripped by the bung. EURIKA! We have found the problem.

I decided that for this season, I would not replace the thru hull which was locked shut and was pretty much useless in this system. It would wait until next years haul out. I figured the pump would be replaced at that point as well so I decided that all I would have to do is join the old pipe with a section of new pipe which would connect to the closed thru hull and DING DING DING, I would have a closed system.

I discussed my solution with my crew. She suggested running it by more experienced owners nearby. It seemed like a good plan and a good fix.
Off to the Marine Supply store to pick up a section of santi pipe. I was kinda proud of myself. This difficult dreaded job seemed to be over.

Returning to the dock with a spring in my step and new santi hose in hand, I figured another 15 minutes and it would be done. Now all I had to do was attach the new pipe to both the old one and bridge the gap to the thru haul. Easy, peezy.

When I removed the bung,,,,, Remember, I had asked for prayers,,,,,,,, those prayers were not enough.

A fountain of the foulest, nastiest stuff you could possibly imagine came flying out of the old pipe. I dropped the bung and grabbed another to stem the torrent. I was now looking at an environmental disaster. Surely the Feds would need to send an emergency response team to save the wee turtles.

You see I did not expect, that is, I mistakenly thought, the holding tank was empty. I figured that the earlier spillage was just residual matter. I had been sold a boat full of someone else's ,,,,,,,, stuff.

I gave up for the day.  An early morning voyage to Snug Cove to a pump out station was now a priority.
The staff there were very helpful. Pump out was the first thing I should have done but overlooked before the project had even begun. It was fast and easy, And the killer, the pump out was only 10 bucks.

Meanwhile back at our dock I still had a hose to attach. Even that little task would fight me. Remember that short pipe? Well a big mans hands cannot get a decent grip and the heating method (my hand steamer) is not doing the job. I was frustrated to no end and was beginning to think that my boat hated me.

And that is when those prayers were answered- my crew- Charlene suggested that she help and suggested that I use boiling water to soften the pipe. She of course was right. And she has been promptly promoted to Chief Engineer.

What should have been a 3 hour project had turned into a 2 day boat enema.

Yippy Ky Yay- It's done!

Now Lets go Cruising!

Acquisitions and Installations

June brought little sailing for my crew. There was the first weekend outing that ended in sea sickness and the "Father's Day" voyage that only involved a brief engine run to Bowen. But it was nice to finally meet the Skipper's kids even though it was only for an afternoon.- Corleto

The month of June had been a bit disappointing as far as sailing the boat was concerned. There was poor weather, lack of crew and of course the always present "list of things to do". But I did manage to get out briefly on Father's Day with the kids. Their first time aboard- I really enjoyed that.

Happy Father's Day - my daughter Sarah and son Ben

Of course the replacement of Old Otto was a big one to scratch off the "list". Now when at sea a steady course could be maintained while attending to matters away from the helm. That was a big one. Trying to douse sails  into the wind with someone not confident with the tiller could be an adventure. Otto steers steady and eliminates the angst of going forward.

Then there was the matter of the Windex, not the glass cleaner, but the wind vane that sits atop of the mast. Corleto's had been broken, but at the time of sale her former skipper made sure a new one was included. It just had to be installed. That would require a climb up the mast for the installation. 

Now anyone who knows me, can imagine my 240 plus frame being winched high above the deck to effect the installation. What could possibly go wrong. Lots. 

Lucky for me I had been introduced some weeks ago to a fellow who not only has forgotten more than I will ever know about boating, but he was once a Lineman and had spent his professional life climbing utility poles. He had offered to scale my mast and install this vital piece of equipment. Meet Richard and his first mate Pat -owners and crew of the pleasure sailboat Habu.  These folks always have suggestions to the many conundrums that come with owning a sailboat. They have cruised all over this wonderful coast and are making ready for a 3 month voyage up north. 

He came over one afternoon, taking a break from painting his decks, knocking on Corleto's hull. I was deep into the bowels of the boat, searching for a weeping leak of all things,,, the holding tank system- not pleasant. I was more than happy to postpone my task with the nasty plumbing to take Richard up on his offer. 

Before long Richard attached the halyard to his bosans chair, Pat and I began winching him skyward. Once aloft he quickly installed the Windex and checked on all things at the top of the mast. On his decent, which speaking from my perspective on the winch, was a whole lot easier than the trip up, he inspected standing rigging, lights and spreaders. It was a relief when he landed back on the deck to report that all was good aloft. 

Richard aloft installing Corleto's new Windex

It was great to have that task off the "to do list".

In one of the many conversations we have had with Richard and Pat as well with our slip neighbour  Aaron, it was suggested that a boat tender or dingy might be something to look into. I hadn't really thought too much of it except to add that to the "I wants" list for maybe next season. But the more people spoke of just how handy a tender is when at anchor, I decided to begin to look. It wasn't long before I found one. But was it too big for my 27 Catalina? I went to check it out. It sure looked big. I took my measuring tape and jotted numbers down, returned to the boat and began to fill in those numbers with actual fore deck size. It would be a tight squeeze. I pulled the trigger and now have acquired a dingy tender a full year ahead of plan. Oh boy, the dollars just keep flying out of my pocket.
But the upside is we have one now and are able to explore a bit when at anchor. We just need to get out there.

The dingy- and not the guy waving to the camera

Now the final issue- the holding tank. I found the weep. It was from the old santi pipes, they have developed a couple of cracks. So full replacement of the piping from the tank to the thru hull and to the deck pump out is required. Thats a job for the first Saturday in July.

Pray for me.