Still in Bellingham
7 January 2009
So, here we are, Jan 8, 2009; 5 days after we got our new crew; 5 days after our reason for being here ended, here we are - still in Bellingham. Not that there's anything wrong with Bellingham. There really isn't. The harbor staff is pleasant and understanding. There's a grassy area for walkies. There's even a great fish and chips restaurant just steps from the top of the dock. The only problem is; we don't want to be here. We want to be somewhere else: Friday Harbor.
Friday Harbor is just better set up for cruisers without a car. The supermarket is just 1 1/2 blocks up from the marina. The movie theater and drug store are 2 blocks up. The West Marine and state liquour store and bowling alley are 3 blocks up. Everything we could need including a coffee shop with wifi (1 block up) within easy walking distance. Compare that with Bellingham where the nearest bus stop is more than a mile away; the nearest supermarket is at least 2 miles and the West Marine is also at least 2 miles from the marina (saving grace is that there are 2 good chandleries - LFS and Redden Marine - here at the harbor).
Tomorrow, Thursday 1/8 is supposed to be a little more settled than the past week: 15 to 25 kt winds and rain as opposed to the 25 - 35 kt winds and gulleywashers we've been having. There's flood warnings/watches and flooding all around here this evening. Each evening, we've walked up to the harbor office and paid another day's transient moorage. We're hoping to leave tomorrow.
We'd had a problem with our electrics on the way here: both the depth sounder and the new autopilot would suddenly drop off. Intermittent electrical problems are horrible to figure out. Christine was reaching into the cupboard to get treats for the Sibs (from now on, the crew plural are the 'Sibs') and noticed a loose wire. Looks like the ground wire for the new autopilot. As usual the fix only took 30-seconds or so. Getting out the tools and parts took the better part of half an hour. Ah, boat life!
9 January 2009 - Same dock, just 20' farther along
The National Weather jokers said we'd have 15 to 25 kt winds and 2-4 ft seas today (didn't show up as forecast yesterday) so we got up early and left for Friday Harbor. The National Weather jokers were joking. Bellingham Bay was the color of chocolate milk and full of floating logs washed down the rivers from the flooding going on right now. It has been raining pretty much constantly since we got back from Juneau: sometimes drizzle, oftentimes a real gullywasher. All the local rivers are over their banks (the Snohomish crests at 15' and is currently at 23'. Similar with the Stillaquamish and Skagit rivers). The weather reports are full of flood warnings. Still, we'd hoped to use today to slip out of here and get to FH. Not gonna happen.
The wind and waves picked up as we headed across B'ham Bay and by the time we were opposite Chuchanut, the now, 4-6ft waves were hitting us broadside. The Sibs were not enjoying their first boating experience. Deja got seasick and was vomiting and shivering. Sonny started out a little shy then, got in the mood and began exploring the cockpit and even, the side deck. All looked good for him until, we noticed that he'd begun fixating on the water going by the boat and soon, started making throat and mouth motions indicating that he was getting ill too. I suspect that Sonny's more laid back personality gives him an advantage here. He just 'takes it as it comes' where Deja gets stressed out by new things. Neither dog liked the engine noise: Deja in fact discovered a new 'short cut' over the back of the settee, along behind the stove and under the paper towel roll to avoid the engine. We're going to try starting the engine for an hour or so each day and hope they get used to it. We'd bought some anti-stress paste that you squeeze onto your finger prior to traveling. It's supposed to calm them down and help with the stress of the trip. We couldn't get them to try it. Might be easier just to give them some kind of tranquillizer and let them sleep through the voyage altogether.
So, for now we're back to the same dock we'd left. The weather jokers are holding out 5-10 kt winds for Sunday. We're still here and still hoping to get somewhere else.
So, here we are, Jan 8, 2009; 5 days after we got our new crew; 5 days after our reason for being here ended, here we are - still in Bellingham. Not that there's anything wrong with Bellingham. There really isn't. The harbor staff is pleasant and understanding. There's a grassy area for walkies. There's even a great fish and chips restaurant just steps from the top of the dock. The only problem is; we don't want to be here. We want to be somewhere else: Friday Harbor.
Friday Harbor is just better set up for cruisers without a car. The supermarket is just 1 1/2 blocks up from the marina. The movie theater and drug store are 2 blocks up. The West Marine and state liquour store and bowling alley are 3 blocks up. Everything we could need including a coffee shop with wifi (1 block up) within easy walking distance. Compare that with Bellingham where the nearest bus stop is more than a mile away; the nearest supermarket is at least 2 miles and the West Marine is also at least 2 miles from the marina (saving grace is that there are 2 good chandleries - LFS and Redden Marine - here at the harbor).
Tomorrow, Thursday 1/8 is supposed to be a little more settled than the past week: 15 to 25 kt winds and rain as opposed to the 25 - 35 kt winds and gulleywashers we've been having. There's flood warnings/watches and flooding all around here this evening. Each evening, we've walked up to the harbor office and paid another day's transient moorage. We're hoping to leave tomorrow.
We'd had a problem with our electrics on the way here: both the depth sounder and the new autopilot would suddenly drop off. Intermittent electrical problems are horrible to figure out. Christine was reaching into the cupboard to get treats for the Sibs (from now on, the crew plural are the 'Sibs') and noticed a loose wire. Looks like the ground wire for the new autopilot. As usual the fix only took 30-seconds or so. Getting out the tools and parts took the better part of half an hour. Ah, boat life!
9 January 2009 - Same dock, just 20' farther along
The National Weather jokers said we'd have 15 to 25 kt winds and 2-4 ft seas today (didn't show up as forecast yesterday) so we got up early and left for Friday Harbor. The National Weather jokers were joking. Bellingham Bay was the color of chocolate milk and full of floating logs washed down the rivers from the flooding going on right now. It has been raining pretty much constantly since we got back from Juneau: sometimes drizzle, oftentimes a real gullywasher. All the local rivers are over their banks (the Snohomish crests at 15' and is currently at 23'. Similar with the Stillaquamish and Skagit rivers). The weather reports are full of flood warnings. Still, we'd hoped to use today to slip out of here and get to FH. Not gonna happen.
The wind and waves picked up as we headed across B'ham Bay and by the time we were opposite Chuchanut, the now, 4-6ft waves were hitting us broadside. The Sibs were not enjoying their first boating experience. Deja got seasick and was vomiting and shivering. Sonny started out a little shy then, got in the mood and began exploring the cockpit and even, the side deck. All looked good for him until, we noticed that he'd begun fixating on the water going by the boat and soon, started making throat and mouth motions indicating that he was getting ill too. I suspect that Sonny's more laid back personality gives him an advantage here. He just 'takes it as it comes' where Deja gets stressed out by new things. Neither dog liked the engine noise: Deja in fact discovered a new 'short cut' over the back of the settee, along behind the stove and under the paper towel roll to avoid the engine. We're going to try starting the engine for an hour or so each day and hope they get used to it. We'd bought some anti-stress paste that you squeeze onto your finger prior to traveling. It's supposed to calm them down and help with the stress of the trip. We couldn't get them to try it. Might be easier just to give them some kind of tranquillizer and let them sleep through the voyage altogether.
So, for now we're back to the same dock we'd left. The weather jokers are holding out 5-10 kt winds for Sunday. We're still here and still hoping to get somewhere else.
posted by SV/MC Raven at
1:26 PM
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