1180 nm of Lessons

The Parents Await

David Cohen, Kerry and Donn about to land after 55 hours under passage.

Written by: Donn

• It's 1180 nm from Port Townsend to Port Angeles, Washington as long as you go via, Hunter Bay, Blind Bay, Deer Harbor, Jones Island, Sucia Island, Port Browning, Ganges Harbor, North Cove, Herring Bay, Dodd Narrows, Naniano, across Queen Charlotte Strait, Bedwell Harbor, Melanie Cove, Grace Harbor, Owen Bay, Otter Bay, Johnstone Strait, Pt. Neville, Port McNeil, Namu, Shearwater, the Price Island reefs in some real weather, Aristizabal Island and the Beaver Family, Winter Harbor on Northwest Van Isle, and a long straight shot (55 hours and 256 NM) into the Straits of Juan de Fuca) at midnight and zero fog visibility that did not let up until Port Angeles.
• Bringing on crew, especially experienced crew, is a damn good idea.
• Bringing on extra crew doesn't necessarily make things easier. 
• Bringing on extra crew, who we trusted and appreciate to no end -- that was well worth it. We could not have done the voyage we did without David, our 2nd mate. Our thanks go out to him for his time and energy, getting Brigadoon homish.
• Our Hydrovane is a game changer. It rocked, especially when combined with our $400.00 tiller pilot, which was a better alternative to the original $13K autopilot bid. Autopilots make standing watch so much easier. They steer better than we can, most of the time.
• The Rainman portable water maker is well worth having, even if the only storage spot I have for it causes a serious list to port.
• The remoteness of the various bays and harbors we visited cannot be overstated. Namu was rocky, remote and in a radio hole. We could not hear weather forecasts over VHF. The only thing you could hear were waterfalls and birds.
• Canadians are, by and large, pretty damn nice folks. They seemed happier, less stressed and more willing to engage than Americans. The only unpleasant Canadian we met was over the size of his wake in the very tight marina. Aside from that...
• Our IridiumGo Predict Wind combination made for effective weather decisions. We were 10 out of 10 on our decisions. We never sailed into a known storm and we planned ahead for things like waiting out a gale for a day or so. It all worked.
• Brigadoon is stout and strong. We can trust her.
• Brigadoon does not like sailing DDW in two meter, slightly confused seas. It's very unpleasant if she starts to roll and the sails aren't adjusted right. Once they are adjusted, it's just unpleasant. It can't be made much better. Slightly off the wind is better.
• Brigadoon loves, loves 120 deg and 15-20 kts. We saw speeds in the sevens.
• We are stronger than we thought and can do more than we expected.
• 1180 nautical miles, some offshore, in intl waters at times, 55 hours straight, sailing in 20-25 kts in two meter swell -- all things that taught us much.
• We circumnavigated Vancouver Island, a good part at night, and in 20-25 kts of following, rolling seas. All of us were offshore for the first time. 

It seems like we've accomplished so little compared to so many other sailors we know but, for us, it feels pretty epic right now.

Now we sit for a week or so and figure out the next steps in The Freedom Project.