This is page "5. JOU"

The JOURNAL page (on the site Menu) consists of 4 sections. In order to select the proper chapter of the JOURNAL section, move the mouse to JOURNAL, then move to the desired page while holding the mouse button down. You can also go to the desired page by clicking on the links to the page names  below.  


            
             The Bon Voyage Party           Seattle  Aug 15, 2007

             The Shakedown Cruise          Puget Sound Aug 19 tp Aug 29

               Our First Blue Water            Port Angeles, WA to San Diego   Sep 4 to Oct 9

              The FUBAR Adventure           Departed San Diego Nov 7  to cruise Baja Calif, arrive La Paz, Mex Nov 19 

              To the Canal                          Departed  La Paz Dec 4 to cross Sea of Cortez

               Through The Canal               April 17, 2008

              Canal to Key West                 May 4 - 10

              Key West to Boston               May 17   en route- will update soon 



        
            
For more details on Scott and Marian's adventures, go to the site Shannon Bulger Hunnex  is maintaining for her parents
 
                    http://marianbulger.blogspot.com


This is the first try at presenting the journal inputs received from Skipper Scott and Mate Marian since leaving Port Angeles, WA on 31 Aug.  The Journal page of this web site will provide narrative and photos of a specific portion of Scott and Marian's adventure.  When a portion of a voyage is complete, SnM will do their best at providing a summary description of the cruise just completed. Their comments will be included in this section of the web site as soon as they are available.  

Dated Sep 4, 2007. . .
Thank you Dennis for your kind note.  You are so right about the impact of lowering
stress realized by having cruising companions.  Knowing people were there just
outside our window at the end of channel 68 was an amazing feeling.  To be able to
discuss weather, destinations, ask questions an so forth also helps keep you
engaged during the wee hours of the morning.  I wanted to share a perspective on
your comment about everyone understanding their responsibilities and roles,
because I think it's so important. 

As we cruised we observed various "styles" or disciplines amongst the skippers.  
Each of us made contributions or advanced the group by applying our specific
talents or skills.  For example, Bill and Linda Edwards aboard Wayward Wind
(Nordhavn 43) took a lead role in using previously defined waypoints as our agreed
track.  Patrick and Susan Coonan aboard Paloma (Nordhavn 43) provided
feedback and detail regarding specifics of tide, current and navigation specifics
for ports we had never entered before.  As a matter of fact Patrick pointed out a
set of range markers that were clearly present in the Charlie's Charts but I had
missed.  Using those range markers to enter the narrow channel at Brookings
proved very valuable.  An example that Patrick's ability to derive detail from the
hand done drawings was far superior to mine! 

We also noted that the skippers had different thoughts about how close they should
be during the day or at night.  I tended to like to be closer than Bill felt was prudent. 
Several times he asked me to yield to the port to increase the margin of safety he
wanted to insure.  I respectfully and immediately complied.  I later realized that both
Bill and Patrick were using AIS to compute any course convergence and I was
simply steering a heading which may or may not have resulted in converging paths. 
Later in the voyage I took Bill's waypoint and created one of my own about a half
mile apart so we were steering parallel courses.  This ended the convergence
scenario.

Another discipline that was different between the three of us was our use of waypoints
versus adapting our path to the variables as we encountered them. Please don't
mis-interpret this, I'm not saying either discipline was better or worse, rather that
different skippers have different levels of comfort or experience with how they navigate. 
Bill really preferred to use previouslyc qualified and entered routes and courses that
he had a great deal of confidence in.  One can certainly understand that when
executing a long voyage (as he was taking the boat non-stop to LA) the use of qualified
routes and waypoints would be critical for maintaining fuel burn and stayingcwith the
cruise plan.  Patrick and I were purposefully trying to avoidcmultiple overnight trips. 
We are making a leisurely trip down the coast,cnot a transit.  So, one difference I
noticed after Patrick and I separated from Bill and Linda was that we changed course
more frequently.  A technique that Patrick brought to the voyage was to change
courses in 5, 10, 15 or 20 degree increments when possible.  The result is often it's
much easier to keep track of your heading, should you have to disable the autopilot to
dodge a crap pot of something.  By  using 5 degree increments we reduced the stress
of managing the legs of the segments.  Again, this only worked because we weren't
staying on a rhumb line between points hundreds of miles distant.  Clearly if your
crossing an ocean you need to steer specific headings. 

My point in all this discussion is that as Skippers sharing in a cruising adventure, you
need to bring a certain amount of flexibility to the endeavor.  If you don't like the
cruising style of a companion you may find it uncomfortable to cruise next to them for
several days.  I was glad Bill could give me the feedback to increase our distance
because it helped me understand what others would consider safe may differ from
mine.  It really came home to roost when he said to me over the radio:  "I spent my
entire life and career managing emergencies.  When given the choice I like to avoid
situations that could complicate or contribute to one".  What he was telling me was
that if he or I needed to make a drastic change or deal with a problem, he didn't
want to have to complicate that scenario with worrying about hitting another boat. 
That point really helped me understand his perspective and I'm a better skipper for it. 

Having discussed all this, I'm really wondering how the FUBAR is going to play out? 
We were three boats sharing an ocean for 3 days.  That's going to be 60 boats for
two weeks.  I can only imagine the fun that's going to result!!!!

Anyway, sorry for the long posting, but I'm here for a week or so and finally going to
catch up on so much I've learned.

Scott and Marian Bulger, Alanui, N40II, Seattle
Currently in Brookings OR

Dated 4 Sep, 2007. . .

We are in Brookings OR, just N of the CA border.  We did a 2 night run from Pt.
Angeles to Coos Bay OR.  We thought the facilities there would be really nice, but we
ended up on a dock with a bunch of locals crab fishing for the Labor Day weekend. 
As I pulled in I shouted “Hey, we have two 40’ boats coming in here, please move your
traps.  Well they didn’t move a muscle.  I swung the boat around and let the wind blow
me down on the dock.  The people waited until the last possible moment to move their
traps.  As the boat came down on them you should have seen them start pulling them
faster and faster.  Anyway, as we settled in we realized the place really smelled, there
were dead fish on the dock (bait) and seaweed everywhere.  By the time we tied up
the lines the cockpit was a mess, crap from our shoes everywhere.  So, we spent the
night there and with a good weather window we decided to make another 10 hour day
run south to Brookings.  It’s a nice little town and we are on the transient dock.  It’s
about a 1mi walk to town.  lad we have the bikes, because it looks like we may be
stuck here for a week or more.  We plan to rent a car and do some sightseeing.  We
may drive to Patrick and Susan’s house and stay with them for a day or two.  We are
getting along really well, we love Jonathan, their 8 yo boy.  He is a darling child,
Marian and I already feel like an Aunt and Uncle to him. 

We developed a fuel leak on the way down here.  On an engine room check I noticed
a small amount of diesel below the supply manifold.   I cleaned it up thinking it must
have been residual from giving the sailboat the 2 gallons of diesel before we left.  At
the next check it was painfully obvious to me that it was more than that.  There was
about an ounce of diesel below the tank.  Again I cleaned it up and began to watch it
very carefully.  At the next check there was about the same amount of fluid, so I
knew I had a problem.  I looked everywhere and finally found it coming from the
fixture at the top of the aluminum tank where the return line comes in .  I cleaned it up
once more and called Patrick and Bill (the fellow travelers)  We were out to sea,
about 14 miles of the coast, on our way to Coos Bay.  We had to make a decision
about deverting to a port or continuing.  I called Mike Maurice to get his advice and he
suggested using bilge wipes to collect the fuel and NOT to attempt to repair it at sea. 
This was based on the amount that was leaking and the fact we were about 12 hours
from landing in Coos Bay.  So wrapping bilge pads around the fitting worked as
planned.  I did try to effect a repair with the magic tape, but couldn’t get it tight enough
because I couldn’t reach behind the fitting.  I believe if I could have gotten behind the
fitting I could have stopped the leak.  Anyway, we are still managing it till I get
someplace I can take it apart, clean and re-install.  I was advised NOT to use the
Teflon paste, but to use tape and to make certain it didn’t go past the end of the fitting,
lest it damage an injector. 

So, here we are, probably for a week  if the winds pick up as forecast. 

Oh, pon arrival Alanui and Paloma were boarded by the USCG.  I passed the safety
inspection with no defects, warnings or problems.  Patrick had expired flairs, which we
can remedy in an hour or so!  Great experience, the USCG men were as polite and
professional as anyone could hope for.  All in all a good experience. 

So, you are in our harts and minds, often Marian says,  What do you think Cindy, and
answers is the voice Cindy would have used.  I try to mimic Tom, but it looses all
meaning when its not you!  We really enjoyed having you along and would welcome you
anytime anyplace for any duration you want!  Take care,

Hugs to both of you, Scott and Marian

 . . . . . end journal 4 Sep '07 . . . . .