Slogging up the US wet coast

[robwilk37]

yep, there needs to be a word beyond "slog". if i ever have to do that again ill opt for hawaii then over the top of the high to BC. and no schedule...

[Dauntlessny]

I'm waiting in SF Bay to go north to Seattle.
Looks like there may be a little weather window on the 26th, which if it comes to pass, would serve you well.
I'm going to wait until the big high moves off.
I've been slammed by too many weather windows that were sucker holes.

[JeffBurright]

Could you reroute your engine hoses to run raw water through your freshwater pump and straight through the engine, bypassing your heat exchanger entirely? I did this on my diesel once and it got me where I was going. You can flush it out later.

[thataway41]

Done the slog several times--note your are out of Sequim, where we based from 1992-1996 for our 4 Alaskan cruises.

Amazon should get a solenoid valve to you in 2 days. We always carried a rebuilt raw water pump--depending on the type of circulating pump you have in the fresh water system--many are not self priming, and just a metal vane type, and will not pull the raw water up high enough to circulate...depends...

We have used a water puppy on smaller engines to "do" until we get the pump rebuilt on a generator--probably not big enough for the main.

On our last trip down the coast, we helped out 3 vessels which were heading down--and had run out of fuel filters, and batteries trying to restart their engines. All had diesel which had not been "polished". We constructed our own, built in polishing system. Also if you can open the tanks and get inside to do a really good cleaning, that will help in the future.

A friend is a Delivary skipper who specializes in the up and down the coast. He watches the weather like a hawk, and then makes a straight run. Our last trip up the coast was non stop from Long Beach to Sequim. Sometimes it is best to "put it in gear and go".

Safe passage making.

[le chat beaute]

Made that trip to Juan de Fula many times. After getting hammered for hours trying to get behind the Rock at Port Orford, turned South and went back to Brookings. Met an old timer. His advice.....Anything greater than 8 feet and less than 10 seconds was waste of time and effort. Luckily met him on second trip North and have followed that advice a lot since then. It also keeps the crew in fine fettle.

[secrabtree]

Cap'n Crunchy - If you gotta go you gotta go. But if you've the time take it. weather forcasts are pretty good in the short time so when you have a weather forcast for say 3 days that is good go as long as your next stop is a day and a half away. If the prediction is for good weather for 4 days, head for a safe haven 2 days out. And as you go there will be new forecasts and you will revise your plans accordingly. Doing this you may even have a non stop trip the entire way - but do't count on it. I've made the northward passage dozen times. The first time I learned the lesson of going only when the going is predicted to be good for twice the time it is expected to take to the next harbor. A sailboat cruiser that sails a tight schedule is a sailor that'll get the hell beat out of him - and more importantly, out of the boat. He can heal with time. The boat only with money, a great deal of it.

[Montanan]

Continuing wet and windy:

But this weekend appears to be a break and a return to sunny and milder for perhaps a few days. Get the fuel and the cooling system fixed during the week and then check the forecast again late Thursday perhaps there is a window. Test the systems in the harbor before heading out.

A high surf warning is probable with this storm could make crossing a bar a real treat.

Nothing like twenty foot seas to stir up the muck in the diesel tanks. Too bad one can't just turn them inside out every once in a while.

[Don C L]

That’s a window?
Ahh, edit, ok I see it now this weekend

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Don C L

That’s a window?
Ahh, edit, ok I see it now this weekend

It's not everyday that one gets lucky enough to have a high surf warning. So as to Thursday, indeed a window for surfing, wax your boards, and get out in the water since the conditions don't favor being on the water. No reason to just hang out on the boat in harbor when their is a beach calling. The locals could suggest where there will be good breaks.

Weather to, or weather not. That is the always the question.

[Svan]

Originally Posted by CptCrunchie

The no propane is an inconvenience, but one we can easily deal with.

Marinas know where to get propane filled. The propane fillers know where to get a valve replaced on a tank (every 10 years). And those are the people who know a solenoid-regulator and will be able to help you out.
Went through that path, my solenoid was quite corroded after 20 years.

[CptCrunchie]

UPDATE II:

We are back in Crescent city for the third time. Much to tell. I will do a complete blog of this passage, or as Wifey calls it, “the odyssey“, once I get home.

Suffice it to say, the Shurflo pump crapped out after 14 1/2 hours, right during a 40kt blow. Thankfully, with a massive 70 pound anchor on this thing, and the ht chain, the snagged a flat spot a little closer to shore than I would have preferred. But it held for 30 hours, while I took one of the air conditioner marsh pumpsand wired it into service. Thankfully, there is a 110 outlet in the engine space.

This worked until we got to Crescent city. I’m not happy with having 110 V open wound motor in the engine space, so, I picked up a pump puppy from England marine. It works great.

This has worked well so far. However, we still have fuel problems. I know many have suggested getting the tank scrubbed and the fuel polished, but I have opted for a more permanent solution.

Our biggest obstacle seems to be trying to get around the rock about 5 miles northwest of here. We’ve tried it twice, and both times, the engine died about a mile from it, pushing us out to sea. The first time, we discovered that the maximum speed we could get out of the boat was one knot. You can only imagine the fete it was getting back inside the breakwater, with howling winds and washing machine seas, at 1kt.

Over the last couple of days, I have designed my own polishing system. Today is a holiday. But once the shops open tomorrow, I am buying what I need to complete this.

We have also discovered that the prop for this boat is way undersized. I mean, way way undersized. The boat originally called for an 18 x 18, and this one looks like an 18 x 12. This diesel engine can easily hit 4000 RPM, which absolutely scary. It should never be able to do that.

I will be contacting a couple of dry docks in Brookings, OR when they reopen tomorrow, where I intend to pull the boat and get the right size propeller on this thing: Five knots at 2800 RPM is ridiculous.

At that time, I will also be doing a bottom paint, somehow fixing the rudder bearing and rudder bottom plate, and installing a different transducer, one that works. Only then will I feel ready to continue our way up the coast to Port Angeles. Thankfully, we are both retired.

I’ll follow up in a few days.

[Montanan]

How about forgetting your fuel tank issue and just purchase a bladder bag for the diesel and use that as your clean, fresh fuel source to complete your slogging north, until you can thoroughly clean out or replace your permanent tank(s).

Undersized propellor on a sailboat.

Sailboats are slow speed craft with considerable windage that beg for and require loads of torque. Big diameter and high pitch.

Never could understand seeing high speed propellers on a sailing machine, but it is done all too often. Go figure.

So are you getting tired of your slog.

Well at least you have the appropriate title for your blog.

The SlogBlog.

Conditions seem to have improved, now just a small craft warning instead of gale and rain.

Good luck and fair seas.

[Montanan]

Install one of these and say good bye to your fuel issues. But perhaps you also have engine issues and not just contaminated fuel.

http://http://atlinc.com/rangeextender.html

[Dooglas]

Not sure why you are pushing North to Brookings under marginal conditions with a boat that is not ready for the trip. Crescent City is a better commercial harbor than Brookings and Eureka is even better yet. Why not get the boat into a good yard, repair its deficiencies, and wait out the bad weather. As you say, you are not in a big hurry. I've done quite a few coastal passages along the West Coast. The issues are always exactly the two you describe. The boat has to be well prepared, and the weather window has to be suitable. Otherwise, expect a bad experience.

[CptCrunchie]

Originally Posted by Dooglas

Not sure why you are pushing North to Brookings under marginal conditions with a boat that is not ready for the trip. Crescent City is a better commercial harbor than Brookings and Eureka is even better yet. Why not get the boat into a good yard, repair its deficiencies, and wait out the bad weather. As you say, you are not in a big hurry. I've done quite a few coastal passages along the West Coast. The issues are always exactly the two you describe. The boat has to be well prepared, and the weather window has to be suitable. Otherwise, expect a bad experience.

Strange you say that. Having spent the past 8 days in Crescent City, I can unequivocally tell you that there are no haul—outs here. The only marine supply is an Englund Marine that gets shipments in once a week, and one NAPA that carries very little marine stuff.

Furthermore, heading back down the coast 150 miles to Eureka, when Brookings is 21 miles in the right direction AND it has exactly what we need and the dry dock space available (sans sales tax), is .______, ...you can fill in the blank.

BTW, who said anything about us having a bad experience? I sure didn’t. But I will say that this has been one hell of a shake down. Best of all, if Wifey had any anxiousness around being on a boat at sea, no matter what the conditions, that’s long gone.

In other words, it’s all good!