August 2019 – Caro Babbo

So why aren’t we out in the pacific?

Off Point Flattery, 27-AUG-2019 08.11 PT– We set out this morning to lumpy waves in the Strait and are just rounding Cape Flattery via Tatoosh Island.

We may also have realtime tracking at: https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/CaroBabbo

Sorry about the unfinished blog post below. I was working from a tablet keyboard that didn’t like me.

The next 24-hours should be breezy and bumpy and then a predicted nice ride to San Fran.

I’ll spend some time later putting together real post. For the moment, wish us well.

Neah Bay, 23-AUG-2019 — Leaving Monday morning was a bit more rush than planned. I spoke with Frank at 11pm Sunday evening arranging a 6:30 am bridge opening. Jennifer and I got to sleep before midnight. I was up at 5:15 to get coffee started. Jennifer would get up about 5:45, which is plenty of time to leave slip at 6:20 and be ready for the opening.

At 5:30, Frank called to tell me we needed to make a six am opening. Could we make it? The question was rhetorical and disingenuous. If we didn’t take his offer we would need to wait until after rush hour traffic; the bridges don’t operate from 7 until 9 am each work day.

Island Chief, the very large tug that moves gravel barges to and from Lake Washington had a 6 am opening. We should fall in behind her.

I woke Jennifer to tell her the news, and walked over to Harrison’s boatm, Berkley to wake him and tell him the news. Harrison was already awake and on deck.

We had originally planned to leave on the 14th, but Harrison asks us to wait until the 19th to sail with him up to Port Townsend. We never would have made the 14th. We didn’t strap Hilary Hoffmann, our Portland Pudgy, rigged as a life raft, upside down on the foredeck until just before I called Frank.

Before Jennifer and I on Caro Babbo and Harrison and two friends, one asleep, and two dogs aboard Berkeley waiting outside of Lee’s Landing for Island Chief and her barge, we had listened on VHF 13 to the captain of Island Chief speak with Frank at the University Bridge.

Where is Jennifer’s Car and When are we leaving?

Lee’s Landing, Lake Union, Seattle, WA, 14-Aug-2019 – A fast status as we’re finishing up getting ready to leave.

There is a heavy and unrelenting feeling of pressure to get everything done, but as I sit to write this fast and hurried post, I realize that there are five days to go and there is no need to feel this pressure. Everything on critical path is easily accomplished. Yes, the list is unending, but that it is because it is a boat, just like a house, there is always more to do.

Shakin’ and Breakin’

P.S. Jennifer’s car was stolen

Port Townsend, in the rain, 10-AUG-2018 – There will be no wind today until after three pm, just PNW rain: may be a quarter inch (6mm) per hour. It is a dark Seattle winter day in early August. The temperatures are higher (low sixties), but no sailing.

We’re on our shakedown cruise.

Sticky Docks, Stripped Screws

Lee’s Landing, Lake Union, Seattle, Wa, 7-Aug-2019 – We haven’t left on our shakedown and won’t until next week, it seems. We may instead sail around Puget sound for a bunch of days until we’re confident everything is good and then take off without coming back to the Lee’s.

Yesterday, while I worked on trim in the cabin, Harrison installed the ‘‘zinc’’ on the propeller shaft*. When he came up, he said that one of the screws that holds in the propeller shaft bearing (cutlass bearing), was hanging from the wire that keeps the screws from loosening.

Short Update while Jennifer sleeps

Lee’s Landing, Seattle Ship Canal, 1-Aug-2019 – Jennifer is asleep; Seattle’s traffic volume across the ‘‘99’’ bridge above me rises. The sky is clear, and there are two hurricanes, Erick and Flossie headed to Hawaii.†

Sometimes it seems better to write about a task beforehand rather than during the throes of frustration during the task. Today, we install the windows.

Tasks have been going very well, all-in-all.

We finished painting the hull above the rub rail so Caro Babbo no longer has her distinctive blue livery (more about that in the footnotes*).