When our 5th season began back in March with the "Wedding Aboard" of Logan & Priscilla, I had a feeling that we were embarking on our best year thus far. Now, as I've just awakened from a 12-hour deep slumber on the heels of seven amazing sails with six very cool and equally thrilled families over the course of four days, which was preceded by three very hot and stressful days of postponing charters, diagnosing a raw water cooling system issue, re-diagnosing the same system after some "fixes" didn't fix it, finding the issue FINALLY and fixing it... I cannot help but feel so much intense gratitude for each and every bit of good vibes and support along the way.
We're just getting warmed up, but here's a taste of the first half of our 5th season of setting sail with you in South Puget Sound (and beyond)!
Congratulations to Logan & Priscilla on the start of your Happily Ever After!
Solution has been the stage for a few surprise proposals over the years, as well as a staged elopement photoshoot, however, this was the first wedding ceremony she has had on her deck. These two first reached out to me in January about not only exchanging their vows aboard, but also about having me perform the ceremony for them! Instant "Yes!" We all know what an outdoor ceremony can look like in the Pacific Northwest in the middle of winter though, so we waited and waited, postponing a couple of times, and then finally, a day without rain came! That day was March 3rd, marking their wedding date and our first sail of the season!! My island friend Val Oppenheim came along to take these photos for the couple. What a beautiful and blessed way to kick off year 5!!!
In an effort to keep things interesting, adventurous, and tasty along the way, I brought an idea to Chef Kevin Waltz of Island Bread Company, and we bounced some ideas back and forth, landing on what has become our newest charter option... 'Round the Rock. "RtR" takes you and up to five of your closest people on a motorized circumnavigation of Anderson Island, while fine dining on a menu curated by yourself and Chef Kevin. To kick this off, we grabbed a couple of our closest friends and took a trip 'Round the Rock! Chef prepared some delectable seafood and dips which we all enjoyed.
AND THEN!... my dear friend, as well as sailing enthusiast, foodie, free-lance journalist, and published author Emily Molina put her blessing on our adventure with this article in South Sound Magazine.
After you read that, here's another tasty nugget for you. Emily recently finished, "Tacoma's Tall Ship: The Extraordinary Journey of the Odyssey. The book isn't even released yet, but is available for pre-order. Just click the link above to get your copy!
Youngest Helmsman to date takes control of Solution
Right here we've got young Mr. Max, officially the youngest First Mate to ever take the helm of Solution. He was shy at first, but once he realized he had control of the ship, he focused his eyes in a sweeping gaze at the waters ahead and led us back towards our port. Max was 4 at the time. He has since graduated to 5. It was a great pleasure having Max, little brother Jack-Jack, Mom, and Dad aboard Solution this summer, TWICE!
And then there is this.
As I was randomly scrolling "the book" one day, I see this beautiful sunset shot and thought, "That HAS to be from Chamber's Bay, which means that could be us!" I zoom in and can see myself at the helm and the trickle charge solar panel on the stern rail. BOOM! It IS us!
Okay, how epic are these shots though?! Well, Adam Pritchard is the AMAZING Photographer. All of his images will capture you the same way these have me.
Check him out @ Adam Pritchard Photography (Facebook)
Ironically, the pictures above have us on a SW heading, after having rounded the Toliva Shoal Danger Bouy, which is mid-channel between Chamber's Bay and Gibson Point (Fox Island).
In 1988, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Sam Houston (SSN-609) ran aground on Fox Island, which sits in Carr Inlet, a tributary of Puget Sound, while conducting post-maintenance sound trials on the Carr Inlet Acoustic Range.
An investigation was launched to determine the root cause of the event and conduct remedial actions. (Source: Anatomy of a Naval Ship Grounding)
I only learned of this while sailing and chatting with a family from Fox Island. Their home is actually on the steep bluff just down a way from where this grounding took place. In my possession, I now hold some not-so-secret documents, which in the right hands could really give one some insight to this incident. As presented to the residents of Fox Island, on November 10th, 2018, here are those documents.
The maritime history in the entirety of the Salish Sea, to include Puget Sound, and even more specifically South Puget Sound is so fascinating. There are, of course, the devastating historical markers also, with the colonization by European settlers and such and all of the bloodshed and removal of the Coast Salish and other native people from these lands as a result. Since we call these waters home, I feel that it is my responsibility to learn as much of the history involved with them, good and bad, and in turn share that knowledge with the rest of you.
Thank you to the Bruch Family for sailing with me, and for sharing this very interesting bit of maritime history!
From one bit of naval history to another. A month or so ago, I received a call from Skip Anderson, Director and Instructor at Flagship Maritime. If you do not know, Flagship Maritime is the Captain's License Training and Credentialing Institute for Seasoned Mariners, and where I went through my "Captain's Course". He is also a retired Naval Officer, with boatloads of blue water service around the globe between 1970-1994, hence the "naval history" opening line.
Skip wanted to surprise his bride Jan, who is also the Registrar and overall backbone of the Flagship operation, with a "joint-birthday sail". Of course I was up for it, so we booked it secretly and waited for the day to arrive. The day that was chosen just happened to be Skip's actual birthday, and Jan's had just passed. I picked them up in Steilacoom and set sail for wherever the 'slight' breeze was going to take us. It was a great honor to have them, as well as Buddy "The Sea Flea" aboard. Unfortunately, Jan took all of the pictures that day and I never got one of the 3 of them, so here's one of Skip & Myself, along with Buddy's promo image and then Skip toasting to a fabulous day at their Birthday Dinner that evening. Such a memorable sail!
The great times we experience in this life would not be known as great times if there weren't the oh so inconvenient bad times to balance things out. One of these such times reared its head on the last day of July... 45 minutes before I was to take a very excited family out sailing!
THE FIRST SIGN... was when I started Solution's marinized 3-cylinder Kubota engine and upon looking over the stern at the tailpipe, saw that there was no water coming out of it. For those that do not know, most vessels use raw water (in our case, saltwater), sucked in from a thru-hull fitting in the bottom of the boat, to assist in keeping the engine at a good operating temperature. Anyone interested in learning more on the subject, this video gives a great overview.
With no water exiting the tailpipe, I HAD A PROBLEM! The first thing I did was immediately shut her down. Then I scratched my head and more than likely mumbled some profanities at the universe. I knew that there was no immediate fix, and my sailors for the evening had just pulled into the parking lot. Before they got unloaded, I figured I better hurry up the dock and share the unfortunate news. It's this very thing that keeps me up at night and then provokes my nightmares once I fall asleep... having to tell someone that "we're not going to going sailing as planned" at the last minute. In the conscious world though, what choice do you have?! They were tremendous sports about it, and genuinely felt bad for the yet unknown "situation" with Solution. I took them down and gave a tour of the boat and assured them that I would work tirelessly to diagnose and repair the problem so that we may get out sailing together VERY soon.
Once they were on their way, I was back into the confined spaces of the engine compartment, clearing the raw water strainer, disconnecting hoses within the cooling system to check for blockage, and physically checking that the intake was not blocked by debris or barnacle growth. Each time I would complete something, I would turn the engine back on long enough to see if any water was exiting the tailpipe. No fixes in those efforts.
Next, I checked the impeller inside the water pump. It was a bit worn, but I was not convinced that that was the issue. Add it to the list of things to replace regardless. By this time, it was past dark, and I was exhausted.
I did go to the America the next morning and get the impeller at Tacoma Diesel. Ironically, when I walked up and explained what I was looking for, the very familiar looking gentleman behind the counter responded with, "for your sailboat that I was on the other day?"! Once I recognized Chris, we both had a good laugh, and then he found me my part. He also mentioned that Fisheries Supply, in North Lake Union (Seattle), had exactly ONE of my Obendorfer OBN202M-15 raw water pumps in stock if I was to discover that the new impeller was not the fix. As you can probably guess, the new impeller was NOT the fix!
Back to America, for a Friday morning drive up I-5 to North Seattle, in hopes of snagging the last water pump just to race back to Anderson Island, install said water pump, pray that it fixes the issue, and be ready to take the scheduled charter out for that evening. Sheesh! Well guess what! I did ALL of that... EXCEPT the issue was not fixed and I was forced to once again make that "postponement call". Once again, a very understanding group. I had been in contact with them throughout the entirety of the ordeal, and they were appreciative, and anxious to get rescheduled.
One thing that I noticed when I started the engine after replacing the water pump was that the engine bilge had rapidly filled with "sooty" water. Ah Ha! By that time, my good friend John Asche was at the boat trying to help me troubleshoot. Now John may be in his (upper) mid 70's, but his youthful eagerness to help, and to actually climb down into the portside lazarette and squeeze astern into the tightest spots aboard, was beyond admirable let alone VERY much welcomed and appreciated. You see, John stands all of 5'7" maybe and I'd guess is no more than 145 lbs. He's basically made for confined spaces, whereas my 220 lb, 6'3" self is apt to become mortally stuck in a space so tight. John got himself wedged in pretty good and immediately found the problem.
It turns out that the 45-year-old galvanized steel fittings which connect the exhaust hose to the muffler, as well as to the tailpipe, had nearly disintegrated entirely. The one connecting the hose to the tailpipe was almost non-existent and was the reason that no water was exiting the tailpipe. The water instead was flowing back forward into the engine bilge, and ultimately into the bilge, where it was being pumped overboard by the automatic bilge pump.
As good as it felt to now know the culprit, the work was only now beginning. John was very instrumental in getting the old hardware out, including the "should never have been used" universal AUTOMOBILE radiator hose. Another of the head scratching things that "the" or "a" previous owner had installed.
You may remember another of my friends, Jeremy Kamel, from previous posts mainly regarding the ferry breakdowns. Over a glass or nine of some of the finest Bourbon, Jeremy and I hashed out what was needed for a proper repair, and where to get it all. Not yet recovered from the previous evening's festivities, Jeremy and I boarded an early morning ferry off of Anderson Island and first stopped at McClendon Hardware, in Tacoma, for the pipe fittings. Once we had what we needed there, we made a stop at West Marine for some not cheap marine exhaust hose. Supplies in hand, we beelined back to the ferry terminal, and ultimately back to the island. I spent about an hour putting everything together and then took it all down to the marina to install on Solution. It took me about another hour to get everything in and buttoned up. I took the time to remove my heat exchanger and clean it out also. Was quite clean already, but now there's peace of mind.
With that done, the only thing left to do was to start her up and see what happens...
Once Solution was back together and cleaned to a white glove standard, it was time to get back out on the water! Mere hours after tightening the last hose clamp, stowing the last bit of tools, and wiping her down, we were again sailing. Over the course of the next 4 days, She and I would entertain those 6 beautiful families over the course of 7 charters, and they all went off without a hitch, as has every sail since... and Solution's raw-water cooling system has never been stronger.
As always, I want to say "THANK YOU" to you for reading, and for the overwhelming support!
Here is a slideshow of some of my favorite images from this season so far. Enjoy!
