November 2006

Poulsbo, Washington


It’s 22 degrees, icy and the wind is blowing 18 knots at 1:00 p.m…...we ARE DEFINITELY NOT in the Sea of Cortez! As I ended the last log we didn’t know if we would attempt going down the coast in November; Mother Nature emphatically made that decision for us with one storm after another tackling the Pacific Northwest.

Wand’rin Star is now in tip-top condition after Jeff from Cap Sante Marine spent three weeks troubling-shooting, ordering parts, getting parts, installing parts, and taking the boat out for a sea trial. Two major issues were remedied with the installation of a new heat exchanger and a re-plumbed raw water intake system. The Vac-u-flush forward head is now working thanks to parts and assistance from Bob Dickey of First Mate Marine. A new alternator regulator has been installed and the charging system is working wonderfully! It’s so nice when everything works. (Hold that thought as you continue reading the log!) As soon as all systems were GO, that’s what we did, leaving Anacortes on October 13.

We were flying back to Michigan from Seattle and decided to moor the boat in Poulsbo, which is located on Liberty Bay in Puget Sound, while we were visiting family and friends. The trip from Anacortes took two days; bright sunshine and clear skies surrounded us as we headed to Port Townsend for our first night. We anchored off downtown PT and enjoyed seeing the city from that perspective. Fog greeted us the next morning and we navigated through it for most of the trip to Poulsbo; the radar worked perfectly and we definitely needed it! Along the way, we got a call from the Port of Poulsbo saying that they did have a slip for the winter if we wanted it…great timing! Kurt, the Harbor Master, met us as we maneuvered into a 30’ slip as the slip assigned to us had another boat in it! (Sound familiar?? Remember Ketchikan??) Gary had to back into the slip, so we could get off the boat using the gate in the lifelines. Poulsbo is a VERY busy port in the summer, but only active on weekends during the winter. The port allows winter moorage for a small number of boats on one dock and we were lucky enough to get a slip. The town is known as Little Norway and markets itself with Norwegian motifs. It has two great bakeries and most services are a short walk or bus ride from the harbor. The folks at the Port Office are very helpful and friendly as are the locals.

On Tuesday, October 17, I took the bus and ferry to Seattle and then another bus to SEATAC airport to catch a plane to Lansing, Michigan. Almost everything went according to schedule and I arrived in Michigan 30 minutes after my original ETA…not bad. It was great to see Kate & Damon and to spend the night at Nan’s before heading to Rochester to see the rest of the family. Luckily I was able to see Kate & Damon’s new house in Lansing too. It’s exciting seeing your child take another step in adulthood. Their new house is an older home in a nice neighborhood, a wonderful spot for a home. I arrived at Mom & Dad’s apartment at 4:00 p.m. and by 4:30 p.m. I was taking Mom to the Emergency Room. I was glad that I was there and could help out. She spent the next week in the hospital and came home just as Gary arrived in Michigan. We also had the opportunity to be with his mom and visited doctors and dentists. One of the challenges of our life style is maintaining health care and we’ve opted to keep our primary care doctors in Michigan and use specialists as needed along our travels. My sister & brother-in-law also arrived from North Carolina to visit and cheer Kate in her first attempt at running a marathon. On Sunday, October 29, Di & Den, Damon, Nan and Gary & I watched Kate cross the starting line of the Detroit Free Press Marathon with approximately 15,000 other runners; this marathon is the only sanctioned international race as the runners cross the Ambassador Bridge into Windsor, Canada, run along the riverfront, and return to the States via the Tunnel. Kate said it was really a thrill to be able to do that. Unfortunately, she had been sick the entire week before the race and stopped at the halfway point, completing 13 miles!!! I was very proud of her! We all went to Ford Field to wait for her running partner, Cheryl, to cross the finish line! The race is well organized and we ‘non-runners’ were very impressed with the shapes, sizes, and ages of all the folks participating…lots of great stories. Gary flew back to Michigan on November 1 st and I followed a day later. We appreciated the opportunity to see family and friends, but were glad to pick up Murray from the kennel and be back on the boat.

Then it rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained and rained….Remember hearing about Seattle setting a new record for the amount of rain in one month??? We got to witness that first-hand. Joy! Joy! The rain & gloom of a typical Pacific Northwest winter were two reasons we had hoped to hop down the coast, but that’s not to be.

A bit of excitement: Before we moved to our permanent slip, a boat leaving the marina hit Wand’rin Star! It was a windy day and a large powerboat was attempting to back down the fairway. Unfortunately, it was blown into our bowsprit! Suddenly we felt the boat shake severely and looked up to discover our bowsprit entangled in the railing of a Bayliner. Luckily, no one was injured, but there was structural damage to the other boat and cosmetic damage to ours. Unlike our first “accident”, the folks on this boat quickly found a slip, rushed over share information and to make amends. Hopefully, the repairs will be completed before we leave here in April. The next day we moved to the other side of the dock for the remainder of the winter and made fast all the dock lines. As Gary backed the boat in, he noticed that the bow thruster wasn’t working. (“It’s so nice when everything works”. I did say that, didn’t I?) After checking the solenoids and electrical connections, he determined that the problem must be the motor, so that has to come out and be repaired. Fortunately, with Wesmar bow thrusters that can be accomplished without pulling the boat! Just another cruisin’ project.

So, it looks like Poulsbo is going to be our “home” until April. Once that decision was made, we proceeded to deal with Gary’s knee (right knee this year), which is limiting his walking and causing him daily pain. He’d been in a motorcycle accident 30+ years ago and has known that eventually he’d be in the market for a new knee. After consulting with an orthopedist here, it was determined that NOW was the time to have it done. Knee replacement surgery, rehabilitation, gray skies, cold weather, snow and rain have all conspired to make this an unpleasant winter for him. (I’m still trying to figure out what my options are!) We’ll find out the actual surgery date this week and may look at going someplace warm (sans boat) for month of R&R. There are always options in life….

We’ve relished being able to deepen our acquaintance with Bill & Masuko of S/V Cassiar and have shared several meals with them already. Gary & Bill are designing a fuel-polishing system for Cassiar and Gary’s going to install it, hopefully before his surgery. Allison & Ron of S/V Juichi, who we met at Point Hudson last winter, surprised us a couple Sundays ago by knocking on the cabin! They had learned from our website that we were in Poulsbo & decided to drive down from Port Hadlock to see us, what a treat catching up with them! Another “small world” tidbit happened as I was shopping at Central Market (a great grocery store here in Poulsbo!) and looked up to see more familiar faces from Point Hudson - Kate & Forest of M/V Aventurine. They’re in Port Hadlock now too! We quickly made plans to get together for dinner.

Sunday, November 26, we awoke to find the world had turned white. It was the first time we’ve had snow that stayed on the boat…a strange sight. Gary captured it for posterity and we hope that it’s not repeated. As I mentioned at the beginning of this log, the weather has been unseasonably cold and windy. When I talked to Kate in Michigan she said that people there where putting up Christmas lights in 60 degree temperature…the world’s weather is definitely strange!?!

Gary has been looking for a venue to exhibit and sell his images for a while. While in Anacortes we discovered a store called Digital Art Moments, owned & operated by Karla and Tony Locke, which sells digital art in a variety of forms. Images can be purchased, matted, printed on decorative tiles, or made into wearable art….the presentation is limited only by one’s imagination. The store is a co-op of sorts and Gary joined for a year. Karla’s in the process of setting up an online store, but she already has a website where one can choose images and then call her to order them. He’s also put images up on Flickr, a great photo site.

We recently discovered that some information on the Boat Info page/sister ships was incorrect and this has been rectified. If you see any Hans Christian 39' or 44’ Pilothouses, please let us know where you saw them & we’ll add that to our info. It’s been fun talking to other owners and admirers.

As the holiday season draws near, we are reminded of the desire for peace between individuals and nations. Our wish for each of you is that you experience an inner peace that manifests itself in love of family, friends, and others around the world. Best wishes for love and joy in your life from all aboard S/V Wand’rin Star. May 2007 be the year you do something you’ve always wanted to, but haven’t found the courage or time. Step into the unknown….it can be wonder-filled!

Peace,

Dorothy, Gary, and Murray

Last updated on May 23, 2007