LOG OF THE PASSAGE PRINCESS – NORTHWARD SAN DIEGO TO ANACORTES 2022
June 13, 2022: Day one of a new adventure. 600 gallons of Diesel aboard. 300 gallons of water. 300 bottles of drinking water. 20 sixers of Diet Coke. A dozen bottles of wine. Lots of food. A new EPIRB and a new dinghy. Fuel tanks freshly cleaned. Engines maintained. Best crew I could find on Match.Com. How far did we get today? 0 miles but we did it without incident and that is what really matters. We are going to use the water bottles like breadcrumbs so we can find our way home. We are carrying lots of plastic straws as trading currency for marine life that we meet. If you are wondering how far we can go on 600 gallons… it is just far enough to make it to the crash site. Tracking links will be posted tomorrow. Remember, it’s the journey, not the destination, which is good because I place the odds at 50 percent that I can find the destination. To paraphrase the great Captain Ron, ‘if something is going to happen, it will happen out there.’ … ‘Dawn comes early on a boat. Everyday around sunrise.’
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| June 14: We are underway. Debra has no clue what she has gotten herself into… hence the smile. |  |
June 14: The real day 1 and 90 miles behind us. Saw dolphins and a whale. We waved. Whale did not. I guess we could say he was a real Moby-dickhead…. Our wonderful neighbors Kathy and Jeff joined us for dinner (and perhaps a little too much wine) last night then woke up at 4:30 to wish us safe travels. They took some great pictures too. Tonight, we are at Emerald Bay (Catalina Island.) Tomorrow, we plan to reach Smugglers Harbor at Santa Cruz Island. I am thankful to Rick Lanham, Jessica Sandler and Pat Richter who are our designated followers and whose job it hopefully will never be to call the Coast Guard. I am also thankful to my neighbors, Tony and Jackie Flannery who are watching or perhaps looting my house while we are at sea. For now, I say, ‘Good Evening Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships at sea.’
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| June 16, 2022: We have 24 hours and 184 miles under our keel. Snorkeled in emerald bay and have seen lots of dolphins and a sunfish. Anchored in Yellow Banks in Santa Cruz for rocking and rolling night. Debra was a true boater and slept through most of it. Curious what the dolphin breed is in the video. Tell me if you know. My guess is “not dog”. We are hiding from bad weather coming up windy alley over the next few days. Currently at a “guest dock” in Channel Islands harbor. Some call these “transient” docks. Neither name fits. Most transients don’t have 75 dollars a night for the luxury of a parking space and most guests would leave if you tried to extract that much from them. |  |
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June 18, 2022: We are sitting out bad weather in Channel Islands harbor. Rick Lanham and my cousin Mark Miller will be joining us for BBQ Ahi Tuna. Small problem. To get to the boat you have to get a very territorial sea lion to let you pass. Seems more bark than bite but we don’t know him very well. Pretty sure he is not armed. He seemed interested in clubbing the passing boaters. |
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| June 19, 2022: A homeless guy boarded my boat late last night. Met him face to face on the bow. He was upright at the time, unlike the way we had seen him earlier in the day. He is apparently a somewhat harmless schizophrenic with a drinking problem or perhaps he is a drunkard with a schizophrenia problem. He told the harbor patrol that it was his grandfather’s boat. He came back this morning for his shoe. Scared the heck out of me. |  |
| June 19, 2022: Dinner aboard last night with my cousin Mark Miller and Jana and Rick Lanham and Carol. Fresh BBQed ahi. I had to dissuade Mark from picking out a sea lion for fresh steak. |  |
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June 20, 2022: Headed for Coho anchorage. Mid Santa Barbara channel off Santa Barbara. |
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June 20, 2022: We are anchored in Coho Anchorage after a 60 mile run. We are but a mile from Point. Conception, known to boaters as the most dangerous point on the West Coast. (The books call it the Cape Horn of the West Coast.) To up the fun, we are anchored in 30 plus knot winds. Wind waves in the anchorage. It is definitely an adventure. Tomorrow, we head North into the “real” Pacific Ocean. |
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| June 21, 2022: First day of summer. Spent doing the unforgettable. Every boater remembers when they go around Conception. It is like losing your virginity but more boast worthy. This was my first run North around the Point. Third overall. So, I am not a virgin. I can still claim to be a “going North virgin.” It’s a badge to wear proudly even if the first few times were flat calm. Debra Langley is now a more experienced boater than most will ever be. She handled the discomfort of Coho like she has been doing this her whole life. Slept through it. Last night we had high winds, swells rolling into the harbor and darkness until dawn. We passed Conception at 6ish. Easy peezy. Then came Point Arguello. Big, confused seas. Everything ended up on the floor. Now at a mooring in SLO (San Luis Obispo). Sorry to Jose and Robin for not calling but we are exhausted from the last 24 hours. We hit the road (ocean) at first light. Our destination for tomorrow is San Simeon anchorage. |  |
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June 22, 2022: SLO to San Simeon Bay. Zero to low-vis most of the day with almost flat calm seas. We might even call the seas "Dead Calm." I would like this for the rest of the trip. Debra Langley continues do an excellent job as crew. Still, I sleep with one eye open as I can smell mutiny in the air. I alternate eyes so each gets a good night’s sleep. Debra is learning to navigate. That is the first step toward not needing me.…. In the British navy a seaman caught navigating was put to death. Crew that can navigate are like children that learn to read. It is just a matter of time until they take your job and you disappear under suspicious circumstances… |
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June 23, 2022: SAN Simeon Anchorage to Monterey -- Our trek north continues. Today we covered 83 miles. Those are not the regular miles. Those are the high-octane nautical miles reserved for cool boater types. Fog and zero visibility the whole way. Of course, I realized that fog is good for me. When all the pretty things in the world are obstructed by fog, then all that is left to look at is me. By default, and without argument I become the prettiest thing in Debra’s world. (Even without fog, she is the prettiest thing in mine). Just when it seemed like a perfect day (and I was feeling pretty, at least, by relative comparison) we broke a fan belt. The spare belt was good to go and soon we were up and running again. Who knew that Debra had the skill set to change a fan belt in a 100 plus degree engine room. Arrived in Monterey Bay. Took on fuel at 7 dollars a gallon and the took on Rick Lanham who has graciously agreed to be pressed into service as crew. Although we are tied safely to a dock, he has agreed to stand first night watch. Head north young man is what Horace Greeley told his "real" friends. Doors locked for the night. No unregistered schizophrenics aboard ... yet.
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June 24, 2022: We are at Half Moon Bay. This begs the question, what happened to the other half moon? I once gave someone a half moon, they simply didn’t see the dark side of my ass … but alas I digress. Rick has been excellent crew. I have moved him to the top of my “kill and eat list.” “Kill and eat list” you ask … well on every trip I prioritize the order in which I will kill and eat my crew should an emergency arise. Probably won’t happen but it is good to plan. I have already planned how to prepare Rick. Thinking Rick-BQ. The day was uneventful. Saw whales. Saw sea lions. Saw a lonely old man fishing for salmon offshore. We are sharing our dock with a sailboat. When he pulled in, I yelled out “Sailboat, right?” Now he is avoiding me. More tomorrow when we head for bodega bay? |
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June 25, 2022: Holly Sh*t. There are shipping lanes everywhere. We are off San Francisco. Heading toward Farallon Islands known for high density of great white sharks. Our trek north continues. Heading toward Bodega Bay. Last night went clubbing at the seal dock. Kind of gamey but it was us or them. Having hands and clubs gave us a game changing advantage. The side of pelican tasted like something between chicken and spotted owl. |
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| June 26, 2022: Doing a weather layover in Bodega Bay. Famous for Hitchcock “The Birds”. All the birds here really have an attitude. Nasty little peckers, they are. We visited the Tides Restaurant where I acted inappropriately with a statue while Debra shopped. Tomorrow, we dine on seagull. |  |
| June 28, 2022 Small craft warnings off the west coast. Weather hold continues. It is quite beautiful here. It is a bit of a walk to town, so Rick remains alive (for the moment) only because we have adequate stores aboard. I might have brought hooved animals as opposed to crew, but unlike crew, they tend to scuff the deck until eaten. Also, most hooved animals are weak conversationalists. Great restaurants right near the marina for after we kill and eat Rick. We are now on a holding tank code red. We are at DEFCON 2 — short for DEFecation CONcern. There is a pump out but we have to give up our fist come first serve dock to use it so we try to minimize. The walk to the marina head seems longer each morning. For those from the 800 dock who remember plan B, need I say more? I opt for the basic mantra “no eat thus no excrete. |  |
| June 29, 2022: This is for Carol Payne. Hot is hot and smokin is smokin. Rick is hot and smokin. (Not in a cook the crew kind of way.). We have had to disable the smoke detectors because your Rick Lanham is so smokin’ hot. Thanks for his loan. We will return him undamaged. |  |
| June 29, 2022: The weather hold continues. Debra and I have been out hiking a few times. Beautiful here. |  |
| July 1, 2022: Like the bread, Rick seems fully unaware that he is part of our ship’s galley stores. |  |
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July 2, 2022: Bodega bay is still there. Still small craft warnings off the coast. We are fueled and ready to go. We really have had enough of Bodega Bay. I have run out of Birds jokes. |
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July 3, 2022: Weather window looks like tomorrow will be a go. Perfect weather in bodega bay this evening. We leave here with the same six eyes we sailed in with. Hitchcock was wrong about Bodega Bay. The birds
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| July 4, 2022: Underway again. Slowing inching our way North. Happy 4th of July. Go America!!! |  |
| July 4, 2022: Hi from the crew. |  |
| July 4, 2022: Assume a picture is worth 1000 words. One SD video is 1000 words per frame. TA video shot at 30 frames per second for ten seconds is 1000 x 30 x 10 = 300000 words. The average novel is less than 100000 words. Each time you watch the video it is like reading 3 novels. I can claim 9 novels read if I watch the video 3 times. Don’t even get me started on HD. Proof that reading is unnecessary and TV watching will make you a total genius. It is all about the math. |  |
| July 5, 2022: We made it to Crescent City California after a 34 hour, 237 mile run. I can’t even begin to describe the craziness of it all. We ran all night in zero visibility and in total darkness. It was like compressing a really bad 10-year marriage into 34 hours. After running 90 miles in 12 hours, darkness fell upon our world (again the marriage reference). We discovered that all the lights in the pilot house, even at their dimmest, reflected back against the windshield blinding us to the outside world (like marriage). Then came the rain which obliterated any chance of seeing other vessels on the radar. AIS seemed to be of questionable value. Rick was great crew. We dressed him in foulies and made him stand watch on the front of the boat in the rain. When his hands froze to the rigging, we let him come back in. So happy to see dawn. We then ran another 70 miles to come here. Tired is an understatement. |  |
| July 5, 2022: Crescent City Transient Dock. Do you think that a very insecure man designed this marina? Bet he owns a sports car and a big boat too. Forget that last sentence. Some people buy those things to help the economy or to be ironic… |  |
| July 6, 2022: Rest-day in Crescent City. Crew left and, surprisingly, returned. I had them chipped. I could have tracked them down if necessary. Rick got a beard trim and wanted me to post this picture. This place has an interesting history The marina was destroyed in 2011 by a tsunami. I posted before and after pictures. Ok, maybe that wasn’t too interesting. Debra and I walked by the Tsunami Bar Grill and Bowling Alley. You’ve no doubt heard the old adage, name your business after the nearest deadly disaster and they will come. That reminds me that we had a great dinner in New Orleans at the Katrina Grill …. What’s next, Jonestown Gas and Quicki-mart? Auschwitz Chiropractic? I digress. Tomorrow, we plan to head either North or South to Newport. There is more than one. I hope we go to the right one. Coin toss. The large 84000-pound concrete structures that are laying about town are from the Harbor breakwater rebuild. They really are ready for the next Tsunami. They seem to have forgotten that lightning never strikes twice but being prepared for it to strike once is a pretty good idea. (Actually, I think this place was destroyed in the 60s by another tsunami). I will point out that we didn’t see a single fire extinguisher in town. All eggs in one basket. Lots of big flammable trees here. Me, I am betting on zombie apocalypse. I saw an ad for the “Trees of Mystery” attraction. Do you know how much acid you need to drop for trees to become mysterious? Studies have shown that ferns become sexy after two hits. I have an olive tree in my backyard that has always seemed pretty aloof but never mysterious. We are truly in the Northwest. I noticed they have a Republican club named DNGOP which I took to stand for Damn Northern Republicans. Until tomorrow, Mike out. |  |
| July 7, 2022: Underway again. Seas are perfect. Trying to put miles under the keel. |  |
July 8, 2022: We had a grueling (but fun) 24 hour run from Crescent City, CA to Newport OR. Spectacular night watch with moonlight illuminating our way. Bioluminescence was everywhere. With a third mouth to feed (Rick), our food stores are running low. Rick wasn’t prepared. I mean that literally. We did not prepare and eat Rick once we realized how tasty the local seals are. It is club or be clubbed out there. We saw many sharks, an amazing number of whales, and a few narcissistic dolphin.
We are now no longer bar virgins. That is right. I thought I knew bars, but I was wrong. As a college student I never passed a bar. As a lawyer I passed the California bar. As a boater, I crossed my first bar today. Bars Kill. We have listened to non-stop Coast Guard broadcasts about bar safety (which I took to mean, don’t throw your glass at the bartender). It turns out that crossing a bar can make the bar so angry that it might capsize your boat. We put on our big boy foulies, self-medicated, gritted our teeth, and headed at full steam (slightly faster than a brisk walking pace) toward the Newport bar. Seconds later we were on the other side. If one was pro-climactic they might have been very disappointed. One blink and my virginity was gone —- my bar virginity that is. |
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| July 9, 2022: We get the best gallons per hour rate and have more fun per hour sitting at the dock. Why would we leave here just to burn more fuel. Today Newport calls to us. It tells us to stay tied to the dock. Rick and I changed the oil in the engines this morning. Casual lunch nearby. Maybe I should just call this home. |  |
July 10, 2022: We are at a dock on the wrong side of the Yaquina River. Bad neighborhood. I left the boat and everyone around me has a gas outboard and at least one fishing rod. I yelled, ”hey bubba” and six people answered. I yelled ”someone is stealing the rifle rack from your truck” and it caused a stampede. Our boat is tied to a dock near the boat launch which is fish cleaning station adjacent. I really miss the homeless schizophrenic when the only other choice are people who fish from small boats. Truth is that everyone here is great and friendly, but we are truly on the wrong side of the river from the town. No easy way to get there. Winds have started to howl. Twenty plus at the dock. They are predicting 30 plus. All gear has been stowed. Rick has been safely. secured to the deck. |
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July 11, 2022: As so often happens when cruising, the crew wants to “mingle” with the locals. Rick went out yesterday and came back with crabs. Now the crew has crabs. In the small space of a boat, it is hard not to “share”. …. THANKS A LOT RICK |
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| July 12, 2022: The wind is howling and the bar is closed. Glad that we are tied to a dock. Small craft warning up and down the coast. We are definitely not in Southern California anymore. |  |
| July 12, 2022: We are docked next to the NOAA Pacific Fleet. Their motto, ”We will fight weather on the land and on the sea until the last wind blows and all days are sunny…”. True story: In 2009, Rick and I were in Friday Harbor while there was a multi-agency task force working to prevent the smuggling of citrus from Canada. NOAA was there. I couldn’t help but notice that the NOAA officer was wearing a side arm. Do they shoot rogue clouds or recidivist weather violators? |  |
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July 13, 2022: Which one is real? |
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July 14, 2022: Underway again encroute from Newport to Neah Bay, we were joined by whales feeding as we fed. |
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July 16, 2022: Headline: Passage Princess makes it to the Strait of Juan Defuca... The last 80 miles almost killed the boat and crew. I had congratulated myself for picking the best weather windows. We rounded Conception in good weather. Almost every cruising day was calm. Then there was yesterday. (I am going to do multiple posts today … sorry).
We left Newport Oregon in near perfect weather. Cruised all day in calm seas. Overnight the conditions were good. At around 2AM we had to weave through the fishing fleet asleep and adrift off Grays Harbor, Washington. No stress there. By dawn we had picked a sloppy following sea. At the end of night watches (I was now awake 24 hours) I tried to sleep but couldn’t. When I returned to deck, we were being reminded that Mother Nature is the big dog out here. I don’t know what we did but she was one angry (expletive deleted). As if to remind us that the Pacific is no joke, the next 10 hours were total hell. Terrible sloppy following seas and waves so big that they frequently overpowered the helm and knocked the boat over. We would slide off waves and get knocked down. Nothing scarier than looking out the side window and seeing the ocean rushing toward the boat. It was all too much for the auto pilot. Rick and I hand steered the last 55 miles. (Today we are very sore). I can’t even describe how bad it got. Everything on board was thrown about. The inside of the drawers looked like they had been put in a blender. The seas would catch the stern and pull us far off course then slide us down one wave into the next and the boat would roll 60 degrees to the side. A little reminder from Mother Nature would have been ok. I get it, no one beats Mother Nature, and the ocean is serious shit. Next time, please just send a card. |
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July 16, 2022: Headline: Passage Princess puts the Pacific in the rear view and becomes a Northwest Cruising Boat.
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Stats: 31 days from San Diego to Neah Bay. 1241 Nautical miles, 165 hours six minutes engine time Average speed 7.5 knots Fuel burn 765 gallons of diesel (4.7 gallons per hour or 1.6 miles per gallon). Trip included 3 overnight runs, the longest being Newport, OR to Neah Bay (36 hours 260 NM)
Ports of Call: Emerald Bay, Catalina Smugglers Harbor, Santa Cruz Island Channel Islands Harbor (weather hold) Cojo Anchorage, Pt Conception San Simeon Bay Monterey Half Moon Bay Bodega Bay (9 day weather hold) Crescent City (first overnight) weather hold Newport Oregon (second overnight) Neah Bay (third overnight) |
July 16, 2022: Our delivery to the Northwest is done. I can now add this to the list of stupid things I will never do again but say with great pride WE (not “I”) did it.
Thanks to my great crew Debra and Rick. Thanks to our trackers Jessica and Pat and everyone else keeping an eye on our process day and night. Special thanks to Dan Streif for all his weather knowledge and great advice along the way. (He suggested we hold at Grays. I went ahead into the storm.). Special thanks to Carol For the loan of Rick. We return him as we found him mostly.
Today we rest.
As we transition from the Pacific to the calm inside waters: |
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July 16, 2022: For a job well done, I fed the crew. They deserve it. |
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| July 16, 2022: Debra is now officially a BAD-ASS. She has been around Conception, survived a storm at sea, and beat the west coast of the USA going north. Makes her even more hot. I think she has earned a few bragging rights. |  |
July 16, 2022: (From Debra Lanley): The calm after the storm
in Neah Bay today. It’s so beautiful here and did I also say, it’s great to be
alive ! ! |
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July 17, 2022: Fed the crew again…. Debra is noticeable looking away from the watch after I yelled “smile.” I wonder what happens if I yell “Squirrel.”. Clearly a trick to test the crew. We have been dodging logs all morning. We are doing short watches with hyper-vigilance required. I love her but I may have to reduce her rations if she can’t keep her eyes out the window. I have promised the crew that if I die on one of their watches, I will come back to haunt them. In their futures, there will be no sex without hearing laughter in the background. Haunting surviving crew seems like fun but I prefer not to die to do it.
Our destination is Port Angeles, a short run of 52 miles, all in daylight.
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| July 18, 2022: Today we explored Port Angeles. This is a town where old wood boats come to die. Debra and I learned that beach logs can be dangerous. (See photo). Not heeding the warning, Debra and I immediately attacked a few wild logs. Without fear we kicked their wooden asses. Watched a ferry full of refugees from Victoria, Canada dock. You ride for half price if your blood is more than 6% Tim Hortons by volume. Many Canadians escape to America because their politicians are not nearly as embarrassing as ours. Gives them something to talk about beyond, “Where is the nearest Tim Horton’s, hey?” Highlight of the day was a sour dough bowl filled with soup. Truly better than the discovery of penicillin was the discovery that you could hollow out a loaf of bread and fill it with clam chowder. Who doesn’t want to eat a bread bowl after filling up on soup? I think Nicola Tesla discovered the process of hollowing and filling but Westinghouse took the credit. Edison sued and claimed the bowl was only safe if it was DC bread. I digress. Parked (docked for boaters) behind another DeFever. Turns out they had advised me via a DeFever group on the logistics of the trip. They are heading South so the DeFever quota for the Northwest is not exceeded. Saw a giant travel lift. Tires were taller than Debra. Watched dozens of log trucks barely making a dent in the loading a log carrying freighter. I figured that they were carrying dangerous beach logs being sent off into exile. Time for another glass of wine. FYI. Debra is still badass. After kicking the knots out of a belligerent beach log, she bought another tee shirt. Our ballast is now 90 percent cotton. I digress again. Time for another glass of wine. |  |
July 20, 2022 (Arrival at our destination – Anacortes): Yesterday we left Port Angeles at sunrise and crossed a glass calm Strait of Juan De Fuca and then cruised up the Rosario Strait. We dodged some shipping and turned into the Guemes Channel. We slowed to give way to a Washington state ferry. Two more turns to starboard and we entered the Cap Sante Boat Haven. Here we shall rest until we haul the boat for the season. This morning we bid Rick adieu. We return him to Carol unbroken. Rick has been integral to our adventure. You will be missed. (Admittedly Debra reclaimed her bathroom before Rick was beyond the Anacortes city line.) Mission accomplished. |
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August 3, 2022: Anacortes – The Passage Princess has left the ocean. |
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| Debra is such a Badass that she even got the seatshirt to prove it. |  |
