Day 3 - ASA103 on-water intro It's a 280 mile, four+ hour drive from Portland to Anacortes where the launch point is.
I connected with Captain Rod, the instructor for the course, a couple days prior. Or rather he connected with me. The reason was that the transmission in the boat had failed, and needed to be replaced. It wasn't clear that the replacement would arrive in time and there was a possiblity that the voyage would have to be delayed or canceled. I indicated that I'm flexible on departure date, and that I had planned this as a birthday gift to myself. Long story short, there were options but eventualy it was confirmed that the new transmission arrived and would be installed in time. I chose to get up early on the day of and drive in the morning, chancing rush hour through Olympia/Tacoma/Seattle along the way. Upon 5am departure the GPS puts ETA at 9:22am. Long drive, much traffic, some 10+ over the limit cruising, and I arrive at (ready?) 9:22am. To the minute. I'll just take it as sign of the times and won't read too much into it. This is the area I will navigate over the next 5 days. Slowly.
In talking to Capt. Rod I learn there will be two other students. There are two kayaks for our use, so I ask if it's ok to bring the inflatable. Sure. So I do. There is an email listing what I need to bring and what to expect. I don't fully read it. How human of me. There are also two books to study, for the two written tests. I scan them. To be fair, I'm just trying to change the world in real life, so gotta pick my fights :) Finding the boat at the dock, I'm the last to arrive. It'a s Jeanneau SO 45.2 (a 46' hull). There are three staterooms - one in the bow, claimed by Capt Rod and his wife Christina, and two aft - claimed by the other two students. So I'm left with the convertible bed in the livingroom. No problem. Each stateroom has its own head (marine toilet/shower) so I get to share one of those. Workable. Still beats tent camping, and I was fine with that many a time. Far more luxurious than the 22'-ish daysailers I've overnighted in before. Also we're advised that we don't shower onboard because mildew. Not a problem for me, memories of Burning Man and other adventures.
After some introductions and a briefing on the boat/rules, we're off. The other two students are slightly younger than me, divorced males like myself, looking for what could be the next stage in life. I know how that goes :). Steven I don't get to learn much about (more on that later). Scott is a doctor with a varied and interesting history, and an experienced powerboater but new to sailing. Both have a dream of owning a sailboat. Me, I just want to get better at renting. The weather is cold-ish (mid 50F), rainy and with shifting but persistent winds. I'm glad I bothered to look it up beforehand and brought a couple jackets and hat. The bimini top keeps direct rain off us but I still get soaked. And I still end up catching a cold first day that persists for the duration. All part of the experience.
Motoring out of the marina we encounter a fire/pilot boat. Whatever the purpose of the water display, safe bet it's pretty clean now.
Out in the open we raise the sails and set a course. This is going to be fun :)
Winds are gusty and cold, rain is intermittent, and currents swirl about in unpredictable ways creating rapids-like waves in some spots.
We sail by sevaral islands. The scenery is impressive.
On some of the windier close-hauled tacks we get the boat to heel pretty far. I'm not used to such a large vessel moving so much, so it's a bit unnerving. I get more at ease with it as the voyage goes on.
We take turns at the helm and manning the lines. Using the winches and clutches definitely requires practice. Captain Rod is skilled at communicating to us what needs to be done as well as what everything means (and what will be on the test). It is an effective learning experience. Except that with all the motion, Steven is not having a very good time. He started feeling seasick almost immediately after departing the marina, and has now spent much of the day emptying his stomach over the rail. We are all built differently.
Our first destination is Rosario resort, where there are moorage buoys we can tie to overnight. There is a massive sailing ship anchored outside the bay (later in the trip we spot it carrying a seaplane, so it's literally an aircarft carrier). Can't seem to find any info on it but reception is spotty at best and there's sailing to do.
It is my turn to drive when we pull up to the mooring buoy. Success.
Christina cooks a great meal of baked salmon and various sides. For my part I brought two boxes of wine. Unfortunately Steven is still feeling seasick and unable to join the rest of the crew for dinner. The discussion over dinner runs to current state of the world and I can't help sharing my somewhat radical views on it. Luckily the company is open-minded and the conversation is satisfyingly intellectual. We cover pretty much everything that I discussed with ChatGPT in my book 'Resonance' - it is a rare treat to have humans meaningfully engage on the subjects. Captive audience but still. Cool. Settling in for the night, the saloon livingroom converts to my bedroom. We'll go ashore tomorrow.
The map below shows approximately our track so far, to the best of my memory. I didn't have GPS tracking turned on so this will have to suffice.
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