Day 5 - ASA104 on-water In the morning, the skies are mostly clear and there is some wind. Not a lot but enough to bother raising the sails and practicing more of the routine boat handling. The Captain sets timer for half hour stints at the helm, so Scott and I get to experience being at the helm and crew in a variety of situations. Sometimes we do resort to the engine.
At one point we spot a container ship far away. But it moves way faster than we do, so we just hold the course figuring we'll be far behind it when our tracks intersect. And that proves to be the case. The ship is sitting high in the water which leads us to speculate that a good portion of the containers onboard are empty, being taken back to be refilled. True to his sense of humor that we've come to appreciate, Captain Rod remarks "that ship looks French". Lol.
The wake is substantial and while the picture below doesn't show it, so is the boat's motion when crossing it. Fun :)
Light wind makes for light workload and I decide to take a nap. Scott is kind enough to record it for posterity.
There are lots of seaplanes operating in the area so I capture a couple as they buzz overhead.
With the wind gone, we motor to the Turn Point lighthouse. Scenic.
Next destination is Roche Harbor, just to check it out. Still no wind so we're under diesel power. A bit of a back story - prior to departure for the trip, I mentioned to the crew at the shop that I'll be on a boat. 'Like Lonely Island?' was Tristan's response. Yep. Sam had no idea what we're talking about so we had to make her watch the video (warning - explicit). After which I sad there will probably not be any mermaids. To which the reply was there would likely be seals, and that's close. Point. So when I took the pictures below, I had to text her, with caption #notamermaid.
Roche Harbor is neat. More seaplanes.
Then on to our next stop, Friday Harbor. We will go ashore briefly, get some foodstuffs at the store, and pump out the holding tanks. All part of the experience and the training. Must learn the daily realities and the operation of all the systems.
Those tasks completed, it's a short motor over to the bay where we get to drop anchor. The Captain goes over the theory and practice, then it's time to actually do it. Success. Having a powered windlass and plenty of chain/rope rode makes it far easier than on the smaller daysailers. We anchor in 30' of water, with 5' freeboard which means we need about 250' of rode to get the recommended 7:1 scope. Rod also points out the best spot and process to drop anchor relative to other boats to provide sufficient room to swing. Yes, it will be on the next test. It's great when the learning is relevant. If all those terms are confusing, welcome to the club. Sailing has its own terminology and part of the challenge is that you're essentially learning a new language along with the concepts it embodies. Fits right in with my AI and sentience discussions. Right thing at the right time. Resonance :)
Rod is from Chile, and the boat's name - Puelche - is the name of a wind that occurs in central Chile. It is said to be spiritually liberating. He also mentions that it sounds like 'pilucho', which is Chilean slang for 'naked'. So basically 'naked wind', Scott concludes. Cheers to that.
Another stunning sunset. Much learned, much experienced, and more water under the keel.
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