Luffalee vacation 2015 – Poulsbo

We set sail on 8/13 Nick and my 10 year anniversary. Tons of food, books and wine. We are planning to get to Poulsbo, Blake island and few other places in a week of sailing…or motoring depending on how you look at it. So far so good.

Here’s the plan:

First stop Poulsbo. Friday was super fun and we got to sail more than I’ve ever sailed, which isn’t saying too much but still…I’ll write separate posts to describe the different cities and likely refine then when I have access to maps and another computer besides my phone.

We left Lake Stevens around 7am and were able to pull out of the Everett marina by 8:45am. We were thinking that wasnt too bad for two people that have no idea how to sail with two kids and yellow lab. It was pretty chilly there for a bit too.

Overall Poulsbo was cool. We met up with my brother for dinner and ice cream. Nick and I were able to open a bottle of wine under a clear night. It was pretty great. Next day though around 2 pm a huge storm hit. And not just because we were in a boat…it was serious thunder and lightning.

Thankfully we were in a town/city and we just called it a movie, sleep, reading, dinner out sort of day/night.
Angela Johnston ☕👊

Crab.

Today we did a small amount of prep for our trip this Thursday by visiting Costco for the first time in five months (says my Google maps app). We are daily market, farm box delivery, milk delivery sort of people.  Not necessarily because of the health benefits, though that is an added bonus, generally it’s out of lazyness and inability to plan ahead. So going to Costco…a big deal. It sort of speaks to the nervousness Nick and I are feeling. Yes, it will all work out etc but we will be ‘at sail’ so-to-speak for a week.  Thankfully Nick has signed us up for a Central Puget Sound trip that will allow us to easily access city transit back to our Everett Port…just in case.

For tonight though, of course, I procrastinated on dinner but, of course, it works out and our boat neighbor came back to the doc for the win. Nick came home with three crabs!!

This will all work out!! ⛵

Photo from previous boat neighbor crab donation but no less excitement felt by all Johnston's

Angela Johnston ☕👊

Jetty Island

It took a while but projects are done enough that we can get sailing already.  It was noonish on Friday when Nick and I decided we’d get the family out for a short sail and over night at Jetty Island. 

We found out that you can’t tent camp there but you can camp on your boat. No dogs are allowed on the island. We never let Sam off leash but we did stretch the rules with that a bit.

Day of planning was a little tough be we were able to get to the Everett Marina by 6pm.  We decided to do brats on the grill before heading out so the kiddos wouldn’t explode with hunger.

Nick pulled up to the doc closest to the river but we found out that that was reserved until 9pm for the ferry.  We think as we pulled up the captain tried to tell us but we need to make sure we have our radio turned up load enough.  One of the park rangers ran out to tell us.  There were plenty of spots left on the other three sides and was definitely deep enough (20 feet deep so we had about 15 feet of clearance).  Nick had to park in between two boats already there but we got in and a fella called out that we’ve obviously done this before…it’s good that we can at least pretend like we know what’s going on.  It was a proud moment when I realized I could actually tie off the boat with out supervision!

We got to the island a little before 8 and found the island to be pretty deserted already.  The rangers and ferry were just rounding the public off for the evening. They made sure we planned to camp on our boat and then four-wheeled onto the ferry.  By 9 there was us, another sail boat who’s owners we never saw and a power boat group of 20 somethings who had a late night bbq on the beach.  It was amazing.  We were able to run around the sandy beach and feel like the whole place was ours. 

By 10 the kiddos we losing their marbles so we bribed them to leave the beach with a movie and a cookie. We set  them up Nick and I broke out the beer and wine respectively and sat out under the full blue moon.  It was heaven.

Nick slept in the v-birth, Tova and I ended up on the pull out in the middle and Deven was in the quarter-birth. It was a short sleep because the sun woke the kiddos up at 6 (note: need curtains) but we had tons to do anyway.  We cleaned up a bit and then motored back to the marina.

Tova helping write:
#ewsfffffdfgh&$gsdhdhdxhhddhhdhddhhzhhzuauåzjhzhhjwijwurrudhbdxjszjjnz
lakhssjsuusjjhdjjhDdmdmcldue

We weaved through all the fishing boats on their way out and called it a great first night out. ⛵

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Let the Work Begin

Between work, kids, hockey, dance, homework, home projects, etc… time to work on the boat has been tough to come by. With the little time we do get, we try to actually use the boat but now that the weather has changed and a quick sail isn’t an option, it’s finally time to get busy. Priority number one is the compression post base, but I’m still undecided on exactly how I want to tackle it. The electrical system is next up, but it’s looking like that’s going to require a little more money than I’m willing to spend right now. So what’s next?…A functioning head door!

I’m not sure if I missed it during my first inspection, or it happened during one of our trips. Either way, there was a crack in the door where the bottom rail met the stile on the hinge side. The crack was open enough to wedge the door in the frame and make it difficult to open. Occasionally the door would get wedged tight enough to require a herculean feat of strength to pry it open (fantastic for keeping an argumentative kiddo who refuses to admit he needs to go the bathroom locked up, but not so inviting for guests). Luckily Ange has been working out and was willing (after an apology from the argumentative kiddo) to un-wedge the door.

After I got the door home it was time to assess the damage. It looked like a simple fix a little glue and a clamp could easily fix.  Unfortunately I learned the hard way glue doesn’t stick without cleaning the surface first and there was a little more stress pulling the crack apart than I thought.  Now I was stuck with the same crack, but it was full of dried glue.  30 minutes of scraping the crack later, I cleaned the crack and moved on to plan B.

Plan B was to use a Kreg jig to drill pocket screws in to the crack.  It sounded easy, but I don’t have good luck with the Kreg system and I was a little apprehensive to drill into the door.  The Kreg jig is designed to drill the holes before you assemble the joint, but since I couldn’t pull the joint apart, I couldn’t use the preset offsets on the jig.  All I could do was measure the offset and transfer it to the door.  I measured about a dozen times, drilled half a dozen test holes in scrap wood, and downed a few beers before I was ready to drill.

Luckily the Kreg kit worked out and the holes were straight and in the right place.  One more time with the glue and clamps to line everything up and the door was fixed!  All I had to do was install it.

I’ve hung every door in my house (some twice) and helped a few friends with their projects so I didn’t worry about putting the head door back up.  Obviously all that experience didn’t add up to much because I forgot how difficult it is to screw hinges still attached to the door into the frame without a helper.  No matter what I tried, it always seemed like I was just one hand short until I remembered a trick I saw on This Old House or one of the other home improvement shows.  A chisel over a screwdriver made a simple leaver I could use my foot to lift the door while I positioned and screwed the door into place.

We now have a functioning door to the head.  All I need is a few matching plugs to fill the screw holes and a new excuse to put the compression base repair off a little longer.

Slipper night

I noticed this was still in draft mode back from August 30 but wanted to post!

One of the things that we hope to have with this boat is the random “let’s take the boat out” evenings.  It was 5:30pm and we had been able to get dinner in the kiddos earlier than usual, it was a Friday and it wasn’t raining.  Let’s take the boat out.  The weather is changing fast around here so we all just happened to have our slippers on…so we decided to keep them on and grab some ice cream (and wine) while we were at it!

We just took her out to air craft carrier and back but we saw another boat with a bunch of tires on it and lazy seal on a big buoy so the kiddos felt like it was worth it.  We kept Sam the dog home for this quick trip though.

 

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Everett, WA – our first sailing guests

We had our first sailing guests today.  We left Sam home today so that left our brood plus their four!  We did it and we even sailed.  I’m not going to lie…I may have dropped a few swear words in front of the kids.  It was down right stressful but like a well choreographed dance troop my friends and I took turns taking on and off harnesses, vests, shoes and socks.  I’m thinking for short trips like this we have a lunch/big snack before we push off and then a snack and drinks when we get back to dock.  Having/fixing up lunch even if half prepped while under sail was what brought the eff bomb out. Either way another notch in our belt and more lessons learned on how to sail with kiddos, families and friends.  After a well deserved beer and copious amounts of safeway cookies and tortillas chips Nick and I decided to stay for a couple of more hours with the kids to…debrief.  It ended up being the most relaxed he and I have ever been on the boat…just soaking up the last bits of sun of this summer, drinking wine and letting kids tinker around.  Seriously great times.

Tova pretending to be asleep at the end of our “debrief” so she wouldn’t need to get her pic taken

Deven and Myka playing with his little pirate toys

Ryan a.k.a super daddo with Tova and his little lady Kara – once again Netflix to the rescue

Nick and Erin manning the helm – so glad I’m not the only one that gets a little sea sick

Tova finding me via the hatch when I escaped to the sunny bow during our “debrief”

Us.

PS – babysitters will be located next time these friends are out with us to ensure we don’t put them totally off sailing. 🙂

Port Townsend, WA

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I’ve had a few posts indirectly related to our first long trip with Luffalee but I wanted to also get one in the chart and the travel specifics.

We ended up leaving with the tide around 9:30am – we probably should have left around 9:00am but with two kiddos, a dog and Everett fog leaving timely wasn’t really in the cards.  We ended up motoring all the way to Port Townsend because the wind never showed up.  I was pretty much ok with this because it took me a while to get my sea legs…and not feel nauseous.  Kiddos seemed to do great though and were either below with me and Sam or tied up tight above with Nick.

On the way there I had stuff for quick sandwiches and snacks so “cooking” while under sail was not too much of an issue.  Cooking on the boat wasn’t too bad in general either.  I made sure I did all the pre-work in my own kitchen at home so I could just mix things together and / or heat things back up – we used two of the big ice blocks in the ice box and it was just the right amount to keep everything cold and fresh for the whole weekend with no issues.  It was easier to make sure the dining table was folded out for extra counter space and we used the portable stove for now but we are hoping to test out the actual stove on the boat soon.

When we were about 10 minutes out we called in to the Port and got our guest doc number.  We had some trouble figuring out the numbering system but we did find the spot pretty easily.  We stayed at the Port Townsend Boat Haven which turned out to be about a mile out of down town.  Normally this wouldn’t be an issue but with the Kiddos and a dog the walk got to be a little much especially on the way back when kiddo #2 passed out and the mama had to carry her back. 

Though Nick and I agree Boat Haven it is not a bad way to go at all.  The doc seemed brand new was high and easy for Sam and the kids to jump off the boat with ease and the gas station was open early daily.  If we have kiddoes next time though we will be sure to guest dock at the Point Hudson Marina and RV Park.  It was literally two blocks from down town and super nice.  Tons of shops and restaurants; store owners were so nice and pointed us to the best toy stores for kiddos to spend their allowances. We didn’t make it up to “Old Town” but there is always next time. 

When we left Sunday morning we tried again to leave with the tide but our confidence in the fog is just not there yet.  We did some circling and almost turned back to wait in out for longer but it finally lifted and we were actually able to sail for a while along the way.  Both kiddos passed out and missed a huge wake we ended up going through when a huge train barge passed us up. 

All and all I think our first trip was a good one – we learned a lot about what our little family needs / or doesn’t need on a 25 foot boat but I’m calling it a success.  What’s even more fun is that we were able to have some friends and their kiddos meet up with us back in Everett for some chatting, snacks and refreshments! 

Here is a map of our approximate rout.

 

Safety First

Before our first weekend sail we needed to make sure we had all the necessary safety equipment to make sure no kiddos or dogs or parents went over board.  Nick did a bunch of a research (of course) and inspection at local marine stores.  We went with the following life jackets for safe doc walking and sailing in general:

*Tova (a tiny 2.5 years) the Mustang Lil’ Legends 100

*Deven (5 years) the Mustang Lil’ Legends 70

* Me (older than my children) a West Marine Off Shore Inflatable Life Vest

* Nick (6 months younger than me) a Stearns Sospenders Inflatable Life Vest

* for Sam we got an Omega doggie vest

Nick did/does a ton of research on how to sail with kids specifically. The most prevalent safety note was to install a type of zip line system along the boat. He’s working on obtaining a folding pad eye that we can hook tethers and harnesses to but for this trip he rigged up a good substitute. Kids were pretty bummed about being “stuck” in the cockpit for this trip but Nick and I think it worked pretty well. They didn’t go overboard so we are calling it good.

Nick had looked all around for tethers and carabiners in marine stores but apparently they are crazy expensive. He’d read about just getting climbing gear instead and went to REI to see what they thought. From all accounts, climbing gear has the same to better standards with the only apparent downside being the gear is aluminum not stainless steal so you have to be diligent in washing and rinsing the gear off. The thethers were super cheep in comparison. The harnesses were basically the same amount but way more comfortable for tiny kiddo bodies see pic below of Tova napping in her harness.

While we were underway we had both kiddos in the harness with the vest on top tethered to the cleats on the top of the cabin. If we were docked they were either harnessed and tethered in or had a vest on – if they had a choice it was the harnesses due to comfort. I’m not sure if these rules will loosen as we become more comfortable on the boat and/or the kiddos just get older. Like I said above though…no one went overboard…so we’re good!!  ⛵

…of note

Just a few things I’ve learned only three hours in:

* unload a marina carte from the back first.
* kiddos walk even slower than usual on a doc.
* just because the bathroom is 1.5 square feet doesn’t mean your 2.5 year old will let you use it by yourself.
* even in a 25′ boat everyone still ends up hanging in the kitchen…or galley as it were.
*I get slightly sea sick.
*Netflix will be our savior.
*Sam the dog is even more nervous than I am.

That’s quite a long list for so short a time but the learning curve is steep out here.

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Motor installation Saturday.

We did it.  There is a wire splicing still necessary I’m told but other than that we are good for our planned trip to port angelas next week.  I was finally able to help a little bit too (other than ensure kiddos don’t kill each other).  Earlier this week Nick took an evening to install a new motor bracket mount so we were all ready to get the motor back on.  Things that were of concern:

* dropping the engine in the water
* flipping the boat around in the dock
* lifting the motor
* kiddos not cooperating whilst mama and daddo were not ably to give them attention

Well a nice Netflix Mickey mouse movie took care of the kiddo situation quite nicely.  Deven has informed Nick that a small on-board tv is necessary and I’m inclined to agree.

First we had to flip the boat from bow in to stern in.  It involved four lines on each courner of the boat and some exceptional team work.  Please note, I can take direction on occasion.  Kiddos didn’t even know we’d moved the boat.  Deven said later “we sailed??” …Almost buddy…

Next up, getting the motor up and onto the new bracket.  Good thing Nick and I are power houses.  For safety we tied the motor to the main halyard line.  Nick and I lifted the motor up setting it on a piece of the old bracket (slightly ironically) and balancing it on the skag of the motor. 

Then Nick grabbed the whole motor while I grabbed the main line and tightened up the slack so he could lift the motor on to the bracket.  Then I loosened up and held it until he said it was safe.  Home free.  It was pretty awesome.  At least from my view point.  Nick bolted it in, hooked up the battery and now all we have to do is hook up the alternator or the charger.  Stay tuned.

This is so much more fun than I even imagined!  ⛵

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