Made it to Bandon

Sunday we scheduled to take Doug's brother Jim and family for a sail   They got got here after church and true to normal afternoon winds had kicked up so we were not comfortable with a full house sail.   We had a nice visit instead.

Monday was calm and boring weather so we decided to motor to Bandon.  Much more character n fun than Charleston and motoring into Coos Bay would have taken just as long only to have to be repeated to get out.   Bandon is a great and cute city with a temperamental bar.   It was 'no restrictions' when we came in but I think the CG watched us swirl.  Within 10 minutes it was closed to less than 20 footers.  It was a cool surfing swirl, not freaky, but then a 20 foot open boat may not have been as comfy. 

Tuesday evening Doug's niece Keisha and friend Brooke came for a sail...  4:00 bar was closed to less than 20 feet. Based on the tides we suspected short term and called the CG just before they left Coos Bay.  CG confirmed it was improving and should all be fine to get back in.   She was due at 6, weather was perfect and we were ready to go.  By 6:15 we were socked in with unforecasted fog and not going anywhere.  She got here at 6:20.   NO wind so we raised the sails at dock, had photo opps, n Doug cooked the wonderful salmon the neighbors had given us.   If she would have been 'on time' we would have been out in pea soup and turning around real quick.  All in God's plan!

No anchorages here though we have tried several only to decide to come into dock.  Got smart and asked about weekly rates since this next week looks questionable and we have several business aspects that suggest we stay put.  $23 /day or $135 per month!  We bought the month and will leave when the timing is right.  We will use the time to catch up some business, boat tasks and spoil the kitties.  They like the boat if it is still (lots of extra pamper time) n tolerate if we are moving. 

The marina is dated, rusty cleats make tie up interesting,  and low on services.  No recycling or showers and only restrooms are the public ones at the end of town (4 blocks away).  Good thing the holding tank is done and working and pump out easy to get to.  Really we do have all the services we need on board but sometimes like to have larger showers and definately less moisture in boat is good.  Everything is walking distance and the church that we went to with Keisha in Coos Bay has a parent church here that we are looking forward to attending.  Awesome worship and teaching! 

We most likely will skip Brooking and head straight for Crescent City when we do get appropriate wind n seas.

Oops got written long time ago but not posted...

Yesterday, among many other things, Doug experimented with a mast climber a friend and client gave us to get himself up the mast. Decided we definitely need to get a non stretchy rope for that so he used the winch and hauled me up the mast to lube the sail tracks.  Wished I would've taken a camera with me.  Today was much easier, he hauled a cell phone / wifi booster up to test it.  Now his brain is working on how to get it further from all interfering signals.

In the mean time he dropped the role of wire on the cabin.  Squishy runs to the VBerth to hide and Maui to the cavity behind the head/toilet.  lol

We are still in Coos Bay.  Were thinking of trying to leave today but it works out for us to visit and sail with Jim and Lorella and family tomorrow.  Turned out to be a really good delay.   Wanting to stop in Bandon and that bar has been closed most of the day... due to high winds and waves.   We know we could pass it up and keep going to Brookings if we needed to which has been totally open with no restrictions.   Ocean is fine, just some of the bars.

We did get the holding tank upgraded from less than 20 to 49 gallons and several other projects done.  Feeling really good about accomplishments.  We were trying to leave dock yesterday to anchor out but our gregarious Maui Boy went for a walk.  We kept going out and calling and shaking his food can rattle then come back to touch base with each other and check if he came back.  He found his way back home but not before he found a really greasy boat to explore.    I grabbed a bucket of soapy water and a cat and began his bath.  Then rinsed him really well, all in my lap.  Then dried him and got my own shower.   I have never seen him groom so much!   He forgave me and slept right next to my head all night.  Still some grease between his toes but mostly clean.   Too exhausted and late to leave by then so spent another night at dock and came out this morning. 

Winds and waves are heavy, waves slap the boat rather aggressively and boat is heeling at anchor.  We have only ever had one set anchor shift and free us but we definitely do have an anchor alarm set.  Will likely be restful sleep but certainly not quiet. 

Coos Bay

We left Newport on Wednesday, June 11th, as soon as the tide rose enough for us to get out of J dock (we got stuck on the way in). Our goal was Winchester Bay, about 60 miles south. We could make it in daylight if we averaged 6 kts. Past the breakwater we were able to hoist the main sail in 5 to 12 knots of wind almost directly on the stern. We were averaging about 4 kts, not enough to get to Winchester before dark without motoring, but enough to be off of Coos Bay about dawn. The weather was good, we were having fun sailing, so we decided to press on to Coos Bay under sail. We had some problems when the wind lightened, the roll of the boat would overcome the wind pressure on the sail, causing the main sheet to slacken, then the boom would slam back out on the other side of the roll. We were able to tie a line on to the boom to hold it out in the roll, same concept as a whisker pole for a jib, and that helped considerably. We also had some issues with the radar after dark, the roll of the boat was getting false positives on the wave tops and setting off an alarm thinking there was another boat within range. We disabled the sentry, the on watch person would have to watch the radar occasionally for any real signals. This made night watches more enjoyable. Cindy was on watch when we got off of the bay entrance, she slacked the sail and had us bobbing until daylight. We then dropped the sail, motored in, anchored out until the marina office opened. About 24 hours total, only 2 of them on the motor. Friends Steve and Vicky from Loch Fyne, whom we'd met in Newport, set off a day later than us. Their wind was from the south, they motored the whole way and got in at 4:00am Friday. We'd had some stuff sent ahead to Doug's brother Jim, who lives in Gold Beach. This included a new 49 gallon holding tank, which Jim delivered on Saturday. Doug's niece Keisha visited that afternoon, took Doug on some provisioning errands, then we took her out to dinner. Sunday morning we went to church with her, then we got going on the projects. Zoom ahead to today (Thursday), we have the old (way to small) holding tank and hoses out, the new tank and hoses in, the port water tank bleached, flushed, and filled, the 30 year old bilge pump replaced (it had failed en route). While we prefer to anchor out, to change the holding tank we really needed to be in port to be able to run up to the restrooms when needed. We have been fortunate to be able to dock withing reach of the holding tank pump out. Also fortunate that the port had a 2 1/8" hole saw we could borrow to finish the holding tank install. We'll get stuff re-stowed tomorrow. We've got a leak in our dinghy that needs patching, and maybe Doug will do some fishing or crabbing. Hoping to get some time with Jim's family over the weekend, or maybe next week when we get down to Bandon.

Fishing, Part 2.

We are still in Yaquina Bay (Newport, OR). Sometime we anchor out, some times we pull in to South Beach Marina for power and bus service for provisioning, or for a little quiet from the wind, which has been significant. Last week I took the dinghy out to the jetties and fished for a while. I caught a black rockfish, about 11". After filleting, it was about enough for one person. I took the dinghy to the bayfront and picked up some more rockfish for a compete dinner, and ran a few other errands. No pictures, the Admiral didn't like the sculpin pictures, so no more. But the time shaking the stick at the water was relaxing. The other part of the rockfish went to crab bait, worked lots better than the sculpins, and netted us a crab for omelets in the morning. My cousin Leanne came over for the weekend. She had several crab traps and rings. The boat stayed in the marina, we took the dinghy out and caught 4 keeper crabs the first day (yummy dinner for the three of us) and three the next morning, which went home to Uncle Bob and Aunt Marietta. Doug and Leanne also got to go to Stephanie's Cafe in Nye Beach for Salmon Sandwiches, both because they are yummy, and as a tribute to our mothers. It was one of their favorite things to do together. Leanne loaned us a couple of rings for our voyage.