Ships
Log
Sept. 6, 2010
Sept. 2, 2010
Aug. 31, 2010
Aug. 30, 2010
Aug. 29, 2010
Aug. 27, 2010
Aug 24, 2010
Aug. 10, 2010
Aug. 9, 2010
Aug. 6, 2010
Aug. 5, 2010
Aug. 4, 2010
Aug. 3, 2010
Aug 2, 2010
Letter to Lon & BetsyJjuly 29, 2010
July 27,2010
July 26, 2010
July 25, 2010
Jeremiah 2
July 24, 2010
Excerpt from Jeremiah
July 22, 2010
July 21, 2010
July 20, 2010
July 19, 2010
July 5, 2010
July 3, 2010
July 1, 2010
June 30, 2010
June 28, 2010
June 11, 2010
June 7, 2010
June 4, 2010
June 1, 2010
Hilo Hawaii
Back on land
Sterling Hayden
The Wanderer
Kipling
Shamaness FISHING and Sailing in Canada
Shamaness Ship Log Monday,September 6, 2010
Joy and Dennis spent our "rainy day" (today) anchored in Gowlland Harbor, about two miles from the Campbell River Marinas. We enjoyed the incredible peaceful setting here in Oregon mist with tiny islands and trees on all sides of the Shamaness.Joy ran the crab trap (caught one small starfish), "played" cards, baked and ate cookies, and Dennis installed the salmon fishing downrigger on the stern rail. Bob and Kathy are arriving tomorrow afternoon so hoping for better weather so we can go see the beautiful marine park (Desolation Sound) with sunshine. The locals report the biggest run of SOCKEYE salmon in recent memory so we hope to get in on good salmon fishing soon. Wishing you all were here with us.
Love, Dennis & Joy
Ship Log September 2, 2010
Relaxing in Gowlland Harbor. (Arrived Campbell River last night.)
The long trip(45 miles+/-) from Port Neville to Campbell river went great yesterday, with very small tides to minimally slow and speed the Shamaness along the Inside Passage (Johnstone Straights). The passage through Seymour Narrows was easy too because of the NEAP tides...(smaller tides of the partial moon rather than full moon.) I followed two salmon net boats through the Narrows...they hug the rocks on the East side to gain relief from the current and avoid the more dangerous area on the West side of the Seymour Narrows.
I spent the night anchored in a small inlet called Gowlland Harbor about two miles from Campbell River. I plan to check into a marina tomorrow, check in with Canadian Customs and start the laundry, groceries, diesel, etc routine. Beautiful sunny day today, birds, seals, kayakers all surround the Shamaness. Joy is arriving Saturday night to enjoy the Pacific Northwest, and Desolation Sound Cruising. Friends Bob and Kathy due in early next week to "assist" with cruising, salmon, crab, oysters, etc.
Love, Dennis
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At<9/2/2010> <0730> (utc) our position was <50.04 degrees N lat, 125.13 degrees W long.>
Ship Log 8.31.2010
(On passage from Port Hardy, B.C. to Campbell River, B.C.)
The weatherman called it right ...it started raining early last evening and continued to rain off and on all day. The wind has been light and variable BUT cold! The Shamaness stayed anchored in Port Neville, a small finger/ bite/ fjord off the main "highway" (Johnstone Straight) along the east side of Vancouver Island. Mostly books were read , cookies were eaten, too much coffee was drunk aboard the Shamaness here today. The skipper did fix two boat problems and enjoy a day of rest, watching the cabin heater keep it warm and toasty in the main salon while Mother Nature watered the trees. A black and white loon surfaced in the kelp 20 feet from the boat and posed for a portrait. The salmon trollers stayed at anchor near me, two cruisers left in the rain and only one "retreated" back into this calm, protected spot out of the 15 knot wind outside in the channel.
The next leg of my voyage to Campbell River involves crossing another one of these Pacific Northwest "hazards" called NARROWS! The Seymour Narrows lies 35 miles ahead and the sailing directions read as follows:
" Seymour Narrows...
The currents in Seymour Narrows run to 16 knots on the flood and 14 knots on the ebb, flooding south and ebbing north. This is a passage to be transited at or near slack water."
I plan to "wait" for the proper time for SLACK WATER and motor through the narrows as fast as possible! The dangerous Seymour Narrows are only 1 1/2 miles long, are navigated by cruise ships and right now the maximum flood tide current is only 12 knots! Campbell River lies just a few miles south of the Narrows.
The weather radio stations are reporting windy conditions on the west (ocean) side of Vancouver Island, but the storm seems to be breaking up now as the sun is setting. I expect to resume my voyaging tomorrow morning, weather permitting.
Love, Dennis
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At<8/31/2010> <0730> (utc) our position was <50.30 degrees N lat, 126.05 degrees W long.>
Ship Log 8.30.2010 Anchored in Port Neville, B.C.
The weatherman called for rain last night, but no rain. Another gorgeous day, so the Shamaness motored 45 miles closer to Campbell River. I was planning to tie up to the abandoned (FREE!) government dock here in this protected 8 mile long finger off Johnstone Straights, but the commercial salmon boats are rafted up three deep. I guess they all believe that TONITE the Gale force winds and rain will arrive! I am in a protected spot and well anchored in good holding ground, so no worries!
I was advised by the Park/ Sanctuary Warden to stay one-half mile away from shore while passing through the protected area...he said that two pods of KILLER WHALES were working along the shore today. I spotted a huge (apparent) whale watching tour boat lurking where the whales were supposed to be, but I didn't get too close and saw no KILLERS! I do see whales everyday though and have several tail photos so far. The BIG salmon net boats are constantly motoring all over the place, so obviously salmon are here. Some salmon netters head for Port Hardy with so many tons of fish onboard that the bow is high in the air and the stern appears to be UNDERWATER! I cruised close to a fleet of hook/ line salmon trollers today and it appeared that they were catching silver and/ or pink? salmon as fast as three fishermen could run the lines.
Well, time to do the dishes, cook dinner...watch the evening sunset and the moonrise. Might just stay anchored in here a couple of days!
Love, Dennis
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At<8/30/2010> <0730> (utc) our position was <50.30 degrees N lat, 126.05 degrees W long.>
Ship Log 8.29.2010
Anchored in Sointula, B.C. ...on the way to Campbell River, B.C.
The Shamaness and crew (Dennis) departed Port Hardy at 2:30PM today and rode the in-coming tide south to anchor before dark in a small cove with a fishing village, called Sointula. The original settlers were Finnish and Sointula means Utopia! Apparently the original townspeople didn't "make it " here, but local fishermen have a nice little spot with a marina, ferry boat landing, and the beautiful peaceful waters of Queen Charlotte Sound. The Canadian geese are making a racket near shore off the starboard side of Shamaness and an occasional commercial salmon boat motors in and out of the sleepy marina on the port side. The barometer took a big drop today and the weatherman is predicting rain and strong winds south of us tonight and tomorrow. We are happy here, and will declare a "harbor day", as Betsy says, if the weather isn't nice tomorrow. The Shamaness is racing Joy Evans to Campbell River as she arrives by aeroplane on September 4th. The Seymour Narrows (Tidal currents approaching SIXTEEN knots on extra high tides!) lie 70 miles ahead but otherwise, the going looks pretty easy. Travel by daylight is much preferred as there are many islands, can be an occasional log floating , and navigation issues are continuous. The Shamaness will time the tide perfectly and "take no chances" while crossing the Narrows.
The afternoon of motoring across a huge inland bay, called Queen Charlotte Sound was blissful. An incredible expanse of absolutely calm sea with oily reflections from the clouds, was only disrupted by passing salmon trawlers loaded to the gunwales with fresh salmon headed to Port Hardy for worldwide consumption. One tall mountain range far to the east still flashes snow on the mountain tops. One whale surfaced near the Shamaness and a couple nice photos were collected.
Dinner was excellent tonite: pork chops, potatoes, steamed carrots and swiss chard. Dessert was chocolate dipped macaroons. Oh, hors'derves were compliments of the Queen Charlotte Islands and Lon and Betsy's new Little Chief salmon smoker! Bye for now, all is well along the Inside Passage, 40 miles south of the north end of Vancouver Island.
Love, Dennis
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At<8/29/2010> <0730> (utc) our position was <50.38 degrees N lat, 127.02 degrees W long.>
Ship Log August 27,2010
Headed for Cruising Vancouver Island (Hotsprings Island, Gwai Haanas National Park to Vancouver Island)
Lon Sharp and Betsy Cardell were piped off the Shamaness yesterday afternoon and reluctantly took their seats in the FIRST row of the Moresby Explores zodiac with twelve other souls bundled and foulied to the max. Their "sailor dog", Pedro, was also sheathed in a raincoat for the long three hour ride at full throttle from Hotsprings Island to Moresby Camp. A ride on the ferry should have landed them in Queen Charlotte Village last evening. The weather was sunny and the winds calm so hopefully they were warm and dry and an hour in Lon's sauna cured the aching muscles of a high speed dinghy ride. ( Teenage speed demon at the helm.)
As usual, Dennis reluctantly said goodbyes to new and old friends, and trudged slowly to the bow to weigh anchor and sail on to a new adventure. The gorgeous mountains, and the prolonged sunset blazing in the clouds over the Queen Charlotte Islands, tugged at my "decision" to leave for a good while. I had a terrific time relaxing with Lon and Betsy and meeting many of their wonderful friends for the last two weeks. They hosted parties, searched frantically for the "tardy" Shamaness in the fog, treated me to a salmon fishing trip on the "West Coast", took me everywhere on the island to buy supplies and refit the Shamaness after the long voyage from Hawaii. Finally, we all cruised south from Queen Charlotte City aboard the Shamaness to explore and sight-see in the "PARK" as they call the huge National Park including the entire one quarter of the south end of the Queen Charlotte Islands. We stopped to tour Haida Indian campsites, spent "a harbor day" anchored in mountain paradise to wait out a rainy day , and finally soaked in the hotsprings overlooking Juan Perez Sound and the cloud enshrined mountain tops to the west. These islands are truly another..."most beautiful place" in the world. Although our logging forefathers clearcut much of the old growth spruce, cedar and fir trees many years ago, the timber has returned and these islands are wild, remote, and absolutely pristine. The salmon runs are awe-inspiring ,(although the "springs" or much preferred King salmon stocks may be smaller lately), the halibut, lingcod and rockfishing is amazing .
Now the Shamaness is motoring at 3 knots, then 6 knots as the the tide changes, heading for the northern channel entrance to "sneak" behind Vancouver Island. I expect to anchor in Port Hardy at 4 AM tomorrow. The trip has been real easy with little or no wind and the swells in this notoriously rough Hecate Straights no problem. Bye for now and THANK YOU over and over to Lon and Betsy for showing me your incredible islands and for being such incredibly wonderful hosts and friends!
Love, Dennis
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At<8/27/2010> <0730> (utc) our position was <51.35 degrees N lat, 129.20 degrees W long.>
Shamaness Ship Log August 24. 2010
Anchored at Murchison Island, Gwai Haanas National Park, Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C.
Betsy, Lon, Pedro (Ship's Dog) and Captain Dennis motored away from the dock in the Village of Queen Charlotte last Friday on a tour of the beautiful Gwai Haanas Park which includes the southern one quarter of the area of the Queen Charlotte Islands. We visited the historic Haida Indian village site at Skedans Point, and spent two days waiting out a summer rainy spell in Thurston Harbor. We plan to cruise a small distance tomorrow to Hotsprings Island and enjoy a hot tub courtesy of mother nature. Betsy and Lon struggled with teaching Dennis to play cribbage on a rainy day, but were successful in their efforts to teach the proper method of rum swilling.
We fished for five minutes yesterday and landed a (chicken or small/ good eating size ) halibut of fifteen pounds and Lon and Betsy are now baking halibut in the galley. The weather here is sunny, toasty, gorgeous after a two day cloudy spell with rain. We are enjoying a peaceful evening anchored in the center of small forested islands on all sides, 100 yards away. The crab trap is fishing as we watch the sun slowly set behind the spruce and cedar forest, and lust for the halibut aroma sneaking from the galley oven.
Lon and Betsy are scheduled to hire a boat taxi from Hotsprings Island back north to Queen Charlotte City on Thursday and the Shamaness will continue on South to Vancouver Island and Campbell River to cruise Desolation Sound. The autopilot is working again and all is well aboard Shamaness.
Bye for now, Love, Betsy, Lon, & Dennis
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At<8/24/2010> <0730> (utc) our position was <52.35 degrees N lat, 131.28 degrees W long.>
Shamaness Ship Log August 10, 2010 8PM Day 24 of our Voyage from Hawaii to Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C.
We "dropped" the hook (err, tied the bow end to a great big mooring buoy ) in Trounce Inlet, Graham Island, Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C. this afternnoon about 4PM. We are surrouded by tall, very steep forested mountains on three sides with the entrance to the East Skidegat Narrows to the south. The last four days of this voyage packed all the drama and suspense of our ENTIRE 24 day passage from Hawaii. We blew out our working jib, overheated the engine, lost the autopilot, unexpectly "ran out" of fuel in the tank that was reserved for "LET US MOTOR", and worked ourselves to the limit by hand-steering the boat through fog, rain, and squalls for four days and nights. Pretty much the capper occurred this morning when Captain Dennis discovered that he had entered an APPROXIMATE position of the entrance to the Skidegat Channel into the GPS and we were actually 43 miles at sea instead of 17 miles. With a high tide at 2PM and Lon Sharp and Marvin waiting to pilot us through the dangerous West and East Skidegat Narrows, this detail became pretty embarrassing. We motored at full throttle, but were two hours late and Lon and Marvin retreated back to Queen Charlotte City all wet and cold and worried about the possible fate of the Shamaness and all hands. THEY CALLED the Canadian Coast Guard and reported us as BAD BOYS...but it was wonderful to get the word out that we are MORE than just OK! We're GREAT!
The overheated engine had to have a new water pump impellor replaced at sea between shifts of driving the boat 24/7. (Actually, we Hove-To twice for sleep as NO MANPOWER left!) We hoisted the small storm jib as not possible to repair the ripped sail without a sewing machine. We discovered that the "empty" fuel tank has a blocked fuel line, so we siphoned and transferred diesel to the other fuel tank.
We are tucked into isolated Trounce Inlet tonite, waiting for the next high tide in daylight hours so we can cross the East Skidegat Narrows safely. That will be tommorrow afternoon at 4PM . We "pushed" the envelope today by crossing the West Skidegat Narrows 2 hours after high tide. Mother Nature has blessed these waters with TWENTY FOOT tides, so today I felt like we were river rafting in a 20,000 pound sailboat. (EVERBODY knows you can't play baseball in the major leagues with a whiffle-ball bat! Right?)
It seemed like floating down the American River in an inner tube on the fourth of July until my imagination drifted into thoughts of WE'RE out of our league here! Can you visualize rafting the Colorado River in the Shamaness? Well, I decided NO MORE Narrows today!
So now we're almost out of beer, tequila, rum, and Chivas but looking forward to completing this voyage tomorrow about 6 or 7 PM when Lon, Betsy and their friends meet us at the dock in Queen Charlotte City.
Loving the PEACE of being tied to a mooring ball! Love, Dennis & Jeremiah
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At<8/11/2010> <0730> (utc) our position was <53.09 degrees N lat, 132.18 degrees W long.>
Ship Log August 9, 2010 2AM
We are now 117NM miles away from the Skidegat Entrance. The winds are fair and we're making good time. Our autopilot stopped working two days ago so hand-steering/ exhausted crew. We have 10 gallons of diesel in a deck tank and an unknowen (3-5 gallons?) amount of diesel in the starboard fuel tank. So we have plenty of diesel to motor up the channel IF this wind holds. We feel that we will be entering the channel at 10A<M on August 10 unless wind dies or we get headed...
LOVE, Dennis & Jeremiah
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At<8/08/2010> <0930> (utc) our position was <53.04 degrees N lat, 136.14 degrees W long.>
Ship Log August 6, 2010 Day 20 at sea 336 NM to go
Another awesome day of sailing across the NE Pacific Ocean. We are enjoying the good fortune of sailing between a mellow low pressure air mass to the north and a stable high pressure air mass on our starboard or southern side. The weather fax and grib files predict that this weather will continue for another couple days and this westerly wind will carry us right to the Queen Charlotte Islands. I am NOW expecting our ETA at the entrance to the Skidegat Narrows Channel will be Tuesday morning, August 10. We plan to enter the channel with a rising (incoming/ flood) tide so we can motor through two narrow and shallow spots at high/ slack tide. Lon and Betsy plan to meet us along the channel in Captain Marvin's powerboat and pilot us through the narrows. Both Jeremiah and I are ready for landfall, a hot shower, and celebration with friends.
Jeremiah is anxious to graduate from Bluewater Cruising School, receive his diploma and haul ass to Hong Kong on his NEXT adventure. He has certainly earned his promotion from First Mate/ Sailing Master to candidate as Ship Captain. The diploma will carry the Magna cum laudum (Laudanum?) endorsement and all paperwork matters are clear...the proper Graduation Ceremony is being formulated. Excerpts from ceremonies past follow for consideration:
"The new men aboard (ship) got the full treatment. The Elf played a diminutive King Neptune, with a wooden crown made by the carpenter and something resembling a cloak. Paddy was his queen, Amphitrite, with a hideous yellow-painted, mophead wig and two iron cups strapped on as breasts."
"Neptune emerged from the fo'c's'le and walked aft with his entourage, one of his attendants blowing hard on an old metal horn that was supposed to be a conch, and that produced two alternating, wavering, off-key notes."
The veteran hands clustered round with buckets of water and other ominous, unidentifiable substances. One of the King's attendants read from a scroll. He exhorted Neptune's subjects to admire the beauty of the king's hairy-chested queen. He read out the three rules that would see a man handsomely through life: never heave anything to windward except hot water, ashes, and piss once you'd rounded the Horn; never drink small beer when you can get strong; never roger the maid when you can roger the mistress. The Captain looked grim..."
"Let the ceremony begin," hollered the Elf-king.
Please BE ON TIME to the Graduation Ceremony of Captain Jeremiah Johnson!
Love, Dennis & Jeremiah
P.S. 3AM...the autopilot has decided to QUIT! It's cold, blowing HARD and misting rain outside. But no worries as Jeremiah has tweaked the sheets, tied off the wheel with a bungy cord so we're still cruising pretty close to on course! (Captain Dennis backwinded the staysail slightly so now we have the jib and staysail balanced for only about 20 degrees on "wandering.")
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At<8/06/2010> <0030> (utc) our position was <51.47 degrees N lat, 141.49 degrees W long.>
Shamaness Ship Log August 5, 2010 Day 19 483 NM to go
The barometer started falling yesterday afternoon and sure enough, the wind and rain caught us last evening. The good news is that the wind is out of the south and we're sailing downwind, right on course for the Queen Charlotte entrance. We're hunkered down in a rolly following sea , reading, drinking too much coffee and watching the radar for shipping. Jeremiah spotted two freighters on his morning watch. They were both four miles away on the radar and he was able to "see" one of them through the low clouds and fog. The grib files weather report predicts we'll have this same southerly wind for another 24 hours and then a 14 knot northwesterly is supposed to escort us into the Skidegat Narrows entrance channel.
We are luxuriating in the Shamaness cabin with the Force 10 cabin heater burning brightly and keeping us toasty warm. A last minute reading rush is developing as Jeremiah and I are both attacking the "must reads" before the frenzied activity of landfall stops the book fun. Otherwise, we both stare in amazement at the miles to go reading on the GPS. We are closing the door on a 2300NM sailing voyage from Hanalei, Hawaii to the Queen Charlotte Islands...truly the stuff for yachties and pub dwellers to ponder. But we need to keep changing sails as needed to keep this old girl on course and at speed. Bye for today.
Love, Dennis & Jermiah
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At<8/05/2010> <0030> (utc) our position was <50.17 degrees N lat, 144.58 degrees W long.>
Shamaness Ship Log August 4, 2010 Midnite watch. Day 18 at sea.
After a sunny, warm, but windless afternoon, we now have a 15 knot sou'easterly blowing us along at 6 knots. Jeremiah is asleep but we may need to drop some more sails soon if the wind freshens much more. The seas are flat and we aren't really heeling too much, but the boat is overpowered and the autopilot is working too hard. We are anxious to sail as fast as we can, but not interested in a "rough" ride at night or getting caught with WAY too much sail in the air if the wind suddenly starts to blow really hard.
I feel we are possibly going to make landfall on Wednesday, August 11 instead of Monday August 9. It seems I counted on my fingers and made a mistake! We are now 563 NM from Queen Charlotte Islands and averaging around 110 miles per day. The weather continues to treat us kindly but we're possibly going to hit strong northerly winds near land. So all's well here...Love, Dennis & Jeremiah
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At<8/05/2010> <0030> (utc) our position was <49.40 degrees N lat, 146.49 degrees W long.>
Shamaness Ship Log August 3, 2010 Day 17
We sailed 126 NM yesterday and are bombing along at 5-6 knots again today. The Shamaness loves wind on the beam and the fog is keeping the seas flat, so we're gliding almost silently through heavy fog. We just cut the DISTANCE TO GO to the entrance to the channel leading to Queen Charlotte City to 699 Nautical Miles. On paper, we hope to follow the rising tide 15 miles up the Skidegat Narrows and drop anchor in Queen Charlotte City next Monday, August 9th. The weather forecast mentions 200 miles of North by Northwesterlies as we near land. Hopefully we won't have too much trouble sailing through those prevailing / local winds. Lon and Betsy have mentioned plans to help us stay in the deep water and cross through two Narrows at high tide. A friend of theirs with a powerboat has agreed to meet us and pilot us through two dangerous spots.
We are still eating good food (Chicken, mashed potatoes with carrots and chicken gravy for lunch) but no veggies for us lately. The beer bread, cornbread, biscuits and coffee cakes are keeping us energized, although we've hardly touched the sails for three days now. The wind and seas are steady all day and night and the autopilot is steering perfectly.
The BIG NEWS aboard Shamaness is that Jeremiah received notice that a movie script he wrote has been accepted and he is requested to report to Hong Kong on August 20th to join the film crew as a daily scriptwriter as script changes are frequently required during movie making. So all KUDUS and CONGRATULATIONS to Jeremiah Johnson.
Best of Luck and Well Done!!!
Love, Dennis and Jeremiah
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At<8/04/2010> <0030> (utc) our position was <48.24 degrees N lat, 149.53 degrees W long.>
Shamaness Ship Log August 2, 2010 Day 16 at Sea 843 NM to Queen Charlotte Islands
We are sailing downwind on a Southerly breeze on the rhumbline for the entrance channel to Queen Charlotte City. Our red spinnaker still lives and is pulling us at 5-6 knots for the second day in a row. We are definitely feeling the ambient temperature drop and started the cabin heater this morning to keep the foggy dampness out of the sailboat. After several days of foggy, drizzly weather, we are enjoying a beautiful sunny day with calm seas. The Shamaness is silently gliding along as though we're sailing through the TWILIGHT ZONE!
Actually, we're expecting the present wind and seas to continue for several days more, but THEN our friends aboard the S/V Isis report strong northerly winds about 500 miles ahead. So, we plan to luxuriate as long as it lasts and then expect to be sailing hard on the wind for the last 2-3 days before we reach land. Hope all is well for all of you back home. Aloha!
Love, Dennis & Jeremiah
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At<8/02/2010> <2230> (utc) our position was <47.08 degrees N lat, 152.41degrees W long.>
Shamaness Ship Log July 31, 2010 Day 14 on Passage from Hanalei Bay, Hi. to Queen Charlotte City, B.C.
Letter to Lon Sharp & Betsy Cardell
Village of Queen Charlotte City
Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C.
Dear Lon & Betsy:
We are anxiously dreaming of plucking one of your "almost ripe" tomatoes from the pot on the window sill and retiring to your cedar-lined sauna. I hope the sauna loving cat is still alive as I'd love to push him over and sit next to him while the steaming, magical vapors of the sauna pull evil spirits from my tired bones. As you might expect, (we're having another "the voyage of our lives",) but terra firma, your warm log cabin, fresh veggies, and seeing our old friends sounds wonderful right now.
Our sailing voyage has been rather "easy" so far with only 3-4 days of hard sailing, but we are now becalmed and motoring due north through fog, making an attempt to slip around the top of the Pacific High Pressure System and pick up a favorable breeze toward your house again. We are carefully monitoring our diesel supply and are currently OK, but we are still 1000NM or so away from the entrance to Skidegate Narrows. We need two gallons of diesel every day to keep our batteries charged, the autopilot steering, the frig humming, etc., and will not be using our "battery charging" allotment of fuel for motoring.
We are fishing again today, hoping for a yellowfin tuna or albacore. The Mahi-Mahi we caught 2 days ago is still on the menu but we're scratching for a new recipe. Our days are spent reading, cooking, sleeping and (sometimes) SAILING. We have been lucky to find mellow southerly winds for the last week or more and hope those same winds will keep pushing us to the Queen Charlottes when we get away from this area a couple hundred miles. We expect to find prevailing northerlies or northwesterly winds close to land but expect we will be able to sail across them on a beam reach. (If NOT GALE force!) Our ETA is 10 days or maybe more, depending on the wind. Looking forward to visiting all the beautiful places you can show us.
Love, Dennis & Jeremiah
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At<7/30/2010> <2300> (utc) our position was <44.18 degrees N lat, 155.297degrees W long.>
Shamaness Ship Log July 29,2010 Day 12 at sea
We landed a 15 pound Mahi-Mahi this morning, so delicious fresh fish for lunch and dinner. Did YOU know that Mahi-Mahi aka Dorado live at 41 degrees North latitude? The weather is amazingly "the same" with sou'west wind at 5-12 knots and 2-4 foot following seas continuing to push us straight to the Queen Charlotte Islands. We have flown the spinnaker all day today, even driving the Shamaness dead downwind through the rain squalls that catch up to us every two hours or so. The autopilot is steering and doing a great job.
We crossed the HALF WAY point of our voyage today and hope that we might be able to sail the second leg faster if this favorable wind continues. The only problem with sailing between passing low pressure areas and a huge high pressure is of course, unstable weather! Which means we often are left with periods of very little wind (all night last night) and then rain squalls travel along when the nice southerly winds fill back in again. So we motored for three hours last night, sailed at 2-4 knots for six hours, then flew the spinnaker all day...total mileage gained: 100 miles.
Love, Dennis and Jeremiah
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At<7/29/2010> <0345> (utc) our position was <41.52 degrees N lat, 158.15 degrees W long.>
Shamaness Ship Log July 27, 2010
Ahhh, Shamaness coffee cake is smelling up the boat! We "stormed" our way through the squalls, sailed through light air yesterday and motored all night last night. The good news is that the starboard fuel tank isn't seeping diesel into the salon sole anymore. We overfilled the tank and either a small crack around the filler outlet or the hose connection is seeping just enough diesel to give the crew and the Shamaness an odor known as truck driver cologne. I grew up proudly piloting stinky diesel tractors through the pear orchard and hauling pears to L.A., driving a screamin' jimmy up the grapevine at 11 knots as an 18 year old truck driver. The roar of a diesel, the heat in the wheelhouse, and that "oily feeling" are all old hat for me. Jeremiah seems complacent to all bad news, as life aboard is a grand step up from U.S. Marine maneuvers in Death Valley. Diesel footprints are really just another badge of honor here.
We plan to shut the diesel down in a minute and hoist the spinnaker and mizzen staysail and sail north on a very light sou'wester. Since the low pressure cell caught us two days ago, we've been plaqued with not enough wind to sail at our target boat speed of 5 knots. It seems that we're caught between a low and a high, so cloudy, drizzly, confused weather similar to a ITCZ or transition zone. (Just imagine driving from the country(Low Pressure) to the city(High Pressure Cell)... well, now we're in the suburbs!)
Bye for today! Love, Dennis & Jeremiah
P.S. Jeremiah "is one with an albatross" that has been following us for three days. The bird won't talk to me, and me unarmed and all. In order to explain our daily latitude/ longitude position to those among you that were busy writing love notes or dreaming about "poppin' the clutch" at the signal light while the teacher explained THE EARTH IS ROUND, we have included an easy way to understand exactly where we are. First of all, you'll need a CHART, not a road map. Then trace a line south from Anchorage, Alaska for 1,455 NM (nautical miles), another line from Sendai, Japan (2708NM) to San Francisco (1,817 NM). Finally, run your trembling pinkie finger 1,013 NM north from Honolulu. THERE we are! You can probably see us flying the big red and white spinnaker with the green staysail trailing behind like a pack mule. We're smelling the roses, listening to autopilot groan, drifting through the suburbs at 4.0 (Four decimal zero) knots ...patiently hoping we sail back into 10 knots of a warm westerly from Japan.
Shamaness Ship Log July 26, 2010
We're sailing along in warm sunshine with an 8 knot breeze from the northwest. Last night was a "sail training" session with waves of squalls from midnight to 6 A.M. The wind blew from all directions as a low pressure cell passed through our path and literally dumped torrential rain for 10-15 minutes at a time with gusty winds of 15-20 knots. Both Captain Dennis and Sailing Master Jeremiah were required on deck several times to pilot the RAGING Shamaness through the squalls with no broken gear or blown out sails. (One pair of reading glasses were crushed in the melee.) A highlight of our night was viewing a rainbow off our port bow in the moonlight!
Today is laundry day as our sailing friends farther along on this passage report cloudy, 20 knot winds on the nose! We hope to skirt the easterly winds by continuing on our present northerly heading and sail into the westerly winds of the north or top side of the Pacific High. As I hunt and peck at the salon table, the 5 gallon deck (laundry) bucket is filling with freshwater from the watermaker. Jeremiah is in the galley scrubbing dishes and preparing tuna sandwiches for lunch.
Several nights ago, the Shamaness crew decided to capture the Shamaness sailing in moonlight while hundreds of miles at sea. The rubber dinghy was set adrift with "ever adventurous" Jeremiah aboard clutching his cameras and a pair of oars. The Shamaness circled slowly around the busy photographer in his mighty vessel. Some AMAZING digital photos will be shared in the coming weeks and since the 35mm film camera also captured images on special low light film (ASA 3200)...we're very hopeful of some NEVER seen before AWESOME photos of the Shamaness sailing through the light of a full moon , framed with fluffy clouds.
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Before the night of squalls came 12 hours of downwind, duck-bobbing fun. You don't always get to sail the course you'd like:
Wing & Wing
What a loathsome tack this downwind course,
sliding from crest , skewing to trough.
Our stern washes out so down we crash,
Then pitching sway leaves galley in disarray,
and our meals foul on the floor.
Then there's the moon,
he grins like a loon,
has followed us all this way.
What does he want? Grinning dumb cunt,
you sky-hammock dunce, safe on the quay with your stars!
Oh what I'd give for reach,
broad, balanced and neat.
To hell with this course,
decks bouncing like whores,
first we slip next we slide - DAMMIT! -
I'd rather spend a night thirty seconds to jybe!
-Jeremiah Johnson
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At<7/26/2010> <2348> (utc) our position was <36.49 degrees N lat, 161.25 degrees W long.>
Shamaness Ship Log addendum July 25,2010
We've been sailing nicely for 24 hours now, the wind gradually incresing to 8 knots from the south by southwest. A small low pressure is forecast to reach us in 24 hours to give us even more wind. We are pretty pleased with our current position and strategy to avoid more "becalmed" areas .
Galley fare has included corned beef with trimmings, banana bread, and corned beef hash, eggs and fresh biscuits for breakfast. Life is good out here!
Love, Dennis & Jeremiah
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At<7/25/2010> <2304> (utc) our position was <35.00 degrees N lat, 161.55 degrees W long.>
Excerpt from the personal log of Jeremiah Johnson, first mate aboard the ketch 'SHAMANESS'-
July 24th, 2010 0327hours
Position:
N032º34.542'
W161º46.475'
heading:
357ºN / 5.2kts
1762nm from Queen Charlotte Island, B.C.
4th Watch
Chug, chug our engine sings
we've lost our wind
our sails won't scream-
Motoring, our engine heats the boat twenty degrees past the ambient seventy. I'm fearful of the malaise-fatigue stalking our windless state. Seas: Broad swells like blue-water prairie pockets. Wind: 0kts,no wind. Clouds: 10%, cumulus cotton.
The dark, hot, night is bright, the round moon-orb peers at our little vessel, bright pools - moonlight - dance across the sea's light stippling. I've just woken for last watch, already exhausted by the effort.
The heat below leeches our strength, when we rest our precious
life-water seeps from bruised pores, lost forever in the hot dank of the down below.
Skipper retires to his forecastle, that dark cave forward, while I struggle up the companion way ladder, breaching through the hatch like a drowning whale out into the cooler air of the dark pacific night.
Groggy and spent I make the hatch and rest. Turning round by my hands and I drop heavily to the mahogany ledge of the cabin's main hatch. A great circle of dark horizon stares back at me; nothing shining, nothing moving.
Below my swampy flesh Madame Yanmar chugs incessantly, her hot fumes; fuel, coke-soot and oil, cook my nostrils and foul the air. The day's pain has just begun.
My head aches: dehydration, caffeine, engine fumes - all of these are suspects, all culprits. Shamaness' easy motion under becalmed diesel power lulls me. My eye lids turn to flesh-lead and I wake, startled and flushed, with my forehead resting on crossed forearms, perched in the companion way, too sapped to move. Not realizing I was asleep until I waked.
I snort, growl, kick, scratch, complain and cry my way back to lucidity, back to capacity. Forced discipline, rigid and ruthless, makes tired muscles climb down, drink water and brew coffee.
Our gimballed stove top is nearly still, swinging ever so slightly. "Focus on the percolator, focus on the percolator. Bubble, bubble, bubble, bubble..." It ignores me.
This is survival hour, level 3. I have to shake this fog. But the heat...
Back on deck I choke on cup after cup of black ships brew, willing it into my blood, praying for speed saturation.
Wicked comes the work.
Slowly I trade dull eyes and a thick chowder tongue for radar beeps, ink pen sweeps and the sweet return of human awareness. But watch crawls by.
Dead skin sloughs from my sun scorched back, its itch screams. Were I a cannibal skin crepes would highlight this days menu.
The Ship's clock announces I'm a half hour into the last three hours of this night's watch, nothing moves on the great body that surrounds.
Our ship's mechanical heart chugs, always it chugs. Chug, chug, chug - "wind?" - chug, chug, chug. "No, no wind." The iron sail below makes its own air, thick and black, sail-less.
Chug, chug, chug - "wind?" - chug, chug, chug. "No, no wind."
Twenty-six hours ago the sky's last gasp was cut short when the gates of heaven slammed shut and god turned his back on us. Madame Yanmar was a boon then, a mechanical marvel - we could still move, we could "sail" on through still waters.
North, under diesel power, we kept moving. North, towards home, family and friends. Towards a hot shower, long as you like and cold beer, much as you want. North! To a big level bed warmed by lovely soft skin and long wet kisses in the dark.
But now: Chug, chug, chug; we go by the stink of diesel, the power of man. My mind drifts lazy like the endless seas before me, my imagination strikes.
The Horse latitudes, the Doldrums. Those evil places where when has never kissed the waves.
"God let us be far from there." - I pray on an eight mile shooting star that falls like a torch thrown into the night.
The Horse latitudes: an airless place where sailors of yore were forced to throw their cargoes, sometimes live, over the side and into the glassy waters of the deep. The mighty tall-ships with yards of sailcloth and all their jaunty able crews, if not carefully navigated, could find themselves befouled and becalmed and running low of water.
The livestock was the first to go. The sailors tossed both dead and live animals over the rail and bloated carcasses, expired from the sweltering heat, swelled and floated, riding the buoyancy of their death gases.
Then the men burned and a seaway strewn with animals, dead or almost and still thrashing lead straight to the hell-decks of these dead-air ships. Proud officers doffed their dark coats and uniforms as discipline slacked. Horn weathered faces burned ruddy-red, dried out then cracked.
All languished in that heat. The strong last only hours longer than the weak; they die of slow roast, hot-death.
Chug, chug, chug - "Wind?" - chug, chug, chug. "No, no wind." Slowly the morning's 6 o'clock hour creeps.
Just before watch ends a sunrise rips my emotions from chest. That hot orb, cooled by the night sea, burns through its chains and bursts from its shackles spraying the the sky with gold wash, orange-liquid paint and hues of pink wrenched from the summer's maiden herself - "My god, I should weep."
Chug, chug, chug - "Wind?" - chug, chug, chug. "No, no wind."
At ten past the hour I call Skipper from his sleep. Sweaty sleep thickens his response.
"No wind?"
"No, no wind."
We breakfast silently on coffee, water and over ripe plantains mushed into pancakes and fried. Conversation is light, Madame Yanmar chatty-
Chug, chug, chug - "Wind?" - Chug, chug, chug. "No, no wind."
Sleep catches me after we service the galley. I collapse, portside, on the big sea-foam green settee cushions and dream dark dreams of sweaty, hot terrifying things for too long.
The engine's rhythm seduces, mesmerizes and hypnotizes.
In my dreams friends turn to enemies, loved ones are ripped from me and a terrible alternate future of heat, disease, famine and mechanical Kafkaian throbbing tortures me.
I wake in an almost puddle of warm body dampness. My clothes, what little I wear, are soaked to the point of wringing. An angry sun is high over head and stabs through the port lights, hatches and vents searching for flesh to skewer and cook.
The cabin is empty but full of sound and heat: Chug, chug, chug.
A commotion on deck, a fluttering, bare feet padding a wench ratchet squeals and then a halyard BOOMS! into place- "Wind!"
On deck Skipper cleats off the straining halyard as I step into the shadow of our largest sail, that massive thing call spinnaker. Her skin so soft and light she sups on whispers and their hints.
Skipper's found a breeze and harnessed a light southwesterly. Its short breath breathes gooseflesh across the the nape of my neck as I stare up into the bosom of that magnificent sail.
Then the air stiffens, Skipper kills the chug and homeward we push on the breath of a southern angel.
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At<7/25/2010> <2304> (utc) our position was <35.00 degrees N lat, 161.55 degrees W long.>
Ship Log July 24. 2010
After motoring for the last 24 hours, a light wind of 5-6 knots has filled in from the southwest. We're flying the big red spinnaker, full mizzen and doing boat maintenance chores. The fuel transfer from the deck tank to the ship's starboard diesel tank went well, no smelly fuel to clean up. However, the servicing of the self-tailing two speed winches is still continuing and ISN'T going well. The main halyard winch on the mainmast has been "broken" or at least a PITA (pain in the ass!) for 4000+ miles. So with the Shamaness flying the big red balloon sail, ghosting along in gentle, undulating seas, Captain Dennis ordered: "...service and fix the winch, matey!"
"Aye, aye, skipper", replied a smiling, excited Jeremiah.
So out came the wrenches, oil can, tractor grease and a warm fuzzy feeling of WE ARE KINGS and commanders of our world! We can do anything we set out to accomplish.
The mainsheet and mainmast winches both were very dirty and in need of serious cleaning as Captain Dennis is guilty of WINCH (wench?) neglect . The hurricane in San Carlos as well as the blowing desert sand and probably 4000+ miles of sailing had left the winches in a sad state of caked grease and crud inside the gears. But now we have located the SPARE winch and are moving winches around to repair the damage done during attempted repair. The winch on the mainmast had a critical internal (PLASTIC!) part crack and fail, and we lost a critical steel part overboard during re-assembly. So parts from two winches now combined to make one winch that works as a main halyard winch and re-install a trusty old Shamaness winch as the mainsheet winch.
We are hoping this windshift from easterly to southwesterly indicates that we are now climbing up the western edge of the big wind circle out here called the Pacific High. That will be really good news for us as we should soon be on top of the high and be able to sail downwind toward Canada and the Queen Charlotte Islands. OOh Boy!
" Almost finished Skipper!", the First Mate declared."
" All I need is one small washer and both two speed winches will be jury-rigged and back in service."
"Well done matey, now clean up, oil the tools, and fry up the corned beef hash BEFORE you go on your watch.", replied a proud Captain Dennis.
Now time to find a new book to read while lunch is cooking. All is going great aboard Shamaness.
Love, Dennis and Jeremiah
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At<7/24/2010> <2124> (utc) our position was <33.07 degrees N lat, 161.49 degrees W long.>
Excerpt from the personal log of Jeremiah Johnson, first mate aboard
sailing vessel SHAMANESS out of San Francisco and having set sail from Hanalei Bay HI six days prior, bound for Queen Charlotte B.C., Canada.
July 23rd, 2010 0445 hours, 4th Watch
Position:
N030º49'/W162º09'
Heading:
044ºT / 5.3knots
1859nm from Queen Charlotte, B.C.
Still the night whispers while we roar back.
Winds: 2-3knots NE, Seas: An undulating quilt-topped waterbed, cloud cover 15%. Uniform: Black Jockey briefs, synthetic blend with hot green trim and a fine grin.
Round about 0400hours our idyllic pacific teacup gave up her ghost-wind with a lovely farewell puff and the air eased gently from our sails. At watch change Skipper had given the order to motor-sail if we had to, but to enjoy the ghosting as long as was economic and safe- the romance of the sea has seduced, and sadly, ambushed more than a few sailors.
So I made the decision and gave the order, "Strike the sails, prepare to motor." I answered in kind, "Aye, Aye Sir!", feeling more than a little like old Tristan Jones, a sailor known for his creative alliterations and playful tendencies.
Soft rain fell in great drops while I secured her big "genny" and stays'l to our port rail, and after chasing their sheets and halyards to ensure they'd run fair I moved aft to have my way with the lazzying mizzen and sloppy sun canopy.
Seventy-two hours of salt, both the sea's and my own, washed from my hair and ran down my brow, stinging the corners of my eyes, salting the edges of my lips.
Many of you in the know will say, "But the SHAMANESS, she carries a fresh water shower in her head." And you'd be right. But we aboard, tasked with the great responsibility of her care, have reserved the right to make prudent use of these facilities.
Water at sea. Truth be told, there's an abundance, but it's briny and foul and will kill a thirsty sailor dead. So the rationing of food stuffs and preservation of fresh water is one of the young sailors earliest lessons, perhaps somewhere between sail trim and mechanics.
But again those of you who've crewed and sailed aboard the mighty SHAMANESS will claim she is well found with a full galley, proud Skipper and an on-board freshwater maker. To you I say, "We're crossing the bloody Pacific." This should pause the tongues that wag and stifle any concerns regarding we voyagers shipboard hygiene.
A windless rain fell, splashing our decks and soaking my clothes to the thread. Thoughts of fetid tropical heat were washed away by these balmy droplets of water and after all sails but the main were secured I went below into the dark, close quarters of her cabin-house and called out the SHAMANESS's status to her Master. "Sails secured. I think its time we motored Skipper."
A voice from that black space beneath her foredeck responded, "Very good, switch on the engine. Run it up to 2600rpm every hour or so for ten minutes to blowout the coke."
A soggy but proud sailor, I trudged back up the companionway, pulled her throttle level to position idle and tapped Madame Yanmar on the head. She coughed slightly, sputtered a weak complaint and faithfully roared to life, gurgling and chugging in that strange native tongue that only true mechanics ever speak fluently.
Underway again I took the opportunity to strip the wet threads from my back and legs then lashed them smooth and neat to her stern rail to dry in the coming heat.
This fine readers is where I am now, stripped to my skivvies, logbook in hand, perched in the companionway hatch. The eastern sky is lined with golden cumulus, soft white tufts of enormous cotton-like clouds waiting to be "lit afire" by that rising sun-star.
The new day is fresh from the passing rain and I'm hungry for that distant horizon and a bowl of the brothy stew in the aged blue tub at the bottom of the icebox, Skipper put it together last night. That , some coffee and a few winks and I'll be ready for the next "big whatever". You wish you were here, guanteed.
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At<7/23/2010> <1731> (utc) our position was <31.02 degrees N lat, 162.00 degrees W long.>
Ship Log July 22, 2010
Everything just getting better for us out here. Jeremiah has turned into a "sailing star" and woke the Captain at daylight grinding the last reef out of the mainsail. We are now flying EVERY sail possible on a close reach in 8-10 knots of a warm Northeasterly tradewind. We are making 5.5-6.0 knots on a course just a little shy of the top edge of the Pacific High, now located at 42 degrees and 1300 miles away to the east of us. As my old friend, Jackie Gleason used to say to us Baby Boomers, "HOW SWEET IT IS!".
We talked with cruising boats (Our sailing friends) on the ssb radio last night and learned that S/V Isis (Burke, Casey, & Quinn) are 240 miles ahead of us and still "sailing naked" in our balmy temperatures. The Net Controllers, Todd and Susan, are 900 miles from Oregon, sailing all bundled up and beating to weather aboard S/V Sugata. The S/V Aunt Sur is also way ahead of the Shamaness and Captain Fred Coulter is "much better now" after a serious bout with a bowel obstruction. Fred's sister and Randy are crewing with Fred on the Aunt Sur.
Bye for now, Love, Dennis & Jeremiah
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At<7/22/2010> <2200> (utc) our position was <29 .33 degrees N lat, 162.27 degrees W long.>
Ship Log Wednesday July 21, 2010
Beautiful weather for sailing!
The Shamaness and crew are getting into the groove and covering some miles toward the northern side of the pacific high pressure. The wind and seas have moderated and we are now sailing closer to our preferred course with dry decks and drying clothes. The cockpit shade is needed and the sunshowers are sorely missed. Captain Dennis "stowed" the two water-filled sunshowers in the lee scupper behind the rod holder and that giant sneaker wave of two nights ago carried them away. We'll bathe with a pot of water and a dipper I guess...sailors always have back-up plans and option number 2,3,...etc!
The Shamaness is now enrolled on the Pacific Seafarers Net rollcall and will report our position every night at 0300 UTC. (Universal coordinated time or zulu.) Groupies can Google us on their website as well as on this website. We were unable to connect with the email station yesterday so hopefully this update will go through.
Jeremiah is continuing to smile about being at sea and loves the night watches. He is a skilled sailor and a great crew mate. His camera continues to capture postcard photos of the rising and setting sun, squalls and our friendly moon. The stars and sky at night are incredible (when we aren't sailing through a squall!)
Dennis has recovered from his usual mild sea sickness and starting to fix the leaks over his bunk in the forepeak.
Radio contact was made last evening with Pete Hatton (KF6JLA) and Pat of the Queen Charlotte Islands...always fun to talk with friends over 2000 miles away. Hope all is well with all of you.
Love, Dennis and Jeremiah
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At<7/21/2010> <2055> (utc) our position was <27 .14 degrees N lat, 162.12 degrees W long.>
Shamaness Ship Log July 20, 2010
Sailing beautifully, headed north.
We have slightly calmer seas on the beam today, so now sailing with more sail to give us 6 knots of boat speed.
The weather is pretty good for sailing, but the tropical rain squalls have kept us busy tending to business and trying to stay dry. Now the sun is blazing with lots of fluffy, blue clouds over the sea. I expect more squalls later, but we will just steer the Shamaness downwind until the strong winds pass, then turn back to our northerly heading.
This leg of our voyage will probably be the hardest as we much prefer sailing downwind, and we don't expect a wind shift to allow that for a week or maybe more. The SSB radio weather report suggests another day of these conditions, then lighter winds. Bye for now.
Love, Dennis and Jeremiah
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At<7/20/2010> <2130> (utc) our position was <25 .09 degrees N lat, 161.29 degrees W long.>
Ship Log July 19, 2010
Underway to Queen Charlotte Islands, B.C. 2200 NM to go!
Departing on a voyage is always exciting as new challenges and new beautiful places and friends lie over the horizon. But this departure has left me with more than the usual..."maybe we should stay one more month?, I'm still having too much fun to leave!" The Hawaiian Islands are absolutely breath-takingly beautiful and we had a terrific wonderful time sailing and exploring our way from The Big Island to Kauai. I am very thankful to Joy Evans as she arranged land dwellings along the way and researched cruising anchorages and harbors that made this trip really great. (Joy even bought me wheels...so we could ride bicycles all over town.) Joy is a great tour guide as she has an amazing knowlege of all the sights.
Today my new crew mate, Jeremiah Johnson, and I are sailing northwest across the northeasterly tradewinds. The strategy of voyaging east from the Hawaiian Islands requires that we sail north for a week or ten days to "climb" above the latitude of the center of the Pacific High pressure gradient, so we can then sail downwind to Canada. So far, we are finding 10-15 knots of wind from the Northeast and seas of 6 feet. We are sailing at 4-5 knots
with the autopilot steering because if we sail faster, the ride is too rough and wet from splashing waves.
Bye for now, Love, Dennis and Jeremiah
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At<7/19/2010> <2130> (utc) our position was <100 miles northwest of Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hi>
We took the dinghy up the river here in Kalapaki bay, and went to the end of it... We got out and went for a hike.. WOW! really cool.. it was like going into another world. Dennis played Tarzan in the jungle, and I layed in the cool waterfalls of the rainforest.
On the way up the river we borrowed (off someone's boat) a crab trap and set it out when we went up the river.. for black crab... We counted over 50 other traps set in the river. On the ride down the river most of the traps were gone, aah, no crabs in ours... so we just had chicken for dinner....
The 4th of July was quiet for us.. we just BBQ'd burger's, sat on the balcony on the 9th floor here and watched family's set of their fireworks right on the beach. However, the town had a very big shindig with food, music, fun, and fireworks.
Ship Log July 3, 2010 Nawiliwili Harbor, Kauai, Hi.
The Kauai crossing from Honolulu to Kauai was really cool at first. The Shamaness sailed like a princess on flat, calm seas, and even trolled up a mahi-mahi, and small Tuna for dinner. But the tradewinds got boisterous in the middle of the channel at midnite, and we bashed and rolled the last 25 miles to a neat small harbor on the southeast corner of Kaui. The old Nawiliwili marina consists of concrete pilings and a concrete walkway lined with old tires as bumpers. The Shamaness drew a downwind slip with the wind pushing us along at 4 knots in neutral! Captain Dennis “backed, and twisted” the Shamaness in a couple of aborted landing attempts, but eventually got into the correct berth with no damage!
The nasty seas generated an announcement from Joy: ...”sailboats caused the Wright Brothers to invent airplanes!” ----So I guess the VIEW from here could be better if I owned the building and our room was on the top floor? But looking out from on our room the ninth floor over the palm trees toward the morning sunrise, with the surf breaking on the white sandy beach below, just ISN'T that bad. The gorgeous, giant swimming pool surrounded with hot tubs every 30 yards, waterfalls, ferns and palm trees, barbecue areas, etc, etc, make this twelve story Marriott condominium an incredibly beautiful place to hang out. I'm not certain they'll allow us to stay here a full week though...we drew some disgusting gazes (stares?) last evening when we wheeled our bicycles (fully loaded with backpacks of food from the sailboat) through the main lobby and up the elevator to our room. And NOW Joy wants to launch the dinghy, motor around the harbor, land the dinghy on the beach out front of the condominium highrise, carry bags of laundry through the sunbathers, through the lobby, and up the elevator to the third floor laundry room. (Maybe we could do it in the dark.)
So, if you're looking for Dennis and Joy this week, we'll be resting in the Marriott's Kauai Beach Club. We plan to sail around to Hanalei Bay and explore the Napali Coast on July 9th with my son, Mark Clifton, and his friend Jen.
Bye for now, Love, Dennis & Joy
Ships Log 67/1/2010
Captain Dennis is up top putting the main sail back together, after having a 3rd reef installed with a Sailmakers here in Honolulu.. We are just about to leave Waikiki Beach and head out to Kauai (2:30pm HT)... We never did get to dip our toes in the blue water beaches of Waikiki; Instead we gathered up supply's needed for the Shamaness riding our bike all about town and taking buses. We have been staying here at the Hawaiian Yacht Club, and it has been really nice with real bathrooms and showers AND a real Kitchen that you can stand up in and wash your dishes...WOW!-- ALL JUST Steps away ....I just made us lunch and Dennis is now running around trying to get us some help getting the Shamaness out.. WE have been tied up sailboasts 3 deep (I think they call it rafting up) and we are the first ones closes to the dock. AS I hurry up and try and get this last ships log out on the internet before we sail away....
NEXT time you hear from us we will be in Kauai....
Love,
lovejoy and Dennis
The Shamaness crew toured the Pearl Harbor Memorial today. The visitor center looks brand new and is very nice., but they are putting 10 million dollars into a new center that will be opening up December 2010. If you get the chance you must visit. Our tour was the submarine, Bowfin, and the battleship, USS Missouri, they are in wonderful condition. The incredible stories of "our fathers'" heroism and great sacrifice in World War II are very sobering and stir the emotions. We are ALL very lucky to live in this GREAT COUNTRY, the United States of America.
We hope to bend the mainsail (Still in sailmaker's loft,having a third reef point installed) back onto the boom tomorrow and sail to Nawilliwilli Harbor on the Island of Kauai. The weather report is presently calling for 10-15 knots of downwind sailing so time to get sailing.
Love, Dennis & Joy
Shamaness Ship Log 6/28/2010
The Shamaness motorsailed (The Molokai/ Oahu crossing was a lamb!) into Ala Wai Harbor yesterday after spending a couple days in REAL laidback Kaunakakai and Lono Harbor on the Island of Molokai. We are docked in the brand new concrete GUEST DOCK and hope we get a third reef installed in the mainsail so we can head on northwest to the Island of Kaui this Thursday. We found a sailmaker today and the work is promised to be completed in two days.
If we need to stay here more than five nights, we'll have to move over to the transient (READ: homeless!) dock. Actually, everyone SHOULD tour the homeless dock (In the daylight of course!), enjoy the piles of debris, broken sailiboat salvage, bicycles, barbecues and the happiness in the eyes of the meth addicts! But actually this place is pretty cool...the Latitude 38 diatribe describing the terrible condition of this harbor is OLD NEWS, as most of the docks here are beautiful. We are pretty amazed at all the skyscrapers overlooking the Ala Wai Yacht Harbor, and we are cruising Waikiki Beach on our bicycles.
We have a couple more "fix-it" items on the boat TO DO list, but tomorrow is tour Pearl Harbor Day. The bus costs $2/ person and is very convenient to anywhere in Honolulu.We hope to "get up" early and visit the wholesale fish market and see the huge tuna get auctioned to the highest bidders. They also have a Chinatown here for cheap eating. We have found two restaurants 5-6 blocks away from all the tourist highrises with good food at reasonable prices. Diesel costs $3.75/ gallon and the Shamaness is topped off with fuel.(There is a fuel dock here, so no need for jerry jugs in pickups in Honolulu.)
Hope all is well back home.
Love, Dennis & Joy
Ship Log: Thursday June, 24,2010
From: Mala Wharf Anchorage,
Lahaina Maui, Hi.
Well, we have to be moving along, but life here is pretty good. Cindy and Steve are now flying home to Marin after visiting Joy and Dennis for a week on the Shamaness (and in a condo) in Lahaina. We spent two days cruising around the island of Lanai where we enjoyed crystal clear water, spectacular sight-seeing, tranquil nights in a isolated location. Joy speared a fish with the Hawaiian sling and we caught a few small fish while anchored in Kalama Nui. We motored the dinghy into a pitch-black cave in true “Indiana Jones” fashion. The purple rocks and resident birds with surging waves inside the cave were worth "the into the wind" wet dinghy ride back to the Shamaness.
Cindy and Steve rented a car, so we visited many of the small towns along the Maui coastline, went snorkeling in several prime dive spots, and swam with the turtles in Makenna Landing yesterday. The Whaling Museum was visited as well as the tourist stores along Front Street in old Lahaina town. We enjoyed fresh mangoes shared from trees in many frontyards all over here. (We asked permission before harvesting!)(well somethimes)
The weather has been wonderful with 80- 85 degrees the “usual” temperature, gentle breaking surf on the reef outside our anchorage, and fluffy white clouds covering the steep volcanic mountainside above Lahaina. Tonight an almost full moon fills the ski and sparkles dance on the waters surface.
We heard that the tradewinds are blowing especially hard now and the “Frenchman” living on the old rusty steel cutter nearby warned us…"DON’T LEAVE until the winds settle down!" We have a condo reserved in Kaui in early July and must stop in Honolulu for sail repairs so we’ll be sailing over to Oahu as soon as the weather IMPROVES! Wish you were here to SEE this all for yourself !
And there’s still time to BUY a ticket and join us…
Love, Dennis & Joy
Part II of Sailing to Hilo Hawaii
New Video on You Tube... Internet to slow too put up on this website..
I will keep trying to put it in the Photo Gallery on this website.
Thanks,
Joy
We sailed to a crescent-shaped ( very small island) dive spot called Molokini and moored to an underwater mooring with the Maui dive boat fleet. The water is crystal clear and the underwater sights spectacular. Joy captured some underwater video and we sailed toward Lahaina in the afternoon. A huge brush fire on Maui left heavy smoke on the water ahead of us, so we called for "local knowlege" on the VHF radio and were rewarded with the offer of a free mooring for the night at McKenna Landing. The mooring gave us a safe place to wait out the fire but the Shamaness rocked and rolled, bucked, and crashed in the sea all night long. Joy threatened mutiny, considered swimming ashore and hitch-hiking to a peaceful place, but persevered.
Now the Shamaness is moored outside the reef in Lahaina, Maui, courtesy of the Lahaina Yacht Club. Joy and Dennis are "land-cruising" on bicycles around Lahana, Whalers Cove, and Lahaina while luxuriating in condo living for a week before sailing to Honolulu.
Bye for now, Love, Dennis & Joy
Joy here-- I must say Dennis fits right in with the locals here, with his long tan legs, barefeet riding his old beat-up rusty Schwinn along front street, and under the Banyan Tree, with a big smile on his face...
bye for now-- next up
The pool and a Pina Colada
lovejoy
Shamaness Ship Log anchored in La Perouse Bay, Maui, Hi. 6/7/2010
We are resting up this afternoon after crossing the "dreaded" Alenuihaha Channel, 36 miles across from Hawaii to Maui this morning. We found the winds to be as predicted, 15 knots on the beam. The seas were not really too bad as we left early in the morning from a small anchorage on the leeward, northern tip of Hawaii. (Nishimura Cove.) The autopilot steered great, but still turned off a dozen times after the especially big combers clobbered us on the starboard quarter. I hoisted the staysail, a double-reefed mainsail, and ran the engine in gear at 1800 RPM's to charge the batteries and keep the rudder powered up with prop wash. The Shamaness happily screamed along at 7.5 knots! Go figure! (I assume the tradewinds that howl through this channel are also blowing a strong current .)
Yesterday was a "day off" from travel as we had a long day on June 5th, sailing from Hilo about 60 miles along the windward side of Hawaii and finally anchoring in Nishimura Cove in pitch darkness at 9P.M. (The GPS coordinates in this Cruising Guide I have are amazingly accurate.) Joy swam in crystal clear water and videotaped the beautiful fish swimming in the lava rock and coral bottom. (She successfully took my small Canon video camera underwater in a plastic camera "drybag"and got some cool shots. Dennis worked on "a soon to be YouTubed" short video of the Shamaness Tradewinds sail.
Presently Joy is cooking chicken meatballs with pineapple gravy over rice and we're both enjoying the sunset on a huge volcano (Haleakala) to the East. The tradewinds are blowing strong through the ship's rigging as the Shamaness rolls in the gentle swell in our anchorage. We are 22 miles from Lahaina and will sail there tomorrow.
Love, Dennis & Joy
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At<6/07/2010> <0340> (utc) our position was <LaPerouse Bay, Maui, Hi>
Shamaness Ship Log June 4, 2010 Leaving Radio Bay, Hilo tomorrow….
Hello from the Margarita Village Internet Bar...drinking a few Lava Reds for the road, Joy had a Hawaii Ice Tea. (with no tea just Jack Daniels). We have found the Good Will stores and the Cream Puff store. The two most important things getting new old supplies and getting fat all at the same time, while exploring on our bikes.. Ha!--We've fixed quite a few Shamaness maintenance things, tooled all over in Hilo on bikes finding what we need for parts. Stocked up on pineapples, wild boar meat and discovered POKE! (Google for it)
The weather is (amazing! No Rain!) good, so we're sailing to an anchorage 60 miles to the north (Nishimura cove) then crossing an inter-island (Read windy/ big seas) channel to the leeward side of the Hawaiian Islands and stopping in the old whaling town of Lahaina, on the Island of Maui. (probably Monday arrival) Grover may re-join us for more cruising and Joy has friends flying in from Novato (Cindi and Steve) for a "Shamaness Adventure".
Love, Dennis and Joy
When Joy arrived she brought over a folding bike. It folded up so small she was able to pack it on the airplane and ship it as standard luggage; her carry-on's became two bike packs that go on the bike...(Thank you Danny Haulot for the folding Bike donation) Wow! What a way to get around town, when we arrive from port to port.. Excited over her bike Joy went on line to Craigslist and found an old 1960's Schwinn men's bike for me... Now the two of us are going to sail and bike the Islands... We went all over town yesterday evening and covered a lot of ground.. Dennis is now loving the fact we have two bikes and not having to rely on buses, taxis, or feet....Joy's bike-packs on the small folding bike sure can fit a lot off stuff, (motor oil to milk, and more)... WE are going to go over to the bike shop today and see if we can find some kind of cheap book- rack that will fit; so, we can put the packs on the Schwinn (not sure if that is possible).. That little folding bike is packing all the weight right now....We biked up to Walmart at dusk; and bought more supplies for the boat, grips for the Schwinn, and two flashlights strapped to the handlebars for safety--"haahaahaa" and headed back in the dark... What a kick....Joy says she always dreamed of coming over to Hawaii with just a credit card renting a car and the first stop would be the "Good Will" to buy what is needed.. camp all over Hawaii--- this is a bit different but on the same track----LOL
Ok, moving out of this studio apartment today back on the boat (the land rest was well needed)...I think we are leaving Hilo and heading for Maui on Thursday ...I will try and post more Ships Logs when ever we have an internet connection... if you do need to talk with us. Joy does have her cell phone and you can reach us at 415-305-8485 or call the house and leave a message. We will pick up messages when in cell service is available..
That number is 415-892-4642
Love Dennis and Joy
I made it; Hilo Hawaii-- and Happy too!
Shamaness Ship Log May 29,2010 Hilo, Hawaii
Life Ashore ...the tourist gig!
Joy Evans, my girlfriend, flew into town so now we're touring the neighborhood. We visited the huge active volcano, Kilauea today and plan to sight-see for the rest of this Memorial Day Weekend. A group of fellow cruisers rented a mini-van and invited us along. Gorgeous sunny day with those famous fluffy (tropical) clouds. We hope we get another "photo-op" day tomorrow so we can catch some of the beauty of this area, and the cool old town of Hilo.
We have plans to shoot some video of the local Hawaiian duet and Hula Dancers for a short travel video tomorrow night. Then a few days of Shamaness repairs, maintenance, reprovision and then sailing 200 miles to visit Lahaina.
Grover is visiting old diving friends in Kona, then plans to fly to Oahu and rejoin the Shamaness crew in 10 days or so.
Hey Douglas you WON the pot and you need to fly here to pickup your money, and get your free ride on the Shamaness...
Love, Dennis & Joy
