Sailing Sailing...

Sailing Sailing...

So sailors know this, Sailing is hard work...  We left Bodega Bay at 5:30AM with hopes of making a anchorage at Fish Rock / Havens South of Point Arena by evening, we got there and chickened out on anchoring...  It was rough heading in and the rocks were closer than out comfort level... It was about 7:30PM light was fadeing so we decided to continue on to Noyo overnight. We motor sailed all night and anchored at the entrance to Noyo River (Ft. Bragg, CA)

We had some beautiful sailing weather until early afternoon when it kicked up prety good, 25+ knot winds and seas that had the bow scooping under the waves at times...  Mostly we could sail at 45 deg to the wave direction, but there are those times you go right at em and the darn things are not spaced so nicely...   Jess thinks we had 10-12 foot, 8 second seas from a one to two points West of North... (You may have to read Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series for the point to degrees conversion...  (11 1/4 degrees to a compass point )

We sailed till 1:00PM, then we motor sailed from 1:00PM on with just the main sail sheeted to windward so we could sail close as possible.  Without the main and motoring into the wind we could only make 2-4 knots.  With the main sail on a 60 degree true wind direction we made much as 7.5 knots but more like 6.2 consistant...  With the current going against us we were lucky to see 5 knots over ground and then more like 3.5 course made good...    Beating huh?

The overnight got rough at times! Bad news - crab pots everywhere, good news - can't see em at night! (we were a bit further off shore, I think the word is out that 200 foot plus depth should be free of crab pots... some crabber loves the 200 to 240 foot lines...)

We did 4 hour shifts and made it through fine!  We set an anchor at the entrance to Noyo about 6:30AM.  Not much room there at -1.8 foot low tide at 6:23AM...  Anchor was holding well (only two tries to set anchor to hold and keep us off the sand and off the rocks.  Did I say things were a bit close in the anchorage at low tide?  I don't think two boats would be happy there unless they rafted.  Coast Guard (yeah!) answered our VHF radio call for dock space at he harbor and told us they would telephone the harbor master and get back to us...  It worked very nicely, thanks Coasties".  Plan was to wait until 10:30 or 11:00AM to head in with +2.5 foot and increasing...

Since we had time, we proceeded to do some checks on equipment and seeing we did not find the leaking water pump seal umtil late in our stay at Bodega Bay, we decided to check the engine compartment first thing this time (fix them, ha!).  Oops, the pan under the engine has about two to three quarts of red stuff in it.  The same photo as Bodega Bay post only color it red!

Jim says, "Jess, what engine fluid is red?"  Jess says, "Transmission fluid!"

Jim says "@%#@%$#@^"

Sailors know this too, "You have to move just about everything on a boat in order to work on just about anything on a boat!"  So we did, and got the flash light and wrenches, exposed the starborad side of the engine, where you can access the transmission, and found that it looked fine, mostly, it is 34 years old and has lots of paint on it... so says my mechanic, Jessica!

Jess was polking around the transmission, we clean it up and ran the engine in gear, not too fast, remember the close rocks and shallow water at anchor...

Then....
Jess says, "Jim, what color is our fuel?"

Jim says, "Green - NO RED!"

I know, I know, just taste it to find out!

Ah ha!, We both remember when the engine mechanic told us something that neither of us could remember about the fuel pump a couple years ago when we bought the boat???  Still can't remember but it was something like "It isn't bad, should not cause you any problems, and it is really really hard to rebuild one!!! "

We assumed that it was the fuel pump, which is of course on the port side of  the engine. We now can see the fuel drip from looking in from the hatch under the companion way stairs when the engine is running. We can see below the engine, but can't see where it is coming from on the port side.  In order to do that we need to put everything back where it belongs from accessing the transmission and then move everything else to other locations to be able to see the other side of the engine! Makes sense!

We do put everything away from the transmission inspection, but don't go to see fuel leak yet.  We run up river and dock the boat and ask the harbor master for a reference for mechanic.  We call and leave a message.  So, back to the boat and do the moving of everything part again. Expose the port side of the engine and there is fuel dripping from the pressure switch that JIM installed a few months back!  A couple turns round to tighten it up, I used sealant but must not have gotten it tight enough!  Started her up and leak fixed!  Whew!  Told the harbor master to call off the mechanic...  "Cha Ching" - the sound of a boat unit going back into our account (knock wood).

Time to do laundry, carry two 5 gallon fuel cans up the road 1/2 mile and back a few times to fuel Hajime. The fuel dock accessible to sailing vessels closed this year and Dolphin Cove is the other side of 2.0 and 3.0 foot charted low mean water depth.  Locals say you can get up there with a good high tide but this week all good high tides are after and before working hours!!!  The harbor master said he can help us shuttle the fuel in pickup truck...

So we are planning on being here until Friday or Saturday morning when the weather should clear and the morning tides high, and we will head 40 miles up to Shelter Cove and stay the night before an early morning start on a 70 mile run around the Cape Mendocino and up to Eureka, OR...  Will begin SPOT again when we leave Noyo River!

Sailors:  Noyo Harbor...  Beware lack of fueling facilities unless you brave the 3.0 foot water up to Dolphin Cove to obtain fuel...  our s/v HAJIME a Tartan37 was $20 a night to berth, no weekly rates...  It is a 1/2 mile walk up the hill to services, a Harvest Market grocery, a Rite Aid, O'Riley's Auto Parts, Laundry Mat, DAVID'S COFFEE and DELI open til 2:00PM with WIFI access, and lots of little shops Artsy, crafty, etc. !!!
Thanks David's Deli for letting us sit and BLOG!