SV Gypsy Soul

By Aaron

(ATTN PARENTS: DO NOT READ THIS)

When we arrived in Newport we met Chuck, Tas, and their puppy Sadie from the SV Gypsy Soul - moored two slips down from us. They’re super nice people and accomplished sailors. They had us aboard for dinner and told us about their impending sail to Hawaii.

We wished them well on their voyage and waved goodbye as they pulled out of the slip the next day.

Chuck, Tas, and the pup Sadie visiting aboard Bella Star

We learned yesterday that the Gypsy Soul was lost off the coast of California. She was taking on water in 20-30 foot breaking seas and they had to call in a mayday. Fortunately all three were rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter off Cape Mendocino.

We’re so glad that they made it out okay. Amongst all the rewards we’ve enjoyed from cruising so far it was a chilling reminder that there are also risks. 

One Hundred Islands: DONE

By Aaron

The Inside Passage and the sounds & inlets of the west coast of Vancouver Island are absolutely littered with islands.  At some point we decided to keep track of all the islands we were landing on, and eventually it became a cruising goal to land on 100 during our trip around Vancouver Island.  Here are the criteria we used to qualify a landing:

1. It must be completely surrounded by water at the time of our landing (duh).  A few of the islands we landed on would actually not be islands during extreme low tides.  However, we only started keeping track after we’d already landed on about 25 islands so we definitely landed on at least 100 “true” islands.

2.  The island cannot be covered at high tide.  Furthermore, the island must have leafing vegetation or grass.  The abundant and barren rocks sticking out the water (mere hazards to navigation and not good islands) don’t count.

3.  To qualify as a landing we both must have gotten completely out of the dinghy and be standing on the island with both feet.  I say this because some islands we tried to land on were too dangerous to attempt a landing (sheer cliffs, crashing waves, etc) or too small.  But most of the islands were large enough to hike around and explore.  Many of the islands were fairly small, say 1000 square feet on average.  The vast majority were deserted.  A surprising number were unnamed.

(While not a requirement, Nicole would prefer that the islands be snake-free.  Three islands failed the snake test.  One landing resulted in a piggy-back ride back to the dinghy.)

Once we landed on the island, it’s pretty much considered conquered.  Here are a few samples of Bella Star’s champion island conquerer:

Even though the goal has been completed we’ll continue to conquer islands.  Hopefully the vegetation requirement will be fulfilled with cacti or palm trees.

We’re on our way south!

By Nicole

Yes, we’d planned to go straight to San Francisco from Neah Bay.  But one of the fabulous things about cruising is the ability to be flexible and go where the winds take you.  And with strong winds and heavy seas forecasted off the California coast, we changed our minds and decided to make the town of Newport on the central Oregon Coast our first stop.

One of the milestones boaters in the Pacific Northwest often joke about is making “the big left turn.”  When traveling from Seattle or Vancouver, boats must travel about 100 miles west through the Strait of Juan de Fuca before turning left and entering the Pacific Ocean for points south.  Here’s what the making that turn looked like for us:

Bella Star making the big left turn and heading south

The excitement was running high as we headed onto the Pacific Ocean and left land behind.  This was our first offshore passage together and it represented a huge accomplishment for us – we were really on our way south!

I’ve been thinking about how to describe the passage, and I’m not quite sure how.  It was thrilling to watch the shoreline melt away and only see ocean for 360 degrees.  It was magical to see the stars move across the sky and the phosphorescence sparkle in our wake.  It was mesmerizing to watch the huge black albatross swoop and fly between the waves.  And it was powerful to know that Aaron and I were out there on this grand journey together.

But it was also tedious running nonstop through the day and night.  It was frustrating listening to the sails slat back and forth as we rolled over the swell without enough wind to keep the sails filled.  It was challenging to even heat water on the stove with the washing machine-like waves rolling the boat back and forth and back and forth.  And it was hard on both of us for me to be unbearably seasick for a good chunk of the trip.

Without experiencing the lows, however, the highs wouldn’t be nearly as sweet.  Seeing land come back into view on the radar display, navigating over the Yaquina River bar on our way into Newport and then tying up at the dock after a successful passage was immensely satisfying.  We’d done it.  We’d made our first ocean passage together.  It was an amazing experience that built our confidence and reassured us that yes, this is exactly where we’re supposed to be.

 
Under the picturesque Newport Bridge. We made it!

And how better to celebrate such an achievement than with burgers and beer at the Rogue Ales Brewery, conveniently located on the other side of the Newport Marina.


The entrance to Rogue Ales Brewery and “beerquarium.” Love it.


My taster tray before…

 
… And after. Good stuff. Real good.

 
Aaron hard at work tasting his samples.  Chipotle Ale?  Single Malt Ale?

We are absolutely loving Newport and the beautiful Oregon Coast.  Stay tuned for more!

California Dreaming

By Nicole

After following us on our 3 ½-month journey around Vancouver Island, you may be wondering “What’s next for Bella Star?”

Well, we’ve been doing some serious California Dreaming lately.  And by “lately,” I mean ever since summer decided to skip the Pacific Northwest this year.  It’ll feel so great to finally put on shorts and a tank top, swim in water warmer than 56.7 degrees (the water temperature right now in Port Angeles) and go a day without donning one of my well-used fleeces. 

So here we sit in Port Angeles, waiting for the right weather pattern to set in to send us off the coast of Washington and south to California.

The goal is to take the offshore route, which means traveling about 100 miles off the coast.  This route *should* give us more consistent wind while keeping us away from the fishing boats, freighters and crab pots that populate the area between 35 and 50 miles off the coast (the inshore route).  Of course there are pros and cons to each, but after careful consideration, we feel most comfortable with the offshore run.  But if things get really hairy, we have the option of ducking into Crescent City or another town along the Oregon or California coast.

We’d originally hoped today would be the day, but the weather just isn’t quite right yet, so we’ll keep waiting.  What are we waiting for?  Glad you asked.

1. A nicely developed Pacific high pressure system
2. Winds blowing from the right direction that are strong enough to keep us sailing comfortably and quickly  (NW 15-25 knots)
3. Moderate swell heights from aft of the beam (that is, from behind us)
4. No rain. =)

So when we see consistent forecasts matching that general description, we’ll make the big left turn and start the 7–10-day southbound passage to warmer waters.  Ahhh.

Until then, though, we’ll be California dreaming on such a summer’s day.

In Pictures: Barkley Sound and the Broken Group

Driftwood beach, Benson Island

Mossy trail, Clarke Island

Mountain views, Chalk Island

Sea star, Chalk Island

Beach swing, Fleming Island

Sea arch, Tzartus Island

Almost tropical beach, Dodd Island

Foggy day, Ucluelet Inlet

Wild Pacific Trail, Ucluelet

Rugged coastline, Amphritrite Point

 
Tseshaht statue, Benson Island


Sunset, Nettle Island

Lucky Creek, Vancouver Island

Lower Lucky Creek falls

Upper Lucky Creek falls

Calm morning, Northern Broken Group

Seaside boardwalk, West Bamfield

The Evelyn May, The Wreckage, Ucluelet

Evening sky, Effingham Bay