SHIPS LOG POST #1

actually, its not October 11th.

Day 1 - October 4th, 2009

1000

This morning a north wind blows and the sun is shining bright. The sky is blue with whispy clouds way up there. What a cool moment this is. We've been preparing for this for sometime now and no better way than to embark with wonderful fall Seattle weather. And wind!

We say goodbyes to the friends that have gathered at C dock. Their presence is a blessing for the ship and the crew. If there is one thing very clear, it's that they wish us well and wish us a safe journey...and we are loved. It is one of those moments where something is clearly happening. And it makes the crew onboard feel so good. Something very special about the goodbye. Among the gifts is a strand of prayer flags to mark the occasion. After photos and hugs Akimbo casts off. The small crowd follows the boat down the dock to the end of the fairway where we turn north and wave goodbye one last time before leaving Shilshole.

Friends gather to send Akimbo off.

Capt. Jon gets a hug from Zane.

Akimbo's crew for the first leg: (L to R) Jack Seifert, Tyler Howe, Jon Howe, Elena Leonard

Friends bid farewell from C dock.

(photos by Dave Leonard)

1400

There is much excitement onboard after the wonderful send off and the thought of what may come. The crew settles into the watch schedule and we spend the afternoon and evening beating against the north wind (a wind blowing from the north for us land people) in the familiar waters of Puget Sound. North we sail, past Carkeek Park, the Edmonds-Kingston ferry, Point No Point. Strong N winds continue through the afternoon, becoming lighter in the evening.

Akimbo heads north out of Shilshole below a seagull off Golden Gardens.

1900

The sun has gone down and that magic hour of low colorful light fills the sky. The full moon rises from the east. Akimbo leaves Port Townsend behind her and sails into the Straits of Juan de Fuca. The winds are getting lighter now, and the Straits are darn near glassy. As we head out, the Victoria Clipper approaches out of the sunset from Canadian waters on its evening run south to Seattle. The Clipper changes course so as to avoid Akimbo. As Jon usually does when he's on Puget Sound and the Victoria Clipper goes by, he makes a call to Jim Scancella, a long time sailing friend, who is the #1 skipper for the Clipper. Indeed it is Jim in the pilot house as the Clipper crosses Akimbo's bow. "Is that you crossing my bow?" is the first thing Jon says on the phone. Jim reports we show up very well on his radar. His farewell and the encounter with the clipper is a fitting farewell to the familiar waters of Puget Sound.

P.M.

Night time brings the full moon and no clouds. And very calm waters. Under sail in light winds Akimbo continues peacefully until the end of the midnight-0400 watch when a lack of wind forces the crew to kick on the engine. The bright full moon lights up the water and decks. The lights of coastal towns and city lumes on the horizon peer at us curiously from the land, and then fade away behind us in their orange city glow.

Day 2 sunrise in the Strait of Juan de Fuca with Jack Seifert at the helm.

A full moon sets on the morning of Day 2 over the NW tip of the Olympic Peninsula.

Day 2 - October 5th, 2009

0700

AM finds Akimbo approaching Neah Bay under motor. Swell increases as we pass Neah Bay and Tatoosh Island. We begin to feel the "motion of the ocean." Out into the deep blue Pacific, turning due south. As the day moves on, Vancouver Island fades away at the stern and the Washington coast drifts off the port side.

1500

Akimbo is visited by a Ruby Crowned Kinglet bird. Jack, with reception somehow still on his phone, puts in a call to Cinny to check the i.d. of the bird. Cinny confirms. This is not a bird known for sea voyages or even coastal waters but rather wooded thickets and land. Not one that would eat a fish like the few other birds we've seen this far from shore. The Kinglet lands on deck for some time, flies off, and chirps, then comes back and lands. The bird does this 3 or 4 times then circles the boat once and heads away toward the land.

Twice today the breeze picks up and we eagerly pull out the sails and cut the motor. Five minutes of light wind sailing gives way to sitting with the sails out in no wind and going nowhere. So we grit our teeth, put away the sails, and kick on the engine once more.

From the Pacific Ocean, we see a profile of the Olympic mountains backwards and a little mis-sized to that of the Seattle view we're used to. Unlike the Seattle view, we can see a little snow left on the highest peaks.

1830

We discover that the boom vang has broken. The boom vang supports the boom from underneath and connects to the mast near the deck. It broke due to a pivoting goose neck (joint where mast meets boom), which allows the boom to twist in relation to the mast. This has put tension on boom vang where it connects to the boom, and this has broken the joint. Jon and Jack jury rig the vang before the low sun sets and darkness comes. Elena and Tyler put together dinner down below. Dinner is eggs with mushrooms and veggies, potatoes, and salad.

2100

Still no wind. We motor through the night.

Day 2 photos:

Tyler on the bow with Tatoosh Island in the background, NW tip of the Olympic Peninsula.

Howe on the bow.

Jon navigates around the rigging in the strait.

Elena at the helm with Vancouver Island and the Olympic Peninsula to stern.

Looking south down the West Coast.

Jack relaxes on deck with the drifter above.

The drifter struggles to fill with air in light winds.

Red Crowned Kinglet onboard.

"I'll throw my love into the deep blue sea."

Day 2 sunset.

Elena on dinner prep.

Day 2 din din. Delicious!

Jon and Jack jury-rig the boom vang before dark.

Night approaches off the coast.

Jack uses the aft head as the moon rises in the east.