When Cruising, Sh*t Happens

Last weekend was the SIYC’s annual navigation cruise, and we attended with the CarolMarie.  The premise of the navigation cruise begin with a quiz of navigation questions and puzzles, which are graded once your boat arrives at the meeting place.  This year’s meeting place was the Gilbert River docks on the north west corner of Sauvies Island.

 

Isaac and I on the weekend cruise

My son and I together took the boat down to the Gilbert River docks.  We left at 11:30am on Saturday, starting down river from the Salpare Bay Marina we went under the I-5 Bridge whose mid-span was 64 feet in clearance while we needed 58 feet.  I called the Vancouver Railroad Bridge for an opening.   

The bridge tender responded the traffic was fairly heavy on the rails, and it would be a while.  Soon two tugs boats lined up on the down river side of the bridge and we were joined by another sailboat called “sail la vie”. 

At 12:45pm the railroad bridge swung open and we waited for the traffic to clear then went through.  We dug out the Autohelm, and connected it up to steer us down river. While there was a cool wind running through the cockpit, there was no wind.  Isaac and I talked about loads of things to pass the time. I asked him at one point to read off our chart plotter how we were doing.  “Seven and a half knots, S.O.G.,” he called out.  Our knot meter was reading 5.4 knots, so we getting a define push from the river.

 

Isaac at Stern of S/V Rowena

At 3:45pm we arrived at the Gilbert River docks. We hadn’t finished the navigation quiz, but gathered with everyone else aboard S/V Rowena to review answers.  Having not finished the quiz we came in fourth of four boats competing in the quiz.  Six boats from the SIYC were there at the docks.  We all joined together for dinner on S/V Rowena again.

 

S/V CarolMarie at Gilbert River Docks

After dinner, four of us brought our guitars and had a jam session that went well past 9:30 pm.  It was a great time.  Isaac and I retired to the boat afterwards for a game of chess, and a good nights sleep.

The next morning all the cruisers met again for breakfast on S/V Sequoia. The doughnuts we brought were a great hit.  By 10:30am, everyone went back to their boats to leave for our respective home ports.  I started our engine then went back to the dock to socialize a bit more before heading home.

 

Ray preparing Rowena before the call from Alicia

Ray McCracken, Craig Johnson, and I were all standing on the docks talking about various things, when a scream came from S/V Rowena. “Ray, Ray, there is water gushing into the boat,” Alicia screamed. Ray scrambled aboard, and soon enough hatch doors flew open everywhere. A cloud of the worst fumes a human being was ever witnessed to smell rouse from those open hatches.  Apparently, the boats holding tank split open, dumping the entire contains into the bilge of the boat.   Both Ray and Alicia were soon topside, ready to home and fix the damage to their home.

Since our marina is near Ray’s we boat buddied back up river.  We motored home leaving the Gilbert Docks about 11:20am.  Again checking our S.O.G. to the knot meter showed we were fitting a 1.8 knot current on the way home, making it slow.

About one hour into trip we noticed S/V Moonstruck tied to the dock, north of McCuddy’s in Scappose.  I thought it was odd, but I waved to Richard, getting a happy wave back while he was on his cell phone.  Richard and I are both docked at Salpare Bay, so I thought he must be stopping to see friends.  As Rowena passed them I noticed he slowed down considerably.  I called Ray on the VHF.  He told me, Richard was waiting for Garry to come down and help as they were having engine problems.  Rowena later caught up with us at the Vancouver Railroad Bridge as we waited for the tender to swing the bridge open. 

Ray flew past us in  Rowena and headed right under the I-5 Bridge.  I was a little nervous because I saw the channel mark reading only 62 feet of clearance and we were at 58 feet.  Just as I was pondering if I should risk the clearance another sailing vessel called the I-5 bridge tender from the up river side asking for a lift.  The tender responded immediately that he'd lift the bridge.  I made way as fast as I could toward the lifting span.  As I began to go under the upriver boat had just cleared the bridge, so the tender started lowering the bridge.  I immediately called the tender saying he was lowering the bridge on me.  He said it was too late, I should have called him.  He said I needed to risk the clearance on the fixed high center span.  Reluctantly I made way to the fixed span, clearing it with a foot or two, but not a relaxing passage.  I had a few words I would have told the tender at the time, none of which I care to repeat in this blog.

With the I-5 Bridge Closing we made way to the fixed span

At 4:30pm we arrived at the pump out station at Salpare Bay. Charing was there to great us and help bring the boat in.  We pumped out the holding tank and motored to the slip.  

CarolMarie Coming into Salpare Bay

Isaac at the bow helping with lines

All three of us cleaned up the boat, then went over to the Island Café for dinner and a couple of Island Vices.  I called Ray up and offered our extra bedroom to them.  He declined but sent me the picture, of McCracken’s Cracked holding tank.  He said they just finished vacuuming out the bilge and were washing it down.

McCracken's Cracked Holding Tank

I guess the lesson from the weekend’s voyages was, when cruising sh*t happens.

------------------- Post Cruise Updates -----------------------------------------------------------

Rumor was on the docks of Salpare Bay that Moonstuck engine issue may be a bad oil pressure gage.  Ray and Alicia have a new holding tank and are doing fine on Rowena.