Hokuloa and Regal Jug in Reflections

On our original plan, Ed and Sarah were planning to meet us on the St. Helens city docks and we were to do lots of hiking and playing around town until Phil and Sue arrived on Thursday afternoon on Rendezvous. So far our plans were working just fine. On Wednesday we hiked out to Columbia City and we all had a great time looking over Pixie Park and the deep woods in-between. Then we took in the Columbia County Fair so we had a long day of walking.

Phil and Sue arrived on schedule on Thursday afternoon. Phil spent the afternoon trying to shame Ed and I into polishing up our boats. We were quite content to watch and point out little cosmetic blemishes. For our evening entertainment the city of St. Helens scheduled a “music in the park” event just a few steps from our docks. Renee, Neil and Georgia all came out to have supper with us and listen to the music. Judy and I met a remarkable number of people we knew from our earlier life living in this community. Supper was Sarah’s famous fish stew and Judy’s famous 5 bean salad that has about 7 varieties of beans. Don’t ask me why it is 5 bean salad. Georgia had great fun playing with the knobs and switches on the big boats; Ed and Sarah’s boat, the Hokuloa and Phil and Sue’s boat the Rendezvous.

Depth finder is locked out

Friday morning was bright and sunny with about 15 mph winds and a heavy chop coming from the north. I changed down to the small jib and arranged for a reef in the main. About then Ed calls over that he has a bit of a problem. A gremlin had gotten into the instruments and each of them boldly stated ‘CODELOCK.” We studied the manuals and looked for faults in the wiring for over two hours. We even studied the possibility that the gremlin was the button pusher, Georgia, but we were able to absolve her of any involvement. It appears the instruments had lost power for a few moments and all of them decided that they were now stolen. We would be required to enter a code to get them to display depth, speed and wind information. The problem is no one had the foggiest notion what the code number might be. We decided that it was unwise to tackle a trip down the Columbia River with all its sand bars and mud banks without a depth finder.

Alternate plans were debated and a leisurely trip up the Multnomah channel of the Willamette River back toward Ed’s moorings seemed the prudent thing to do. All three boats started out and we were all soon under sail. Now I don’t want to brag too much, but Judy and I got the last start from the docks and at one point we passed both of the big boats. Now if you talk to them they will have stories about only flying half their sails to make it fair, but fair is fair and we were behind and we briefly got ahead. That is a win and that is that. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to get the camera out to take the photo finish picture so you will just have to take my word for it.

We camped two nights on Coon Island, a popular boat only park in the Willamette River. We hiked around the island. We had to hike fast to keep ahead of the mosquitoes.

As usual for this group the week involved lots of eating. Menus had been drawn up long in advance so there was lots of gourmet food and tasty wines to sample each evening. Many times the leftovers wound up in the omelets the next morning.

Sarah, Head Chef

Chef Ed is Keeping a Close Eye on the Barbie

Finally on Sunday we all finished the trip to Big Island Marina on Sauvie Island. Phil and Sue returned to Portland and Judy and I were able to hang out for another day of gourmet cooking, instrument trouble shooting and hiking. Tomorrow we too will return to Arcturus who has been patiently waiting in St. Helens.

The Fence Post

First, cleaning Regal Jug’s seven acres of fiberglass is always a royal pain, but eventually we get through it. On the way to the launch we had a run in with a fence post. It didn’t survive. It was replaced on Monday. The sailing was really hot and really fun. The winds were about 10 to 12 mph and we were able to take full advantage of them.

Al Has a Spare Post

After the sail Georgia had a little nap on her Mommy’s lap. I tried to help Renee get out from under her and tried to scoop Georgia up in my arms. I was a little awkward and nearly dropped her.

With that rude awakening and a shortened nap she had a bit of a melt-down. Renee and Neil had to take her for a long walk around town to settle her back down.

Meanwhile Nana and I started sorting supplies and stowing all the gear from two families and we discovered that last summer’s fiber glassing episode had left plastic sanding dust in all the drawers and shelves. We had to wash all of the pots and pans, dishes and silverware before we could cook supper. By then we became aware that water was accumulating on the cabin sole. That was what last summer’s fiber glassing project was all about. See “The Smoking Gun.”

After munchies in the park Georgia was willing to put her PFD back on and return to the boat. We had a nice stew for supper and then joined a nearby dock party with the guitar and sang a few songs. Everybody got into the act for the “I’m a Little Teapot,” and I ended up with the “Preacher and the Bear.”

Reading Aboout Bugs by Flashlight

Sleeping five aboard Regal Jug takes some creative bunking. For those of you who have not been able to sail with us, Regal Jug is a 23 foot Aquarius Sailboat that was new in 1974. The literature indicated that she sleeps five. They neglect to tell you that they must be very friendly and it helps if you are midgets. Over the years we have developed a plan that works pretty well. Nana and Papa are confined to the vee berth in the bow. Renee and Neil get the pipe berths in the middle of the salon. These are augmented by placing the seat backs on the ice chest to widen their shoulder area.

Georgia with Neil and Renee in Background

That leaves about three foot between the starboard pipe berth and Nana’s pillow for a wee traveler to bed down on the settee.

A more apt description might be wall-to-wall sleeping bags. We all got a good night’s sleep and Georgia passed her trial sailing adventure.

Next will be a trip down the Columbia River together later this week. We will be joining Ed and Sarah on the Hokolua, a 38 foot Hans Christian and Phil and Sue on the Rendezvous, a 36 foot Beneteau. I will take the computer along, so we can update you on the “Grand Adventure” as we follow in the paddle strokes of Lewis and Clark to Astoria.

Bonne Aventure – Gary and Judy



We now have 75,000 miles on Arcturus, our Alpine motor home. I was having them check things like brakes and shocks. The reason I was suspicious was last winter as we were driving through Laredo, Texas we had to stop at five or six lights in a row on a stretch of 50 mph highway. Judy looked out her side of the coach and declared we had a rear tire smoking! I pulled into a parking lot and surveyed the scene and it was just hot brakes. Still it was something to check out.

Today we have the diagnosis: The rear axle seal on one side of the coach is weeping oil onto the disk brakes and the other side is just starting to ooze a little. So… tonight we are camped under the breezeway at Pacific Power. It will be $500 for the night’s camping and tomorrow they will replace the seals for free! Such a deal!

Another seal story? O.K. You remember we were headed down river with Regal Jug, our 23 foot sailboat? We were preparing the boat for launch and I started to move the outboard motor to place it on the transom. An ounce or so of dark oil drained from the lower unit onto the cabin sole. I assumed the worst case situation and decided the seals in the lower unit had been damaged. I was unwilling to take a seventy mile trip with a sick outboard, so we abandoned the trip and stored the boat for winter. Later I was trying to locate some parts to repair the motor and the service manager listened to my diagnosis. He assured me that I had misdiagnosed the problem. These Honda outboards are famous for loosing crankcase oil through the exhaust pipe when laid on their sides. It doesn’t hurt them, it just makes a mess. The seals almost never give trouble. If I had taken the chance and gone anyway we would have been fine. However, I would have stewed over the perhaps imminent failure of the outboard all the way to Astoria and back. I don’t regret taking the safe course.

If you want to review my earlier seal story look up the story of the new born seal pup in my July 14th blog.

We will see some of you at the camp-out this weekend.

Gary and Judy

We will find the answer to the first question this week. We are going to join friends and sail down the Columbia River from St. Helens, Oregon to Astoria, Oregon.

Sure and be-gory, me favorite weather prognosticator, Mr. Murphy, is going to be sure that we get a good test of all systems. Apparently a low pressure system is going to camp out over our area for the next few days.

As to the second question I emulated my favorite comic strip character, Dagwood Bumstead. I removed all of the screws in one of the windows. I picked up my new power putty-knife and skillfully sliced around the window except for a wee little corner I couldn’t get to. I then gently pushed the window out of its hole in the hull. That wee little corner was holding tight. I pushed a wee bit harder. No go! I searched out my “persuader,” a twelve inch pry bar. I ever so gently put a little more pressure on the window…CRACK…!

Now here is a bit of wisdom. “Good common sense is a collection of lessons learned from moments of skillfully applied bad judgment.”

The old windows have now all been removed, mostly in pieces. I trimmed and smoothed the hull openings and created templates for the windows. New smoke gray Lexan windows have been cut at a local plastics supply house. These are all caulked in place and they look sharp. Will they leak? I guess the rain will test them. However I have a philosophy that says there are only two kinds of boat windows, (ports to you old salts.) Those that leak and those that are about to leak!

I will post a photo of the new windows on the web site. Now if you don’t go to look at the windows you should still go look at the other photo posted there. We had all of the grandchildren together for lunch one day. Within a few short minutes Grandson Bryce had taught his cousin, Georgia a new trick. I have a priceless photo you must see.

Love to all from Gary and Judy.

Grandchildren Bryce and Georgia Learning New Tricks

Regal Jug Gets New Windows and Shiny New Varnish

I finally had enough. I decided to lay in a secondary layer of fiberglass around the centerboard trunk. I reasoned that there must be a weep hole or a hairline crack developing in the hull to centerboard trunk joint. I spent four days grinding the paint off of both sides of the join. I kept a sharp eye out for any cracks or pits. I think we may have found it…, the smoking gun, …so to speak. A rusty dot in the centerboard trunk sanded down to a shiny steel broken-off screw. It lies just about at the waterline inside the trunk.

Judy and I proceeded to lay in our fiberglass reinforcing and made sure the screw stub got a full treatment of four layers of fiberglass matt and cloth.

Now fiberglass lay-up is one of those love-hate things. I hate to do it and I would love for someone else to do it instead. However, no one stepped up and volunteered. Now of course the centerboard trunk, true to its name is in the center of everything: The table, the kitchen cabinets and the head. Here is how you lay-up a simple 12 inch by 24 inch reinforcement piece under the kitchen sink.

1. Spend two days with a sander removing all of the paint along six inches of cabin sole and six inches up the side of the trunk. It helps if the weather is in the high eighties.

2. Wash all surfaces with acetone to remove any residue of paint. Don’t inhale.

3. Cut a 12 by 24 inch patch of fiberglass woven cloth.

4. Cut a 10 by 22 inch patch of fiberglass matt cloth.

5. Lay down about four layers of newspaper on the nearest horizontal surface and lay the two fabric layers on the newspaper. Woven piece on the bottom.

6. Get out your can of resin and note that the hardener has all dried up and the liquid is full of big lumps. Drive to hardware store for fresh supplies.

7. Lay your tools and containers in careful array by the cloth stack. Put on your vinyl gloves.

8. Pour a generous dollop of resin in your mixing cup and count out the desired drops of catalyst; mix well for one minute.

9. Pour this on the cloth stack and note that this is not going to be near enough. Spread it around quickly and mix up a second batch. The clock is ticking loudly now.

10. When you have the cloth stack completely saturated and you can read the newspaper through the cloth and resin you are ready to peal and stick.

11. Stick it in place.

Now that last step looks deceptively easy. If the desired location is flat, smooth and horizontal, it is easy. However if the desired spot is under the sink, half horizontal and half vertical and is enclosed by two ends, plan for the most frustrating 45 minutes you can imagine. The glass cloth sandwich repeatedly peals and sticks. That is it peals off the surfaces you intend for it to stick to and sticks to your vinyl gloves. At one point I felt like wadding the whole mess up and stuffing it in the garbage. Eventually the piece of cloth yielded to my superior will and persistence and lay quietly in position. A visit to the web page will reward you with a photo of the reinforcing strip quietly and serenely and almost invisibly guarding against any future attempt of water to leak into our boat.

Now what to do about the leaking windows! Actually I think boat windows are supposed to leak. How else would you know that it rained last night?

Well, we send love to all from Oregon.

Gary and Judy

After 45 Minutes It Looks So Easy, (What is Wrong With This Photo?)

Patch over Broken-Off Screw at Waterline

There was a little tension when my “Sleeping David” photo surfaced. Dave kept sneaking around trying to get a “gotcha” photo of me. He missed one fine opportunity when I hooked a toe on the Rendezvous’ life line and did a face plant in the cockpit of Regal Jug. Better luck next time, Dave.

Last report left us at Friday Harbor. We did have a couple nice days and on Thursday we sailed most of the way to Jones Island. We were just in time to snag a choice spot on the very short float on the North side of the island. Jones Island is great for hiking. It has nearly four miles of challenging trails.

On Friday, July 10th we mostly sailed to Blind Bay between Shaw Island and Orcas Island. We only had to motor briefly to navigate tricky Pole Pass, it has lots of traffic. We met our friends Phil and Sue Owen and Ed and Sarah Daugherty there. Phil and Sue have a really nice 36 foot Beneteau sailboat, the Rendezvous. We went for an afternoon sail on West Sound of Orcas Island just to see how the Rendezvous could perform. Regal Jug saved our moorage spot and it was as I was getting back aboard the Regal Jug that I took my flying leap.

Saturday, July 11th we all sailed back to Friday Harbor and ideal winds made this a fantastic sailboat race. I am proud to announce that Regal Jug scored a solid second place. We all had a nice dinner-out at the Downrigger Restaurant, right on the waterfront.

Sunday, July 12th we all got spooked by gusty winds and predictions of 25 knot winds on Monday. We made the return trip all the way to Anacortes. The group of us got together in the evening for a barbeque at the marina. The exciting event of the evening was a new born seal pup and its mother just off the main float. This pup was just minutes old and boldly exploring the world. He would swim up to the float to see all of us funny looking people. We had to back away and leave the area so his mother could calm down. We surmise that the mother seeks the protection of the marina to avoid the orcas that patrol the straits. We saw a pod of orcas earlier that day plus some harbor porpoises.

Monday was not windy! Indeed the breeze was rather light but we still had time for a nice sail just around Anacortes.

To finish of the week we drove down Whidbey Island and Arcturus got to ride the ferry over to Port Townsend. Even though we were rained on a few times we all still enjoyed ourselves. If you get an opportunity to cruise the San Juan Islands, even if it is just on the ferry, go for it. It is some of the best cruising in the country.

Here is a link to a map of the island group that we cruised with our GPS tracks displayed.

Link to track of the Regal Jug

Orca Whale off Whidby Island

Adrian and Judy Hiking Jones Island

Fish Stew in Blind Bay

Here is how it all worked. Dave Schilling helped us clean up Regal Jug and then towed it down to the marina where we could get to it with Arcturus our 34 foot motor home. When hooked together these two rigs total 65 feet long. Monday morning we went north. We stopped in Lacy to visit Judy’s Cousin Ed (Joe) Burgett for lunch. We then drove on to Lynwood Washington and parked Arcturus and Regal Jug in the Wal-Mart lot there. Now we hopped the Seattle Transit bus system and made connections to downtown Seattle. Then we walked about a dozen blocks to Nancy Federici’s apartment. Meanwhile Adrian Shilling finished her days work and she and Dave drove to meet us at Nancy’s. We all had a wonderful supper with Nancy. Nancy is a long time member of our church in St. Helens, so we had a lot of catching up to do.

Finally we all, (Dinsmore’s and Shilling’s,) drove the last fifteen miles back to the Wal-Mart and stayed the night. Now you might guess that this was the end of the hot oppressing 70-80 degree weather. We woke up to rain and drizzle on Tuesday morning and drove the last hour to Anacortes.

We spent most of the day loading a ton of supplies into Regal Jug and getting her launched. At two in the afternoon we cast off and headed for the islands. Has anyone noticed that it is a full moon out there? Full moon means “spring tides.” This is means tides that start from the minus numbers and rise to ten or eleven feet. Moving all of that water in and out of the islands and of course all the Straights of Georgia north of there requires lots of tidal current. The old sailor’s adage is “Time and tide wait for no man.” We definitely missed the tide. We were caught in three knot currents in a boat that goes about five knots max. We reached our destination about seven p.m. We were wet, cold and miserable.

Dave had just the magic to help us out; a big pot of chili, steaming hot and spicy. We had a quiet night behind James Island. Morning was another story, however. We immediately knew when the ferry service began. At five the boat started rocking and the centerboard started knocking. We got up, nibbled a little for breakfast and made a wet passage to Friday Harbor.

This afternoon the weather is warming up and drying out so things are looking up. Now we are looking forward to meeting the rest of our party. Phil and Sue Owen and Ed and Sarah Daugherty are going to meet us, perhaps at Stewart Island on Friday. I sure hope they remember to bring some warm, dry weather with them.

Aaarrrr, me Hearties. Stand by for more adventures from the scurvy crew of the Regal Jug, and be sure and check the photos below.

Regal Jug in Friday Harbor

Dave Enjoys Some Idle Time in Friday Harbor

The heart of the electric boost system has to be a device to accept power from either the pedals or from the motor or from both at the same time. I knew it could be done because I saw it working at the Oregon Human Power Challenge. I twisted the problem around in my mind and scribbled ideas on paper for a long time. I wanted it to be made out of off-the-shelf bicycle parts. I made a couple trips to Citybike Workers Coop at 19th and Ancany in Portland. This group salvages parts from discarded bicycles and puts the best parts together to make saleable bicycles. They also have bins and bins of bicycle parts that you can rummage through and try unusual combinations. I selected a couple rear wheel drive components, (a Shimano Deore Freehub and a BMX Freewheel), and brought them home. After a week of turning and milling the pieces on my lathe I can now slide them together in a unique new Power Distribution Hub. This is the first tangible piece of the new bicycle. See photos below.

I am now ready to purchase a motor and gearbox. The specification for the electric stoker drive system is this.

We also picked up materials to create a seat for Judy. I created one earlier for me. It is made of half inch poly-foam, covered with Aramid fabric and Epoxy resin. Aramid fiber, or Kevlar, is what bullet-proof vests are made of, so it ought to be a bullet-proof seat. Stay tuned for a blog on a FRP lay-up episode. It ought to be a gooey sticky mess.

We are still in Hillsboro for a few more days. Then we plan to take our sailboat, Regal Jug, up to Anacortes, Washington for a couple weeks of sailing adventure. Last time we did this in 2006 we put a new tongue in the boat trailer. See (under construction – link goes here)

For now, we send our love and bid you all adieu.

Gary and Judy

Gary Cutting Splines and Rockin

Closeup: Grinding Splines in the Freewheel

Two Views of the Power Distribution Hub

We had an appointment with the Daly’s at 11:00 and Marilyn still had some polishing to do on her Sunday sermon. In fact we had it timed perfectly, Daly’s were able to take over Marilyn’s parking place in the marina. We soon welcomed JP, Gretchen, Sean and Jennifer on board. After a review of the procedures we motored back out into the channel and set sail for Columbia City again. This time JP and Gretchen alternated on the helm and Sean and Jennifer cheered us on from the back of the cockpit. We completed the same circuit as with Marilyn, but the winds were stronger so it took us a little less time to complete the course.

We then moored on Sand Island and ate our picnic lunch. The children played in the water until they got cold. However it only took a few minutes in the 90 degree sunshine to warm them back up and back in the water they would go. Dave and Adrienne Shilling joined us with their Ski Doo and after lunch we did more sailing. However the children abandoned the sailors and joined Aunt Adrienne and Uncle Dave for some high speed water sports. I thought I had lost them totally, but at supper Sean drew a sailboat on the table paper.  I think you will agree it is not bad for a seven year old.

The weatherman promises an end to this heat wave. It wasn’t too bad on the water, but it was really hot on the island.

We wish you all fair winds and smooth waters from Oregon.

Sean's Dinner Art