Slogging up the coast

Pelican fly by - Brookings, OR

Pirate Recruits

Boat lift in Pt. Orford, OR

View off the stern

Seabird docked in Garibaldi, OR

LC checking out the new spot

Pete cleaning the kelp off the fish

Arch rock out the galley window near Cape Blanco, OR

Downriggers working hard

Sunset beach stroll - Brookings, OR

Beach kite flying - Brookings, OR

Bertie & Seabird together again in Newport, OR

Sue driving

The seas are rocking & rolling

Brookings turned out to be a great town to be stuck in. We had fun watching the kites fly at the kite festival & even found we had one tucked away in a closet. Plan to fly it one of these days. We also started to feel like regulars, headed down to the coffee shop in the morning, with our laptop in one hand & cash in the other ready to buy a tasty mocha or homeade apricot scone. A farmers market w/delicious loganberries and a grocery store were all right there. But, the clock was ticking & we were itching to continue north.

Our friend Peter Bailey was still in Port Orford, only 50 nautical miles away. We downloaded a weather chart that showed if we hugged close to the shore early Monday morning, the winds & waves wouldn't be too bad. So we took our Bonine (decided that the fact that the movie Titanic was playing at the restaurant where we had dinner was not a bad sign) and tried to get to sleep early. Both Peter & I had trouble sleeping but at 2:00am when the alarm went off we decided to go for it.

We headed out of our protected harbor into the Pacific. That time of night the seas were down but crab pots were all around (There is a July crabbing season here). We had a fairly tense time picking our way through the crab pot minefield with a spotlight but slowly made our way further north west & into deeper waters. The wind was down & we made our way north at a solid 7 knots.

Around 10am we had a decision to make. Head around Cape Blanco or tuck into Port Orford. We decided to tuck into Port Orford for a couple of reasons but mainly because 1) we were tired & still had another 2.5 hours to go to get around the cape & then another 2-4 hours to get to the nearest port & the winds & waves were ramping up 2) we have a good weather window for tomorrow & assume our stay will be short & sweet. Unfortunately for us, our friend Peter Bailey headed out of Pt. Orford early this morning (after being stuck for over a week) but we are happy for him that he's finally made it around Cape Blanco. We hope to catch him the next few days.

So for now, the anchor is down, the flopperstoppers are out & we're swinging around in this windy but beautiful place. LC took this leg of the trip very well. As soon as the engine started she dove for the nearest covers, but came out after awhile, got sick (but only once) & then slept the rest of the way in her house. As soon as the engine was off, she came out & plopped herself down in a patch of sun seemingly content. Just another day of cruising.

More to come...

Greetings from Girbaldi Oregon. 

Oregon seems to like us & won't let us out of its grasp quite yet. 

We left Port Orford early & got around Cape Blanco easily. All day & night we headed north up the coast, happy to be around the obstacle. The seas were calm & a beautiful moon came up overnight which helped light our way.

We decided to stop in Newport Oregon for a quick fuel stop & came in a little before dawn. (Not too many crab pots). We grabbed a couple of hours rest before the fuel dock opened. Then Peter Bailey came into port with his boat Bertie. It was great to see him & have a little Galilee Harbor reunion.

Though tempted to stay, we decided to leave ASAP as the weather forecast looked ok & we wanted to get going. For the first 6 hours everything went fine. Around 5pm the wind picked up & we started getting a wind chop on top of the swell. We re-checked the forecast for the area we were in and it still looked like things were going to diminish, so we continued on. As the sun set & darkness set in, the wind waves continued to ramp up & we continued to pound into them. All night we tried different headings & speeds as the seas continued to build, but nothing helped. We were averaging only about 3 knots in the steep confused seas which is not a lot. Around 5am we decided to head towards shore so we could run in a little closer to land and maybe catch a lee from the NW wind which was now blowing a steady 25-35 kts. For about two hours we headed East/South East with the wind on our stern, making an easy 8kts - but going in the the wrong direction. As the sun rose & we got closer to shore, the winds finally let up & we headed north again but the N Westerlies quickly cranked up again. Pete checked the forecast and now they were predicting a small craft advisory for the area North of us. So, being exhausted & cautious, we decided to duck into Tillamook Bay & headed to Garibaldi, a small logging & fishing town. Ran through the bar crossing in light conditions and wound our way through the tidal flats of the bay towards what turned out to be a very friendly little harbor. Treated ourselves to a nice dinner (how can you turn up a local restaurant that serves locally caught fish-n-chips. It's called Fisherman's Korner & if you ever find yourself here we recommend it highly). Tonight we hope to get caught up on our sleep & maybe even recruit a couple of local pirates to join us for our (hopefully?) final leg of our ocean journey.

Last but not least, LC the cat has definitely acquired her sea paws. She was out & about last night even in the worst of it, demanding to be pet. It's hard to pet a cat while you are steering a boat & being pitched around. She didn't get sick & when we she had enough of our quick pats, went back to sleep in her house. As soon as we docked, she was out & about & checking our her new surroundings. Glad to see she is doing fine.

Love to read your comments! Thanks so much to everyone who posts them!!

Sue, Peter & LC