A Season of Sailing On the West Side

Jordyn and I had the opportunity to move to western washington for a season during the fall and winter of 2012-13. We arrived in Anacortes on october 15 and quickly settled into our small house which was situated right across the street from similk bay. I was very excited to have been chosen for the spot in Anacortes as we had just purchased the ranger months earlier from the nearby community of La Connor. The previous owner of the boat was kind enough to allow us to leave the boat with him for a few months while we made our transition from Leavenworth to the beautiful coast. After we had settled into Anacortes life i made arrangements to move the boat over to our house. It became very clear that sailing would be my main source for recreational enjoyment over the winter. There were a few key projects that needed to be completed before we could start enjoying the boat so the driveway was the boats first destination.

this is a photo of the boat at her home in la connor the day we bough it! Greg, the previous owner, clearly had cared for the boat very much and it was a joy to have him pass her off to us!

some of the main issues that i felt needed to be addressed before we could get out sailing included a simple modification to the lower shroud (relocating it 10 inches aft), locating a new trailer that would fit the  boat i bit better and be more gentle on her with road wear and tear and then creating a single point lifting system for the crane at the Anacortes small boat center which is where the boat would be kept for the season. All the other simple modifications i felt could be done while enjoying the boat and could wait. 

creating the lifting sling was a bit of a challenge but with much help from a local boat designer and friend Jim we were able to complete it in a day. it consisted of mounting four U bolts through the deck hull joint in balanced locations and then using some material to bring those points to a single point of balance behind the mast. we chose to use a product called amsteal instead of steal cable for its superior strength and easy storage   (THANKS JIM)

this was the very first time we used the lift system, nerves ran high but it all went well, after many more times it became second nature for me to move the boat single handed. this is an amazing setup down at cap sante with all the benefits of dry storage but with the mast up it only took me about 20 mins to get the boat in the water and ready to sail each time!

although we continued to use the large black trailer for a while i still really wanted to get into something a bit more apprpriate for the boat mainly because we knew that the boat would have a lot of real trailering in its future which could be very hard on the hull.

After a lot of looking locally and all over craigslist it became very clear that a boat trailer is hard to come by and in great demand all over the coast. I came to the realization that the only way to do this would be to buy a boat with a trailer under it and then figure our how to dispose of the boat. It turns out that buying an old boat and tailer is much cheaper than just a trailer, who knew?   I ended up buying a old rienell 22 sailboat with a similar style to our ranger and many options for adjustability on the trailer. I was able to pick up the entire package for 600$! the boat was a complete loss but i was able to strip it of any parts that were useable. After salvaging a brand new jib that fits the ranger like a glove!, four lifeline stanchions, a stove, an entire electrical system and the mast and boom we took the boat down to coupeville and had it destroyed at the dump. Unfortunatley the trailer wasnt nearly as nice as the black one but it would do that job at least until i become filthy rich and buy another one. we have since trailered the boat across the state and it did just fine!

this is a fun video of the boat being crushed. even though the boat was a lost cause, its still hard to see a sailboat be destroyed. i wish people didnt let them get in this condition in the first place.

the new trailer is a single axle with a keel slot and some rollers on risers, after spending hours using the crane to adjust things the boat fit great and sturdy for the road!

the new trailer has since gotten new tires and axle and springs

now its time to just enjoy the amazing sailing around Anacortes!  We sailed all winter long and it was a great time to improve my novice skills on some new and exciting water. learning the tides and watching the weather carefully were new skills that had my attention right away. even though i never sailed too far from the harbor it was still very clear that this wasnt the lake sailing that i was used to and needed to be taken very seriously.

Jim and Lis were kind enough to join me on the maiden voyage to help remind me of some skills and build some confidence on the boat, i would be single handing regularly by the end of the season thanks to these two!

sailing wing on wing was one of my favorite things to do

many of the locals talked about how it was too cold to be out on the water in winter but we come from north idaho where it snows and freezes every year so i could not have been happier to be on the water even on Christmas Eve as pictured above! Mt Baker looking beautiful in the background

the addition of the dodger was very exciting, it made sailing on those iffy weather days no big deal and now the large open hole of the cabin was transformed into a large cozy cabin space where Jordyn would often nap as we sailed around the islands. I soon rigged the boat so that i could sail singlehanded while sitting completely inside the cabin which was really fun when the rain started to come down. In this photo the doors have been removed.

  

we left Anacortes and moved back to leavenworth in march and we have not been back to the sounds since. I hope to return next year for a nice long cruise in the san juans now that the boat it better equip and our skills as sailers are growing.