Adventure Begins...Sailing S/V ORCA From California to Alaska.....

[Spinner1]

Although I prefer power to sail, I must say that I wish I was going along. I love the sea and that is a dream.
Beautiful boat. I hope the weather cooperates.

Thanks. We will do a lot of motoring as the winds and the currents are against us...

I hope we won't get into too bad of a weather....:barf:

 

[Spinner1]

Wow?! She is magnificent! I owned a little 22' 'glass boat and crewed a 26' on the calm waters and predictable winds of the Gulf of Mexico. The difference between the 'glass boats and that beauty of yours are analogous to a new Accord and a gorgeous, classic muscle car. I'm jealous!

Congratulations and safe voyage!

Thanks...If ORCA was a sentient being, she'd be blushing....LOL....You nailed it on the head... She is a Classic Beauty....

 

[Spinner1]

What an incredible undertaking. The end result is a beauty....

Your trip should be quite an adventure. I like water but I'm not sure I would have the "stones" to do a trip like yours

Look forward to seeing your updates.

Almost forgot, what does a surveyor do pertaining to boats ?

Yes, it's one of those "once in a lifetime" adventures.


I'm fairly new to sailing. Sailed SF Bay for a month last summer but I've never been on the big, open sea in a small boat before...

The unknown and unpredictability of what lies ahead is an interesting concept....:barf:....

 

[Spinner1]

The cabin is gorgeous, and that vessel is a traditional classic. You should have this thread in Traditional slipjoints. May God give you maritime traveling mercies. Please be safe, glad to hear that is #1. Sausalito is gorgeous, it always looks like a 2000 piece puzzle picture. That bay is puzzle picture worthy, and your ship fits in perfectly. Thanks for the pictures...

Thanks...I too love the warmth of the mahogany salon.

Can you please post a link to the Traditional Slipjoints.

Here is part of ORCA's galley. I love the way the sun reflects to the ceiling.

 

[Spinner1]

From the porthole...

She has a nice spot. The seawall is on the starboard side...

This is in front of ORCA. The seals sleep and sun themselves here all day in between diving into the water for food and their
occasional little power plays. Someone takes another ones spot, there is a lot of noise...lol...

 

[Spinner1]

The Sentry.....

 

[Spinner1]

What's coming behind the seawall?

Seeing this gave such a good feeling....

A close-up...What a lovely, peaceful contentment....The woman's expression tells it all...

Passing our Sentry....

.

 

[Spinner1]

Here...Thought you might enjoy seeing some pictures from last summer...

Here Captain (Husband) is attaching a weather-vane up the main mast. He's about 43' up...

I so much wanted to go up but the wind picked up and Captain didn't want me to then.



Here is a bird's eye view that he took..

.

 

[Spinner1]

......Almost forgot, what does a surveyor do pertaining to boats ?

OOPS...THIS NEEDS ANSWERING...

On a wooden boat, a surveyor looks at the construction and the materials of the boat..... He's looking for any rot, signs of electrolysis, the planks, the seams, the frames and the whole construction of the boat.... When he looks at the planks, he notes that they are straight and has no butt ends standing proud, which is a sign that the plank may become lose or that it's not laying right... It could be there is too much caulking in the seams so whenever the wood swells, it pushes the plank out.

He pulls fasteners to see if there is any signs of deterioration... Looks at the equipment you have on board and their condition...He looks at all the rigging, sails and propulsion....Electronics and safety equipment and so forth...

Then he comes up with the condition of the boat and the value of the boat.


.

 

[cj65]

I see contentment in her face..... She has 2 arms to hold the puppy, and a third somewhat grotesque one protruding from her back to steer the boat. Some would consider this woman a freak, but what a perfect design for a dingy skipper!!!!!! I bet she gets tons of work in the bay!!

 

[338375]

OOPS...THIS NEEDS ANSWERING...

On a wooden boat, a surveyor looks at the construction and the materials of the boat..... He's looking for any rot, signs of electrolysis, the planks, the seams, the frames and the whole construction of the boat.... When he looks at the planks, he notes that they are straight and has no butt ends standing proud, which is a sign that the plank may become lose or that it's not laying right... It could be there is too much caulking in the seams so whenever the wood swells, it pushes the plank out.

He pulls fasteners to see if there is any signs of deterioration... Looks at the equipment you have on board and their condition...He looks at all the rigging, sails and propulsion....Electronics and safety equipment and so forth...

Then he comes up with the condition of the boat and the value of the boat.


.

Thanks for the explanation. I was guessing thats what they did but it was just a guess. Money well spent, especially for a long journey like yours.

 

[Spinner1]

I see contentment in her face..... She has 2 arms to hold the puppy, and a third somewhat grotesque one protruding from her back to steer the boat. Some would consider this woman a freak, but what a perfect design for a dingy skipper!!!!!! I bet she gets tons of work in the bay!!

:barf: oh my....we must have an alien invasion and I missed that...lol....
Boy, imagine all the things we could do if we had more than two arms...

 

[Spinner1]

Thanks for the explanation. I was guessing thats what they did but it was just a guess. Money well spent, especially for a long journey like yours.

You're welcome. It's a good idea to have a survey done BEFORE buying a boat so you know excactly what you are buying. It's a good and in my opinion a necessary investment, but it's pricey at $500....but not having one can cost you far more...

 

[Spinner1]

Spent yesterday running errands and packing. Bought some heavy duty, thick fleese sweat-pants. Will have to find outer pants that are light weight and water and wind proof. All they had at the Redden Marine, were men's L and XL and nothing at women's isle.

I finished sewing the new ORCA flag. The old one from 1959 was ripped by winds and age. The new one is ready to fly.

Truck is packed as we go. The offshore life raft, Avon dingy, ores and motor are on truck. Need to get blankets, sheets, medicinals, first aid kits etc into the back seat rather than on the pickup bed.

Got the laptop and a little DVD player, DVD movies and books ready to go. Still more packing to do.

The anticipation of "hitting the road" tomorrow has started.......it happends every time just before I go on a looong trip by my self. I'm OK as soon as I start driving...

The drive is about 3500 miles. Will stop and visit friends along the way. Stops are planned in Dawson Creek BC, Bend Oregon, NE corner of California, Carson Valley vicinity in Nevada, Sacramento area and Sausalito.

Gotta run now, will see if I can post the new ORCA flag later today. It came out pretty nice....

 

[Spinner1]

The fleece pants are what the fishermen wear here. They are worn under rain gear...

I'll check out the Helly Hansen Impertech line of rain gear when I get to the Bay Area...

OK, time for some pictures...

Here is the new "temporary" ORCA flag. The reason it's temporary is because the nylon fabric is thin. It was the only stuff I could find at the time. Now I found thicker fabric, but making another flag has to come after ORCA gets home...

 

[Spinner1]

Try three... I seem to have a hard time getting this posted. I lose what is written before it's ready.

Got a late start yesterday. Wanted to make sure that everything that was going with, -made it to the truck...

Got as far as Anchorage. After settling at Karen's (my sister-in-law) Kalevala called me and told that my down pillow didn't make it to the truck...

Well, -Karen and I went to few department stores looking for a down pillow and found one at the fourth store...It's amazing that such a little thing like a pillow can make or brake your sleep... I've came to the conclusion that I can sleep pretty much anywhere as long as I have my pillow....

 

[Spinner1]

Left Anchorage about 11 am.

Here is Merrill Field, -the little airport in Anchorage...

Few miles further this chopper flew a couple of circles above the road...

Came right above me. This was snapped through the sunroof...

 

[Spinner1]

The scenery is unbelievable...

My turnoff....

Railroad bridges...

 

[Spinner1]

Spring is in the air. The trees has young leaves...Everything is so light and airy looking...

...and spacious and majestic.....

 

[Spinner1]

There is a time of the year, that this sandy area is a torrent river...