Armstrong Elementary Questions - last installment

What is the coolest thing you've done so far?

That's a good question! We've had lots of excellent adventures on this trip, but some of our favorites are seeing the humpback whales, the Giants baseball game, and Alcatraz Island!

Have you seen an octopus?

Not on this trip so far!

Have you ever been lost?

Luckily - NO! Well...not on the water. But I have been known to take a wrong turn while I explore a new town or hiking trail!

Do you sail at night?

When two ports or harbours are too far away, and we can't make it in one day, then we will sail at night. We take turns - one person is always awake and on watch, while the other person sleeps - we usually do three or four hour shifts.

What is the coolest sea creature you've seen?

Although I've been fortunate to see many Humpback Whales, they are still my favorite!! These enourmous creatures seem to be graceful, yet powerful - and seem to be oddly inquisitive. For some reason, I imagine them to be very wise.

Have pets been on your boat?

We don't have any pets, but we often take our friend's and family's dogs with us on board. Shima is now able to climb up and down the ladder, and Cody is comfortable jumping down into the dinghy from the deck! Not all dogs like the boat - especially when we are sailing, and the boat heels over to one side!!

Here is Amy with Shima on our old boat:
John rows Cody to the beach:

Div 6's Questions Part 4

Here is the fourth set of questions from Ms. Small's class at Armstrong Elementary.

Have you seen dolphins and whales and sharks?

YES! We've been lucky to see Pacific White Sided Dolphins, Harbour Porpoises, and Humpback Whales....but no sharks (thankfully). Sharks don't become more common until we get further south. One of the most interesting things I've learned is that sea lions will sometimes lie on the surface with one fin in the air, and swim in small circles. They do this to regulate their body temperature, and it is called thermo-regulating...but it looks eerily like a shark fin from a distance! We have also been lucky to see an amazing variety of bird life.

Do you have flares?

Yes, we have lots of flares on board, and all different kinds. Some of our flares go high in the air, release a small parachute. and then float down to the surface slowly. We have others that shoot one or two red stars up into the sky and fall quickly. For daytime use, we also have orange smoke flares, to help someone find your position.

What happens if pirates attack you?

Well, every case is different, but most pirates who attack small boats like ours are thieves. So I expect they will take any money that we might have on board and perhaps some other items they can sell, and hopefully they will be on their way.

Have you been sea sick?

I normally suffer from motion sickness, so I took some medication during our traveling days and managed not to be ill. John, on the other hand, never gets sea sick, but didn't feel very well on one of his night watches.

Have you been scuba diving?

Both of us are certified SCUBA divers, but we were hoping to wait until warmer waters until we did some underwater exploring. John did rent a tank and a regulator last week, so that he could dive under the boat to change our zinc and scrub the hull. Diving in the marina. Nice.

Do you see many boats along the way?

Yes...so far we've seen lots of boats who are making a similar trip. This is the best time of year to travel to Mexico, so many others are going at the same time. There are even several other Canadian boats here - in fact there is a Canadian boat in our marina somewhere...but I haven't had a chance to meet them yet - it is a big marina (800+ boats).

What souvenirs will you buy?

Hmmm....I'm not sure yet!! We don't have a lot of space to store big things on the boat, so anything we buy will have to be small enough to store, or light enough that we can mail it home.

Armstrong Div. 6 Questions - Part 3

Hello Armstrong Elementary!!

Here is part 3 of the questions that you have presented:

When will you be back?

We don't have a firm timeline. We'll take stock of our situation at various points throughout this adventure, and make decisions about our future plans as we go. We expect that we'll be gone for at least one year, and perhaps up to two years.

How do you shower?

Most marinas also have showers and restrooms, so whenever possible, we take advantage of these facilities to have showers. At our marina in Sausilito, we have fabulous, free showers!! But some places are coin operated. Where there aren't showers available, we have a shower in our boat (but it takes up LOTS of our precious fresh water), or have a shower in the cockpit.

How do you cook your food?

We have a propane stove and oven in our galley (kitchen), so we cook just like at home. We don't have too many kitchen appliances - no microwave or toaster!! But I do have a hand crank blender, and John has a hand crank coffee grinder.

Where do all your wastes go?

Our head (toilet) is connected to a holding tank - so all our waste gets stored in the tank. Luckily, it is sealed very well and does not smell!! In the USA it is the law that your boat must have a holding tank, if it is equipped with a head. We can empty our holding tank at most marinas, which will have a "pump out station", also available at many fuel docks. I've also noticed that many of the people who live on their boats here subscribe to a mobile pump out station. This is where another boat ties alongside your boat, and pumps your tank into a LARGE tank on their boat. You are also permitted to pump your holding tank into the ocean if you are far, far away from land.

Will you stop in Hawaii?

So far, we don't have plans to stop in Hawaii...but you never know!

Are you worried about pirates?

No - there are several websites that track the occurrence of pirate attacks. We'll stay safe by never traveling in areas where pirates operate, or always travel in the company of other boats.

Have you ever found treasure?

So far the best treasures we've found are the fabulous people that we've met along the way. But...we did pick up a vhf radio floating in the water one day!

Div. 6's Questions - Part 2

Hi Armstrong Div. 6...

Here is the next round of answers to your thoughtful questions.

How do you wash your clothes?

Most marinas have laundromats, and so far we've been able to wash our clothes and linens every week. I imagine that won't always be the case, and we'll have to do our washing by hand at some point. But at least a sailboat has lots of ropes and lines - these are great clotheslines!

How do you store your food?

We have lots of cupboards on board Renova, but not nearly as many as at our old house. So while we don't carry as much food, we could still carry enough to last us 6 weeks or more. We have to be careful to store everything in plastic or glass containers, because the moist environment on the boat will quickly ruin foods that are left in their original packaging. But, we're usually not far from a store, so food is never a problem!

How do you keep your food cold?

We have a fridge!!! It's not quite like the one you have at home...it is build into our counter, and you lift the lid from the counter and reach down into the fridge from above - sort of like a cooler. This helps to prevent the cold air from escaping as fast. Our fridge is a power pig...so it takes up lots of our battery power. Some days, we shut it off, if we need to conserve power. We also keep a couple of big blocks of ice in the fridge to help keep it cool.

Can you eat only dried food?

No - so far, we eat the same foods that we eat at home. We're very close to a grocery store, so I pick up fresh veggies and/or meats almost every day. But once we leave the USA, fresh produce may be harder to find, or we may spend more time anchored in a harbour, instead of at a marina. When that is the case, we'll eat more dried foods like pasta and rice, and make better use of canned goods.

Have you almost fallen overboard?

NO!!! We're very careful not to fall overboard. It is very hard to get back on the boat from the water, so whenever we are sailing at sea, we wear our safety gear. We always have our lifejackets on, with a built-in harness. We also have lines that run on each side of the boat from the bow to the stern - these are our jacklines. Whenever we are working on the deck, we clip on our harness lines to the jacklines, so we are always secure, and can't be lost overboard.

Div. 6's Questions - Part 1

Ms. Small's Grade 5/6 class at Armstrong Elementary asked a few questions last week. I'm going to tackle them a few at a time. Here is the first few questions...

What kind of boat do you have?

Our sailboat, "Renova", is a Cape Dory 36. It is 36 feet long and it is cutter-rigged, which means it has 2 sails on the front of the boat, plus one big main sail, which goes up the main mast in the middle of the boat. The boat was build in the USA - in Massechussets - in 1980. Although Cape Dory's are no longer being made, the hull mold has been bought by Robinhood Marine, and they are building Robinhood 36's, which are very similar to our boat. You can see pictures of our boat here, and find out more on the Cape Dory Association website here.

Why did you want to make this trip?

John has been sailing since he was very young. He's wanted to go on an extended sailing trip since he read about Robin Lee Graham going around the world at only 17 years old. At first I thought he was crazy!! Once I learned more about sailing and the cruising lifestyle, I realized it wasn't at all what I had expected, and it sounded like a great way to travel and see new and interesting places! I quickly became as passionate about this adventure, as he is.

Have you almost capsized?

Not yet!! We are planning to keep the boat with the keel in the water for the whole trip. But...because a sailboat is designed with a huge weight under the water, in the keel, if we were to ever lay the boat on her side, the large keel (8000 lbs) would bring her right-side up again. Just in case we have three bilge pumps (2 automatic/electric, one manual) on board to help us pump out any water that might find its way into the boat

Do you have water on the boat?

Yes! We have four water tanks that hold a total of 100+ gallons of fresh water. Most of the time, we only have cold water. We have a hot water tank, but it takes a lot of power to heat up the water (and keep it hot), so we don't use it very often. We boil water on the stove to get hot water for washing dishes. On long trips where we won't be near a dock or marina, we may have to start conserving water by using salt water for some cooking and to wash our dishes, but so far, it has been easy to find water to refill our tanks.

Ms. Small's Class Has Questions!

Ms. Small's Grade 5/6 class at Armstrong Elementary is very interested in our travels, and has asked us a few questions. I'll answer a few questions every week, but here they are:

What kind of boat do you have?

Why did you want to make this trip?

Have you almost capsized?

Do you have water on the boat?

How do you wash your clothes?

How do you store food on the boat?

How do you keep your food cold?

Can you only eat dried food?

Have you almost fallen overboard?

When will you be back?

How do you shower?

How do you cook your food?

Where do all the wastes go?

Will you stop in Hawaii?

Are you worried about pirates?

Have you ever found treasure?

Have you seen dolphins and whales and sharks?

Do you have flares?

What happens if pirates attack you?

have you been sea sick?

Have you been scuba diving?

Do you see many boats along the way?

What souvenirs will you buy?

What's the coolest thing you've done so far?

Have you seen an octopus?

Have you ever been lost?

Do you sail at night?

What's the coolest sea creature you've seen?

Have pets been on your boat?

Some Questions

Jody sent me an email this week with a flurry of questions about our adventure. I thought others might be interested in this stuff...so here they are:

J: Are you putting in long days?

On the way down, we put in 10-12 hour days as we harbour hopped to Neah
Bay. After that, we did two overnight sails - the first to Westport, Gray's Harbour, Washington; and the second to Newport, Oregon. Both overnight sails were pretty challenging, but very manageable. We set the sails at night, and were able to settle into the cockpit watching for crab pots and other boats, while Renova steered herself. The trip from Newport to Bodgega Bay was three days straight, and was pretty demanding. We had weird weather, so we often motored, and we had to hand-steer for hours on end. The motion of the boat was also uncomfortable, so it was difficult to sleep.

J: Do you have enough room?

We don't have a choice!! We've finally put away all the boxes that we stored in the front cabin for the first two weeks, and we can now sleep up front. We've got a few boxes that need to be returned home, but otherwise, we've stashed everything away. Mind you...if you need rice, you have to first dig out the cranberrys, cornstarch and nuts, before finding what you need. As we go...this system will no doubt be refined. Many people live on their boats for a couple years before taking off. I can see why.

J: Are you able to see land the whole time?

No. We were out about 30 miles on the first leg to Westport, and about the same to Newport. There were many time when we couldn't see land. But we were always within VHF range...which is one reason we chose the closer route. On our last leg to Bodega Bay, we were closer to land, and could see land, or fog, most of the way.

J: What ports did you pull into?

1. Schooner Cove, Nanoose, BC
2. Oak Bay, Victoria, BC
3. Port Angelel (Customs Only), WA...to unnamed harbour.
4. Neah Bay, WA
5. Westport, WA
6. Newport, Or
7. Bodega Bay, CA
8. Tiburon, San Francisco Bay, CA
9. Sausilito, San Francisco Bay, CA

J: Is anyone else travelling the same course??

Yes! Tons of boats are migrating south at this time of year. We're meeting lots of other cruisers as we go. And...some are travelling EXACTLY the same course...we pulled right up to the stern of another sailboat boat in the fog, who was using the same guidebook and following the same waypoints as us. Good thing we were keeping a close watch.

J: How was the wind and weather?

So far, it has been atypical for this time of year. But none has been terrible. We are now in crazy heat in Sausilito...but I'm just considering it aclimatizing for the Mexican climate that is to come!

J: Did you guys feel sick at all?

Well, during the long passages, I didn't feel really sick, but also didn't feel really well either! I spent a lot of time on deck, in the fresh air, and either steering or just watching the horizon. It was surprising how exhausted we were after being on watch for just a few hours. John...on the other hand...succumbed to 'the flu' on one of his night watches. The night watches were the hardest. It was pitch dark, so you couldn't see or anticipate where or when the swells and waves were going to reach us. Also, if you aren't steering, you are just sitting in the cockpit, bobbing along. We had a couple nights of confused seas, and they were coming at us from all angles. Not a comfortable motion.

J: Is there anything we need? Is there anything we should send you?

Not so far!! My Mum and Dad are arriving tomorrow with a few necessary items (sweetened iced tea)...but for the most part, we can get everything we need here.

J: Do you have enough books?

One of my book boxes didn't make it onto the boat, but until now, we haven't been reading as much as we thought. We may need to supplement the few fun books we brought with us, but it is pretty common for the cruising community to trade novels, and many of the marinas have a bookshelf for swapping.

J: Will John play scrabble with you?

Not yet. Nor yahtzee, or rummy, or battleship, or crib. But I'm working on him. This will have to be a mandatory requirement of all visitors.