Underway

NEWS and NOTES from the CRUISING COMMUNITY

CLOSE TO HOME

OK, I’ll admit, it is a little worrying. I’m beginning to wonder if we might get used to daysailing and lose our drive to cross oceans. § My crew and I fancy ourselves legit bluewater cruisers, having crossed major oceans several times, most recently on our Jeanneau 44i, Keala, from her birthplace in La Rochelle, France, to Seattle, Washington. We would’ve headed for Canada and Alaska, but with maritime borders closed to British Columbia, we’ve found ourselves basically gunkholing about the 100 miles of Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands. § Short-distance cruising, it turns out, has a lot going for it. One of the basic goals for us, indeed of cruising in general, is to use conditions to our advantage. Unlike racing,

cruising means sailing with the weather, rather than despite it. And it turns out that these short trips make it much easier to do so. For example, an afternoon flood tide and a sea breeze might combine for a rollicking ground speed of 10 knots under sail. On a longer passage, we’d be forced to buck the tide and possibly motor until conditions turned in our favor. Instead, we’ve had a chance to learn about the strong and somewhat baffling currents and winds in this complex area.

Sure, the closure of British Columbia’s borders have caused an increase in yachting traffic in the San Juan Islands, but most of the boats concentrate in the more popular anchorages. Not being pressed for time, we found ourselves seeking out small, shallow, less-visited bays and coves. Arriving early in a secluded little bay just big enough for a few boats, such as the tiny bay on Matia Island or the narrow cut on Patos, provided all the social distance we desired, amid some fantastically eroded caves and cliffsides. Meanwhile, hundreds of boats thronged the anchorages on nearby Sucia Island.

Yes, daysailing is growing on me. And I hate to admit it, but I’m even getting used to being within a day’s run of a grocery store at all times too.

How will we ever go back to the days of saltwater showers?

Social distancing was easy during a cruise of Washington’s San Juan Islands aboard Keala, a Jeanneau 44i. The crew nearly had Patos Island, with its striking, weathered cliffs, all to themselves.