Here you will find tales of voyages past and present on our trusty Pacific Seacraft Dana 24, "Sockdolager," and our Bigfoot29 powerboat, "Raven," from Port Townsend, Washington, USA. In 2009 we sailed north from Puget Sound up the west coast of Vancouver Island to the Queen Charlotte Islands (now called Haida Gwaii.) In 2010 we went back to the west coast of Vancouver Island. In July 2011 we left the Northwest, sailed to Mexico, and in March 2012 we crossed the Pacific to French Polynesia, then on to the Cooks, Niue and Tonga. We spent several months in New Zealand, and in May 2013 loaded Sockdolager (and ourselves) on a container ship for San Francisco. In June and July 2013 we sailed north along the California, Oregon and Washington coasts, and in August we arrived home. In October 2016, Sockdolager found new owners, and we began cruising on Raven, a unique wooden 29' powerboat. In 2018 we cruised up to Glacier Bay, Alaska, and back. But in 2024 we had the chance to buy Sockdolager back (we missed her), so we sold Raven. We hope you enjoy reading about our adventures as much as we enjoy having them. (And there will be more.)



Friday, March 16, 2012

Watching = Job 1

Pacific Crossing, Day 4: At sea, sailors "stand" watches, to watch for danger. Actually, on a small boat in the seas we had last night, standing WAS the danger, so out here we "sit" watches. We watch the sea. The wildlife. We watch for other ships. Floating objects. Landfalls. The sky. And, sometimes we glance too often at our... watches. The time expander thing again, as we live by the sea's time (and get tired.)

Here's our watch schedule: 0800-noon, Karen; noon to 4 pm, Jim; 4 to 8, Karen; 8-midnight, Jim; midnight to 4, Karen, 4-8 am, Jim. We just learned that Livia on Estrellita gets coffee in bed, hmmm... But during my (K) morning watch I sip coffee and write word pictures in a notebook while Jim sleeps. I'll take it! We can't send photos via Ham radio, so you get text blobs. They might be brief or absent if on a particular day we're busy, tired, etc.

But today I couldn't not write, because this is all so amazing. To be out here, happy, a little tired and nervous (how many days will it take, really?) and sailing this little boat across a whole ocean--let's just say we are as amazed as some of you are. And in spite of the tiredness this morning from last night's lumpy seas, we're lovin' it. Today the sun came back and the sea gentled out.

Sent via Ham radio

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