Coastal Yacht Delivery Part 1
We get quite a few calls to deliver yachts up and down the Pacific Coast and I’m in the enviable position to choose which boats I want to run. When we got the contract to move a 48-foot Riviera Hardtop Convertible from the San Juan Islands to San Francisco, I was all over it. I have heard good things about the seakeeping ability of the Rivera and for some time have wanted an opportunity to bring one down the coast.
As we are making our plans for the voyage, it is starting to become clear that I am going to have to break one of my rules to never get on an airplane again. For 20 years all I did was travel and the last thing I want to do is get on a flying bus.
My usual excuse for using a rental car to travel to the vessel is that we have a lot of gear to bring and some of it does not travel on airplanes well. For example, we always bring a half dozen offshore aerial parachute flares, which can’t be taken on a plane. We always have a life raft with us, can’t ship that on a plane either. Inflatable life vests, nope.
But as we go over our checklist this Riviera has everything, times two. Life raft, check. Survival suits, check. EPIRB, check. Inflatable life vests, yep. Ditch bag with parachute flares, check, lots of them. Even has the SPOT satellite vessel tracking system. Resigned to the fact that I have to fly, I try to make the best of it.
For the past couple of weeks we had been watching the weather looking for a window to get the boat moving south. Careful planning is in order because late in the fall the weather windows are short and there may be a multiple-week gap between them.
The long-range forecasts for the sea state are usually pretty accurate since the swells are generated far out to sea and take many days to reach the coast, but the winds and wind waves are less predictable and can change significantly each day.
It looks like there would be a two-day window for Washington and the San Juan Islands and then maybe another one or two days to get past the Oregon coast, then, once into California, the long-range forecasts looked great.
With our departure date set, we had to choose from one of three ways to get to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island: wheeled airplane, seaplane or car ferry. Since I’m going to have to fly, I might as well make the best of it and take the seaplane directly to the marina. That method would make it easy to unload what little bit of gear we need to carry and the departures from Lake Union are convenient with the commercial flights into SeaTac.
At 0400 we are off to Sacramento airport to get the early morning Southwest flying bus to Seattle Tacoma airport. From there we get a limo to Lake Union in downtown Seattle, and then board a seaplane along with six other passengers.
It’s all going well until we arrive at the sea terminal at Lake Union to find that Friday Harbor is fogged in and the morning flights have been cancelled. This isn’t good as we were counting on getting to the boat by 1100 and be underway shortly after to get out in front of weather down south. A day delay in departure may cause a week delay in Oregon.
The folks at Kenmore Air are more than accommodating and will have us on a plane the second the weather clears. They are also in communication with their wheeled aircraft division as it is common for the Friday Harbor airport to clear of fog before the sea terminal does.
After a three-hour wait, with weather updates every 15 minutes, the flight supervisor comes to us and suggests that he drive us to Boeing Field on the other side of Seattle and we get on a wheeled flight. The fog has cleared at the airport and they will hold the plane for us if we want to go. While not as fun as a seaplane, the little Cessna with wheels will get us there sooner and our schedule is important.
Once we are in the air, it’s a short 30-minute trip up to Friday Harbor from Seattle, but we have been traveling since 0600 and are now four hours behind schedule, arriving late in the afternoon. The owner of the boat has arranged to have a friend of his meet us at the airport and drive us the one mile to the harbor, take us to the store for provisions, and assist us in getting underway as quickly as possible.
We have a three-page checklist that we use whenever planning a take a new-to-me vessel out to sea. It usually takes an hour and half to go over everything and hopefully we don’t find problems that must be fixed prior to getting underway.
Fortunately in Friday Harbor there is a small chandlery near the marina where we can get last-minute items. We didn’t find much wrong with this boat, but did find a non-functional masthead light and no spare bulbs onboard, a small water leak around the hot water tank, and a lot of gear that needed to be stowed. Small items, but we can’t leave without all of the navigation lights working, spares on board, and all the gear secured.
Our original plan was to leave from Friday Harbor and make the short 40-mile run to Port Angeles to top off the fuel tanks before rounding Cape Flattery and heading south. However, since we are getting a late start and cannot make Port Angeles before 1600 when the fuel dock closes, we decide to fuel up in Friday Harbor, run at slower more economical speeds, and monitor fuel consumption.
With a weather front approaching northern Oregon the next afternoon, now we may not have enough fuel to get to Newport, OR., unless we keep our speed down to reduce fuel consumption.
Our options at this point are limited. Option 1: Run fast and fuel up in Westport, WA., early in the morning and then continue down the coast and try to get in front of the weather. Option 2: Run slower and burn less fuel and eliminate the stop in Westport and hopefully have enough fuel to get to Newport and still keep in front of the weather.
We chose option 2 since we can always change our plans and divert to Westport if necessary.
From The Log:
1945 – Rounding Cape Flattery. Speed 12.5 kts. Wind chop 2 to 3 feet and a west swell 4 to 6 feet. Winds S < 10 kts. Set heading at 185° magnetic. Approximately 10 miles offshore in depths greater than 500 ft. Engine room check found more water in center bilge. Automatic pump continues evacuating periodically. Next course change at La Push, WA, at approximately midnight.
This afternoon the weather and sea conditions in the San Juan Islands and straits of Juan de Fuca are near perfect. With sunny and warm (for this area) weather with long ocean swells less than 5 feet, the Riviera just wants to go. We are able to keep a good speed of 20 knots all through the Straits, but once the sun sets, at around 1800, we slow to 12.5 knots due to restricted visibility and many small fishing boats. The forecast for the Washington coast for overnight hasn’t changed and we are looking forward to a good ride down the coast.
From The Log:
0050 – Passing NOAA Ocean Data Buoy 46041. Speed 10.0 kts. Wind waves 4 to 5 feet and a West swell 4 to 6 feet. Winds East 15 to 20 kts. Heading 150° Magnetic. Main fuel tanks at half, transferred 200 gallons from reserve tank. Engine room check: still have water in center bilge. Small oil drip under port main engine, wiped clean and placed diaper. Decided to continue south and bypass Westport.
For the past five hours the ride has been good. A nice moonlit night and now we are quite a ways offshore with very little other traffic to watch, which makes the evening just a bit boring. At approximately 0100 we arrive at our decision point to divert to Westport for fuel in the morning or to keep going south.
Unfortunately, a few hours earlier the wind shifted to easterly and is now blowing 15 to 20 knots and the chop has grown. Our straight-line course to Newport has taken us 25 miles offshore, and with our reduced speed to keep the ride comfortable a diversion to Westport will take us several hours.
With conditions expected to worsen after sunrise, we agree that if we divert to Westport for fuel, we most likely won’t leave there today. Our fuel economy has been better than expected and since we transferred fuel from the auxiliary tank to the main tank to improve the vessel trim, we have a pretty good ride, so we decide to continue.
From The Log:
0545 – Passing Oceanside, WA. Speed 8.0 kts. Wind waves 5 to 6 feet and a West swell 3 to 4 feet. Winds Southeast 20 to 25 kts. Heading 125° Magnetic. Transferred 150 gallons fuel from reserve tank. Engine room check: water leak at hot water tank worse. Closed valve to tank to stop flow.
At sunrise we are now passing Oceanside, WA., and are approximately nine miles offshore. We have altered our course and reduced our speed in an effort to keep the ride comfortable as the wind waves are still building but the swell is lower.
It is usual to keep well offshore when crossing the Columbia River as the impact of the river flow can be felt 20 miles out. But the weather forecasts are predicting it to be calmer closer in so we decided to come to seven miles offshore.
The downside is that this will put us in water as shallow as 150 feet and this is an area known for crab and shrimp pots. At night there is almost no chance that you will see them in time to steer around them, but in the daylight we have a good chance of avoiding them.
By 0700 we have had breakfast and fresh hot coffee, and are now 10 miles from the entrance to the Columbia River. We set one of the VHF radios to channel 13 to monitor the commercial traffic in and out of the Columbia River. Downbound tugs and barges are likely to carry logs, lumber and other forest products while upbound ships are usually bulk carriers with coal, petroleum and cement.
Like most river bar crossings along the West Coast, the Columbia River requires a pilot for all vessels greater than 100 feet in length or greater than 250 gross tons. The Columbia River Bar is notorious for heavy weather, strong currents, and a shifting bar. For these reasons pilots are boarded 15 to 20 miles out to take the ships the last few hours across the bar.
Pilot boarding at the Columbia is generally by helicopter and the vessel configuration, wind, and sea state determine if the helicopter will land on the ship or the pilot will use a hoist. In calm conditions the Columbia River Bar pilots have two boats that they use for boarding. This morning the pilots are all being delivered by helicopter and by hoist.
It is pretty interesting to listen in on VHF channel 9 as the pilot is transferred to a pitching and rolling ship with 25-knot winds. In daylight, entering the Columbia River is not difficult as there are many aids to navigation. However, in heavy weather or restricted visibility, it can be dangerous as the current can reach 6 to 8 knots and that combined with strong winds can set you on the north or south jetty.
For these reasons I always avoid the Columbia and try to pass as far offshore as possible and give it the respect it deserves. We also know that the conditions we are experiencing now are partially because of the Columbia River and should subside by the time we get a few miles south.
From The Log:
0800 – Approaching Columbia River Entrance Buoy “CR.” Speed 6.0 kts. Wind waves 5 to 7 feet and a West swell 3 to 4 feet. Winds South 20 to 25 kts, gusts to 30. Heading 145° Magnetic. Forecast for thunderstorms south of the river by late morning.
We are still just motoring along with a fairly comfortable ride. In these conditions the Riviera is proving to be a great heavy-weather boat. Our only concern is that due to the rough conditions we are burning fuel at a higher rate than expected and may not have enough fuel to make Newport without encroaching on our reserve.
We always plan to keep 25 percent of the tank capacity in reserve just for emergencies. Bad weather and trying to keep a schedule is not an emergency, and we won’t go below a quarter.
Since we are close enough to shore for internet access, we are watching the weather south of us closely while at the same time keeping an eye on the conditions at the Columbia River Bar channel just in case we need to head to Astoria to sit out the oncoming storms.
We are now faced with the dilemma of continuing south with slow progress and getting south of Tillamook Head before the next weather front arrives in central Oregon, or turning around and heading up the Columbia to the Port of Astoria where there is a protected marina with fuel and hot food.
At 0900 we make a radio call to the USCG station Columbia River for a bar conditions report. They tell us that at noon slack tide the bar is open, but at 1600 max ebb the conditions will be dangerous and we will not be allowed to enter. If we are to turn around, then we need to be across the bar by 1300.
Based on all available information, we decide for now to continue south until 1100 and then decide to continue south or make a course for Astoria knowing that if we head for port we will most likely be there for awhile, perhaps a week or more.
Are you curious as to what we decided? Look for Part 2 next month…
Do you have a story to tell? I love a good story. Drop me an e-mail at pat@yachtsmanmaga zine.com.
