S/V Kestrel – Dana 24

Kestrel got her red bottom paint in May at Olympia, WA. Pettit Marine did the prep and painting. I waxed the hull and cleaned up the three blade Max prop and new zincs. All went well. It was a feel good moment to see the lift put her back in the water and return to her slip. Ready to go north.⚓️

Olympia WA. March 2018

Well it was a greenish color in the cockpit and on deck and Spring cleaning got it done. Two overnights in port sleeping in the starboard quarter berth and dinner out at Anthony’s. Yanmar started right up the good news. Interior cabin dry the next good news as well as a dry bilge. Low heat Helps the cabin during wet winter months. Will take her out in late April for bottom paint. One sunny day was enjoyable. The beauty of a Dana 24… only 24ft to scrub and wash down all easy in half a day. 😊. Looking forward to spring winds.

Fair winds

Gary and SV Kestrel

⚓️.

quarters on board, galley, nav, head, cockpit and vessel. Kestrel is roomy for 24 ft with 6’1″ of headroom. She can go anywhere the question always is “do you want to go with her.” We we’re thankful for hefty keel and clean entry of her displacement hull particularly under sail.

The head and V berth seemed a bit cramped but a small price to pay for the overall. Easily cleaned following the voyage as you see from the pictures. Quite often strangers would come up to us during shoreside visits and ask if she is a Dana 24 or it’s maker Pacific Seacraft. That made us feel good to know the boat was well thought of. Because I wanted a boat that Ann and I could handle in various sea states and care for we went with the smaller Dana 24 boat without risking quality. Getting older doesn’t mean getting a bigger boat. She took us out on a 28 day adventure we will long remember and back again to Homeport.

Memorable too the people who helped with our itinerary both before and along the way. Like much in life the beauty of it all was enhanced and made alive by the people we met and who helped us navigate the seas. Thanks to all of you along the way. God Bless.

Gary, Ann Marie and Ensign Wilson

Making our way south to Homeport Olympia.

from Ladysmith harbor we squeezed out from behind a 75 ft motor yacht that looked like a three story building to our studio size Kestrel, the smaller of the hawk family. Heading 117M departure music was “it’s Howdy Doody Time” in honor of the Nordhaven motor yacht named Kawabunga. We used the YouTube of the original show with the kids singing and its a hoot and uplifting. Google Kawabunga for the genesis. On the way I used my air horn for an approaching power boat cruiser and he turned as did I. High probability the boat was on auto pilot and the Captain not on watch until the horn. Always a worry. At the pulp mill at Crofton I saw the familiar freighter Star Hidra loading pulp. A sailboat race with colorful spinnakers greeted us on arrival Maple Bay. Dock hand assisted our tie up.

Lunched at the Shipyard pub with delicious crab cakes and chowder and oh the craft taps.

Kestrel out

Departed quietly from the pastoral setting of Montague Harbor early morning for Ladysmith to the west on Vancouver Island our most northern latitude for the trip. Departure music was In the Hall of the Mountain King by Grieg in honor of the gnome carver David Compton a local artisan and retired international rep for BC. Meeting David reminds us of the interesting people along the route of our adventure. At Ladysmith we tied up to the long guest dock amidst very big power boats aka Stink Pots to sailors. See picture of Kestrel. Had wonderful tapas at Maya Norte a short walk up the hill. Ann and I had a discussion about Popeyes tattoo.

Kestrel out.

a word about navigation or nav. In addition to the awesome GPS Garmin chart plotter on board and radar we carry a lot of paper charts, tide and current books. Thanks to SV Ubiquity captain Brian Stipak and Leslie for the invaluable current Atlas for the Straits.

additionally Waggoners Cruising Guide a must have for the Puget Sound and Canadian waters. I carry my parallel ruler and dividers as well. Honestly I enjoy along with Ensign Wilson plotting my course the old fashioned way and correcting based on visual sights which are everywhere in the Islands but primarily buoy and channel markers.

The evidence of reefs, rocks as well as shoals is everywhere and undivided attention to the nav is paramount for the safety of the vessel and crew. The picture shows Wilson and I plotting our course from Montague to Ladysmith on Vancouver Island. This will mark our furthest latitude north from home.

My son was the navigation officer on board the Princeton, a Navy guided missile cruiser. I’d like to think nav runs in the family.

Kestrel out

from Winter Cove we motored to Ganges on Salt Spring Island well known for its expansive Saturday Market. Boaters plan their routes to make the market. We missed it. Stayed two nights, showered, went to Thriftys for food, did laundry, and took on water. MOBYs pub at the head of the Dock was excellent for food and craft taps. Canadians like their brews. Beautiful resident whir swans and their brood begged food around the harbor. We meet a lot of sailing folks like ourselves and their dogs. Met a nice couple from Bainbridge Island and invited on board their motor vessel Greywolf. It is encounters like this help us too with info and good gouge about sailing and places to visit. Thanks Jean and Doug. We departed for Montague Harbor two hours to our North on Galiano Island. Wind was blowing to 18kts on our nose with some choppy waters so passed on tying up to the pump out station which was on open water and congested and regrets no departure music. Montague was welcoming and calm and we tied up to a mooring buoy, one of 35 and its best to get there by 1400 to get a buoy. $14 Canadian as it is a Provincial Marine Park. Their Marine parks also provide excellent camping facilities, heads and sites. I’m afraid they have us beat in that department. We rowed the dinghy ashore and went to the local store and pub for of course a tap beer.

Kestrel out

Kestrel out

In our departure from Poets Cove the music was the Navy Hymn “Eternal Father” in memory of the sailors lost aboard the John McCain off Singapore.

We sailed a couple of days and hoisted the staysail once and practiced off the Pender Islands in our way to Winter Cove on Saturna Island. Kestrel did well in15 knot winds with main and genoa. She continues to impress us. I’m still in the learning curve when two head sails are flying. Winter Cove was the idyllic anchorage one reads about in the Gulf Islands. Unlike The previous anchor night the Cove was peaceful. On shore there we hiked to Boat Pass with views of the Straits of Georgia.

We departed the Cove to Vivaldi’s “Winter” from his Four Seasons heading for Ganges on Salt Spring Island. Ann is taking the helm more now under sail. We rely a lot on our Raymarine tiller autopilot both with sail and motor. Chow and wines have been enjoyed. Kestrel out

Finally under sails off Sidney with a southwest 8 to 10 knots we made good 5 knots. Tiller steering is a joy under sail as you can feel the helm. I learned to sail 15 ft. Sloops with center boards as a 12 year old. I’m at ease when under sail and enjoy the quiet movement of the hull through the water. Diesel engines silenced. We sailed a couple of times now and getting more confident with Kestrel.

So we stayed over at Princess bay on Portland Island on our way to Pender Islands. We anchored for the first time on this voyage in 20 ft of good holding bottom paying out 110 ft of rode. That night the wind blew a steady 10-12 knots out of the southwest and gusted to 18. Being our first anchorage in Kestrel in tight shoreline quarters I didn’t get much sleep. I had the anchor watch radius set on my chart plotter and wrote down the coordinates. The anchor held and did not drag. Enough scope saved us. Ann rowed the dinghy ashore and walked around this small uninhabited marine park with Ensign Wilson. Delightful to have left the big cities behind us. The next day we hauled anchor and set a course for Bedwell Harbor on South Pender Island.

The departure music, The Navy’s “Anchors Aweigh.”

Pictures from our anchorage.