Monday September 8, back in Gig Harbor.

Written by Jack van Ommen on September 9th, 2014

I hiked up on the steep chairs to “uptown” to attend the 8.15 a.m. mass at Our Lady Star of the Seas. Very appropriate. I have been to a number of them in my travels, in Georgetown, Bermuda, in the Chesapeake Bay on Solomons Island in Maryland. The Latin version Stella Maris is a popular boat name.

Stella Maris above the altar

Stella Maris above the altar

Father John Topel wit on left Deacon Bill Swanson

Father John Topel wit on left Deacon Bill Swanson

The couple behind me Vincent and Mary Anne gave me a ride back to the Wooden Boat Show. I shook hands with well known world sailor Larry Pardey and ran into Jim Whittaker the first American to reach the summit of Mount Everest. I had met him once before in Port Townsend. He is also an avid blue water sailor. He is 88 but he still walks faster than most people run. I used to see his twin brother Lou on occasions since his wife and my (last) ex wife are long time friends. I also managed to meet up with Jim Ferris popularly known as “Kiwi”. I had met Jim in 1980. He responded to an ad I had placed for race crew. He had just delivered a large schooner built in New Zealand. He got into wooden boat building in Port Townsend and started with a Mighty Might portable sawmill and now owns one of the largest hardwood distribution businesses in the North West.  I left Port Townsend at noon and had a favorable flood current most of the way. Sailed a good part of it. The wind came and went, as is power for the course in the N.W. summers here. I anchored for the night at Blake Island and got back into Gig Harbor in the afternoon. I discovered half way through Colvos passage that my exhaust was steaming and just a trickle of water was coming through. The first thing I did was to clean the seagrass from the intake filter. But that did not do the trick. So, it had to be a broken impeller. There are not many places to anchor in Colvos Passage and the current was swift. I tried motor sailing against the wind and throttle the ;power back. Then the wind died. I slowly made my way to an anchorage. Taking the impeller out is a major operation. The flywheel has to come off. There was nothing wrong with the impeller. I attached a hose to the inlet valve and blew hard and it did break open. I thought. Still just a trickle more water. I was only two miles form the marina. I slowly made it to my berth. I then used the pump to blow up the inflatable and that finally did the trick. Obviously a better tool than my lungs. Another trick learned. I hope that Robert Redford reads my blogs, for his sequel to “All is Lost”. Shoot!, I should have asked Larry Pardey what he thinks of the movie, he was used as an expert on the subject by the producer…..

sunrise over Glacier Peaks

sunrise over Glacier Peaks

sunset over Olympics

sunset over Olympics

Moon rise over Seattle

Moon rise over Seattle

 

 

Comments are closed.