Summer 2011 C42 Rendezvous in Poulsbo WA

Summer 2011 Catalina 42 Rendezvous

Liberty Bay, Poulsbo, WA

Where in the world?

Where in Washington?

Who went with us?

Bill Bling Ling, (Countess) Lori Sorensen, and Count Enrico Ferrari aboard the mighty Catalina 42, Jah Mon

The First Day’s Journey:

The tides were right for a voyage south in no wind on day one from Anacortes in our journey to Poulsbo which is about even, latitude wise, with Seattle and some 80 miles south of our home port.

Jah Mon was loaded up with crew and provisions and was able to depart at 9:15 AM on Wednesday the 14^th of September.  The ebbing tide took us to Smith Island and then shifted to a flood, taking us a bit past Port Townsend into Kilisut Harbor and then to Mystery Bay on Marrowstone Island. This is a very sheltered spot with a Marine State Park and another on the entry channel at Fort Flagler.

We were met just prior to the channel by my cousin Everett Alfred Sorensen aboard his pretty (from 100’) 24’ (or 30’ depending on what you are measuring) little wood schooner who we raced into the channel.  Jah Mon had to fire up the iron spinnaker to keep from going ashore while the 3.5’ draft Shish Kabob was able to sail the entire way in.

The Charts for Day 1:

Anacortes to Mystery Bay in Kilisut Harbor on Marrowstone Island, just south of Port Townsend.

The Race Course for Day 1:

For those who do not sail, there is a maxum that goes something like this.  When ever two sailboats are remotely going the same direction under sail (or power, but way more competitively by sail) both captains figure they are in a race.

We met up with Count Ferrari’s younger cousin, Everett Alfred Sorensen, who was single handing his 24’ wooden schooner outside of Port Townsend and we entered the start line at the entry to Kilisut Harbor.  It is a very restricted channel with a width of up to 40’ in some spots and narrower than that in others.

It was a good race but the 3.5 draft of the Shish Kabob allowed him to short tack while Jah Mon with the 7’ draft had to motor and then execute our 720 degree turn to wait for Shish Kabob.

Shish Kabob in mid tack.

After we passed a few of the entry poles, leaving them very close to the boat where the water was a bit deeper than the shallows we saw over the side of the boat, we were able to come after Captain Everett and give him the ‘cone of death’ by blanketing him with our head sail.  Our boat speeds were pretty even with just a bit of advantage to Jah Mon (running with the headsail only) on top speed and the advantage to Shish Kabob (with all four sails flying) on the acceleration out of the gybes due to her weight advantage (-27,000 lbs?).

Jah Mon put out her hook and Shish Kabob rafted to us for dinner and the evening.

Cousin Everett preparing to sail Shish Kabob to Port Townsend.

A short video of proper breasted towing.

The Chart for Day 2:

Here is a sight that most do not get UP close to see!

The Abraham Lincoln out of Home Port Everett, going north up Admiralty Inlet.  She probably loaded planes out at sea.

The Coast Guard cutter left more of a wake and paid WAY more attention to us than did the carrier.

As we neared this monster, we just kept the 'Otto'helm on and held our course.  There were two escorts that were full of young testosterone laced Navy and Coast Guard that had access to big guns and fast boats.  I am glad we didn't have to deal with a Nuke submarine as they have 4 escorts and move you away!

The above chart with line, is the path from Mystery Bay to Poulsbo and we motored most of it on flat water.  We were chased from Point No Point to Liberty Bay by Comocean with Greg and Sonya Hurt and they seemed to have about .1 knots more boat speed and on asking I found they had revved up to 2800 RPM while we were at 2750.  They took the longer course as we made them go on the outside of turns.

We both went under the Agate Pass Bridge at 8.4 knots over the bottom and only 11 feet to clear the bridge.  It looked as if we were going to lose the rig as we drew near the bridge.  It always seems to.

The Rendezvous Partcipants: (In no particular order)

Bling Ling, Lori Sorensen(The Countess),
 and Count Enrico Ferrari with their 1994
 ( the last year of the Mk 1) C42

This is the 3^rd Catalina rendezvous for Jah Mon this year.  Two C42 events and an all Catalina event (see the other blogs in the August postings).  It is always fun to see the others in the fleet again and meet new folks with similar boats.  This C42 rendezvous had a couple other smaller attendees and they were welcomed. 

Cathy and Allen Lapat
 2002 C42

Cathy, our 2011 South Sound Fleet 12 Captain,  was in charge of the event and did a great job.  Lots of emails was the most laborious part.  She put us all in our assigned slips on arrival, arranged for the dock conference center (heated, carpeted, with tables and chairs) that was used for various activities like the pot luck and the last morning’s coffee and donuts.  They also hosted the guest speakers aboard in their cockpit.

Tom and Sue Harris, 1992 C42

Tom had to travel all of 1 mile to attend and single handed in with his wife, Sue joining on Saturday.  Tom is a former Fleet Captain of Fleet 12 before they were split between north and south fleets.

Bob, Maggie, and Rick Teeter and their 1990 C42

Camelot has been at all three rendezvous with Jah Mon and we also met them in Victoria in front the Empress Hotel where we both docked.  These two live in Idaho but come out on the water for a couple of months each year.  Bob has owned this boat from 1990 when he bought it new and has made many clever modifications by himself.

Dan Tradal and Tom, 1993 C42

Bill and Laura Jenks on their 1999 C42

Allen and Wendy Vogt,
        1995 C42 (The first year of the Mk 2)

Allen loves to race his boat in the CAPS (Catalina Association of Puget Sound) NFS regatta that occurs each year.  Count Ferrari will just have to come south and give him some competition.  He has had the only C42 in the race fleet and has won twice!

Some how Blue Fin rates at 140 with the NFS as does Jah Mon but Sisu rates 120 and has a fixed prop, where is the justice?  When last checked the Puget Sound PHRF book had 2 C42s registered, one of which was Jah Mon, the other was up in Blaine.

Former North Fleet Captain Sonya and her hubby
Greg Hurt, 1993 C42

These two got home a month ago from an 11,000 mile cruise from the NW to Mexico to Hawaii, almost to AK and home over about a year.  A very unique feature of their boat is the water maker that Greg built that is engine driven and produces 40 gallons an hour!

Greg was our key note speaker at the potluck dinner and told us all the good stuff and harrowing stuff (like his autopilot going out 500 miles into the run to Hawaii and turning around and hand steering in two hour watches!)

Dick and Gail Hankinson with their 2008 C42

Full ON Joe, his son and grandson and his C320

When Joe arrived at Poulsbo he started at the fuel dock coming in with a 10k stern wind.  He had lots of dock assist but surprised all by stepping ashore while keeping the boat in reverse with nearly full throttle, saying to his son, who was walking back from the bow, “just throttle down”.  It all worked fine but a very unique docking!

Daughter, Karen with Harvey, and Dick Elliot, 2008 C42

Karen volunteered to be South Sound Fleet Captain and to organize the event for Poulsbo next year and blocked in the event with the wharfinger before they left.   This time of the year is booked due to the reduced mooring fees.  We were paying only $37 a night which included power and wifi that worked really well!

Mike and his 1993 C36

Mike and his 1993 C36

The Events of the Rendezvous:

Not Participating but there and NOTEWORTHY:

 Anne and Laurence Yeadon-Jones were pulling out in Dreamspeaker.  For those who have cruised the NW, you will recognize the boat name from all of your best cruising guides!  If you are going to cruise the NW, then you should do yourself a favor and buy the one for the area you are going cruising.


Their older IOR style 37' boat was pretty small compared to our C42s and they live aboard for most of the year if not all.  They certainly get around on it.  I was only able to hail them as they exited the fairway.

Arrive Thursday, Friday was tour boats day but all the weekend was for that too.  Those that wanted a CG Auxilary check could get one as two inspectors showed to award stickers to the worthy and then dinner out at Sogno di Vino on Front St.

There are a bunch of masts the same height here.  What is going on?

Saturday saw more tours, our electronics speaker was a no show but then the two sail makers gave us knowledgeable advice.   Jeff Madrigali from North Sails and Jim Kitchen from Puget Sound Sail Repair.

Cathy checking out the banquet room adn counting chairs.

All of us in our places with too much food to consume.

We had WAY TOO MUCH food at the pot luck dinner and then a raffle where it seemed every boat won something fun.  Jah Mon won a group labeled ‘sex toy’ sponge for cleaning.  These folks were having fun.

After dinner, Greg Hurt told us about his Pacific tour of 11,000 miles with only his wife, Sonya and cat Cinnamon aboard his 1993 C42 Comocean.

Sunday saw a departure of most including Jah Mon as began our two day run back.

A reflection from the Countess after touring the other boats:

“I didn’t know we had the only Lectra San head!  All those others have to pump out all the time?  What?   That would totally suck!   We have the only electric head at the rendezvous?  I am such a Princess!”

The Chart of the first day going north:

We had a brisk breeze to depart with and when we could we deployed our 140% headsail and used it for the bulk of the trip until the fans shut off and we motored in no wind into Port Ludlow where we found a whisper again, so deployed and sailed between the “Twins” and found ourselves in the idyllic gunkhole.

Comocean joined us and we had dinner and a game of Skipbo.

Sonya celebrating a tough day, see the water, of transit.

On deck that night, we discovered the phosphorous was vividly bright so we cranked up the wash down pump for the anchor and started painting pictures and words on the surface of the anchorage.  It was really bright and effervescent!

Day 2 Delivery north towards Anacortes:

As we unleashed Comocean in the severe clear weather with no wind, Jah Mon took the lead out of the anchorage.  Comocean looked pretty good back in there.

We had no wind and a perfect late summer day with full sun all day and the tides were with us for most of the 50 miles we made that day.  We got our mooring buoy in Cyprus Island’s Eagle Harbor by 5:00 PM in spite of a leisurely 10:30 AM departure.  Our speed was over 7 knots for most of the trip and we did hit over 8 knots over the bottom for quite a while.

Is anyone having fun?

Count Ferrari with L'il Mon in Eagle Harbor

The Countess showing off her platinum hair in the sun.  That is the tip of Whidbey Island on the left as we transit the dreaded Straits of Juan de Fuca.  It was perilous!

The last harbor of the trip:

Cyprus Island is just outside of the San Juans on the East side of Rosario Strait nearer to Anacortes.  It is mostly a Department of Natural Resources (DNR) land with 3800 acres for the state in pristine condition.  There are a few private bits but mostly scattered and small.  There used to be a 150 acre farm called Secret Harbor where boys with no family and issues with the law were kept and schooled by the state but that resource has lapsed now.

Jah Mon on her mooring at Eagle Harbor.  Note the extra moorings. No charge for these DNR buoys.

The blue line shows where we would have gone, if we had found the correct trail but we took another fork and ended up at the little blue i spot on the West coast.

Part of the DNR efforts have gone into placing mooring buoys on the eastside of the island.  4 at Cyprus Head, about 12 in Eagle Harbor (our snug spot) and another 5 at Pelican Beach where lots of kayaks love to go and camp.

There are hiking trails for the entire island and we chose to walk over to Smugglers Cove and check out the homestead last used in the 1940s.  There are great signs on the trails with lots of excellent historical, fauna, and geologic information.

We released the mooring at 1:15 and were in our slip at 2:45 and driving home by 3:40 looking forward to seeing our dogs and horses.

It was a great cruise and rendezvous.  I hope some of you readers experience some of the fun we had.

Submitted by:  Count Enrico Alfredo Ferrari