Dinghy Lift Revisited

Last summer Jim on Orcas Island installed a dinghy lift on Shatoosh. It still needs some modifications to make it more effective. The upright pole needs to be taller and the lifting arm needs to be longer. Since the whole pole rotates, so does the winch which tends to put the winch handle in an awkward position for letting down the dinghy onto the hardtop.

I have been thinking about solutions to these problems.
1.  Remove arm and make longer one
2.  Lengthen pole by adding a larger diameter piped sleeve over the pre-existing one. This would rotate on the original upright pole and would go down to the brace on the hardtop.
3. Remove winch and place it on the upright pole below the brace. That way it would not rotate and stay fixed.

What would you do? I would love to hear any ideas that you might have.

Looking For Crew: Part 2

I have heard from several Albin owners who would love to fly across country, get out of the snow and cold, jump on board Shatoosh and enjoy our adventures, but they did not think their wives would let them come.
Some thought that I should continue cruising until the end no matter what. I also heard from 2 boat owners who are contemplating  a Snake and Columbia River run like I did in 2010. Winter storms make for good cruise dreaming and planning. Spring and summer make dreams a reality.

As I look forward to this summer's cruises I have lots of options, so many it makes my head spin. I do have a friend who might like to take a cruise again. I call him "Back-up Billy". He has back-ups for the "back-ups". He might become my generic "back-up crew". Call when in a pinch. When I was in high school I had a back-up boyfriend. I only went with him when I didn't have a real boyfriend. Actually I am not in a pinch, nor do I need a boyfriend, so all you wives out there do not need to worry, but I do like to take people for a cruise when they are boat-less and have a hankering for adventure. He is already on my crew wanna-be list.

Do You Recognize Him?                                    

Yes, "Back-up Billy", is really "Too Tall Tom".  While he pretended to be a bit grumpy in this picture, he is always funny and keeps me laughing. Now that he is boat-less, I asked him if he would be interested in some summer cruising. He took the bait, hook, line and sinker. We are tossing around cruising possibilities so stay tuned to see which islands we will hop to.

                                                        

Crew Wanted---A Window of Opportunity

Looking for Younger Crew

I have owned Shatoosh since December 1999 and have had quite a large crew-pool to rely upon. They have flown from many a direction to join Shatoosh and me from San Francisco Bay to the the Pacific Northwest. Crew has flown from the Hawaiian Islands, Texas, Arizona, East Coast, Idaho, Colorado, and California.

As I age, now 70, I am noticing that some of the boating demands as a single-handler are taking a toll. The extreme ramp angles challenge my unstable right knee which then is not happy with all the kneeling that is required. This then ripples down to stability when jumping off the boat when docking. Last summer my knee was acting up all through British Columbia, even causing me to fall and crash into some downed logs. A few years ago I asked myself how long was I planning on cruising on Shatoosh? My answer came quickly, "75".

 For many of my crew they are older than me. My oldest crew member is in her 80's and is still able to handle all of the duties of being a crew. However, many of my crew are in their late 70's and are having health issues which compromise their abilities. Some are still young and agile, but are working and have limited free time. I am so grateful for all the people who have crewed for me over these 13 years. We have had an incredible run and I want to thank each of you for all you have done to help me.

So its time to put a call out for younger crew to join Shatoosh, Pashmina and me. We have 5 years of opportunities to capture adventures in the northwest. If you have boating skills, have time, enjoy cruising on a slow boat, want to experience the Salish Sea, let me hear from you.

Pashmina 2 Revisited

I sat on Shatoosh today setting up my log book for 2014 when I noticed my Pashmina Impresa I had drawn in 2011 and had made for both sides of her bow hull. I thought I should reflect on her design and see if my vision had born fruits. This is what I had posted on the November 2011 blog.


I continue to play around with my impresa for Pashmina 2, to fine tune the elements. I sit quietly with a new, clean sheet of paper, close my eyes and open myself  for universal assistance. There needs to be clearer lines and something is missing.

It doesn't take long to capture the missing piece to the design. and to fine tune the images. While I have scanned the image, the colors are not accurate. This can all be fixed in the professional design process when the graphic is made.

Again, the elements are:

1. The waxing crescent moon brings light onto new adventures for us.
2. The orb(circle) holds the focal point of the energy of our journey as we travel through zillions of water droplets in the magical Salish Sea. We are all part of this Circle of Life.
3. Pashmina 2 offers new freedom for me to explore and the eagle represents this.
4. I needed a boat that is tough as nails and won't destruct on rough beaches...and the eagles talons are strong as nails.
5. The rings represent the great cedars and firs that we will encounter.
6. The salmon make their way from the small creeks and rivers to the ocean and return again to create new life. Pashmina 2 will carry me back and forth from sea to rivers and I will always emerge renewed, refreshed, and ready for another adventure.
7. The beautiful sand dollars that grace my favorite Island in the Sound, represent the delicate aquatic forms of life that fascinate us and create an unbelievable underwater ecosystem.

I sit back, knowing the impresa is complete. This design truly supports our exploration of the Salish Sea and know Pashmina 2 will be happy to have this grace her hull.

Pashmina certainly has proven herself to be one tough dinghy. She survived being swept off the swim platform and was tow-able partially filled with water. She has been dragged over many a rocky beach,
towed and rowed over 1200nm from Budd Inlet to Newcastle Island, British Columbia. She even survived her first ride with an outboard attached to her stern. When I bought her, I thought she was the ugliest dinghy ever made. I remember patting her bow, as I drove her from Idaho to her new home in Puget Sound, saying to her, "love will grow, love will grow".  I wasn't certain, but now in 2014, I can honestly say, I love you, Pashmina and thank you for being a great and faithful dinghy. You have lived up to your impresa and exceeded all expectations. Together we will explore more waters in 2014.