ANOTHER 3 MINUTE MOVIE

Blake Island was not meant to be.  A couple of key parts of the engine are not connected, so we were stuck for the weekend at the slip.  Fortunately there's quite a bit to do.  We cleaned, organized, got some exercise, went for a kayak trip around the breakwater and found a few eagles hanging around.

We ended up going out to Ruebens and then over to Stoup's along with Jill and Porter.  Andy was teaching a bareboat class which involved an overnight stint in Poulsbo.

Sunday was the closing ceremonies for the olympics and Andy, Jill and Porter came over for dinner.

Here's a movie shot of the week's events.  It's about 3 minutes long and you'll need a computer to see it -- it won't show from the email.  If you go to the blog (at www.cambriahikes.blogspot.com) you can tap the movie and it should play in youtube.

BLAKE ISLAND WASN'T MEANT TO BE THIS WEEKEND

Part of the fun of living aboard is the ability to untie and go.      Thursday night's discussion was about where to go and we're blessed to live in an area where there are many possibilities.

We quickly went through the top of mind destinations:  Blake Island, Poulsbo, Eagle Harbor, Edmonds, Port Madison, Bell Street Marina, and Langley.  Langley is a about a 3 hour trip but the rest are between 1 and 2 hours of Shilshole.

Each of the destinations has it's own merit and each could take up a blog entry, but we landed on Blake Island.  We hadn't been there for a while and Jodi wanted to get some long walks and possibly a run in.  I wanted to try to shoot some pictures and we both wanted to get off the dock for a while.

The weather, which looked so promising earlier in the week, now didn't look as great, but there was very little wind in the forecast.  We can deal with soggy, but didn't want to venture out in Gale warnings.

We were planning to have another couple over for dinner Friday night and a Saturday morning departure was planned, pending a successful session with the mechanic on Friday.

Blake island has a fun history.  Chief Sealth was born there.  Seattle was named after the Chief, although it's unclear to me exactly how 'Sealth' became 'Seattle'.  Native pronunciations didn't neatly translate and one early spelling of the name was Si'ahl, but was also known as Seathle, Seathl, or See-ahth.

In any case it was a camping ground for the Suquamish Tribe and Seattle's namesake was born there in 1786.

While the island was noted by Captain George Vancouver, he didn't name it.  The prolific namer of all things, Charles Wilkes, named the island after an officer in charge of surveying , George Smith Blake.  Despite having the Wilkes moniker stamped on the charts, the island was known as 'Smuggler's Island' for quite some time.  I like Smuggler's Island better.

During the prohibition, smuggler's from Canada would use the island getting booze from Canada down to the thirsty Seattlelites.

In 1917, a wealthy fellow from Seattle named William Pitt Trimble bought the island and built a mansion on it. He also built quite a garden for his wife Cassandra.  They also invited the Camp Fire Girls to the Island for camping experiences and the campers named the camp 'Camp Sealth'.  This continued for a few years, but then Trimble had other plans for the Island and the Girl Scouts of America went in search of a new camp -- and built one on Vashon Island where Camp Sealth continues to this day.

The executive director of Camp Fire Girls for King County back then (1919) was Ruth Brown.  She was instrumental in establishing Camp Sealth.  The same Ruth Brown that a few years later created another camp, Four Winds, up on Orcas Island.  The same Ruth Brown that some 30 years later chewed out out a young camp counselor on Orcas for leaving tools in flower boxes he was constructing.  That young counselor was my father, John Aberle.

Back to Blake Island.  Mr Trimble's wife, Cassandra, died in a car accident and one gets the sense that Trimble's loved the island because his wife loved the island.  After she died in 1929, he left the mansion and it fell into dis-repair.  He sold it in 1936.

During prohibition, the island was used by smugglers from Canada.  One fellow recalled that one method of hiding whisky was to use a line with an anchor.  They'd lower the anchor then tie bottles to the line and lower them beneath the surface.  They'd finally use a small float to mark where the booze was.  The kids on the mainland (kitsap peninsula side) would watch this activity through binoculars then at night row over and retrieve the booze, stealing from the smugglers.

During the WWII years there were a few soldiers stationed on the island -- reportedly those with discipline problems.  On an island, it was difficult to get into trouble.  But the soldiers left the mansion, and the property and boats, in much worse shape than when they arrived.

The mansion mysteriously burned to the ground in the mid 40's, but the guilty conscience of a now 80 year old fellow finally solved the mystery only very recently.  Seems that one Don Winslow built a 16 foot boat in wood shop class in the 1940's and put a used 5 horse engine on the boat.  He and a buddy motored over to Blake Island and near the shore a wave soaked both them and the engine.

It was a cold day so they decided to build a fire in the now decrepit mansions fire place.  They warmed themselves and then found a few boards to use as paddles for the way back.  As they neared the mainland they looked back and saw a glow and smoke -- they were scared and frightened as they were the only ones on the island that day -- perhaps an ember from the fireplace had ignited a fire.  The next day there were newspaper articles about the 'mysterious fire'.  They never told a soul of their excursion.  Until now.

In 1959 the State of Washington made it a state park and Native Americans operate a concession on a part of the island, separating Tourists from their money at 'Tillicum Village'.  Some day I'd like to actually see the show, but I hear it's largely cheesy and touristy.

The APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) is a forum for 21 Pacific Rim Countries to promote free trade amongst its members.  Founded in 1989, it had its first leadership meeting in 1993, hosted by Bill Clinton.  And where did Bubba pick to have this first ever leadership of APEC?  None other than Blake Island.

So now you know more than Blake Island than you ever wanted to know!

But, now for the weekend problem.  We're not going to Blake Island (after all that!!).

3 events conspired to kill the weekend plan.  Our friends bailed on tonight (friday). They'd just gotten back from a trip to the BVI's and they were absolutely beat.  Then the weather deteriorated.  And finally, the mechanic.  He was willing to come over late tonight, but the dye had already been cast.  We had decided to bail on the weekend.  We're STUCK!  We are staying at the dock.

Now, how to get exercise, socialize, and have fun this weekend.

Stay tuned!!

A BEER STORY

Every February the Russian River Brewery in California makes a triple IPA called 'Pliny the Younger'. It is reputedly the best beer in the world and has a very limited release.  A couple of years ago the state of Washington got only 10 kegs at 'secret locations'.  Beer geeks chase this beer and stand in line at the brewery for HOURS to get a single glass.

It's available at the brewery for only 2 weeks and the 'secret locations' usually sell out in under an hour.  Once. Each. Year.

Pliny.  Pliny.  Pliny. Heard of for so long, but never had a taste.

What do beer aficionados say about this beer?

"The aroma was fantastic"

"Expertly crafted and delicious"

"Overall it’s objectively the best beer I’ve had"

"What an experience."

"A true world class beer full of hops, pine, and citrus on the nose and tongue. Wonderful mouthfeel and a lovely light orange hue. worth the wait."

"Absolute pure clarity on that yellow gold with a finger of foam. Smashing citrus and pine in your face almost a bit of resin, literally I cracked a smile. Drying but not cloying at all. With rich citrus and forest maybe apricots and a deep bitterness that was clean no sweetness"


"Not many beers I would wait 3 hours for...best beer ever created in the history of mankind."

"Best thing I can say...I will be standing in line to get my ticket again next year."

"This beer is one of the few that is worth the hype."

"Incredible aroma, so smooth and well balanced"

"Definitely the best beer I've ever had, by a long shot."

So with all that hype, and this being the time of the year for the release, did we try to go out and find it at a 'secret location"?  No -- because while Washington had been getting a few kegs each year, that number went to zero as the brewery doesn't distribute to Washington any more.

We've been cut off.

But, Ballard has a secret weapon.  His name is Adam Robbings.  Adam is the founder of 'Rueben's Brews'.  He's british and, in our opinion, he brews the best beers in Ballard -- which is actually  saying a lot given the explosion of small breweries in Ballard (10 and counting). Adam, a London native, has a motto for his small brewery.  "Bloody good beer".

How Adam got into brewing is a funny story.  He, and his wife Grace, had given birth to their son and named him Rueben.  At the time, Adam worked in finance at T-Mobile and had never brewed a beer in his life.  So one month after being born, Rueben gave his father a beer making kit for his birthday.  Adam, of course, had gone to the store, bought it himself, wrapped it up, and signed his son's name to the card and presented the gift to himself.  Grace thought her husband was nuts, but tolerated the new hobby.  That was about 4 years ago.

What has happened since is nothing short of amazing. Adam is blessed with an incredible palate and an innate ability to make good beer.  Very good beer.  Bloody good beer.  He's won numerous awards and his taproom is constantly packed. Representatives from Whole Foods, PCC and Tom Douglas repeatedly  asked 'when can we stock your beer and sell it to our customers?'.  He has since obliged them and 'Rueben's Brews' are increasing available in Seattle outside his garage style tap room in Ballard.

After worrying his new hobby would drive him to financial ruin, he can't make enough beer to keep up with the demand.  He quit his job at T-Mobile.

So, this brings us full circle.  The total absence of 'Pliny' in  Seattle and an enterprising brit with a great palate and a wicked sense of humor.

Put yourself in Adam's shoes.  You have the ability to make a beer just as good as Pliny.  You experiment. You get it right. It's good.  No, it's great. It's fantastic.  It's bloody fantastic!! You found a way to bring the Pliny experience to Seattle. But what do you name it??

The Engine

Cambria has a Nissan SD33 6 cylinder diesel engine.  Reportedly it lacks stellar performance, but is a good, reliable low maintenance engine.  It produces just under 60 horsepower at 2000 rpm and burns about 3/4 of a gallon per hour at a 6.5 knot cruise.  She has nearly 4,900 engine hours on her and, with proper maintenance, should last another 5,000 hours or more.

The engine has had a couple of traumas over the years, including a mechanic induced syphoning of saltwater into the engine (that mechanic was never invited back aboard), a failed impeller, a pulley arm failure (which led to a water pump problem), and the transmission which unexpectedly became detached from the engine.  That last one was entertaining.  It happened just after leaving customs at Friday Harbor with Devin and 2 of his buddies aboard.  We quickly launched the bullfrog, lashed it firmly as far aft as it could be, and Jodi, much to her amazement, was told to take the helm of Cambria.  I was in the Bullfrog using its motor to bring us in and Devin and his buddies readied the lines.  We landed nearly perfectly, right in front of Jim Whittaker, first American to summit Mount Everest.

While nothing has gone wrong lately, I had Stewarts Marine come out and do some preventative maintenance.  Sure enough, they identified some problems requiring attention.  First (and most expected) was the exhaust.  Corrosion, the fitting coming off the engine needs to be replaced.

The next most expected thing was the saltwater pump.  The impeller showed some wear, but the pump itself was nearly shot.  I think it's the original, so it's about time.

The thing that caught me by surprise was the fresh water pump.  Leaking.  Needs to be replaced.  And the oil cooler pipe shows corrosion and needs to be replaced.

The fresh water pump is turning out to be a $700 thing.  $500 for the pump and another $200 in labor to replace it.  Blah!  The oil cooler will be another 200ish.

All in all nothing major, but the list of little issues is a bit more than I had expected.

So, we're in the process of divvying up the list.  What needs to be attacked now and what is on the 'watch list' for future replacement.  According to the mechanic, the engine, overall, is in good shape.  No oil leaks and no major problems.

This week we'll get the saltwater pump rebuilt and installed as well as get the exhaust fitting replaced.  Both are clearly in need of replacing.  He also found the likely cause of the hydraulic leak in the steering which is both good news and bad news.  It may be that it simply needs to be tightened but the leak is from the end of the ram -- an unexpected place as typically the leaks come from the hose fittings.  If tightening the ram doesn't fix things, then the ram itself will need to be replaced.  Groan.

Next week we'll tackle the fresh water pump and probably the oil cooler hose.

After that we'll take a breather.  Next year we'll likely go through all the hoses.

So not terrible news, just not great news.  And, it's far better to fix things at the dock with no time pressure.  It would be miserable to be in the straits, in nasty weather, and have the exhaust let go.  Or the fresh water pump fail.  Or the saltwater pump fail.  Or the oil cooler pipe fail.  Each one of these could render the engine unusable and under the right conditions, a couple of those failures could result in bringing in salt water into the engine room.

After envisioning smoke in the cabin, no engine, the engine room flooding it'll be easy to cough up dough to get these things fixed and fixed right.

Mechanically Cambria will be back in good condition by the end of the week and in great condition towards the end of next week.

Ah.  Clean filters, clean oil, and a strong engine.  I wonder how the rigging is doing these days?

It's always something.....

WIND!

Off west point.  The green line is the barometric pressure and the red and blue lines are gusts and sustained winds.

The wind the last few days has been impressive.  Or obnoxious, depending on your viewpoint.  The rain has been heavy as well.  After a relatively dry winter, looks like the heavens are making up for lost time.

We got a new top to protect the cockpit top.  The thinking was (and still is) that another barrier to the rain will help keep moisture out of the cockpit.  The old top was fine, but after day 5 of rain, there was moisture on the inside of the top.  In December 12 we had 30 straight days of rain, and there was constant moisture in the cockpit.

The initial problem with the new top is that it would puddle a slight amount of water, then release that puddle on the decks.  The pitter patter of rain is pleasant, the intermittent splash of greater volumes of water became maddening.  Fortunately there were grommets between the main tie downs and tightening them solved the problem.

Back to the wind.  Last night it blew 40 knots, which is just shy of 50 miles per hour.  It really blew.  Being on a boat, you are more 'intimate' with the elements.  On calm nights that intimacy is special -- you can feel the good weather and be part of it.  The flip side is when it really howls, you become part of the drama.

The movement of the boat is slight, but constant.  It's the noise and the variety of noises that make relaxing difficult.  The squeak of the lines as the boat strains at her tethers.  Then there's the 'mast slap' of other boats as their halyards slap against aluminum masts.  The wind whistling through the rigging is actually pleasant, but adds to the orchestra.  Then there are various snaps and other things that add a clinking noise to the mix.  All in all it's noisy and the gusts find ways to further vary the sound.

Today will be more of the same.  Winds on the coast are expected to rise to near 70mph, but the sound won't be hit as hard. We will get quite a bit of rain though!

Snow Day

Last night it snowed just over an inch.  Perhaps 2.  The complexion of the dock changes entirely and it's odd to see boats, seemingly built for summer, to be shrouded in snow.

We took our 3 mile walk and saw several snow men (and women)

First sign of spring!!

Rarely seen dock snowman

Kingfisher

A short video of the dock with snow