Sucia Island Rendezvous, 2015

July 10-13 was yet another great gathering of small gunkholing boats in Fossil Bay, Sucia Island, one of the wonderful Washington State marine parks in the San Juan Islands. It's hard to beat the camaraderie of good friends in a beautiful spot aboard some of the most seaworthy small vessels around.

This year there were nine boats carrying eleven sailors. A small but tenacious group, all with credentials as able seamen and women.

Jamie came from Victoria BC in his Phil Bolger Chebacco, Wayward Lass, fresh from the R2AK, where he made it to Johnstone Strait before succumbing to intense headwinds.
This is the view we usually have of Jamie.

Bob sailed Sally Forth, his beloved Drascome Longboat. It's easy to see why he loves this boat so much. He uses a very well designed cockpit tent for sleeping aboard. Additional photos can be found on the Doryman Flickr site.

Paul navigated from Cowichan Bay, Vancouver Island, in his Jay Benford Friendship. He recently upgraded his rigging by moving the headstay to the masthead and installing a roller furling genoa. Sadly the winds were very light, so he couldn't show us how pleased he is with his new wings.

Claire and John came from Whidbey Island in their new Night Bird. A lot of boat in a compact package. Please note the pop-top deck.

Joel and his son Tim winged from Edmonds in their John Welsford Navigator, Ellie. Navigator Joel employs a tidy clothesline anchoring system to keep Ellie close to camp.

Randy arrived in his new Belhaven 19, Clementine. I sailed with Randy in our annual "race" around Sucia. The winds and currents are fickle around this island of many faces and we have yet to complete a single race, in many years of trying. This year may have been the shortest race of all.

Joe trailered from Texas with his wood runabout. He didn't know he came to see us, it was serendipity. I met Joe four years ago while cruising around the Canadian Gulf Islands after this same rendezvous. It was good to see him again, he's a sailor's sailor, with a fruitful life and many interesting stories to tell.








Ron motored in with his efficient outboard driven catamaran, Just Enuf, a plywood EcoCat from Bernard Kohler. Ron really gets around with this little cat. You may have seen his distinctive vessel around the Salish Sea.






I sailed the forty five nautical miles from Port Townsend in Belle Starr. That's her in the photo near the top of the post. She always gets me there and back, safely and in style.

A small but fun group. The Sucia Island Rendezvous was lovely as ever, a tradition well worth keeping.

Small Craft Weekend

A photo essay

When two great events happen at the same time, it can be hard to decide which way to go. But then, a busy summer schedule often trumps, which was the case for Doryman last weekend.

The closest event was a gathering of Coots on Fern Ridge Reservoir, in the beautiful Willamette Valley, near Eugene Oregon. So, I dropped by just in time Saturday to visit as the boats returned to the docks from a day on the water. This is my home team, so you've seen some of these boats before.

First up is Bob Larken in his Wavewatcher, a Bolger designed Birdwatcher. Bob is an electronics and computer wizard and his boat is tricked out with amazing stuff. He recently installed a remote controlled tiller pilot so he can steer from any location on the boat.

This is John Kohnen's Redwing, Lazy Jack. He bought this boat recently from a fellow Coot and I think he's happy as a man can be.

Dennis McComber just finished this little runabout from a batteau.com plan. His son started the build and abandoned it. Dennis picked up where he left off and did a great job.

Cal Drake designed and built this Garvey and it's the powerhouse of the group. I don't know how much horsepower it has, but it's a lot. You might have noticed, some of the Coots are moving toward being a power squadron!

Not entirely. Hal Colvin brought his Pacific Pelican, Retta Ann. I've sailed with Hal before in this boat. A very capable craft.

And Lou Brochetti came with his newly refurbished Devlin Egret. So new, she doesn't have a name yet.

Lou likes to tinker with a design as much as I do. He says the sail rig is a bit small and too far forward. We're looking for the upgrade soon Lou!

This is the beauty that caught my eye. The new caretakers of Richardson State Park and the custodians of these docks, own this boat.

She's a Sam Rabl Picaroon and the story is, she was built in 1954 by Sam himself. Obviously the boat has undergone some extensive refitting and I'd like to know more.

A planked Picaroon is rare. The examples I've seen were all made from plywood.


A proper little yacht.

Speaking of proper yachts, north of here a few hundred miles was the first ever Pocket Yacht Palooza, in beautiful Port Townsend, Washington State. This new event was organized by the Port Townsend Pocket Yachters, co-sponsored by the Small Craft Skills Academy and Northwest Maritime Center, and held May 19 at the NWMC.



Marty Loken worked hard to make this inaugural event a success. Give the man a hand!

Photos can be found on the Packet Yachters' website and additional information is provided by Joel Bergen on his Navigator site.

Watch for this one next year.



Here's a teaser from last Saturday, sent in by our friend Brandon.......

Pocket Yacht Palooza 2012

Photos by Brandon Ford

Cedar Key Small Boat Meet, 2012

The month of May, in Florida, can be absolutely perfect for a small boat rendezvous. And it appears last weekend was just that.

For us who could not attend the Cedar Key Small Boat Meet, in Cedar Key Florida, here is a link to some photos from Lenna Young Andrews (AKA creativelenna).

And a link to another fine set of photos from catboat willy.


How about all those people standing knee deep in the water in May? No wonder so many folks show up for this event!





Photo of Bufflehead by Dave Lucas.

Sucia Island Rendezvous, Part I

Tired but happy is the prevailing mood in Doryman's home port. After a week of living in a small boat, it's good to be here.

The Chebacco Full Gallop was the vessel for this intrepid adventure and as good fortune would have it, among the various and adventuresome craft in attendance for the Sucia Island Small Boat Rendezvous this year, were no less than three owner built Chebacco.

More on the Rendezvous later.

Full Gallop is an incredibly able little yacht. In all kinds of conditions, she never shipped a drop of water or showed the least sign of indecisiveness. A very well founded, seaworthy boat.

Early in the voyage she suffered the parting of the mainsail throat halyard strop; with gaff throat, block and halyard crashing to the deck, but repairs in port salvaged the trip with little fanfare.



Skipper Chuck took all this (and much more) in stride. His good humor drives his boat as effectively as the wind and weather and there was never a dull moment. It was a privilege to share the cockpit with such a sailor.




The verdict is in -- the Chebacco is well worth considering for anyone wanting a safe, secure and all around attractive daysailer or gunkholing camper. Possibly Phil Bolger's finest creation. She attracted admiration everywhere she went and got there in style.




A BIG little boat.



How often do you see (or hear) a Scottish piper practicing while single handing on a fine summer afternoon? This is Jamie in his Chebacco, Wayward Lass. Motoring with the wind on the nose. Jamie is very reluctant to take his sails down, but obviously creatively able to entertain himself!

Sucia Island Rendezvous

This weekend begins the annual Sucia Island Rendezvous. Doryman has been invited to crew on Full Gallop, a Phil Bolger Chebacco built and owned by his friend Chuck.



For the first three days of this event, small boats gather in the San Juan Islands at the northern extremity of Rosario Straight in northwestern Washington State. Friendships are renewed and news exchanged from the past year, then for the remaining week Full Gallop, in company with other hearty small vessels rowed and sailed, completes a RAID of sorts with destinations to be determined each day by consensus. The entourage may even venture into Canadian waters, since there will be Canadian citizens in evidence.

Doryman plans to chronicle this event (along with mopping decks and cleaning bilges), so expect to read about it here in a week or so!

The isolated coves and bays of Sucia Island are the site of the rendezvous. This island was once used by the seal hunting Lummi Indians. They later provided excellent hideouts, in the 1800's, for smugglers of illegal Chinese laborers, as well as for hiding illegally imported wool and opium. The islands also played a role in "rum-running" during the liquor Prohibition of the 1920s and 1930s.

The cluster of Sucia Islands was purchased in 1960 by the Puget Sound Interclub Association and later donated to the State of Washington for protection as a Marine State Park.





The Spanish Captain Francisco de Eliza, in 1791 named this island group Isla Sucia.
Sucia in Spanish means "foul" in a nautical sense, describing a shore defined by reefs and hidden rocks.
(click on the link above for the NOAA chart.)





A great place to hide out, it seems.

Promises to be great fun!