TRACKER SAILING

Except for Peggy this was the most exciting and satisfying time of my life.  One of my biggest regrets though is that I never got any photos of Tracker when she was being maxed out under sail.  With her rail down and all rag set she could do a little better than eleven knots.  She weighed in at twenty four and a half tons but because of her great design, if she had the wind that she liked she could out-sail boats half her weight.  She was so sea worthy that at times in heavy seas she would roll along with a long smooth motion and I'd be the one on the uptight side.

Not a sailing day but sit back and chat, there will be wind another day.  Usually one day in nine is a good sailing day.  Here about two years plus after launch she is fully rigged.

This is it, the day after launch and we are off for our first adventure and it was that.  If I was smarter I would have spent a few weeks doing sea trials before moving to another marina.  Never mind, it is a great memory for me.  It wasn't until the following year that I was able to come up with the money to rig her.

This is Nick and we are further out of Presidents Channel with Orca Island in the background.  Nick's ambition was to sail in the Philippines; I wonder at times if he ever took his boat there.

Tracker is starting to do what she was built for, she is not fully rigged yet.  As you can see there is no mizzen boom hence no sail.  This is Jimmy Small, the son of a friend who helped me at times during construction.

This is Michael, a very unusual character.  He had a unique philosophy which helped him sail solo around the world on a 55 foot schooner.  Sadly a couple of years after this moment he died of cancer.

A good day, I'm sitting in my favourite place when not at the wheel.  We were just starting to rig her, as you can see only the main is bent on but she is still doing well.

Practicing my trade for a few$$.  This lady was a bit uptight, not about the haircut, but the next day, she was off on her sailboat to Mexico.

Presidents Channel and we are having a good time.  I loved being in the pulpit when we were really moving.

Just ghosting along with barely enough breeze to call it sailing.  Call it vanity if you like but I never got tired of looking at her fine traditional lines.

Tracker on the hard in a crib in Blaine Washington.  Doing her bottom here is not as nice as being up on the ways but you sure can't beat the price of $9.  Haul-up with a travel lift is the best, they will put you someplace in the yard for as long as you like to pay.

This great little ship in this very exotic port: would you believe it but it is Victoria BC Canada.  I guess if you live here then it isn't exotic but who knows if you live in Asia.

We were about 110 miles off the coast of Oregon Washington when this weather started.  It was mid afternoon and even though the picture doesn't do it justice, this was starting to get bloody uncomfortable.

This is about five hours later and the weather for me at least was damned terrifying.  The ocean that close to the continent is quite shallow and that's what makes the seas so steep and the waves so close together.  If we were another 200 miles out the waves would be more like swells and much further apart.  Literally, many folk over the years that took off to go around the world or on a long voyage turned back when they hit this part of the sea.  I had feelings like this every time I was at the wheel and I found myself sitting in white water up to my armpits.

Click on any of the pictures and you will see a much larger image.