Trip from San Francisco to British Columbia & Bull Rails

[Stu Jackson]

I've posted our log (with charts & photos) here:

http://aquavite224.blogspot.ca/2016/09/san-francsico-bay-to-british-columbia.html

Photos are under some of the later months' tabs, click on the month to expand to see the photo listings.

[Joe Holmes]

Welcome to Canada Stu. 

[KWKloeber]

Stu

it appears you may have hit and handled about every obstacle you could have expected on a trip that extensive.  Congrats! I'm envious anf the wanderlust is intensifying.

Well maybe "hit" wasn't such a good term.  LOL.

Best,
Ken

[DaveBMusik]

I very much enjoyed reading about your trip Stu. Congratulations on a safe voyage!

Dave

[britinusa]

Great way to share an awesome trip. Thanks for posting Stu.

Paul

[britinusa]

Stu, FMI, but what is it that you refer to as a ' Barge Board'?

Paul

[KWKloeber]

I vote for fender board.

-kk

[Bill Asbury]

Enjoyed reading your blog, Stu, thanks for posting!

[Stu Jackson]

Yes, barge board is Canadian for fender board.

I've started to post pictures.

[Jon W]

Great log Stu. I haven't seen bull rails, how do you approach and tie up?

[Stu Jackson]

Great log Stu. I haven't seen bull rails, how do you approach and tie up?

Thanks, Jon.

Darned if I know!    I'll leave that answer to our brethren here who have been living with them forever.  Then I'll learn something and how to use them.  When we saw the first one in Charleston (Coos Bay) it was calm and no current, so Morgan took the bow line and I did the stern line.  I later added the midships spring line.

I have yet to figure out how to do them singlehanded.  Once I figure it out, I'll report back.  It may be never!   

[KWKloeber]

Great log Stu. I haven't seen bull rails, how do you approach and tie up?

Round turn and two half-hitches.  If you have a long line do the tie up as a doubled (looped) line to shorten what you need to deal with, or pass the line under and back to the deck cleat.  Passing the line back to the boat makes it easy to adjust aboard and easy to leave the wharf w/o doing a "jump aboard."
Not the easiest set up, but manageable.  If you want to be kind to the tie-er-upper, shorten your thrown line at your cleat, if it's a long one.

-kk

[KWKloeber]

Oh, and if I were regularly single-handing around those beasts, I'd design/carry some kind of hooks that would fit over a 4x4 and a 6x6 to more easily drop a midship line.

-kk

[Jack Hutteball]

As a long time NW sailor kk has it right! Single handing, get a midship line around first, then worry about both ends.  Nice thing about them, gives you an easy step up to board on a C34.  I am not sure how to tie up to a dock with regular cleats.

[Stu Jackson]

That grapnel hook I bought before I left California is going to come in quite handy!