I think the weather wasn't quite nice enough for Blake Island to be super crowded last Saturday, but I can see how it would be a popular place in the middle of summer. So the boat stuck in the sand (named Scooter) had called out a securite or pan pan? Amusing, because the coast guard was holding a vessel safety check at the docks on blake island and there were at least 3 coast guard boats and 15+ members of the guard there. We did see them pull up alongside Scooter several times to check on her until the tide lifted and she sailed free into the marina. Also amusing was a little event when Scooter was docking. Some lady on the boat had put the loop of the dock line around one ear of the boat cleat and during their manuevering it slid off (paying heed to the sailing creed that you always help other sailors, I was there to help hold the bow anyway). The owner? of the boat said "no, you don't put it aournd that ear of the cleat, you put it around the other one! ... :-) I thought about mentioning that there is this neat little space between the mounting legs of the boat cleat that you could theoretically pass the dock line loop through and then back over BOTH ears...but I didn't say anything. If you can afford a 44+ foot nearly new yacht, I figure you must know what you are doing. One day I hope to see SCRED (and others) on the water. I am starting to think I have the only Monty in Seattle :-) Rick M17 #635 EIDOLON

-------Original Message------- From: W David Scobie <wdscobie@yahoo.com> Subject: Re: M_Boats: trip to Gray's Harbor, WA Sent: 09 Jun '08 20:22

Rick (and others):

I put SCRED in the water saturday at des moines. sailed around east passage down towards tacoma for about 6ish hours (when the wind died).

blake island is a great place (meaning that when the weather is nice way to popular and many users don't know proper 'dock' etiquette). two years ago i had 4-7 year-olds running past SCRED when at the dock until 1-2AM! this was after one of the parents spent two hours on their cell phone talking at a high volume right next to SCRED! ... i digress.

scanning VHF heard the big sailboat with 8' keel in 6' water ... so much for someone knowing how to read a chart and tide table. the owner/captain stated to the USCG, "no visible damage." i hate to think the stresses involved when TONS of boat stopped in a a very short distance ... that keel may have some interesting cracks and and issues at keel/hull joint and/or keelbolts.

thought of you and EIDOLON wondering if you sailed by waving at the 'big fancy boat' stuck on the hard ;-)

enjoy gray's harbor ... wind blows A LOT there.

dave scobie M15 #288 - SCRED visit Scred's www-site: [LINK: http://www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred] www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred