this is just some of my 'thinkings', or 'ramblings', as i have also pondered this event over the past couple of days. the inland passage is a location of much motoring for those that make the trip. the dominate wind direction during the summer is a northerly ... so going south to north any wind you get is likely to be on your nose. for this reason most folks that wish to sail this trip go north to south. in general a southerly comes when a storm system passes through. for this reason i'm of the opinion that if one wishes to make a 'faster' trip one must have a craft that has good to excellent rowing abilities. to be honest the M15, M17, nor a Sage 17, will ever row well. these boats were designed to sail well, not row. even with some sort of sliding seat, such as the excellent products made by Gig Harbor Boatworks, you cannot expect to get much boat speed out the boat using human propulsion. remember that for 1/2 the day you can expect a tide moving against you at an average speed in excess of two knots (this is an average, local conditions current is much much MUCH higher). to sail this race i believe one must think of the following - * many times you will only sail when the tide is in your favor. you will need to anchor 'in place' so you don't loose ground when the wind doesn't allow you to make forward progress. * the two 'open ocean' crossings (Queen Charlotte Sound & Dixon Entrance) and the Strait of Juan de Fuca are not to be taken likely. next on this list big water' are Strait of Georgia, Johnstone Strait, Queen Charlotte Strait. * be prepared to sail at any time of day (ie, this means at night) to take advantage of a favorable wind wind and/or tide. with night sailing comes the need for lights and a way to power them (the good thing is the longest days of the year are during the time of the race). * to get through some of the tidal rapids you will need to wait for the wind to be in your favor (ie, Seymour Narrows ... to name just one of many). wind in favor is IN ADDITION to going through the rapid at slack tide (or very close to slack tide) * captain (and if applicable crew) is very comfortable in sailing the boat in winds reaching 25 or more knots and seas 4', 5' and 6' height. * be able to sail into a anchorage and dock in any wind condition. * be prepared for rain, light rain, fog and the 'classic' PNW 'dry rain'. * it will be chilly, especially at night. the water temp, 50 or so degrees, mean you are floating on one big heat sink. * effective packing and use of dehydrated food. * storage space for many gallons of water and a way to filter water for drinking en-route. remember there are stretches where you are 100 or more miles from the nearest 'town'. * with the water and food (in addition to all the other 'boating stuff') to store you must assure the boat is properly balanced, both port/starboard and fore/aft. especially important is not loading the boat so she is sitting low at the transom ... this will just kill your ability to go to weather. * a light weight light wind set of sails could be a great help. you need a headsail made for going to weather (a reaching headsail will not work). i'm describing a genoa you hank on to the forestay made of a very light sail fabric (aka, spinnaker fabric). be aware that a 'light' sail will need to come down quickly if the wind goes above 6 or 7 knots or it will be quickly destroyed. i'm not wanting to be 'gloom & doom' here; nor discourage anyone from taking part in what would be a great adventure. i am writing out the things that i have thought about if one is going to take on a trip of this significance. my personal leaning, because of time constraints and the realities listed above, has been to consider is taking part in just '1st stage' portion of this event - Port Townsend, WA, to Victoria, B.C. this is a considerable crossing that is a significant challenge if the weather is poor, or you have no wind (to be honest i've never sailed across the Strait of Juan de Fuca as EVERY crossing i've done there was ZERO to <5kt wind - 'iron genoa' the entire way). most folks that 'turn around' when attempting to cross the Strait do so not because of the wind. people turn around because of the waves in the tide rips at and north of Point Wilson. the tide rips around the entrance to Victory Harbour can also be 'entertaining'. another's discussion about crossing the Strait of Juan de Fuca - http://www.olympicrainshadow.com/blog/crossing-the-strait-of-juan-de-fuca Strait wind reports from June 2014 - http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/view_text_file.php?filename=4608862014.txt.gz&dir=d... (for the above the wind speeds are reported in meters/second) this is not an impossible trip. it is a _significant_ trip. i know folks, one in a P15, and many in 25' foot and larger sail and power boats that have successfully made the trip with minimal drama. in the early SMALL CRAFT ADVISOR editions there is also the story(ies) of a P15(s) that successfully completed the 'alaska trip'. hope some of the above thoughts, experience, and options is helpful to all'ya'all. -- :: Dave Scobie :: former M15 owner - www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred :: M17 #375 SWEET PEA - www.m17-375.webs.com :: Sage 17 #1 AIR BORN On Fri, Aug 22, 2014 at 9:56 AM, Tyler Backman <casioqv@usermail.com> wrote:

Yes, I think without solid "human propulsion" this race wouldn't be safe, given the possibility of dead calm and strong currents. I am also hoping that large lightweight nylon sails will make it possible to sail in so-called calm conditions. Harry Pattison made me a large hank on nylon drifter, which in theory should work as an upwind light air sail. Does anyone in the salish sea area have feedback on this idea?

I'm looking into a relatively comfortable and efficient way to row a Montgomery despite it's wide beam and high freeboard but haven't found much except David Amundson's sweeper construction, which was never updated with any completion details: http://www.compassionfitness.com/trekka/decksweepers.htm

There's also Strawanza, an M17 Bob Eeg custom built for offshore rowing: http://www.msogphotosite.com/m17strawanza.html

These two photos are up close of Strawanza's movable (and removable) oarlock system: http://www.msogphotosite.com/MSOG/bnamibia/bnamibia33.jpg http://www.msogphotosite.com/MSOG/bnamibia/bnamibia34.jpg

I'm going to look into a sliding seat rowing station of the same design as sold with Gig Harbor sailboats. Those guys seem to really know what they're doing, and apparently people have rowed converted sailboats across oceans with Gig Harbor systems.

I also like the idea of oarlocks on the toerail, which can be totally removed or positioned at any point. I am already considering full length tracks on the toerail so I can get a wide range of sheeting points for the nylon drifter.

Tyler Davis, CA M15 #157 "Defiant"