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San Juans/Gulf Islands cruise

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Initially Posted - 06/18/2005 : 10:37:25

Our sailing club is getting ready for the annual summer vacation cruise to the San Juans and Gulf Islands next month, and I am feverishly trying to get everything ready. I have enough boat projects to occupy every weekend for the rest of the year, but only four weeks left until we hit the road for Bellingham. Anyway, I am bringing a computer along on this trip, mainly to use with my digital camera, but also for charting and route planning. I have downloaded the full set of NOAA ENC's for the San Juans, Puget Sound, Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the U.S. end of the Strait of Georgia, but I have not been able to find a download site for ENC's for the Gulf Islands, Canadian part of Georgia Strait, or Johnstone Strait - do ENC's even exist for these areas?. Also, has anyone else here used ENC's yet? If so, what software have you used? I have been using CARIS Easy-Enc 3.1, but is is only a viewer, and has rather limited functionality - it can't interface with a GPS, and it can't store routes or waypoints. I am aware of an ENC-compliant application called "Fugawi Marine Enc", but have not seen a demo of it. Has anyone here used this program? Is it worth the $199 retail price?
Lastly, is anyone else here in the forum planning a cruise in the San Juans during the July 23rd - August 7th time frame? We have 5 or 6 boats from our club going. The plan is to launch at Bellingham July 23rd or 24th.

Larry Charlot
Catalina 25WK/TR Mk. IV #5857 "Quiet Time"
Folsom Lake, CA

"You might get there faster in a powerboat, but in a sailboat, you're already there"

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johnsonp
Admiral

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USA
606 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2005 : 13:30:59

Hi Larry,
What is the name of the place you are going to launch in Bellinghan?
I will be up there about July 10th thru Aug 14th and may launch again from Anacortes,nice place to park car and trailer for a month,
$7.50 a week as I remember.
There are three boats from C25 Fleet One up there now and another boat is sailing up there left from Alameda last month.Just received an e-mail last week they were at Fort Brag and moving on up the coast.
Well lets see what conspires...
paulj #719

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atgep
Master Marine Consultant

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1009 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2005 : 14:45:35

I can't say anything about the PC based solutions. However, I can recommend the NAUTICPATH software from Lowrance. It comes on a memory chip and is compatable with several LOwrance units. I purchased the I-finder handheld. With the chip installed, the gps has turns into an awesome chartploter. The chip covers the whole US!

It shows very accurate depth info and has all the normal NAV features.

You can also order the Plus version which has road Nav features on CD rom. The beauty of these units are the memory Chip it uses(SD or MMC).

DOwnside is the menus which are a little different than GArmins. And it is monochrome.
Upside, Standalone solution. Runs 12+ hours on 2 AA batteries. Uses SD cards, Plays MP3's, Nationwide coastal mapping for $80. Gps $220

I don't work for Lowrance but really like this product.

Tom.

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Gary B.
Admiral

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USA
969 Posts

Response Posted - 06/18/2005 : 21:05:58

Fleet 94 has two boats going up next Monday, 6/20 until the first week of July; one of them is my Encore!.....then off to Nationals...

Another two boats from our fleet are going the end of July, but I will let them respond; they may have no interest in a "fleet" deal.

I use old fashioned paper charts and cruising atlases in that area. $200 is rich for my blood....

Gary B.
s/v Encore! #685

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lcharlot
Master Marine Consultant

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Antigua and Barbuda
1301 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 12:59:12

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by johnsonp
 Hi Larry,
What is the name of the place you are going to launch in Bellinghan?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Squalicum Harbor Marina. The Harbormaster is Mike Endsley, he's a real nice person, and has always made us feel welcome. They have a real good launch ramp, with fresh water washdown hoses, and plenty of parking. The other launching facility we have used in the past is Cap Sante Marine in Anacortes, which has a travel lift if you want to keep your trailer out of salt water. Bellingham has no lift or hoist, just the ramp. The Anacortes travel lift is kind of expensive - $150 the last time I checked - but the damage that a salt water dunking does to your trailer brakes is probably going to cost that much to repair anyway. The main advantage of the launch ramp over a travel lift is that you can launch any time, when YOU are ready, whereas travel lifts are usually only in operation during "normal business hours", and you might have to make an appointment and wait. If the yard is real busy, with slip renters waiting to get a haulout and washdown, as a transient you will probably be put at the bottom of the priority list and might have to wait until the end of the day to get launched.

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Gary B.
Admiral

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USA
969 Posts

Response Posted - 06/19/2005 : 20:21:46

Cap Sante in Anacortes has a 6,000 # sling/hoist besides the Travelift. I use it and have for many years, although last time he commented that my boat was HEAVY after just lifting Doug Lewis's Breezy just before me. i think he could tell by how it creaked and groaned! $30 ROUND TRIP and no salt on the trailer. I like it. They have treated my friends and me very well. Parking costs, but it's not too bad: $15 a week, I think. They get my thumbs up.

Gary B.
s/v Encore! #685 SK/SR

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The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.