From the Log of Safari
Part 1, the Passage
Sent from 48 10.33N, 122 53.3W


Wyman and Gay and their Offshore 54 motor yacht Safari were ready to depart San Francisco Yacht Club on Sunday, April 17, 2005 en route to the Pacific Northwest. High winds and unruly seas delayed departure until 5:00 a. m. Thursday, April 21. Fellow SFYC members John Scarborough and Hal McCormack joined Wyman and Gay to assist in the delivery. As Safari charged out of the Golden Gate, the black of night faded to reveal no wind, glassy seas and large swells left over from a storm in the North Pacific. Offshore 52 Sea Dreamer owned by John and Erica Eigoe of St. Francis YC and Marin YC buddy-boated throughout the trip. Large flotillas of Velellas took advantage of the light winds to sail on a broad reach. In the afternoon NW wind built to 15 to 20 knots and wind waves grew to three feet or so on top of the six to nine foot swells. This cauldron deposited one Velella on the windshield and one in the cockpit for detailed examination. These creatures from the jellyfish family are about the size of a silver dollar, purplish in color and have a transparent sail on their topside set for a permanent starboard tack.

At midday Friday, April 22 we refueled in Brookings, Oregon. During the night the wind clocked around to the South, built to 20 knots and provided a roller-coaster ride until we pulled into Grays Harbor Saturday night. During the day we dodged all but one of the many crab pots along the way. As we docked two floats from the unlucky crab pot were cut free by the spurs on the propeller shafts.

On Sunday, April 24 John Scarborough caught a ride with Erica Eigoe to the Seattle Airport. A light Southerly breeze provided conditions that allowed us to take the �Hole-in-the-Wall� shortcut between Cape Flattery and Tatoosh Island before docking at Neah Bay for the night while bald eagles stood by.

Fair weather continued for Monday�s trip in the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Port Townsend