Rainshadow is a Nicholson 38 ketch built by Camper & Nicholsons in 1974. This web site will chronicle Rainshadow’s adventures with her new owners (sic), Van and Marilyn.
[Editor's note: Any boat owner can tell you, the boat owns the people, not the other way around. The boat "owner" exists to tend to the needs of the boat.]
OK, so the sailing season is over for us, and I have started several projects, including tearing down the boom.
October 7th, 2011 | by Marilyn | No Comments
The Pacific Northwest is fantastic cruising grounds. Many people say this, but prior to spending 6 weeks cruising the south coast of British Columbia, I didn’t really understand what they meant. Here’s my version of what it’s like to be on a sailboat in these protected waters during late August, September and early October.
October 7th, 2011 | by Marilyn | No Comments
In my mind, the San Juan and Gulf island groups are similar, though the San Juans are in the US and the Gulf Islands are in Canada.
October 7th, 2011 | by Marilyn | No Comments
The Strait of Georgia is about 140 long (stretching NW to SE) and about 20 miles wide. Unlike in the island groups, there are not many convenient anchorages available, so you must travel some distance between overnight stops. If the wind kicks up there are big waves and swells, so this is an area where [...]
October 7th, 2011 | by Marilyn | No Comments
The typical summer weather forecast for Johnstone Strait is “Strong wind warning. Light wind, becoming NW 15-25 knots in the afternoon and building to NW 25-35 in the evening.” I guess most days there is a chance that a strong onshore flow will be funneled down the ~80 mile long strait. The resulting waves can [...]
October 7th, 2011 | by Marilyn | No Comments
Once you reach the Broughtons, you no longer feel like your sailing in someone’s backyard. This island group is dominated by nature, with the occasional human settlement.
October 7th, 2011 | by Marilyn | No Comments
We hid in the Desolation Sound area for more than a week while a series of intense low pressure systems repeatedly caused storm force and hurricane force winds on the central coast. Because Desolation Sound is 100 miles or more from the central coast, we mostly just experienced gusty wind and some heavy rain – [...]
August 17th, 2011 | by Marilyn | No Comments
My Dad, the Midwest farmer, just visited for 2 weeks. We had lots of adventures associated with Rainshadow.
July 28th, 2011 | by Van | No Comments
We hauled out on July 21st, hoping to “haul and hang” for an hour to pull off the old Axiom and put on the new one, but with the nagging fear in the back of our minds that we should have replaced the white metal bearing during our haul out in June.
July 26th, 2011 | by Marilyn | No Comments
Nicholson 38’s do not have a cutlass bearing, they have a white metal bearing in a stern tube. This works well as long as you keep it well greased, and that’s why there is a stern tube greaser integrated into the stuffing box. But after 37 years, the white metal bearing was worn enough, you [...]
July 20th, 2011 | by Marilyn | No Comments
Fresh water has been a problem for us so far. The built-in fiberglass tank was badly affected by venting blisters, and as of last summer, we weren’t content to drink water from it any more. We tried using Sanitred to fix it, which was a complete disaster!! Never ever use Sanitred products on your boat!!!