[PCW] MC 29 trip to Seattle

[Grahame Shannon]

On the weekend my wife and I delivered the MC29 to Seattle for the upcoming
Seattle Floating Boat Show in Lake Union.
 
We left Mosquito Creek marina at 4:15 PM Saturday, rather late for this time
of year, as it gets dark around 7 and we don't run at night due to much
debris, mainly logs, in the waters. By 6:30 PM we were tied up in Bedwell
Harbour at North Pender Island, a distance of some 50 miles.  We used less
than half the fuel in our rather small tank. Had a great evening and met a
gentleman from Nebraska cruising on an MC30 charter boat. With the 2 boats
side by side he observed the that the MC20 seemed roomier despite smaller
overall dimension. He particularly like the wide side decks and easy access
to the bow, a weak spot on the 30.
 
The next morning we left at 7 AM for Anacortes.  For more than a hour we
cruised southeast into the rising sun without seeing another boat of any
kind. By the time we got near Anacortes there were a lot of boats about. Not
much wind and generally smooth seas allowed us to cruise in relaxed fashion
at 21 mph (3000 RPM) where the fuel flow meter indicated 5.3 GPH.  My wife
sat beside me on the wide helm seat and helped watch for logs. We saw quite
a few, as well as clumps of loose kelp. The only rough bits were ferry wakes
and Bayliner wakes (the 32 and 38 foot models make bigger wakes than the
ferries!). 
 
We got too Anacortes at about 9:30 AM and took only a few minutes to clear
customs. We than waited a long time, idling the engine and jilling around as
we waited for a space to open at the busy fuel dock. Bought 26.9 gallons of
diesel, which is now only slightly cheaper in the US than in Canada.
 
Next we cut through the Swinomish channel, a picturesque waterway which
passes through the lovely village of La Conner. This is mainly slow bell, as
there are lots of  docks and moored boats in the channel. We observed that
our wake was much smaller than those from Grand Banks and similar trawlers
we encountered in the channel, although we were cruising a bit faster.
 
Once clear of the channel, back up to 3000 RPM and held that all the way to
Shilshole Marine in Seattle, arriving about 2PM.  The engine never missed a
beat, and the ride was quiet and smooth. Total running time for the 150 mile
trip was about 8 hours.
 
Kind Regards,
HYPERLINK "mailto:designer@aviadesign.com"Grahame Shannon
HYPERLINK "http://www.aviadesign.com/"Avia Design Group Inc.
4884 Skyline Drive
North Vancouver, BC
V7R 3J3 Canada
 

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