![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blog.soundsailors.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/1115001246.jpg\" "\\"1115001246\\"")
<\/a>Sleipnir was in a tight berth inside Tehanu. \u00c2\u00a0I was in two minds as to whether she would fit through the gap and would certainly never have attempted it without the approval and kind assistance of Popcorn. \u00c2\u00a0In the event Sleipnir threaded the needle with a foot or two to spare, and Popcorn then moved Tehanu forward which greatly eased our return.<\/p>\nAfter leaving dock at 10:50 we motored out the south entrance and made sail, single-reefed and with much reduced jib and plenty of twist in case of gusts. \u00c2\u00a0In order to avoid crab-pots we didn’t stop the motor until just past the south mooring buoy, where a large eagle was perched. \u00c2\u00a0Our intention was to round West Point and sail in Elliott Bay. However winds increased sharply as we approached West Point so we tacked 180 to a broad reach toward Meadow Point and eventually as far as Pipers Creek in Carkeek Park. \u00c2\u00a0We then started tacking south, staying mostly east of the shipping lanes, until we came to West Point buoy, where we turned again, reached to Shilshole safe water mark, dowsed sails, and motored back to dock.<\/p>\n
What then of distance run and winds encountered? \u00c2\u00a0Unfortunately I had forgotten to start my GPS recorder at the dock. \u00c2\u00a0Sleipnir has both a measure of distance through water and an anemometer but all boat instruments should be viewed with some scepticism.<\/p>\n Sleipnir mostly indicated wind speeds from 10 to 20kts (true). The highest gust that we noticed on Sleipnir’s gauge was 28.5kts (true). \u00c2\u00a0These speeds are broadly in agreement with wind speeds observed by ferries and the 520 bridge, after allowing for our slightly sheltered locations.<\/p>\n<\/a>For the most part seas were running 1′ and occasionally 2′. However about a quarter mile west of West Point a distinct line in the sea distinguished waves which fetched only from Alki Point from those waves which fetched from the South Sound. \u00c2\u00a0On our last tack before our final approach to West Point we ventured across this line for about a quarter mile. The seas there were 4′ and short and not easy to steer in.<\/p>\n<\/a>Sleipnir recorded 13.11nm distance through water. \u00c2\u00a0Due to much reduced sail, indicated speeds were mostly 2.5kts occasionally reaching 5kts. \u00c2\u00a0Currents would have been light, peaking at about 0.5kts setting north on our final approach to West Point. \u00c2\u00a0Based on a comparison of a partial GPS track and GPS speed samples with
\nSleipnir’s measurements, and based on the distance covered over ground, I estimate we ran about 15nm. \u00c2\u00a0We were under way 4h40m, therefore averaging 3.2kts.<\/p>\n