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Thank you!!!! I'm pouring libations to Neptune Rex and the Order of The Raging Main as I'm packing for take 2 of this trip! And trying to figure out if I can pack my signed copy of "SEABIRDS: The New Identification Guide." 🤣🤣

@@TarpeianRock That sounds like it was a blast! Thank you for your comment - I'm happy you enjoyed it!

Thank you so much! I'm very happy that you enjoyed it!!!!!

Thank you! Cheers!

Yeah you do! Give the word...

Thank you!

This is awesome beta, man! I've been debating trying the south pass of the Stillaguamish (at the Skagit Wildlife Area between Camano Island and Stanwood) to go from Port Susan into Skagit Bay, but it's a bit of a trek just to sate my curiosity. You ever been through there? I always put in at Shilshole in Seattle, btw.

@@Forrest-Jackson Wow, that's a trek. Most of my riding done on the Snohomish river around Everett. Lots of flat water and side channels and little hideaways. Went over to Purdy a few times and launched there headed south to Cutts Island State park. That's a great spot to visit.

How much of that area in Everette is wake-zoned out? I frequently do long distance runs. Last weekend I took my nephews from Seattle to Port Townsend for lunch, then we headed up through the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Deception Pass and returned to Seattle along the Skagit Bay/ Saratoga Pass/Possession Sound route - basically circumnavigating Whitbey Island (150 miles or so). A month ago I headed north from Seattle to the Canadian border and met someone at Active Cove on Patos Island, had lunch, then returned to Seattle. It was over 200 miles, and my watch said I had 35,500 steps 🤣😂

@@Forrest-Jackson There is a small No Wake zone on Union Slough and Ebby Slough, just by some dwellings and moored vessels. Very short. Also No wake zone in front of Dagmars landing on the Snphomish river. Always dreamed of riding the Columbia from Ilwaco to Canada, back when I had two Wetbikes.

LOL... I want to travel up to Sitka and back!

It was fun. That long-haired guy on the PWC is your grandson, Nathan, by the way.

Tybee can be brutal, that's for sure! I was just there and I helped move a large aluminum spar, but when I was done I felt wiped out... turns out the neighbor's thermometer was reading 110 degrees.

Thanks 👍

LOL - NO leaki's nowheres!

@@Forrest-Jackson Would have made a good name for my old tinny. It gave me the eikki's.

😂🤣😂

I finally got a chance to verify this and you are absolutely right. Thank you! Updated parts numbers in the description!

295101017

Thanks! It was nice meeting you, too! If you're still working at my favorite fuel stop this year I hope to see you again, soon!

I appreciate the offer! You're clearly a kindred spirit! My rebuild has gone nowhere past the planning phase, but I've gathered materials and now I need a window of time to act - my schedule is still a wall of work preventing me from this labor of love. I'm tempted to do a shakedown of the revised Manuiki'iki on Baker Lake this Spring/Summer/As-soon-as-possible. The revisions I am making are to convert the curved iokas to longer, strait spars of sitka spruce giving them the athwartship proportions more akin to the Marshallese canoes - I want to keep the weight as low as possible while at the same time make moving fore and aft easier in any sea state. I'm also going to add a manufactured kickup rudder and simplify the steering, add a simple boomless polytarp main to carry for days when dousing is critical to survival... and, of course, set off again ASAP.

@@Forrest-Jackson Baker Lake is my Valhalla Vortex. I have several videos of some sailing up there over the past several years - before my shoulders and back said, "enough". I took them down off my channel, but if you're interested, I'll re-post them and share the link. If further interested, I can meet you there at some point and be the chase/photo/video boat....and chief heckler. I'll bring the cooler.

Link to one video up at Baker lake th-cam.com/video/LGRsZsgKCgU/w-d-xo.html

I'll def respond here if this is going to happen! Love the video - last time I was on that lake it was fantastic!

@@Forrest-Jackson I'm always ready.

It was about 350 bucks and I found it online, at the BRP store. I put myself on a waiting list and it took around 5 months before it showed up. I had forgotten about it! I really do like it though, now that I've put it on and gone out in some weather.

@@Forrest-Jackson Thank you ... Ill have to install one ...

If a bear wears socks and shoes, it still has bear feet. This fact is indisputable.

LOL... "There can be only one!" Thank you, my good sir! I hope all is well down your way!

@@Forrest-Jackson I had no idea you were filming your adventures. I don't.... for legal reasons. 😁 I did just subscribe to yours. I'll start catching up on all of your "man of action and avocados" stuff in the coming weeks. 👍😎

Thank you! September cometh... plans are afoot!

Hmmm. What makes you say that?

For now... September will be here soon! That's when this particular journey will continue... I guess the destination is kind of like spaghetti being thrown against a refrigerator... at some point in the journey it'll stick.

Not a single mosquito bite!

Really!? That's pretty cool!

@Forrest-Jackson yes, I can confirm west coast SEAL and SWCC teams use these. They don't need or want the high horsepower models and they're cheap enough to be disposable. Paint them black and throw whatever gear you need on them. Ironically enough the instructors at BUD/S use Kawasaki 310s.

@@badm0t0rf1ng3r I have looked at these things and thought they would make a great drone like they're using in Ukraine... They really are bulletproof. Metaphorically speaking of course.

@Forrest-Jackson yeah the 1649 detuned is basically indestructible. And as much as some fans within the community rag on seadoo they're ridiculously reliable.

It's a crazy engine, to be sure. I started looking into modding these things with a simple reflash and there were a host of warnings against it - but in a side by side comparison of parts (pistons, rings, wrist pins, fuel rails, injectors, etc.) the 130HP is identical to the 170HP... so I concluded the warnings were bunk. I still haven't modded them, yet, though... time and money.

It was so funny to drive thousands of miles, for days and days, and then to see y'all on the side of the road. What's even funnier is that even with your helmets on I recognized you!!! Going to do this again in September... I have all the ducks lined up!

I just finished it. Man… talk about LIVING!!!! You’ve ALWAYS marched to the beat of your own drum, even if you are the only one, who heard it’s rhythmic beating. That’s what I’ve always admired about you. From the times we were just small kids in the Boys Home! I have ZERO doubt, you WILL make this trip, and make it on YOUR terms! Look forward to the next installment! Maybe we could meet up again. This time planned…. on your way to Clays.

@@R3215T3R Thank you, JJ! I really appreciate your kind words- it means a lot to me! It would be great to see you somewhere other than on the side of Hwy 17 - I have the next attempt on the books for this September (b/c of course I should reattempt in hurricane season) so when I'm packing I'll ping you!

I have a saying: "I aim for adventure, but I'll settle for misadventure." There's something so much more invigorating about the unexpected!

I don't miss trim... Partially because of my riding style (I really love rough weather) and because it doesn't have the huge back deck like my fish pro, so I don't tend to submarine in following seas. I have thought of tuning it up. Comparing the engine part numbers, it is identical in every way to my 170 horsepower fish pro. Same Pistons, same rings, same bearings, same wrist pins, same fuel rail, same injectors.... Of all the upgrades I want to do, adding a GPS and fish finder are at the very top. I guess I haven't done it because my fish pro already has it and I tend to ride that boat more often.

Thanks for the info and God Speed! If you are ever in Iowa give me a shoutout and you can ride with me as I have 6 jet ski's. @@Forrest-Jackson

Multihulls are ancient and the most far-flung of all boats... they've crossed every ocean and continue to do so. I've seen them from the Marquesas, all through the Pacific - Micronesia to Polynesia - into the Indian Ocean and the Bengal Sea, off the coast of Sri Lanka to Bab El Mandeb... north and south of the equator. The Philippine fishermen are some of the most fearless sailors in the world in dugout canoes with outriggers... they routinely go through incredible bar breakers and rough seas as routine. The fault here wasn't the type of boat, it was a poor design choice by the builder (me). I'll tighten up the design for the next go-round...

The softness of the sand on the Gullah coast definitely belies the danger to boats of every size and mode... this wasn't my first time getting my ass handed to me here, that's for sure! It won't be the last, either. I used dyneema on purpose - I always have a variety of lines and methods for repair and lashing, but in that case what I wanted to use was something that wasn't going to loosen when the sun warmed it and something that could resist moisture... a larger diameter would've resisted pulling itself into the wood, but that was the size I had. Ideally the wa'a wouldn't have been so fragile in the first place! I'm fixing that- overkill on the structure isn't overkill, so overkill is coming. What kind of tri did you transit on? I just picked up a Windrider 17 and a buddy just got two of the 16's... I'm sorely tempted to do the R2AK in the 17... I have over 1500 days at sea sailing on container ships and I've felt very, very tiny out there, even on 1,000 foot ships... if you don't feel vulnerable when you're in the ocean then you simply don't understand where you are, or you lack the imagination to comprehend the many ways you can die, or you lack the experience of enough close-calls to keep you perpetually second-guessing your every move.

@@Forrest-Jackson Windriders are pretty bulletproof for what they are. I have a buddy in his 80s that sold his 17 and picked up a 16 as the 16 is so simple to set up and be on the water in minutes. From what I hear, the lack of a centerboard makes them to point very well. From a nonmototized distance race perspective, they paddle like a dog if you're becalmed. Super fun vessels, but I don't know that they're well-suited for a R2AK. I bought plans for a Slingshot 19. They're at home in skinny waters like the Gulf and Outer Banks, but a bit fragile on bigger seas. Also not a good fit for R2AK type conditions. My current iteration vaguely resembles the initial build. She still folds for trailering, but she's rigged with two mast steps to accept either a Hobie 16 sailplan or a RSS balanced lug. The Hobie yields the best peak performance, but the balanced lug can average higher on longer trips. Just so much simpler to deal with a single sheet and sail, and reefing underway isn't a death defying exercise single-handed. From a sailing perspective, I'm a noob with about 8 years of sailing, most of which is small homebuilt vessels. Hoping to build a 13 meter trimaran (or buy an older one and modify it) to do some bluewater.

February camping. That's gotta.

Thank you for your kind words! And you're right... mother nature will knock the cocky right out of the disrespectful soul! My most memorable voyages are the ones I undertook before I had enough experience to know better... if I were a more timid man I think I'd never leave the dock again after some of the storms I've weathered (45' seas in the North Atlantic and a near capsize in the Philippine Sea come immediately to mind). I'd love to sail around the Bahamas, one day! I tip my hat to you, sir! I spent years as a merchant sailor and I have many wonderful memories from snorkelling and boating in both the lagoon and ocean sides of Kwajalein Atoll, and the comparable oceans and harbors of Guam and Saipan. But those waters - some of the ancestoral waters to a few of the mulit-hull canoes - simply cannot be compared to the waters of Coastal Georgia. The GA coast has Gray's Reef as a breakwater, super shallow and ever-changing sand seabeds with many protective 'long-shore sandbars, and a wide tidal range that make the near coastal Georgia waters more similar to an inland sea (or lagoon) than to open ocean. I've seen larger swells, waves, tidal ranges, and current velocities here - where I live now - in the Salish Sea (Puget Sound, Strait of Juan De Fuca, and Georgia Strait) than in near coastal Georgia's "open ocean." Don't get me wrong - those soft sand shores are a shipwreck graveyard when weather hits, but that's not when experienced sailors operate. Each body of water I've spent time in has its own characteristics... hell, its own personality - and of all the waters I have had the fortune to know, I like Georgia's Guale Coast's personality the most. And Manu'iki'iki was designed specifically for gliding through zephyr shadows over sandbars at low tide, pushed by the onshore morning breeze. What I got in this video was a nasty, stalled northerly, of course, and an all you can eat buffet of humble pie!!! I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the many, many different canoes of the world, too. From Bab El Mandeb at the mouth of the Red Sea where it dumps into the Indian Ocean all the way to the Galapagos in far eastern Pacific, I have seen canoes of every shape, size, description, and use. I've seen canoes in open oceans, inner and outer seas, lagoons, rivers... I saw two fishermen in a 20 foot canoe throwing nets 150 miles off the coast of Somalia. The canoes of Sri Lanka are ocean going, as are the racing jukung of Tahiti. The Philippine fishing boats of all sizes go out to fish in unbelievable conditions. The Aleuts take their kayaks into the open ocean to fish and the forefoot design is meant to race down the face of ocean swells. All of the Polynesian war canoes were ocean canoes used for warfare between island nations (Samoa, Hawaii, Chamorro, etc). These are open, long, narrow, fast, and uncomfortable canoes that surf the face of following swells. Your advise about an outboard does not fall on deaf ears. I left my electric/solar outboard at the dock for this voyage and I will NOT do that again! I will be making it a much more integral component on my planned upgrades for my next voyage! During my evaluation (at the end of the video) I had a difficult current to fight against when I was heading back in and having that extra juice was the difference between being forced to wait for slack tide and eating dinner at a decent hour. I will almost always choose to eat at a decent hour 🤣 Anyway, thanks again for watching and sharing your thoughts!

Thank you! Cheers! Been stewing on the changes to get ready!!!

The idea that you are either alive or you are safe can be perfectly encapsulated by the diametrically opposed vessel trade-offs of a shallow draft and the ability for one man to move, lift, and carry it, or an armored, steel battleship of a thing and weight-be-damned. I don't seek to change your mind (pointless), but perhaps I can recommend to you a great read by a man who took a 16' proa, "Desperado," from the east coast of Mexico to Panama via the near coastal route: grillabongquixotic.wordpress.com His philosophy of what constitutes a journey, what one man needs to survive, and his total disregard of what the casual bystander on the shore thinks as he sails on by is... inspiring. Perhaps Chris' blog can explain better than I can what it feels like to be alive. Good luck in all your endeavors.

Having "just a tad of maritime knowledge" is knowing that this is not a proa.

I smile every time I think of Ken - that man was def one of the good ones! I'm really thankful for being around guys like him and Rusty when I was young and impressionable!

Thank you for your kind words! I'd love a Wharram cat - but my big-boat days are on hold for now - I've spent far too much of my life on haul outs and bottom paint, already! The goal of this next trip will be the same as in the video: Sail from island to island, staying on each; no transit to be more than 10 or 12 miles. I have great sailing out here in the Salish Sea, but I do not have the Gullah Coast - it is a timeless, ever-changing, introspective, and primitive place. Sand and all 🤣

Ping me in the Springtime! I'm a glutton for misadventure!

Me too!