Sounds like you did a lot of motorsailing. Were the winds too light to
let
you just sail?


There was enough wind to sail but most all the passages were through narrow
bodies of water or near shore to stay in a favorable current.

Speaking of current, these can reach considerable strength and it is routine
to schedule each days passage to take advantage of this.. Such planning can
add considerable number of miles to each days passage. In extreme cases, the
current can run at dangerously high speeds and create rips and rapids. I was
leery of Seymour Straits which can have currents of 12-14 knot but found, on
the return trip, that I could handle them at about 8 knot and keep the boat
under control. There were others that were not that friendly and I tried to
avoid them. Johnstone Straits (about 50 miles) was an interesting passage,
each way and I was able to cover that distance one tide (SOG 8-10 Knots).
While Deception Pass, with it's current and counter currents can be so
frustrating and should only be attempted at slack or near slack water. (I
just never learned how to 'read' the surface to determine which was which.)

However, all this is really a lot of fun, when you consider the navigation
challenges it presents. Especially when you arrive at your destination 3
hours before sun set/ahead of schedule.

I would guess-omate I rode the current for 80% of the tip since most
anchorage to anchorage passages were accomplished on a single tide.

Back to your question--- I could have sailed more but with an inexperienced
crew (and my habit of motorsailing) we usually had the engine going, if for
nothing else, to keep the battery bank charged.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions