The Alaskan Journey of the Sea Shanty

The Alaskan Journey of the Sea Shanty

This journey began many, many years prior to setting off. I have had a long standing dream of sailing my own boat to Alaska, but like most dreams, life came first. I chartered boats and did portions of the trip but never seemed to make the time for the whole journey. About 3 years ago, I was diagnosed with a progressive autoimmune kidney disease called FSGS. The realization that I was looking at dialysis and hopefully a kidney transplant changed my priorities. Someday became soon and my wife, Sheryle and I began seriously looking at boats. My kidney function declined faster than expected and someday became “now”. It would have been logical to have just bought a boat capable of making the journey but who ever said I was logical. Instead, I wanted a project. I wanted to understand the systems and be able to repair things as needed. Besides I needed a project…spending way too much time worrying about my lab results rather than enjoying life.

Most boat projects involve as much work tearing out old moldy interiors and systems as they do building new. I wanted to build not tear apart. My ideal project was one completed to the point of plumbing, electrical and interior carpentry…never found it. We did find Bob Stern’s boat project on the internet. Seemed close to what we wanted, hull completed and most of the gear to finish the boat. Only problem it was in Tulelake, Ca. just across the border from Oregon in the high desert, 300 miles from the ocean. Decided to drive down and have a look. It was April and Sheryle was worried about mountain snow but I assured her, it was to warm for snow…wrong. The boat was a bit bigger than I was looking for but was well built and clean. Problem was the lady living in the house where the boat had been built had created a garden around the boat and was very protective of her plants. I saw no way of moving the boat without destroying part of her garden. Bob assured me he could replant things for her. We thought about it for several days and I called Bob saying, “I will buy your boat delivered to Portland.” This way Bob could deal with the liability of the lady’s plants and I would not have to worry about watering the transplants from 300 miles away. Interestingly, Bob later told me, “I thought you would be the last person to buy my boat.” Not sure why he thought that but so be it.

One of the reasons we bought this particular boat was our trust in Bob as the builder. When you buy someone else’s project you are buying not only the project but also the builder …if you cannot trust the workmanship, you cannot ever be truly comfortable with the finished product. Bob was an airplane mechanic who had built up a champion race plane which has won 5 first place trophies in the Reno air races (with many stories to tell). The visible work all showed this attention to detail which gave us the confidence that the work we could not see was likewise very good. The skeg and rudder on the boat look just like the tail of an airplane turned upside down…Bob spent a lot of extra time to get that right.

When his wife got sick and had to go into a nursing home, Bob put down his tools and walked away from the project. His dream of cruising the South Pacific died and he could no longer stand to work on the boat. It sat in the desert sun, forgotten, with a garden growing up around it. Only the American flag flying from the crane structure, kept it visually alive. Bob put the boat up for sale and many people came to look at it. The logistics of moving the boat and maybe Bob’s subconscious hesitation to sell the boat, meant that it just sat out in the sun for nine years. He had stored all of the equipment in an old potato cellar, dry and with a stable temperature. This was ideal storage and preserved the equipment well.

I figured that there were two years of work to get the boat operational, and many more to truly finish the boat. With my obsession about my kidney lab work and the computer projections I had done, I figured that I should be able to complete the work and make my journey before needing to start dialysis. This was possible only if everything went according to plan, maybe not practical but it gave me a definite goal. I am a project person. My kids always give me a bit a grief about the long term nature of my projects. The airplane was 11 years and 14,000 rivets to completion and I needed the help of my partners to finish but finish it we did. I needed to push pretty hard to get the boat ready in the two years I had allocated.

Ed, the boat hauler, stopped by the house to make sure he could deliver the boat…a bit tight for the final turnaround but the chosen parking area looked good. Unfortunately, the road leading to our lane had a dip in it just as you turned. No way to clear the trailer with the keel riding just inches above the pavement. Talked about having a crane lift the aft end of the trailer but the boat was too heavy. Needed a new plan. Ed suggested delivering the boat to his boat yard in Scappoose, right next to the Columbia River. We talked about taking it out to the cabin but realized that the rough rocky road would be a problem and then it would take a second major move to get the boat to the water. Scappoose it would be.

The boat arrived of the 12th of June 2007 and I went aboard for the first time the next day. Everything had traveled well, even the old steel wheels which Bob had left on the deck to hold down the hatch cover. Now I owned a boat or at least a project. Problem was that all gear to finish the project was still down in California. It was four trips, on the road by 6 a.m. and home by 10 p.m., to get the rest of the boat project home. All of the associated gear and equipment filled up my lower barn pretty well. I will admit that my Ford ranger pickup rides much better with 1500 pounds of diesel engine in the back. Sheryle and I like road trips but this got to be work.

Bob had decided not to ship the mast with the boat. I think he wanted one last look at his project so he decided to deliver the mast himself. It was later in the summer that he showed up in his old pickup towing an irrigation pipe trailer with the 50 foot mast on it. He spent a couple days with us, and at the boatyard saying goodbye to his boat. He has been great at answering questions on how he did things and how he planned to finish different aspects of the boat.

Where to start? I spent many hours just sitting on the boat trying to visualize a pilot house. The true sailor stands out in the open, enjoying the elements, but I am more of a fairweather sailor and preferred shelter from the elements. I wanted the boat to be a capable motor sailor which would provide me the joy of sailing and the protection of an enclosed pilot house with comfortable seats. All boats are compromises but I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat my cake too. The boat had come with an hydraulic steering system so it could theoretically have an inside and outside steering station. I finally decided to stick with a single helm in the pilot house but to design the pilot house so it opened up as much as possible. John Simpson, the marine architect who had designed the boat, was very concerned about adding weight topside. My initial inclination was to build an aluminum pilot house but the hassle of joining aluminum and steel was a major hurdle. I did weight calculations and decided that a steel frame covered with wood panels coated with epoxy would work.

I also decided to undo a couple of Bob's custom changes. He was a diver and had created a large storage locker in the aft of the boat to store his diving equipment. Unfortunately the access was through a deck panel which meant you had to hang upside down to get the equipment out. I get seasick easy enough looking straight ahead, I did not need to have my head upside down in a locker. A little welding and the hatch was no more. Taking out the wood bulkhead was a bit more work because Bob was conscientious in making sure it was strong enough. He did not skimp on adhesive or bolts. This made for an aft cabin which would comfortably sleep two and have some storage.

I next made a wood mockup of the proposed pilot house. Seemed to meet my needs, so I started building out of steel. My old Rockwell bandsaw has a transmission for metal cutting, so I ripped the tubing to obtain the correct angles to create a vertical junction with the curved deck. Worked pretty well. The framing for the pilot house was welded up with Bruce from the yard doing the heavy welding after I had tacked it down. I had some extra help from Kyle and Ryan Carpenter, two college guys who liked to build things. Once the vertical framing was done, the remainder of the frame went up pretty easily.

The hot desert sun had degraded the primer that Bob had used after sandblasting the boat. I needed to re-blast the deck and a local sandblaster showed up with his truck. Not my choice as the number one profession in the world. Sand goes everywhere and even with his air cooled, sealed suit, I bet he has sand in all body crevices. Despite my efforts in sealing the boat up, sand was everywhere in the interior also. I then added to the mess by using my small sandblasting unit to freshen up the bilge where the paint had failed. Seems the temperature swings had cracked the paint over a sharp edge on the shaft tube, rust spread from there. I made a plastic tent to contain the worst of the mess but sand spreads no matter what. I ground down the sharp edge and repainted the bilge…hope to never have to repeat that effort. Ira from the boat yard repainted the deck with the epoxy primer and we were sealed up for the winter.

At this point the project became somewhat a work of brothers. Younger brother, Phil, had experience forming curved panels with epoxy and plywood and assisted in the design and manufacture of the pilot house roof. Three layers of ¼ in. plywood laminated together with epoxy and covered with fiberglass cloth produced a strong but lightweight roof structure. Older brother, Mike, showed up to help with the engine installation. I had completed the engine assembly but had not yet run the engine. On Thanksgiving Day, we were scrounging materials for radiator hoses to do a trial run (ended up using a bicycle innertube). Amazingly the engine started right up and ran smoothly. After about an hour it started to miss and I assumed my temporary fuel line was allowing air into the fuel system.

We proceeded with the engine installation by arranging for a crane to lower the engine into the boat. It was an exciting day, to marry the engine and hydraulic drive to the boat. The installation went smoothly and everything fit as designed. Connecting the hydraulic system was the next challenge. I had already converted the aft keel tank to a hydraulic tank after documenting with the marine surveyor that this was appropriate. Connecting the large hydraulic hoses was not quite as simple as I had hoped. Seems the fittings supplied were not quite right but thankfully my brother was able to spot the problem and for a few dollars we were able to make the connections. Unfortunately the engine would not turn over because of a stuck valve. Seems one of us (me) had failed to put a torque wrench on the rocker arm adjustment nuts and they had vibrated loose allowing one pushrod to slip out of position. The good news is I am now an expert in adjusting the rocker arms having done it once. This time I made sure the lock nuts were torqued properly.

Now the engine was running well but we were getting no hydraulic pressure out of the pump. The pressure actually went slightly negative when the engine was started. My older brother, the engineer, sat and looked at the charge pump which forces the hydraulic oil into the main plump. He said, "We need to run this pump the other way." I was not impressed with his suggestion because the diesel only runs one-way. He explained that it should be possible to just turn the central section of the small pump around and the fluid would flow in the opposite direction. We called the company that had supplied the pump, the service guy was very helpful and explained how do to just what my brother had said needed to be done. Interestingly, he remembered Bob buying the unit almost 10 years ago and was happy to hear the boat was nearing completion.

The next day with a new Teflon cake pan, Mike disassembled the small charge pump and flipped the middle section 180° which necessitated moving two small steel pistons. We reassembled the unit and bolted it back in place. Started the engine and we had power! Pulling the levers resulted in the drive motor turning appropriately… the system worked. My project was getting closer to being a real boat.

Bob had installed the rudder but had not built the mounts for the steering hydraulic piston or the rudder horn. More metal work for me and with some more help from Bruce at the yard, my brother’s design was completed. Maybe a bit overbuilt but since steerage is critical, the over build was ok. I think you could lift the boat from either the rudder horn or the base plate for the piston. With a little more, “Some assembly is required” the helm was connected to the rudder and we now had steerage. An old friend, John Stiger, had recently retired and became assistant number one for a lot of this work. Was good for him to be crawling around in a boat, kept him more agile. I did worry a little about all the dings in his brightly polished pate, seems his head kept finding sharp angles to bump up against.

Ira spent the summer painting the boat while I kept after the interior projects. We now had a power system and a steering system but no shaft or propeller. The propeller was just money and the shaft came with the boat. Problem was the engine was now in the way. A consult with my brother and a hoist system was designed. By reinforcing the cockpit corners fore and aft we could hang a small I-beam above the engine. Using turnbuckles and roller gantries, one person could lift the engine and roll it aft to expose the drive motor and dripless bearing system. Some assembly was again required but things went pretty well. We double and triple checked the shaft measurements and brought it into the propeller shop. They fitted the shaft to the prop I had purchased from them and cut it to length. Problem was when we fitted the finished shaft, it was too short. Seems they had cut it on the wrong marking. They stood by their work and made me a new shaft. This one installed well but when I was pushing it through the o-rings of the dripless seal, I damaged one of the rings. Pulled the shaft again. On the third attempt, things went better and the shaft was connected. Seems lots of things are easier on the third attempt.

Construction of the stainless steel safety rail was begun by first welding pins along the toe rail to support the stanchions. I used 3/4" 316 stainless steel pipe for the stanchions and notched the tops to hold the rail. A friend of my son Karl, had a pipe bending business and he bent the railing for me to follow the curve of the boat. The pulpit I bought used and had to adapt it slightly to fit my boat. This resulted in a nice strong safety rail system which we attached to the pins with 5200 and epoxy resin. I tried using just the epoxy but it tended to run out around the pin. A small bit of the marine sealent at the base solved this problem. Bruce at the boatyard did the TIG welding for me, I tried to learn the technique but like many things, it is much harder than it looks.

Summer was ending and the boat was still on the hard. My plan of doing a builder’s launch, so I could put some hours on the systems, was not working. Finally on 30 September 2008 the boat got wet. Everything was pretty rushed getting ready for the launch. The boat had to be repositioned so that Ira could finish painting the bottom of the keel with epoxy and bottom paint. All the tools and equipment inside the boat needed to be stowed. My son, Karl, had the privilege of manually loading the 400 feet of anchor rode chain, since I had not yet connected the windless. Actually, other than propulsion and steerage none of the systems were complete. I had not yet installed the navigation system but we were just going to motor downriver to the marina about 8 miles away. Bob drove up from California for the event and was even more excited than I was. The transport of the boat was pretty much a nonevent. It was interesting to watch the crane be positioned over the boat and the slings attached. The operator did point out that my forward zincs should have been placed slightly more aft to make sling placement easier. Something to change in the future.

The crane rolled slowly out onto the pier with the boat suspended beneath it like a giant crab carrying a toy. The boat was slowly lowered into the water until it floated free. Before they removed the slings I was told, "Go aboard, and check for leaks." I had not really considered the possibility of leaks. I scrambled aboard and began looking under all the floorboards for any signs of water, nothing was evident. The slings were then removed and the boat was slid back along the dock for me to make final preparations for departure. First I had to, "Burp" the dripless shaft bearing. By laying on my back I was able to just reach the accordion like sleeve which holds the graphite face against the stainless steel bearing. Sure enough a little burp of air was followed by a trickle of water. A little water is needed to lubricate the bearing.

The engine started right up, and after a few minutes we were ready to depart. Karl, Bob, and John assisted me as crew for the "first flight" of the Sea Shanty. Sheryle acted as the tour director and shuttled the car back to the Marina to assist our arrival. It was a beautiful day and we made our way slowly down stream. I had Bob take the helm and within a few minutes he was on the phone to his daughter saying, "Do you hear the engine noise? I am driving the boat downriver." Definitely a very happy man as was I. We stopped for fuel at the Rocky Point Marina. Everything was going very well. As we were rounding the final curve before arriving at "Channel Moorage" the engine began to cough and sputter and then died. The gentle breeze was enough to allow us to sail under control to the Marina just upstream from our intended port. Time to bleed the engine fuel system, unfortunately I had left the manual in the car. One of the fuel lines had loosened just enough to allow air to enter the system. Sheryle had to ferry the book to us and in about 20 minutes we had bled the fuel lines and retightened all of the clamps. The engine was again running smoothly and we headed down stream. By now the sun had settled behind the hills. Unfortunately, I did not actually know what the Marina looked like from the water.

We motored slowly by and I did not recognize our slip but knew I had gone too far. As I was turning around we could hear Sheryle singing out to us. Other people in the Marina also heard her which was good because then we had lots of help for the landing. We pulled the boat in without difficulty and then the many helping hands, helped us turn it around so the next departure would be easier. All in all, a most successful launching.

Working on the boat in the slip was much more enjoyable than working on it on the hard. The steel ladder no longer had to be climbed dozens of times per day and occasionally I could start the engine and listen to boat noises, just to remind myself that I truly had a boat. Trying to prioritize the systems was more difficult than I had imagined. Upgrading the fuel lines from the rubber to stainless steel braided lines to avoid air leakage seemed most important. Despite tightening all the clamps, at high-power settings, I was still sucking some air into the system. Utilizing the flexible stainless lines, which Mike had found at a surplus center, made for a secure fuel system. The return line and primary line to the fuel filter are still rubber and someday will need to be changed out.

The wiring was an ongoing project. Bob had pulled a few wires and when I asked him about his overall plan he replied, “I don’t like electricity and never really came up with a plan. I was going to keep it simple.” Problem was he had bought some 24v equipment and some 12v equipment. I purchased a fancy electrical panel with three rows of breaker switches and adapted the middle row to 24v. So I have a 120v AC system, a standard 12v DC system and a 24v DC system…not exactly a simple system. I looked at converting the 24v equipment to 12v but it would have been a couple of grand. Decided it would be much cheaper to add a second alternator to provide the 24v. Less than $300 for a heavy duty alternator but some assembly required. Nice to have a redundant electrical system.

Another visit from brother Mike and a custom alternator mount was designed and built. This meant an additional sheave on the engine. Seems Perkins sells these bolt on pulleys for about $500…brother Mike had one in stock that he could adapt with a little machining, so that I could run both the new alternator and the refrigeration compressor off of it. The engine compartment was getting pretty crowded but we made it all fit by adapting the refrigeration mount slightly.

Bob had planned on running the windlass hydraulic motor by using a hydraulic pump on the engine. Seemed way too complicated to me, I suppose I could somehow fit another pump and set of hoses into the engine compartment, just not sure how. Decided to look at an electrical hydraulic pump, to power the existing hydraulic motor on the windlass. Mike found one for $50 at the used equipment place back in Minnesota. The windlass manufacture sold a slightly bigger one for $2500. Figured the smaller slower pump would be just fine, if it took 10 minutes instead of 5 minutes to raise the anchor, I would survive. Again some assembly required.

Bob had purchased a Sea Frost mechanical refrigeration system and had already built the refrigerator and freezer compartments with the cold plates. By running the compressor once or twice a day for 30 minutes he expected the freezer to stay cold enough for long-term food storage. An elegant but somewhat complicated system. Left to my own devices I would have installed a small apartment refrigerator and an inverter but the system was paid for and in stock. How hard could it be? Well, a little bit more than some assembly was required, and again I was thankful to have Mike as a consultant and on-site engineer. I'm now an expert on mechanical refrigeration having installed one system which actually worked. Well, actually my brothers pretty much installed the system while I completed the electrical hookup for it but as captain I claim credit.

The major systems were coming along pretty well but I had not yet tackled the plumbing systems. The freshwater tanks were in place and the pressure pump in stock but some assembly was required to connect the two. John and I spent several days crawling around in the boat to make the required connections. The gray water from the sinks and shower was plumbed to a small gray water tank with its own pump. This allowed for good control of the gray water which could be stored in the black water tank if needed. The pump out was through a standpipe welded to the hull. The standpipe is well above the water line.

About this time, John was on the dock rinsing out something when he fell in. Helping him out of the water was a dramatic learning experience. I definitely needed a true safety ladder which extended well below the water level. Other than using the boom with one of the winches to literally hoist someone up, it would be impossible to climb aboard the boat. A lot of head scratching and some advice from Chris Carpenter, an engineering friend, were required to come up with a workable device. Some more metalwork using the leftover stainless steel tubing from the safety rail and I had a deployable ladder. The ladder is in a channel hinged so that I can flip overboard and also act as a standard boarding ladder. Nice design, if I do say so myself.

Building out the head with room for a shower and sink was the next major challenge. The suggestion in the original plans was pretty much followed. I had hoped for a true standup shower but if you're over 5 foot 11 you need to stoop. We built the floor up and then covered it with two layers of fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin for waterproofing. I then needed to create a small riser for the commode itself in order to run the drain pipe. A tight fit (it is a boat after all) but overall a nice head. At this point, Charles, a carpenter who lives at the Marina agreed to help with the framing. This became very important because it was already spring and I was of course behind schedule.

It was time to step the mast. The rigger made a couple trips out to the boat to help me get everything ready. John and I set the mast step over the compression post which carried the forces down to the keel of the boat. The mast had sat outside for many years and was full of accumulated dust and dirt which despite our efforts seemed resistant to leaving. Of course, some assembly was required, to prepare the mast for installation but it was enjoyable work. When everything was ready the mast was delivered to the Rocky Point Boatyard. I was not sure how big of a deal stepping the mast was but I was a little anxious driving the boat up to the boatyard. Seemed like it took forever for the final preparations and when we were finally ready the boatyard crew set it was too late in the day to proceed. They start early and finish early. Waiting another day wasn't all bad because by this time I was tired. The next morning was spent waiting for the crew and it wasn't until about noon that the crane picked up the mast and swung its boom out over the Sea Shanty. It was far more stressful watching the mast be stepped that it was launching the boat. Just having that 50 foot stick swinging around above the boat was anxiety producing. Having the crew climb up the mast to secure lines and release the crane was even more anxiety producing.

By late afternoon the Sea Shanty was a sailboat with a proper mast. The aft stay still needed to be installed but the halyard was more than adequate to stabilize the bare stick. We motored back to the marina quite satisfied. Unfortunately the tide and current were both running hard and I had an issue with docking. The third attempt was quite professional and made it look like I knew what I was doing. We put the boat to bed and went home quite happy and more than a little relieved. It was several more days of work before the mast was truly aligned and fully stabilized. Now when the wind blew I could enjoy the sound of the rigging. I had decided to go with roller furling systems for both headsails of course this meant a few more days of work.

About this time Sheryle came down with a bad cold followed by some sort of stomach flu followed by bronchitis and then by pneumonia. This was followed by an accumulation of fluid in her chest cavity which became infected and required major surgery. The boat project did not seem nearly as important anymore. It was almost 6 weeks before she was healthy enough to encourage me to return to the project. For the past 10 or 12 years she has been the healthy one and carried more than her share of the load. Seeing her so sick was a stark reminder of the fragility of life. (These lines are most difficult to write even now months later.)

It was exciting when it came time to attach the sails. Unfortunately, by raising the pilot house up 6 inches the boom also needed to be raised which meant the mainsail needed to be trimmed, as did one of the headsails. I was surprised when the rigger said he would have them back in a week but he did. Installing the headsails on their roller furlings went pretty well but I was surprised at how heavy the Genoa was and wished I had installed a bigger winch on the mast. The mainsail was not as big but would need to be raised every time we sailed. I had mounted a nice self tailing winch inside the cabin for this purpose. It was pretty exciting raising the sail for the first time. It seemed like the final details took forever and it was not until the week of our departure that Rich, the rigger, was happy with his installation. No time for sea trials.

At this point my window of opportunity for the trip had narrowed dramatically. My son had time available starting on the 12th of June and my daughter and her children were coming home from Germany in the middle of August. My goal was the journey itself rather than an exploration of Alaskan waters, which I have been exploring for the past 20 plus years. Time enough if things went well. At this point the spiritual nature of the journey became evident and I finally started letting go. What would be, would be. I was satisfied with the safety aspects of the boat but the systems were all untested. I'd come to the realization that the journey itself would define my destination and timing. If we only made it to Astoria, and something essential broke, then my journey would have been an exploration of the lower Columbia River. If everything worked and I was able to complete the journey to Alaska, then so be it. I was not going to force the trip. Having always been a goal oriented person, this was a major change. If I set out to climb a mountain, I meant to climb the mountain. Anything less than the summit was a failure. Now the journey itself was the goal and the destination of far less importance.

I know that this change also applies to my life as a whole. I spend much less time brooding about my health and try to squeeze as much life into my day as I can. I am taking care of those aspects of my health that I can control…and letting those I cannot control be as they may. I would guess this is what is meant by putting it in God’s hands. What will be, will be, and all we can do is make the best of it. Major change for a surgeon who spent his career fixing things surgically.


12 June 2009
Well after two years of work the Sea Shanty is scheduled to depart its home port of Scappoose, OR. and head north. She is not ready but we are going anyway. My brother Phil and son Karl are joining me for the first leg, down the Columbia, across the bar and on to the Pacific Ocean. We had planned a 2pm departure and we waved goodbye to my bride and Scapoose at 4pm. A hectic day of preparation but the journey down the Columbia was delightful. We motored for almost 5 hours and spent the night anchored behind Lord Island. I finished wiring the anchor light just before darkness.

On Saturday we continued down the Columbia past Astoria. I was completing the wiring for the navigation lights so missed some of the scenery. Crossing the bar was not too bad, choppy waves of about 4 feet. This heavy steel hull handles the waves well. The ocean was a bit dirty with swells of about 6 feet and waves of 2-3 feet. The wind was right on our nose as we turned north. We used the small staysail for awhile just to stabilize the boat but with the wind on our bow it made steering more work...did I mention that I had not finished wiring the autopilot. The only problem so far was self inflicted, I wanted to test the fuel tanks separately and forgot to rebalance the fuel and the engine quit. Amazingly loud sound when the noise of the diesel stops. Had to re-bleed the injector system and she started right up again. Karl had put out some sail and had the boat under sail power while I worked on the engine. Working on the engine and smelling the diesel was more than my system could handle...I fed the fish. Oh-well it was my mistake.

Managing the helm took concentration to keep on course even in the daylight as land receded from view. I found 2 hour shifts at the helm to be plenty at night. Concentrating on the course in the darkness without stars or the moon to help was work. A few fishing boats were out and provided some reference. The coming of morning light was welcomed. By afternoon the sun came out and the wind backed off to the west. Spent a couple of enjoyable hours sailing and watching the whales. Amazing how loud the "blow" is close to the boat with just the noise of the sails.

Wind died and we fired up the Perkins and headed for Cape Flatterly. Happened to time the tide right and found smooth water with a following current to scoot us along at 9 knots. Pulled into the marina at Neaha Bay. We were tired and docking is always stressful but went well enough. Visited with a couple of other cruising boats and ate at the new pizza place...pretty limited choices but the cook made me a nice omelet.

Plan on a morning work session and head toward Port Angeles. Engine now has 39 hours for the trip.

6-16-09

Awoke this morning to the sound of gentle swells on the beach with the bouy ever so slightly clanging in the far distance. We are anchored in Crescent Bay about 15 miles west of Port Angeles. Spent the morning yesterday on boat projects and l almost have the autopilot completed. Karl worked on the sound insulation and it has helped. Left the dock about noon and headed out into the straights. Nice winds and we sailed for several hours before starting up the "iron geny". The afternoon swells and waves added up and some of the resulting waves were 6-7 feet which the boat handled really well. We left the small staysail up which reduces the rolling and the trip was pleasant. This small bay was discussed in one of the books, fairly well protected but the swells did help rock us to sleep. Phil was worried that we had anchored to close to an old dolphin (wood pilings), I looked closely and thought we were okay. I told Phil, “The pilings are just wood aren’t they?” He responded, “I keep forgetting that this is a steel boat.” Off to Sequim harbor this morning to drop of Karl and pick up John. Karl is fixing us omelets for breakfast with left over sockeye salmon which we grilled last night.

Engine time 43.9 hours.

17 June

Slight change in plans yesterday, met up with John at Port Angeles. Exchanged John for Karl and refueled. Difficult docking at the fuel dock because of winds…I screwed up and needed some help turning the boat. Used about 80 Gallons for the 49 hours of travel. Added 150 gallons of fuel and fresh water. Heated across the straits of Juan da Fuca and Canadian cutoms at Oak Harbor. Decided to spend the night and moved to a slip…4 dockings in one day. I decided that a beer had been earned and we headed off to a nice pub. Stopped at the local food market and the waitress from the pub met us…we had left Phil’s credit card. Nice town and very nice people. Seems like flowers were everywhere.

Worked on the autopilot some this morning…couple of more hours and it should be ready to go. John and Phil worked on the plumbing which also has some more work to be done. Headed for Nanaimo. We need to pass through Dodd Narrows at slack tide which is 6 pm tonight.

18 June 2009


Nice day of travel through the Gulf Islands which have a lot of sandstone. Did a bit of motor sailing, otherwise let the engine do the work. Nice weather about 70 and mostly sunny.

Spent the night at a marine park across the horbor from Nanaimo. Nice facility and it makes the city look great at night, much like the pictures of Sydney, Australia. Had a great walk in the woods overlooking the ocean and had pork and potatoes with salad for dinner. Nice to take a real shower.

Today we are off to Comox. Need to change oil soon, will see what is available.

60.9 hours.

18 June 2009

Very windy as we pulled into Comox and difficult docking but we got the job done by rafting up to a fishing boat. Makes getting to the dock difficult but we are safe and secure for the night. Had hoped to buy oil filter and such but no stores close by. Tomorrow we head for Seymour Narrows…tide changes here are very interesting. At slack tide it is a millpond at maximum tide flow it is a river rapids flowing at over 18 mph. Needless to say we plan on passing at slack tide which is 3pm tomorrow.

The engine is running cooler as it gets broken in. We usually make 6 or 7 knotts at what I assume is 70% power. Since she has a hydraulic drive the prop speed is infinitely variable I can go from 0 to 100% of horsepower available at any given engine rpm…the speed of the engine does not change only the amount of power and fuel consumed. We motor-sailed most of the day. Leaving the small staysail out provided some power but more importantly reduces the rocking and rolling of the boat.

Had chicken pesto pasta for dinner…the boat may still be a bit primitive but we are eating well. Phil just bought 4 pounds of fresh shrimp off of the fishing boat which came in after us.

Engine time 69.7

Distance travelled about 450 miles from Portland 450 to go to Ketchikan Alaska.

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19 June 2009

Well the trip to Campbell River was interesting. The tides change direction at this end of the sound as the water starts flowing from the north entrance. About 3 miles south of town the current picked up and our speed went from almost 7 knotts to 1.5. Gentle whirlpools and rip tides made for an interesting but very slow trip. We had planned our arrival with an hour to spare…we used up our hour. Had to push the Perkins a bit but made the narrows with a few minutes to spare. We led a small flotilla through the narrows which had calmed way down. The current goes from full flood to ebb in about 45 minutes so timing is important…facing a 15 knott current in a 7 knott boat would be futile.

The country side is changing with human habitation much more scattered. The hills are getting higher with some snow still on the tops. The narrows are considered the gateway to the north country.

Tonight we are anchored in Otter Cove, very pleasant cove. Recent logging but still very pretty. Caught our first fish about a foot long and way to small to keep. Sautated the shrimp in butter and olive oil served with rice and onions. Had our last of fresh salad. Nice dinner, we are still eating well.

Looking at a pretty stiff headwind tomorrow, if things go well we might make Fort Mcneal.

Engine time 80.0 hours

20 June 2009

Had a pleasant trip up Johnson Straight to Port Mcneal. Nice little town with a good harbor. (The early start and later than expected wind increase made it a most enjoyable trip. Last time Phil came through they waited 4 days for the wind to calm down.) Country is a bit more wild with higher hills and far fewer houses and villages. Weather continues to hold with showers over the hills but a dry boat…so far. Temps are cooler and will need to start working on the heater system soon. Last night in Otter Cove we caught a small rock fish and when I tossed it back a bald eagle swooped down and picked it up just feet from the boat…very nice. Phil says he saw whales today when I was taking my daily nap…no proof.

Decided to splurge and spend some of John’s money by eating at the local pub. Nice enough food at reasonable prices…not sure what the blue drink John had was but it was way too sweet for me. I am sitting at the Laundromat doing a couple of loads of clothes while Phil and John headed off to the store for supplies. Couple of young men from one of the fishing boats gave us the key to the shower room so John will finally get his shower.

Tomorrow we will top off the fuel and head for “Deserter’s Island”. It will be a shorter day. Next comes crossing Queen Charlotte sound. It is a 5-6 hour crossing of open ocean so we will need a good weather window.

Boat continues to work well…except for the plastic fitting I broke trying to automate the head (toilet). Seems like we are burning about 1.5 gallons per hour of fuel. The hydraulic transmission does generate some heat and noise if you push it. Happy with the system so far.

Hoping the weather holds.

23 June 2009

Spent an extra day in Port McNeal because of high winds. Gave me a chance to work on some projects…like finishing the wiring on the auto pilot. They charge a couple of grand to install an autopilot but heck I did it on the airplane…how hard can it be. Well, I finished the wiring and turned it on…no worky. Checked and rechecked the wiring and gave up in frustration. Went out to eat at the local tavern and partook in a pitcher of beer. Did finish wiring the RADAR.

Up at 5:30 for an early start up to and across Queen Charlotte Sound. Been worried about this stretch. A couple of years ago we did a family cruise from Alaska and had gale force winds which made half the crew sick. The wind has a long open area to build and the water gets much shallower, bad combination.

Headed out and refused to even try the auto pilot but bumped the cover, nocking it off, and realized the thing was working. John says he took pity on me and got up in the middle of the night and waved his hands over the unit to make it work…what-ever. Had to run the setup program to calibrate the compass and we were set to go. What a major work saver.

Hit the open water about noon…not too bad. 6 foot swells and 1-2 foot waves. Put up the small staysail and headed across. Sure like that small sail, it stabilizes the boat and is easy to handle. 5 hours later we had passed Cape Caution and motored into
Safety Cove…both named for good reason. The boat did very well and only a small amount of stuff ended up crashing onto to the floor. John got a bit green around the gills and I made him go lay down. Later he said that he had never had such a ride in bed. Had a pod of dolphins with us for a while but by the time John got up topside, they had gotten bored with our slow speed and moved on. Phil saw a whale…no witnesses.

Dropped the anchor and had a simple supper. Tried fishing for a few minutes without success. Planning an easier day today.

Engine time 105.2

Easy day today. Puttered with some electrical jobs after sleeping in till almost 7:30, before raising anchor about 10 am and setting off. As we exited Safety Cove the winds picked up to 15 mph with lots of white caps but no swells. Boat handled them very well and the auto pilot did a good job with the following seas. Usually tough steering with the back end of the boat being pushed around, but “Otto” (Our name for the auto pilot) did a good job. We have not bonded completely yet because he has these steering programs to do circles and zig-zag patterns. Seems if you hold the direction tab down too long you activate the steering program…not nice to suddenly start turning in a tight circle. Press the standby button and all is well again but I need to have a long talk with Otto and figure out how to turn off those features.

We have established a pattern of sorts. John and I eat first thing than Phil eats a bit later after coffee and getting going. Than we rotate naps…boat naps are special. Usually have two people topside watching for logs. John now understands what Phil means about seagulls doing their job. Came upon 4 gulls in a row and you could see their knees long before the log was visable.

The mechanical refrigeration system is working well…almost but not quite cold enough for icecream. If we let the unit run too long the refrigerator side will freeze. Nice to have ice without sailing up to the glacier but Phil says the glacier ice makes better martinis.


Decided to treat ourselves to dinner at the Shearwater Resort. I would much rather anchor than dock…oh well. Did not hit anything so it was a successful effort. Nice resort out in the middle of nowhere. They have “Bus” or rather boat bus service to the native town of Bella Bella which has ferry service to the rest of Canada. Busy place with some really expensive boats at the dock. Tomorrow we head north again.
630 down 240 to go to Ketchikan, where we pick up Sheryle.

Getting cooler need to work on the heating system sometime.

Engine time 114.2


25 June 2009

We anchored in Horsefly Cove last night. Very well protected cove but fishing was poor. We were in very protected waters all day except for a 2 hour stretch which was good because they had pretty good winds blowing in the open water. Some showers but overall an ok day for the north country. Left the engine door ajar for heat, bit more noise but kept the boat nice and warm. Need to get the heating system going before the Admiral arrives.

I try and complete one project a day, yesterday I finished the wiring for the blackwater pump out tank. Many little projects which are mostly one wire at a time, not hard just take some time. Lights are becoming less and less important because it is staying light so long and even the darkness is less severe…you can almost read by the night time glow unless it is really cloudy. Not as long of a day as Nome but longer than I am use to.

Hoped for fresh fish for dinner but the small ling cod I caught did not qualify. Seems these protected waters are much less rich than the waters exposed to the ocean. The tide keeps swishing the same water back and forth rather than bringing in nutrient rich water from the ocean. Almost no sea birds to speak of and no big schools of bait fish. Very pretty country with many water falls. The channels we are going up are narrow like a medium size river but over a thousand feet deep in places.

Our goal for today is Bishop Hot Springs…a couple of hours out of the way but oh-well. A good soak may do these old bones some good.

Weather is looking good for crossing Dixon Entrance on Saturday, about a 4 hour crossing of open water and the international border. Will need to check back in with customs in Ketchikan.

Hours 124.7


June 26, 2009

Yesterday we converted from being on a mission to being on a junket by diverting a couple of hours to Bishop Hot Springs. Nice historical hot springs with a small float, which had an older Grand Banks tied up and a kayaker on the shore. Easy docking which went well. Hiked a hundred yards along the shore to the hot springs and had a nice soak. Water a bit warm for my taste and after 10 minutes I was done. Nice clear water without any sulfur smell. Couple of other boats joined us at the dock and we had a nice evening of visiting and drinking a bit to much wine. Tried fishing from the dock but no luck.

Headed off for the greville channel with an early start to catch the outgoing tide. This tide carried us up to the start of the channel and the flood tide carried us up the channel. The channel is a lot like the Columbia River gorge except almost 2000 feet deep in places. Lots of water falls and at the narrowest it is less than ½ mile wide. Nice day with almost no wind but the weather report is for persistent gale force winds on the outside through Sunday. We may have to delay our crossing until Monday. This will still get us to Ketchikan in time to pick up the Admiral.

Trip is going well.


27 June 09

Yesterday we traversed the Greville Channel sometimes referred to as “The Ditch” because it is almost perfectly straight for 60 miles with only a couple of inlets. Timed the tides well and got 3 kts free for most of the day. We rode the outgoing tide down the inlet from Bishop Hot Springs and caught the flood tide going north through the channel. Hit 10 kts which is 11.5 mph…fast for a sailboat. Stopped and fished a point and caught dinner…had to work for them but caught 3 small rock fish and one rock greenling. Anchored in Kumealon Inlet and fried up dinner, very nice evening until the wind came up. We almost caught a crab for breakfast, We used one of the fish heads for bait and were handlining for crabs, not much activity but one aggressive one finally grabbed hold and we carefully reeled him in…until 3 feet below the surface when it let go. Phil was impressed at how aggressive the crab bite was. Wind caught up with us and we spent the night swinging on the anchor with the wind noise in the rigging…comfortable enough sounds and slept well.

Today we crossed out of the channel into Arthur Sound and past Herbert Island…not sure why things are named after friends and not me. Wind got nasty and with open water ahead we made the decision to cut the day short and hide in Hunt inlet…very well protected but the wind still made its way down to the water. Weather reports were for 50 mph winds with 20 ft waves in the open water to the west…so we were very happy to be in this snug harbor. It appears to be a native summer camp. About 20 homes in various stages of neglect along with fishing boats and an old cannery but no people about. Does not feel to be the friendliest of places and we are looking forward to moving on. One of the docks has a large sign “Danger, no berthing allowed.” Seems people have tided up to his dock without permission. Wind is blowing enough to get the chain rolling over the rocky bottom which is transmitted into the boat…not as pleasant of a sound as the whistle of the wind in the rigging.

Weather report is for winds to lay down this afternoon and then be good for tomorrow. Will probably stick our nose out later and see if we can move on to the next good anchorage about 4 hours north. Would make the run to Ketchikan easier but will let the weather decide.

Hours 148.6

28 June 2009

Well we stuck our nose out and it was lumpy but not to bad, so we headed north to Dundas Island. The north end of the island is pretty protected and there were a couple of dozen boats fishing, all sizes from small 16 foot skiffs to big yachts. Several commercial fishing boats were also working the area. Not sure if the winds had concentrated the fisherman or if the fishing was that good. Wind was still pretty stiff and most of the boats would have had trouble making it back to Prince Rupert. Spent a pleasant evening at the end of a long inlet, swinging on the hook. Wind was much less than the night before but still too stiff for crabbing from the boat. Finished up the pasta from the night before with a cucumber salad and enjoyed the quiet.

Forecast is looking pretty good for the crossing tomorrow.

29 June 2009

Well up at 5:30 and off the hook by 6 am. Headed out to Dixon entrance and the Alaskan border. Wind still blowing 20 or so and some swells from the west made for a lumpy ride. Have I mentioned how much I liked the small staysail? Put the sail up and the rocking slows noticeably making the ride much nicer. John is not a big fan of crossings…most people with any common sense would feel the same. Thought about putting up more sail…Karl would have had all of the sail up and the boat heeled over. I am not that energetic and put up with the noise of the engine.

About the time we reached the border the tide changed, waves settled down and the wind backed off…nice welcome to Alaska. After about 4 hours we were back in protected waters. Pulled into Ketchikan about 4 and went through the customs routine. Then it was time to care for the crew…off for a beer and dinner. Felt good to walk but John commented at dinner, “Is this place rocking or is it me?” Seems he is getting his sea legs just in time to use his land legs. The noise and commotion here is amazing…at least compared to the last couple of weeks. Boats of all sizes coming and going and airplanes landing in the harbor in amongst the cruise ships and fishing boats. Cars and trucks everywhere…back in civilization. Will probably move on as soon as we get the oil changed and Sheryle settled in.

John is headed home in the morning and Sheryle Shows up…very much looking forward to having the Admiral aboard.

Engine time 165.4

GPS miles travelled 1199 nm about 1380 miles

Direct marine distance 960 nm This is without any zigzagging or sight seeing.

3

30 June 2009

Well the Admiral arrived on time but her bag did not. Had to wait 4 hours for the next flight but at least they delivered the bag to the boat. The baggage lady asked where we were staying and I told her “On our sailboat the “Sea Shanty”. “what dock?” she asked and I told her “end of dock 10 at Bar Harbor. They delivered the bag right to the boat.

Finished changing oil and headed out about 5 pm for a small cove I had visited 15 years ago. As we were heading out Sheryle thought she saw a submarine at the north end of the channel…the island at low tide does look like a submarine. We explained this to her but she said, “I would like to see a submarine.”

Stopped enroute and fished a rock pile and caught dinner which we cooked on the fly. Fried fish over brown rice and onions…simple but good. A lot of develpement has gone on along Behm Canal, some very expensive homes away from Ketchikan. Made it to the cove by an old cannery site called Loring about 9 pm. There is a small float at the end where the waterfall is. A fishing boat and a small skiff were tied up but no people a round. When the tide is in there is a small river connecting to a lagoon and a lake upstream from that. When the tide is out there is a waterfall…pretty impressive. Black flies were an issue so we did not spend much time outside.

Picked fresh huckleberries for breakfast and decided to move on. We had gone about an hour when the radio became active and an official voice announce, “Sailboat leaving Loring, this is approach control on channel 16.” I was supprised that someone would be hailing us and I looked around…no other boats around. Before I could respond the message was repeated. I replied as you would do in the airplane by identifying ourselves. We were told that a military operation was going on and to stay at least ½ mile clear.
We readily agreed and I turned on the radar to document our distance. There was a LGB (large grey boat…navy ship) anchored in 1500 feet of water and a submarine. Seems some sort of repair function was going on. As we watched the submarine which had been riding high with lots of people topside sank below the surface and what we thought was one ship became two as they pulled apart. 30 minutes later the sub was on the surface again…most interesting and Sheryle got to see her submarine.

Made it to Ratz Harbor and tried to catch dinner but no luck, settled for pork shops with Buster’s sauce. Had a surprise visit from the Alaska trooper boat, they asked how we were doing and did a check for fishing licenses. Seemed funny to have the cops show up in the middle of nowhere.


179.6 hours

2 July 2009

Very quiet night, had sockeye salmon jumping around the boat and eagles in the trees but poor fishing. Phil did finally catch a crab. Handled the helm and the anchor control by myself from the cockpit for the first time. Sheryle acted as the chain girl and spread the incoming chain out so it did not tangle. Worked well. Worked our way north under overcast skies and a bit of wind. The afternoon brought bright sunshine and calm winds. Tried fishing again…nothing. Moved up to the mouth of Wrangle Narrows and ran into a forest of crab pot floats. A commercial boat was working a couple of hundred pots just inside the bay. Made our way through the maze and dropped the hook.

Phil used his halibut jig with a piece of fish skin on it for crabbing and within just a few minutes had a crab bite. He pulled a huge crab…10 inches or so up to the surface but it let go just out of reach of the net. We change technique and started landing them from the swim platform and soon had three keepers for dinner. Fresh crab with rice, we are not suffering too much.

Tomorrow we go through the narrows and past St. Petersburg. Thought about stopping and celebrating the 4th with them but need to get the admiral to the airport on the 7th. We will push hard tomorrow and get ourselves situated for the run up Tracy Arm. Like a small version of Glacier Bay, or so I am told.

Trip is going well.

Engine hours 188.2

3 July 2009

What a day!

Started early with 5:30 breakfast to time the tide flow through Wrangle Narrows. Nice ride with only one huge ferry boat to dodge but a zillion navigation markers. The channel is only 300 ft. wide in places and the barges and ferries use the route. Lots of houses or cabins lining the shore.

Arrived in Petersburg and our speed had dropped from 8 knots to 3 for the last hour because the tide floods from both ends into the narrows. Crossed out of the narrows and we were greeted by icebergs on the far side of the channel. The sun was out and the high mountains with the glaciers were shining in all their glory.

Headed north and where Steven’s passage joins the wind suddenly died and the water was glassy calm…Phil complained about the heat and bright sunshine. Decided to stop and fish a reef for dinner, fishing was slow but dinner caught. We had whales everywhere. Must have been a pod of about 12 Humpbacks working the area. We were just drifting without the engine and the sound of their “blowing” was remarkably loud. They sang some and Sheryle sang back to them. One of them was a baratone and made a sound that was more like a buoy air horn. Once he blew or sang close to the boat and the sound was loud enough to echo from all of the surrounding hills but still with the haunting quality. Phil had never heard the loud sound before and had only heard them sing once before…a most remarkable day.

Tied up to a state float in Hobart Bay…no one else around. Had fish tacos for dinner and were soon off to bed. Around midnight another boat showed up and they left the small generator running…most annoying.

A most remarkable day. Tomorrow we are off to Tracy Arm and the tide water glacier.

Hours 200.5

4July2009

Well the journey up Tracy Arm started very well. As we entered the bay we were greeted by a mobile home size piece of the bluest ice you have ever seen. As Phil says,”Enough martini ice for all of Alaska.” There was a terminal moraine, partially blocking the entrance and producing some current eddies but plenty of water. I wanted to fish it but just too much water flowing by. As we moved up the fiord the walls became cliffs of polished rock with etchings where the glacial debris had scoured them. The rock monoliths making up the sides are much like the rock faces in Yosemite Park. Lots of ice to dodge…did I mention that the Admiral is not a big fan of dodging icebergs. I pointed out that we had a steel boat and she reminded me that the Titanic was also a steel boat…point made. We worked our way up to the end of the north arm because an exiting boat had reported less ice. Made it to the final bend before the glacier face and our lead through the ice came to an end. The Admiral also said…”far enough.” Phil collected small ice chunks as I worked our way back through 20 miles of ice strewn waters. We had to settle for a somewhat distant view of the glacier but it looked like all the other glaciers I have seen.

Long day of viewing a spectacular canyon but felt good to drop the hook in the small cove and settle in for the night.

Hours 213.5

5July2009

Well we are off to Juneau. Nice sunny day but as we worked our way up the straight you could see the wind coming our way, the wind and tide seem to correlate. Decided to put up the sails, first the main and then the staysail. The boat handled well as we tacked back and forth into the wind, having fun but not making much forward progress. Thought about putting up the big headsail but it was now blowing 25 and decided the small sail was good enough. I could have played all day but Phil reminded me that we still had 4 hours to go. Well with the wind and tide against us the 4 hours turned into 5 but we finally made the quiet waters of Gastineau Channel. As we neared Juneau proper I was studying the chart which list the bridge across the channel as being only 50 feet.

Now I am not a mathematical wiz but the mast is 50.8 feet tall and sits on deck which is almost 6 feet above the water line…seems we have a problem. Changed our moorage plans to Douglas Island Marina where Phil’s good friend secured us a great slip. Fuel would need to wait for low tide. Secured the boat and loaded up in Marquam’s car for a nice evening at his house. His bride, Linda fixed us a fresh Halibut dinner which was enjoyed by all except their daughter Zoe, of 14years, who does not do fish. Phil finally was released from his indentured service and he moved ashore…only to be pressed into service by Marquam as crew on his boat. They head out on Tuesday. They dropped Sheryle and I off at the boat tired, and maybe a bit intoxicated but happy.

Hours 220.7

6 July 2009

Crew showed up at 7:30, low tide and we set off for fuel. The large ruler on the bridge abutment said we 68 feet. Watching the top of the mast slowly slide under the bridge was interesting…It did not look like 68 feet but we made it just fine.

Fuel up with 200 gallons. We have burned about 330 gallons so far. Returned to the dock and I made docking look easy…mostly luck.

I have boat chores to do and Sheryle did our wash at Linda’s, meeting them for dinner again tonight. Sheryle leaves at 2:30 tomorrow and Bob shows up Wed. at about noon. Looking forward to watching him handle the boat he spent all of those hours welding up. He should be pleased with the way she handles both under power and sail.

4
Charlie: I arrive in Juneau on Mon, July 20th at 12:01 pm , Ft. # 75 and leave Ketchikan on Wed, July 29th at 12:05 pm, Ft. # 178. Chuck

4

8July09

Got the admiral to the airport on time after a leisurely morning, seems like I am finally relaxing and all the task that remain to be finished can just wait a bit longer. It was a good introduction to sailing for Sheryle, who worked on a new song composition while the wind pushed us along. She added her touches to the boat little by little…long way to go but we have started. An old friend of Phil’s, Ethan, picked me up at the airport and took me to dinner. We stopped by Auke Bay so I would be familiar with it, very busy compared to Douglas Harbor. A sail boat had just come in, looked brand new and had a professionally dressed crew of 12 deck hands doing the docking. It was 210 feet long. I figured the hydraulic ram on the main boom cost more than my entire boat. I would figure at least a 150 million for the boat. Funny thing is the local fisherman were all laughing about how much trouble they had docking the thing, seems they hit the dock pretty hard not once but twice. Maybe I should give them lessons…I usually only hit once.

Worked on some boat chores and adapted to the solitude of being on the boat by myself. Visited with the young guy working on the aluminum sailboat a couple of slips down. Interesting boat with a junk rig (like the traditional Chinese sailboats).
Both mast are designed to pivot at the base so one person can lower or raise them. He hopes to sail the canals in Europe so needed a vessel with a shallow draft. He was nice enough to offer me a ride to the airport where I picked up Bob the boat guy.

Talk about a happy man when he saw the results of his 10 years of work sitting there with the mast and sails ready to go. Grabbed a bite to eat and some fresh water and we headed out.

John Stone who lives aboard one of the boats a couple of slips down was nice enough to go over the charts with me and recommend some anchorages. We rounded the bottom of Douglas Island and stopped to fish…one small halibut, enough for dinner so it went in the bucket. Headed up the channel to Admiral Cove where a bunch of boats were hanging around. Whale watching boats with two pods of whales. We kept our distance and headed for our anchorage. Suddenly the whales surfaces as a group about 200 feet from the boat. They were bubble feeding, they surround a school of bait fish and create a wall of bubbles. As they constrict the circle they force the fish to the surface and the entire pod chases them lunging into the air with their mouths open. Very impressive, but not sure the professional boat watching captains were happy that the whales chose to surface away from where they were and came up next to us.

The cove already had a sailboat in it, so we anchored on the far side. If the wind comes up from the northeast, I may have to sit up and post a watch. Nice dinner of fresh halibut lightly breaded with rice…should have bought new salad makings.

Heading north and west tomorrow, may stop outside of Glacier Bay. Not sure I want to enter the bay and deal with the park folks. As I write this, Bob is still trying to catch a fish. I demonstrated the technique for him twice but he keeps letting his fish go. He has added some crab bait to the Buzz bomb. Crab omelets for breakfast would be good.

Hours 228.6

9 July 09

Spent the morning sailing amongst the whales. Had the depth finder on and saw a funny looking vertical crescent which was followed by a whale surfacing right next to the boat…I think we could have touched it with the boat hook. Pretty awesome. Great winds for sailing about 15 knotts from the southeast. We needed to travel to the northwest so about perfect winds. Had one of the whale boats crowding us a bit so the quest could see the whales better, he called and apologized. I asked if he could snap a photo of the boat sailing…hope the picture comes out. Had all 3 sails flying and made 5-6 knotts in the direction we wanted to go. We practiced jibbing a several times and after a few struggles became fairly efficient. First time Bob had actually sailed.

Settled in at Swanson’s Harbor for the night at the state float. A small research vessel shared the float with us. Invited the crew over for dinner. They were doing bird research in Glacier Bay and headed home. Interesting stories. Made a large batch of pesto pasta…they were most impressed that I added fresh pepper, mushrooms, and onion to the sauce. Seems they had been subsisting on macaroni and cheese.

Good day but a bit windy in the moorage.

10 July 09

Spent a somewhat restless night because of the noise of the waves hitting the back and side of the boat. We had sort of limped into port last night…the water intake for the exhaust cooling had become plugged. Slight change in the sound of the engine and the exhaust hose became warm not hot to touch. Had to pull the intake hose off of the standpipe and use a 3 foot piece of plastic pipe to dislodge the plug of kelp. I actually had to hit the plastic pipe with a hammer to dislodge the plug. Hooked the hose back up and we were in business. Nice thing about the keel cooler…separate system for engine cooling that is sealed. I will have to put some sort of temp sensor on the exhaust to monitor the cooling water flow…seems increase wear on the impeller is the major issue.

Interesting departure from the float because the wind had pinned us up against the dock. We kept the stern tied to the dock while I powered forward and we were able to finally turn the long bow into the wind…took a couple of efforts.

Headed to towards Glacier Bay. Winds were less outside in the open then they were in the bay…Willa Wa (sp) winds. Seems the wind blowing over the mountains creates some sort of venturi effect with high winds in the bays. The old explores complained of this in their journals.

Stopped to fish near Gustavus behind pleasant island. Bob caught several rockfish and I landed a small chicken halibut…dinner. Tried anchoring near the northeast corner of the island but kelp fouled the anchor and it would not dig in. Decided to head on to Gustavus. Seems a storm had destroyed their float and a crane was working to rebuild it. There were mooring bouys available but with the stiff breeze and our lack of experience, I decided to cross over to the island where a couple of fishing boats were anchored. Pretty protected and the anchor held well in 30 feet of water. A few ocean swells found their way around the point but pretty good spot to spend the night.

Debated heading on to Elfin Cove but need to be back in Juneau on the evening of the 14th…seems we would be pushing it. Decided to enjoy the fishing and sailing and start working our way back.

Hour 243

Great day of sailing…Bob is getting the hang of it. Fishing was not so great, major catch was a seagull. I was trolling a buzzbomb lure near the surface and the dumb bird hooked itself. We came about and I released the bird but I am afraid it swallowed a lot of sea water. Decided to just enjoy the sailing and about then the wind died down. Put away the sails and headed for Funtner Bay. People were already chattering on the radio how full it was…did not need to feel crowded. Made a decision to head 11 miles south to a small cove without a name. The chart indicated good anchorage. It is a delightful cove with a small creek and long rocky beach…great spot for bears. Bob is busy catching crab…missed a big one at the surface and landed several small and female ones…he wants one for breakfast. Seems crab have a bit too much salt for me…so I am writing this and sipping a glass of wine.

Might decide to head around Admiral Island…never been there. It will mean longer days with less sailing and fishing so we will wait and decide in the morning. Sounds like this great weather should last for a couple of more days. It has been hazy because of smoke from the fires in the interior.

Hours 247.9

12 July 09

Well it was 165 miles around the island and only 65 the short way…I was feeling lazy so decided to just putter back. Trolled with the staysail and Bob landed a small king salmon but no tag so we released it. Worked our way north and decided to head for Boat Harbor in lynn Canal…sounded interesting.

The harbor connects to the canal via a narrow winding channel that is all but invisible from the ocean. I was tentatively working my way into the narrow opening when a fishing boat headed our way…decided to wait and let him lead the way in. He must have thought it was funny because he called on the radio, ”Sailboat outside the harbor you want me to tow you in.” I should have ignored him but politely told him he could go first and I would follow. Very scenic cove with the mountains of Glacier Bay Park our backdrop. No crab for Bob.

13 July 09

Well we left the cove with the tide running fairly strong…made the passage through the narrows a bit more interesting with a standing wave and eddies to work with. The boat handled it very well. We turned to the south and I was a bit melancholy…this was to be my furthest point north. Part of me wants to keep on going and see what is to be seen, another part wants to return home to family. Hard to be without family but by the same token I have not worried about my kidney tests for the past month. Doing well with my diet as long as I leave the crab and chips alone.

Stopped and fished a reef in the middle of the canal, water goes from 1500feet to 150feet at the top of the rock pile. Landed one chicken halibut…dinner was procured. Bob landed some rockfish and one rock, which he kept. Not sure what the limit is on rocks. Amazingly nice day with no wind and lots of sunshine. We were hoping for some wind so we could sail but hard not to enjoy such a great day.

Had planned on staying in Admiralty Cove again but no whales were around so headed for Hilda point…why stay in the same place twice. Lots of crab pots and a bit steeper shore line than I like but a very pretty setting. Bob needs to catch a crab for breakfast.

Had halibut and potatoes on the grill…simple but tasty.

Tomorrow we arrive back in Juneau. Bob has a few little projects he wants to do on the engine. I may rent a car and enjoy the town for a few days until Chuck arrives. We are going to fish our way down to Ketchikan.

Hours 262.9

Whales have found us again…nice.

Bob found a grade school for halibut and landed a dozen small halibut and flounder...figured he finally landed his 30 pounder in sections. We were anchored in gravel...no crab, they like the mud bottoms.

15 July 09

Easy trip back to Juneau. Tried trolling for salmon but not luck...may be related to the fact that I prefer casting for them. If they jump near the boat and you can get your lure near them, they usually hit it.

I was up about 6 am and saw a large sailboat motoring past in the mist...very pretty. Figured it was about an 80 footer. The cruise ship went buy about 4 am and the wake, rock and rolled us a bit. The sailboat had no significant wake.

Bob piloted us back to port and I took the helm back for docking. Of course the wind started blowing and we had white caps everywhere. Phil's friend met us at the dock and took the line...went well despite the wind. I bummed a ride to the airport to pick up a rental car while Bob started work on the fuel return line. It was a temporary installation that had not made it to the top of the work list. Time to fix it proper. We went to the local marine store and finally found the small connectors we needed. Couple of hours work and I now have a very neat installation.

Celebrated the docking by going out to dinner at a Mexican place that specializes in halibut enchiladas. The made me some salt free fajitas, good dinner. Spent about 15 minutes touring around Juneau, the old book store was the most interesting place, actually the little old lady at the counter was the most interesting. Real love of books.

Went back to Auke Bay to show Bob the huge sailboat. Seems some guy named Murdock ownes it...what a display of wealth. The 80 foot sailboat I saw was parked across the dock from it...seems it had grown and now measured 150 feet. It was registered in Wyoming but the crew was Kiwi. Had a nice visit with them. They motor most of the time but if they keep their speed down use only about 100 hp and burn about 4 gallons per hour at 8 kts. The boat will go 15 kts but the fuel consuption goes up to 16 gph, not bad for a boat that big. The owner was flying out for a month cruise of SE Alaska and then the boat was headed back to New Zealand.

Well I drop Bob off at the airport this morning and may take the rest of the day off and just use some of the unlimited milage on the rental. Since the road system is so limited, not much chance of putting any excess milage on the car.

Hours 269.9

20 June 2009

Spent the last several days puttering on the boat and exploring Juneau...all 60 miles of highway. Nice area and if I was going to live in Alaska it would be here. Big enough for some medical care and good access to the outside. Does rain and snow over 200 days a year but has good fishing, skiing and lots of glaciers. Been a bit lazy, read a couple of books and went out to eat instead of cooking. Chuck showed up on time but his bag did not make it.

Finally headed out about 4 pm to Taku Harbor about 20 miles south. Figured 3-4 hours of travel time and since it is light to 10 or so why not. Arrived at the small harbor as planned only to find it filled to the brim with fishing boats awaiting the opening the next morning. Counted at least 36 boats in a secluded cove with no room at the public float. Dropped the hook in a space between fishing boats. Nice simple dinner of pork and rice and a glass of wine. Very pretty setting except for all the fishing boats one of which started shooting off fireworks at 10 pm...oh well.

21 June 2009

Almost all of the boats were gone by 7 am and we followed suit. We were headed to the mouth of Tracy Arm to fish the glacier moraine at slack tide. The fishing boats had nets along the coast so we stayed to the center of the passage. Saw a large iceberg on shore and told Chuck, "That is why you have to pay attention even if we are only going 6 kts." Figured it was time for my morning nap and left Chuck in charge. When anchored I sleep much lighter, listening for a change in sounds and getting up to look at our position to make sure the anchor is holding...so naps are good.

After about 45 minutes I jumped up because of a change in the engine sound...sort of a screech sound. Opened the engine door and was greeted by smoke. Killed the engine and opened up the boat to get rid of the smell of burning rubber. Put up the small sail to give us control of the boat and then took a better look. Seems the new water pump I had put on because I did not trust the used one, had suddenly seized up completely and the belt simply melted from the friction.

Decided the prudent action was to return to Juneau by sail. Chuck asked, "Do you know how to sail this thing?"

I replied, "How hard can it be." Had a delightfull 25 mile sail back to town, got to trim and re-trim the sails to compensate for the wind changes around points and islands. A bit of a challenge but actually very pleasant. Wind died down just as we got to Juneau and the last couple of miles we only made 1-2 kts after having averaged 5-6 in fairly light winds. It took us 6 hours to sail the 25 miles which I figured was pretty good. Started the motor up just outside the harbor and dropped the sails. Docked without difficulty using the motor, which takes almost 15 minutes to warm up.

Found a replacement water pump in Anchorage and they are sending it down overnight on Alaska Airlines. Spent the evening trying to figure out how to drain the antifreeze...seems the glass of wine helped. By using a valve on the block drain we should be able to drop the fluid level below that of the pump without spilling much. Went out for dinner...seems I had told Chuck at lunch the day before, "Better enjoy your lunch, it may be the last real meal before Ketchikan." Hmmm, sometimes I seem to curse myself.

21 June 09

Well my antifreeze drain system worked as designed. The old water pump came off with a little struggle because the pulley was stuck. A few taps with a hammer freed it from the shaft after I got the pump off. Very impressive, The sudden stop had all but sheered the key in the shaft and had caused a deep gouge in the shaft itself...the outer bearing was a jumble of metal. A lot of inertia involved. Just think the old pump may have been good for another couple of thousand hours.

Phil's friend Marquam came to our aid again and gave us a ride to the airport to pick up the new pump. It went on without a problem until I put the pulley on...it did not track true. Seems the sheering had damaged the pulley afterall. Called the Perkins parts people and they said the closest one was in England 10 days for Juneau. Well a friend of Marguam's has the only machine shop in Juneau and is always backed up with work...but he needed a favor from Marquam and said he would be happy to look at the pulley. It took him all of 5 seconds to diagnose the problem...the pulley now had a cone shape opening. It seemed to fit tight only because of the small edge on the outside which was not damaged. Repair involves drilling it out and welding a new sleeve in.

I called my bride back home to see if she could find the other used pulley, I had in the jumble of boat stuff. She got a bit frustrated looking for something she could not identify and wisely counseled me to have it fixed right. Good advice, do not need this to happen again. Brought the new pump and the pulley to the machine shop so he could match them up. He hopes do get it done in the morning...hope so, we have some fishing to do.

Finished the day with a nice nap and off to dinner at the local restaurant...not going to suggest any more limits on nice meals.

Weather is pretty snotty today with lots of rain and some wind. Warm weather is headed our way, so if we had to loose a day, this was a good one to loose. If he does not get it fixed, I may need to hook up to electricity and put a space heater in to dry up the boat. My icecream is not going to do well without running the engine...the refrigeration is mechanical off the engine.

Hope to be headed south by the afternoon.

22 June 09

Pulley was ready about 10 am and Marquam gave us a lift out to the shop to pick it up. Installation went smoothly except for burping the cooling system. We had to gradually warm up the engine until the thermostat opened to complete the filling of the cooling system...took a break and walked up the hill for lunch. Still raining but less and the wind had died down some.

About 3:30 pm we were finally on our way. No sooner had we turned south in the channel and we got a call from one of the cruise ships. Changed to channel 13 and he advised us that he would be passing on the port side. I responded that we were turning to starboard to give him more room...he thanked us. In a few minutes the huge ship was passing by and its wake soon followed... oh well, we rode it out just fine.

Only traveled about 15 miles and stopped at Dory Cove for the night. I would not choose it for protection in a gale but on a calm night it was very nice. Chicken Pesto Pasta for dinner.

23 June 09

Up a bit early @ 5:30 but dense fog greeted us...change in plans. Spent a couple of hours installing the electric fog horn. headed out with the radar and gps guiding us and sounding the fog horn on a regular basis. About noon the fog lifted, what a relief. With improved visibility, I left Chuck at the helm and took a nap. Left over pasta for lunch and then Chuck's turn for a nap. Saw a few whales, one or orca pretty close. Stopped at a rock pile and caught a nice little halibut for dinner. Chuck is still practicing.

Anchored in a small cove in the Brother's Islands. Very scenic and filled with funny little diving birds with orange feet. Nice dinner of fried halibut and salad.

tomorrow we hope for an early start so we can follow the tide through Wrangle Narrows.

Hours 289.2

New water pump seems to be working well. Have not added any oil since we changed it and it is still only down 1/2 quart... the Perkins must be broken in.

25 July 2009

We got up around 5:30 or rather Chuck did, I found 6 am more to my liking. Breakfast and got going, had the anchor pulled by 7 am. Nice morning in our cove but we had not gone more than a couple of miles and the fog was back. Motored in and out of fog most of the morning...glorious when the mountains were out...the pits when we entered a fog bank. we were planning a fairly long day, 42 miles to Petersburg and then 20 miles through the wrangle narrows. I wanted to be in Petersburg at 2:30 pm to time the flood tide. Having big tides this week, over 20 feet between high and low tide.

Thought about fishing a rock pile but time was short so we headed on. Lots of iceburgs in the channel, glad they show up on the radar. Bet the folks on the Titanic wished they had radar. Wind came up with the tide change and we got to motor sail for a while. Puttered a bit on the boat, fixing the copilot seat. Arrived in Petersburg about 2pm with the tide flowing strong. We did 12.5 kts for a while in front of the town. Followed the markers and made good speed until this bright orange inflatable with 3 coast guard guys pulled up along side of us and asked when the last time I had a safety inspection. Replied, "Never, it is a new boat." Two of the guys boarded from the swim platform while the third kept the rigid inflatable just a few feet back. They asked for the standard documents which I had and then started their safety inspection. did well until they looked at my fire extinguishers...seems 2 of the 3 did not say coast guard approved on them. The younger guy said that they would have to have us return to Petersburg because it was a major safety issue. I said docking at Petersburg in the rapid current would be no fun. The older guy agreed to give me a warning citation and told me to buy two more coast guard approved extinguishers in Ketchikan...I agreed. Did not want to dock in that heavy current...we might not of even been able to make the harbor until tide change.

Very nice evening, swinging on the hook in Deception Cove, where we caught the crab on the way up. Might try and make Thorne Bay tomorrow, about 50 miles. Weather is supposed to be warm and sunny with little or no wind. Need to get Chuck more fishing time.

Hours 299.6

26 July 2009

Great day...sunshine and warm. Day started with some patchy fog...no big deal. Sun got warm enough by 9 am to burn off all of the fog. Had our typical breakfast of oatmeal and tea or coffee. Checked the engine and started the Perkins up. pulled anchor and headed off into the channel leading to Wrangle Narrows. we were met with a small armada of fishing boats. Seems they had all ridden the tide out through the narrows and arrived at our end just as we were leaving. Worked our way amongst the crab pots and joined ranks with the fishing boats. we traveled a couple of hours before reaching a good looking rock pile. i had figured we would be just ahead of slack tide but the current was already flowing pretty strong. I hooked and Chuck landed a nice 15-20 pound halibut...supper is procured. Not much other activity so we headed south. Good whale activity especially around Snow Passage. Chuck got some nice photos. The passage is narrow and the tide flows pretty good...enough to make several small whirlpools. Boat and Otto handled them well.

Made fish tacos with some of the halibut, good but not up to Karl's standards. I needed to spice up the sauce some more and the cucumber needed to be much finer.

Stopped in front of Ratz Harbor and Chuck landed a couple of rock fish but no Halibut. No wind all day and just as we were about to fish a 15 kt breeze came up...oh well, supper was already in the fridge. Dropped anchor and settled in with a glass of wine. had fried halibut and salad for dinner. Spent the evening watching salmon jump all around us. I could not count to 3 without seeing a fish in the air. At times they would leap 3-4 feet straight up...practicing for the falls I suppose. A bit frustrating to see all those salmon and not be able to catch even one of them. Sockeye are plankton feeders and do not take lures or bait.

Tomorrow we will spend the day in Thorne Bay. Need to head to Ketchikan the day after...time sure goes quickly. It is less than 40 miles from Thorne Bay to Ketchikan.

Hours 308.9

Thorne Bay is an interesting place...very Alaskan. To enter the bay proper you must navigate a narrow channel around the large island that almost completely closes the bay off from the ocean. Couple of markers helped but the entrance is not visible until you are almost on shore in a small cove. An opening to the left leads into the bay, which is about 4 miles long. Houses are scattered along both sides of the bay leading to the town of Thorne Bay...which recently incorporated its 600 residents. A couple of fishing skiffs working the entrance otherwise not much going on. The passage is only recommended for slack tide so we had to decide, stop and spend 6 hours waiting for the tide change or leave now.

Chuck wanted to stop at the floating hotel/restaurant but it appeared closed. No other eating place was listed in the book so we decided to bag it and head back out. Followed a barge being towed by a tug...could not keep up but we tried.

Headed south with a strong wind on our back...up went the head sail for a nice afternoon of motor sailing. Hit 8.5kts while surfing down the waves...really screaming. Decided to try a new anchorage for the night, Helm Bay. Sounded interesting at it was on the north side of Beam Canal, so we figured it would be protected from the wind.

I do not always figure right...we tied up to the state float without a problem and figured the wind would die down. Wrong, it blew 25- 30 all night. I bet the cove with the waterfall would have been a much better choice. Pinned up against the float by the wind, had to use a spring line and a lot of reverse to pull away from the float. Took a while but left the paint on the boat where it belonged. Went by the Submarine research station so Chuck could have a look...nothing going on. Made our way to Ketchikan just enjoying the sights. The book said they had moorage available at the clover passage resort. Gave them a call and they said just $15 per night. They have a shuttle to the airport.

Called the Harbor master at Ketchikan and was told that half the fishing fleet was in town and we would have to raft up. Made the decision easy, now we just needed to find the resort. Seems the desk clerk had never given directions to a boat before and the buildings were grey not blue. After a few false starts we pulled up to the dock, an outside moorage so a bit more wave action...but I do not have to deal with Ketchikan.

Sitting here typing, enjoying a gentle breeze and two young ladies in bathing suits just paddled by sitting on what looks like an air-mattress. Not very safe but I am sure the young dock attendants would come to their rescue. Must be close to 80...a bit to warm. Probably a good thing because it is supposed to be near a hundred when we get to Portland. Not sure how I will handle that.

Need to clean up the boat and give away the frozen food, then off to the airport in the morning. will return on Aug 5th and get the boat ready for departure on the 6th when Phil gets into town.

Hours 322


1 August 09

Some musings while on my vacation from my journey.

Flying from Ketchikan to Seattle in a 737 takes about 1.5 hours vs 2 weeks in the sailboat. Watching the countryside slide under the wing so rapidly almost made me dizzy. Dixon entrance which was somewhat intimidating seemed of little consequence. It was nice to visualize the area we had traveled from up high, I was able to recognize much of our route. The vastness of the land is certainly lost at the speed of jet travel.

Sheryle asked me about my haircut...I told her, “The guy ahead of me at the barber shop told the barber to cut his hair real short. When it was my turn I said, “A little longer than that guys.” So now I have a summer haircut just like when I was a kid...pretty much a buzz. Short hair is much easier to care for on the boat. Did need to trim my beard which was longer than my hair...seems to have gotten pretty white, must have been the salt spray.

The heat at the airport was intense...106 F. I had been complaining when it hit 80 in Alaska. Most of the time the temps were between 50 and 60. Air conditioning has helped with the adaptation.

Been busy with some house projects and the building project, but taking it pretty easy. Enjoyed being with the greater family for Quinn's birthday party. Amazing watching a two year old with no fear of the water whatsoever. He would jump off of the steps and sort of glide until he started sinking and then paddle and kick but not enough to get his head above the water. Karl or Amy would have to lift him up, then he wanted to go again and again. Sheryle finished her painting and I made the frame for his birthday present.

It was hard to leave the boat. Partially because of concern of vandalism but also because of the emotional aspects of putting the journey on hold. Being at home with Sheryle has been worth it. I have been reading up on tuna fishing...looks like if we head off shore 20-30 miles we should have pretty good fishing. They troll at 5-6 kts. This is almost our cruising speed, so with slowing down a little we can troll the entire Washington coast. Tuna like 60 F water so we will have to go offshore until we reach that temp. The upwelling along the coast keeps the water cold, so the further offshore the warmer the water. Will have one more night at sea to deal with but now that Otto is working it should be much easier. Hope Karl can join us for another leg of the trip.

6 August2009

Arrived back in Ketchikan last night...opened the boat up but otherwise took it pretty easy. Got to work cleaning the boat this morning. Had two small loads of laundry but someone had left their clothes in two of the three washing machines...so I just had one load. Saved two bucks and the towels and one sleeping bag really were not dirty anyway.

Talked to the roustabouts at the resort asking if anyone could crew for me. Young man from Utah was all excited to volunteer just to be on a sailboat. Left the resort about 1pm when his shift ended and headed to town. Made him steer almost the whole way which he enjoyed and then I turned on “Otto”. Now he really liked the autopilot, I think his 18 year old imagination had him sailing the high seas.

Parked at the fuel dock and took on 110 gallons of fuel. That covered the two weeks of cruising with Bob and then Chuck. Filled the water tanks and moved the boat to the end of the dock to free up space. I headed to town for supplies and some meds that I had forgotten at home in the fridge...Sheryle had said, “Don't you think you should make a list?” Heck no, I had everything I needed ready to go except for the meds in the fridge, which is right where I left them...oh well.

Phil showed up soon after I got the supplies back to the boat and we headed south to Moth Bay. The activity level was even worse than I remembered it...planes, boats of all sizes including the two cruise ships. Just as I thought we had escaped the two cruise ships announced they were leaving and heading our way. As luck would have it our courses converged at the two narrowest parts of the channel. The first ship we let pass by taking the side channel. The second ship called us and asked if we would move to starboard so he could make the turn around the reef. We agreed and got the hell out of his way...they are really huge cruising next to you.

Dropped the hook in Moth Bay about 15 miles south of town. Had pork burgers for dinner (why do they call them hamburgers if they are made of beef?)

7 August 09

Up at 5 am and on our way by 6, hoping to cover 75 miles to Prince Rupert. It was just a dream because we had 20-25 kts of wind on our nose for the first 6 hours. Dropped our speed down to 4 kts. It was more than a little sloppy with waves braking over the bow occasionally...normal enough just not fun. Seems Alaska did not want us to leave. When we finally reached the border the winds had calmed down but no way were we going to make town by dark.

Called the Canadian immigration folks and asked for permission to spend the night at Dundas Island. They lectured me a bit about allowing enough time for the trip and I told them the winds had slowed us to 4 kts. She could have made us stay in Alaska waters but cut us some slack allowing one night. We still need to report in when docked in Prince rupert but I bet that we end up checking in by phone...we will see.

Stopped at goose bay, looked like a nice protected cove. So nice it had a floating resort in it. There was a large old fashioned double masted sailboat tied to a floating dock. A young man waved us over, so we docked. The boat was built in Denmark in 1908 but than seized by the Germans only to be bought back by the Danes for patrol work. Finally decommissioned and is now a small floating resort for fisherman. It sleep about 8 in the former hold. The boat has won many awards in wood boat shows. Had a nice tour of the boat which I repaid by cutting out a deep sliver in the guys finger. Patched the wound with superglue so he could clean fish tonight.

Decided not to accept his offer for dock space and headed around the island to what he called “God's Pocket”. Very nice protected cove but a wee bit shallow at the end. The depth finder was reading 30-40 feet and I was going to lower the anchor. In just a few seconds the reading had gone from 34 feet to 7 feet. We draw 5 feet so it was close. Turned around slowly with Phil double checking the depth with his fishing pole. Dropped the anchor in the middle of the 30 foot pool. Not a lot of extra room but really well protected. If we had run aground, my ego would have been bruised but doubt if any harm would have come to the boat. The ledge was glacial silt and gravel and we would have floated free on the next high tide.

Tomorrow we stop at Customs and then hopefully work our way south.

Hours 339.5

8 August 09

Another early start, left our nice cove by 7 am, headed for Prince Rupert. Phil wanted to travel the twisting route through the islands rather than the open water...since we didn't hit any rocks, it was a good choice. Travel was much smoother than yesterday and we made good time, arriving at noon. We used the small west channel which was a bit interesting but at least we did not have to worry about meeting any cruise ships.

When we arrived at the harbor we were greeted by the 210 foot sailboat I had seen in Juneau, anchored in the harbor. Seems none of the public docks could accommodate a boat of his size. Docked at the local yacht club after calling ahead for permission. Went well but I was amazed when the guy from the adjoining boat walked right by without taking a line for us. First time ever for Phil and I where a fellow boater did not offer to help. Figured he must not be a Canadian but his boat was. He spent the whole time we were there polishing his shiny boat...oh well.

Customs cleared us over the phone but only after giving me a short lecture on the need to plan for arrival. Once cleared into the country we stopped at the local pub for a bite to eat and then onto Safeway. Nice walk into town and the local museum was an interesting timber framed building. Thought about going in for a better look at the building, Phil suggested that they might give me a discount if all I wanted to do was look at the building. Decided to make tracks south so headed back to the boat with supplies in hand. Tide had changed and we lost almost 2 kts of speed but the wind was not to bad. Had hoped to make Kumealar Inlet but with the wind and tide against us, we would have been pushing darkness.

Decided to stop at Lawson Harbor on Lewis Island. Protected anchorage but not as scenic as most. A sailboat was already anchored...the same folks we had met in Ratz Harbor. They are from France on a world cruise in a steel sailboat. Would have liked to have heard more of their story but the wind made communication difficult. They had a nice windmill on the back of their boat and said it made no noise (hard to believe but maybe). Watched the big 210 foot sailboat race a tug and barge down the channel. Seems like they were going to be pushing darkness but with a professional crew should not be a problem. This of course is not imply that my crew is not professional, just poorly paid.

Tomorrow we will probable start out a bit later because of the tides. Might decide to make the run to the hot springs again...will see what the weather holds. Looks like the weather will begin to improve after tomorrow but they are forcasting 25 kts of headwind for tomorrow.

Hours 349.0

9 August 09

As predicted it was not a pleasant day, rain and wind with the tides against us for most of the day. We slept in waiting for the tide to turn but with the storm surge, we had to fight the tide most of the day. Low clouds hid most of the scenery and all in all not the best nor the worst of days. Spent a lot of time trying to figure the tides and currents. Seems if we make today a short day and get an early start tomorrow, we should do better.

Decided to stop at Lowe Inlet, the guide books spoke highly of it. Seems a lot of folks read the same guide books...three other boats already in the best anchorages. We did visit the waterfall and watched the salmon jumping over the falls at high tide...just like the movies. Again salmon jumping everywhere but non to catch because they were sockeye salmon. We stopped and fished a bar that crossed the inlet and I landed a couple of small cod...dinner was procured.

Dropped anchor near the inlet after having tried unsuccessfully inside the bay. Anchor held ok but not enough room to swing as the tide went out. Well enough protected where we are and makes for an earlier start. Our plan is to head out early and ride the outgoing tide for 3 hours...then ride the incoming tide down the Frazer Reach. If things go according to plan, a big if, we should reach Horsefly Cove. Pretty dependent on the weather.

Not use to this stormy weather, the trip has been favored with pretty good weather all in all. Weather is supposed to start improving tomorrow and by Wednesday, it should be pretty good. Our next crossing will be on Thursday if all goes well.

Hours 258.4

10 August 09

Well the wind blew and the rain fell most of the night...Phil figured the ocean must have risen a foot with all of the rain we had. Settled down by 8 am and we headed out. My calculations of tide flow were again only partially correct but close enough. Seems the height of the tide changes the time and direction of current flow...not as simple as reading a tide book. Planned on making Horsefly Cove by 5:30 and arrived at 6 pm...not bad.

Used the radar a lot today, limited visibility and periods of heavy rain. Rain interferes with the radar signal and as you filter out the rain scatter you also decrease the overall sensitivity. Need to keep it sensitive enough to see the ferry boats or the LGB's...Saw a Canadian naval ship today, it glided by in the foggy distance.

The waterfalls were all flowing heavily but did not see the tops of most of the hills. When the heavy rains hit, visibility was reduced to a couple of hundred yards. Not as pleasant as the trip up but no significant wind which was good.

Stopped and fished a rockpile and I missed a couple of bites...so pasta for dinner.

Another boat was in the cove, anchored where we had last time. Tried to anchor a short distance away but it looked like we could swing to close for comfort. Pulled the anchor and dropped it in the center of the cove in 100 ft of water. Recommended scope is 3 to1 so I had to let out 300 ft of chain...sure hope the windlass works in the morning.

The boat and its systems have been working well (knock on wood). I am starting to get a feel for how to finish the interior to make it more functional. Several years worth of projects. Getting the portal over my berth to stop dripping is one priority. Seems the gasket material did not like sitting in the sun for 10 years in the California desert. I tried to find an exact replacement before I left without success. It will move up on the priority list.

11 August 09

Another night of rain but less wind. My wash bucket on the back of the boat had an extra 4 inches of water in it after the two days of rain. I think Phil may have exaggerated a bit when he said the ocean level was raised a foot, impressive rain. I redid the rainex treatment of the windows today and that seemed to do the trick, only a little drizzle today.

Spent the morning fighting the tide again, until Phil suggested a short cut. Not really a short cut, about 5 miles longer but the narrow side channels should have less current. We turned onto Jackson Passage and our speed went from 4.9 to 6.2 kts. Much more scenic route but two mildly exciting narrows to navigate. Made for a nice change and we more than made up for the increased distance. We went by a salmon farm, large floating pens with a four foot fence around them and a net on top. The net made sense, keep the birds out, but the fence? When we got close enough we could see the salmon jumping 3 feet out of the water, everywhere in the pen...need that fence just to keep the fish in.

We see salmon jumping fairly often but the reduction in sea birds and change in water clarity is again very noticeable. Those SE Alaskan waters are very rich, not sure if it is the glaciers or the upwelling causing the richness.

Spent the later afternoon motorsailing when we got back to the bigger water. Decided to spring for a real meal at the Shearwater resort but they were full...headed a bit further south to Alarm Bay. A bit exposed to NW winds but very scenic anchorage, dropped the hook in 50 feet of water. Simple dinner of fried pork with onions and brown rice, served with a salad. No time for fishing today but tomorrow is a much shorter day, so hope to catch dinner. If the weather is good we will cross the Queen Charlotte sound on Thursday...almost back to civilization. We are again using the southern planning chart, John had brought two planning charts and we just converted to the southern one. Thinking about taking the more easterly route and bypassing Seymore Rapids...mostly just to see the countryside. Enjoying the trip but looking forward to getting home.

Hours 382.4

Did I not just write that all systems were working well...why do I write such things. Turned on the navigation system this morning and the depth sounder did not come on. Checked the wiring, it was okay, so the black box that controls the depth sounder decided to die. Nice thing about this computerized stuff...no use wasting your time trying to fix it. Will look into buying a simple portable depth sounder in Port McNeal tomorrow. We actually only use it when anchoring or fishing but it is nice to have. The old fashioned lead line like Mark Twain used still works...so not the end of the world, just better not to tempt fate.

Made excellent time today...actually had the tides working for us almost all day (despite my planning efforts). Much nicer to be cruising at 7.5 kts than 4.5 kts. We arrived at Safety Cove about 2 pm despite our delayed start as I worked through the wiring. Decided to push on to Milbrook Cove, another 17 miles. Ran into a fog bank and needed the radar again. Just as we were entering the cove the fog lifted and we had a couple of hours of delightful sunshine. Worked on catching dinner, I landed a 12 inch herring. Not sure if they are edible unless pickled, but had to try... not bad fried. Dark flesh a lot like mackeral and a bit fishy tasting...better pickled. Phil landed a nice crab and dinner was secured. Fresh salmon would have been better than the herring. Interesting to see the school of thousands of fish swinging in perfect coordination. Catch one and the whole school disappears...obviously they communicate well.

The goal for tomorrow is to complete the crossing and replenish supplies at Port McNeal. Will be nice to just walk for awhile. Will need to change oil again...every 250 hours.

Hours 391.7

The crossing went well, some fog and some wind but only mild ocean swells. We were up at 5 am and on our way by 5:45, as soon as it was light enough to see the rocks along our exit route. Arrived in Port McNeil but the harbor was full except for two difficult to enter slips. Decided to anchor out across the harbor and we are waiting for a water taxi to bring us into town.

Phil thought he had perfected the jigging for crab technique but his efforts tonight were without success. Our plan is to change oil and then head into town for dinner and shopping.

Johnstone Straight tomorrow...interesting stretch of water. The tide is almost always an ebb tide from Puget Sound with little or no flood tide. This means we will be in for slow travel tomorrow.

Hours 402.3


14 August 09

Up and on our way by 6:45 to take advantage of the morning tide. Seems funny to be getting up in the dark...sunup is about 6:15. Days are definitely shorter and the nights darker. In Alaska is was hard to see the reflected glow of the anchor light even in the middle of the night, now it is visible by 10 pm.

The water taxi worked well last night, nice dinner and got our shopping done. Need to keep the crew happy now because they could bolt if given a chance. Most cruisers go from marina to marina...I avoid them, much prefer anchoring.

Had a nice boost from the morning tide which was lost in the early afternoon by the ebb tide...speed dropped from 7 to 4 kts. Wind picked up from the NW and reached 35 kts, right on our tail. Motor sailed with the staysail and had a pleasant enough ride. Watching the boats headed north just pound into the waves...not so pleasant. No whales today, first day in a long time. Did see a large pod of Pacific White Sided Dolphins, they were doing their synchronized swimming routine. At times they would jump 5-6 feet out of the water. Must have been a hundred of them.

Burgers on the grill with salad for dinner. Phil had a deluxe teakettle shower...used an extra bowl of water...then said, “Don't touch me, I'm clean.” Bit cool on deck for my taste, will stick with the spit bath.

Tomorrow we would like to be at Seymore Narrows by 7 am, which means on out way by 05:30 dark. Good thing boat naps are so nice.

Hours 413.9

GPS distance traveled...2641 nm

15 August 09

Well up and at them and on our way by 05:30...bit of moon light to start on our way. Light enough to turn off the navigation lights by 6:30. Tide was against us for the first 11miles which produced speeds of a whopping 4-5 kts. Took just over two hours to reach the narrows. Slack tide was predicted at 7:30 and we entered the narrows about 7:45. speed picked up significantly for the next couple of hours, during Phil's shift. Going past Cambell River he was doing over 10 kts...so I decided he needed to drive more and went and took a nap.

Seymour Narrows is considered the gateway to the “Great North Country” in contrast to everything else. Signs of civilization are much more common bellow the narrows. Interestingly enough all of the inside passage traffic needs to go through the narrows during the one hour of slack 4 times a day. It is like a giant lift bridge that is only open for an hour and then closed for 5 hours. Larger power boats have a bit more flexibility but everyone avoids it during peak flow.

Great weather down below...almost no wind vs. the 35 kts above the narrows. Mostly sunny today and a very pleasant cruise. We arrived here at the Fairwinds resort about 6pm and had a bite to eat in the restaurant, they have a live band playing outdoors in the garden area. Nice spot.

Spoke with John Simpson who designed the boat. We are going to try and meet up with him tomorrow afternoon, so he can see his design as modified by me. Looking forward to getting ideas on finishing it.

Might stop at Roche Harbor and see a friend of Phil's, then it is on to Neah Bay followed by the ocean crossing to Astoria. Getting anxious to get home and crew seems eager to move on...maybe it is my cooking.

Hours 426.7

16 August 09

Good day of travel, some wind in the morning so we motorsailed. We made Point Roberts before 1 pm and checked through customs. They take all the info by phone and then stop by the boat for a quick check. Met up with John Simpson and his wife at the customs dock. John took a few pictures of the boat and we discussed how well it handled. He seemed happy with the way the boat turned out. Nice little harbor in Point Roberts but almost all of the boats are Canadian...but then again it is almost a suburb of Vancouver with no land connection to the US.

Fueled up and headed onto Roche Harbor. Easy enough 4 hour trip and we arrived about 6:30pm. The harbor had a slip for us and I made the docking look easy...luck and no wind. Spent a very nice evening with Phil's friends and had a tour of their house and his office. Nice creative building in a very rural setting. Seems the island is still mostly rural with high end housing gradually replacing the old small homes along the coastal areas. Sure is pretty country on a nice day and they are in a good rain shadow...only half as much rain as Seattle.

Back to the boat after my bedtime...10pm. Topped off the water and went to sleep...good day of travel.

17 August 09

Up early and out of the harbor by 6 am. Found our way through mosquito pass and headed for the Straits of Juan de Fuca. Tide was flowing our way for the first couple of hours and we made almost 10kts...of course then the tide changed and we struggled to make 5 kts. No wind until about 4pm and then it got a little choppy. Fairly significant ocean swells...practice for tomorrow. Getting close to the ocean, lots of sea birds, seals and some dolphins.

The Coast guard radio broadcast had warned of a military exercise in the straits. About 2 pm I spotted a Canadian Coast Guard cutter off to our starboard. There was a buoy about ½ mile further out. The cutter turned around and began firing its small canon at the target. The water would shoot up from the shells. Phil said, “The Coasties are having a good day, they get to go plinking.” Fun to watch but I would not want to be in the way of the canon shots.

Worked our way towards the Pacific, ran into wind and fog for the last 4 hours but it cleared as we pulled into Neah Bay. Dropped the hook and enjoyed a glass of wine. Chicken on the grill with a cucumber salad and potatoes with corn. We should not starve for another day.

Plan on an early departure tomorrow and will turn south to Oregon. It is 145 nm to Astoria from here. If we make it by 8 am we can cross the bar other wise we will wait until about noon. One nice thing about crossings is I don't have to take any purple pills...happiness is not taking purple pills. My Nephrologist may not agree but I am prone enough to sea sickness without the help of his pills...so I declare a drug free vacation day from the meds. Prediction is for mild winds and 6-8 foot swells...pretty good weather window. Might even get in a little tuna fishing.

Need to get Phil to Minneapolis for the funeral of Paco, his long time friend who died while on a canoe trip...this being mortal has its downsides.

Hours 450.4
19 August 09

Well off by 6 am just to be met by snotty seas as the outgoing tide tended to stand the swells up. Rough ride for about 45 min. but when we finally got outside things settled down. Ocean swells were pretty much from the north with some gentle westerly swells mixed in. Wind is still howling up north which explains the persistent swells. Put out one of my homemade jigging lures and trolled at 6.5 kts. Not much activity until the tide changed and I was trying to take a nap. I would no sooner settle in and Phil would cut the power, saying, “Fish on.” Which was invariable followed by, “Fish Off” about the time I got on deck.

We did land one nice salmon amongst the dozen strikes. Surprised me that a salmon would strike a lure trolled that fast. Things got quiet for awhile and I got my nap in. As the afternoon wore on the wind came up and we decided to pull in the line...seems the last strike we had was a good one because the split ring and hook were gone and the swivel stretched out. So we almost caught a tuna or something bigger than most salmon. Hard to catch a fish without a hook. At least the experiment showed my homemade lures will work for trolling...they have been very effective for halibut and ling cod.

Ate some leftovers for dinner...not sure if I should or not but I was hungry. As night advanced we went to 3 hour watches. Seems the wind waves had added to the swells so sleeping was a bit of a challenge. I had the 11pm to 2am shift. Arrived topside and Phil reported things were going well, lights from a boat off in the distance at the 4 o'clock position. Stars were out and the visibility was good, I had the ocean to myself. About an hour later the fog rolled in and my connection with the universe was lost. Hard to concentrate on the horizon when you cannot see it. I let “Otto” do the work and watched for lights while checking the radar screen. The radio was pretty active about a company boat which had developed engine problems and was just floating about in the dark. They were 40-50 miles from us and beyond our ability to tow so I just continued onward towards Astoria.

Remember the dinner I ate...well with no horizon to see, my sea sickness decided to have a little showing and I gave back dinner...oh well. Glad when my watch was over and Phil took over. We were on schedule to make the early bar crossing. The bar was closed during the ebb tide to small boats but was expected to reopen at 7am with the tide change.

The 5am shift was easy enough for me to adapt to and light gradually was restored. The fog held, sure wish it would rise enough to improve visibility...radar is nice but seeing is better. I was entering the shipping channel approach to the bar and a vessel showed up on radar. I stayed right on the edge of the channel, trying to stay clear. A small blimp was mostly obscured by the larger vessel until it was close. It was the Columbia River Pilot Boat, they sped past and then did a quick u-turn to have a closer look at us. I figure they were making sure we were clear of the freighter. Minutes later the fog horn of the freighter was sounded. I sounded mine back but doubt they heard it...never saw the freighter and that was fine with me. Visibility was only ½ mile or so.

Then the small fishing skiffs started showing up...they were everywhere. Hundreds of salmon fisherman out in the fog. It was tiring, picking our way amongst the boats. Fog finally lifted as we neared Astoria and we were greeted by the Astoria Bridge.

We considered moving upriver to Longview but I was tired and it was going to be a stretch to make it before dark. Called the local marina expecting them to be full with all the fisherman in town. They had one slip for a boat our size...I took it and made docking look easy (no wind). Decided leaving the boat in Astoria for a few days and resting up, made a lot more sense than pushing ourselves. John was nice enough to drive out and pick us up. It will be another 1.5 days of travel or 2 hours by car.

I have carried a bottle of champagne for the 3000 miles and when we dock in Scappoose I am going to pop it and toast the boat and the trip. I do not even like champagne but it seems like the thing to do.

More later

23 August 2009

Well the Sea Shanty is safely tied up at her dock…the journey is complete.

It was a nice trip up the Columbia. John was nice enough to join me and Sheryle dropped us off at Astoria. Cleaned up a few boat chores and left the dock about 11am. A bit of wind at the dock but another boat owner with a huge cowboy hat helped us with the lines and the departure went well. A fishing boat had been grounded at the entrance to the marina when it tried to leave at low tide. The rising tide lifted him free and we soon followed out into the Columbia. We had the tide carry us up river for the rest of the day…averaged almost 7.5kts…expect when we turned off the engine and sailed. Wind was a bit gusty and we used a double reef on the main and the small staysail which still gave us 6 kts as we traversed back and forth across the river. Wind died when we rounded a corner and we fired the perkins back up.

Made it to Lord Island about 6pm and dropped the hook only to be greeted by increasing winds. The anchor held well and the winds gradually settled down. Nice evening and fried pork chops for dinner. I did not run the refrigeration system because it was making a “whining” noise. Sure enough the belt was loose again. The mounting bracket is just not stout enough for all the vibration the unit takes. Will think about a new bracket or ways of reinforcing the existing one. We had put all of the food in the freezer compartment and used it as an ice chest…everything was still very cold after 3 days.

Headed out about 7:30am and we began encountering fishing boats everywhere with several “hog lines” around Longview. Only saw two fish landed but must have seen 500 boats. Had to make room for one barge but all the other “big ugly’s” were anchored, waiting their turn for loading.

Arrived back in Scappoose about 2pm and docked without a problem. Sheryle showed up with crackers and cheese and I popped the cork on the champagne. About a dozen folks showed up for the toasting of the boat. Nice end to a wonderful voyage…we traveled about 1/8 of the way around the world. The boat is very capable of a round the world cruise but the captain is probably not.