Day 2

Jack and Erik were awake early because of the time change but chose to stay in their berths because even though it was summer it was cold.  Their quiet time was disrupted by a high-pitched whistle which caused Kade to sit up.  Unfortunately, he forgot how little space there was between his bunk and the cabin ceiling.  He hit his head hard enough that he just fell back down on his pillow.  Captain Cook looked at him and asked, “Are you ok?”  Kade nodded his reply and the Captain said, “Best you remember you are in a boat and not hit your head like that.  The steel she is made of does not have much give.”  He announced, “You landlubbers can’t just sleep all day if we are going to get out of these crowded waters and see anything.  I’m cooking breakfast and it will be ready in 10 minutes.”

The boys dressed quickly but Quinn needed to comb his hair and Erik was not happy with his shirt.  They sat at the small table and the Captain scooped out large bowls of oatmeal for the five of them.  He added some of the powdered milk he had mixed up to his bowl and passed it onto the boys.  Some brown sugar from the spice drawer and a little cinnamon topped it off nicely.  There was only a little hesitation about the powdered milk but being hungry nobody was complaining.  The water was boiling for the Captain’s coffee and he very carefully poured it over the coffee grounds in the funnel with a filter in it.  When his cup was full he asked if anyone else wanted coffee.  Quinn said he would like some so the Captain placed the funnel into another cup and poured more hot water over the used grounds.  Only after the Captain finished his coffee did he start to discuss the plans for the day.

The tide was going out so if they pulled anchor the tide would help take them out of the cove.  Hopefully there would be enough wind outside of the cove to fill their sails.  He stood up and tapped the barometer and the needle held steady.  “Should have another day or two before the weather sets in.  Winds will probably be from the east again today. If we can get some fair winds our trip around the cape should not be too bad.”

Quinn asked, “What does that mean?”

The Captain reached for the tattered chart and pointed to Cape Resurrection.  “The sea doesn’t like it when the rocks try to confine her and she always gets riled up.  To get away from all these people we need to get to the other side of the cape.  It tends to be a rough ride for a couple of hours.”

Quinn was already looking a little green just thinking about it.  Captain Cook asked, “You get seasick?”

Quinn nodded his head.  Captain Cook said, “Then you have to take the helm for that part.  If you are driving, you will not get sick.”  It seemed as much of a command not to get sick as anything.

Captain Cook left the chart on the table and said, “When you finish the dishes one of you needs to plot a course for today.  I will check the engine just in case you screw up and we need it to get out of here.”

The dishes were cleaned up to camping standards, not mother standards, and Jack began working on the navigation problem.  The other boys went topside and started working to prepare the sails.  The wind indicator on the top of the mast showed a slight offshore breeze which should help them out of the cove.  Captain Cook checked on Jack and said, “Looks like your course should keep us off the rocks.  If it gets rough, we might tuck behind Cheval Island but it will cost us a fair bit of time.”

Erik was given the task of manning the helm.  Kade was to assist with the raising of the anchor and Quinn posted as lookout.  Jack was given the job of flaking the chain as it dropped into the chain locker.  The chain had to be allowed to spread out evenly so that it did not tangle.  The main sail was raised and secured before the Captain activated the winch to raise the anchor.  As the chain was slowly raised by the electric winch Captain Cook pointed out the paint marks that were every 50 feet on the chain.  He explained how he wanted at least 3 feet of chain for every foot of depth.  As the anchor was coming aboard it was covered with brownish seaweed and Kade was going to throw it overboard.  The Captain said, "You might want to save the seaweed because it makes a really good evening snack when roasted."  Kade did as he was told and put the seaweed in a bucket to be dealt with later.  The gentle breeze began to turn the boat and steerage was restored as the sail filled.  The gentle breeze and the tide moved them ever so slowly out of the cove.

Once they were in open water the fresher breeze fully filled the sail and the boat again heeled over slightly.  Captain John was shouting orders to get the boat cleaned up.  Jack told Erik the heading he needed to take and then went forward to help raise the head sail and the staysail.  The wind was gentle but almost straight abeam and they started making good headway to the South.  Erik was concerned because the depth finder was no longer showing the bottom.  Captain Cook explained that they were now in over 1000 feet of water and the depth finder was not able to read such depth.  Jack asked how it could be that deep when they were still so close to shore.  Captain Cook replied, "These fjords were created when islands floated up from out in the Pacific and ground against the mainland.  The space between the once moving islands is deep because that was the height of the islands underwater as they moved.  You are seeing the effects of plate tectonics."

As they passed Fox Island they could see signs of civilization with tour boats clustered in the small harbor and other boats fishing near the island.  Captain Cook was mumbling to himself about all the boats and wishing he and his crew were already around the cape.

When they cleared the far side of Fox Island there was a noticeable change in the sea.  The ocean swells were now unfettered and the sea shanty was rolling and pitching in response.  Captain Cook ordered Quinn to take the helm and kept the other boys busy adjusting sails.  Quinn needed to concentrate on his steering to compensate for the constant sail changes and the rolling and pitching of the waves.  He was working hard and didn't even realize that he wasn't seasick.  Kade was not so fortunate and gave his breakfast back to the fish.  Erik and Jack were a bit queasy but kept their breakfast down.  Looking forward at the horizon and swaying with the waves as advised by Captain Cook seemed to work.  As they approached Cheval Island Captain Cook asked, "Do we want to continue on course or hide behind the island?"

Jack replied, "Deviating our course will add at least another hour to our journey.  I vote we continue on course."

No one else responded so Captain Cook said, "Helmsman continue on course.  We may need to reef the sails as we round the cape."  The Sea Shanty was now well heeled over and was slicing through the waves with spray drenching the deck.  Inside the pilot house they were dry if not warm and it did seem as if they were flying through the water.  Quinn reported that their speed was now 8 knots.  Slow by power boat standards but about as fast as the Sea Shanty could go.  Jack spotted the dolphins racing beside the boat and for 15 minutes they watched the dolphins play their version of “tag” in the bow wave of the boat.  Kade wanted to go forward to the pulpit but the Captain said no because the seas were getting rougher as they approached the cape.  Captain Cook asked what type of dolphins they were and the Jack went below to get his book.

Paging through the book the only dolphin that was black with white sides and belly was the Dall’s porpoise.  He said, “It must not be a dolphin.”  Jack was pointing to a picture and read the text.

Captain Cook said, “Good enough.  Dolphins and porpoises are different critters but look a lot alike.  Hopefully we will come across a pod of White Sided dolphins and they will put on an aerial display for us.  They both like to play in the bow wave.  It would be like hang gliding to them with the wave lifting and pushing them.”

There were seabirds everywhere now and the boys got their first look at the colorful puffins as they fought their way into the air.  Kade said, “They really work hard to fly.”

Captain Cook asked, “How hard would it be to design an airplane that could dive under water and fly like a submarine?”

Jack said, “The forces are so different that it would be impossible to design a wing to withstand the pressure of the water and be light enough to enable flight.”

“Well, that is what the puffin does.  Those stubby little wings allow it to fly underwater like a penguin but it still can fly to the top of the cliffs to rest and nest.  As you said an impossible task that they do several times a day.”  The Captain then added, “See those rocks ahead and to the right with the waves crashing against them?  That is Aialik Cape.  The seas will subside as soon as we round the corner.”

Kade was doing better and was only a little sea sick.  He said, “I bet that is a great place to fish when the ocean is calm.”

Captain Cook replied, “I expect you would win that bet.  The churning water and merging of currents always concentrates food and fish.  Tough to fish on a day like today.”  They continued on course until they were well past the cape.  Captain John was muttering to himself about the weather and had Erik go below to check the barometer.  Erik tapped the barometer like the Captain had and the needle fell.  He reported the change and the Captain mumbled some more before asking, “Did you reset the pointer?”  Erik answered by heading below to reset the pointer on the barometer.  Captain John spread out the tattered chart and showed the boys the route he had been planning through Pete’s Pass.  Then he stabbed the chart with his finger and said, “I think a squall is coming and might have high winds.  Best we tuck into Aialik Bay and anchor in Phil’s Cove.  No use getting you landlubbers sick.”  He turned to Jack and said, “Navigator plot us a course to Three Hole Bay.”  He knew the boys’ appetite would be back as soon as they were in quiet water and said, “Pretty good fishing off the point.  Maybe you can get lucky and catch a real halibut and keep us from starving.”

Jack gave Kade who was now at the helm the new course and as they came about the sails began to flop in the wind.  Captain John began bellowing something about their incompetence was going to shred his sails.  Quinn looked at the wind indicator and had the main pulled in and the head sail moved to the opposite side.  It took a while but they finally got the sails positioned and Captain Cook quit complaining.  With the East wind, they were making good time even if their course wasn't perfectly straight and the sales occasionally fluttered.  As they rounded the point into Three Hole Bay they lost their wind and just sort of coasted to the center of the bay.  Captain John came topside and said, "There is pretty good fishing for rockfish here in the bay.  You each get to keep two rockfish and I would suggest you do so.  First you had better clean up the boat and get the sails stored."  He looked over his shoulder at the black clouds approaching and added, "She's going to blow pretty good for a while and there'll be no fishing until it settles back down."  With that he disappeared again down below. 

Kade reported the depth finder was showing 30 fathoms or 180 feet.  He said, "We’re going to need a fair amount of weight to get down to the bottom."  Each of the boys hooked up their own gear using the skin from the fish Kade had caught for bait.  Erik insisted on using the heavy lead jig that his grandpa had given him.  Jack was the first one with his line in the water and had no sooner touch the bottom when he yelled, "fish on".  It was a fishing frenzy for a while and every time their hook hit the bottom they had a fish strike.  It took Erik the longest time to land his two fish but he chose not to use bait just a simple lead jig.  He would hit bottom and raise the jig up about 4 feet before allowing it to fluttered down again to the bottom.  He had lots of bites but most of the fish got off.

Captain Cook had arrived again on deck and shook his head when he saw the fish flopping on the deck.  He said, "You are making my boat look like a slaughterhouse."  He then began starting the engine and told them, "Were going to have to motor to Phil's Cove.  You have a half hour to get this aft deck cleaned up before we set up anchor."  Just as the engine started to belch out its black smoke he added, "A couple of you will need to climb up the hillside and fill the cooler with snow so we can keep the fish for a couple of days."

The boys set up an assembly line for cleaning the fish.  Jack bonked all the fish and then Quinn cut the fillets off and threw the carcasses overboard.  Kade would remove the bones and skin the fillets.  Erik was in charge of packaging the fish in meal size portions.  It looked like they had enough fish for about two days.  It was Erik's turn to cook and he took one bag below and cut the fillets into small pieces for frying.  It was a lazy afternoon and they were just sitting around visiting when Captain Cook appeared handing them each a length of thin line saying, "No use you’re just sitting around.  You need to be practicing your sailing knots."  With that he went topside to watch for the weather.  As they approached Phil's Cove he called everybody topside and had Quinn take the helm.  The small bite at the south end of the bay was fairly deep and they would need to set the anchor fairly close to the shore.  Captain Cook gave his instructions, "Take her in real slow.  Kade and Jack you stand as lookouts and give a shout if it looks like we’re going to hit something.  Erik, you come forward with me to help lower the anchor."

Quinn did as he was told and kept reducing the speed of the propeller with a hydraulic control.  It seemed they were going to run aground before Captain John finally gave the order to turn the boat.  Now he watched the depth finder and when it read 20 fathoms or 120 feet Captain John let the anchor down.  It was Erik's job to count the colors on the chain.  When they had let out 150 feet Captain John told Quinn, "Start backing toward shore.  You lookouts keep a sharp eye for rocks."  The anchor set almost immediately but they seemed way too close to the rocky shore.  When Captain Cook was happy that the anchor was secure he came aft and said, "It is a deep Anchorage and a small bite but will be secure enough when the winds start to blow."  He looked off at the approaching dark clouds and said, "Two of you boys take the rubber raft to shore and tie it off on that stump clinging to the rock.  You'll probably have to go halfway up the hill to find snow.  Pack it firmly in the cooler and get back down here before the rain starts."

Quinn asked, "Should we use the outboard motor?"

"Hell no.  You got arms and the two paddles should work fine for that short distance."

Erik had been thinking about what he was going to cook and said, "Take a bucket and get some more of that good seaweed and some mussels if you can."

Quinn asked, "What are you going to make?"

Erik replied, "I think I'm going to fry the fish and serve it with some boiled potatoes and salad of the seaweed with fried mussels and vinegar and oil dressing."

Quinn said, "I think we should eat early because I'm already starving.  I will stay here and help with the cooking while Kade and Jack get the snow."

Kade asked Jack, “Think we should tie up on the left side of the rock?”

Before Jack could answer came the call from the Captain, “I heard that.  Guess Kade will be doing dishes tonight.”

The boys tightened their life jackets before climbing aboard the raft.  It was a lot harder to paddle than they were expecting.  With no rudder to stabilize the raft they had to coordinate their paddling.  They tied the raft up as the Captain had ordered and clambered ashore over the slippery rocks.  It was a steep climb up the hillside, not actually rock-climbing but close enough.  They needed to get almost to the top before the snow was thick enough to make it worth harvesting.  They decided to spend a few minutes and climb all the way to the top.  The view was worth it because from the top they could see the ocean just a short distance away.  They had spent the day sailing around the Cape and now they were just a couple hundred yards from a bay they had sailed past that morning.  The black clouds seem to be getting awfully close so they hurried back down and packed the cooler full of snow.  Going downhill was more difficult and at times it was easiest to just sit down and slide on the rocks.

When they got back to the raft they loaded the cooler and harvested a bunch of the seaweed and some mussels.  They untied the raft and began paddling back to the Sea Shanty.  There was now enough wind that they had to work hard to cover the short distance back to the boat.  They unloaded the cooler and bucket onto the swim platform and climbed aboard.  Captain Cook yelled from his berth, "You had better put two lines on the raft and make sure your knots are good.  Pull it as far as you can onto the swim platform so it doesn't keep bumping up against the boat."

Erik started frying the fish and boiling the potatoes as soon as Quinn reported the others were on their way back.  Quinn helped by taking the mussels and cleaning the attachment off before dropping them in boiling water.  Jack was cleaning the seaweed and Erik had him put it in the large bowl.  He started adding some spices and a little vinegar and oil.  Quinn could not resist tasting it and said, "Not bad and if you didn't know it was seaweed it would be good."

The smells of cooking reminded all the boys how hungry they were and they may have been complaining of little when Captain Cook yelled out from his quarters, "If you're hungry you could have made a snack out of the kelp you put in the bucket this morning."

The dinner was ready soon enough and they consumed enough food for 10 normal people.  It was Kade's turn for dishes and with the normal ribbing of brothers they all chipped in and gave Kade some help.  It was still early evening but the sky was getting dark from the approaching storm. The galley cleaned, the boys settled down for some cards.  The rain was now pounding on the roof.  But all were warm and dry.  The Captain sat and continued to listen to the weather reports.  They made a good call, all would be fine.  He told the boys of a similar night many years prior when he had another group and was anchored in this very spot.

It was now very dark with the heavy overcast even for an Alaskan summer night.  The 10 zillion lumen flashlight could only reach about 10 feet in the pouring rain.  Winds picked up and swung the boat on its anchor.  But all was good.  As the boys played cards, the marine radio came to life.  “MayDay MayDay.”  A #$%^ Bayliner with one on board tried to make the crossing into Resurrection Bay.  (Captain Cook referred to most small power boats as AFB's.)  The Captain thought to himself “what was he thinking?”

The Coast Guard got on the radio and as we learned the Bayliner was dead-in-the-water and taking on water just to the south of Cheval Island.  There was no thought of taking four boys around the Cape in the middle of a storm, they stayed put.  Every word on the radio was heard. 

The Coast Guard put out the standard assistance call.  No one from Seward could make that run in less than 2-3 hours even if they were brave enough.  But as faith would have it, or I'd say damn lucky, the Research Ship the Alpha Helix responded.  100 plus foot boat, they were heading into Seward to miss the worst of the storm and were ten minutes away from the boat in distress.  You can't get any luckier.

The Research vessel found the Bayliner.  The initial plan was to pull that dumb ##$&^ off his boat and make way for Seward.  When after a bit of silence on the radio, a call came in from the Bayliner.  He asked the Captain if there was any way to save his boat.  More silence.  The Captain called his first mate and simply asked if it was possible.  The response was “If we could get a line on her, maybe make it to Agnes Cove.  So, then began the adventure of getting close, but not too close in really bad seas.  The line was secured.  The tow begun.

The tow line broke.   Lots of chatter on deck, all heard on channel 16.  The 1^st mate responded, we have a larger line, but the Bayliner was now full of water.  They tried.  Within seconds the 1^st mate yelled on the radio, “Boat gone, man in the water.”  The next response from the Captain was “What's next?”  The 1^st mate responded, “John is suited up and ready to jump.” 

The ship radio chatter was steady, the Coast Guard as well.  Now they needed the ship on the lee side of the two men in the water.  There were screams of PORT PORT as the Captain tried to maneuver his ship in rough seas.  Occasional silence, which was followed by the Captain, “Talk to me!”

Maybe after the longest stretch of silence the 1^st Mate responded, “Both on deck, both fine.”  One lucky guy, one Bayliner on the bottom of the ocean.  From less than two miles away they had all witnessed a miracle.

As the night drew on the boys hit the sack, the winds picked up and the Captain stayed above.  Sleeping bag draped over him.  A vigil eye on the depth finder and GPS were the only lights in the cockpit.  They were only boat lengths ways from the rocks on shore as the boat swung on the hook.  It was not going to be a restful night for the Captain.

As the night continued on, the small waves in Phil's Cove grew.  The Captain could now hear them hitting the rocks not far away.   The Flashlight was useless.  But he knew he was close.  Closer than he wanted.  It was now low tide which meant more line on the anchor, thus closer to shore.  Much more of a potential problem for the boat, than the boys on board.  But a problem none-the-less.

He called on the two oldest to get dressed. The Captain explained that we had a bit of a problem.  They needed to pull in some anchor line which reduced his anchor strength, or reset in the pouring dark rain.  Either choice required the Captain at the helm and the boys to do the job.  Worst case would be to motor out into the bay and just drift till morning, taking turns standing watch. That not really being a bad option.  The decision was made to re-set with Kade and Jack hauling in the anchor in the pouring rain.  When the Captain was happy he had, the boys lower the anchor again and could feel it grab the bottom.  The now wet boys joined him in the pilot house and watched the depth sounder and GPS to make sure the anchor was not dragging.  Even the Captain now got a few hours of sleep as the boys took turns taking the watch.  The rain and wind subsided by morning.  Ocean still a little pissed off, but they should be able to continue their journey.  The Captain let everyone sleep in a bit before sounding his whistle.

Captain’s Log

16 June 2016

The boys did well today and managed to sail by themselves reasonably well.  A bit of a problem with sea sickness rounding the cape but not bad.  They fixed another good meal but haven’t learned to make sure they had plan-overs for lunch.  They sure can eat.

Storm blew in and I told them of the rescue of a fool just on the other side of the cape.  Had to reset the anchor at night and the boys did well.  Had hoped to make it to Harris Glacier but winds and weather thought otherwise.  Good sail from Humpy Cove to Phil’s Cove.

Charles Kaluza charleskaluza@gmail.com

The Cousins’ Alaskan adventure

By Charles Kaluza and Phil Kaluza

Day 1

The two tall teenage boys with their oversized backpacks stood yet again at the Lufthansa terminal to check on the arrival of the flight from Germany.  The desk lady smiled at them and before they could even ask about the arrival of their cousins, she said, “The plane has landed but the passengers still need to go through immigration and customs.”

Quinn, the younger of the two, said, “I hope they hurry up because we don’t want to miss our train.”

The lady looked at the clock and said, “They should make it in time.  Did they check any luggage?”

Kade answered, “No, they just have backpacks like us.  The rules said only one backpack per person on the boat.”

“Let me call the train and tell them you are waiting for your cousins.  Maybe they can wait a few minutes for them.”

Kade spoke for both of the brothers saying, “Thanks” as they wondered off towards the international waiting area.  He asked Quinn, “Do you want to go look at the brown bear again?”

“No.  I’ve seen enough dead animals for now, they are everywhere in this airport.  Let’s get something to eat.”

“Quinn, you have already had three ice cream cones.”

“But I’m hungry.”

“Remember we promised mom we would eat right.  How about we get a hamburger.”

“How about we get a hamburger and an ice cream cone.”

Kade responded, “OK, but then we need to get back to the waiting area.  We don’t want to miss Jack and Erik.

People were streaming out of the customs and immigration area but nowhere were Jack and Erik to be seen.  At least a couple hundred people came out before Quinn spotted their cousins.  They barely said “hi” to one another and Kade was leading them on a wild run through the airport terminal to the waiting area for the train.  As they exited the terminal building, Kade turned to the left, and Quinn yelled, “That’s the wrong way!”  Kade turned around and headed to the train terminal.  The conductor was looking at his watch and pacing back and forth as the boys ran up.

They were motioned aboard and did not even have time to find seats before the door closed and the train started to move.  The train car was only about ¾ full and they found four seats together.  They stowed their back packs in the luggage rack and finally had a chance to visit.  The train was passing through the older area of Anchorage and there was not much to look at…it looked pretty much like any other city.  Only when the train finally turned to follow the Turnagain Arm of Cook inlet did their world change.  The train tracks were wedged against the ocean on their right and a massive cliff on their left.  Kade and Eric had their noses pressed against the windows on the cliff side looking for moose or maybe even a bear.  Jack and Quinn were on the opposite side staring at the ocean looking for signs of a whale.  Quinn asked Jack, “What do these Beluga whales look like?”

Jack replied, “They are not real big but they are all white.  The book says you usually see the spout first and then the top of the whale as it dives.  They are supposed to be pretty rare.”

Their conversation was interrupted when Erik called out, “Look at the mountain goats on the cliff.”

All Jack could see were some white spots on the cliff until Erik handed him the binoculars.  Sure, enough they were white animals walking on an invisible ledge along the face of the cliff.  Jack said, “They are not mountain goats those are Dall sheep.”  Kade spoke for them all when he said, “No way would I try and cross that cliff.  How do they keep from falling off?”

The train was traveling fast enough that the sheep were soon left behind and the search for wildlife resumed.  Erik reminded Jack that they were supposed to call home.  Jack pulled out his cellphone but had no service.  He said, “No way to call but I can use the ‘Spot Locator’ to tell them where we are and that we are fine.”  Jack dug through his backpack and pulled out the emergency locator.  It needed exposure to the southern sky so he activated it with the “OK” button which would relay their position and satisfactory status from the satellite back to their mom and dad.  He carefully set it on the edge of the window facing south and checked his watch because the unit needed to be on for 30 minutes to insure the satellite was in position to receive the signal. 

As the train travelled through the wilderness the boys did not say much because they were so busy looking at the world around them.  They must have crossed the mountain range because the land to the left flattened out and the ocean to the right was mostly a mud flat.  Kade was sure they would see a moose now that there were more areas of swamp but if they were out there they were well hidden.  The train began to slow as they pulled into the station at Portage.  It was not a town, just a place where they re-arranged the cars with about half the cars going through the long tunnel to the port of Whittier and the others continuing on to Seward.  It seemed to take forever before the train began to move again.  Most of the people who were in their car got off to continue on to Whittier and their cruise ship.  Other people got on to join them for the train ride over the mountains to Seward.

Jack checked his watch and it had been over 30 minutes so he went to retrieve the Spot locator.  It was gone.  The four boys searched everywhere in the train car for the unit asking people to stand up so they could look under the seats.  Their emergency locator was gone.  Erik said, “Someone must have thought it was forgotten and maybe turned it in at the lost and found.”

When the conductor came through they asked him about the unit.  He replied, “Nobody turned anything in to me.  Maybe it will show up.  Are you sure you didn’t already put it back in your pack?”

Jack replied, “I’m sure, but I will check again.”

Kade tried to calm everyone down by saying, “We are going out with a professional.  Why do we even need the locator?  He will have radios onboard.”

The conductor pointed to all of the dead trees and said, “This was a forest before the big earthquake.  The ground sank so much that the ocean flooded the area and killed all of the trees.”

The dead trees went on for miles and the force that lowered the land so catastrophically just did not seem real to the cousins.  How could a whole forest sink enough that the ocean swallowed it.  The train was working hard now as it began ascending the mountains.  The trees were left behind as they climbed above the tree line into the tundra.  At times, it seemed you could see forever and at other times the cliffs closed in.  Snow and ice were still covering all of the higher areas.  Jack said, “It is the middle of June and there is still all of this ice and snow.”  Quinn replied, “Could you believe all the snow and ice we flew over and it is summertime.  It was worth the trip just to see all those glaciers from the airplane.”

The pass they were travelling through finally began to open up and off in the distance they could see some lakes.  Erik was excited because of the turquois color of the water and did not really listen to Jack’s explanation of glacial runoff producing the color.  The color varied in intensity and at the upper end of the lake where the stream entered it produced a pattern of swirls.  The sketch pad was opened as Erik tried to capture the flow of the color pattern.  The other cousins continued their search for a moose.  Quinn got excited as he pointed to a brown something off in the distance.  When Jack used his binoculars, he said, “That is not a moose.  It’s a bear, a big bear.”  Now they all wanted to use the binoculars just to confirm that Jack was right.

The train began its downhill run into Seward and a few houses were visible in the distance.  They gave up on seeing a moose as the train began to slow at the edge of town.  To the left was a swampy area and right next to the tracks stood a bull moose with seaweed hanging from its antlers.  As they watched the moose dipped its head below the water and then came up with a face full of seaweed that it casually munched down.  High fives all around.

As the train pulled into Seward the boys put on their backpacks and checked the area to make sure they did not leave anything else behind.  It was a several blocks to the marina from the train station and as they were walking by some old railroad cars the smell of barbecue was unmistakable.  Quinn said, “I think we should stop and get something to eat.”

Kade disagreed saying they were supposed to be at the boat in less than an hour.  Jack pointed out that the marina was only a few blocks away and some food would be nice.  A vote was taken and food won out.  They climbed the old steel steps into the old railroad passenger car and the smell of barbecue almost overwhelmed them as they opened the door.  Inside was a modern little diner hidden in the old rusty railcar.  A nice lady who seemed at least as old as their grandma took their order.  When Kade said, they were in a bit of a hurry she said, “Things move slower here in Seward.  If you are in a hurry maybe it would be best if you chose the pulled pork sandwiches.”

They all agreed and fairly quickly the food arrived.  Kade mostly inhaled his food but Jack and Erik took the time to cut their sandwiches into bite size pieces before eating.  Kade was getting antsy about the time and as soon as Jack had swallowed his last bite they got up and paid their bill.  A quick “Thank you” and the boys were out the door headed to the marina.  It took a few minutes to find “J” dock and they made their way down the ramp and onto the dock.  The air smelled like fish and the water had a milky color.  There were boats everywhere in the harbor.  Large cruise ships, fishing boats, charter boats as well as every shape and size of power and sail boat you could imagine.  They were looking for slip #39 and as they approached it they saw an immaculate sail boat that had to be 60 feet long.  Quinn asked, “Is that our boat?” 

Nobody said anything as they looked at layout of the sail boat with the fancy power boat hanging from the back of the boat and the kayaks stored up front.  As they were staring at the boat a man stepped out from behind the boat wearing jeans, an orange plaid shirt and rubber boots.  He said, “About time you four showed up.”  He was a small man shorter than any of the cousins with a bit of a pot belly hanging over his belt.  The red hair poking out from under the old ball cap was unruly and had grey around the edges.  His skin was leather like and red from so much exposure to the sea.  The boys looked back at the boat and at this grizzled Captain because the two did not seem to fit.  The man saw their looks and said, “These plastic boats sure are pretty.  Not much use up here in Alaska.  Too many things around to break them.”

The boys did not know what to say and the man waved them around the big boat.  He pointed to his boat.  Big letters on the back said, “Sea Shanty” and he said, “Here is my boat.  She is made of steel with a skeg protecting the prop.  Not as pretty but much tougher.”

The boys looked at the boat which had areas of peeling paint and rust.  It had a single mast with two sails in front and the main sail in the back.  It did look “Alaskan” but seemed old and small compared to the fancy boat next to it.  The captain said, “Climb aboard and store your packs below.  We need to go over a few things before we shove off.”

The boys did as they were told but Quinn had no sooner started down the companionway stairs when the Captain was yelling at him, “Turn around and go down backwards.  It’s a ladder not a stairway.”

Quinn wasn’t sure why he was in trouble but did as he was told.  When they climbed back up on deck the Captain started in.  “I see that you all passed the written qualifications but none of you have actually sailed.  You have a lot to learn in less than two weeks and you had better pay attention.”  With barely a breath he continued, “A few safety rules.  First is one hand for you, one hand for the boat.  Whenever you are topside you need to be able to grab onto something at all times.”  He demonstrated what he meant before going on to rule number two.  “You always go through the hatch backwards.  If you don’t and a wave hits the boat, your feet will slip and you will be thrown head first into the galley.  If you go down backwards, you might get a bloody nose and a skinned knee but avoid a broken head.”

He actually stopped for a breath before saying, “The first one who says right or left, or front and back instead of the nautical terms gets to do dishes that day.”

Jack asked, “What if nobody says those words?”

The Captain actually smiled as he replied, “Then I do the dishes.”

The safety lecture went on for another half hour with little time for questions.  He closed by saying, “My name is John Cook.  You can call me Captain John, Captain Cook or Sir.” 

When he was finally done, Erik asked, “When to we depart?”

The Captain looked at the sun and surveyed the sky before saying, “We sail in 15 minutes.  If you land lubbers can get going, we might be able to make Pony Cove before dark.”  The Captain entered the enclosed cockpit and turned on a bunch of switches.  He pressed the starter button and the diesel engine coughed and sputtered to life exhaling a black plume of smoke.  He ordered the boys to don their life jackets and to prepare for cast off.  Erik asked Kade, “How do we prepare for cast off and why does the engine smoke so much?”

Captain Cook overheard the question and answered, “Diesel engines always smoke some until they are warmed up.  This engine is getting a little tired so might smoke a bit more than normal.  It will clear up in 5-10 minutes.”  He then began to shout orders, “Jack, you need to attend the bow line and Eric, you need to stand by the stern line.  Kade, you must return to the dock and loosen the lines leaving a single loop over the cleat and throwing the free end aboard.  Those attending the lines must keep tension on them until I say to release them.”

Quinn asked, “What am I going to do?”

“You’re going to drive the boat.”

“But I’ve never driven a boat.”

“About time you did.”  “Kade, are the lines free?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Climb back aboard.”  The Captain reached over and shifted the hydraulic drive into reverse but did not increase the engine speed.  He checked the wind one more time before telling Jack, “Release you line and secure it.”  As tension built on the stern line it allowed the bow to swing away from the dock and the Captain told Erik, “Release you line and secure it.”  He nudged the power slightly and told Quinn, “As soon as the bow clears the finger start turning to port.”  Quinn had to think, port and left have the same number of letters.  He started turning the wheel as soon as the bow was clear.  The Captain reached down and shifted into forward and they slowly started pulling away from the dock.  He asked Quinn, “Are you going to straighten this boat out or do you want to spend your two weeks going around in circles?”  Quinn responded by oversteering to the right which brought on another reprimand from the Captain.  They were still in the harbor and boats were coming and going everywhere.  The Captain did not care and simply said, “Don’t hit anyone and aim for the opening in the sea wall.”

The other boys were busy cleaning up the fenders and securing all lines.  Seems Captain Cook was hard to satisfy and he made them do things over and over until he was happy.  Eric was the first to figure out the technique the captain wanted.  As soon as they were done the Captain said, “Prepare to set the sails.”  Nobody knew what to do but the Captain was calm enough as he gave orders.  They had to uncover the mainsail and stow the cover before hoisting up the sail using the winch in the cockpit.  The sail jammed part way up and the Captain started swearing but didn’t really seem upset.  He told Erik, “Go forward and release the red reefing line on the mast.”

Erik knew what the mast was and the reefing was a way of making the sails smaller but that was the limit of his knowledge.  He went forward hanging onto the rail as he worked his way to the base of the mast.  Sure, enough there was a red rope tied off.  He did as he was told and released the line.  Captain ordered Jack and Kade to resume cranking on the winch.  As soon as the sail was all the way up he showed the boys how to secure the line so the sail could not come down on its own.  He told Quinn, “Cut the engine.”

Quinn just looked at him unsure of what he was supposed to do.  The Captain said, “Pull the lever in front of the throttle and hold it out until the engine stops completely.”  Quinn did as instructed and the noise and smoke was replaced by the sound of the wind and waves lapping against the side of the boat.  Now Captain Cook seemed happier.  He began teaching them how to adjust the mainsail for the breeze which was coming from their port side.  When he was happy that they had good control of the boat, he had the large headsail unfurled.  It tangled up on a shroud and the Captain told Quinn steer 30 degrees to port.  Quinn did the four letter conversion in his head and began turning the boat.  This freed the sail and Quinn no sooner reached his new direction than the Captain said, “Turn and maintain a heading of due south.”

Quinn did as he was told but was having trouble keeping the course due south.  Every time they changed the sail settings to capture a bit more wind his steering was thrown off.  When the Captain scolded him, Quinn tried to explain but did not have the nautical terms he needed.  He said, “Every time you have Kade and Jack change the sails the boat wants to turn especially to the right.”

“Did you just say right instead of starboard?  I guess we know who is doing dishes tonight.”  The Captain went onto explain how the keel and rudder counteracted the sails and whenever you changed one thing everything else changed.  He added, “When we get her trimmed up she’ll pretty much sail herself.”

The next couple of hours were fantastic and all they had dreamed of for the past two years they were preparing.  With enough wind to heel (lean) the boat a bit it felt like they were flying as the Sea Shanty sliced her way through the water.  The boys took turns at the helm and managing the sails but with a quartering aft wind the boat was happy and pretty much took care of herself.  Captain John kept checking the wind and finally said, “She’s going to die down before we can make Pony Cove.  Best we head for Humpy Cove and spend the night there.  Might be a tad crowded in the anchorage.”

It was a bit crowded alright with one other boat in the whole bay but that was crowded for Captain John.  As they entered Humpy Cove they rolled up the head sail and prepared to drop the main.  Captain John had Quinn take the helm again and told him, “We are going to head straight towards the end of the bay and when I give the order turn as sharply to port as you can.  We will drop the mainsail and if you can keep the boat pointed into the wind I’ll drop the anchor.  The wind will back us down and set the anchor for us.”  He added, “If you screw up I’ll have to start the engine and I don’t like that.”

On order Quinn turned the boat as quickly as he could and faced it into the wind.  Kade and Jack pulled the mainsail down and Eric managed the lines.  He had already mastered the art of keeping the lines coiled and free of tangles.  The boat slowed quickly and Quinn called out the depth.  When the boat had backed into 15 fathoms (90 feet) Captain John began lowering the anchor.  Quinn was struggling to keep the boat pointed into the wind because they had lost all forward movement and thus all steerage.  As the anchor caught on the bottom, the boat straightened herself out and started a gentle swinging back and forth.  The Captain stayed at the bow holding onto the chain until he was sure the anchor was secure and not dragging.  Only then did he stand up and stretch saying, “Not bad for a bunch of land lubbers.”

I’m going below to the Captain’s quarters.  Call me when dinner is ready.”

When the Captain had disappeared down the companionway the boys just sort of looked at each other trying to figure out what to do next.  Erik spoke up and said, “Guess we should go see what type of food is aboard.”  The boys climbed through the hatch and began exploring their cabin.  There were small storage spaces hidden everywhere but most were filled with tools and boat parts.  Most of the food was in the locker below the mid-ship berths.  As the boys sorted through the food they were confused.  The only food they could find was three bags of potatoes and two bags of carrots.  Lots of spices, some pancake flour, oatmeal and cooking oil but no deserts, fruit or vegetables.  Erik said, “How are we supposed to fix dinner when we don’t have any food to fix?”

Quinn chipped in, “Those potatoes and carrots are not going to last very long and then we will be getting very hungry.”

Jack said, “Seems our Captain is a modern Captain Bligh.”

Before Jack could explain what, he meant Captain Cook appeared and said, “So you have read ‘Mutiny on the Bounty’?”

Jack was almost too embarrassed to answer and simply nodded his head in the affirmative.  Captain Cook said, “Good for you.  I am honored by the comparison but must admit that I am not worthy of the comparison.  Captain Bligh may have been the finest navigator to have ever sailed with the British fleet.  He and the 20-other loyalist were set adrift in a small boat with a simple sail and almost no supplies.  Captain Bligh not only kept his crew alive but navigated by dead reckoning and the stars across almost 4000 miles of open ocean to land on a small island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.”  Captain Cook was quiet for a moment before continuing, “The Sea Shanty is far more sea worthy than the vessel they were set adrift in and even with modern navigation equipment it would be a tough voyage.  I have often thought of trying to replicate the voyage but fear I am not up to the challenge.”

The cousins were seeing their Captain in a new light and said nothing.  Captain Cook pointed to the small book shelf and said, “A couple of good cookbooks.  You are living in the richest waters in the world and if you can’t figure out how to eat we are in trouble.  Notify me when dinner is ready.”

Quinn picked up one of the books titled, “Eating Seaweed” and began thumbing through the pages.  Erik asked Kade, “Think you can catch us a fish?”

“I’m all over it.  Does the Captain really expect us to eat seaweed?”

Jack spoke up saying, “Seaweed is actually very nutritious and I thought you liked sushi.”

Kade said, “I forgot that they wrap the good stuff in seaweed.  How do we know what kind is good?”

Quinn responded, “According to this book all the seaweed in the area is edible.  They recommend cooking for some types but most can be eaten raw.”

Kade was finally done futzing with the fishing gear and headed topside to try and catch dinner.  Quinn picked out a recipe for fish stew that would use some of their potatoes and carrots along with the red brown seaweed growing on the rocks.  Erik and Jack put on their life jackets and went out to launch the kayak.  The tide was mostly out and with the exposed rocks it only took a few minutes to harvest a good-sized bunch of the seaweed.  Jack took the time to pick a bunch of mussels from the rocks saying, “Maybe Quinn can use these in his stew.”

They had no sooner climbed back aboard and secured the kayak when Kade began hollering “Fish on!”

When they finally got the fish aboard Kade was all excited about having fresh halibut for dinner.  Captain Cook poked his head up through the hatch and looked at the fish.  He said, “That is not a halibut.  It’s an arrowtooth flounder.”

“Can we eat it?”

“It’s edible but tough to cook because it falls apart as you cook it.”

Quinn said, “Perfect for my fish stew.  Get it cleaned and cut up into little pieces.  I’ll get the stock cooking.  Sounds like we do not add the seaweed until the end.”

The cooking smells just added to the sensation of starvation the boys were feeling.  They had not eaten for over 8 hours and were famished.  When Quinn announced, the stew was ready Kade called the Captain.  His arrival was announced with the smell of whiskey but he seemed to be in better humor.  Erik helped serve the stew.  Any thoughts of a prayer of thanks were put aside as everyone tasted the concoction Quinn had created.  The Captain was the first to comment saying, “There might be hope for you landlubbers after all.”  By the time all of the boys had finished their 3^rd bowl of stew the pot was empty. 

Kade said, “That was good eating but would have been better with some fresh crab.”

Quinn responded, “You catch the crab and I’ll add it to the stew next time.”

Kade asked the Captain, “Are there crabs up here?

“This bay is way too deep but some of the shallow bays have Dungeness crabs and an occasional Alaskan crab.  Best place to catch really great crabs was Nome.  We would take our snow machines out on the sea ice about 5 miles and cut a 4-foot hole in the ice with a chain saw.  Then we would use an ice chisel to break it free of the surrounding ice.  You had to jump on the large block to get it bobbing enough that you could push it under the surface ice.  The current would then pull it away from your hole.  The baited trap was then lowered to the bottom and we used a sheet of plywood to cover the hole.  Had to pile a bunch of snow on top to keep the hole from freezing so the trap could come out.  The next day you would pull the trap and if you were lucky you had a large Alaskan crab and some of the best eating ever.  Other days all you would get were some jelly fish on top of the trap.  They would freeze almost immediately and made great Frisbees.

With full bellies and a day of sun and wind yawns were contagious.

The Captain got up saying, “Seems Quinn volunteered to do the dishes tonight.”

“But I cooked.”

“Yes, but you also were the first to violate the word rule.”  With that the Captain went aft to his quarters.  As tired as they were the cousins helped Quinn with the dishes.  They brushed their teeth and emptied their bladders over the side of the boat.  Eric and Jack took the forward berths.  Seems the long day and the gentle rocking of the boat were enough to put them to sleep almost instantly when their heads hit the pillow.

Captain’s Log

15 June 2016

The new training crew showed up today almost on time.  They seem to be a reasonable bunch and are all cousins.  Two are from Germany and two are from Oregon and all are city kids.  They at least seem capable of learning something and actually did a pretty good job the first day out.  The dinner they managed was actually tasty and they followed orders.  I don't think I could survive another group of whiners like the last group.  This teaching stuff is fun but only when the students want to learn.  I'll see how they do tomorrow rounding the Cape.  Sailed from Seward to Humpy Cove.