Sent: Thursday, September 11, 2008 10:10 PM
Subject: Blue Mouse Cove
Back in Elfin we dined on salmon steaks as the new gale blew overhead. Wednesday was little better in the weather but we needed to move on to Glacier Bay Park. It was ugly even in protected water but the day had its magic. 3 Orcas paid us a close visit and left quickly when they found us uneatable. There was a white mass in the fog and rain that was thought to be an ice berg but slowly turned into a cruise ship. We cleared in at the ranger station and found that the only restaurant had shut down for the season 2 days ago---oh well, we have lots of salmon. So we moved into Glacier Bay and spent another quiet night in N Sandy Cove. Wind and rain all night. Our crab trap yielded 6 sea snails (like small queen conch) and one large starfish that was eating them--quite a sight. Today we went glacier sight seeing. We visited the McBride, The Riggs and Muir Glaciers. Pretty spectacular--even in fog, mist and sometimes because of the fog and mist. And now we are headed for BLUE MOUSE COVE---what’s in a name anyway. The guide book says we might see wolves and bears on the shore. Damn, salmon again tonight!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Captain Scott's Log ~ Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Sent: Wednesday, September 10, 2008 12:36 AM
Subject: Elfin Cove
The last 24 hours in the Gulf were easy as the wind went light. But Commanders said the weather window was short and again they were right. As we neared the inlet the new wind came in and we surfed to the protection of Elfin Cove. The guide book says “This is a place of meandering boardwalks going in multiple directions, lined by a homes, a few shops and friendly people. This tiny village nearly sings out the attention and love and care it has been given. The word Charming really means something here." But the season is late. The owner of the only bar and restaurant has left to teach school in Sitka. But with the weather turning to shit, the local fishing fleet is in. Most of the boats are mom and pop types smaller than us. Behind me is a raft of 5--the "Revelation", "Hellen T", "Silver Fox", "Glenmar", and "Ocean Wave". We were given a 25 lb Coho Salmon Witch is now on our grill (5lbs of it anyway). The new gale is beginning. Snug and safe in Elfin Cove 58 12n 136 21w
Subject: Elfin Cove
The last 24 hours in the Gulf were easy as the wind went light. But Commanders said the weather window was short and again they were right. As we neared the inlet the new wind came in and we surfed to the protection of Elfin Cove. The guide book says “This is a place of meandering boardwalks going in multiple directions, lined by a homes, a few shops and friendly people. This tiny village nearly sings out the attention and love and care it has been given. The word Charming really means something here." But the season is late. The owner of the only bar and restaurant has left to teach school in Sitka. But with the weather turning to shit, the local fishing fleet is in. Most of the boats are mom and pop types smaller than us. Behind me is a raft of 5--the "Revelation", "Hellen T", "Silver Fox", "Glenmar", and "Ocean Wave". We were given a 25 lb Coho Salmon Witch is now on our grill (5lbs of it anyway). The new gale is beginning. Snug and safe in Elfin Cove 58 12n 136 21w
Monday, September 8, 2008
Captain Scott's Log ~ Monday, September 8th, 2008
Sent: Monday, September 08, 2008 3:47 PM
Subject: Gulf of Alaska
Fox Farm Bay had everything except foxes. Not even a farm. We were completely alone with the otters, salmon and bald eagles. We set the crab trap as we do at every anchorage with the usual result. The trap cost $80 and the license another $90 in Kodiak. So after 2 weeks, one small crab cost us $170. On Saturday we moved 40 miles to be near the exit of Prince William Sound—60 19n 147 10w. The predicted gale blew with steady rain so we stayed below playing hearts and drank Kens wine. On Sunday the wind dropped. We had planned to stay till Monday am or go to Cordova. But with cabin fever, the anchor was lifted after lunch and we ventured out into the Gulf of Alaska. It was a boarder line call and for several hours we paid the price in left over seas and wind on the nose. By midnight the wind began its predicted shift to the SW. Soon the banging and crashing was replaced by the swish of the phosphorescent wake as we sailed at 9.4 kts. Elfin Cove is our destination (460nm from our anchorage) and we hope to be there Tuesday night
Subject: Gulf of Alaska
Fox Farm Bay had everything except foxes. Not even a farm. We were completely alone with the otters, salmon and bald eagles. We set the crab trap as we do at every anchorage with the usual result. The trap cost $80 and the license another $90 in Kodiak. So after 2 weeks, one small crab cost us $170. On Saturday we moved 40 miles to be near the exit of Prince William Sound—60 19n 147 10w. The predicted gale blew with steady rain so we stayed below playing hearts and drank Kens wine. On Sunday the wind dropped. We had planned to stay till Monday am or go to Cordova. But with cabin fever, the anchor was lifted after lunch and we ventured out into the Gulf of Alaska. It was a boarder line call and for several hours we paid the price in left over seas and wind on the nose. By midnight the wind began its predicted shift to the SW. Soon the banging and crashing was replaced by the swish of the phosphorescent wake as we sailed at 9.4 kts. Elfin Cove is our destination (460nm from our anchorage) and we hope to be there Tuesday night
Captain Scott's Log ~ Friday, September 5th, 2008
Sent: Friday, September 05, 2008 8:04 PM
New crew consisting of Jon Piper, Ken Hege and Pat Montgomery aboard. The 5 days from Kodiak to Seward were perfect with clear sunny nice weather. Clara was developing her pictures and others waiting said "did you really see all that". YES we did! Then as soon as we got to Seward the rain started and rained non stop for 5 depressing days. The plan was to sail direct to Glacier Bay but the forecast has changed that. Today is supposed to be nice (it is) but Sat it blows a gale from the east and Sun the wind drops all the way to 35 kts also from the east. So plan B. As soon as Ken got off the train (and bought his wine) we left Seward in what little good weather is predicted. Instead of going across The Gulf of Alaska we are headed for Prince William Sound. Then tomorrow when the gale blows we will head to Cordova in more protected water. Tonight I expect to be anchored in Fox Farm Bay---not too far from where the Bear Man and his girl (recent movie) got eaten by Grizzlies. So now we are motoring along the coast, drinks in hand, watching low clouds drift along the nearby cliffs and glaciers
New crew consisting of Jon Piper, Ken Hege and Pat Montgomery aboard. The 5 days from Kodiak to Seward were perfect with clear sunny nice weather. Clara was developing her pictures and others waiting said "did you really see all that". YES we did! Then as soon as we got to Seward the rain started and rained non stop for 5 depressing days. The plan was to sail direct to Glacier Bay but the forecast has changed that. Today is supposed to be nice (it is) but Sat it blows a gale from the east and Sun the wind drops all the way to 35 kts also from the east. So plan B. As soon as Ken got off the train (and bought his wine) we left Seward in what little good weather is predicted. Instead of going across The Gulf of Alaska we are headed for Prince William Sound. Then tomorrow when the gale blows we will head to Cordova in more protected water. Tonight I expect to be anchored in Fox Farm Bay---not too far from where the Bear Man and his girl (recent movie) got eaten by Grizzlies. So now we are motoring along the coast, drinks in hand, watching low clouds drift along the nearby cliffs and glaciers
Jeff's Log ~ Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008 Seward, Alaska
Small boat harbor 60 07.10N 149 26.24W
On Monday a week ago, we got up in the morning and went to the sporting goods store next to our hotel. I got a fishing license, so that we could legally fish for crab. The girl there could not tell me if the license covered crab, so we took a small hike to the fish and game dept. I had to go to the second floor, and when I got up there, the first thing that caught my eye was a pair of large bear hides hanging on the wall. When the girl came to the window, I commented about how neat it was to see the bear hides. Boy, was that a mistake! She did not share my feelings toward bear hides at all.
After that little hurdle, she was quite helpful and gave me all of the information that I needed. On the way back to the boat from there, we stopped in at the office of Karen, the gal who put our bear watching trip together, and thanked her for a job well done. Scott met us on the dock, and he and Clara returned to the boat while I went to purchase a crab trap. There are several different kinds, and I chose one made with a collapsible frame with net over it so that it can be stored in the lazarette when it is not being used.
I got to the boat, and everything was disconnected and we were ready to go. We pulled out of Kodiak and headed through the bridge and headed for the northwest side of Kodiak Island. We went through Whale Passage and saw many whales spouting. A few were close enough that we headed in their direction. The sound that a spouting whale makes is pretty distinct and hard to describe in words, but one can sense the power in the animals when you hear it. We did get close enough for some good photos. One whale was coming right at the boat, and flipped up it’s tail and dove about thirty feet away. I finally got a good whale tail picture!
There were also hundreds of sea otters, and puffins as far as the eye could see. I have been trying to get photos of those two animals too, but they never allow us to get close enough. The first night out, we anchored just off of a very nice cottage in a sheltered cove. It got pretty chilly, but the cabin stayed fairly warm, with lots of condensation dripping from the port light frame in the morning. When I raised the anchor, I was surprised by the amount of kelp that came up with it. It took a while to get it cleared before I locked the anchor down, and my hands got really cold from working with it. The next day we motored along and continued to see spectacular scenery that evening Scott found a sheltered bay which we headed up. There was one shallow spot that was surrounded with a lot of floating kelp on the way in. When we got all the way inside, there was a fish boat working right where we had planned on anchoring. We decided to anchor off of what looked like an empty shack.
After getting the anchor down, we were running the generator for heat and discussing our fuel situation, which was getting short. I thought that maybe the fish boat or some other boat could either sell us some, or tell us where we could get some. I got on the vhf radio asking any vessel to reply. There was no answer, but a few minutes later, I received a call back from the ranger station. It turns out that we were anchored right in front of the ranger station. The empty shack was in fact their supply shack. We invited Jason the ranger out onto the boat for a drink, and dinner. He came right out and we met him face to face. He is a nice young man, and was happy to see us. After a couple of drinks, he told us that he had a drum of diesel fuel, but nothing that used it. Scott gave him a bottle of rum, and I went ashore with him and filled two jerry cans with diesel. There were two other guys there who were volunteers from colleges and getting credit towards their education. Jason had baked some cinnamon sweet rolls, and John had eaten half of them, so Jason told him he was not invited back to the boat. Jason did invite Jim to come along, so Clara sliced up the pork chops so that there was enough to go around. She made tequila sunrise pork chops with yellow rice, and everyone enjoyed it. A nice cocktail party ensued, and everyone went to bed with a nice buzz on, and Jason and Jim returned to the ranger station. We resumed our course which was loosely heading for Seward, when we saw on the map there was a glacier fairly close by. Scott and I discussed the pros and cons of going out of our way to see the glacier, and decided that if necessary, we would go slower to conserve fuel. The side trip to the glacier turned out to be the high point of the trip!
It was McCarty Glacier, and we traveled twenty miles up McCarty Fjord to see it up close and personal. As we entered the fjord, there was what looked like a crashed plane on the side of a large hill. I looked at it through the binoculars, Scott looked, and Clara looked. We all thought it was a crashed plane. Then we brought up the stabilized binoculars, and we could see that it was just snow. We all got a chuckle out of that. As we got close to the glacier, we began seeing large chunks of floating ice. A couple of the larger chunks even had that unique blue tint to them. The closer we got, the more floating ice there was, and I went up on the bow to spot for Scott. We didn’t want to hit any ice with the boat because the edges are very sharp, and will go right through the paint at the waterline.
The hills on either side of the glacier were topped with walls of snow, and some of the snow cliffs had to be a couple of hundred feet high. The ice of the glacier was very jagged, and has a really pretty blue glow to it. As I was looking at it, a chunk fell off and into the water, and a few seconds later, there was a noise like loud thunder that came from it. We heard a few more of these “thunder” noises coming from the glacier cracking as we sat there. The water in the fjord gets turned sort of milky blue from the glacier melting. There is so much mineral content in the water that if you put some in a glass and let it sit, it will separate and leave a deposit in the bottom. The whole experience was pretty incredible, and something that I will never forget. We ended up getting to within a hundred feet of the glacier. And slowly nudged into the pack ice that was floating in the fjord. Seeing the glacier took a lot of time, and we had to change our anchor site for the night.
Small boat harbor 60 07.10N 149 26.24W
On Monday a week ago, we got up in the morning and went to the sporting goods store next to our hotel. I got a fishing license, so that we could legally fish for crab. The girl there could not tell me if the license covered crab, so we took a small hike to the fish and game dept. I had to go to the second floor, and when I got up there, the first thing that caught my eye was a pair of large bear hides hanging on the wall. When the girl came to the window, I commented about how neat it was to see the bear hides. Boy, was that a mistake! She did not share my feelings toward bear hides at all.
After that little hurdle, she was quite helpful and gave me all of the information that I needed. On the way back to the boat from there, we stopped in at the office of Karen, the gal who put our bear watching trip together, and thanked her for a job well done. Scott met us on the dock, and he and Clara returned to the boat while I went to purchase a crab trap. There are several different kinds, and I chose one made with a collapsible frame with net over it so that it can be stored in the lazarette when it is not being used.
I got to the boat, and everything was disconnected and we were ready to go. We pulled out of Kodiak and headed through the bridge and headed for the northwest side of Kodiak Island. We went through Whale Passage and saw many whales spouting. A few were close enough that we headed in their direction. The sound that a spouting whale makes is pretty distinct and hard to describe in words, but one can sense the power in the animals when you hear it. We did get close enough for some good photos. One whale was coming right at the boat, and flipped up it’s tail and dove about thirty feet away. I finally got a good whale tail picture!
There were also hundreds of sea otters, and puffins as far as the eye could see. I have been trying to get photos of those two animals too, but they never allow us to get close enough. The first night out, we anchored just off of a very nice cottage in a sheltered cove. It got pretty chilly, but the cabin stayed fairly warm, with lots of condensation dripping from the port light frame in the morning. When I raised the anchor, I was surprised by the amount of kelp that came up with it. It took a while to get it cleared before I locked the anchor down, and my hands got really cold from working with it. The next day we motored along and continued to see spectacular scenery that evening Scott found a sheltered bay which we headed up. There was one shallow spot that was surrounded with a lot of floating kelp on the way in. When we got all the way inside, there was a fish boat working right where we had planned on anchoring. We decided to anchor off of what looked like an empty shack.
After getting the anchor down, we were running the generator for heat and discussing our fuel situation, which was getting short. I thought that maybe the fish boat or some other boat could either sell us some, or tell us where we could get some. I got on the vhf radio asking any vessel to reply. There was no answer, but a few minutes later, I received a call back from the ranger station. It turns out that we were anchored right in front of the ranger station. The empty shack was in fact their supply shack. We invited Jason the ranger out onto the boat for a drink, and dinner. He came right out and we met him face to face. He is a nice young man, and was happy to see us. After a couple of drinks, he told us that he had a drum of diesel fuel, but nothing that used it. Scott gave him a bottle of rum, and I went ashore with him and filled two jerry cans with diesel. There were two other guys there who were volunteers from colleges and getting credit towards their education. Jason had baked some cinnamon sweet rolls, and John had eaten half of them, so Jason told him he was not invited back to the boat. Jason did invite Jim to come along, so Clara sliced up the pork chops so that there was enough to go around. She made tequila sunrise pork chops with yellow rice, and everyone enjoyed it. A nice cocktail party ensued, and everyone went to bed with a nice buzz on, and Jason and Jim returned to the ranger station. We resumed our course which was loosely heading for Seward, when we saw on the map there was a glacier fairly close by. Scott and I discussed the pros and cons of going out of our way to see the glacier, and decided that if necessary, we would go slower to conserve fuel. The side trip to the glacier turned out to be the high point of the trip!
It was McCarty Glacier, and we traveled twenty miles up McCarty Fjord to see it up close and personal. As we entered the fjord, there was what looked like a crashed plane on the side of a large hill. I looked at it through the binoculars, Scott looked, and Clara looked. We all thought it was a crashed plane. Then we brought up the stabilized binoculars, and we could see that it was just snow. We all got a chuckle out of that. As we got close to the glacier, we began seeing large chunks of floating ice. A couple of the larger chunks even had that unique blue tint to them. The closer we got, the more floating ice there was, and I went up on the bow to spot for Scott. We didn’t want to hit any ice with the boat because the edges are very sharp, and will go right through the paint at the waterline.
The hills on either side of the glacier were topped with walls of snow, and some of the snow cliffs had to be a couple of hundred feet high. The ice of the glacier was very jagged, and has a really pretty blue glow to it. As I was looking at it, a chunk fell off and into the water, and a few seconds later, there was a noise like loud thunder that came from it. We heard a few more of these “thunder” noises coming from the glacier cracking as we sat there. The water in the fjord gets turned sort of milky blue from the glacier melting. There is so much mineral content in the water that if you put some in a glass and let it sit, it will separate and leave a deposit in the bottom. The whole experience was pretty incredible, and something that I will never forget. We ended up getting to within a hundred feet of the glacier. And slowly nudged into the pack ice that was floating in the fjord. Seeing the glacier took a lot of time, and we had to change our anchor site for the night.
Captain Scott's Log ~ Thursday & Friday, August 28th & 29th 2008
Sent: Thursday, August 28, 2008 3:26 PM
Subject: P Dream
We left the State Park at Shuyak at dawn and headed to the Kenai Peninsula. Foggy and a little rough as we passed the Barren Island which guard the Cook Inlet. In the mist they look forbidding as in King Kong. The day kept getting nicer and was sunny as we pulled into Tonsina Cove on the Kenai Peninsula. Never, and I mean never, has Pipe Dream been in a more Idyllic anchorage-- very steep mountains with water falls enclose us. Today we set out for Seward but noted glaciers up fjords and changed course to investigate. They were 20 miles away!! And so we have spent all day looking at Split and McCarty Glaciers. Huge thunder as the glacier moves. Best of all were the surrounding mountains which had 200 ft snow cliffs and mini glaciers looming over the McCarty glacier below. Now at Morning Cove 59 27n 150 18w. Steaks on the grill, 3 waterfalls nearby, Loons... maybe tomorrow we will go to Seward.
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 4:49 AM
Subject: Seward
Yesterday on the way to the glacier Jeff noted a plane on the mountainside. He handed me the Commander 7 power glasses and pointed to the white spot on the green slope. I immediately identified a twin in a clearing. Clara also agreed and I took bearings, noted its lat lon, and we discussed calling the Coast Guard. First let me get some more info--so, I got our new Jap eyes, 10 power and gyro stabilized. It was a snow patch. Glad we had not called the CG, we proceeded on to the glacier. Today is clear, cloudless, sunny and warmer---and calm again. Seward was only 180 miles from Kodiak (a 24 hr sail) which is why I stupidly did not refuel. However, today is our 5th day out cruising around and stopping every night. Throttled way back we should get to Seward this afternoon having covered 340 nm from Kodiak--but wow, 5 very neat days.
Subject: P Dream
We left the State Park at Shuyak at dawn and headed to the Kenai Peninsula. Foggy and a little rough as we passed the Barren Island which guard the Cook Inlet. In the mist they look forbidding as in King Kong. The day kept getting nicer and was sunny as we pulled into Tonsina Cove on the Kenai Peninsula. Never, and I mean never, has Pipe Dream been in a more Idyllic anchorage-- very steep mountains with water falls enclose us. Today we set out for Seward but noted glaciers up fjords and changed course to investigate. They were 20 miles away!! And so we have spent all day looking at Split and McCarty Glaciers. Huge thunder as the glacier moves. Best of all were the surrounding mountains which had 200 ft snow cliffs and mini glaciers looming over the McCarty glacier below. Now at Morning Cove 59 27n 150 18w. Steaks on the grill, 3 waterfalls nearby, Loons... maybe tomorrow we will go to Seward.
Sent: Friday, August 29, 2008 4:49 AM
Subject: Seward
Yesterday on the way to the glacier Jeff noted a plane on the mountainside. He handed me the Commander 7 power glasses and pointed to the white spot on the green slope. I immediately identified a twin in a clearing. Clara also agreed and I took bearings, noted its lat lon, and we discussed calling the Coast Guard. First let me get some more info--so, I got our new Jap eyes, 10 power and gyro stabilized. It was a snow patch. Glad we had not called the CG, we proceeded on to the glacier. Today is clear, cloudless, sunny and warmer---and calm again. Seward was only 180 miles from Kodiak (a 24 hr sail) which is why I stupidly did not refuel. However, today is our 5th day out cruising around and stopping every night. Throttled way back we should get to Seward this afternoon having covered 340 nm from Kodiak--but wow, 5 very neat days.
Captain Scott's Log ~ Monday & Tuesday, August 25th & 26th 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008 4:31 AM
Subject: P Dream resumed
6 days in Daneli with Gill. Great weather, views of Mt McKinley, hiking every day, lots of game, and now back to Kodiak by air. Although I saw Grizzlies in Daneli, I decided to see Kodiak bears here. Jeff's girl, Clara, is here and we chartered a bush pilot to fly us to an interior lake to bear watch. Salmon are swimming up the river to spawn and the bears have collected at a set of small falls to cash in. Since I am not allowed to carry a machine gun, I bought a can of "bear spray". The instructions are hysterical. 1) Point the nozzle at the bears face, not yours. 2) Do not spray into the wind. 3) Wait till the bear is close then spray for 2 seconds. 4) If this does not work, check and clean the nozzle. 5) Repeat 3. The flight in a float plane, a Beaver, was worth the price as we had 2 hours of air time over fantastic wilderness. On the river we sat on a small knoll 20 feet from the falls. 3 cubs played on the bank a few feet beneath us while Mom fished. 11 adults caught salmon and ignored us. After 2 hours we hiked back to the plane. A large bear met us on the trail, stood on his hind legs to look us over, then turned and went the other way. Today is Monday the 25th and the weather is good. I am going to cruise the north coast of Kodiak for the next couple of days before putting in at Seward.
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 6:13 PM
Pipe Dream-Yankee Trader
Left Kodiak in calm and approaching Whale Island we saw----Whales. About 30. Engine off and drifting among them--for me, it was the sound in the calm and quiet, of them blowing all around us. For the crew it was the proximity as they dived within a boat length of us. Then we went through Whale Passage and we saw---Otters and Puffins by the thousands. Puffins with orange large beaks that fly through the water and struggle to fly through the air. Otters that lie on their backs eating oysters from their tummy. The next day we passed Alligator Island and saw---Otters. Then past Eagle Cape and saw---Sea Gulls and Kelp.
The first night was past and among high mountains and tonight we are in Big Bay on the Island of Shuyak 58 33 27n 152 36 44w. Stupid me did not refuel in Kodiak and so our extra cruising is stretching our supply as we have only motored for the 2 days. Now anchored off what we thought was an empty summer cottage, we radioed for any vessel to ask where fuel might be obtained. We were answered by a park ranger. Yes we are in a park and anchored off the ranger station. Jason the ranger broke speed records getting to our boat when we offered a drink and dinner. Now the
Yankee Trader bit. You may recall we bought rum in the Philippians that was cheaper than diesel. Jason was happy to trade 1 fifth of rum ( 1 dollor) for 10 gal of his diesel!
For those of you who like to Google map her location, here it is. Lat: 59-7-42 Lon: 151-18-25.3
Subject: P Dream resumed
6 days in Daneli with Gill. Great weather, views of Mt McKinley, hiking every day, lots of game, and now back to Kodiak by air. Although I saw Grizzlies in Daneli, I decided to see Kodiak bears here. Jeff's girl, Clara, is here and we chartered a bush pilot to fly us to an interior lake to bear watch. Salmon are swimming up the river to spawn and the bears have collected at a set of small falls to cash in. Since I am not allowed to carry a machine gun, I bought a can of "bear spray". The instructions are hysterical. 1) Point the nozzle at the bears face, not yours. 2) Do not spray into the wind. 3) Wait till the bear is close then spray for 2 seconds. 4) If this does not work, check and clean the nozzle. 5) Repeat 3. The flight in a float plane, a Beaver, was worth the price as we had 2 hours of air time over fantastic wilderness. On the river we sat on a small knoll 20 feet from the falls. 3 cubs played on the bank a few feet beneath us while Mom fished. 11 adults caught salmon and ignored us. After 2 hours we hiked back to the plane. A large bear met us on the trail, stood on his hind legs to look us over, then turned and went the other way. Today is Monday the 25th and the weather is good. I am going to cruise the north coast of Kodiak for the next couple of days before putting in at Seward.
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 6:13 PM
Pipe Dream-Yankee Trader
Left Kodiak in calm and approaching Whale Island we saw----Whales. About 30. Engine off and drifting among them--for me, it was the sound in the calm and quiet, of them blowing all around us. For the crew it was the proximity as they dived within a boat length of us. Then we went through Whale Passage and we saw---Otters and Puffins by the thousands. Puffins with orange large beaks that fly through the water and struggle to fly through the air. Otters that lie on their backs eating oysters from their tummy. The next day we passed Alligator Island and saw---Otters. Then past Eagle Cape and saw---Sea Gulls and Kelp.
The first night was past and among high mountains and tonight we are in Big Bay on the Island of Shuyak 58 33 27n 152 36 44w. Stupid me did not refuel in Kodiak and so our extra cruising is stretching our supply as we have only motored for the 2 days. Now anchored off what we thought was an empty summer cottage, we radioed for any vessel to ask where fuel might be obtained. We were answered by a park ranger. Yes we are in a park and anchored off the ranger station. Jason the ranger broke speed records getting to our boat when we offered a drink and dinner. Now the
Yankee Trader bit. You may recall we bought rum in the Philippians that was cheaper than diesel. Jason was happy to trade 1 fifth of rum ( 1 dollor) for 10 gal of his diesel!
For those of you who like to Google map her location, here it is. Lat: 59-7-42 Lon: 151-18-25.3
Jeff's Log ~ Wednesday, August 13th 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008 Kodiak, Alaska Saint Paul Marina 57 47.203N, 152 24.686W
We arrived in Kodiak the day before yesterday at about 1830. We were given a slip assignment, and went to it and tied the boat up. The docks are floating pontoons with timber decks. Ther are mostly fishing boats of various types around us. The fellows that are around are very pleasant and friendly. The weather was sunny and pleasant on our arrival, but deteriorated rapidly. Rather than proceed on to Seward, the boys opted to stay here. I was rather happy about that, because by the time we would be approaching Seward, it would have been blowing at full gale and we would have been beating into it. That is not sailing to me, that is punishment, both for the boat and the crew.
Kodiak is a sprawling town, but the main down town area is a short walk from the boat. There is a well stocked true value hardware store right across the street, as well as carquest and Napa parts stores. Right up a stairway across the street is a best western hotel where they serve a continental breakfast, and I have not been able to pay for it. The girl says it’s ok, free. That’s ok with me! It is harder to get on the internet here than any place that I have been. I am going to see about using my cell phone like I did in Thailand. Since I have been here, I have been spending a lot of time calling people on the phone. It is good to be able to use my cell phone again. They would only keep it on hold for six months, so I have over 4,000 rollover minutes. I don’t know if I can talk on the phone that long!
We have the power plugged in and the heat on, and it sure is pleasant sleeping in a drier atmosphere. The floor boards are already coming back to their proper size. They have been very swollen from all of the moisture contained by them, and hard to remove to check bilges, etc. Scott likes to keep his cabin cool, and condensation drips from his hatch frames and port lights. Tomorrow will be spent getting laundry together and delivered to the laundry place at the other end of town. I feel sorry for who ever that is. It has been a while since it was done.
Dave decided to head home yesterday. His four year old daughter misses him, as well as he misses her, and he decided that he would rather go home and spend a couple of quality days with her than look at bears here. Neil is taking a bear watching tour tomorrow morning, and flies to New Zealand tomorrow night. Scott leaves for Denali, and a national park tour, so I will be alone on Pipe Dream after tomorrow night. Clara arrives here on the twenty-third, and I can hardly wait to see her. We will tour around here for a few days, and then, weather permitting; she will sail with us down to Seward.
We arrived in Kodiak the day before yesterday at about 1830. We were given a slip assignment, and went to it and tied the boat up. The docks are floating pontoons with timber decks. Ther are mostly fishing boats of various types around us. The fellows that are around are very pleasant and friendly. The weather was sunny and pleasant on our arrival, but deteriorated rapidly. Rather than proceed on to Seward, the boys opted to stay here. I was rather happy about that, because by the time we would be approaching Seward, it would have been blowing at full gale and we would have been beating into it. That is not sailing to me, that is punishment, both for the boat and the crew.
Kodiak is a sprawling town, but the main down town area is a short walk from the boat. There is a well stocked true value hardware store right across the street, as well as carquest and Napa parts stores. Right up a stairway across the street is a best western hotel where they serve a continental breakfast, and I have not been able to pay for it. The girl says it’s ok, free. That’s ok with me! It is harder to get on the internet here than any place that I have been. I am going to see about using my cell phone like I did in Thailand. Since I have been here, I have been spending a lot of time calling people on the phone. It is good to be able to use my cell phone again. They would only keep it on hold for six months, so I have over 4,000 rollover minutes. I don’t know if I can talk on the phone that long!
We have the power plugged in and the heat on, and it sure is pleasant sleeping in a drier atmosphere. The floor boards are already coming back to their proper size. They have been very swollen from all of the moisture contained by them, and hard to remove to check bilges, etc. Scott likes to keep his cabin cool, and condensation drips from his hatch frames and port lights. Tomorrow will be spent getting laundry together and delivered to the laundry place at the other end of town. I feel sorry for who ever that is. It has been a while since it was done.
Dave decided to head home yesterday. His four year old daughter misses him, as well as he misses her, and he decided that he would rather go home and spend a couple of quality days with her than look at bears here. Neil is taking a bear watching tour tomorrow morning, and flies to New Zealand tomorrow night. Scott leaves for Denali, and a national park tour, so I will be alone on Pipe Dream after tomorrow night. Clara arrives here on the twenty-third, and I can hardly wait to see her. We will tour around here for a few days, and then, weather permitting; she will sail with us down to Seward.
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