Jeff's Log ~ Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

Tuesday, October 7, 2008 Shearwater Marina, Bella Bella, British Columbia

On our way from The Verny falls, we stopped at an old cannery called Butedale. The place is mostly in ruins, but there is a caretaker living there by the name of Lou. He is known as Butedale Lou. He stays there with his dog named Bert, who was born there and orphaned when he was a pup by a pack of wolves that killed the rest of his family. There is also an orange cat that looks like George, who is named Tiger.George is a lucky cat that is owned by a very dear friend of mine, Ivani. Tiger and Bert met us at the fairly solid, but rustic, floating dock. They were followed by Lou, who also came down to meet us, even though it was raining.

There were lots of interesting things to look at in the ruins. Lou took us on a little tour and told us how things were in the cannery heydays. The old power house that was a hydro-electric plant is still there, and the pipes that run down to it from the lake above still supply the stream of water which still is used to turn the old generator. The big generators no longer function, but the machinery still is used to turn an automotive alternator wit a belt driven off of the old armature. He has an inverter which supplies AC power for vcr and TV, as well as a little bit of lighting. There is a 12 volt battery bank which is charged by the alternator. That keeps the refrigeration working, as during the summer, Lou sells ice cream to his visitors. He also does painted native style carvings out of a large yellow cedar log that he drug in to shore a couple of years ago. He cuts and split’s the log himself, and makes his own finished boards from it, utilizing a hydro powered planer which is part of the old machinery. Quite a tough old fella, I must say.

He seems very happy and content, but is talking about retiring and returning to civilization, although he gets a gleam in his eye when he says that Butedale is the perfect place to live. I was impressed when we walked in to his home, and with a single wood burning stove, it was dry and very large inside. Things were kept pretty clean too. He lives in what was the mess hall. There are a couple of cabins, and during summer, he also rents rooms to fishermen and hunters. You would have to enjoy rustic living to stay there! After our tour, Lou joined us aboard Pipe Dream, and we all had a cocktail. Bert waited patiently in the cockpit for his master to finish. Lou enjoyed seeing the map of where the boat has been, and after a short while, it was time for us to leave, as we wanted to get to the next anchorage before dark. Lou gave us a hand with our lines, and we were off. We anchored in Bottleneck Cove, along with two other sailboats from Australia.

Morning found us leaving in the rain, and both of them staying, awaiting better weather. We made our course for Bella Bella, and arrived here at the shearwater Marina well before dark. The weather did deteriorate all day, and right outside the pass to Bella Bella, it was downright nasty with the cold rain being blown sideways, making the awning all but useless. My feet got cold, and I turned into a whimpering baby, and had to turn the heat on when my watch was completed. It’s amazing to me how cold feet can do that.

Shearwater has all of the proper stuff. A bar and restaurant that is pretty good, a Laundromat, and clean restrooms and showers. Hurricane winds were predicted, so we stayed an extra day. We never saw any of that wind, but I was glad for just a little time to relax ashore, with the shore power connected, and the heat on. It is nice to have a dry atmosphere for a change. As we were getting prepared to leave today, Scott noticed that the radar appeared to be cocked. The gimbaled mount that has been cracked since I got on the boat is now really cracked, and was in danger of breaking. I went up on the main halyard, and disassembled the radar antenna and removed the whole thing from the backstay. It took a while to gain access to all of the wiring, and supporting myself while not losing any of the pieces was quite a feat. I got the job completed, and now have a few aches and pains, and a stiff joint or two.

As I was putting away all of the stuff from that project, I noticed that the heat in the fore and aft cabins had quit working. The seawater pump was not running. I pulled up the necessary floor boards, and discovered a broken shaft for the impeller. I robbed the necessary parts from the used spare pump, and had that repaired by lunchtime. We chose to stay here another night, as there were still some squalls coming through from the storm that missed us. The dinner special was lamb shank with risotto, so staying the extra day turned out just fine for me.

Captains Scott's Log ~ Tuesday, October 7th, 2008

Subject: hurricane & radar

Yesterdays hurricane amounted to 2 kts of wind gusting to 8. So today I got
the forcast in writing from the Coast Guard: "Today Tonight and Wednesday
Hurricane force wind warning in effect. Wind NW 55 to 65 kts". Its blowing 7
now so I decided to leave but noted a problem with the backstay radar mount.

The radar was tilted down 30 degrees with the front end pointing upwards. In
retrospect my first clue should have been several days ago --then I noted
something on radar approaching us very fast. I ran up on deck in time to see
the heliocopter pass. Now the radar is a hazard ready to fall on the
helmsmans head. So the morning was spent getting it down. Hope there is no
thick fog between here and Vancouver. Too late to leave so we will let this
hurricane pass and head south Wed

Jeff's Log ~ Friday, October 3rd, 2008

Friday, October 3,2008 53 23.82N 129 17.20W, Otter Shoal, British Columbia, Canada

Yesterday, we just beat the high winds and most of the rain across Dixon Entrance, to our anchorage Kumealon Inlet. We did have to anchor three times because the anchor drug in the high winds. The third time proved to be the charm, and we stayed firmly anchored until morning. After a dinner of chicken with mushroom gravy, it was lights out.

Today, we slept in a little bit, and were under way by about 0900. The weather today was delightful, with partly cloudy skies, and light wind and the usual current on the nose. We anchored in a beautiful spot called Nettle Basin for lunch. It was a terrific anchorage right in front of Verney Waterfall. The waterfall is at the end of the river, and the river apparently breeds biting flies which drove us away after lunch. When we pulled into the cove, there were a lot of bubbles in the water. As we got closer to the falls, we encountered what at first appeared to be floating ice. On closer inspection, it was foam from the waterfall. Quite an interesting phenomenon, heh? We were wondering if maybe that had something to do with the flies.

At any rate, we headed back out into the channel, and traveled for another three and a half hours south to Otter Shoal, which is a fairly open spot, but fairly calm today. A south east blow would not be good, but I don’t think we need to worry about that tonight. We haven’t seen any otters, but we did hear the call of loons which is pretty neat. Tonight is a very simple dinner. We are making hot dogs and pork n beans. I’m going to have mine with relish, sour kraut, ketchup and mustard. It will be an early start tomorrow, so I will turn in early tonight. This is not really an exciting part of the journey is it!

Jeff's Log ~ Wednesday, October 1st, 2008

Wednesday, October 1,2008, Foggy Bay, Alaska

We left Ketchikan on a glorious sunny morning. A little back-tracking was necessary for fuel and propane. The fuel dock provided for both needs, and we were on our way at about 1100. The trip down the channel this time was an awesome one with the splendor of the scenery visible for miles. About an hour after lunch, however, things began to deteriorate, and before long, we had gusts to 35 knots on the nose, and seas were building rapidly. Our destination of Foggy Bay was not far away, and we got there with a minimum of discomfort. The channel in to the anchorage was very narrow, and Scott drove the boat slowly while I directed him from the nav. Station. There was only one time when I had to really get tough with him because he did not want to follow my direction. After we were anchored, I showed him on the chart what he could not see under water, and we are still friends.

Ken left us some Friskies cat food to try in the crab trap. I cleaned out the very rotten chicken that produced no results, and installed the cat food. That yielded the usual results this morning. You guessed it, an empty trap. They sure make it look easy on the deadliest catch tv show! While we were at anchor last night, the sky was full of stars, and they were so bright, one could almost read in the cockpit. We fell asleep to the sound of wolves howling. Sometimes close and fairly loud, and sometimes distant and very hushed. That sure was neat. I wonder what they were talking about.

This morning, we were up at 0700, and the tide was low. We both could see what we navigated through yesterday afternoon, and congratulated each other on the job that we did. Navigation out was done the same way, retracing the path that was left on the chart plotter. We were safely outside the rocks by 0815, and Scott took the first watch. We expect wind and seas to build all day as we go to the Chatham Straights, on the other side of the Dixon Inlet.

Captain Scott's Log ~ October 1st, 3rd, 5th & 6th 2008

Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2008 2:20 PM
Subject: almost gales and wolves

On Mon the guests went to the airport at 10am. Their plane was delayed for
repair and they took off around 8pm. The airport bar bill exceeded their air
tickets. Back on the boat, Jeff and I got laundry done, engine repaired,
refueled, boat cleaned up, refill propane tanks, and re-fix the autopilot.
The weather perfect and Tuesday was clear sunny and beautiful. So we headed
south for Canada. Things changed fast as they do in these parts. By
afternoon the wind was 25 on the nose and big rolling seas were beginning to
break. The weather service gave gale warnings till midnight wed. So I
stopped at Foggy Bay which is fully protected on all sides prepared to spend
wed there as well. Getting in the narrow entrance with the seas breaking on
rocks on both sides was scary but the millpond inside made it worth it. At
sunset a wolf began to howl and for a half hour we could follow his progress
through the woods. In the silence of the night the howls awoke me at
midnight and again at 4 am. Wed morning dawned clear and calm. The weather
service now reported no gale but deteriorating weather so we left ASAP to
try for Prince Rupert. Now, motor sailing across the Dixon Entrance in good
weather.

Sent: Friday, October 03, 2008 3:58 PM
Subject: Inside passage

Pipe Dream got across the Dixon Entrance in nice weather. This is one of the
few places open to the Pacific Ocean. Freighters offshore were reporting
high wind and dropping barometers but we waltzed into Prince Rupert
unscratched. Clearing into Canada was only a phone call. Prince Rupert is a
real town. Unlike Any place we went in Alaska, Prince Rupert is connected to
the rest of the continent by roads. At noon the outside air temp is 52 and
water temp is 50. Still we have the feeling of being south. Thursday we
pushed on into the inside passage--nearly 100 miles of natural channel
taking us further south. The start was easy but by afternoon the Pacific
gale began to push ashore. Even in the channel we had 30 kts with rain on
the nose. There are good anchorages everywhere. So I quit early and
anchored in Kumealon Inlet 53 52n 125 58w. Completely enclosed and
beautiful, But 30 kt gusts would hit us broadside and heel us over while
anchored. Twice this action pulled out our set anchor and we dragged and had
to reset in the rain. 3rd time was a charm and we held for the night. Today
the weather is good again and we are motoring happily south flanked by pine
forests, mountains, and waterfalls


Sent: Sunday, October 05, 2008 1:56 PM
Subject: More inside passage

On Friday we came to Lowe inlet with Verney falls. A must stop and we
anchored 100 feet off the falls so that the current held us in place. We
were going to spend the day and night here, but found the serpent in this
Garden of Eden. There were swarms of small black gnats which at first seemed
only a minor nuisance. Jeff and I found the truth at the same time--they
were vampire gnats and we were forced to flee. On Sat we came to Butedale a
large cannery built in 1909. It was a state of the art glorious place and
now a falling down ruin. Lou is the lone occupant with his dog Bert and Cat
Tiger. The 3 story bunkhouse collapsed last year under 20 ft snows. Bert’s
dad was taken by wolves and Tigers mom was had by eagles. The old power
plant still stands with 2 hydro generators--one still turns but no longer
generates. So this huge piece of machinery turns a small belt on a car
alternator which continuously charges a bank of batteries. Then an inverter
gives him his electricity.

Sent: Monday, October 06, 2008 1:58 PM
Subject: Hurricane

After the Vampire gnats (we are still itching) and Butedale, Pipe Dream
spent a perfect night in Bottleneck Inlet. 2 Australian sailboats we
there--also heading south. Bottleneck had its salmon stream and harbor seal
along with close in high wooded cliffs. Streams of low clouds flowed through
the pines. Sunday we powered down to Bella Bella a large Native American
town--a raw trip with blustery winds and cold rain. LOTS of logs in the
water requiring continuous watch ahead. The Coast Guard now broadcasting storm
warnings (more than 50 kts of wind). So we are holed up at Shearwater Marina
along with all the local fishing boats. Monday morning the CG now calling
for hurricane force winds starting this afternoon. It’s blowing 4 outside
with sunshine (does the coast guard take its cue from Channel 7?). But the
locals are taking it seriously and so are we.