Tuesday, August 5, 2008 In view of Islands Of Four Mountains, Alaska
What a nice sight! At 1120, while on my watch, the clouds parted just aft of the beam, and I was treated to my first glimpse of Alaska. It is also the first time in my life that I’ve seen snow capped mountains. Quite an awesome sight, I must say. The Pacific has cooled to a bone chilling fifty-two degrees, there are more and more sea birds including petrels, albatrosses, and puffins. We have not seen any more whales or seals, however. We are passing lots of large kelp islands, and late last night we even got one wrapped over the keel.
When I came out for my 0200 watch, there was a rumbling type of vibration which I could feel with my feet on the galley sole. The galley sink drain was also gurgling from cavitation.I stopped the boat, and reversed long enough top get going about two knots astern , then resumed motoring ahead on course, and the noise was gone, and boat speed increased by half a knot. I was thankful that no swimming would be required. The current seems to always be against us and lately so is the wind. After the backing episode, I got fooled by a cat’s paw of wind that was usable, and hoisted the main sail. I was just getting things tweaked and feeling really good about being able to motor sail, and the wind shut right off, making the main flog. I had to take it right back down again, and secure the boom. Scott came up and asked if I was practicing for anything special. I told him I was hood-winked by a cat’s paw. He went back to bed chuckling. When Neil came up to relieve me at 0400, I told him what had happened, so he would not fall for the same thing, if tempted. I’m glad I told him, as a little later, he encountered the same thing. That saved a wake up for me, because the electric winch for the main halyard is directly above my head, and usually, that will wake me when it gets used.
Dave has emerged as quite the cook. Today for lunch, he whipped up some corned beef hash that was very tasty. He keeps saying that he’s really not good, just lucky. By tomorrow morning, we should be tied up at the dock in Dutch Harbor. I want a cold beer, and some ice cream, and right now, I would even have them at the same time.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Catch~up with Jeff's Log ~ Sunday, August 3rd, 2008
Sunday, August 3, 2008 350 miles SSW of Dutch Harbor, Alaska
We are now cruising under spinnaker at nine knots. The anemometer broke, so we now have no accurate wind speed. Shortly after lunch, we noticed the barometer rise and the wind freshened and went forward of the beam. The temperature dropped a bit, and we all scurried to get the spinnaker up and drawing, As soon as it filled, the boat accelerated and began driving through the sea as she is meant to do. There is a certain feeling of awe that happens every time I hear a spinnaker go “whomp” as it fills. They make an enormous amount of power, and the burst of acceleration happens smoothly and gracefully.
At this speed, the chart plotter shows us reaching Dutch Harbor tomorrow evening. The weather report says the wind won’t last. I hope that they are wrong this time. I must say that Commander’s Weather has been giving very accurate weather thus far, and I certainly do want to thank them for that. They steered us around the bad weather that we would have run directly into, without their guidance. The water temperature is now a chilly 55 degrees, so the nights on watch are very cool and damp. My windward lens of my glasses routinely gets covered in mist and I sometimes wish I had a wiper on that lens. I am getting a lot of use out of my foul weather gear and boots. When I look up at our tri-color light at the top of the mast, in the dark, the mist can be seen blowing around it. All of this mist condenses on the mast and rigging, and runs down to the fittings at the base of the mast. Another leak appeared, and drips right on Scott’s pillow area at the head of his bunk. I studied what was happening and made a shield to deflect the water from the lid of a plastic margarine tub, which I secured to the boom vang hydraulic line. The fitting for the hydraulics is not sealed to the deck plate any longer. I will fix that while in port, as I do not want to risk a hardware failure for which repairs would be impossible at sea. Scott reported that things were drying out since. That’s the price of having the big cabin up forward.
I sure do miss communication with Clara. This has been the longest time since leaving Florida that we have not communicated, and I am concerned, because she is going through a lot right now, and I cannot help her in any way. All I can do is pray and hope that all is well. I have my U.S. phone all charged up so that I can call her at the first opportunity. When the wind speed device stopped working, I checked the connections and so forth in the boat, and then we sent Neil up the mast to remove the outside part for a check over. He brought the wind wand down with him, and we cleaned and lubed it, but that did not help. On his return trip up the mast, I sent a can of lube along, and he sprayed the sheaves and windex, so that is another little bit of maintenance that is now done.
We are now cruising under spinnaker at nine knots. The anemometer broke, so we now have no accurate wind speed. Shortly after lunch, we noticed the barometer rise and the wind freshened and went forward of the beam. The temperature dropped a bit, and we all scurried to get the spinnaker up and drawing, As soon as it filled, the boat accelerated and began driving through the sea as she is meant to do. There is a certain feeling of awe that happens every time I hear a spinnaker go “whomp” as it fills. They make an enormous amount of power, and the burst of acceleration happens smoothly and gracefully.
At this speed, the chart plotter shows us reaching Dutch Harbor tomorrow evening. The weather report says the wind won’t last. I hope that they are wrong this time. I must say that Commander’s Weather has been giving very accurate weather thus far, and I certainly do want to thank them for that. They steered us around the bad weather that we would have run directly into, without their guidance. The water temperature is now a chilly 55 degrees, so the nights on watch are very cool and damp. My windward lens of my glasses routinely gets covered in mist and I sometimes wish I had a wiper on that lens. I am getting a lot of use out of my foul weather gear and boots. When I look up at our tri-color light at the top of the mast, in the dark, the mist can be seen blowing around it. All of this mist condenses on the mast and rigging, and runs down to the fittings at the base of the mast. Another leak appeared, and drips right on Scott’s pillow area at the head of his bunk. I studied what was happening and made a shield to deflect the water from the lid of a plastic margarine tub, which I secured to the boom vang hydraulic line. The fitting for the hydraulics is not sealed to the deck plate any longer. I will fix that while in port, as I do not want to risk a hardware failure for which repairs would be impossible at sea. Scott reported that things were drying out since. That’s the price of having the big cabin up forward.
I sure do miss communication with Clara. This has been the longest time since leaving Florida that we have not communicated, and I am concerned, because she is going through a lot right now, and I cannot help her in any way. All I can do is pray and hope that all is well. I have my U.S. phone all charged up so that I can call her at the first opportunity. When the wind speed device stopped working, I checked the connections and so forth in the boat, and then we sent Neil up the mast to remove the outside part for a check over. He brought the wind wand down with him, and we cleaned and lubed it, but that did not help. On his return trip up the mast, I sent a can of lube along, and he sprayed the sheaves and windex, so that is another little bit of maintenance that is now done.
Catch~ up Jeff's Log ~ Friday, August 1st, 2008
August 1, 2008 N45 15.36, W179 37.44 Enroute to Dutch Harbor, Alaska
Just a couple of hours ago, I began the second August 1, 2008 of my year. We crossed the International Date Line. We all gained a day, just like that! I think I even look a little younger, but the others disagree. Our first port of call has been changed to Dutch Harbor. The wind has been light, and Dave and Neil would like to see some of Alaska, rather than just going to the airport with no time to spare, if we pressed on to Kodiak. This is fine with me too, as now we will be on U.S. soil in a little over four days. Scott raised our minimum speed to 5.5 knots, because now we will have more than enough fuel to make the trip, if motoring becomes constant. The crossing has gone very smoothly, thus far, and we had a few really good traveling days with breeze behind us. Neil is quite experienced, and has given me the basics in some new skills. He taught me how to splice modern lines, and how to install a bungee inside of a line to take up hanging slack. He’s a good country cook too.
Everyone has been doing a good job cooking, as we have all taken turns. Scott remains the pasta king, but that is mostly because that is all he cooks. He also watches carefully to make sure no one else uses his sauce. I must say ,though, that it is nice to see his face beaming with pride as we completely finish his spaghetti every time he makes it. Dave is quite the unsung cook. I keep telling him that I’m going to tell his wife how well he cooks. That would change his life for sure.. I enjoy watching Neil and Dave drive the boat when the wind is up. That is what they were hoping for when they came to do the delivery. They are both really happy when they can do a little surfing, and the boat likes it too. That is what she was designed to do, and is very stable and powerful while doing it. I have gotten a considerable amount of helm time, and I think that my driving skills have gotten a little better. Instead of a snake wake, I now leave a wavy wake.
Just a couple of hours ago, I began the second August 1, 2008 of my year. We crossed the International Date Line. We all gained a day, just like that! I think I even look a little younger, but the others disagree. Our first port of call has been changed to Dutch Harbor. The wind has been light, and Dave and Neil would like to see some of Alaska, rather than just going to the airport with no time to spare, if we pressed on to Kodiak. This is fine with me too, as now we will be on U.S. soil in a little over four days. Scott raised our minimum speed to 5.5 knots, because now we will have more than enough fuel to make the trip, if motoring becomes constant. The crossing has gone very smoothly, thus far, and we had a few really good traveling days with breeze behind us. Neil is quite experienced, and has given me the basics in some new skills. He taught me how to splice modern lines, and how to install a bungee inside of a line to take up hanging slack. He’s a good country cook too.
Everyone has been doing a good job cooking, as we have all taken turns. Scott remains the pasta king, but that is mostly because that is all he cooks. He also watches carefully to make sure no one else uses his sauce. I must say ,though, that it is nice to see his face beaming with pride as we completely finish his spaghetti every time he makes it. Dave is quite the unsung cook. I keep telling him that I’m going to tell his wife how well he cooks. That would change his life for sure.. I enjoy watching Neil and Dave drive the boat when the wind is up. That is what they were hoping for when they came to do the delivery. They are both really happy when they can do a little surfing, and the boat likes it too. That is what she was designed to do, and is very stable and powerful while doing it. I have gotten a considerable amount of helm time, and I think that my driving skills have gotten a little better. Instead of a snake wake, I now leave a wavy wake.
More catch ~ up Jeff's Log ~ Tuesday, July 29th 2008
Tuesday July 29, 2008 Halfway to Kodiak
We have been under engine power for the last 30 hours. The breeze died and has not returned yet. Yesterday, we had some excitement when the d-4 mast support rod parted while the sails were down. The boat got hit by a wave that bounced her a bit, and there was a pop that is a familiar sound to all of us. I was at the base of the mast doing halyard snap shackle maintenance at the time, so the resounding pop was right above my head. I put my gear away, and then we had a little brainstorming session to decide the best course of action. Scott of course was Mr. Negative, saying “how are you going to repair that?” and under his breath saying “yea right” with sarcastic tones. We showed him!!! I rooted around in the sail locker and found some spectra line that was used to keep spinnaker sheets off the boom while racing that was the size we needed. Neil went up the mast to remove the broken pieces and brought the threaded adjuster down with him. We drilled a hole through the adjuster, and I found a shackle that was the proper shape in the “closet of doom” (the hanging locker in my cabin has been turned into spare parts and equipment storage) and we attached that to the adjusting sleeve. Neil tapered the line so that he could easily feed it through the inner bushing on the mast. A stop knot at the top, a bowline at the bottom around the shackle, and Walla! We had an adjustable spectra d-4. Now if the breeze ever comes back, we will be able to sail with no worries.
We have seen a few whale spouts, and one came within a couple of boat lengths going the opposite direction. I could see the water rushing over his large grey body. That was pretty cool. Albatrosses are a pretty common sight, and their low soaring over the waves is fun to watch. Yesterday we happened upon one lone seal. When I spotted him, he was floating on his back with his flippers in the air. I did not know what it was, so I put the autopilot on stand-by and turned the boat so that we could get a closer look. We were all surprised when it was a seal. It was as curious about us as we were of it, and we looked at each other for a few seconds before he dove out of sight. We are seeing dolphins a lot too. Here, they are colored like Killer whales. They are black on top and white underneath, which continues partway up their sides. They are smaller and much quicker moving than the dolphins I see at home. They do not just hang in the bow wave, they dart about and jump with a great sense of excitement. I tried to get pictures, but they do not stay in the same relative spot long enough. I keep getting picture of water instead.
We have been under engine power for the last 30 hours. The breeze died and has not returned yet. Yesterday, we had some excitement when the d-4 mast support rod parted while the sails were down. The boat got hit by a wave that bounced her a bit, and there was a pop that is a familiar sound to all of us. I was at the base of the mast doing halyard snap shackle maintenance at the time, so the resounding pop was right above my head. I put my gear away, and then we had a little brainstorming session to decide the best course of action. Scott of course was Mr. Negative, saying “how are you going to repair that?” and under his breath saying “yea right” with sarcastic tones. We showed him!!! I rooted around in the sail locker and found some spectra line that was used to keep spinnaker sheets off the boom while racing that was the size we needed. Neil went up the mast to remove the broken pieces and brought the threaded adjuster down with him. We drilled a hole through the adjuster, and I found a shackle that was the proper shape in the “closet of doom” (the hanging locker in my cabin has been turned into spare parts and equipment storage) and we attached that to the adjusting sleeve. Neil tapered the line so that he could easily feed it through the inner bushing on the mast. A stop knot at the top, a bowline at the bottom around the shackle, and Walla! We had an adjustable spectra d-4. Now if the breeze ever comes back, we will be able to sail with no worries.
We have seen a few whale spouts, and one came within a couple of boat lengths going the opposite direction. I could see the water rushing over his large grey body. That was pretty cool. Albatrosses are a pretty common sight, and their low soaring over the waves is fun to watch. Yesterday we happened upon one lone seal. When I spotted him, he was floating on his back with his flippers in the air. I did not know what it was, so I put the autopilot on stand-by and turned the boat so that we could get a closer look. We were all surprised when it was a seal. It was as curious about us as we were of it, and we looked at each other for a few seconds before he dove out of sight. We are seeing dolphins a lot too. Here, they are colored like Killer whales. They are black on top and white underneath, which continues partway up their sides. They are smaller and much quicker moving than the dolphins I see at home. They do not just hang in the bow wave, they dart about and jump with a great sense of excitement. I tried to get pictures, but they do not stay in the same relative spot long enough. I keep getting picture of water instead.
More catch~up Jeff's Log ~ Sunday, July 27th, 2008 HAPPY BIRTHDAY JEFF
Sunday, July 27,2008
My 54th birthday. 42 44.47N 158 54E 2,000 miles SW of Kodiak, Alaska
This morning at 0200, when I came on deck for my watch, things were really beautiful here in God’s country. Shortly after taking over from Dave, the cloud cover that was with us for so many days broke, and the ocean was illuminated by a very bright quarter moon, and there were more bright stars in the sky than I have ever seen. The view put a big sense of reverence in my mind, and sure made me think about our vulnerability. The wind was a steady fourteen knots, and the boat was charging along at eight and a half knots with the auto pilot driving. I went down and got my handy weather instrument (Thanks Sandy and Vicki) and found that what felt like a really chilly temperature was really 65 degrees. The wind and humidity make it feel a lot cooler. I tweaked the sails just a little bit and got the speed up a couple of tenths to 8.7. In a couple of the puffs, it went over nine.
With it being my birthday, I really sort of meditated, focusing on fond memories of friends and family, and trying not to leave anyone unthought-of. I realized, as I have before, that I am truly blessed with a large number of people that I really care for and consider friends. I want to say “cheers” to you all!
On a sad note, Scott let me make a call to Clara on the sat phone, and she informed me that our dear friend Chrissy had passed away from her cancer on Thursday. I am sorry and she will be missed.
Things aboard Pipe Dream are doing well. When we can, we have been using the spinnaker to go fast. For you non-sailors, that is the large, usually colorful, balloon shaped sail at the front of the boat. Neil and Dave are here for the sailing, not to go sight-seeing. They both usually take the pilot off, and drive the boat. Most of the time, that makes us go faster, because they change course when the wind oscillates, keeping the speed up. We have all been taking turns on cooking dinner, and the food has been very good thus far. Last night, I made fried chicken and mashed potatoes, with some corn dressed up with bits of red pepper. Our watch schedule is two on and six off. It has been working ok, and I do not feel fatigued at all from it. I am on from 0200 till 0400, from 1000 to 1200, and 1800 to 2000. When it’s my turn to cook dinner, Dave and I change, and I take the 1600 to 1800. We all work together very well. It is fun to sail with such good guys. Alaska is getting closer, and my anticipation is growing.
My 54th birthday. 42 44.47N 158 54E 2,000 miles SW of Kodiak, Alaska
This morning at 0200, when I came on deck for my watch, things were really beautiful here in God’s country. Shortly after taking over from Dave, the cloud cover that was with us for so many days broke, and the ocean was illuminated by a very bright quarter moon, and there were more bright stars in the sky than I have ever seen. The view put a big sense of reverence in my mind, and sure made me think about our vulnerability. The wind was a steady fourteen knots, and the boat was charging along at eight and a half knots with the auto pilot driving. I went down and got my handy weather instrument (Thanks Sandy and Vicki) and found that what felt like a really chilly temperature was really 65 degrees. The wind and humidity make it feel a lot cooler. I tweaked the sails just a little bit and got the speed up a couple of tenths to 8.7. In a couple of the puffs, it went over nine.
With it being my birthday, I really sort of meditated, focusing on fond memories of friends and family, and trying not to leave anyone unthought-of. I realized, as I have before, that I am truly blessed with a large number of people that I really care for and consider friends. I want to say “cheers” to you all!
On a sad note, Scott let me make a call to Clara on the sat phone, and she informed me that our dear friend Chrissy had passed away from her cancer on Thursday. I am sorry and she will be missed.
Things aboard Pipe Dream are doing well. When we can, we have been using the spinnaker to go fast. For you non-sailors, that is the large, usually colorful, balloon shaped sail at the front of the boat. Neil and Dave are here for the sailing, not to go sight-seeing. They both usually take the pilot off, and drive the boat. Most of the time, that makes us go faster, because they change course when the wind oscillates, keeping the speed up. We have all been taking turns on cooking dinner, and the food has been very good thus far. Last night, I made fried chicken and mashed potatoes, with some corn dressed up with bits of red pepper. Our watch schedule is two on and six off. It has been working ok, and I do not feel fatigued at all from it. I am on from 0200 till 0400, from 1000 to 1200, and 1800 to 2000. When it’s my turn to cook dinner, Dave and I change, and I take the 1600 to 1800. We all work together very well. It is fun to sail with such good guys. Alaska is getting closer, and my anticipation is growing.
Finally he has internet...Jeff's Log ~ Playing catch up ~ Monday, July 21, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008 34 01N 138 15 E Sea of Japan
We are now into our second day from Tannowa. For a change, there has been sufficient wind to sail, most of the time. The bad news is that the wind is from the wrong direction. The crew now consists of four men. David Woolsey, Neil Cates, Scott and myself. Of the four, I am the one with the least sailing experience, so you can see that as far as sailing goes, we should be all right. We are tacking our way across the bottom of Japan, so the actual distance made good is relatively short. It sure does feel good to be sailing instead of motoring, and Pipe Dream seems to be enjoying it as well.
The last couple of days in Tannowa were very busy, and filled with hard work. The first thing we did upon arrival was head straight to the fuel dock and top off every tank and fill all of the spare fuel cans. While in Osaka, I purchased five more new fuel cans. We now have about fifty five gallons of fuel in cans secured both in the cockpit, and stowed in the forepeak locker. After a short discussion, we collectively agreed that changing to the smaller “Yankee” jib would be a lot easier at the dock, than in a bouncy sea. All of the fuel up front had to come out to get the sail out. We removed the big jib and folded it very tightly (in sailing jargon: flaked and bricked) so that it would fit easily into the sail locker. I must say that Scott and Dave did a fine job, as the sail was in the smallest package that I have ever seen it in. We then hoisted the Yankee onto the head foil, and furled it. The no.2 was then stowed in its place in the forepeak locker.
As long as I had the locker empty, I figured that the time was right to drop the anchor and chain, pull out the anchor rode, and thoroughly clean the bilges, as a lot of mud makes its way in there in the process of all of the anchoring that we do. I am very glad that I did, because it was worse than I thought. There was also a lot of long, tough sea weed strands that surely would have blocked the bilge pump intakes had I not removed them. While in there, I also did the routine hose clamp inspection, and electrical connection service. Now all is well up forward. I removed the line going through the deck for setting the bowsprit, and taped up the hole in the deck. A large rag was forced into the anchor chain chute to slow down the entry of water as the submarine characteristics of this boat forces a lot of water through there.
Mr. Yoshida was kind enough to take us to the super market in his car. It sure did help having someone translate labels for us. After all of the groceries were loaded into his car, there was almost no room for people, but we got everyone crammed in and headed for the boat. By then it was lunch time, and very warm outside. After carrying the groceries to the boat, Scott and Dave rode with Yoshida up to the snack bar, and I repacked the freezer and put away the refrigerator stuff. Then I joined them for lunch. Takeda, the dock manager had given me a straw pointed Japanese hat. I took a sharpie with me and had friends and the office staff sign it in Japanese. It is a memento that I will keep on a special peg at home. I returned to the boat, jumped in the water, and gave the bottom one more going over to be sure it was as clean as possible for our long trip.
After a shower, it was still early enough to get to the office and send a couple of last minute e-mails before meeting Neil at the gate of the marina. I said goodbye to the wonderful staff at the Tannowa Yacht Harbor, gave all of the girls a hug, and with tears in my eyes, left the office. Takahara and Fujiko had some parting gifts of t-shirts and a jar of jam in a nice little basket. They sure are sweet gals! I met Neil when his taxi arrived. He had flown from New Zealand. We took the hike to the boat, and after he stowed his gear, we all went to dinner up on the hill. The restaurant had changed their dinner menu slightly, and we all got meat and fish, instead of meat or fish. The food was very good as usual, and the presentation was that of a first class restaurant. On the way back to the marina, I counted the steps we had to climb to get to the restaurant. There are ninety six, if I counted correctly. Going up helps build your appetite and gets you a little sweaty.
Walking past the marina to the gate, I got a little melancholy knowing that I will probably never see it again. I am left with plenty of fond memories of very hard working, happy people throughout Japan, and I am thankful for the friends that I have made and truly hope to be able to see each and every one of them some time in the future The final preparations for leaving did not take very long, and by 9:30PM, we were off the dock and beginning our journey to Alaska. We quickly settled into our watch schedule, and began making our way around the south side of Japan, looking forward to Alaska.
We are now into our second day from Tannowa. For a change, there has been sufficient wind to sail, most of the time. The bad news is that the wind is from the wrong direction. The crew now consists of four men. David Woolsey, Neil Cates, Scott and myself. Of the four, I am the one with the least sailing experience, so you can see that as far as sailing goes, we should be all right. We are tacking our way across the bottom of Japan, so the actual distance made good is relatively short. It sure does feel good to be sailing instead of motoring, and Pipe Dream seems to be enjoying it as well.
The last couple of days in Tannowa were very busy, and filled with hard work. The first thing we did upon arrival was head straight to the fuel dock and top off every tank and fill all of the spare fuel cans. While in Osaka, I purchased five more new fuel cans. We now have about fifty five gallons of fuel in cans secured both in the cockpit, and stowed in the forepeak locker. After a short discussion, we collectively agreed that changing to the smaller “Yankee” jib would be a lot easier at the dock, than in a bouncy sea. All of the fuel up front had to come out to get the sail out. We removed the big jib and folded it very tightly (in sailing jargon: flaked and bricked) so that it would fit easily into the sail locker. I must say that Scott and Dave did a fine job, as the sail was in the smallest package that I have ever seen it in. We then hoisted the Yankee onto the head foil, and furled it. The no.2 was then stowed in its place in the forepeak locker.
As long as I had the locker empty, I figured that the time was right to drop the anchor and chain, pull out the anchor rode, and thoroughly clean the bilges, as a lot of mud makes its way in there in the process of all of the anchoring that we do. I am very glad that I did, because it was worse than I thought. There was also a lot of long, tough sea weed strands that surely would have blocked the bilge pump intakes had I not removed them. While in there, I also did the routine hose clamp inspection, and electrical connection service. Now all is well up forward. I removed the line going through the deck for setting the bowsprit, and taped up the hole in the deck. A large rag was forced into the anchor chain chute to slow down the entry of water as the submarine characteristics of this boat forces a lot of water through there.
Mr. Yoshida was kind enough to take us to the super market in his car. It sure did help having someone translate labels for us. After all of the groceries were loaded into his car, there was almost no room for people, but we got everyone crammed in and headed for the boat. By then it was lunch time, and very warm outside. After carrying the groceries to the boat, Scott and Dave rode with Yoshida up to the snack bar, and I repacked the freezer and put away the refrigerator stuff. Then I joined them for lunch. Takeda, the dock manager had given me a straw pointed Japanese hat. I took a sharpie with me and had friends and the office staff sign it in Japanese. It is a memento that I will keep on a special peg at home. I returned to the boat, jumped in the water, and gave the bottom one more going over to be sure it was as clean as possible for our long trip.
After a shower, it was still early enough to get to the office and send a couple of last minute e-mails before meeting Neil at the gate of the marina. I said goodbye to the wonderful staff at the Tannowa Yacht Harbor, gave all of the girls a hug, and with tears in my eyes, left the office. Takahara and Fujiko had some parting gifts of t-shirts and a jar of jam in a nice little basket. They sure are sweet gals! I met Neil when his taxi arrived. He had flown from New Zealand. We took the hike to the boat, and after he stowed his gear, we all went to dinner up on the hill. The restaurant had changed their dinner menu slightly, and we all got meat and fish, instead of meat or fish. The food was very good as usual, and the presentation was that of a first class restaurant. On the way back to the marina, I counted the steps we had to climb to get to the restaurant. There are ninety six, if I counted correctly. Going up helps build your appetite and gets you a little sweaty.
Walking past the marina to the gate, I got a little melancholy knowing that I will probably never see it again. I am left with plenty of fond memories of very hard working, happy people throughout Japan, and I am thankful for the friends that I have made and truly hope to be able to see each and every one of them some time in the future The final preparations for leaving did not take very long, and by 9:30PM, we were off the dock and beginning our journey to Alaska. We quickly settled into our watch schedule, and began making our way around the south side of Japan, looking forward to Alaska.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.jpg)
+(2).jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.JPG)
.jpg)
.JPG)
