The Alaskan Journey of the Sea Shanty
Charles Kaluza, DO
Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2011 Charles Kaluza
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The Alaskan Journey of the Sea Shanty
This journey began many, many years prior to setting off. I have had a long standing dream of sailing my own boat to Alaska, but like most dreams, life came first. I chartered boats and did portions of the trip but never seemed to make the time for the whole journey. About 3 years ago, I was diagnosed with a progressive autoimmune kidney disease called FSGS. The realization that I was looking at dialysis and hopefully a kidney transplant changed my priorities. Someday became soon and my wife, Sheryle and I began seriously looking at boats. My kidney function declined faster than expected and someday became "now". It would have been logical to have just bought a boat capable of making the journey but who ever said I was logical. Instead, I wanted a project. I wanted to understand the systems and be able to repair things as needed. Besides I needed a project…spending way too much time worrying about my lab results rather than enjoying life.
Most boat projects involve as much work tearing out old moldy interiors and systems as they do building new. I wanted to build not tear apart. My ideal project was one completed to the point of plumbing, electrical and interior carpentry…never found it. We did find Bob Stern’s boat project on the internet. Seemed close to what we wanted, hull completed and most of the gear to finish the boat. Only problem it was in Tulelake, Ca. just across the border from Oregon in the high desert, 300 miles from the ocean. Decided to drive down and have a look. It was April and Sheryle was worried about mountain snow but I assured her, it was too warm for snow…wrong. The boat was a bit bigger than I was looking for but was well built and clean. Problem was the lady living in the house where the boat had been built had created a garden around the boat and was very protective of her plants. I saw no way of moving the boat without destroying part of her garden. Bob assured me he could replant things for her. We thought about it for several days and I called Bob saying, "I will buy your boat delivered to Portland." This way Bob could deal with the liability of the lady’s plants and I would not have to worry about watering the transplants from 300 miles away. Interestingly, Bob later told me, "I thought you would be the last person to buy my boat." Not sure why he thought that but so be it.
One of the reasons we bought this particular boat was our trust in Bob as the builder. When you buy someone else’s project you are buying not only the project but also the builder …if you cannot trust the workmanship, you cannot ever be truly comfortable with the finished product. Bob was an airplane mechanic who had built up a champion race plane which has won 5 first place trophies in the Reno air races (with many stories to tell). The visible work, on the hull, showed his attention to detail which gave us the confidence that the work we could not see was likewise very good. The skeg and rudder on the boat look just like the tail of an airplane turned upside down…Bob spent a lot of extra time to get that right.
When his wife got sick and had to go into a nursing home, Bob put down his tools and walked away from the project. His dream of cruising the South Pacific died and he could no longer stand to work on the boat. It sat in the desert sun, forgotten, with a garden growing up around it. Only the American flag flying from the crane structure, kept it visually alive. Bob put the boat up for sale and many people came to look at it. The logistics of moving the boat and maybe Bob’s subconscious hesitation to sell the boat, meant that it just sat out in the sun for nine years. He had stored all of the equipment in an old potato cellar, dry and with a stable temperature. This was ideal storage and preserved the equipment well.
I figured that there were two years of work to get the boat operational, and many more to truly finish the boat. With my obsession about my kidney lab work and the computer projections I had done, I figured that I should be able to complete the work and make my journey before needing to start dialysis. This was possible only if everything went according to plan, maybe not practical but it gave me a definite goal. I am a project person. My kids always give me a bit a grief about the long term nature of my projects. The airplane was 11 years and 14,000 rivets to completion and I needed the help of my partners to finish but finish it we did. I needed to push pretty hard to get the boat ready in the two years I had allocated.
Ed, the boat hauler, stopped by the house to make sure he could deliver the boat…a bit tight for the final turnaround but the chosen parking area looked good. Unfortunately, the road leading to our lane had a dip in it just as you turned. No way to clear the trailer with the keel riding just inches above the pavement. Talked about having a crane lift the aft end of the trailer but the boat was too heavy. Needed a new plan. Ed suggested delivering the boat to his boat yard in Scappoose, right next to the Columbia River. We talked about taking it out to the cabin but realized that the rough rocky road would be a problem and then it would take a second major move to get the boat to the water. Scappoose it would be.
The boat arrived on the 12th of June 2007 and I went aboard for the first time the next day. Everything had traveled well, even the old steel wheels which Bob had left on the deck to hold down the hatch cover. Now I owned a boat or at least a project. Problem was that all gear to finish the project was still down in California. It was four trips, on the road by 6 a.m. and home by 10 p.m., to get the rest of the boat project home. All of the associated gear and equipment filled up my lower barn pretty well. I will admit that my Ford Ranger pickup rides much better with 1500 pounds of diesel engine in the back. Sheryle and I like road trips but this got to be work.
Bob had decided not to ship the mast with the boat. I think he wanted one last look at his project so he decided to deliver the mast himself. It was later in the summer that he showed up in his old pickup towing an irrigation pipe trailer with the 50 foot mast on it. He spent a couple days with us and at the boatyard saying goodbye to his boat. He has been great at answering questions on how he did things and how he planned to finish different aspects of the boat.
Where to start? I spent many hours just sitting on the boat trying to visualize a pilot house. The true sailor stands out in the open, enjoying the elements, but I am more of a fair-weather sailor and preferred shelter from the elements. I wanted the boat to be a capable motor sailor which would provide me the joy of sailing and the protection of an enclosed pilot house with comfortable seats. All boats are compromises but I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat my cake too. The boat had come with a hydraulic steering system so it could theoretically have an inside and outside steering station. I finally decided to stick with a single helm in the pilot house but to design the pilot house so it opened up as much as possible. John Simpson, the marine architect who had designed the boat, was very concerned about adding weight topside. My initial inclination was to build an aluminum pilot house but the hassle of joining aluminum and steel was a major hurdle. I did weight calculations and decided that a steel frame covered with wood panels coated with epoxy would work.
I also decided to undo a couple of Bob's custom changes. He was a diver and had created a large storage locker in the aft of the boat to store his diving equipment. Unfortunately the access was through a deck panel which meant you had to hang upside down to get the equipment out. I get seasick easy enough looking straight ahead; I did not need to have my head upside down in a locker. A little welding and the hatch was no more. Taking out the wood bulkhead was a bit more work because Bob was conscientious in making sure it was strong enough. He did not skimp on adhesive or bolts. This made for an aft cabin which would comfortably sleep two and have some storage.
I next made a wood mockup of the proposed pilot house. Seemed to meet my needs, so I started building out of steel. My old Rockwell bandsaw has a transmission for metal cutting, so I ripped the tubing to obtain the correct angles to create a vertical junction with the curved deck. Worked pretty well. The framing for the pilot house was welded up with Bruce from the yard doing the heavy welding after I had tacked it down. I had some extra help from Kyle and Ryan Carpenter, two college guys who liked to build things. Once the vertical framing was done, the remainder of the frame went up pretty easily.
The hot desert sun had degraded the primer that Bob had used after sandblasting the boat. I needed to re-blast the deck and a local sandblaster showed up with his truck. Not my choice as the number one profession in the world. Sand goes everywhere and even with his air cooled, sealed suit, I bet he has sand in all body crevices. Despite my efforts in sealing the boat up, sand was everywhere in the interior also. I then added to the mess by using my small sandblasting unit to freshen up the bilge where the paint had failed. Seems the temperature swings had cracked the paint over a sharp edge on the shaft tube, rust spread from there. I made a plastic tent to contain the worst of the mess but sand spreads no matter what. I ground down the sharp edge and repainted the bilge…hope to never have to repeat that effort. Ira from the boat yard repainted the deck with the epoxy primer and we were sealed up for the winter.
At this point the project became somewhat a work of brothers. Younger brother, Phil, had experience forming curved panels with epoxy and plywood and assisted in the design and manufacture of the pilot house roof. Three layers of ¼ in. plywood laminated together with epoxy and covered with fiberglass cloth produced a strong but lightweight roof structure. Older brother, Mike, showed up to help with the engine installation. I had completed the engine assembly but had not yet run the engine. On Thanksgiving Day, we were scrounging materials for radiator hoses to do a trial run (ended up using a bicycle innertube). Amazingly the engine started right up and ran smoothly. After about an hour it started to miss and I assumed my temporary fuel line was allowing air into the fuel system.
We proceeded with the engine installation by arranging for a crane to lower the engine into the boat. It was an exciting day, to marry the engine and hydraulic drive to the boat. The installation went smoothly and everything fit as designed. Connecting the hydraulic system was the next challenge. I had already converted the aft keel tank to a hydraulic tank after documenting with the marine surveyor that this was appropriate. Connecting the large hydraulic hoses was not quite as simple as I had hoped. Seems the fittings supplied were not quite right but thankfully my brother was able to spot the problem and for a few dollars we were able to make the connections. Unfortunately, the engine would not turn over because of a stuck valve. Seems one of us (me) had failed to put a torque wrench on the rocker arm adjustment nuts and they had vibrated loose allowing one pushrod to slip out of position. The good news is I am now an expert in adjusting the rocker arms having done it once. This time I made sure the lock nuts were torqued properly.
Now the engine was running well but we were getting no hydraulic pressure out of the pump. The pressure actually went slightly negative when the engine was started. My older brother, the engineer, sat and looked at the charge pump which forces the hydraulic oil into the main pump. He said, "We need to run this pump the other way." I was not impressed with his suggestion because the diesel only runs one-way. He explained that it should be possible to just turn the central section of the small pump around and the fluid would flow in the opposite direction. We called the company that had supplied the pump; the service guy was very helpful and explained how do to just what my brother had said needed to be done. Interestingly, he remembered Bob buying the pump almost 10 years ago and was happy to hear the boat was nearing completion.
The next day with a new Teflon cake pan, Mike disassembled the small charge pump and flipped the middle section 180° which necessitated moving two small steel pistons. We reassembled the unit and bolted it back in place. Started the engine and we had power! Pulling the levers resulted in the drive motor turning appropriately… the system worked. My project was getting closer to being a real boat.
Bob had installed the rudder but had not built the mounts for the steering hydraulic piston or the rudder horn. More metal work for me and with some more help from Bruce at the yard, my brother’s design was completed. Maybe a bit overbuilt but since steerage is critical, the over build was ok. I think you could lift the boat from either the rudder horn or the base plate for the piston. With a little more, "Some assembly is required" the helm was connected to the rudder and we now had steerage. An old friend, John Stiger, had recently retired and became assistant number one for a lot of this work. It was good for him to be crawling around in a boat, kept him more agile. I did worry a little about all the dings in his brightly polished pate, seems his head kept finding sharp angles to bump up against.
Ira spent the summer painting the boat while I kept after the interior projects. We now had a power system and a steering system but no shaft or propeller. The propeller was just money and the shaft came with the boat. Problem was the engine was now in the way. A consult with my brother and a hoist system was designed. By reinforcing the cockpit corners fore and aft we could hang a small I-beam above the engine. Using turnbuckles and roller gantries, one person could lift the engine and roll it aft to expose the drive motor and dripless bearing system. Some assembly was again required but things went pretty well. We double and triple checked the shaft measurements and brought it into the propeller shop. They fitted the shaft to the prop I had purchased from them and cut it to length. Problem was when we fitted the finished shaft, it was too short. Seems they had cut it on the wrong marking. They stood by their work and made me a new shaft. This one installed well but when I was pushing it through the o-rings of the dripless seal, I damaged one of the rings. Pulled the shaft again. On the third attempt, things went better and the shaft was connected. Seems lots of things are easier on the third attempt.
Construction of the stainless steel safety rail was begun by first welding pins along the toe rail to support the stanchions. I used 3/4" 316 stainless steel pipe for the stanchions and notched the tops to hold the rail. A friend of my son Karl, had a pipe bending business and he bent the railing for me to follow the curve of the boat. The pulpit I bought used and had to adapt it slightly to fit my boat. This resulted in a nice strong safety rail system which we attached to the pins with 5200 and epoxy resin. I tried using just the epoxy but it tended to run out around the pin. A small bit of the marine sealent at the base solved this problem. Bruce at the boatyard did the TIG welding for me, I tried to learn the technique but like many things, it is much harder than it looks.
Summer was ending and the boat was still on the hard. My plan of doing a builder’s launch, so I could put some hours on the systems, was not working. Finally on 30 September 2008 the boat got wet. Everything was pretty rushed getting ready for the launch. The boat had to be repositioned so that Ira could finish painting the bottom of the keel with epoxy and bottom paint. All the tools and equipment inside the boat needed to be stowed. My son, Karl, had the privilege of manually loading the 400 feet of anchor rode chain, since I had not yet connected the windless. Actually, other than propulsion and steerage none of the systems were complete. I had not yet installed the navigation system but we were just going to motor downriver to the marina about 8 miles away. Bob drove up from California for the event and was even more excited than I was. The transport of the boat was pretty much a nonevent. It was interesting to watch the crane be positioned over the boat and the slings attached. The operator did point out that my forward zincs should have been placed slightly more aft to make sling placement easier. Something to change in the future.
The crane rolled slowly out onto the pier with the boat suspended beneath it like a giant crab carrying a toy. The boat was slowly lowered into the water until it floated free. Before they removed the slings I was told, "Go aboard, and check for leaks." I had not really considered the possibility of leaks. I scrambled aboard and began looking under all the floorboards for any signs of water, nothing was evident. The slings were then removed and the boat was slid back along the dock for me to make final preparations for departure. First I had to, "Burp" the dripless shaft bearing. By lying on my back I was able to just reach the accordion like sleeve which holds the graphite face against the stainless steel bearing. Sure enough a little burp of air was followed by a trickle of water. A little water is needed to lubricate the bearing.
The engine started right up, and after a few minutes we were ready to depart. Karl, Bob, and John assisted me as crew for the "first flight" of the Sea Shanty. Sheryle acted as the tour director and shuttled the car back to the Marina to assist our arrival. It was a beautiful day and we made our way slowly down stream. I had Bob take the helm and within a few minutes he was on the phone to his daughter saying, "Do you hear the engine noise? I am driving the boat downriver." Definitely a very happy man as was I. We stopped for fuel at the Rocky Point Marina. Everything was going very well. As we were rounding the final curve before arriving at "Channel Moorage" the engine began to cough and sputter and then died. The gentle breeze was enough to allow us to sail under control to the Marina just upstream from our intended port. Time to bleed the engine fuel system; unfortunately I had left the manual in the car. One of the fuel lines had loosened just enough to allow air to enter the system. Sheryle had to ferry the book to us and in about 20 minutes we had bled the fuel lines and retightened all of the clamps. The engine was again running smoothly and we headed down stream. By now the sun had settled behind the hills. Unfortunately, I did not actually know what the Marina looked like from the water.
We motored slowly by and I did not recognize our slip but knew I had gone too far. As I was turning around we could hear Sheryle singing out to us. Other people in the Marina also heard her which was good because then we had lots of help for the landing. We pulled the boat in without difficulty and then the many helping hands helped us turn it around so the next departure would be easier. All in all, a most successful launching.
Working on the boat in the slip was much more enjoyable than working on it on the hard. The steel ladder no longer had to be climbed dozens of times per day and occasionally I could start the engine and listen to boat noises, just to remind myself that I truly had a boat. Trying to prioritize the systems was more difficult than I had imagined. Upgrading the fuel lines from the rubber to stainless steel braided lines to avoid air leakage seemed most important. Despite tightening all the clamps, at high-power settings, I was still sucking some air into the system. Utilizing the flexible stainless lines, which Mike had found at a surplus center, made for a secure fuel system. The return line and primary line to the fuel filter are still rubber and someday will need to be changed out.
The wiring was an ongoing project. Bob had pulled a few wires and when I asked him about his overall plan he replied, "I don’t like electricity and never really came up with a plan. I was going to keep it simple." Problem was he had bought some 24v equipment and some 12v equipment. I purchased a fancy electrical panel with three rows of breaker switches and adapted the middle row to 24v. So I have a 120v AC system, a standard 12v DC system and a 24v DC system…not exactly a simple system. I looked at converting the 24v equipment to 12v but it would have been a couple of grand. Decided it would be much cheaper to add a second alternator to provide the 24v. Less than $300 for a heavy duty alternator but some assembly required. Nice to have a redundant electrical system.
Another visit from brother Mike and a custom alternator mount was designed and built. This meant an additional sheave on the engine. Seems Perkins sells these bolt on pulleys for about $500…brother Mike had one in stock that he could adapt with a little machining, so that I could run both the new alternator and the refrigeration compressor off of it. The engine compartment was getting pretty crowded but we made it all fit by adapting the refrigeration mount slightly.
Bob had planned on running the windlass hydraulic motor by using a hydraulic pump on the engine. Seemed way too complicated to me, I suppose I could somehow fit another pump and set of hoses into the engine compartment, just not sure how. Decided to look at an electrical hydraulic pump, to power the existing hydraulic motor on the windlass. Mike found one for $50 at the used equipment place back in Minnesota. The windlass manufacturer sold a slightly bigger one for $2500. Figured the smaller slower pump would be just fine, if it took 10 minutes instead of 5 minutes to raise the anchor, I would survive. Again some assembly required.
Bob had purchased a Sea Frost mechanical refrigeration system and had already built the refrigerator and freezer compartments with the cold plates. By running the compressor once or twice a day for 30 minutes he expected the freezer to stay cold enough for long-term food storage. An elegant but somewhat complicated system. Left to my own devices I would have installed a small apartment refrigerator and an inverter but the system was paid for and in stock. How hard could it be? Well, a little bit more than some assembly was required, and again I was thankful to have Mike as a consultant and on-site engineer. I'm now an expert on mechanical refrigeration having installed one system which actually worked. Well, actually my brothers pretty much installed the system while I completed the electrical hookup for it but as captain I claim credit.
The major systems were coming along pretty well but I had not yet tackled the plumbing systems. The freshwater tanks were in place and the pressure pump in stock but some assembly was required to connect the two. John and I spent several days crawling around in the boat to make the required connections. The gray water from the sinks and shower was plumbed to a small gray water tank with its own pump. This allowed for good control of the gray water which could be stored in the black water tank if needed. The pump out was through a standpipe welded to the hull. The standpipe is well above the water line.
About this time, John was on the dock rinsing out something when he fell in. Helping him out of the water was a dramatic learning experience. I definitely needed a true safety ladder which extended well below the water level. Other than using the boom with one of the winches to literally hoist someone up, it would be impossible to climb aboard the boat. A lot of head scratching and some advice from Chris Carpenter, an engineering friend, were required to come up with a workable device. Some more metalwork using the leftover stainless steel tubing from the safety rail and I had a deployable ladder. The ladder sits in a channel, hinged so that I can flip it overboard for emergencies. In the normal vertical position it acts as a somewhat standard boarding ladder. Nice design, if I do say so myself.
Building out the head with room for a shower and sink was the next major challenge. The suggestion in the original plans was pretty much followed. I had hoped for a true standup shower but if you're over 5 foot 11 you need to stoop. We built the floor up and then covered it with two layers of fiberglass cloth and epoxy resin for waterproofing. I then needed to create a small riser for the commode itself in order to run the drain pipe. A tight fit (it is a boat after all) but overall a nice head. At this point, Charles, a carpenter who lives at the Marina agreed to help with the framing. This became very important because it was already spring and I was of course behind schedule.
It was time to step the mast. The rigger made a couple trips out to the boat to help me get everything ready. John and I set the mast step over the compression post which carried the forces down to the keel of the boat. The mast had sat outside for many years and was full of accumulated dust and dirt which despite our efforts seemed resistant to leaving. Of course, some assembly was required, to prepare the mast for installation but it was enjoyable work. When everything was ready the mast was delivered to the Rocky Point Boatyard. I was not sure how big of a deal stepping the mast was but I was a little anxious driving the boat up to the boatyard. Seemed like it took forever for the final preparations and when we were finally ready, the boatyard crew said it was too late in the day to proceed. They start early and finish early. Waiting another day wasn't all bad because by this time I was tired. The next morning was spent waiting for the crew and it wasn't until about noon that the crane picked up the mast and swung its boom out over the Sea Shanty. It was far more stressful watching the mast be stepped that it was launching the boat. Just having that 50 foot stick swinging around above the boat was anxiety producing. Having the crew climb up the mast to secure lines and release the crane was even more anxiety producing.
By late afternoon the Sea Shanty was a sailboat with a proper mast. The aft stay still needed to be installed but the halyard was more than adequate to stabilize the bare stick. We motored back to the marina quite satisfied. Unfortunately the tide and current were both running hard and I had an issue with docking. The third attempt was quite professional and made it look like I knew what I was doing. We put the boat to bed and went home quite happy and more than a little relieved. It was several more days of work before the mast was truly aligned and fully stabilized. Now when the wind blew I could enjoy the sound of the rigging. I had decided to go with roller furling systems for both headsails, of course this meant a few more days of work.
About this time Sheryle, my wife, came down with a bad cold followed by some sort of stomach flu followed by bronchitis and then by pneumonia. This was followed by an accumulation of fluid in her chest cavity which became infected and required major surgery. The boat project did not seem nearly as important anymore. It was almost 6 weeks before she was healthy enough to encourage me to return to the project. For the past 10 or 12 years she has been the healthy one and carried more than her share of the load. Seeing her so sick was a stark reminder of the fragility of life. (These lines are most difficult to write even now months later.)
It was exciting when it came time to attach the sails. Unfortunately, by raising the pilot house up 6 inches the boom also needed to be raised which meant the mainsail needed to be trimmed, as did one of the headsails. I was surprised when the rigger said he would have them back in a week but he did. Installing the headsails on their roller furlings went pretty well but I was surprised at how heavy the Genoa was and wished I had installed a bigger winch on the mast. The mainsail was not as big but would need to be raised every time we sailed. I had mounted a nice self tailing winch inside the cabin for this purpose. It was pretty exciting raising the sail for the first time. It seemed like the final details took forever and it was not until the week of our departure that Rich, the rigger, was happy with his installation. No time for sea trials.
At this point my window of opportunity for the trip had narrowed dramatically. My son had time available starting on the 12th of June and my daughter and her children were coming home from Germany in the middle of August. My goal was the journey itself rather than an exploration of Alaskan waters, which I have been exploring for the past 20 plus years. Time enough if things went well. At this point the spiritual nature of the journey became evident and I finally started letting go. What would be, would be. I was satisfied with the safety aspects of the boat but the systems were all untested. I'd come to the realization that the journey itself would define my destination and timing. If we only made it to Astoria, and something essential broke, then my journey would have been an exploration of the lower Columbia River. If everything worked and I was able to complete the journey to Alaska, then so be it. I was not going to force the trip. Having always been a goal oriented person, this was a major change. If I set out to climb a mountain, I meant to climb the mountain. Anything less than the summit was a failure. Now the journey itself was the goal and the destination of far less importance.
I know that this change also applies to my life as a whole. I spend much less time brooding about my health and try to squeeze as much life into my day as I can. I am taking care of those aspects of my health that I can control…and letting those I cannot control be as they may. I would guess this is what is meant by putting it in God’s hands. What will be, will be, and all we can do is make the best of it. Major change for a surgeon who spent his career fixing things surgically.
12 June 2009
Well after two years of work the Sea Shanty is scheduled to depart its home port of Scappoose, OR. and head north. She is not ready but we are going anyway. My brother Phil and son Karl are joining me for the first leg, down the Columbia, across the bar and on to the Pacific Ocean. We had planned a 2pm departure and we waved goodbye to my bride and Scappoose at 4pm. A hectic day of preparation but the journey down the Columbia was delightful. We motored for almost 5 hours and spent the night anchored behind Lord Island. I finished wiring the anchor light just before darkness.
On Saturday we continued down the Columbia past Astoria. I was completing the wiring for the navigation lights so missed some of the scenery. Crossing the bar was not too bad, choppy waves of about 4 feet. This heavy steel hull handles the waves well. The ocean was a bit dirty with swells of about 6 feet and waves of 2-3 feet. The wind was right on our nose as we turned north. We used the small staysail for awhile just to stabilize the boat but with the wind on our bow it made steering more work...did I mention that I had not finished wiring the autopilot. The only problem so far was self inflicted, I wanted to test the fuel tanks separately and forgot to rebalance the fuel and the engine quit. Amazingly loud sound when the noise of the diesel stops. Had to re-bleed the injector system and she started right up again. Karl had put out some sail and had the boat under sail power while I worked on the engine. Working on the engine and smelling the diesel was more than my system could handle...I fed the fish. Oh-well it was my mistake.
Managing the helm took concentration to keep on course even in the daylight as land receded from view. I found 2 hour shifts at the helm to be plenty at night. Concentrating on the course in the darkness without stars or the moon to help was work. A few fishing boats were out and provided some reference. The coming of morning light was welcomed. By afternoon the sun came out and the wind backed off to the west. Spent a couple of enjoyable hours sailing and watching the whales. Amazing how loud the "blow" is close to the boat with just the noise of the sails.
Wind died and we fired up the Perkins and headed for Cape Flatterly. Happened to time the tide right and found smooth water with a following current to scoot us along at 9 knots. Pulled into the marina at Neaha Bay. We were tired and docking is always stressful but went well enough. Visited with a couple of other cruising boats and ate at the new pizza place...pretty limited choices but the cook made me a nice omelet.
Plan on a morning work session and head toward Port Angeles. Engine now has 39 hours for the trip.
6-16-09
Awoke this morning to the sound of gentle swells on the beach with the bouy ever so slightly clanging in the far distance. We are anchored in Crescent Bay about 15 miles west of Port Angeles. Spent the morning yesterday on boat projects and l almost have the autopilot completed. Karl worked on the sound insulation and it has helped. Left the dock about noon and headed out into the straights. Nice winds and we sailed for several hours before starting up the "iron geny". The afternoon swells and waves added up and some of the resulting waves were 6-7 feet which the boat handled really well. We left the small staysail up which reduces the rolling and the trip was pleasant. This small bay was discussed in one of the books, fairly well protected but the swells did help rock us to sleep. Phil was worried that we had anchored to close to an old dolphin (wood pilings). I looked closely and thought we were okay. I told Phil, "The pilings are just wood aren’t they?" He responded, "I keep forgetting that this is a steel boat." Off to Sequim harbor this morning to drop of Karl and pick up John. Karl is fixing us omelets for breakfast with left over sockeye salmon which we grilled last night.
Engine time 43.9 hours.
17 June
Slight change in plans yesterday, met up with John at Port
Angeles. Exchanged John for Karl and refueled. Difficult docking at the fuel dock because of winds…I screwed up and needed some help turning the boat. Used about 80 Gallons for the 49 hours of travel. Added 150 gallons of fuel and fresh water. Headed across the straits of Juan da Fuca and to Canadian customs at Oak Harbor. Decided to spend the night and moved to a slip…4 dockings in one day. I decided that a beer had been earned and we headed off to a nice pub. Stopped at the local food market and the waitress from the pub met us…we had left Phil’s credit card. Nice town and very nice people. Seems like flowers were everywhere.
Worked on the autopilot some this morning…couple of more hours and it should be ready to go. John and Phil worked on the plumbing which also has some more work to be done. Headed for Nanaimo. We need to pass through Dodd Narrows at slack tide which is 6 pm tonight.
18 June 2009
Nice day of travel through the Gulf Islands which have a lot of sandstone. Did a bit of motor sailing, otherwise let the engine do the work. Nice weather about 70 and mostly sunny.
Spent the night at a marine park across the harbor from Nanaimo. Nice facility and it makes the city look great at night, much like the pictures of Sydney, Australia. Had a great walk in the woods overlooking the ocean and had pork and potatoes with salad for dinner. Nice to take a real shower.
Today we are off to Comox. Need to change oil soon, will see what is available.
60.9 hours.
18 June 2009
Very windy as we pulled into Comox and difficult docking but we got the job done by rafting up to a fishing boat. Makes getting to the dock difficult but we are safe and secure for the night. Had hoped to buy an oil filter and such but no stores close by. Tomorrow we head for Seymour Narrows…tide changes here are very interesting. At slack tide it is a millpond at maximum tide flow it is a river rapids flowing at over 18 mph. Needless to say we plan on passing at slack tide which is 3pm tomorrow.
The engine is running cooler as it gets broken in. We usually make 6 or 7 knotts at what I assume is 70% power. Since she has a hydraulic drive the prop speed is infinitely variable; I can go from 0 to 100% of horsepower available at any given engine rpm. The speed of the engine does not change only the amount of power and fuel consumed. We motor-sailed most of the day. Leaving the small staysail out provided some power but more importantly reduces the rocking and rolling of the boat.
Had chicken pesto pasta for dinner…the boat may still be a bit primitive but we are eating well. Phil just bought 4 pounds of fresh shrimp off of the fishing boat which came in after us.
Engine time 69.7
Distance travelled about 450 miles from Portland 450 to go to Ketchikan Alaska.
19 June 2009
Well the trip to Campbell River was interesting. The tides change direction at this end of the sound as the water starts flowing from the north entrance. About 3 miles south of town the current picked up and our speed went from almost 7 knots to 1.5. Gentle whirlpools and rip tides made for an interesting but very slow trip. We had planned our arrival with an hour to spare…we used up our hour. Had to push the Perkins a bit but made the narrows with a few minutes to spare. We led a small flotilla through the narrows which had calmed way down. The current goes from full flood to ebb in about 45 minutes so timing is important…facing a 15 knot current in a 7 knot boat would be futile.
The country side is changing with human habitation much more scattered. The hills are getting higher with some snow still on the tops. The narrows are considered the gateway to the north country.
Tonight we are anchored in Otter Cove, very pleasant cove. Recent logging but still very pretty. Caught our first fish about a foot long and way to small to keep. Sautéed the shrimp in butter and olive oil served with rice and onions. Had our last of fresh salad. Nice dinner, we are still eating well.
Looking at a pretty stiff headwind tomorrow, if things go well we might make
Fort Mcneal.
Engine time 80.0 hours
20 June 2009
Had a pleasant trip up Johnson Straight to Port Mcneal. Nice little town with a good harbor. (The early start and later than expected wind increase made it a most enjoyable trip. Last time Phil came through they waited 4 days for the wind to calm down.) Country is a bit more wild with higher hills and far fewer houses and villages. Weather continues to hold with showers over the hills but a dry boat…so far. Temps are cooler and will need to start working on the heater system soon. Last night in Otter Cove we caught a small rock fish and when I tossed it back a bald eagle swooped down and picked it up just feet from the boat…very nice. Phil says he saw whales today when I was taking my daily nap…no proof.
Decided to splurge and spend some of John’s money by eating at the local pub. Nice enough food at reasonable prices…not sure what the blue drink John had was but it was way too sweet for me. I am sitting at the Laundromat doing a couple of loads of clothes while Phil and John headed off to the store for supplies. Couple of young men from one of the fishing boats gave us the key to the shower room so John will finally get his shower.
Tomorrow we will top off the fuel and head for "Deserter’s Island". It will be a shorter day. Next comes crossing Queen Charlotte sound. It is a 5-6 hour crossing of open ocean; so we will need a good weather window.
Boat continues to work well…except for the plastic fitting I broke trying to automate the head (toilet). Seems like we are burning about 1.5 gallons per hour of fuel. The hydraulic transmission does generate some heat and noise if you push it. Happy with the system so far.
Hoping the weather holds.
23 June 2009
Spent an extra day in Port McNeal because of high winds. Gave me a chance to work on some projects…like finishing the wiring on the auto pilot. They charge a couple of grand to install an autopilot but heck I did it on the airplane…how hard can it be. Well, I finished the wiring and turned it on…no worky. Checked and rechecked the wiring and gave up in frustration. Went out to eat at the local tavern and partook in a pitcher of beer. Did finish wiring the RADAR.
Up at 5:30 for an early start up to and across Queen Charlotte Sound. Been worried about this stretch. A couple of years ago we did a family cruise from Alaska and had gale force winds which made half the crew sick. The wind has a long open area to build and the water gets much shallower, bad combination.
Headed out and refused to even try the auto pilot but bumped the cover, nocking it off, and realized the thing was working. John says he took pity on me and got up in the middle of the night and waved his hands over the unit to make it work…what-ever. Had to run the setup program to calibrate the compass and we were set to go. What a major work saver.
Hit the open water about noon…not too bad; 6 foot swells and 1-2 foot waves. Put up the small staysail and headed across. Sure like that small sail, it stabilizes the boat and is easy to handle. 5 hours later we had passed Cape Caution and motored into
Safety Cove…both named for good reason. The boat did very well and only a small amount of stuff ended up crashing onto to the floor. John got a bit green around the gills and I made him go lay down. Later he said that he had never had such a ride in bed. Had a pod of dolphins with us for a while but by the time John got up topside, they had gotten bored with our slow speed and moved on. Phil saw a whale…no witnesses.
Dropped the anchor and had a simple supper. Tried fishing for a few minutes without success. Planning an easier day today.
Engine time 105.2
Easy day today. Puttered with some electrical jobs after sleeping in till almost 7:30, before raising anchor about 10 am and setting off. As we exited Safety Cove the winds picked up to 15 mph with lots of white caps but no swells. Boat handled them very well and the auto pilot did a good job with the following seas. Usually tough steering with the back end of the boat being pushed around, but "Otto" (Our name for the auto pilot) did a good job. We have not bonded completely yet because he has these steering programs to do circles and zig-zag patterns. Seems if you hold the direction tab down too long you activate the steering program…not nice to suddenly start turning in a tight circle. Press the standby button and all is well again but I need to have a long talk with Otto and figure out how to turn off those features.
We have established a pattern of sorts. John and I eat first thing than Phil eats a bit later after coffee and getting going. Than we rotate naps…boat naps are special. Usually have two people topside watching for logs. John now understands what Phil means about seagulls doing their job. Came upon 4 gulls in a row and you could see their knees long before the log was visible.
The mechanical refrigeration system is working well…almost but not quite cold enough for icecream. If we let the unit run too long the refrigerator side will freeze. Nice to have ice without sailing up to the glacier but Phil says the glacier ice makes better martinis.
Decided to treat ourselves to dinner at the Shearwater Resort. I would much rather anchor than dock…oh well. Did not hit anything so it was a successful effort. Nice resort out in the middle of nowhere. They have "Bus" or rather boat bus service to the native town of Bella Bella which has ferry service to the rest of Canada. Busy place with some really expensive boats at the dock. Tomorrow we head north again.
630 down 240 to go to Ketchikan, where we pick up Sheryle.
Getting cooler need to work on the heating system sometime.
Engine time 114.2
25 June 2009
We anchored in Horsefly Cove last night. Very well protected cove but fishing was poor. We were in very protected waters all day except for a 2 hour stretch which was good because they had pretty good winds blowing in the open water. Some showers but overall an ok day for the north country. Left the engine door ajar for heat, bit more noise but kept the boat nice and warm. Need to get the heating system going before the Admiral arrives.
I try and complete one project a day; yesterday I finished the wiring for the blackwater pump out tank. Many little projects which are mostly one wire at a time, not hard just take some time. Lights are becoming less and less important because it is staying light so long and even the darkness is less severe…you can almost read by the night time glow unless it is really cloudy. Not as long of a day as Nome but longer than I am use to.
Hoped for fresh fish for dinner but the small ling cod I caught did not qualify. Seems these protected waters are much less rich than the waters exposed to the ocean. The tide keeps swishing the same water back and forth rather than bringing in nutrient rich water from the ocean. Almost no sea birds to speak of and no big schools of bait fish. Very pretty country with many water falls. The channels we are going up are narrow like a medium size river but over a thousand feet deep in places.
Our goal for today is Bishop Hot Springs…a couple of hours out of the way but oh-well.
A good soak may do these old bones some good.
Weather is looking good for crossing Dixon Entrance on Saturday, about a 4 hour crossing of open water and the international border. Will need to check back in with customs in Ketchikan.
Hours 124.7
June 26, 2009
Yesterday we converted from being on a mission to being on a junket by diverting a couple of hours to Bishop Hot Springs. Nice historical hot springs with a small float, which had an older Grand Banks tied up and a kayaker on the shore. Easy docking which went well. Hiked a hundred yards along the shore to the hot springs and had a nice soak. Water a bit warm for my taste and after 10 minutes I was done. Nice clear water without any sulfur smell. Couple of other boats joined us at the dock and we had a nice evening of visiting and drinking a bit too much wine. Tried fishing from the dock but no luck.
Headed off for the Greville Channel with an early start to catch the outgoing tide. This tide carried us up to the start of the channel and the flood tide carried us up the channel. The channel is a lot like the Columbia River gorge except almost 2000 feet deep in places. Lots of water falls and at the narrowest it is less than ½ mile wide. Nice day with almost no wind but the weather report is for persistent gale force winds on the outside through Sunday. We may have to delay our crossing until Monday. This will still get us to Ketchikan in time to pick up the Admiral.
Trip is going well.
27 June 09
Yesterday we traversed the Greville Channel sometimes referred to as "The Ditch" because it is almost perfectly straight for 60 miles with only a couple of inlets. Timed the tides well and got 3 kts free for most of the day. We rode the outgoing tide down the inlet from Bishop Hot Springs and caught the flood tide going north through the channel. Hit 10 kts which is 11.5 mph…fast for a sailboat. Stopped and fished a point and caught dinner…had to work for them but caught 3 small rock fish and one rock greenling. Anchored in Kumealon Inlet and fried up dinner, very nice evening until the wind came up. We almost caught a crab for breakfast. We used one of the fish heads for bait and were handlining for crabs, not much activity but one aggressive one finally grabbed hold and we carefully reeled him in…until 3 feet below the surface when it let go. Phil was impressed at how aggressive the crab bite was. Wind caught up with us and we spent the night swinging on the anchor with the wind noise in the rigging…comfortable enough sounds and slept well.
Today we crossed out of the channel into Arthur Sound and past Herbert Island…not sure why things are named after friends and not me. Wind got nasty and with open water ahead we made the decision to cut the day short and hide in Hunt inlet…very well protected but the wind still made its way down to the water. Weather reports were for 50 mph winds with 20 ft waves in the open water to the west…so we were very happy to be in this snug harbor. It appears to be a native summer camp. About 20 homes in various stages of neglect along with fishing boats and an old cannery but no people about. Does not feel to be the friendliest of places and we are looking forward to moving on. One of the docks has a large sign "Danger, no berthing allowed." Seems people have tied up to his dock without permission. Wind is blowing enough to get the chain rolling over the rocky bottom which is transmitted into the boat…not as pleasant of a sound as the whistle of the wind in the rigging.
Weather report is for winds to lay down this afternoon and then be good for tomorrow. Will probably stick our nose out later and see if we can move on to the next good anchorage about 4 hours north. Would make the run to Ketchikan easier but will let the weather decide.
Hours 148.6
28 June 2009
Well we stuck our nose out and it was lumpy but not to bad, so we headed north to Dundas Island. The north end of the island is pretty protected and there were a couple of dozen boats fishing, all sizes from small 16 foot skiffs to big yachts. Several commercial fishing boats were also working the area. Not sure if the winds had concentrated the fisherman or if the fishing was that good. Wind was still pretty stiff and most of the boats would have had trouble making it back to Prince Rupert. Spent a pleasant evening at the end of a long inlet; swinging on the hook. Wind was much less than the night before but still too stiff for crabbing from the boat. Finished up the pasta from the night before with a cucumber salad and enjoyed the quiet.
Forecast is looking pretty good for the crossing tomorrow.
29 June 2009
Well up at 5:30 and off the hook by 6 am. Headed out to Dixon entrance and the Alaskan border. Wind still blowing 20 or so and some swells from the west made for a lumpy ride. Have I mentioned how much I liked the small staysail? Put the sail up and the rocking slows noticeably making the ride much nicer. John is not a big fan of crossings…most people with any common sense would feel the same. Thought about putting up more sail…Karl would have had all of the sail up and the boat heeled over. I am not that energetic and put up with the noise of the engine.
About the time we reached the border the tide changed, waves settled down and the wind backed off…nice welcome to Alaska. After about 4 hours we were back in protected waters. Pulled into Ketchikan about 4 and went through the customs routine. Then it was time to care for the crew…off for a beer and dinner. Felt good to walk but John commented at dinner, "Is this place rocking or is it me?" Seems he is getting his sea legs just in time to use his land legs. The noise and commotion here is amazing…at least compared to the last couple of weeks. Boats of all sizes coming and going; and airplanes landing in the harbor in amongst the cruise ships and fishing boats. Cars and trucks everywhere…back in civilization. Will probably move on as soon as we get the oil changed and Sheryle settled in.
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