Day 105, 3200 miles later, and end of the road

Wow, we did it!

In the last few months, we have been so priviledged to see many wonderful things and share them with friends and family. The beauty of Alaska that one sees from a boat is very, very special. The memories created are unforgetful and will fill a large chapter in our book "This is your life". The experience is much more than one could ever expect. You do come away from this experience a different person. You have a better sense of "self", your strengths and limitations (warts and all).

All this to say, we had an amazingly wonderful time and we thank all of you who followed our blog and participated with comments of your own along the way. We always looked forward to seeing comments from everyone.

We are currently at anchor almost in front of our new home, which is yet to be completed. Hopefully in a month or two, we will be in our new home.

Some of you have asked to see some more of our pictures and we will try to put together a short presentation and have it available online in the near future. Unfornuately, not having a fast internet access and being in our home will preclude for a while. Check back on this blog and we will post the web addresses to see them.

Again, thanks for sharing this experience with us. It has been grand!!

Day 102, Some 3,000 miles later and time to ponder

It has been 102 days since we left Port Ludlow and we have now traveled over 3,000 miles this trip.

Here we sit at beautiful Gangees, on Saltspring Island, BC. We spent last night in Nanaimo anchored in the harbor with at least 150 other boats. Then, in Gangees, boats all over the place. We are finding ourselves in some kind of culture shock as we get closer to home.

Now might also be a good time to formally let everyone know that we have decided to put SpiritQuest on the market and give someone else the opportunity to experience a truly remarkable boat.

Time aboard the boat this summer has allowed both of us to consider where we have been, and more importantly, where we are going.

While SpiritQuest has provided us countless new experiences that we will never forget, we have fulfilled our dream to cruise Alaska on our own bottom. There is also a growing list of other things that we want to do that owning SpiritQuest precludes.

So, if you have heard the rumor, it is officially true.

We plan on staying here another day and then spend a couple of days at Sidney celebrating our 17th anniversay and then head over to Victoria to celebrate Anns BD. After that, we head for home.

Port Ludlow Connection

First thing this morning, we got a call from Don and Pat Edwards who just happened to be very close to Port McNeil. We had called them yesterday and left a message not knowing that they were just a few miles away. Well, they came over and anchored just outside the marina and spent part of the day with us catching up on stuff. We went to dinner with them just a little while ago and had a great time with some good friends. Tommorow, they head for Blind Channel and we have decided to head to Kwatsi Bay and check it out. After that, we will probably head to Port Neville and then to Campbell River and Naniamo. Thats about all the news from Port McNeil.

Port McNeil Again

Well, here we sit in Port McNeil again after a smooth uneventul crossing of the Queen Charlotte Straits. We ran about 65 miles today over a 10 hour period, but it was sunny and almost FAC (Flat Ass Calm).

Yesterday, we had an escort of 10 Pacific White Sided Dolpins ride in the wake of our boat. They went over 30 miles with us for at least a 4 hour period of time. We had no idea that they had that kind of ability. They only left us when we had to turn to go into our anchorage.

We have also been seing whales on a regular basis and we just never get tired of seeing them.

Tommorow is a layover day when we will reprovision, do laundry, fill water tanks, etc.

This is day 95 and we have a pretty good routine going. It will be interesting to see how we adapt to living on land once we return to Port Ludlow.

Well, I had better get back to the boat before Ann comes looking for me.

See ya later.

Ketchikan again!

Well, here we are in Ketchikan again on our way home. Got here this afternoon and took on 600 gallons of diesel and left our wallets a lot lighter. Didn't realize how much fuel we would go through as we waundered around. So far, some 2,200 miles and around 800 to go. Caught up with some old friends on Kingfisher, a Krogen 48, who are here as well with somne other folks. Rather windy here today and leaving could be interesting tommorow as we are tucked into a small slip in a fairly small fairway. Didn't see any whales today which is a sign that we are getting farther and farther away from their feeding grounds. Well, thats about all to report this evening. On the move again; Dave and Ann

Petersburg, AK

Well, here we are in Petersburg, Alaska and it has quickly become our favorite town. No big cruise ships with thousands of people. Just an ordinary town with lots of character. Petersburg is about 128 miles south of Juneau and we are on our way home! Tomorrow, we go through a 20 mile channel called the Wrangell narrows and we have to wait until slack tide as the currents here are faster than the hull speed of the boat, which translates into steering problems if you go at the wrong time. Yesterday and today have been beautiful sunny days and the trip here yesterday was great. Ann is at the local bookstore as I type this at the local library. While on the back deck of our boat this morning, three deer decided to cross the channel which must be 1/2 mile wide with strong currents. They made it fine and were later seen and the local park. Well, thats about all the news from here, so will say goodbye. Will keep changing pictures as we get the chance. We have many, many to choose from. See Ya

Beginning to be Homeward Bound

Well, we are in the Waffle House for the last time. David went to Costco for oil and changed all the oil on the boat. I finished the last of the laundry. (Two weeks worth of laundry is mountainous. I had to do it in batches.) Mark left us and we are on our own again. Amazing, how the boat has suddenly gotten bigger. We have spent a lot of time cleaning up from the fishing and crabbing and just living in a small space. I picked up the last Harry Potter book and will finish it today. We took the bus to the Harry Potter movie last night. Seems like doing more normal things make our heading home more real. We still have lots to see on our way so we won't be home soon, but we are on our way. We are anxious to see everyone and share some of our boring home movies and spectacular photos. Also, we will be settling into the new house. Something to look forward to. Tomorrow we head for Petersburg and the Anan Bear Preserve, before getting fuel in Ketchikan and crossing the border. Hopefully, we will be ahead of the fog and high winds. Anyway, a great way to spend the summer. We recommnend it.

Wow!!

Well, we are back in Juneau to drop off Mark and then we are on our own again. Went over 450 miles with Mark assisting at the helm. Glacier Bay was awesome as we saw the wonderful glaciers and happened to see a Moose and a couple of Mountain Goats. Then went to Elfin but they did not seem to have room for us and there was a threat of a storm blowing in so we left without staying. Have to mention the Whales. They really put on a show and we have seen put on a really good show for us. On the way back we stopped at Pavlou Cove in Freshwater Bay and got to see a grizzly up close and personal. He was fishing, or should I say trying, a stream near our achorage. All in all, a great time with Mark who leave late tongight. We'll spend a day or two cleaning, provisioning, etc before we start to slowly wind out way south. Hope to stop in Petersburg on the way and also at the Anan Bear Preserve. We have logged well over 2,000 miles and the engine is now purring like a kitten. Well, thats the update from here. While we are enjoying the trip we miss our friends and look forward to seeing everyone when we get back.

Hoonah at Last

Well, here we are in Hoonah, AK. This is a quaint little town with a small cruise ship impact. This is a waiting area for many that want to go into Glacier Bay which is one of the reasons we are here. We got lucky and were able to get a permit to enter Glacier Bay on the 20th through the 23rd so we are hanging around this area as it is only 20 miles or so to the park headquarters. No pictures to share as I am at a public library and I cannot upload pictures. Having a good time with our boating friend Mark Stypinski and enjoying the sights. We have seen many, many whales up close and personal and each time is a special moment for us. The boat has been running fine once we replaced the fuel lift pump which is a relief to us and our passengers. Hope to go into Pelican, Elfin Cove and Gustavus while in the Glacier Bay area. Have to run as the library is about to close. Stay tuned for more.

The Missouri Connection

Well, Jessica and Dan have left and Ann's sister, Marla and her husband, Don spent the last week with us. They are from Springfield, Missouri.It started off on the rocky side as we had to figure out what what going on with the engine (it stalled about 5 miles out of Juneau). Fortunately, we were able to get a mechanic to come out on Sunday and find the problem. As it turned out the fuel lift pump failed (we had just replaced it two years ago). The engine was running on gravity feed from the fuel tank. The less fuel we had, the more the engine would hiccup!!! The part did not arrive until late Monday evening and the mechanic replaced the pump Tuesday morning. We left Juneau around noon and headed to Tracy Arm. Got there fairly late but did find an anchorage okay. Then spent the next day going up the arm. We got about 5 miles from the end and decided to turn around. We went back to the anchorage and spent the night returning to Juneau the next day. Saw a lot of humpback whales and a few seals while enroute. Marla and Don left at 4:30 am this morning and today is a day of catching up and chores. Mark Stypinski joins us at 1:00 am tonight for two weeks. We will probably go into the Icy Straits and visit Hoonah, Pelican, Gustavus, and Elfin. Might get lucky and get into Glacier Bay itself if there is a cancellation. Well, thats our current story and we are sticking to it. We are getting tired of having to trouble shoot problems with the boat, but guess that comes with the territory. Our battery monitor is now not functioning right but we think it is just the monitor itself. Who knows?

Where to begin

My, a lot has happened since our last post and I'm not sure where to begin. Lets start in Sitka where my niece, Jessica and her husband Dan, met us for a week long excursion into the inside passage. Our first stop was Appleton Cove after going through Serguis Narrows near the Peril Straits. Then, off to Warm Springs Bay where we tucked into a nice small anchorage where Jessica and Dan did a little kayaking (see picture above). From Warm Springs Bay, we hopped over to Cannery Cove where we spent an uneventful Fourth of July. Then onto Tracy Arm, Taku Harbor, and finally Juneau. We saw whales, more whales, and then more whales along the way. We found a sea lion rookery along the way as well. The only way to describe Tracy Arm is "magical". Pictures cannot come clost to depicting the blue in the icebergs with eagle catching a free ride in the wind. We will be headed back to this special place next week when Ann's sister and husband join us for a week.

Now, for the other side of the story. The engine has been acting up a little on us and its running speed (rpms) would drop noticably and then go back up. Not a big deal, unless it stops and then it is a really big deal. Well, about 5 miles from Juneau, that is eactly what happened. Fortunately, it started back up again. However, we have to have it checked out before we leave Juneau. I found a diesel mechanic who would come out today (Sunday) and take a look at it.
He was able to determine fairly quickly that we had a faulty lift pump which supplies fuel to our engine. He hopes to order the part in the morning and have us on our way late tommorow.

In the meantime, Ann took her sister and brother in law to the Mendelhall Glacier and downtown Juneau sovenier shopping today while I stayed behind to work with the mechanic.

All in all, a very successful time and experience on the water. I continue to think of Marks comment about the definition of boating which is "making repairs in exotic places". We've had enough boat problems to go a long way. Hopefully, we won't have any more.

Another anchorage worth mentioning

The last place we stopped before getting to Sitka was Schultz Bay. It was a beautiful little achorage tucked in behind a small island. I decided to blow the dust off the fishing gear and see if we could catch anything. Well, the last time we were in Alaska, we learned to jig for halibut so I put on a lure and started jigging from the boat. It was only seconds before we pulled up a small halibut (3lbs or so). Then we pulled in another one (which Ann wanted to keep). This one was probably 5lbs or so. Pulled in a couple of rock fish including a few ling cod. This all happened in probably an hour or so. Wow! What fun. Released everything but the one halibut that Ann cleaned and made soup with the next day. While fishing, there was a sow grizzly and her two cubs feeding along the shore. We were so close that we could hear them talking to each other. This was a great place to visit and is on our list of favorites.

We Love Sitka

We have spent several days cleaning this filthy boat, both inside and out. We got pretty lazy with just the two of us. Now we are getting ready for company and need to pay attention. The deathly maintenance stuff. You know how much I love that repetitive stuff that needs to be done again as soon as you finish doing it. We are not just slaving away, though. We have been on some hikes, visited the national park sites, done our share of shopping and have eaten some great food. There is a Mediterranean restaurant that has tapas and wonderful, fresh salmon called Ludvig's. We managed to get in for dinner at 8 last night and made pigs of ourselves. Sitka is our favorite town in Alaska. There are cruise ships here, but not like the other towns. There are a number of other Krogens here and we have had a chance to visit with friends we have not seen for a while and make some new friends. Several Krogens are based here and we have learned some good places to visit from the locals. We have some neat surprises for our guests that we think they will enjoy. We have had wonderful weather. We had sun and 65 degrees for most of the day. Mt. Edgecumbe has been visible almost every day. The eagles regularly visit a snag just up from the ramp. The eagles and ravens talk to us all the time. Eagles regularly swoop down to pick up a fish in the fairway behind our boat and then sit on sailboat masts. The mountains that form the backdrop behind Sitka are beautiful and still have lots of snow on them. The harbor is so interesting because it is a real working marina. Fishing boats depart and return at all times of the day and night. There is a very strong odor of fish and fish and crab are frequently for sale at the top of the dock. The harbormaster told us that Sitka has the largest fishing fleet in SW Alaska and it is King salmon season. Sitka also has a big July 4th celebration and boats are drifting in to get a spot for that. We are really enjoying getting to spend some extended time here.

A Look Back

Here is an exerpt from my daily log dated June 16th:

Totem Bay to Egg Bay, Coronation Island

We thought we would go to Egg Bay as that would let us make a decision as late as possible regarding our desire to go on the outside up to Sitka rather than the more protected inside approach. We know weather might be coming in but we thought we could be in Egg Bay and wait it out. Well, we got into some big water and wind today. Waves 7 to 8 feet with winds peaking at 48Knots. We were glad to get to the anchorage but found it to be a very poor one with little protection from the swells and wind. We even figured out how to deploy the Vanes that we have, designed to minimize rolling in anchorages. They did help, but not enough for Ann and I. So, here we sat, rolling and rolling, hour after hour. We both slept in the pilothouse and watched the anchor alarm which never went off.

The next day, we waited and waited. About seven in the evening it was clear that the weather was not going to get any better and we did not want to spend another night rolling like we were. So, we pulled anchor and head off to Baranoff Island. We arrived at Port Armstrong around 11:30 pm and dropped anchor. Unfortuanately, the anchor did not hold and after a few hours of sleep and another anchor alarm going off, we pulled up and headed to Warm Springs Bay, some 52 miles north of our current location.

When we got to Warm Springs Bay, we hit the bed and didn't do much for the rest of the day and the next day.

Sitka at Last

Well, we are in Sitka, Alaska at last. A lot of things have happened along the way we have not talked about yet. We will be here at least another week and we hope to have time to fill everyone in on more details of our trip. Check back in another day or so, and we should have more details to share. In the meantime, I've uploaded one of Anns happier moments as she discovers how easy it ease to get a Crab in Alaska.

Baranoff Island Here We Are!

Well, we have a few stories to tell everyone but time will not allow it at the moment. This is a quick note to tell everyone that we are now at Warm Springs Bay on Baranoff Island. This is a place we went to on our 2000 Alaska Trip via charter. We will head up the east coast and around Peril Straits to Sitka probably arriving on Thursday or Friday of this week. We won't have connection to the outside world again until then. We'll provide more of an update when we get to Sitka! Until then, its off to the hot springs just up the path from here!

Eagles, Bears, and Whales, Oh My!

Well, it has been a while since our last post in Ketchikan. We are now at the Wrangell Library using their public access computers. From Ketchican, we went to a place called Walker Bay which is inside of the Misty Fiords National Monument. What a beautiful place it is!! On the way here, we saw our first whales of the trip. Not sure if they were greys or humpbacks as we only got a glimpse of them and them they vanished! The next day was spent continuing on up the Behm Canal to a place called Yes Bay. From here, we went to a regular stop over for Alaska veterans. It is called Meyers Chuck and is a sleepy little community with one gallery which they will open if you give them a call on the free public phone. From here, we went to Thoms Place which was a great anchorage which had a fantastic view of 5 grizz;y bears (3 cubs). Glad we were on the boat when we saw them. Ask Ann about her Kayak experience here. It was a beautiful day for a kayak trip and when we got about 1/2 mile from the boat, the winds came up. She was yelling at the Wind Gods for a long time getting back to the boat!! She was a tired, not so happy camper. We left Thoms Place this morning and ran about 25 miles to Wrangell and thats the story so far. As to our plans, we have decided to hit Petersburg on the way home. As such, we will probably head more west toward Kuiu Island, Chatham Strait, and to Sitka via Peril Strait. It is about 150 miles and this will be our last chance to communicate until we get to Sitka, we think. So, thats our story (so far) and we are sticking to it!!

On My Own

This is Ann, today. I am sitting on a bench at Thomas Basin in Ketchikan, at a hot spot by the Ketchikan Yacht Club. David is off researching the Misty Fjords. I went to check out some things for the grands and then back to the boat to do some cleaning. My Mojo and the sun are back. There are almost no clouds in the sky and a slight breeze. Life is excellent. The Sea Star is tied up here giving boat tours. Some of you who watch The Deadliest Catch on the Discovery channel will recognize the name of the boat. It looks too clean to me. Guess iat's a good way to make some money in the off season.

Tkhere are two large cruise ships docked here. They have replaced the two that were here earlier today. In all there are seven here on Thursdays. The town is literally crawling with camera-packing couples in matching jackets. The cruise line owned jewelry shops are doing a booming business. I can't wait to get to Sitka.

Actually every day is a treat. We are lobing being on the water and becoming one with the boat. We may try some mooring in the Misty Fjords. Mooring is definitely not one of my favorite things to do, but sometimes one must stretch.

I'm getting enough sun for today so I will go. We think of our friends often and wish you were here to share these pleasures. Thanks to those of you who have offered advice about places to go that you have enjoyed. We have enjoyed some wonderful spots.

Layover in Ketchikan

So here we are. Some 118 hours underway and 725 nautical miles under our belt. The days just fly by!! Today was kind of a catch up work day for us as laundry was washed, oil and filters changed, etc. This afternoon, we went to a lumberman's show here in town. There are many cruise ships in and they dwarf our little boat. Ann's mojo has deserted us and we have not had any sun all day. Seems that we are now in the Alaska that everyone talks about. Rain, Rain. Here is a picture of us at a picnic table with a hot spot that can can publish our blog from. Sea Planes are landing and Eagles are swooping as we type this. It is starting to rain so we will say goodbye for now. Will probably stay over another day here before heading north.

Foggy Bay is in our near future

Well, tommorow we take off at 5am for Foggy Bay which is just across Dixon Entrance. It will be about a 50 mile day with a lot of exposure to rough water. Leaving early so that we can take advantage of the tide and currents. If all goes well, we will be arriving around 1:30 pm or so, according to our navigation software. Foggy Bay is in Alaska, so we will be officially back in the "states" tommorow if all goes well. Then to Ketchikan the following day where we will spend some time and change oil, take on fuel, clean the boat, and reprovision to some extent. Seems like we are always busy and the time just flys by! When we get to Ketchikan, we should have phone coverage again and will be calling a few of you to say hi (Theres nothing like a friendly voice on the other end of the phone). If the weather turns sour tommorow, we will either head back to Prince Rupert or stop at Brundige Inlet to wait the bad weather. Stay tuned. Next post will be from Ketchikan! Yea!!!!!

Prince Rupert at last!

Well, lets see. What has happened since our last post. We left Shearwater a little lighter in the pocketbook, but no water in the boat! Went to a place called Bottleneck Inlet, some 44 miles to the north. Then onto Otter Bay, some 50 miles further the next day. We anchored out in a not very well protected area and rolled a little all night. From here, we went to a place called Klewnuggit Inlet. Great location! Rafted next to Kingfisher. Unfortunately, they were beginning to log in the area and they were blasting nearby. Made us move for 15 minutes! Of all the locations to anchor and we choose one that we had to leave for a while. That brings us to today. Left at 6 am this morning and got to Prince Rupert around 12:30 making pretty good time. Boy, the currents up here can be a lot to deal with. Will probably lay over here another day before leaving. Not sure if we will make the run to Ketchican or go to foggy bay first. We have had extremely good weather the last few days. Even ran from the flybridge in my T-shirt for a while. Life is good. Thats about it for now. Will make another post before leaving Prince Rupert!

Movin' North

With a clean and dry boat we are finally ready to move north this morning. We are headed for Bottleneck Inlet to anchor. It's about 44 miles so with our slowness it will be a full day. Last night, as we were getting dinner ready, a BBC film crew was here to film the local eagle. There was a guy in a dingy holding up a fish and then placing it in the water. He would then move out of the frame and the crew would film the eagle swooping in to sink its talons into the fish and take it home. They did this again and again. Everybody on the dock was filming before they were done. The crew expected to get about 10 usable seconds out of over an hour's work. I guess that is better than no usable footage at all.

It has been decent here and the people have been lovely to us. They don't get to work on boats like ours often. It is a small community. Everyone in the restaurant and stores know about our boat and how things were going.

Glad to have that behind us. It will probably be 4 or 5 days before we have internet access again. We think the next time will be in Alaska.

Until later.

Yea, back in the water!

Yea!, around 1:30 pm today, we put the boat back in the water and we have spent the rest of the afternoon putting the boat back together and cleaning. It is really a good feeling to be rocking in the water, rather than sitting on the hard surface of a parking lot. Will be leaving tomorrow, even if the mail does not catch up. We've made arrangements to have the forwarded mail forwarded on to Sitka. Seems that it takes a long time for mail up here! Having the Griffins over for dinner tonight and relax after a hard (actually more stressful than hard) day of activity around the boat. It may be a day or two before we get internet service back so check back often. Thanks for your notes of encouragement.

One More Day

Well, repairs are underway as I write this note and the boat is scheduled to be in the water around noon or a little after that today. If we don't make it by then, we have to wait until tommorow for the tide to come up again. We've both seen enough of this place and are ready to head north. Hopefully, our mail will come today so that we can leave in the morning. Restless in Shearwater!

Oh, lord, it's a boat

Well now we know why we built in extra time to reach Alaska. It isn't the weather---------yet. It's boat issues. Although the water seemed to be not too bad, we now know it would have gotton worse. A week ago we were scanning The charts and reading Douglas and we saw that Shearwater was a spot that had some amenities and a boatyard with lift. It also had a post office and we decided to have our mail forwarded here. Little did we know. David and Jerri, those angels are continuing their excellent work. Six little holes!!! When we got on the hard the water was just running down the side of the boat. Now, we hope it will be done the right way and we will continue to make out way to Alaska.

This marina is not wonderful in many respects, but that lift and the view are my favorite things right now. I am sitting by the laundromat, looking out on a sunny day over water, millions of trees and distant mountain peaks covered with snow. The resident eagle is sitting on his usual snag down by the picnic tables and life is pretty good. Even with a boat on the hard. As you boaters will recognize, we have traveled with some previous acquaintences, who have become friends. They have traveled with us and worried about our water issue with us and are making dinner for us this evening. We have received boat loads of advice from every boater we have met. What a fine community. We enjoy being part of it.

Update in Shearwater

Well, folks, we had someone come down and take a look at the boat this morning and they could not find the leak either. After some discussion, Ann and I decided to have the boat hauled out so that we could take a look at the hull. We figured we would be hounded with the problem if we did not figure out what was going on. Well, we are really glad that we did as we did find the problem. Unless you are boaters you may not understand this but I will try to put it in laymans turns. Yes, we found holes, very small holes. There were three screw holes on each side of the hull which were there to hold on a device that would deflect kelp off the the stabilizers. The deflectors were torn off on both sides and water was seeping in these very small screw holes which were below the waterline. We then had to decide what to do about it. The Marine Center here has varous trade people on site, so we decided to have the holes fixed and new deflectors made and put on with fiberglass (not screwed on) . That will take the rest of the day on the hard as the area around the fiberglass has to be dry. So, now you know what we know. Not much fun and SpiritQuest definitely looks like a duck out of water. I'll post a picture of her on the "hard" later. It was actually refreshing to find the problem and have it taken care of. We are relieved to say the least. Have to stay here anyway to wait for our mail to come which should be tommorow. Then we can head north. Good thing we left plenty of time for the unexpected! Stay tuned as Ann also wants to weigh in on this topic as well.

Shearwater Resort

We are sitting here in Shearwater on Sunday evening. Didn't think they would have wireless internet, but here I sit, inside SpiritQuest bringing you up to the date news on our adventure north. It takes a little rain to make rainbows and lemons to make lemonade. Boating is no different as you will see as I bring everyone up to date. Our last update was in Port McNeill. Well, the next day we headed out across the Queen Charlotte Strait along with Kingfisher and our friends, Jim and Anne Griffin. This was a very long day. Went over 70 miles leaving at 6 am and arriving at our anchorage, Little Fry Pan on Penrose island some 11 hours later. It was a very bumpy and uncomfortable ride. Neither of us got sick, but we were not feeling very perky either! The anchorage was a great, secluded little shelter that was far from the wind and waves. Boy, did we need that. That day reminded us of our trip up the coast to bring SpiritQuest to her new home. We were really tired puppies yesterday. Then, got up the next morning (today) and went another 56 miles to Shearwater where we are at a dock but have no electricity or water. For some reason, we are taking on water in the forward bilge and the bilge pump is running a few seconds every hour. We are not comfortable with this situation so that is why we are in Shearwater. They have a shipyard here with a lift in case we need to do an inspection of our hull. Hope to talk with some experts tommorow am and get to the bottom of the probem. It is also taking a long time to recharge our batteries and we hope to have someone look at it as well. Oh well, you boaters all know that this kind of stuff comes with the territory. We think we may have hit a deadhead (log floating vertically in the water) but who knows what is going on. Stay tuned. Will probably stay the day here assessing what is going on and determining our options.

By the way, thanks for all the notes and comments from back home. We have come about 400 miles and are not yet half way to Alaska. It is a long way up here, and we do appreciate reading your comments and notes of encouragement. I will try to take a short movie or two and post them on www.youtube.com in the near future. Until then,..................

Port McNeil

Wow, we are finally at Port McNeil, BC. This is a work day for us in that clothes have to be washed, bills paid, boat provisioned for our next leg, etc. So, here is what happened since our last blog (according to David). From Powell River (Westview), we went to a placed called Squirel Cove and anchored out for the night. There was a little store there as well as a craft shop. The following day we went through Yaculta Rapids which required us to go at slack tide because of the current. We did not feel comfortable going through the remaining rapids that day so we stopped at Blind Bay Marina and waited until the next morning to hit the rest of the rapids. Fairly uneventful going through. Stopped at Port Harvey and achored out. Just before dusk, another Krogen showed up. It turned out to be Jim and Ann Griffin. We first met them years ago while bringing SpiritQuest up the coast. They were docked at Half Moon Bay at the same time we were. Enjoyed seeing them again and have continued to see them along the way. They went on to Port McNeil and we decided to go to Lagoon Cove for the day which was only 14 miles from Port Harvey. A very nice, social marina. Everyone brought appetizers at 5 and the marina provided the shrimp. Bill, the owner shared bear stories afterthat. We understand that some of the Port Ludlow Yacht Club will be up here this summer. You all will have a great time at this place. That brings us to today which is Friday, May 25th. Waiting for laundry to finish! The boat has been great and the weather nice. We have had a fairly comfortable time with no major weather to deal with yet. Meeting lots of people who are traveling to Alaska and I'm sure we will continue to bump into them along the way. So far, we have come a little over 300 miles with around 700 to go. Desolation Sound was beautiful as well as the Braughtons. They are both great cruising grounds that you could spend years at and not see everything. The mountains keep getting bigger and bigger every day we go further north. Stay tuned for more. We will be stopping at a place called stillwater to pick up mail in a week or so but not sure of the timing

Interesting

We found wireless access at a pizza shop and bakery in Powell River so I thought I'd type a little. We came into Westview marina in a storm with 15 + winds and the slip we were supposed to have was occupied so we grabbed what we could and helped shoehorn a sail boat from Comox in front of us. I hate landings in high winds, but we have recovered. Hunger and the prospect of internet access will do a lot for your humor. We find we are hungry frequently, aboard the boat, and when we tie up or anchor we are ready for a nap. We had a great time with the Ruggles and hated to leave them, but we would not leave Princess Louisa until Wednesday and we are concerned that we keep moving north on days we can. It is an interesting feeling to be in waters we have not navigated before - a new cruise every day. People are very nice and helpful. I just have not gotten the hang of Canadian currency, yet. It is good to be on land for a while, but the darn stuff keeps moving. Tomorrow we head for a nice cove to anchor in and swing for a while. We won't be checking in for a couple of days. They don't have wireless internet connections in the places we anchor. Imagine that. We send out good thoughts to Jim, who just had a triple bypass. Heal fast and come boating with us. Everyone, keep us in your thoughts and keep in touch. We get email now and then and would love to hear from you. Our cell phone generally work very well up here. As it gets less populated the connection will probably be more infrequent. We think of all of you often.

We are out of here!

May 13th is a special day! My youngest daugher Nancy was born on that day way back in 1972. It is also the day that Ann and I got on our boat and headed north to Alaska. Of course, we only went about twelve miles on the first day. Had to take on fuel in Port Townsend before crossing the Straits of Juan De Fuca. While we were there, we had a number of well wishers stop by and bid us farewell. Thanks for all of your thougthfulness. Thanks to our freinds, we do have many angels watching over us as we travel north. Monday morning, we took off and went to Parks Bay which is near Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands. The crossing was a little bumpy, but we made it across in fine shape. One thing we learned was never have an open cup of coffee while underway. Murphys law will go to work and your coffee will go everywhere it can on a boat. From Parks Bay, we went on to Reid Harbor on Stuart Island (in honor of our good friends David and Jerri Reid) and spent the night at a state marine park. Wednesday morning, we entered Canada and spend the day at Sidney, BC. Not only is this a great town, our local yacht club was on a cruise and spending the same day here. We visited with many friends and caught up with Lois and Clark Ruggles who were going to Princess Louisa Inlet with us. That was the plan! On Thursday morning, we left Sidney and went across the Strait of Georgia winding up at a place called Secret Cove. Our plan was to then go on to Egmont which is the staging area for entering Jervis Inlet and Princess Louisa. Well, when we got to Secret Cove, we were told that this weekend is a big holiday weekend and that Princess Louisa would be very crowed. It was suggested that we not go into the area until Monday. Ann and I both are anxious to make our way further up north so we have decided to forego Princess Louisa for the time being. We were also told that there would be other beautiful things to see while enroute to Alaska. So here I am at 10:30 pm on Friday night bringing everyone up to date on where we've been and where we are going.

So, tommorow we head off and hope to make it to Powell River (weather permitting). It is about 30 miles north of here so it will be a 4 hour day on the water. That puts us in the range of Desolation Sound. We will probably stay somewhere around Cortez island the next day at the beginning of the Sound. We've seen plenty of Eagles, but no whales yet. So, thats the lodown on our wherabouts. Perhaps Ann will log in and tell you the "real story".

Its About That Time

Well, the boat is ready and we are too! Opening day of the boat season here in Port Ludlow is tommorow and then we get out of dodge until mid September. We will be using this to post our itinary as well as report on our trip north. Itinarys are estimates, not actual plans on where we will probably be, but with the weather, could be off by a day or two.

So, here is our plan for the first leg of our trip. We plan on leaving Sunday or Monday and will stop in Port Townsend for fuel and probably spend the night. That puts us in a good position to leave early the next day for crossing the Straits of Juan De Fuca. Once we get across, we will stay on the hook in Blind Bay, which is near Friday Harbor. We will then spend the night and head for Sidney the next day, which will probably be Wednesday the 16th of May. Our local yacht club will be there so we will say goodbye to them as we leave them and head north. The next day, we will head for Ladysmith. We will spend the night here on the hook before going to Nanimo the next day which should be the 18th. We should arrive in Nanimo early, but we have to time our arrival at Dodd Narrows so that it is slack tide. Dodd Narrows is about six miles from Nanimo. Afer picking up a friend from Michigan at Nanimo, we will head across the Strait of Georgia to Egmont which is a staging area for heading into Princess Louisa. After spending a few days here, we will head for Powell River to drop our friend off. Perhaps they will have wireless here so that we can update this post.

Trip Planning:

This blog is our first attempt at "blogging". We hope to use this bog to document our trip to Alaska and the inside passge this summer. We plan on leaving in mid May returning in mid September. Getting ready for a 4 month month boat trip is a lot more complicated that just taking a vacation. What about the bills? What about the mail? What about health care? What do we pack? What spare equipment do we need? and the list goes on and on! Watch this blog for the day to day planning and ultimately the diary of events as they unfold during our trip.

We recently had a new autopilot system put in and, wow! it is great. Everything interfaces with the navigation computer now, including wind and depth. Really cool. We also put an AIS system on board. AIS is a system that identifies commercial vessels and provides a great deal of information about them, including their heading and destination. This is a safety must for anyone that travels/crosses shipping lanes or could find themselves boating in fog. Last spring, we purchased a new Walker Bay dingy in preparation for the big trip.

Now, we are doing a number of preventive maintenance items including new belts, new injectors for the main engine as well as the generator, new oil and transmission coolers, heat exchanger serviced, etc. She should be in great shape for the upcoming trip which should total over 3,000 miles.