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.