Alaska
27th June 2010, Sitka to Juneau, via Tenakee Springs, Alaska
We decided to change our plans to allow Pete & Sal O'Brien our incoming guests from Coff's Harbour to see Sth Sawyer Glacier in Tracey Arm before heading south to Wrangell for July 4th celebrations, where we hope to have our Nordhavn rendevouz. So instead of picking them up off the plane in Sitka, we would backtrack a bit and go back to Juneau and stopover in Tenakee Springs for a few days.
This meant another trip up (east) Peril Strait and timing the Sergius Narrows right on high water slack to beat the ferocious currents that run in this narrow channel.
Just after Sergius, with still some narrow sections to negotiate, we found the Fairweather, a large catamaran passenger ferry bearing down on us doing 36 kts, so we pulled into a small bay and stood by until she passed safely.
Heading north/west up Peril Strait to Chatham Strait we came across many whales as usual, and a pod of Orcas, but then saw a real life drama unfold in Chatham Strait when we witnessed a US Coast Guard helicopter drop two medical personnel by wire onto the cruise ship Norwegian Pearl to attend to a passenger with a problem that might have meant an evacuation. The night before we watched the Kevin Costner movie, Guardian, which was about helicopter rescues by the Coast Guard set in Kodiak, Alaska.
Our overnight stop was at Tenakee Springs, a small village up Tenakee Inlet that has a warm spring bath house and a population of about 100 souls who live along the water’s edge with many houses built out over the water on stilts, as like so many places we have visited like Hoonah, Elfin Cove, and Pelican.
Rounding the final cape into Tenakee Springs we were treated by the sight of seeing Lilipad tied up. Lilipad is another N55 owned by Don & Lili Weipert and we had a couple of great days with these real nice people, filling our crab pots, and eating some halibut that Don caught in Glacier Bay, the biggest being 98 lb, and stood nearly 6’ tall.
Margaret and I both awoke at 0400 this morning and decided it would be good to cast lines and take advantage of the fine conditions and head for Juneau which is 8 hours away.
One thing we decided on is we don’t need to take on any more food in Juneau, as we were stocked to the gunwales as usual.
Boat is running smoothly without any problems which somewhat injures one side of our continuous debate about buying a bigger one.
Last night in Juneau we have had to open the boat up because it is very warm and the sun is shining.
We have only about three hours a night of dark, so around the clock navigation is easy, although we don't elect to do this. We find that about 8 hours steaming is all we need to do with just the two of us.
Two significant things to praise. The locals are so kindly and friendly, and the US Coast Guard is one seriously efficient and helpful machine.
Today on the dock an Aussie couple (Box Hill - Melbourne) came by for a chat who have just come in from Japan on their sailing boat via the Bering Sea.
Tuesday marks the start of our southward journey, eventually down to Mexico. Whether we turn to port or starboard when we get there has yet to be decided. I have been doing some maths on the cost of shipping the boat home as opposed to taking her myself on her own bottom. If depreciation on the boat could be quantified and should be in the high range, there is not much difference, as fuel alone would be $30 - $40 k.
It has been said that guests on your boat are like fish - they go off in three days. We have been lucky as all our carefully chosen guests have been great so far. One of the cocktail discussions with our fellow owners is about who can top who with the guests from hell. Some of the stories are worthy of a plot for a book - some a horror story.
As I write this I have just completed a generator oil change, and sprayed used engine oil throughout the engine room. We have an oil change manifold with a pump that sucks out the old oil, and pumps in the new stuff. As I was pumping out I didn't realise that a new stop plug fitting was installed back in Seattle unbeknownst to me, and the hose blew off. Ah well, 90 minutes later cleaning oil from a--hole to breakfast, ruined clothes, and an eyewash, I have learnt another lesson about going into the engine room. Go slowly, think, and no boozing before.
Yesterday a nice couple on a boat next door helped us with our lines. An hour later the wife had a stroke and was taken off to hospital. Great lesson to be taken here. The clock is ticking for us all at our age.
Had a report that the business had made an unbelievable profit for the year, so I probably should continue to stay away on the boat, but believe the culture of parsimony I left the guys with has given us the success formula. However, I will be back for the opening of our new store in Sydney in October, which will probably be my business careers swansong, as at 10,000 sq ft and at enormous cost, we have built a monument to women's shoe buying habits. God bless them!
Margaret is so relaxed, and has read about ten books so far. I have read John McPhees "Coming into the country” which gives a great insight into Alaska, and now into "Russian America" which tells the story before the US bought the country from Russia in 1903.
