33' to Alaska

Tips On Reading This Blog...

2009-08-31T08:24:00.000-07:00

In the summer of 2009, our family cruised over 3,200 miles and 47 days from Orcas Island, WA to Glacier Bay, AK in our 33' Ocean Sport Roamer. Here are our blog updates along the way. You don't need to register to read the blog. The newest posts are posted on top. Now that the trip is over, you may find it more helpful to read from the bottom up. (If someone knows how to sort the posts chronilogically, shoot me an e-mail.) A few of my favorite entries...

Day 7 - Prince Rupert to Ketchican....Just for the Halibut!
June 26-29, Thomas Bay (North of Petersburg) to Ford's Terror (Endicott Arm)
Tuesday, July 7, North Sandy Cove, Glacier Bay -
Friday, July 17, Red Bluff Bay -
Friday, Jul 24, Punchbowl Cove, Misty Fjords National Monument-

Enjoy! Kent Huisken Kent.Huisken@sio.midco.net

HELP! No Worries- I Just Need Your Feedback!

2009-08-03T15:23:00.000-07:00

Did that title get your attention? No worries. We're safe and sound; but I would really like you're help. I'd like some feedback on my blog. Would you be willing to share with me? How did you find out about the blog? How often did you read it? Did you read every entry or just some or simply scan the pictures? Was it too wordy? Too many or not enough photos? Where are you from? Did you know me before you found the blog? Are you a boater? What did you find most interesting about the blog? Any overall comments about the blog or the trip? Please feel free to cut and past the above with your answers or just send me a note with your thoughts? Kent.Huisken@sio.midco.net Thanks!

Saturday Evening, Port Hardy to Orcas Island Dolphin Cove…A 250 Nautical Mile Day! –

2009-08-03T15:05:00.000-07:00

Wow! I can hardly believe it. Our Alaska Trip is officially over! We’re tied up at our dock on Orcas Island. The boat is off-loaded. I’m surprised it didn’t sink with all the stuff we had on it. Last night, we went to sleep early with the thunder rumbling, lightning flashing, and the pitter-patter of rain. There are gale warnings in Johnstone Strait and High Wind Warnings in Queen Charlotte Sound and the Strait of Georgia. The winds usually die down at night and kick up by the afternoon in these passes, so we wanted to leave at first light hoping to get through Johnstone Strait. We were off the dock shortly before 6AM, hoping the new drive actually worked. We stuck our nose out of the breakwater into solid fog. We ran slowly with radar for a couple of hours with eyes pierced and bugging out. The sun finally brightened things up and burned off the fog about 7:30 or so. It was really quite beautiful. We could finally run at cruise speed. We pulled the throttles back at Campbell River about 11 and took on some fuel and lunch. By 12:30, we were cruising again. We had flat water almost the entire way with only 1-2’ chop near the end. We dropped our crab trap 4 miles out from our dock and tied up at a little after 6PM…250 nautical miles later. That was our biggest day by far. We needed to get back to pick up Cody’s best friend from the airport. The blown outdrive cost us a couple of days and we need to have a good day. Praise God for flat water and that the new drive worked. After we docked, it was all hands on deck…off-loading, cleaning, hauling, etc. Cody and Mom put clothes and food away. Connor and I hauled everything off the boat into the cabin. Mom had another great grilled Halibut meal ready for us by 8PM. Then, Connor and I went to check the crab trap. (Legally, it has to be out of the water by midnight on Saturday.) In just a couple of hours, we pulled up 15 crabs! We kept 4 large males. It was the best crab pull we’ve had all summer, right here, in our own back yard. Crazy! So, since we left Orcas Island, we’ve logged 2,806 nautical miles (3,227 statute miles,) and burned 1,680 gallons of diesel, (sorry, Mr. Gore!) for an average of 1.92 miles per gallon. (That also includes running the genset for about 100 hours and the furnace too.) We ran heavy most of the time because I wasn’t sure about fuel availability or pricing. Had I ran with less fuel, our economy would have been better; but I am very pleased with these numbers. It’s really nice having a fast boat. When we need to, we can fly…like today, for example. When we get a good weather window, we can make up lost ground. When it’s snotty out, we can hunker down and wait it out. Other than the blown drive, which was a huge deal to me, everything ran way better than I expected. I give a lot of credit to the designer and the builder, Ron Meng and Jim Lindell. The Ocean Sport is a great boat for a trip like this. God has blessed our family greatly in this last six weeks. It was a trip of a lifetime and I’m so glad we could do it as a family. It was so much better than we expected in so many ways. God took care of us. Our four daily prayers were answered: 1) We had great and safe weather. 2) We didn’t hit anything. 3) Everything kept working (except the blown outdrive, which couldn’t have happened at a better time or place.) and 4) We all got along great! Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and grace on this family. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers. May God bless you and your family as He has blessed ours. Good night. I may have some more closing thoughts after a good night’s sleep. But I wanted to share a few pictures of the lovely San Juan Islands as viewed through the lens of my new friend, Jeff Hanson, who I met at Islands Marine Center right before we left for Alaska. He is an amazing photographer. I’ll try to load these in high-resolution so you can click on them and view them in all their glory. Speaking of glory, remember that everything you’ve seen in this blog was created by Jesus Christ for the glory of God!

Friday, July 31, Port Hardy, Still –

2009-08-03T14:40:00.001-07:00

Not much has happened lately other than waiting, waiting, and more waiting. It just about kills us to watch all these huge Halibut and Salmon coming in off the fishing boats and not being able to go catch them. Our new outdrive left the San Juan Islands bound for Seattle yesterday afternoon. It left Seattle and arrived in Port McNeill early this afternoon and the mechanics got it installed by about 4PM. (We are taking the blown one back with us for an autopsy.) Our boat got back in the water by about 5:30PM, just in time for a big thunderstorm; the first one we’ve seen this summer. Nutz! We were hoping to cruise for a couple of hours tonight. The forecast is for severe thunderstorms and gale force winds. So, we’re staying put here for the night. Karl, Randy, Donna, Amber and so many others here at Quarterdeck Marina have been so nice to us. It’s great to see so much quality service again. The Volvo Penta dealer in Port McNeill was great as were the folks at Kenmore Air and Ron Meng at Islands Marine Center. Everyone worked hard to get us back in the water.

We also met a lot of other nice boaters on the docks. The boys saw a 27’ Skagit Orca go by and commented that it looked like our old boat. I looked up and said, “Hey, that IS our old boat!” We ran over to great Tom and Theresa Connelly, who bought it from us. They live just north of Nanaimo but were up here fishing and we just happened to run across them. The love their new boat and are really making good use of it. They came in with four really nice Coho and one nice King. Tom didn’t think it was that big but Theresa did. (Guess who caught it?) Cody spends time working on his school work. He’s getting a great jump on his senior year already. Connor loves talk to people on the dock and throw a lure at anything that moves (above and below the water!) Last night, he caught two small Halibut right off the dock. (Actually, there was another name for them, but they looked like big sole or little flounder. Whatever they are, he had a great time catching them.) Tanner and Lucky enjoy all the attention they get from the passers-by. Val even got to walk to the mall today for some shopping. I enjoyed the whole boat lifting, fixing, process and was glad when everything checked out.

We had pizza delivered to the boat tonight. We had our devotions and played our nightly game of poker. I did win the last two games and even had a true Royal Flush; which I’ve never seen before! But, Cody is really running away with the summer standings. Val is in a potential come-back second position (with some major luck.) I doubt if I can ever recover from my third place standing and Connor is dust in the wind.We’re thankful that we’re back in the water and that all the planes, people, and parts made it here. We’re praying for flat water tomorrow morning and we’re leaving at first light. So, I better get to bed. You should too. Good night and God bless you.

Thursday, July 30, Hakai Pass to Port Hardy – Dead In The Water!

2009-07-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened since my last update. Mostly good, but one major bad! Let’s start with the good… Tuesday morning, we made the short run into Bella Bella/Shearwater and took on fuel, water, got caught up on communications, had lunch, etc. By the time we got cruising again, it was 2:30. It seems like every time we stop at a marina, we burn so much time that could be spent exploring or fishing! We ran about 10 miles before we just couldn’t stand it anymore and just had to fish. Within 30 seconds we had a real nice Coho on board. We fished for about 45 minutes longer and landed another and threw a few Pinks back. We needed to keep cruising so that we could get to Fury Cove by dark as we wanted to make the big Charlotte Sound crossing on Wed. morning. But, nature called and an hour later, we were fishing again. We were catching Cohos left and right! We landed 4 more nice size fish in about an hour and half. We lost at least that many too. What a blast! But, once again, we knew we needed to keep cruising. Val had to pry the pole out of my hand and give me a “time out” in the captain’s chair. We promised the boys we’d stop at a beach and we were flat running out of day. We cruised for an hour or so and went into Hakai Pass and anchored in Pruth Bay. We decided that we couldn’t spend time on the beach and still make it to Fury Cove…it just would mean an earlier morning on Wednesday. That turned out to be a great decision. We walked across a narrow forest between our safe little cove to the wild west coast beach! It was so pretty there. The beach was sugar sand, the waves were crashing, the sun was warm, the driftwood was stacked high…it was just plain great! The boys and dogs were off running, laughing, playing in the waves. Within minutes, they braved the initial chill of the water and were body surfing. Tanner wasn’t to be left out. He doesn’t miss much adventure and this was no exception. He sucks the marrow out of every drop of life. He would roll end over end in the big waves and keep right up with the boys. Once again, we all laughed and laughed at him.

Lucky and Mom built a nice beach fire for when the boys got done swimming. I ran around with cameras in hand capturing all the fun. We watched the sun go down, while we roasted sausages, and talked and talked. They boys wanted to stay another couple of days and so did Mom and I, but we need to cross Queen Charlotte Sound and Straight and I wasn’t sure the weather was going to cooperate. Being we needed to be home by Saturday, I wanted to allow a day for holding up for weather. So, at 5:30 Wednesday morning, we were anchors up and heading back out of Hakai Pass with hopes of returning again someday.

We did OK making the crossing but the swells were kind of scary. It was dark, foggy, and we were taking them right on the starboard beam. Climbing them, we’d slow to a snail’s pace and then we’d go surfing down the other side. We were running in fog, dodging the blips. It was the most white knuckle crossing we’ve had so far, but it looked much worse than it actually was. We made it to Port Hardy a couple of hours later and saw lots of fishing boats working Duval Point. We simply couldn’t let that opportunity pass so we dropped our gear and put two nice Coho in the cooler and caught a half dozen Pinks, which we released. What great fun. I had a monster on the line, (no doubt a trophy King, haha) but it spit the hook, NUTZ!

Near noon, we landed in Port Hardy fueled the boat, ate lunch, and set sail again mid-afternoon. We were planning on doing some more fishing at Malcom Island and then heading to Pierre’s Bay for the evening. I mentioned to the family that there was a certain sound in the engine area that didn’t seem quite right. No one else thought they could tell any difference and thought I was just overly cautious and paranoid again. I inspected the engine room and the outdrive; everything looked fine so we started cruising again. Within a couple of moments we were dead in the water. The boat just quit. I suspected right away that the outdrive had blown. My heart leapt into my throat! Now what?

I ran to the back, threw open the engine room hatches…no leaks, thank God. I knew we’d be ok as we were within 9 miles of Port Hardy. My cell phone was getting a strong signal. A phone call to the folks at Island Marine Center yielded no good news. With a strong current and the wind, we were slow poking our way back to Port Hardy on the kicker engine, making a whopping 2.8 knots…ouch! We all thanked God for the nice weather, that we were close to town, and that we were safe. We also prayed that we’d have enough kicker fuel to make Port Hardy. It was a long, contemplative ride back to Port Hardy. I worked the phone along the way and got Volvo Penta and Islands Marine Center working on the problem. They were very accommodating and got on it right away.

We got back to Port Hardy around 7PM and were very glad to be tied to the dock, safe and sound. We all praised God that this happened when, where, and how it did happen. It could have happened in the big waves and the fog in Queen Charlotte Sound earlier…that would have been terrifying!

This morning, (Thursday) Ron from Islands Marine Center had a new drive on the airplane into Seattle, transferring to Port McNiel tomorrow morning. I’m glad to have a reputable dealer backing me. Ron speaks highly of Volvo Penta and the dealer in Port McNiel. I am optimistic that this will all be behind us tomorrow, Lord willing. Thankfully, this is still covered under the Volvo Penta warranty.

So, today, we’re paying bills, making calls, etc., Unfortunately, we’ll have to high tail it home from here with no more fishing! Nutz!

Well, send up a prayer of praise for us, if you would, and also ask the Lord to bless our repairs and that we’d make it home safely. Blessings to all of you. Thanks.

Monday, July 27, Horsefall Island (Near Bella Bella/Shearwater) –

2009-07-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

This morning, Cody dropped Val, Connor, the dogs, and I off at the log dump before he went fishing. We hiked up the old logging skid road hoping to find Lake Alvin and some nice Rainbow Trout. We hiked for about an hour and half but kept running into overgrown logging trails. Bummer. Cody came back with one nice Rock Fish and one crab from the trap. When he picked us up at the log dump, Tanner had nearly perfected his high diving routine. It was 11AM and the tide was almost out. From the water to the top of the log dump was 22’ and he dove off after his stick without hesitation time and time again. We couldn’t believe it and all laughed and laughed at him. By the time we got done with lunch and ready to cruise, it was noon; perfect for a slack water exit of Watts Narrows. By the time we got out of the narrows and on plane, it was about 12:30. We throttled up to 23 knots and didn’t shut down until 130 miles later. We were at our anchorage by 6PM; not a bad day. Even though there were gale warnings out, the wind was at our backs and we had smooth sailing for the most part. We took just a bit of spray but never had to throttle back once.

Val had a lovely Crab Carbonara ready for dinner. Yum. After dinner, the boys and Tanner went off exploring/fishing. Val cleaned up the inside and I washed the salt spray off the boat. It was really warm today…it hit 78 but it felt a lot warmer. There hasn’t been any bugs, either….which is really nice. Alaska had a lot of little bugs.

We’re only 6 miles from Bella/Bella Shearwater. Tomorrow, we’ll stop and do some laundry, communications, fuel, water, etc. and then hopefully get a couple hours of cruising in. We need to be back by Sunday as Cody’s best bud, Andre’, is flying in for a visit. It’s hard to believe, but we’ll be back in South Dakota in three weeks. Officially, our summer will be over: major bummer. This one will go down as the best in history, so far, barring anything unexpected (knock on wood.)

How’s your summer going? Send me a note! I haven’t heard nearly enough from you lately.

Monday, July 27, Baker Inlet, Grenville Channel –

2009-07-28T10:21:00.000-07:00

Val loves her new reel and I’m a bit jealous; it’s silky smooth. She got to give it a whirl yesterday. After we pulled up anchor on Dundas, we trolled for a bit. Sure enough, we couldn’t keep the Pinks off the line; constant action. Then, a bigger bite hit my pole. I could tell right away this one had some size. Val took over the pole and I netted a 9 lb. Coho. That was really fun; however, my cheapie dip net from Wal-Mart snapped in half in the process. We fished some more and another big bite hit my pole. This one felt bigger again. We weren’t sure how we were going to land it with no net. When we got to see it, we could tell it wasn’t a Salmon. It was a Halibut. I’ve never caught a Halibut trolling before. It wasn’t very big for a Halibut but sure made for adrenaline pumping during the fight. I gaffed him and brought him on board. It wasn’t a bad morning of fishing; although I wish we could have caught less Pinks and more Cohos.

A little after noon, we made the 20 mile run into Prince Rupert, cleared customs, filled with water, fuel, and grabbed some lunch and groceries. Then we went to the fuel dock, filled up, found a new semi-cheapie dip net, and set sail again about 6PM.

The forecast is for 30 mph North winds for the next two days. We had hoped to take the more Western passage back home but with the forecast, we opted for the narrower Grenville Channel again. We cruised a couple of hours until Baker Inlet. We had to pass through Watts Narrows to get in. It was deep but very narrow with trees encroaching from both sides. As we entered we were faced with a lot of current from the dropping tide. At times, I had to give it about ¾ throttle to keep steerage. I’m very glad that it was deep enough…I had memories of the dinghy prop bashing on the rocks powering up the creeks. Once we made it through the narrows, the bay opened up into a gorgeous flat water anchorage. We dropped the hook and settle in for the evening. Cody went fishing but didn’t catch anything worth keeping…thankfully; I’ve cleaned enough fish for the day.

This morning, we woke up to another sunny, warm day. I can hardly believe the forecast for this area is for gale force winds. We’ll poke our nose out and give it a try but we need to wait for a bit more slack tide to get out of Watts Narrows. There’s an old logging skid road we’re going to explore now. By the time we get back, the tide should be ready for us…I hope.

Have a great day!

Sunday, July 26, Dundas Island, BC, Misty Fjords: NOT So Misty Anymore! –

2009-07-26T16:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, a massive high pressure moved across the panhandle and burned off all the clouds and warmed us right up! We prayed that we would be able to see Misty Fjords; at least above the 100’ cloud deck that we’d seen the previous two days. The sun felt great after being in the rain for two days. By the time we had everything ready to cruise, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky and everything was drying out nicely. Thank you, Lord! The scenery was better than expected. We cruised through Punchbowl Cove in awe of the 3,000’ granite wall. The fantastic scenery, rugged cliffs, waterfalls, grizzly bears, etc. continued to leave our jaws hanging open as we cruised in silence through the rest of Rudyerd Bay. It reminded me of the song, “How Great Thou Art!”

O Lord my God When I in awesome wonder Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made I see the stars I hear the rollin' thunder Thy power throughout The universe displayed. Then sings my soul My Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art How great Thou art Then sings my soul My Savior God, to Thee How great Thou art How great Thou art! When Christ shall come With shouts of acclamation And take me home What joy shall fill my heart Then I shall bow In humble adoration And there proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!" Then sings my soul My Savior God, to Thee, How great Thou art How great Thou art Then sings my soul My Savior God, to Thee How great Thou art How great Thou art! How great Thou art How great Thou art!...

A few miles south, we dropped anchor at a 230’ spire coming out of the middle of Behm Canal, called New Eddystone Rock. After lunch, we dinghied in and played on the island for a couple of hours.

The tide was rapidly rising and our little beach was disappearing quickly. The sun felt great and it really warmed the water rising over the hot beach. I went for a swim and the water was really quite warm and refreshing. Val played fetch with the dogs. Tanner ended up on another 30 minute marathon swim chasing birds. The boys played with their Air Soft guns until an argument broke out about who shot who…it was time to go anyway. It was such beautiful, warm, sunny, calm day and the cruise was so beautiful. We were thinking we’d stop just north of the border, in Foggy Bay, for the night; but upon receiving the forecast, we decided to keep going. We called Canadian Customs and asked if we could anchor in Dundas Islands before heading into Prince Rupert in the morning. Being Nexus holders, they approved on an “exception basis.”

That brings us to this morning…another glorious bright day. It’s Val’s birthday today. The boys and I had a new reel wrapped up for her when she got out of the shower. She hates open face reels and loves her halibut reel so we got her a spool salmon reel. She knows she’s loved now! Well, I better go get some line on that reel. There are salmon to be caught! You all have a great Sunday.

Friday, July 24, Punchbowl Cove, Misty Fjords National Monument –

2009-07-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

Last night, we went to explore the Forest Service cabin. There was no one around but we could tell there were people who had set up camp there, so back to the boat we go.

On our way out of Blind Passage, we pulled the shrimp trap and found the biggest shrimp we’ve ever caught, if not seen. I should have measured it before we cleaned it. Val and I estimated it to be about 9” from head to tail.

We got half a dozen shrimp and half a dozen longistinos. (I can’t even get close enough on the spelling of this for spell-checker to help me.) These fellas look like little tiny lobsters with really long, skinny claws. It would take several hundred to make a meal, but we kept them just for a taste.

Misty Fjords is very appropriately named. During our cruise through Behm Canal yesterday it was raining all day with very low ceilings. We had to run on radar much of the time. Yesterday was the darkest, dreariest, rainiest day we’ve had yet. It was a steady downpour from before we got up until after we went to bed. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see much of the majesty we were hoping to; although, we could still get a flavor for how wild and rugged this place is. We putzed through Walker Cove stopping by numerous waterfalls which pummeled from thousands of feet into the bay. We could nose our boat as far as we dared to the cliff walls and still be in hundreds of feet of water. The charts in this area often show 1,800 feet deep…too deep for our sonar to even detect. There aren’t too many places to anchor in these fjords because of the deep depths going straight down off the mountains. It’s very mysterious with all the fog layers and cloud covered peaks. It almost seems like the mountains could go all the way to heaven and the depths could go on forever. It all makes me feel pretty small and humbled. About 8-10 miles south of Walker Bay, is Punchbowl Cove, where we actually found a Forest Service mooring buoy, which we tied too. Connor and I donned our rain gear, launched the dinghy, did doggie duty, set the traps, and did a little exploring. It’s just raining too hard to stay out. When we got back to the boat, Val and Cody had dinner ready. We had our devotions, played our nightly poker (I won!) and crashed into bed early, finally!

This morning, we awoke to more fog, rain and low ceilings. Nutz! We did get a momentary glimpse of the 3,000 ft. granite face that we’re moored directly under. There must be a dozen waterfalls pouring into this cove. The tide is very low today…-4’ at 9AM. This afternoon, at 3PM, it’s going to be +18’…a 23’ lift. It’s amazing how the cove changes with 23’ less water in it. Beaches that didn’t exist before are now several hundred yards wide. Rocks are poking up that didn’t appear anywhere when we explored the cove yesterday. Thank God that we haven’t hit anything. The charts in this area aren’t nearly as detailed as the ones down south. On the picture below, look at Connor vs. the high water line; which nearly touches the bottoms of the trees. Crazy! We’re going to get geared up for a hike to Punchbowl Lake. The cruising guide makes it sound like a hike similar to the one we did in Thomas Bay. Mud, rain, slipping, sliding…bring it on…let’s go! It’s gonna be a great day! Hope yours is too!

Friday Evening Update – After the boys heard about the Punchbowl Lake hike, the “pretty boys” decided they didn’t want their make-up to run, so they decided to stay back on the boat. Connor has the Narnia books he’s reading and he’s into Gilligan’s Island. We have the whole 3rd season on board. Cody has to get his school work done…its Friday.

With the 23’ tide, the beach was way too long for our anchor rope and all the ropes we had on board. I couldn’t figure out how we were going to be able to get our dinghy back if we beached it at low tide. On the other hand, when the tide is high and it’s beached, it would be a couple hundred yards from the water. So, we took our walkie talkie and had the boys drop us off at the beach. Val and I hiked up along the creek for about an hour and a half. It wasn’t too bad of climb other than a landslide area, where we had to scratch our way up the mud, trees, and rocks. At the top, we found a canoe and a little shelter on the beautiful Punchbowl Lake. The Forest Service really did a nice job here. It felt good to get out of the rain. We met a group of kayakers from Anchorage that were there too. We got into a nice visit with John, Greg, Lenny, Jeff and Dave. I had carried Connor’s little fishing pole all the way up and I had fishing on the brain. Val wanted to stay under the shelter and visit so I launched the canoe to see what I could catch.

I fished along the granite cliffs enjoying the scenery even more than the fishing. I decided to go get Val. As I was landing the canoe, I reached down for the pole, which I was about to crank in, when I realized it was snagged. All of us a sudden, the snag started fighting back! I had a fish! He fought hard on Connor’s lightweight pole. I was surprised to even catch a fish. He was a big one too! I got him to the boat and he launched out of the water, flipping and spinning, and he was gone! That bugger spit the hook. Nutz!

This got me fired up! I cast out again and that very next cast, wham, I had another big fish. This one fought even harder and ran the line out a couple of times before I got a look at him. This time, he launched in the air and wrapped himself up several times in the line. Not having a landing net, I figured this was my chance. I grabbed the line and yanked him the boat! What a beautiful fish. I brought him to the little shelter and Greg identified him as Rainbow Trout. Evidently, this is quite a large Rainbow. He looked like a nice size salmon with lots of pretty colors to me. This was the first Rainbow I’ve ever caught.

This got Greg in the fishing mood so we went out in the canoe together while the other got a nice fire going to roast the fresh catch. Greg and I got skunked but really had a nice time enjoying the scenery and the fellowship. When we got back, the fire was ready for the fish. I filleted him and set him on a couple of cedar planks on the hot fire. I offered up a prayer of thanksgiving and soon, we were all sharing fresh trout cooked over an open fire up in a granite-walled alpine lake. What another great day. By early afternoon, Val and I headed back down to see if the boat was still afloat, half expecting it to be on fire or rock n’ roll music blasting through Punchbowl Cove. We called the boys on the walkie talkie to come get us. Everything was fine. It was nice to get some alone time with my bride and I think the boys enjoyed their alone time from their parents.

After a nice meal of fresh halibut and crab, the boys went off fishing, discovered a sea plane had landed in front of the granite face, and decided to go off and race him when he took off again. When they came back, they had caught the biggest Yellow Eye Rock Fish (Red Snapper) I’ve ever personally seen. They were really amazing fish and we hadn’t caught any yet this year. I’m so glad they had a great time together and had fishing success.

Well, the rain FINALLY quite. I’m glad the boys are off having fun. The marine forecast sounds great. A big high pressure is supposed to push the clouds out of here and the forecast is for record highs…84 degrees in Ketchikan on Sunday…we’ll see if it happens. Unfortunately, we’ve got to be high-tailing it home soon. We’re still in Misty Fjords and we need to be back on Orcas Island a week from Sunday. I don’t want to go! We’ll linger here tomorrow hoping to see the mountains and then we’ll cross the border back into Canada on Sunday, or so, Lord willing.

Have a nice weekend!

Thursday, July 23, Behm Canal, Very Neet!

2009-07-26T16:16:00.000-07:00

Hey, did you see our new boat? We traded ours in yesterday! The boys really liked the helicopter! How much do you suppose it costs to fill that baby with fuel? We did see one of Paul Allen’s yachts in Ketchikan…the Me’duse. I’m not sure if he still owns it or not. It’s always kind of fun to google the name of some of these mega-yachts to see who owns them.

This morning, its pouring rain! We’re anchored tightly in a little bight in Blind Passage. Val’s making corn bread for breakfast. We’re comfy and cozy inside. The dogs have to go potty though and the boys are still sleeping (at 10AM) so I guess, I’m going to have to leave my comfy abode for the sake of my furry kids. I’ll be right back.

After de-watering the pooches, I stopped to pull the crab trap. We thought we’d try again as the crab craving outweighed the frustration of getting skunked. Yes! I got two nice males and a slimy sun star. I’m thrilled.

Back on the boat again; warm coffee at hand… Yesterday, we left Ketchikan mid afternoon and headed north to circumnavigate Revillagegiddo Island through the Behm Canal. We saw a bunch of fishing boats along the way so we stopped and caught two more salmon. We really don’t need any more but this fishing thing is in our blood. They were Pink Salmon and not that big so we kept on cruising into Neets Bay. 8 years ago, Val and I had taken a shore excursion here with my folks. We took a sea plane to the head of the bay to watch bears feast on salmon. We weren’t sure if we could take our boat here or if there would be bears but we thought we’d give it a try; if nothing else, it’s a beautiful cruise along the way and not that far off our planned route anyway.

We got to the head of the bay, where there was an operating hatchery. The guys there were nice enough to let us tie up to their dock, saving us from having to anchor and launch the dinghy. Pepper spray and cameras in hand, we set out to find the creek and, hopefully, the bears. We just got off the dock before we saw our first bear on the beach. Cool. Within minutes, we saw another one. Very cool. As we walked, the second bear started heading towards our trail. I was really glad we left the dogs on the boat (although Lucky ate a whole pack of orange gum while we were gone!) We weren’t sure where he went so we walked cautiously. All of a sudden, the bear heard us and bolted out right in front of us and ran across the trail. He looked like a young black bear and I think he was more scared of us than we were of him. I took the strap and cover off my pepper spray, just in case.

As we neared the creek, there were a couple more bear; maybe the same ones, who knows. We watched them pounce for salmon, eat grass, and lollygag around. Sherlene, a bear naturalist approached us, and introduced herself as the excursion guide. They’re still running the shore excursions up there from Ketchikan. The last tour had just flew off and we had the creek and the bears to ourselves with our own personal bear naturalist. How cool is that? Sherlene did a great job making us feel welcome and explaining all about the bears, salmon, etc. Cody and Connor really enjoyed themselves and Val and I were so glad we could experience this again and see it anew through their eyes! By now, it was 6:30 and we hadn’t even thought about an anchorage yet so we reluctantly said goodbye to Sherlene and the bears and set off to find a safe little cove to drop the hook. We cruised about 12 miles and found a tight little inlet with a bight that we could tuck into.

Cody got the grill set up. Connor launched the dinghy and did dog duty. Val grilled Pink Salmon and King Salmon. We did taste tests. Although we all preferred the King, Cody and I didn’t think there was much difference, mostly just in texture. Mom thought the difference was more substantial. We all would have been plenty happy with the Pinks. I think they’re going to smoke up just great. As we cruise, we can see salmon jumping in the air at almost any time. I think they’re all pinks. We could catch them all day long. We’d rather catch Kings, Sockeye, and Coho. We’re all feeling very blessed to just to be here catching anything in this beautiful place. No one is complaining…just hoping for that big trophy prize fish, you know!

Well, the boys are up now. On the way into our anchorage last night, we saw a little forest service cabin we’re going to go check out. Hope it quits raining soon.

Blessings to you all.

Tuesday, July 22, Craig to Ketchikan –

2009-07-21T23:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it really feels like we’re on our way back home now. We’re back in Ketchikan again. We picked up our mail and got caught up with communications this afternoon. After we left Craig Monday mid-afternoon, we ran about 80 miles to a beautiful anchorage in Gardner Cove and got settled in about 6:30 or so. We had nice, flat seas the whole way and this was a big crossing. A month ago, I’d have been freaked out about it but we’re gaining confidence and trust in our vessel. We still pray a lot, though!! Val, Connor, the dogs, and I went for a dinghy exploration while Cody stayed on the boat and worked on his schooling. The shores here are weather beaten and rugged with high rocky shores. Connor took the dogs rock climbing while Val and I watched from the dinghy. Tanner decided it was time to swim. Soon, Connor was playing fetch with him and Tanner was jumping off of 15’ cliffs! That dog is totally fearsome or stupid, I’m not sure which. He wouldn’t flinch for a second if he had to jump off a high diving board. He jumped about half a dozen times and we all laughed so hard at him. Crazy dog. (Click on the video.)

We had another big crossing through Clarence Straight this morning. We got going by 8AM to beat the expected north winds. It was only a 30 mile run. Everything was fine and we were near Ketchikan by a little after 9AM. We stopped to fish for a bit and caught a King Salmon.

This afternoon, we did our chores, got our fish shipped home, and we should be ready for our last side trip starting tomorrow. We’re planning to cruise the Behm Canal, circumnavigating Revillagigedo Island, the island that Ketchikan is on. Then, it’s back to Prince Rupert, BC and further south.

So, our next update may not be for a while. Hope you’re all having a great summer!

Sunday, July 19, Craig, Another Big Halibut! –

2009-07-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

This morning, we woke up to a pretty nice day. We wanted to head up El Capitan Pass and find the caves but the cruising guide said we needed a reservation with the Forrest Service. We had been trying to call them whenever we had a cell signal but couldn’t get an answer. It was 1 hr. each way and, although, it would have been scenic ride, we decided it wasn’t worth it only to get denied access. So, we decided to head for Craig and do some Halibut fishing along the way. Val just had to have her Halibut fix…she loves to catch Halibut and has been asking for days to go again. I told her we have to wait until we can get it frozen and shipped home. Our little boat can only handle so many frozen fish and we’re already at capacity.

As we cruised out of our little cove, Tanner spotted a deer swimming between islands! We cruised up beside him and got some video and pictures. He was pretty freaked out so we left him on his commute and continued on our way.

Half an hour later, we had our anchor set in 150’ and drifted back off the knob to about 300’ of depth. Val and I dropped our Halibut gear. Much to Val’s surprise, I actually caught a fish! Yes, even me! (She got skunked!) Sure enough, within 15 minutes, I was reeling up my catch. It turned out to be 4.5’ long and weighed 73 pounds! The harpoon worked great and it thrashed around beside the boat and splashed us all. We had a good time getting him bled and inside the boat. High fives around! As we were fishing, the whole time, there were half a dozen Orca Whales (Killer Whales) swimming not too far away. Val saw them do a full body breach a couple of times. I was busy cleaning my big Halibut. Catching Halibut is fun but it only took 30 minutes to catch him and land him and 2 hours to clean him, clean the goo off the boat, package him up, and get him in the cooler. That’s big work! (But still fun!) Our boat smells really fishy, for some odd reason!?!? So, Cody and I got out the buckets, soap, brushes, and started cleaning. We opened all the hatches, scrubbed the bilges, and got all the blood, scales, and goo off the boat. Now it only smells moderately fishy! Cruising to Craig, we saw many more Humpback whales, dolphins, seals, and sea otters. The clouds and rain are here again, which I don’t mind…it cleans the salt off the boat. We got to Craig mid-afternoon and took on fuel and water. Val and Cody went to the Laundromat and Connor and kept working on cleaning and organizing the boat. I can tell we’ve been on board for over a month already. Surprisingly, everything is working great, everyone is getting along wonderfully, and we’re all having a great time. This has been the best vacation ever, by far, at least for me. The boat is clean. The laundry is done. The fish are being frozen overnight at the grocery store. (We’ll ship it all home from Ketchikan.) All is well in our world. We hope it is in yours too!

Sunday, July 19, Cyrus Cove, Fun In The Sun!

2009-07-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

We woke up in Red Bluff Bay all wishing we could stay another couple of days. It is so amazing here…big fish, bear, huge waterfalls, canyons, ice coming right down to the water…I really can’t wait to see heaven...this has got to be close! We really didn’t get to see all of its majesty as it was rainy and foggy while we were there. The fog and clouds came in waves and layers. At times, I couldn’t even see our boat from the dinghy a few hundred yards away. At other times, the fog was layered and we could see a long ways but it was only 15 feet over our heads. Wild! We stopped to fill our cooler with ice/snow on the way out of Red Bluff and putted through the beauty taking lots of pictures and video, which always disappoints us compared to the real deal.

Once we got out into Chatham Straight, we could run on plane but had to use radar as well. We had about a 70 mile day planned and I was hoping the fog wouldn’t come back. Every mile we cruised, it got brighter until the sun broke out at the ocean turned to flat glass. Wow! What a nice day this turned out to be.

I was a bit nervous about crossing the southern part of Chatham and the open ocean swells but God granted us yet another flat crossing. It was so flat, that we could tuck in behind a little island, out of the way of the swells for some lunch. I dropped Connor’s fishing line in while Val did dishes and instantly caught what felt like a huge fish. His pole is pretty light weight and it did turn out to be quite a large Rock Fish. Of course, Connor wanted his pole back so I tied mine up and we both caught two more very large fish. Mom came out and jumped in on the action. Within 15 minutes we had our limit of the biggest Rock Fish I’ve ever caught! Very fun! Smiles abound. Then we headed for Warren Cove to check out a beach I had read about in the cruising guide, but, as usual, the day got away from us, again. Whales, right in our path, just had to be visited. We sat right in the middle of a couple of pods of Humpbacks feeding. They bubble fed time and time again. Several of them swam right beside our boat, within maybe 70-100 feet. The sounds and sights are amazing but the smells are kind of disgusting. Every time they blow, it smells like rotten fish…bad breath! (Of course, by now, our boat smells like rotten fish too. I finally threw all the rotting fish heads overboard. I had been saving them for crab bait but I’m giving up on catching crab until we get further south.)

We didn’t get to Warren Cove until 5PM. We dropped the hook, dinghied to shore, and played on the beach for a couple of hours. It was a wide, flat, sandy beach. Mom and Cody played football with the dogs. Connor made sand castles, bridges, and dams. I walked around with the cameras capturing it all. The sun was warm and it felt great to go for a nice walk and stretch our legs. The dogs ran like wild animals! The tide was rising over the warm sand so Cody decided to go for a swim. He did it…not for very long but he swam in the Alaskan waters! He also found a hidden treasure…a rope that was attached to something buried in the sand. He dug and pulled and rigged up levers to get that treasure up. He finally concluded it was just an old fish net but it kept us intrigued for quite a while. It was after 7PM and we hadn’t even found our anchorage yet. Val had a wonderful halibut meal planned for us, so we found Cyrus Cove, about 30 minutes away and were anchored securely by 8PM. The days are sure getting shorter the further south and east we go. It’s dark here now by 11PM.

Dinner was awesome. Everyone rated this halibut recipe the best one yet. Val lightly dusted halibut cheeks in flower and fried them. Then she put them in a pan with some cream sauce, stewed tomatoes, and asiago cheese. Wow! Halibut is kind of like chicken breast…it takes on flavor. This recipe is a winner!

And then poker…I won! What a great ending to another perfect day in paradise.

Friday, July 17, Red Bluff Bay -

2009-07-20T12:06:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we pulled up our traps and only got 4 shrimp and 3 large female crabs, which we can’t keep. Bummer! We ate the last of our crab for lunch today. We all had such a good time those Cohos out at Cape Edgecombe that we sailed North to Salisbury Sound and tried our luck off of Cape Georgiana. No luck today.

We wanted to catch Sergius Narrows before the currents got crazy and got through shortly after noon. We just drifted in the entrance of Peril Straight while we ate our home made clam chowder (we didn’t catch enough clams so we added halibut) and then headed South through Peril Straight. I hate the scary names of these passages. Why don’t they name it Serenity Straight instead?

Right at the junction of Peril Straight and Chatham Straight we saw a ton of fishing boats so we decided to try our luck amongst them. Sure enough, we caught salmon. Within about an hour, we had seven! They were all pretty small and they didn’t look quite the same as the ones we caught yesterday. I found out today they were Pink Salmon, shucks! Some people don’t like them and others say that they’re great but I think all would agree that they’re not as good as King, Coho, or Sockeye. I love smoking my own salmon so we may have to smoke the Pinks. We still had a great time catching them, though.

We picked up a beautiful anchorage in Ell Cove, almost directly West of Sitka; although we had to go all the way back around Baranof Island to get here. The topography is getting much more rugged and we’re starting to see more snow again. The seas were flat and everyone had a nice time.

Val made the most amazing meal of the trip. We had King Salmon stuffed with a few asparagus stalks and topped with crab, bacon and Asiago cheese. Everyone rated it a solid 10! I hope the Pink Salmon taste this good but I doubt it.

Today, we had a light cruising day. From Ell Cove, we headed South down Chatham Straight for Baranof Warm Springs. They have a public float there we got the last dock amongst all the commercial fishing boats. We hiked up to the natural hot springs and relaxed in the hot pools alongside a massive waterfall. It was so pretty and so relaxing. It was foggy and rainy and it felt great to soak in the hot tub and enjoy the sound of the rushing water and the rain.

After our crab and “leftovers” lunch at the dock, we cruised about another hour down to Red Bluff Bay. It was really foggy and we ran on radar most of the way. Red Bluff is an amazing bay. It reminds me of Yellowstone and also of Ford’s Terror. We set our hook on the first try at the head of the bay beside a waterfall and a river.

While we were getting settled Connor spotted a grizzly bear and her two cubs on the tide flats. He jumped in the dinghy to check them out while I launched the kayak to paddle up the river to see what I could catch. The river was rushing to fast and I couldn’t make any headway against the current.

By the time I got back to the boat, the boys had the shrimp and crab pots down and were finished with the dinghy so I thought I’d try powering up the creek. The tide was out and the current proved too much for the dinghy. More rocks on the prop! Ouch! I drifted into the shallows and waded up the stream pulling the dinghy. I finally beached it and walked as far as I could before giving up. My goal was to make it back to the lake and try for some Cutthroat Trout. There were fresh bear tracks everywhere!As I walked back to my dinghy, I could see salmon running up stream so I started casting. What do you know? I caught two nice salmon but, again, I wasn’t sure what kind they were and I didn’t know if they were any good if they were spawning. That was so much fun; standing in the creek with my boots on, in the rain, casting for those salmon. When they hit, they fought hard jumping out of the water, flipping around, and running downstream. What an adrenaline rush. So, back to the boat to check the book and butcher them to see if they were any good. Darn it! We found out they were Chum Salmon. I think they rate about like the Pinks. The meat looked good so we vacuumed them up and stuck them in the cooler. I hope we don’t end up with a bunch of yucky fish. I really want to get into the Kings, Cohos, and Sockeyes!

The boys were playing cards. Val was cooking cheeseburgers and buffalo wings for dinner followed up with oven-baked chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Val is feeding us oh so good. Once again, the scenery here is amazing. I wish you could be here too. Well, it’s 9PM. Time for devos and poker. Have a great night!

Thursday, July 16, DeGroff Bay, Something’s Fishy!

2009-07-20T11:43:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had one of those nights you just couldn’t sleep because you just had one of those incredibly exciting days and you just kept re-living it in your head? It’s 3:30AM and I am wide awake. (For those of you who really know me, I’d rather die than get up before the sun! Although, I guess the sun is already up here, or close to it.) Yesterday will go down in my history as one of those really great days and I just can’t wait to get started on today!

One of the boats, a couple slips down from ours, got a radio report from his cousin that the Cohos were hitting a few miles off of Cape Edgecombe so, after we got done with our chores in Sitka and had a Subway, (wow, was that good again!) we headed out there. It was about a 45 minute beautiful cruise from Sitka until we saw the trollers out in the ocean off the cape. I’m glad to get back out in the wilderness. We settled smack in the middle of the big fishing boats which made Val nervous, but I wanted the best chance at catching salmon! I re-tied all my flashers and hooks according to Ken’s advice and dropped the down riggers to 60’. Within a couple of minutes we had a fish! Bummer…just another Rock Fish, but a really nice one! A couple of minutes later, we had another fish…could it be? Yes, a Coho! We were all so excited.

We really had a lot of action. We fished for about 3 hours and ended up keeping 2 Rock Fish, 4 Cohos, and 2 Kings! We must have lost half a dozen others and threw back that many as well. We all took turns fighting the fish while the others pulled up the down riggers and netted the fish. It was a great team effort and everyone really had a great time, except Tanner who was leashed up in the cabin. He’d have been in the water in a split second at any sighting of a fish. Boy, did he whine! He could hardly stand it; he wanted to be where the action was so bad. These are really the first ocean-run salmon we caught this year. While we appreciate the “sympathy salmon” from Ken, these were ours! We caught them! Wow! Finally! We had to wait long enough, but God answered Connor’s prayer for “lots of salmon today.” The Kings were an extra special blessing! After fishing, we had another 45 minute cruise to our beautiful little anchorage in DeGroff Bay, (where we left the crab and shrimp traps on Monday,) and Val cooked dinner while I cleaned the fish. We feasted on crab and recounted the day, play by play. What a great day it was. Everyone rated it amongst the best of the trip so far.

It is so beautiful here. Words cannot begin to describe it. Pictures don’t do it justice. It’s really “sensory overload” all the time! As I sit here sipping my tea and looking around, I am reminded of the words in Isaiah 40, “He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth. (Do you think Columbus read this verse? Hmmm?). He stretches out the heavens like a canopy, and spreads them out like a tent to live in. Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of His great power and strength, not one of them is missing! Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and His understanding no one can fathom.”

That’s my God, all right, and He is awesome! Another profound truth is found in John 15. Jesus said, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” This God, who created all this and is allowing me to enjoy it, calls me His friend! Wow! How can you get your mind around that? What a great friend He has been!Well, it’s going to be a few more hours before the rest of the gang gets going, so I’m going to go lay down and re-count yesterday’s memories yet again.

Make the most of your day today and don’t forget to share some quality time with your friend.

Wednesday, July 15, Sitka - "Sympathy Salmon!"

2009-07-15T10:28:00.000-07:00

We're still in Sitka. Val's going to do the laundry this morning and then we're heading out.

Last night, we met Ken Des Rosiens, Jr. and his son, Ken III, our slip neighbors, and trawler fishermen. We were sharing fish stories...he had a lot more stories than me, but we had the big 109 lb. halibut story we told him. I offered him some which he gladly accepted and then proceeded to load me up with freshly flash frozen Coho that he and his boys just caught. Cody calls them our "sympathy fish." He did give me some tips on how to catch 'em so I'm charged up and ready to go. Just call me the "South Dakota Salmon Slayer!"

Turns out the DesRosiens are Christians too. We had a great visit. They are trying to establish new markets for their fish, mostly smaller independent outlets, like restaurants. They flash freeze their fish right on their boat, pack them into insulated boxes, and ship them air freight right to the clients door. So, if you want to get together with your neighbors and buy a box of fresh Alaskan salmon, these are the guys. Contact them at 907-738-3873 or TeamD@WildBlue.net.

Connor spent most of the day yesterday fishing around the docks with whoever would listen to him jabber. He came back with two nice Rock Fish and a bucket full of little perch. We cleaned the Rock Fish and he went off to sell the perch. He worked for hours with no success but, right at 9PM, he found someone who bought the whole bucket for $5! (Is that legal? I hope no one from the fish & game departments reads this - he may have to go to jail!) What a little entrepreneur. Maybe there's a commercial fishing career in his future?

It may be a couple of days before we pick up an Internet connection. So, you all have a great couple of July days!

Tuesday, July 14, Sitka, AK –

2009-07-14T12:08:00.000-07:00

Crabs! We caught three very large males and a couple of really nice shrimp yesterday up in DeGroff Bay! Yes! We have to pass through here again on our way out of Sitka so Connor and I reloaded the traps and set them back down again. I just can’t get enough fresh crab. We also collected a nice bucket of clams and are going to try our hand making clam chowder…another first. We got to Sitka in the early afternoon and filled with fuel and water. $2.23 per gallon for diesel, the best price yet! I’m glad we’re doing this trip this year instead of last year. We got our slip assignment and settled in. We haven’t seen a shore power chord for about a week and a half, so it was nice to turn the freezer on full-tilt, charge up all the batteries including cameras, toothbrushes, etc., and not worry about leaving lights on, etc. We walked through town hitting some of the little shops. Val says this is her favorite Alaska town so far and I agree with her. The cruise ships stop here so there’s lots of activity. The dogs love all the attention from the tourists who give them plenty of lovin.’ The store owners frequently have doggie biscuits which the pups are happy to perform for. Cody was craving Chinese so we went to Kenny’s (didn’t know that was a Chinese name) and had a great meal. Then, it was back to the boat for devotions and poker. That darn Cody won again!

This morning, I worked the phone and e-mail while the family slept in. Now, we’re going to go get some groceries, fishing supplies (for the fish we can’t catch), and maybe a Subway…I have never been so excited for a Subway! Have a great day!

Sunday, July 12, DeGroff Bay (Just North of Sitka) – A Golden Day!

2009-07-13T21:14:00.000-07:00

We woke up in our beautiful Klag Bay anchorage to a nice, sunny, warm day. Hallelujah! We all jumped in the dinghy and putted along through Klag Bay until we found the gold mine ruins.

Here is a typical view from the dinghy captain's chair...The gold mine was was much more dilapidated than we expected. It must have been abandoned in the 30’s or 40’s. The old engines looked quite primitive. We did find some of the old ore cars and the kiln where they melted the gold. The rest was just fallen down old buildings, rusted pipes, etc. It was all very interesting but we didn’t find any gold. Nutz! It was great to get out and walk around in the warm sun. We got back to the boat at lunch time and fried up the fish we caught yesterday and then set sail. I had expected the westerlies to be blowing up the open ocean but when we got out there, it wasn’t too bad at all. We tried to fish but the swells rocked the boat just enough to throw everyone but me off kilter. Within minutes, Mom couldn’t stand up so she went to go lie down. Cody was laying on the back deck gasping for fresh air (like the fish I never caught) and Connor dove into bed. I, on the other hand, was the only one ready to fish, but avoiding mutiny, I cranked up the equipment and gave up…there’s no salmon in Alaska anyway!

The boat is really stable under power and we were able to run 24 knots in the swells no problem. We only took spray on the windows once, which was just enough to salt up my nice, clean windows. Nutz! We only were out in the big water for less than an hour and then were able to get back in the outside inside passage. Make sense? We got to DeGoff Bay, which is only about 10 miles north of Sitka by mid-afternoon. I love getting settled early to relax, fish, put the traps out, explore the area, etc. We found a great little cove and the anchor grabbed on the 2nd attempt. Connor and Tanner are out racing around in the dinghy, giving us a gentle rocking, while Cody and Mom are the last two standing in poker. (I didn’t do so well tonight.) Overall, Cody is leading Mom by one and me by six. Connor is way back in the dust somewhere. Mom promises him a consolation prize to ease his pain. Lucky is snoring under the table keeping our feet nice and warm (and furry.)

Tomorrow is Monday and we’ll head into Sitka for communications, supplies, fuel, and water. Cody is ready for civilization and Mom needs fresh veggies but I’d like to stay out in the wilderness. I’m going to ask her to pickle up some kelp slices…then maybe we won’t need as many fresh veggies?!?! I guess I better go wash the salt off the windows now. It’s just too beautiful outside to not maximize our views.

Sunday, July 12, Klag Bay, Chicagof Island –

2009-07-13T21:06:00.000-07:00

I just can’t get used to the compass reading “S” after so many miles of heading “N.” Yesterday, marked the real beginning of our trend back home. We left Elfin Cove about 7:30, after filling with water, in pretty thick fog running slow and on radar but within 45 minutes, it lifted enough to get the boat up on plane again. We headed through a beautiful channel called Lisianski Inlet, stopping along the way to try again for salmon. I think they must be extinct! We did get some Greenling Kelp, which I never caught before, as well as two Rockfish. After cleaning the fish, we toured Stag Bay, which reminded me of Ford’s Terror, without the ice and not quite as dramatic but still very impressive. As we headed out of Lisianski Straight into the open ocean, the swells and wind through us around a little bit. I don’t mind the swells but they really freak Val out. The boat climbs them and about 20 knots and surfs down them at about 25. It is a pretty weird feeling. Then, we had about 2-3’ wind waves on top of that and it was a bit of a sloppy ride but, again, nothing that we couldn’t all handle just fine. We only ran a few miles before ducking into a little harbor called Mirror Harbor, which looks like someone spilled a pepper shaker on the chart. I read the cruising guide on how to enter. It was very hairy! Both boys on deck looking for rocks, Val reading the step by step navigations directions…the charts here are not like the ones back in WA. We had to back up several times to miss rocks but we picked our way to a temporary anchorage hole and launched the dinghy. Just as we were ready to leave, it quite raining and got a bit brighter out. We met some folks in Elfin Cove who had just come up that way and told us about White Sulfur Hot Springs. So, we set out to find them. Sure enough, after a 1 mile dinghy ride and another mile hike, we found the little Forrest Service cabin complete with a natural indoor and outdoor hot tub!

This was pretty neat! The hot water bubbles up and in and washes over the edge. We spent a couple of hours soaking, swimming, and exploring. Cody even jumped in the ocean for a second! Brrr! Tanner and Lucky even got to try the hot tub (no worries, they self clean with the constant water flowing through.) Tanner and Connor were totally out of control wild while Lucky, Cody, Mom, and I enjoyed the relaxation. Back to the boat, stow the dinghy, pull the anchor and pick our way back out to the open ocean. We ran with the last of the incoming tide with the wind slopping along another few miles to Imperial Pass, which some call the “Outside Inside Passage.” This proved to be a flat route but I nearly got dizzy navigating around the “peppered” islands. My GPS charts aren’t lining up with the real world in this area, which makes things real interesting. But we got to our Klag Bay anchorage about 6PM in fine order. I think we’re about half way between Elfin Cove and Sitka.

Oh my, we had the best meal last night! For appies, we had some canned smoked salmon we got in Juneau; then, Val made this great Sockeye Salmon that we caught the other day. After that, we had these huge monster Dungeness Crabs that we bought off the fuel dock in Elfin Cove. They were the biggest, fattest dungies I’ve ever seen. We paid $7 each for them. In WA, they cost $16 each and are half the size! I hate to admit that we’re buying crabs and I even felt bad doing it, but we’ve put our stinkin’ pot out every night and come up with nothing! We gave up on the shrimp pot because I can’t get anyone to participate in pulling it up hundreds of feet each time. At any rate, we are getting a lot of good eating in!

Well, the family is up and it and ready for the next big adventure, so I better wrap this up. We’re going to Chicagof, at the end of Klag Bay here to find an old abandon gold mine. I think our chances of finding gold are better than finding salmon! Hope you are all having a fabulous summer!

Friday, July 10, Elfin Cove – A Cool Little Drinking Village With A Big Fishing Problem!

2009-07-13T21:00:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I left off when Connor was getting bites. Sure ‘nuf…he got an 18 pounder. Good work, Connor! So, our freezer and coolers are getting filled up! We explored Dundas Inlet and picked up an anchorage for the night right beside a colony of sea otters and their babies. It was a bit breezy and the clouds and fog are setting back in…nutz! This morning, we set sail for Elfin Cove, a short 13 mile run through the fog. We are out of food, water, and need to get out and stretch a bit. Along the way, we came across a colony of sea lions. We just sat there and watched them play “King Of The Mountain.” They are so cool the way they fight and wrestle and play with each other. They are noisy and stinky. We got lots of great video.

Elfin Cove is cool little drinking village with a big fishing problem. It’s a boardwalk community with 10 year round residents. We ate burgers at the little café which had 4 tables. The little community is mostly made up of fisherman and resorts. Everyone was so friendly and gave us lots of fishing tips and navigation advice. We even got invited to a salmon barbecue tonight, where we got to know some of the locals. Val did some shopping in the tiny little store but found enough food to tide us over to Sitka. Connor met a little buddy on the docks and played with him all day. Cody got his fix “texting” his friends. I got caught up on some phone calls, but no internet, and still got to go for a nice kayak ride around town. We all had a really good day today. It was good to be off the boat for most of the day.

We were debating about taking the west coast back south or turning back and taking the inside passage back down. Talking to the locals gave me the courage to make the attempt tomorrow. So, here we are again, nervous, scared, and excited all at the same time. The weather looks favorable other than fog, but the wind usually doesn’t blow when it’s foggy.

Thursday, July 9, Ripple Cove, Glacier Bay – Salmon, Finally!

2009-07-13T20:41:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we spent most of the afternoon at Glacier Bay National Park Lodge. Val did laundry, the boys washed the boat, and I took care of e-mails and voice mails. We love the lodge and they have great food on a lovely deck with a killer view. We fueled up, filled with water and headed back to Berg Bay for the night.

We found a cool little cove with a creek that dumped into it. It looked like bear territory. The water was mirror smooth and the mountains were perfectly reflected. We were all full from our late lunch so we had our devotions and played poker…the little gnats were too bad to be outside. Turns out to be a good thing…I won the poker game!

We all slept great. I got up at 7:30 and took the dogs for an exploratory dinghy ride. We saw the salmon jumping all over so I went back to the boat, grabbed my gear, and went back out. Finally, I got two sockeyes and one pink. I didn’t have my rule book so went back to the boat to check sizes and properly identify them. Then everyone got excited and wanted to go. We read the book and found out everything was legal…yeeha! We got salmon!

Off we go to catch some more. Two more salmon later and we’re back on the boat enjoying fresh baked bread and wild rice soup. Yum. I cleaned the fish, vacuum packed them and stowed them in the freezer. Well, our permit in Glacier Bay expires today so we’re heading out, stopping to do some halibut fishing along the way. The boys got their lines out and I think Connor’s getting bites, so I better get ready to help him.

Wednesday, July 8, North Sandy Cove: A “Beary” Good Day! –

2009-07-08T15:11:00.001-07:00

The photo above was taken out our window while we're at anchor. It's so pretty here.

Yesterday was a nice, relaxing day. We didn’t go anywhere, slept in, kayaked, hiked beaches, fished, and generally, just relaxed.We were all sitting at the table playing cards when Val spotted a bear right on the beach near our boat. I think it was the same bear that crossed to that island in the morning. It studied us, studied the crossing, and then began to swim back across. Val, Connor, and I jumped in the dinghy and followed it to the other side. He didn’t seem to mind much. Cody was back at the boat with the dogs, so maybe that made him relax a bit. We watched him for about an hour. Just when he went around the corner, a bigger one popped out but he was too skittish and wouldn’t let us get very close. (See him in the piture below on the beach.)Today, we’re heading back to Barlett Cove. We’re out of water and I need to get back into communications. Wishing you all a great summer day!

Tuesday, July 7, North Sandy Cove, Glacier Bay –

2009-07-08T15:04:00.000-07:00

We woke up yesterday to another sunny, warm day. Thank, God. No crab or shrimp, bummer! Off we go cruising back south on the west arm heading for Wachusett Inlet and McBride Glacier in the east arm. We found a creek along the way, dropped the hook, and tried to dinghy up the stream looking for bear. It looked quite civil from the boat but once we got going, the river was too much for our dinghy. We were half throttle and not making any forward progress and dodging rocks all the way. I turned the tiller and, boom, we were smokin’ downstream! No bear. Dinghy stowed, anchor up, on to Wachusett and McBride Glacier. Cruising through Wachusset, Tanner spotted a humpback whale. He stuck his head out the window and barked and howled at the whale. We all laughed at him. You’d think after the porcupine incident, he’d have a little more respect for a humpback whale, but, no, Tanner was ready to go in after him! Upon arrival at McBride, the entrance was shallow and plugged with ice so we found an ice free cove about 1/3 of a mile away, dropped the hook, launched the dinghy and set off to see if we could get through. No problem in the dinghy, other than grounding the prop a couple of times. I need to get a new one…with all this silty glacier water, it’s hard to see rocks. It’s starting to look pretty bent up. Half hour of navigating through ice bergs we arrived at the face. It is the tallest glacier we’ve seen yet. It looked even taller and commanded more respect from the perspective of our little dinghy. It rises 250’ above the water and 300’ below! It was really quite active and it was a lovely day, so we pulled up the dinghy on the rock sides and sat and watched it calve for about an hour. We got some great video and pictures again. It looked, as though at any moment, that one of the huge spires was ready to fall. There were a couple of times that we had to run and grab the dinghy for fear that the falling waves were going to wash it away. We all debated what would happen to us if a big spire would break off. The boys and I were ready for it. Val was praying it wouldn’t happen.

We dinghied around a corner and climbed on an ice berg that was bigger than a typical city lot. It was grounded so we felt safe. As we were enjoying this unique experience, the thunder started! McBride roared, and I mean, roared for about 20 seconds! We couldn’t believe it. It had to be a HUGE spire or two that let go. Val was sure God waited for us to get out of there but Cody was so bummed that we couldn’t have seen it. As we got back in the boat and motored away another one must have let go. We could only see the very top of the face but the splash was shooting higher than the top! Whoa! What power! As we began our exit of McBride heading back to our boat, the tide had dropped about 10’ and our little entrance was now more like a river float strewn with huge ice bergs, half of them grounded, the other half on full flow, and yes, a third half, crashing and smashing into each other and grounding themselves to a halt. We had to get out amidst all the chaos. I was really nervous dodging ice bergs on full flow that towered above us and ramming ice as big as an ice chest, dinging the prop, and feeling like a pin ball. Val was getting a little excited that I was ramming those ice chest size bergs and grinding the prop but I was not at all concerned about that…I just didn’t want to get squashed like a bug between those big bergs! With the current, there was no turning back. But, thankfully, we made it. We all had huge smiles on our faces and all agreed that this was one of the best adventures yet.

We tried to get into Goose Cove for our night’s anchorage but the tide had dropped too low and the entrance appeared to shallow. We could have made it in but we’d have had to wait until noon for the tied to rise high enough to get back out. So, we headed for North Sandy Cove, a well protected anchorage about 15 miles south. We arrived at 7:30, set the hook, threw the crab trap out, got a few clams from the beach, and had another delicious halibut dinner.

We did devotions and poker and then watched a magnificent sunset over the mountains. We were playing cards at 11:15PM with no light on. It never really gets really dark here. There’s just a glow from about 11:30 until about 3AM, then it’s light again. It’s really hard to go to bed when it’s still so bright out, but it’s sure easier to get up in the morning. It’s so good to see the sun.

This morning, it’s sunny, bright, and warm again. Everyday we’ve been in Glacier Bay, the weather has been so totally perfect. We’re so grateful to be able to see so far and enjoy the rich colors and the warmth from the sun.

I was typing my blog this morning when I noticed a bear on the beach. The family was still sleeping and it was quiet. I glassed the bear for a few minutes and watched him begin to swim to the nearby island we were anchored up behind. I grabbed the camera, put the dogs in the dinghy and dinghied alongside him as he swam. Lucky cowered between my legs and shook profusely out of fear. Tanner, chained to the dinghy, wanted to play with that “big black dog.” He whined at the bear and the bear kept one eye on us as he swam as fast as he could for the beach. As he climbed up the beach, he shook himself off, gave us the harry eye ball and stomped off into the woods. Yes, today is going to be another great day! I hope it is for you too!

Sunday, July 05, Reid Glacier – Glaciers, Glaciers, and More Glaciers!

2009-07-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

We’re back at our Reid Glacier anchorage again after yet another magnificent, delightful, sunny, warm, and mostly calm day. Oh, it’s so nice to have sun and warmth for our third day in a row! We started our cruise by checking out traps. We caught two Tanner Crab, which I think are the same as Snow Crab. Yes! I’m finally getting enough seafood, almost. Then we sailed for Lamplugh Glacier. Cody is going to be a senior this year, so we stopped alongside and tried to get some home-taken Sr. pictures. The glacier was amazing but the wind coming off of it was pretty gusty. We’ll see how the pictures turn out. We continued on to Johns Hopkins Inlet. When we rounded the corner to head in, it seemed like heaven’s cathedral. The mountains were the most amazing we’ve seen and the glaciers were flowing down from all directions. We plowed our way to within two miles of the face, but it looked like we were within a hundred yards! I was ready to give up as the ice flow was just too thick but the crew convinced me to head for the side. Sure enough, we found a little less ice right next to shore, which was still 700 feet deep! The closer we got the less ice we had to deal with. When we got there, there was a nice big ice-free open spot for us. We got lots of great pictures and video. The wind and current coming from the glacier kept me at the helm but Val shot more pictures of the boys. We were all amazed and thought that this was the most impressive and majestic place we’ve ever been on earth! Thank you for making it, Jesus! We ate our lunch in front of the glacier…me with throttle and steering wheel in one hand and sandwich in the other, dodging ice and keeping up with wind and current. The wind kicked up a bit and seemed to spread out the ice flow. Going out was a lot easier than coming in. We picked our way out of Johns Hopkins and headed for Grand Pacific and Margerie Glaciers, about a dozen miles away. Grand Pacific is no longer a tide-water glacier and looks more like a 2 mile wide bull dozer rolling up everything in front of it. Right next door is Margerie Glacier and, wow, a new record…the most impressive glacier again! This one towers 250’ above the water and we could motor up as close as we dared. Each spire seemed like a skyscraper! There wasn’t much action as far as ice calving off but even the little ones cracked like thunder. I so wanted to see one of those skyscrapers drop in the water! The wind and current here are amazing…two seconds in neutral and the boat is gone with the wind! More pictures, more smiles, but time to move on. At Grand Pacific and Margerie Glacier, we are as far from Orcas as we’re going to get. This was our goal and we made it! Beyond here, the Gulf of Alaska is too scary for me and I don’t think our boat is capable; at least that’s what the insurance company says. My trip odometer says we’re 1,244 nautical miles from Orcas; we’ve burned 737 gallons of diesel, and ran the main engine for 100 hours. So, let’s do the math: 1,244x115%=1,431 statute miles divided by 737 gallons=1.94mpg including the fuel used in the genset and furnace (which isn’t much.) 1,431 miles divided by 100 hours = 14.31 mph including anchoring, whale watching, glacier viewing, etc. I thought this might be higher. But, for as heavy as we ran, I’m really satisfied with that the speed and the economy….thankfully, fuel is about half price as last year. I like $2.27 diesel! Just as we were leaving Grand Pacific Glacier, it looked like a squall was coming through. It didn’t bother us much, until… we picked up an anchorage a few miles away in a little cove on Russell Island. No sooner did we get the anchor set and the wind began to howl. The beach across the passage looked like a fog bank but it was sand or dust being whipped up into a frenzy. I started the engine again and watched the anchor. We were whipping back and forth on the rode but the anchor held fast. I thought it might just be a quick squall but it made me too nervous so we pulled up the anchor and headed back to Reid Glacier, only about 5 miles away. So, here we are again, right where we started this morning, but it was a beautiful touring day. Now, the grill is going, sun is shining and the winds are settled. Another great day in Glacier Bay, Alaska.

For those of you who know me, you’ll know that some of my favorite verses in the Bible come from Job 38. Can you imagine God painting the picture for a man who likely spent his life in the desert? I thought of these verses often today. If you get a chance, you should read all of Job 38 & 39! Our God is so good!

"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? "Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb, when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness, when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place, when I said, 'This far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt'? "Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place, that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it? The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment. The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken. "Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the shadow of death? Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this. "What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside? Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings? Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years! "Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle? What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth? Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm, to water a land where no man lives, a desert with no one in it, to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass? Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew? From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen? "Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the Bear with its cubs? Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God's dominion over the earth? "Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water? o you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are'? Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind? Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together? "Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket? Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?

Saturday, July 04, Reid Glacier – Walking on Ice!

2009-07-08T14:32:00.000-07:00

After a great night in Berg Bay, we pulled up the traps and headed out for Reid Glacier. We caught a dozen shrimp! Finally! It was another sunny, warm, calm day. We are all so thankful for this great weather after two weeks of clouds, rain, and fog. What a beautiful place to have it be nice! We can see all the mountains and glaciers so clearly. We’re all amazed at how close they look but take so long to get to….kind of like driving into the mountains, you know.

We stopped for a lunch break in Blue Mouse Cove and I polished off the rest of the crab. Early afternoon, we arrived at Reid Glacier and cruised up to the face. Reid Glacier technically is not a tidewater glacier as it stops right before the waterline. This made it easy to cruise up to the face without having to fight the ice flow. It also allowed us to walk the beach up to it.

After setting the hook and the traps, the boys went off exploring…Connor on the beach, Cody in the dinghy. Mom tidied up the cabin and I crashed on the back deck to soak in some rays! I could have snoozed right off but soon the boys were back and off we went to find some ice.

Cody experienced the highlight of his trip today…we got to climb a glacier. Cody climbed way, way up and came back with magnificent stories on how he slipped and slid up and down the ice. Val tried to follow but gave up quickly and came back with bruises and bloody hands…she fell a couple of times on the rough ice. Cody came back looking like a mud ball. Meanwhile, Connor and I were on a different adventure. We climbed a bit but then turned around and went to the face…we had rubber boots so we could get up nice and close. Relatively speaking, Reid is a smaller glacier but what makes it neat is that we could anchor right in front of it and go and play on it. Motoring into the bay, the boys didn’t think it was much of a glacier but once they walked on it, they were amazed how big it really was. Do you see Connor in the lower right portion of the picture below? It looks pretty big to me! It was another fun day ranked highly by all. Tomorrow we’re hoping to go to Lamplugh and Johns Hopkins Glacier. This is a pretty special place and we all feel so blessed to be here.

Friday, July 03, Glacier Bay, We Made It!

2009-07-08T14:23:00.000-07:00

Praise be to God for the wonderful blessings He has given us! We made it to Glacier Bay. God has answered our prayers. We’ve had safe weather, never hit anything, everything is running properly, and we’re all getting along! Thank you, friends, for your prayers and support!

It was yet another magical day, indeed. We had a very quiet anchorage in Inian Cove. We overslept this morning but that’s just fine…we’re on vacation. We got going about 10AM after pulling our crab trap and doing dog duty. We had a very smooth ride 17 miles to Bartlett Cove, stopping often, shutting of the engine and overloading our senses with scenes of dozens of whales all around our boat, feeding, playing, and giving us an incredible performance! Amazing creatures! They are so huge! We saw dolphins, seals, sea lions, eagles and other birds of all kinds…all with an incredible backdrop of snow-capped mountains, glaciers and forest.Hallelujah! Today, it’s sunny and warm! Shorts on, suntan lotion on bald head, feels like

summer! Our world seems much larger now that we can see the mountain tops.

We got to Bartlett Cove about noon and checked in with the National Park Service and then walked up to the Glacier Bay National Park Lodge for lunch. As we walked up to the lodge, Val took my hand and said, “Congratulations, honey, we made it!” This has been a dream come true for me. Bartlett Cove and the Lodge is a very nice place! You should fly up and stay here. We’ll pick you up in the boat tomorrow! After filling our bellies, the crew had to check out the gift shop and the little museum while I checked my e-mails. I’m amazed that even out here we can stay in relatively close communications. At 2PM, we had to attend the mandatory boater orientation course for all the rules, regs, warnings, and advisories. The rangers are all very friendly and welcoming, especially Wayne, who gave me a bunch of fishing tips! He used to work on a flight rescue chopper in this area as a rescue swimmer. I would have liked to visit with him more, but we also want to go exploring. After filling our water tanks, we headed out to Berg Bay, our first anchorage. We found a cool little cove and secured our anchor on the first attempt. We’re nestled into a gorgeous nook with incredible views. Mom and Cody dropped Connor off on a little island with his pepper spray and walkie-talkie and then they left to go fishing. It’s so warm! I’m sitting on the back deck in my shorts and bare backed! Yes… finally, a taste of summer. The thermometer says its 76 degrees and there’s not even a hint of a breeze.

Val’s got a wonderful halibut recipe she’s going to make for dinner. I love eating up here. (Come to think of it, I love eating everywhere.) Last night, we enjoyed our crab and shrimp…yum! I’m so glad we now have a freezer full of halibut both on the boat and at home! Now, we just need to get into the salmon.So, when you get to the lodge tomorrow, hail me on the radio and I’ll come pick you up! Until then, be blessed, friends.

Thursday, July 2, Inian Cove (By Glacier Bay entrance)…A Whale Of A Day!

2009-07-08T14:18:00.001-07:00

This morning, we fueled up and left Juneau. Ironically, Juneau had the cheapest fuel so far this trip. I paid $2.27 for diesel…not bad, especially compared to last year. I was glad to get out of town. I so much prefer a cove alone somewhere on the hook. It’s hard to remember what day it is. It sure doesn’t feel like Independence Day with this cool weather. However, today is sunny and I actually put on shorts (with my sweatshirt.)

I told the family that this afternoon we would see whales. Our destination was the entrance to Glacier Bay, an 87 mile run. We had smooth water for the first half of the trip, when we stopped to watch some whales. What a treat. We must have seen about 50 of them. A rare sight, we even got to see them bubble feed time after time. (Bubble feeding is when the whales go down deep, swim in a circle while they exhale corralling the little fish and then swimming up through the middle of them with their mouths wide open catching them all.) It seemed like we stopped every half an hour to watch whales.

The wind was kicking up a bit so we needed to keep going. Once we got closer to Glacier Bay entrance, we stopped to do some salmon fishing. I caught a little guy but threw him back. While we were fishing, another 25 whales or so came along and fished with us. They got so close, that when they blew, we all thought someone on board farted…it was “whale halitosis!” Cody and mom estimated that they were about 30-50 feet away from us. We could hear them make their snorts and smell their bad breath! We also saw dolphins, eagles, and sea lions munching on salmon. I got some great video! Just before we reached our anchorage, we decided to fish for some halibut. 16 minutes later, Val caught another 49 lb. halibut! Can you believe it? I knew there was a reason I took her with! (She told me to write that!) She is a fish magnet! (Although, I rig everything, help pull it up, gaff it, clean it, package it, and eat it!) We got to our anchorage about 7:30, cleaned the big fish, vacuum packaged him, made crab and steaks, and ate till we couldn’t stand it anymore. It’s still light at 10:40 and everyone is still rarin’ to go! Poker time! See ya later!

June 29-July 1, Ford's Terror to Juneau...On Ice!

2009-07-01T13:10:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 1, 2009, Juneau -

Yesterday, we woke up in beautiful Ford's Terror. Our anchor held fast and we enjoyed a good night's rest. We needed to be through the narrow entrance at high slack tide so, the routine started a bit earlier than normal. Connor dinghied the dogs to shore while I stowed the anchor. Shortly after Connor stowed the dinghy, I noticed a large grizzly bear pretty close to where he had attempted to land! We all watched him meander the beach looking for food, or dogs, not sure which. Fortunately, Connor ran into shallow water and had to land in a different spot. I was glad to see our first grizzly and thankful that Connor and the dogs were not in Mr. Bear's way.

This place is so beautiful but I'm really nervous about getting out on slack current. Just as we started cruising for the entrance, I noticed a Grand Banks coming in so I hailed him on the radio. He suggested waiting a few more minutes...he thought the current was still flooding about 4 knots. He warned there were two large ice bergs in the entrance. We enjoyed our slow cruise through the canyons arriving at nearly a perfect slack. We motored through just fine and dodged the big ice bergs and rocks. I love this place but this entrance freaks me out! I'm a nervous wreck! As we cruised, Val mad some toasted bagels with cream cheese and smoked salmon...that settled me.

We dodged ice for about 30 minutes before we could go fast again. We headed out of Endicott Arm, which we shared with two large Royal Caribbean ships and headed for Tracy Arm, home of the Sawyer Glacier. It's about a 20 mile run each way. The water is mostly ice free with only occasional large ice bergs to avoid. At about 15 miles in, the ice flow got pretty intense. We really had to slow it down. The ice is so clear and so dense. I don't worry about the hull but I DO NOT want to ding a prop out here...this is no-man's land!

About 2 miles away from Sawyer Glacier, the ice flow got really, really intense. I started the kicker engine, shut down the big engine and motored a bit further. It made me really nervous having the boat lunge up and down off the ice. Fortunately, the prop was well protected.

Tanner went crazy. He wanted to play with the seals and thought the ice bouncing in the water was some kind of toy. In the water he went! I half expected him to freeze up and sink but no, he wanted to play. We were in the dinghy and he wanted to chase us. Cody called him and called him. He did not want to come in. This dog is crazy! He must be able to tolerate the ice cold water, since we castrated him!?!? (Haha) We were the only boat around so when I heard another engine running, it startled me. Lo and behold, here came a small tour boat from Juneau pushing in pretty fast along the far shore line. I glassed him and found he was running in a pretty ice free path in the lee of the ice flow. We worked our way through the ice pack with the kicker engine until we found his path. I started the main engine and we motored right up to the face of the glacier!

Oh, my goodness! This is incredible! I wish there was a way to measure how high it was. We all guessed about 10-12 stories tall, but who knows? I shut the engine off for a few minutes, which I usually never do...I always keep the main engine or the kicker engine running at all times. We wanted to hear the ice popping and cracking. There were hundreds seals and seal pups lounging around on the ice bergs. So cool. As we all were experiencing sensory overload, we heard this massive thunder. We turned to the face to see a huge, massive calving occur. It went on and on. Ice bergs, the size of our house, several of them, broke off the face of the glacier, almost in slow motion, so it seemed. We couldn't believe the miracle we were experiencing. The thunder continued echoing through the valley. I caught most of it on video tape!

I had heard that some calving can cause 25' waves. I jumped in the cabin, started the main engine and pointed the bow forward, not knowing what to expect. Well, the worst it got was a couple of big swells, no big deal. I did notice the ice pack was advancing quite rapidly. We spent a few more minutes there getting pictures and taking it all in. When the tour boat started to leave, I hailed him on the radio and asked if I could "draft in" behind him. He told me to tuck in real close as the ice tends to close in quick in his wake. As we started to leave the ice was advancing very, very quickly. I wanted to stay to take in more, but it really made me nervous. It was really nice having the tour boat to follow. He plowed the ice and we got out of there in about 1/5 the time it took to pick our way in.

Everyone rated this the best experience of the trip so far. I was so grateful that we didn't ding a prop and that we could all experience this. We praised God in prayer and then put some Chris Tomlin worship music on the stereo as we cruised through this amazing canyon. Thank you, Lord, for your wonderful creation here.

We left Tracy Arm mid-afternoon and had a smooth 50 mile ride all the way into Juneau arriving about 5PM. We picked up a slip and went out for dinner. I'm glad to have e-mails again but I really would rather be in the wilderness than in town.

Today, I'm doing some business, the boys are cleaning the boat, Val is doing the laundry. We had our mail forwarded to Juneau so I suppose this afternoon, we'll be paying bills and doing that kind of stuff.

We're right on track for our Glacier Bay permit reservation on Saturday, assuming good weather. We wear our rain jackets and sweatshirts all the time. We miss the warmth and the sun but wouldn't have traded our experience yesterday for a summer full of it.

Blessings to you all. Send notes...I appreciate hearing from you.

June 26-29, Thomas Bay (North of Petersburg) to Ford's Terror (Endicott Arm)

2009-06-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

Saturday Morning, June 27, 2009, Thomas Bay –

Last night after we left Petersburg, we headed north through Frederick Sound. Wow! It is so gorgeous here! Laconte Glacier looms large over our starboard side. We could see icebergs through the binoculars; we were hoping to get closer but we needed to find an anchorage before dark, especially with the big blow expected. We pulled into Thomas Bay and checked out the Forrest Service cabin that Val’s dad and I stayed at a number of years ago. It is right next to Cascade Creek, which is significant and drops a beautiful waterfall right into the bay.

Just around a point to the south, in the protection of Spray Island, we found a beautiful, little protected cove and set the hook in about 70’ of water at high tide. The tide tonight is a 20’ swing from high to low! I could easily get out 225’ of rode with ample swinging room, keeping us out of the rocks at low tide. For extra assurance, I clipped a 12# downrigger ball onto the anchor rope and let it slide down until it hit the last 50’ of chain. That extra weight should take away any shock of waves up top and give a nice flat pull on the anchor. A curious seal watched the whole ordeal; perhaps, he thought I was invading his space. While quite confident in my ground tackle, I never sleep quite as good while on the hook but I’d much rather be in this gorgeous wilderness than in a marina. Our view is of high, glacier-topped mountains all around with the sound of rushing water dropping into the bay.

Having established our fluid campsite, Cody and I went to set the traps. I’ve been disappointed in the crabbing and shrimping here so far. We’ve had much more success back at Orcas or the Southern BC waters. Maybe, we’re not doing it right. The locals say that fishing has been slow too. They think the salmon may still be coming in and that it’s still plenty early. I hope so. Although we haven’t fished a lot, I was hoping for more. My lovely bride shipped every single package of halibut home leaving us no fresh fish to eat! I really love her. She must have confidence in our fishing ability. I think that means I better go fishing, right? We’ve been busy though, cruising, navigating, fixing, adjusting, pulling hooks out of dogs, cleaning, etc; life on a boat is hard work, no, strike that, fun. Serious fishing is yet to come.

This morning, we all slept in. In fact, its 9:30 and I’m the only one up yet! It’s pouring rain. Today, there’s no let up, no little rays of sun. I was hoping to take the family up the Cascade Creek hiking trail, but Val’s dad and I did it years ago in the rain and it was so stinkin’ slippery, I fell down half a dozen times. So, for now, I’ve got the furnace cranked up, two dog snuggled by my feet, enjoying my morning tea, praising God for this beautiful place, for a safe night on the hook, and for the ability to do this all. I’m so thankful that, if the big blow is happening out there, that we’re much protected in our little mountain-surrounded cove. Lord, is it too much to ask for some shrimp and crab today?

Sunday Morning, June 28, 2009, Thomas Bay –

Wow, did we sleep good last night! Even though we’re still on the hook, I don’t think I woke up once or moved a muscle all night. We were exhausted after our day yesterday….and a great day it was.

Well, the Lord answered my prayer…we now have one barely legal crab and two shrimp to share between the four of us. I think I need to pray for more today. God has blessed us so richly here with the beauty of His majestic creation. I just cannot take it all in.

After pulling the pots with our less than bounteous catch, I came back to the boat and made the family pancakes. It was raining pretty hard but the boys wanted to do the Cascade Creek hike anyway. Val decided to stay back and cozy up in the boat for the afternoon. I warned the boys it was going to be an adventure filled with fun and beauty but would also be cold, wet, muddy, and that, as with most adventures, brings trials. The rules are: no complaining or whining! Armed with our pepper spray, we set off.

Our first stop was the little Forrest Service cabin right in the next cove. Cody actually found the guest log entry Val’s dad and I made…it was August of ’03. We read that we caught salmon, halibut, mussels, and other fish we didn’t know but were tasty. So, there is hope! We also read that it took us 5.5 hours to make the hike round trip. At least the boys know what they’re in for.

Cody decided to take the dogs and hike the beach to the creek trail. Connor and I took the dinghy alongside. As we were all progressing, I saw Cody come running towards the dinghy and hear the dogs yelping, half like they’re on a chase and half like they’re being chased! First thought: BEAR! I went to the beach to pick up Cody and we all called the dogs. We heard thrashing around but no dogs. Finally, out comes Lucky and it appears like she’s foaming at the mouth profusely. Upon closer inspection, her snout is covered in porcupine needles. I was relieved that it wasn’t more serious. Tanner hadn’t given up yet but the porcupine was punishing him hard. Finally, he came back to us but he looked like pin-cushion! He had about a hundred needles inside and around his mouth. He finally met his match! He patiently let me pull one out at a time. They were in his tongue, his palette, his lips everywhere! He looked like some kind of monster out of horror movie! He was gentle and only yelped on the tough ones. When I got the ones I could, he licked me and was very gracious with his gratitude. Thankfully, I brought antibiotics for the dogs, which they are now on for the next week, while the rest of the needle remnants work their way out.

We all had a good laugh and continued up to the trail…this time, all of us were in the dinghy. It was low tide so we tied all the ropes we had onboard together and then threw the anchor up on the beach as far as we could, knowing that our dinghy would be floating when we got back. Our hike up the rushing river was so incredibly beautiful. What looked like a little creek dropping into the bay was actually quite a large river with thousands of feet of elevation drop. It was a wild river/falls and made a thunderous roar as we hiked; even the ground rumbled under our feet. We couldn’t tell if all the water hitting us was rain or the mist blowing off the falls. We all praised God for the beautiful gift He’d given us to enjoy.

My memory served us right. It was slimy and slippery and we all fell down numerous times. The old saying is true, “Pride comes before the fall.” Connor was bragging about how stable he was, mocking Cody and I for our lack thereof. The words weren’t even out of his mouth before he tumbled down like a bowling pin. We all busted out laughing, especially Connor. All in good fun, of course. We scratched our way up, often times on all fours, and slid our way down on our butts. It was an exhausting and exhilarating climb. Even though a couple of the log bridges across the cervices had broken, we picked our way up and down and worked as a team lending a hand or pulling up the dogs. It was a great bonding time with the boys and we all had a great time.

At the top, (at least where we stopped) there was a beautiful alpine lake with snow covered mountains all around and a massive waterfall on the far end. The Forrest Service had a duck boat there so we rowed across the lake right up into the mist of the falls. I cannot describe to you how amazing this site was. The water was so clear. Ice lay around the shore and in the rocks. We stood by the falls while Connor thanked God for this day.

About six hours of hard hiking and rowing, we made it back to the beach. Our dinghy was WAY OUT in the bay and the anchor was further out in the water than any of us expected. Now what? Connor, looking like a drowned rat already, graciously volunteered to strip down and go after it, until his big toe hit the water! “I can’t feel my feet,” he shrieked. Cody went in search of a long stick or branch. I threw rocks at the dinghy rope hoping Tanner would understand and go fetch it up. He loved the game but didn’t quite get the concept. The cold didn’t seem to bother him. If only he could understand me. We finally found a long stick and Connor “harpooned” it under the anchor rode and Tanner fetched up the far end and the rope along with it! Sweet victory!

The dinghy ride back to the boat was freezing cold, especially for Connor. We all stripped on the back deck. Thankfully, mom had the furnace cranked up to 75 degrees. We all took turns in the warm shower (although with only an 80 gallon tank, they have to be “sailor showers”) and then snarfed down anything edible that didn’t take more than a minute or two to prepare! What a great adventure it was.

Warm and full and getting awfully sleepy, the boys convinced us to have our devotions and poker game in the Forrest Service cabin. I grabbed the lantern and we dinghied over. This cabin reminds me of the one described in the book, “The Shack.” We got there, built a raging fire in the stove, and spent some time in family devotions, before the nightly poker game. Connor went all in and all out almost immediately so he got put in charge of firewood duty. I couldn’t keep my eyes open any longer so I went all in and all out almost as quickly. The cabin quickly warmed up to what felt like 90 degrees so Connor and I jumped in the dinghy, flew back to the boat, loaded up all the wet dirty clothes from the hike, and got them hung up in that nice, warm cabin overnight. Turns out, Cody won the poker game again. So, for the summer, Cody is still number one, followed by me, then mom, then Connor, but it’s still anybody’s game. That brings me to this morning. Everyone is still sleeping; even the dogs can’t get up. I’m going to go pull the traps and see if there’s something for dinner tonight! Monday Morning, June 29, 2009, Thomas Bay –

Today is a cruising day so everyone is up and at it! Cody pulls the traps, Connor stows the dinghy, mom cleans and packs, Dad prepares navigation and anchor stowage.

Yesterday, I pulled the crab trap and had two more males! Val and I took the dinghy fishing but didn’t have any luck so we went exploring. We drove up to Baird Glacier in Thomas Bay. We saw many whales and seals. It was beautiful but very cold!

After we got back, very chilled, we went to The Shack, stoked the fire, and warmed up a bit. The boys were busy on the boat doing their school and reading. We all loaded up the dinghy and headed back to The Shack for our nightly routine: devotions, dinner, and poker. I fried up some chicken, while the boys chopped some wood. We all love that little shack. Val won the poker game.

All in all, it was another great day in this beautiful land. I gotta go…the boys are done with their work and it’s time to pull the anchor. Have a great day!

Monday Evening, June 29, 2009, Ford’s Terror –

We all hated to leave our little anchorage in Thomas Bay…with the beauty and The Shack, our three nights there seemed way to short, but we’ve got our permit in Glacier Bay on July 4th so we need to keep moving. I can’t believe there would be a more beautiful anchorage but we just found one! We are in Ford’s Terror in Endicott Arm. We travelled about 75 miles today, stopping to Halibut Fish and Salmon Fish…no luck! Thankfully, Cody pulled up two more crab and nine more nice shrimp this morning. I must say that I thought we’d have more fish in the cooler by now. Maybe God is saving the best for later?!?

We saw a lot of humpback whales today, mostly at a distance but we did see some close ups but not close enough or long enough to photograph. It’s easy to see their blows from about a mile away. They are amazing creatures. We also saw a lot of dolphins hunting…they just fly…they’re so amazingly fast. They remind me of a fast-paced hockey game.

It rains all the time, it seems. Today, we actually saw the sun for about half an hour and went from chilly to instantly hot…it was so wonderful. Around the glaciers, it gets really cold. Our diesel furnace works great and keeps everything nice and dry.

We picked our way through ice bergs to get here. Some of them were as big as a house! We loaded up our cooler with crystal clear glacier ice. After dodging ice bergs, we arrived at Ford’s Terror about an hour and a half before high tide slack. The entrance looked more like a white water rafting experience than a safe passage. So, we threw down the anchor and launched the dinghy to check it out. No way! We need to wait for slack tide. Val made some spaghetti and a salad and we stuffed our bellies and watched the entrance with binoculars. We saw ice bergs the size of our dinghy smash against the rocks. The force of the ice and the tides is pretty incredible. Finally, the slack tide let us through the narrow entrance. Although it was narrow, there are granite cliffs towering up into the clouds. It looks like a scene out of Lord of the Rings! We found our anchorage at the end of the fjord next to a waterfall and a glacier. This place is amazing! There’s not another soul around. It’s kind of eerie and spooky in a beautiful kind of way. Thank you, Lord, for this creation. Below is a picture of our anchorage.Well, it’s time for devotions and poker. I feel good about tonight…I can’t fish worth a darn, but my poker luck is about to change!

June 25-26, Ketchikan to Petersburg

2009-06-26T17:55:00.000-07:00

Petersburg, Alaska, Friday, June 26-

Yesterday, we left Ketchikan and bucked a pretty good chop up through Clarence Strait; nothing the boat couldn’t handle, but we were taking 3-4 footers right on the port beam. At times, we had to slow down to 10-12 knots but we slopped our way up safe and sound. We passed by Anan Creek but the salmon weren’t running…we were hoping to watch the bears gorge themselves. We tried to pick up an anchor in Berg Bay, but we couldn’t get it to set after several attempts. Berg Bay is gorgeous with beautiful snowy mountains all around. Disappointed, we headed for the next cove called Madan Bay, which was well protected and our anchor grabbed hard the first attempt. Below is a picture of our anchorage...

I set the crab and shrimp traps while Val grilled steaks. The dogs went to shore for some exercise and necessary duties. It was such a beautiful sunset with the snowy mountains, intermittent sun and showers. The beauty here is breath-taking and just makes me want to sing praises to the Creator. This morning, we woke up to warm sunshine, a rarity so far this trip. It seems it rains for 20 minutes, a few rays of sun and then clouds up again to start the cycle all over again. The highs have been close to 60 degrees generally; all in all, nice sweatshirt weather. I thought I’d be wearing more shorts. We’re all going to look pretty white at the end of summer!

This morning, we had a lovely, after checking the traps and coming up empty, except for some creapy looking yucky things (see picture,) we enjoyed a flat cruise to Wrangell, where we stopped to check out the town and for some fish and chips. The Stikine River delta turned the water muddy brown and it was almost like a line in the water. That was kind of freaky after driving through amazingly clean water. After lunch, we set sail for Petersburg, traversing the Wrangell Narrows. Then we took on some fuel and water in Petersburg, picked up some ice for the fish I hope to catch and Val got some groceries. We’re hoping to wait out a blow in Thomas Bay in Frederick Sound for a couple of days. I’m ready to get lazy, sleep in, go hiking, etc. Val’s Dad and I were here a number of years ago in 15’ Lund fishing boat, a harrowing experience to say the least. I feel a lot more comfortable in our “Dakota Roamer.”

So, we may not have an update for a couple more days again. Hoping this finds you all well. Send me an e-mail update with what’s new in your world!

Days 8 & 9 - Ketchikan

2009-06-24T17:14:00.000-07:00

A quick report...

Yesterday, I spent the day in my floating office all day doing business. We have good internet and U.S. cell service here so I made the most of it. Not a bad place to have an office. The boys and Mom checked out town, got the fish packed up, frozen, and shipped home, and picked up some things. We met another cruising family who has a boat just like ours called, "Living Water" so we hailed them on the radio, found out they were staying here in Ketchikan so we picked up a slip a few boats down. Rick, Tori, and their kids, Ellie, and Joel have a dog and love to boat and fish. We hit it off. They're also Christians and do evangelism basketball camps in the native villages. The boys stayed up late playing cards and eating fresh-baked cookies out of their oven. Mom and I enjoyed some peace and quiet!

Today, we fished for salmon in the morning. We caught two Kings but they were 24" instead of the required 28" so we threw them back. Later, we found out that this is a "terminal fishery," whatever that is, and we could have kept them! Rats.

The movie "Transformers" opens here tonight and the boys want to go. Can you believe it? Crazy! Val's doing laundry. I'm going fishing!

Ketchikan is nice but I'm anxious to get out of here and get into the wilderness in a quiet little cove again. I may not have internet again for a couple days but I'll update this again in Wrangell or St. Petersburg.

Day 7 - Prince Rupert to Ketchican...Just for the Halibut!

2009-06-22T22:51:00.000-07:00

What a great day this has been! We made it to Alaska! And we had an amazing time getting here. This morning, we left Prince Rupert about 7:30AM. A bit nervous about crossing Dixon Entrance, I wanted to beat the wind and the currents were favorable. We had a smooth crossing. I don' know why I get so nervous about these big waters. It was bout an 85 nautical mile run so we stopped after crossing Dixon Entrance for a little break. We threw down the anchor and decided to try or some Halibut. We don't really know what we're doing when it comes to fishing up here but we talk to folks who seem to for tips, locations, etc. It has been a blast trying to figure out how to do it on our own. Well, do it we did! Within about 15 minutes, Val set the hook and the battle was on. She couldn't even crank it in...the boys had to take turns reeling it in. It takes a while to crank those feisty fighters up from 150 feet. But, after about 10 minutes of battling, there it was. I gaffed it and let it buck until it finally settled down. Val wanted to weight it but it was too squirlly so we threw it in the fish hold and threw the door shut on it while it took out it's rage on the boat. When it finally settled down, it weighed in at 41 pounds!! What a blast. Then it was Cody's turn. About five minutes after Val's fish, he pulled in a ten pounder. I was really glad he caught one but we all decided it was too small and let it go. Within a few minutes, Connor pulled up about a 15 pounder, which gave him quite a work out! "Insane, insane," he kept saying. This was both boys first halibut.It couldn't have been more than 45 minutes later and Val goes and hooks Moby Dick. She screamed for help and we all had to give her a break from the battle. I must admit, it was a tough pull. When we'd get it up a couple feet it would make a run back down. This was a BIG fish! The battle went on for about 20 minutes before we saw it. It was 5' long! I tried to gaff hook it but the moment the gaff went into his flesh, he fought and twisted and about ripped my arm off. I had the gaff chord around my wrist and I thought he was going to break my arm or pull me in so I tried to get the chord off. Thankfully, I did but one more wild twist by the beast and gaff hook went flying out in the ocean and Moby headed straight for the bottom again. Now what? How re we going to land this thing? We all took turns pulling and cranking but the second time he came up easier. I took the boat hook (used to catch docks and push off pilings, etc.) and tried to stick a rope on the end thinking I could shove it down his mouth and through his gills and then cleat him to the boat. He didn't like that idea very well. We tried for 6 times to get that boat hook into him but each time he thrashed and twisted and down he'd go again, but each time coming up quicker and easier. Tow eyelets snapped off the fishing pole and I was expecting the line to bust at any moment. Val kept the line taught and Cody helped guide that big mouth right to the top. Finally, I gave up on the rope idea and rammed the boat hook as hard as I could right down his throat....it sunk about 2 feet into him it seems. I gave it a twist, rather, he did it for me and he was mine! Cody and I had all we could do to lift him into the boat. Hugs and high fives around! What an adrenaline rush! This was by far the biggest fish any of us had ever caught and nearly ever seen!About an hour later, we arrive in Ketchikan and took up a slip right beside all the big cruise ships. Town is crazy busy with tourists. We got a wheelbarrow and tried to offload the fish. It took Cody and I three heaves to get it out of the boat and into the wheelbarrow. Turns out, it weighed 109 lbs! So, the next four hours we spent cleaning the bloody boat, butchering fish, and vacuum packaging it using Val's little Food Saver machine. The back deck of my boat turned into a little food packaging operation. While Cody and I were tending to all that, Val and Connor took the little dinghy up the bay to the big Safeway store and bought some dry ice. So, we'll bring the fish, you bring the Chardonnay! That was our day. Oh, yeah, we saw more humpbacks today too. God is so good and has blessed us with so much beauty and adventure while keeping us safe, happy, and comfy. Thank you all for yor notes and prayers. We love to hear from you. I think we'll stay here for a couple of days. It's supposed to blow and I've got some business to tend to. So, call or e-mail...our phones work here great and I get WiFi right on the boat. I like this office! Blessings, all.

Days 5 & 6- Shearwater to Prince Rupert

2009-06-21T18:45:00.001-07:00

Sunday Morning, 8:15AM, Outer Cove (Near the Southern entrance to Grenville Channel)- Everyone is still sleeping…it’s so easy to stay up late here as it doesn’t get dark until 11PM or so. Last night, Connor was flying around with the dinghy at 11 when we called him in; it was still that bright. As hard as we try to get to bed on time, we just don’t want our days to end. Ok, now let’s back up to where I left off. We were hoping to cruise awhile after we got our supplies at Bella Bella/Shearwater but that wasn’t the case. We’d been having a few problems with our 110 electrical system…seems like circuits would blow with very little load on them. Val couldn’t even run the microwave or blow dry her hair. At first I thought it was a generator issue but it happened again when we tested it on shore power at the Shearwater dock. It was Friday night, the dealer was closed so I couldn’t call them for advice, but, low and behold, as I am giving up in frustration and leaving the dock to find my family, I ran across Jeff Chernove, captain of the 37’ Nordic Tug, Seabear. Turns out Jeff specializes in electrical/battery systems. After a couple of hours of tracing wires and telling big boating stories we (he) found the problem. A voltage sensor regulator thingymabob had to be reset and, viola, everything worked great! Thanks, Jeff. Now, my wife can be gorgeous and cooking all at the same time! While I was having my own technical challenges Val was having hers. She had put a load of wash in at the laundrymat, the washer door locked, and it never finished…on and on it went…washing and washing. She tracked down the manager who had to do some serious beating to convince the machine to give up it’s hostages, which it finally did, gushing all of its water over the floor. At any rate, with all of that, we just decided to stay at the Shearwater docks for the night. It’s a neat place with a nice grocery store, marine store, and internet, yee ha! We ate off the boat at a lovely restaurant with a beautiful view. The folks are very friendly here. Yesterday morning, Saturday, we did our normal routing…get the dogs to shore, clean the boat, have breakfast, do devotions, and go cruising! We decided to put in a pretty good size cruising day as the waters were glassy flat. We left the dock about 10:30, cruised for an hour, took up a lovely little lunch hook and then cruised most of the afternoon. It was a gorgeous run. The topography has certainly gotten much more rugged. We’re seeing snow in the mountains and waterfalls coming down everywhere. The waters are very deep right up to the shore. In fact, we stopped our boat about 5’ from the edge of a waterfall and the sounder read 300’ deep. Pretty neat sight, both up and down. At any rate, we ran about 100 miles yesterday. We got settled in our anchorage about 6:30 or so. As we entered the entrance of Grenville Channel, we saw two huge cruise ships. We sailed right beside one of them for about 15 minutes…we both cruise at the same speed…about 22-24 knots.

Before we found our little cove to anchor in for the night, we set out our shrimp and crab pots. We ended up in a little quite nookie called Outer Cove. After we got settled, Val prepared a lovely dinner of Cod fish and fresh caught Dungeness Crab, the first of the season. It was soooo good!

Cody set off in the dinghy to catch some more fish. Connor washed the back deck. Tanner went for about a 45 minute swim trying to catch all the little minnows that were jumping everywhere. Seals poked their heads up to watch us and him. It is so gorgeous here. I could stay for a few days right here.

While Cody came back fishless, he did come with pictures of a bear he watched for about 10 minutes, the first bear sighting of the trip. We settled into our nightly poker game, which I finally won one! Just as we were ready to pack it in for the night Connor spotted two bear that came to edge of the water beside our boat. That was neat!

This was one of my favorite days. The water was so calm, the beauty so magnificent. Val gave me a little note in a gift for Fathers Day that goes like this…

“This is my Father’s world, And to my listening ears All nature sings and round me rings The music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world. I rest me in the thought Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas; His hands the wonders wrought.
Bless our trip, oh Lord, we pray. Keep us safe both night and day. In all we see and all we do, May we praise and worship You.”

Thank you, Lord, for making that so easy to do!

Well, the family is up and at it and we’re heading for Prince Rupert today, so, that’s it for now.

Sunday Night, 6:30PM, Prince Rupert Yacht Club.

Happy Fathers Day! We had another good day of cruising up Grenville Channel. It was gorgeous. Some sun, some clouds, no rain! Here, at Prince Rupert, we’re enjoying 70 degrees and sun. Yee ha!

This morning, at breakfast, another bear came near the boat to check us out. That was pretty neat. Then we set sail, pulled in the crab and shrimp traps. The crab trap was stripped of it’s bait but no crab. I’d like to know how that happened; nothing in the shrimp trap. Rats!

We really got going about 11AM and ended up in Prince Rupert about 3:00PM or so. I took on a bit more fuel for our crossing of Dixon Entrance tomorrow. It’s supposed to blow hard on Tuesday and Wednesday so we decided to keep pushing for Ketchikan before it gets nasty, especially in Dixon Entrance. So, Lord willing, we’ll be in Alaska tomorrow night.

The boat is running great, everyone is getting along, but I’m ready to slow down, do some sight seeing and serious fishing.

Hoping this finds you all well.

Days 3 & 4 - God's Pocket to Shearwater

2009-06-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

After taking on fuel and water in Port McNeill Wednesday afternoon, we cruised another hour or so to God’s Pocket, a safe anchorage and jumping off point before crossing Queen Charlotte Sound. Right before we got to God’s Pocket, Val spotted our first humpback whale of the trip! Bill, the owner of God’s Pocket Resort greeted us as we motored up to the dock. Bill and his family were so warm and welcoming; we decided to spend the night tied up to their dock. They were between groups so we had the whole place to ourselves. They love dogs and treated Tanner and Lucky like spoiled kids, which they really are. They recently had to put down their lab, Lewis, so they really loved on the pups. Tanner put on his cliff jumping show and Scooby snack nose tricks for them. We used their shower, grilled some steaks, and played poker. Connor won! Every night, all summer long, we play a family game (I know, poker probably isn’t the best family game, but we love it) and the winner gets one point, the loser 4 points. Cody is ahead for the summer, but it’s still early in the season. Val won the last two summers but the boys are bound and determined to de-throne her. Bill gave me some great tips and advice for crossing Queen Charlotte Sound. Thursday, Val and I got up at 5AM, checked the weather, and set sail. We made it out of the cove and ran smack into a fog bank. Five minutes later, we’re tied up at the dock and back in bed. At 7:30, the fog had lifted so we made another attempt. This time, the fog was just above the boat and the seas were glass-flat…another eerie, beautiful cruise. We got to Fury Cove (which we now call Furry Cove because of all the hair our dogs are shedding; we have the furriest boat in the Pacific Northwest) about 10AM or so. Val cooked a big breakfast: eggs, bacon, and pancakes…oh, so good on a boat! It is so beautiful here and we are the only boat in the cove. Nice. The sun broke out and we went to explore the beautiful white shell beaches, which look more like the Caribbean, than British Columbia (at least until you put your big toe into the water!) Five other boats found our little spot, which, evidently, is a popular resting place for those crossing the sound. Every boat came with at least one dog and the beach soon became a playground filled with lots of fetching, wrestling, barking, laughter, and of course, big fish stories. Cody worked on his home schooling. Val was cooking some exotic seafood recipe. Connor and I went fishing and put out the crab pot. We had a blast and caught one fish after another, albeit they were small. We came back with four keepers and were out there about an hour, which is a pretty good attention span for Connor. It was a great day. Here in Furry Cove, on day 3, our trip odometer says we are 297 nautical miles from Orcas Island. (For you land-lubbers, you can add 15% for statue miles.) With full fuel, water, and all Val’s cookbooks, we’re only getting a cruising speed of about 22 knots, down from 25. Couple that with fog, we’re spending more time cruising and less time exploring than I hope, but we had three great days, made three great crossings and now we can slow our pace a bit. We’re ready for that! Thank you, Lord, for a great trip so far! I wrote the above last night...this morning, after pulling two crabs out of the trap, we sailed up Fitz Hugh Sound, cut through Gun Boat Pass and are doing some provisioning and communications it Shearwater Marine Resort before sailing again for a while. All is well in our world; how about yours?

Day 2-Campbell River To Who Knows Where

2009-06-17T15:27:00.000-07:00

This morning, we got to the fuel dock at 7AM, took on enough fuel for the next planned run plus margin and left for the Seymor Narrows slack tide at 7:30. The water was glassy smooth and the clouds were breaking up. Looked like it was going to be a great day.

Only about half an hour into the trip, we hit a solid bank of fog. (See picture.) We ran at a painful 8 knots using radar and GPS and ears attuned for anything that would run over us. The Garmin performed great! Sipped tea, and kept eyes on radar and out the window into the grey. As the current kicked up, our speed dropped and I burned too much fuel to run off plane so we picked up an anchor while we waited for the fog to burn off. God blessed us with amazing scenery as first the mountains became available and then the fog and cloud layers peeled away revealing a dead calm, flat Johnstone Strait.

While we were waiting for the fog to lift, we fished for a few minutes and caught 3 fish... Connor's was the biggest but it was not a legal fish (the Ling Cod was too small) so we had to throw it back. After dislodging a treble hook from Tanner's lower lip, we lifted anchor and ran fast again for most of the way to Port McNeill, which is getting near the north end of Vancouver Island.

At Port McNeill, we filled the fuel and water tanks, checked e-mails, and bought some groceries. From here, we're going to cruise a bit further this afternoon before taking up an anchorage somewhere this evening. We're praising God for taking us through the fog safely and for flat water. Tomorrow, we hope to cross Cape Caution, leaving at first light. We've never been this far North before. The winds are supposed to be quiet early kicking up later in the morning. Pray for a smooth crossing.

I'm not sure what lies ahead as far as internet connection so it might be a few days before I update this blog. Blessings to all.

And We're Off! (But Just Barely...)

2009-06-16T22:14:00.000-07:00

Well, an adventurous day it was! Last night, we prayed for 1) safe weather, 2) not hitting any logs or rocks, 3) that everything would work properly, 4) that we would all get along. Well, tonight, we're all safe and sound tucked into a Discovery Harbor Marina in Campbell River, BC but not without a fun-filled and adventurous 24 hours. Last night, the last thing on my punch list was to replace the fuel filters. This was a first for me. I probably should have done it earlier but I wanted to burn through the fuel that sat in the tank over the winter and then start with fresh fuel and fresh filters. I bled the engine to get rid of any air bubbles but the pump bleeder thingymabob (technical term) didn't seem to be working right. I worked on it for about a couple hours and ended up going to bed frustrated and with an engine that wouldn't run! I always wonder what would happen if I was completely in the middle of nowhere and something like this happened. I can usually get things up and running but this one baffled me. So, first thing this morning, I called the mechanic. He told me that on new engines, you've got to beat the check valve loose (kinda like getting the paint ball marble loose when you buy a new paint can.) Sure enough....3 minutes later, the diesel engine was purring like a kitten. Whew! So, did God answer our prayer...yes, we didn't get stranded. Thankfully, it happened at our dock and I could get a hold of the mechanic. So, at 10AM, we loaded the boat and set sail about an hour later. We made the 60 mile run through the gulf islands of BC and cleared customs at Nanaimo. At about 1:30 we sat down for a late lunch of clam chowder, fish, and chips! Life at sea is good. Can't wait to catch our own. We messed around in Nanaimo and didn't head out until about 3:30. We were well aware of a military practice zone called Whiskey Golf north of Nanaimo so we checked the radio to see if it was active. Both Val and I heard that it was active until 200. So, we take the shortcut through it. At the very moment Val asked why there were no other boats in sight, I commented that there was a war ship coming at us and a small boat rapidly approaching! Lights flashing, we pulled over realizing something was wrong and it was probably our fault! I think the 200 we heard on the radio was not 2 o'clock but was 2000 military time or 8PM. Yikes. The folks at Winchelsea Control guided me out of the warship's path pronto and out of the zone! What a stupid mistake on my part! I guess, I need to pray not only that we won't hit anything but that nothing would hit (or fire upon) us!! We all had a good laugh except Cody, who slept through the whole thing! (See the war ship below and it's ranger chase boat.) Yesterday, we saw our first real clouds since we got to WA. Today, at lunch, it started to rain and it's been raining ever since. The locals said they haven't seen rain in many weeks. Oh well, let's get it over with now and pray for sunshine! So, here we are in Campbell River, 137 nautical miles from Orcas Island....a good day and ahead of schedule. If anyone knows of a kind of "mapquest" picture to show you our progress, send me a link or something. I've tried taking pictures of a map but that doesn't work very well. Seymor Rapids is quite an interesting passage. We'll time our passing at slack tomorrow morning. Then, it's Johnstone Strait, a notoriously windy passage. We'll go as far as we can...the winds are supposed to kick up early in the afternoon. So, we'll see.

Thanks for all the notes back. Some of you have said that you haven't been able to comment on the blog. I'll try to get that figured out but for now, it's bed time. Send me an e-mail, though!

Blessings, friends!

Pre Cruise Emotions

2009-06-13T14:52:00.000-07:00

Only a couple of days before we leave. I'm excited and scared! I think everything is almost ready. GPS-check. Backup GPS-check. Radio-check. Backup radio-check. A gadgillion charts-check. Flares-check. EPIRB-check. Extra parts for everything-check. What am I missing? The weather here on Orcas Island has been incredible....everyday, blue skies, sunny & warm, virtually no wind. WOW! I hope and pray we get nice weather like this on our trip! There are several big crossings that we'll absolutely need nice weather to make. I've allowed extra days for holding up to wait for weather breaks. Although weather is a concern, and a big one, I'm probably more nervous about hitting logs. At times of big tide swings (about 12-14' here and up to 20' further north) the logs are everywhere. We cruise at about 30 mph, which is pretty fast for a cruising boat, so it takes constant watching to avoid hitting all the junk in the water. Not that I worry much, but besides the threat of running into logs, I think a lot about the mechanics. Hopefully, everything will work right. The engine is all serviced and very reliable but one load of bad fuel can really wreak havoc on things. I've got a "kicker" 9.9 hp trolling motor that would keep us off the rocks but I'd FREAK out if I lost the main engine. There are a lot of systems to keep running: the engine, the kicker motor, the generator, the dinghy engine, the plumbing system and all it's pumps, the electrical systems and all it's switches, breakers, fuses, and a bunch of other stuff I have no clue about, the navigation systems. Then, there's fuel planning, which route to take, where to find safe anchorages, customs, etc. to think about and deal with. Am I ready? What am I missing? Can we do this? Will everyone get along? 4 people, two dogs, potential weeks of rain, yikes. That's what I love about life. Adventure! Let's go!

The Shakedown Cruise To Seattle

2009-06-07T16:52:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my blog. This first entry is a test run as this is my first blog experience ever. I wanted to share with my family and friends our journey to Alaska this summer. My family, which consists of my bride, Val, 2 boys, Cody-17 & Connor-12, and our 2 labs, Lucky and Tanner, will be attempting to motor from Orcas Island, WA to Glacier Bay, AK and back in about six weeks. The six of us will be stuffed into our 33' Ocean Sport Roamer, a 370hp single diesel cruiser. If all goes as planned, we'll be cruising nearly 3,000 miles (with side trips), taking many of the same passages as the cruise ships. I hope to share our experiences and photos every couple of days as we meander along and can pick up an internet signal. This is definately a new and BIG adventure for us South Dakota kids, so PRAY FOR US! Also, send us a note and let us know how you are doing and how your summer is going. So, for a little of the past (really, an attempt to figure out how this blogging thing really works)...

We arrived on Orcas Island on May 22. One of my first goals, was to get the boat launched. It takes a while to get the boat ready and moving around a 33' 17,000# boat on land is a lot more difficult than in the water! The boat seems so big on land but so small when everyone is on board and cruising through big water!

In less than 2 weeks, we'll be setting sail for Alaska and I want to make sure that the mothballs are out of the boat! Cody needed to go to Seattle to catch a plane on Sunday for a Summit Ministries Camp in Colorado, so we decided to take him in the boat, about an 80 mile run one way. That little shakedown cruise should reveal any system glitches from the winter and it gives us a great reason to go explore that area of Puget Sound.

On Friday, May 29, we made the 3 hour run from Orcas Island to Elliott Bay Marina. The weather was perfect. We timed the currents to run through Deception Pass, no problem. Elliott Bay Marina has very nice facilities and the views are great! (Click on the picture for a higher resosultion view.)

On Saturday, we toured Pike's Market, a classic Seattle tourist spot. Val and I really enjoyed it but Cody would rather be in the wilderness. Connor is just a happy-go-lucky, go-with-the-flo kinda guy. On Sunday, Cody took a taxi from the marina to catch his flight. Connor, Val, and I went to the Seattle Acquarium and the Space Needle. It was very nice but we're ready to get out of the city.

So, on Monday, we left Elliott Bay, sailing past downtown, on our way to Blake Island Marine Park, only about 10 miles away. It felt great to get out in the woods, let the dogs run, and get some "openness" again. We don't mind being in marinas with lots of other boaters....they're very friendly, for the most part, and always helpful; however, we'd rather be on the hook (anchor) in our little slice of a cove. So, we got our fix at Blake Island.

On Tuesday, we sailed for Port Orchard to check it out, had lunch there, and then sailed over to Bremerton, a big Navy base. Connor and I were excited to see an old Navy ship that we could explore. Val wanted to shop but the boys won out! Connor really enjoyed the ship and so did I. Mom still wanted to shop!

We left late afternoon for about an hour run up to Port Townsend, a favorite spot of ours. We went downtown for some dinner and shopping. Val is happy now!

Wednesday morning, Val was taking a shower and hose coupling let go so I spent an hour or so cleaning up water in the bilge and fixing the leak. (Part of working out the bugs...and pretty typical on a boat.) We sailed back to Orcas Islaand that afternoon. Crossing the Strait of Juan DeFuca can be horrid but today it was sunny, hot, and dead calm seas! I've had some crossing attempts fail and scared the heck out of me! Glad this one went well!

So, the shakedown cruise went well. We had a great time. I have a laundry list of items that need adjusting, fixing, cleaning, and just plain attention. But, I think we're ready for Alaska. Now, if I can just get this blogging thing figured out.