THURSDAY, 7/24/03: ON TO HINCHENBROOK ISLAND
    * Barometer 1011.5
    * Wind E to SE, 0-10
    * Rain & fog to showers to rain
    * 9-10^o C (48-50^o F)
    * Cell phone 1 +2 => 4 total
About 6 am it started to rain. I made sure the roof wasn't leaking on the bedding and went back to sleep. I talked to Frankie at 10 and then read until 1400. By then it had stopped raining so I got busy and, after determining I wouldn't be able to fix motor, permanently hotwired it so I could start it. I took a piece of heavy wire from the old motor (hope I don't regret cutting it off), and wired it directly to the starter. The other end I threaded through the cowling and up to the back of the boat, tying it in place. Now whenever I want to start the motor I just touch the end of the wire to the battery and Vroom! Photos four & five: mountains and valleys and fog in Land Locked Bay. Hoisted anchor at 1515 and headed for Hinchenbrook Island. There was marginally enough wind from marginally the right direction so I could use the jib going across Port Fidalgo. Unfortunately when I got near Goose Island it turned into a headwind so down it came. The rest of the trip there were either light winds or headwinds. About 1800, as I was approaching Hinchenbrook Island it began to rain again. As I got into Hinchenbrook entrance the swells picked up to 6 feet, and I had to slow down to keep the motor from overspeeding when it lifted out of the water. On top of that I was fighting a pretty good current, so it was 2310 by the time I dropped anchor in Garden Cove. When passing through the entrance to the arm that leads up to Garden Cove, I saw a sailboat anchored in a small alcove there. Kind of a nasty place to anchor; he was really rocking due to the swell from the gulf.

FRIDAY, 7/25/03: WAITING ON WEATHER
    * Barometer 1007.5
    * Wind E, 15 gusting to 25
    * Rain
    * 9-10^o C (48-50^o F)
    * Cell phone 6+2 => 12 total
Spent the day reading. Kept the propane going to heat the cabin…rather low, to keep the carbon monoxide down, but enough to get the temperature up to 60. During the day several light williwaws hit, concerning me about the possibility of dragging anchor. In the later afternoon I decided to do something about it, put on the survival suit (it was raining buckets), started the motor and motored up at about a 30 degree angle to the anchor and set a second anchor. I also stripped the deck of a lot of the stuff (like the jib) that was catching the wind. This all helped, but I was still veering around pretty badly. But with 2 anchors set I felt fairly safe. I read until late in the evening, well after dark, by using my flashlight.

SATURDAY, 7/26/03: STAYING PUT
    * Barometer 1005
    * Wind E, 15
    * Rain & fog
    * 9-10^o C (48-50^o F)
    * Cell phone 1+3 => 15 total
Another nasty day of wind and rain and fog. So I'm staying put. Pretty much a repeat of the previous day; reading, cleaned up in the evening. I ran the generator from 1900-2230, partly for the light and partly for the heat--my 1500 watt heater fortunately comes with two settings, a 600 (which the generator can run) and a 900 (which the generator can't). Unfortunately there seemed to be something wrong with the generator, and it really struggled with even the 600 watt setting. I had to turn the heater off on a regular basis. But at least I got some heat out of it.

SUNDAY, 7/27/03: INTO THE PACIFIC OCEAN!
    * Barometer 1007.5
    * Wind E, 5
    * Rain showers
    * 9-10^o C (48-50^oF)
    * Cell phone 1+2 => 18 total
I spent the morning doing those last minute chores I hadn't gotten around to, preparing the boat for the ocean. The weather looked good for the next 4 days, via the NOAA forecast. Frankie's weather report looked good too (she was emailing me weather from selected NOAA buoys, and giving me an idea of where the lows were so I could time my departure between them). I called her and told her I was off, and by 1045 I was--almost. The anchors were really deeply imbedded in the mud. I finally had to pull the danforth out by motoring ahead against it, essentially pulling it up with the motor. They both got mud on the deck *sigh*. It was a little after 11 by the time I left Garden Cove. I spent the first half an hour stowing the anchors, generator, etc. Off in the distance I saw a cruise ship exiting Prince William Sound--as I was soon to do myself. Photo six: Porpoises Rocks; #7 looking back at Garden Cove; #8 Hinchenbrook Entrance. At 1215 I entered Hinchenbrook Entrance (the sailboat I'd previously noted was gone), and had to slow down to 4 knots due to waves lifting the motor out of the water (they were 4 feet high, short and choppy). Photo 9 looking out into the North Pacific past Hinchenbrook. 1330 cleared Hinchenbrook Entrance, 67.5 miles to Kayak Island! Pretty slow going due to the confused (coming at me from several directions) 3' to 4' waves though. During the afternoon I'd opened up the hatch to the compartment below the steering, and the hatch cover hit directly on the thermometer which I'd taped to the aft cabin. Of course it broke it, so no more accurate temperatures. The wind came up some in the mid afternoon, so I put up the jib, which increased my speed to 5-6 knots and by 1800 I'd gone 20 miles in 5.5 hours. At 2030 I spotted Kayak Island through the mist, about 35 miles ahead. By 2100 the wind had died down to 5-10 and shifted to SSE (had gotten up to 10-20) so I had to take the sails down. 2230 E wind at 10 and it started to rain. By 2300 the waves were high enough so I had to slow the motor way down, and the wind was strong enough (15?) so I wasn't making any headway. So I laid the boat ahull and went to bed.

MONDAY, 7/28/03: BLOWN BACKWARDS!
    * Barometer 1008
    * Wind E, to 35
    * Pouring rain
    * Waves to 9'
    * Cell phone 21 => 39 total
By 3 am I had drifted significantly north toward shore so I started the motor and motored south. The wind continued to freshen until it was blowing 20 by 5 am. I decided not to fight it any more and turned downwind, toward Hinchenbrook Entrance. This proved an exciting ride, for the wind built up to as much as 35 and the waves to 10'. (Note: the Cordova buoy, about 50 miles from my position, reported sustained winds of 33 with gusts to 45.) It was pouring rain, which reduced the visibility down under half a mile, occasionally under a quarter mile…so navigation was strictly by GPS and compass. I continued downwind, with just enough power to the motor to give me good steerage. A few of the waves were steep enough so the boat began to surf down them, which was a lot of fun. I was wearing the survival suit, and so stayed plenty warm, but was not hungry because of the violent motion…I made myself eat small amounts on a regular basis anyhow (I wasn't seasick, just not hungry). By the time I'd gotten back to Hinchenbrook Entrance the wind was peaking. I could tell I was getting close to the entrance, because I picked up a second pattern of waves, probably reflecting off Hinchenbrook Island. When I got into the entrance it got really wild, for the tide was flowing out and it made the waves very short and steep. Still unable to see anything, so I continued to rely on the GPS for my location, which I put as the center of the entrance. I was pleased to observe another small sailboat not far off, for that gave me a little more confidence in my position--and a little while later the Statendam cruise ship had to alter course to go around me (I couldn't see it until too late). When I was even with Garden Cove at noon I turned NE. Or tried to. The engine just wasn't strong enough to fight the wind and waves. I put a serious effort into it, but it was no go. Shortly after that the engine twisted funny, and when I went to inspect it I found that whatever held the engine from pivoting had loosened. This made the engine useless, for when power was applied it just went sideways. About that time the rain lifted enough so I could see--right down onto Montague Island, 2 miles downwind. I quickly hoisted the storm jib and continued on up into Prince William Sound. Once clear of the traffic lane I took an hour nap and got something more to eat. I then studied the map to find a place I could get out of the wind, which wasn't blowing quite as hard--but still better than 20. Stockdale Harbor looked promising so I headed there. After some tinkering and looking in the owner's manual (which showed a lever for tightening the pivot--that didn't exist on my motor!) I finally tied a couple of ropes to it that prevented it from twisting. About the time I got it running I rounded the NE corner of Montague Island, and the wind dropped way down so I was glad I had figured out a solution. Stockdale Harbor turned out to be a bit of a pain to get into, for there were outlying rocks on the chart that didn't show above the water, so I had to go almost 2 miles out of the way to be sure to avoid them. I was a little concerned that the anchorage was exposed to the NW, but it was calm in the end of the bay where I dropped anchor at 2030. During this whole time I'd been talking to Frankie on a regular basis, reporting where I was and how I was making out. As a consequence we used more cell phone time than the whole rest of the time combined! In spite of that I wanted to chat a bit to help unwind, so I called her at 2100 and we talked for 10 minutes. About the price of eating out… I made a good dinner (canned stew) to offset all those calories burned but not replaced during the struggle with the wind and waves, made some quick notes in this log and went to bed.

TUESDAY, 7/29/03: INTO THE PACIFIC OCEAN--AGAIN!
    * Barometer 1012
    * Wind E-S, 0-10
    * Light showers
    * Waves to 6'
    * Cell phone 1 => 40 total
I slept in a bit and then spent an hour doing chores, working on the motor, etc. After I talked to Frankie at 11 I got under way by 1130. I transferred 40 gallons of fuel from the 55 gallon drum in the bilge to my 5 gallon cans, so I could easily use it. Photo 11: Hinchenbrook Entrance--from the west side! #12 of the NE end of Montague Island. I had been blown 30 miles up into Prince William Sound (for a total loss of 67 miles!), so it was 1700 by the time I cleared Hinchenbrook entrance again. Photo 18: Hinchenbrook Island. I was cruising between 4.5 and 5 knots, which was acceptable. At 2100 I saw some whales breaching far ahead, and not too long after that a tugboat came along towing a barge. He was the only ship I'd seen so I turned on the radio to see if he might want to say hello. I didn't call, just waited for him to call. Which he did. Turned out to be the Ocean Ranger, headed for Whittier. We chatted for just a few minutes and then signed off. At 2200 it started to rain again, and the wind picked up from the ESE at 9-10, reducing my speed to 3.9 knots. I kept pushing on…

WEDNESDAY, 7/30/03: KAYAK ISLAND
    * Barometer 1013.5
    * Wind S, 0-10
    * Rain-Sunny!
    * Waves to 4'
    * Cell phone 2 => 42 total
2400: rain. Ug. I pushed on. Eventually I sat at the navigator's table, just inside the cabin, with ropes to the steering wheel. With the compass just outside the door where I could see it easily (though I did have to 'charge' up the luminescent spots with the flashlight regularly), I could snooze for a few minutes at a time. Every 15 minutes or so I'd stick my head out into the wet and look around. About 0130 a fishing vessel passed me. Gosh they sure have bright lights! I could see him long before he came over the horizon. Half an hour later the motor started kicking out so I laid the boat ahull and went to bed. This time I am only 0.3 miles closer to Kayak Island than I was on Monday. I lay down for 6 hours, getting a certain amount of sleep but not as much as I would have liked. The motion and the noise (mast wires and other things that were banging around due to the rocking of the boat) tended to keep me awake. While I was sleeping--or trying to--I drifted 2.8 miles north. 0900 Land Ho! Kayak Island--again. Hope I make it around this time! There was a little bit of wind from the S and SW at 0-7 mph, so as it freshened I put the jib up--and as it faltered I took it down. Not sure how much it helped, but perhaps a little. By noon I was within 10 miles of Kayak Island, and my noon-noon distance was 87 miles. Photo 14-15 south end of Kayak Island. I rounded the Island at 1345, 265 miles to Cape Spencer! At 1500 I was getting pretty groggy, and there was a faint south wind so I put the jib up and lay down. By 1600 the wind had quit and I was just bobbing. I got up at 1630, having gotten a little bit of sleep, and some good rest. Still way behind though--not used to sleeping in a bed that bounces, shakes and rattles! Not to mention the waves slapping up against the boat (which makes a lot more racket than you'd think--especially with 3 hulls for them to slap!). Photo16: sunset behind Kayak Island. At 2230 the engine quit--I had forgotten to fill the tank. After refilling the tank I set the jib, hoping to take advantage of the 5 mph tailwind, lashed the wheel and went to bed.

THURSDAY, 7/31/03: CRUISING UNDER SAIL
    * Barometer 1008.5
    * Wind W, 10-12
    * Sunny!
    * Waves to 3'
    * Cell phone 4+1 => 47 total
By 0300 the wind had freshened to 10, and the boat was no longer taking care of herself so I took the sail down. First sail change at night! The weather was looking much better than earlier; there were even a few stars out. I went back for a couple more hours of sleep, and got up at 0530 to a perfect tailwind. I immediately set the jib. Only 226 miles to go to Cape Spencer! I was still pretty groggy so I went back to bed. The boat didn't point quite right (SSE instead of ESE), but at least I was moving. By 0830 when I got up (well rested for a change) we'd covered 5 miles so it was worth it. I set the mizzen, which didn't gain me very much, and the storm jib wing-in-wing with the jib. Which got the speed up to 4.2, which is pretty good with only 10 mph of wind (so apparent wind speed is under 6!). Lots of Fulmars (I think? Like a dark gull) and albatross around. Photos 17, 18, 19 & 20 albatross. Gosh both these birds are graceful. Especially the albatross. They glide and glide, often with less than an inch clearance between their wingtip and the wave. Never saw one make a mistake and dip a tip though. Landing was done with exquisite grace by the fulmars: they approach into the wind, slow down and then with several light flicks of the ends of their wings bring their speed down to zero and set down on the water. The albatross aren't quite so good, but they are still very graceful about landing. Taking off isn't as difficult as I had imagined it would be for a bird that size (the albatross had 5-6' wingspans!): they just head into the wind and run off the water with considerably more grace than a duck. I think it would make an interesting project to film albatross and study how they interact with the wind over the waves so they can fly so well--especially study how they can utilize the energy found in vertical eddies which allow them to go and go without flapping at all, just by soaring down below the wavetops! Noon--211 miles to Cape Spencer. 64 miles covered noon-noon (spent too much time sleeping last night!). At 1500 I decided to try for a nap anyhow. Unfortunately I was unable to balance the sails so it would self-steer. Everything I tried left it in irons. So I gave up on my nap. Photo 21- GPS. Later that day it turned bright and sunny so I set up the solar panels to recharge the old car battery, which is the one I use for the radio and the navigation lights. Photo 22: sunny sea. The wind started dying very slowly at 1500 and by 2200 my speed was down to 2.5 knots. I'd been drifting very slowly south of course over the day, which I didn't resist very hard since I wanted to get out of the shipping lanes. So when I was ready for bed I wouldn't have to worry so much about getting run down. Shortly after 2200 I took down the mizzen and storm jib, hanked in the jib tight and was still doing 1 knot so I set up the lights and went to bed--47 miles covered under sail (hadn't started the engine all day). What a great day--if this is what it is like to sail down the tradewinds I can't wait!

FRIDAY, 8/1/03: A GREAT AND LONELY OCEAN
    * Barometer 1006
    * Wind W, 6-7 * Sunny-cloudy
    * Waves to 3'
    * Cell phone 8 => 55 total
I couldn't sleep and couldn't sleep so at 0300 I move to the floor, which was a great deal more steady than the bunk (which went up and down a lot as the waves passed under the outrigger). I finally go some sleep, and slept in until 0800. Over the night we'd sailed 16 miles. In approximately the right direction; there is only 165 miles left to Cape Spencer (when I went to bed it was 179). This is half way! I got under way by 0830. There was still a west wind blowing, but it was so faint (5-7) that I was going nearly as fast as it most of the time. A pair of porpoises came by to check me out. They must have been the leaders of a few others, for 5 minutes later 4-5 more showed up. They played around the boat for an hour and a half, while I took a bunch of photos hoping a few will turn out (photos 23-24; and an entire roll of which shot #3, #8, #10, (11 & 16 only because it shows how close to the boat they were), #14, #20 and #24 are worth viewing). A little later I passed a tangle of fishnet and line: photo 1. At noon I was 145 miles from Cape Spencer, giving me a noon-noon distance of 66 miles. The wind was still steady from the west, and so faint as to be useless. I set up the solar panels and connected them to the battery, and then spent a couple of hours charging up the cell phone battery. Photo 2: charging the cell phone. Photo #3, #4, #5 albatross taking off. In the early afternoon I decided I was going to be lazy about transferring fuel; rather than pump it from the larger containers I'd connect two pieces of fuel line together and put the end directly into the 35 gallon drum. After 4 tries I gave up; either the fuel pump on the engine wasn't up to it or the hose-hose connection was leaking air. So I siphoned the gas into 5 gallon containers instead, and transferred the gas that way. About 1600 the wind dropped and shifted south. By 1900 it was only blowing about 4, but I could still use the sails with some effect. I celebrated being past half way by making a crude tuna fish casserole (from macaroni, cheese, tuna, and a can of mixed vegetables). It turned out quite good. I was hoping to arrive at Cross Sound (Cape Spencer) by dark the next night so I pushed on well after dark, getting to within 80 miles. While steering, I read by the light of the LED navigation light, pulling the battery/light setup back far enough so it shone on my book. At 2330 I shut off the motor and took down the mizzen, but left the jib up hoping to gain a few miles. .

SATURDAY, 8/2/03: I ARRIVE--WELL, SORT OF
    * Barometer 1005
    * Wind light and variable
    * Sunny-cloudy
    * Waves to 4'
    * Cell phone 6 => 61 total
At 1 am when I got up to check everything I found the jib moving me N towards the shipping lanes. So I doused it and went back to bed. It was another uncomfortable night, bouncing around, so I moved to the floor again which helped a lot. I got up at 7 and, intent on making landfall, I was under way by 0715. There was still a very light air from the south, so I put up the mizzen (there wasn't enough wind for the jib). Unfortunately by 0830 the wind had died and (even worse) by 0930 was blowing from the E at 5. Ever since the electrical failed on the motor the battery I'd been using to start it hadn't been charged. Since it was a nice sunny day I decided to hook up the solar panels and at least give it a little charge--though at 1.2 amps it would take a long, long time to fully charge a 105 amp-hour battery! But at least I'd give it a bit of a boost. Though it was still holding up very well; it started the motor very easily with no sign of voltage drop. My best noon-noon day: 94 miles. Only 51 miles left to Cape Spencer; hope I can make it by dark! Unfortunately by 1330 I decided it wasn't feasible--especially since it was 10 miles past Cape Spencer before I'd find a good place to anchor. A look at the map presented a solution: Graves Harbor, just up the coast from the cape, was about 3 miles closer. So I altered course to there. At 1345 I passed what may have been a weather buoy at 58^o 16.3 N and 137^o58.9W (I recorded the location so I can see if that really was one!) I thought it was a ship at first, or I would have gone over to check it out a little closer. I've seen them in photos, but it would be neat to take a look at one in person. Photo 6: fuel siphon/pump (100 squeezes/gallon! *almost* not worth it). 1530 Land Ho! Top of mountain 45^o to port. The Alaskan coastline is angling south to meet me. Still nothing dead ahead, and only 30 miles to go. There is too much haze. I took a photo of the mountain anyhow, though I've doubts it will show anything (it didn't). 1630--finally! Cape Spencer, 26 miles away. At 1700 the wind began to die away, and as it did my speed began creeping back up from 4.5 to 5. Photo 8: cruise ship that passed about 1830. Photo 9: charging the battery. At 1915 the Ocean Ranger passed again, this time on his way south! I spoke with him briefly, asked when he would arrive in Seattle (8/7), and he said we'd probably meet again. Photo 10: barge pulled by Ocean Ranger. Photo 11: Astrolobe Point. #12 setting sun. I got the anchor down at 2215. I cleaned up the boat a bit (mostly charts and stuff I'd been reading) and then made grilled cheese and onion sandwiches to celebrate arrival. My first ocean crossing! Not that it was that far; but a step in the right direction… I'd been using the anchor lamp to help light the cabin, so when I was done eating I shut off the propane and hung it out. This is a popular spot for fishermen; as I was headed to bed a second fishing boat arrived.

SUNDAY, 8/3/03: CAPE SPENCER AT LAST!
    * Barometer 1009
    * Wind calm
    * Sunny
    * Waves to 3'
    * Cell phone 2 => 63 total
I slept in, but did get up in time to get the last of the fuel transferred into 5 gallon cans (by pump this time) before calling Frankie at 10. There is 22 gallons of fuel left; enough to get to Hoonah with 7 gallons to spare--if I only get 4 mpg.  So I decided to skip the alternative fueling places. By 1015 I was under way, motoring out of Murphy Cove (on the south side of Graves Harbor) where I'd spent the night. Photo 13: Libby Island, at the entrance to Graves Harbor; #14: looking back at Murphy Cove #15 rocks by the entrance to Murphy Cove--stripped of their vegetation 30 feet up: it must really get pounded here in the winter! #16 Cape Spencer! #17: Hole in George Island. #18 Inian Island. Going up through south Inian Passage I got a tremendous boost from the tidal currents; the GPS said I was doing 9 knots for a little way! Photo 19, 20, 21, 22, 23 and (best) 24 whales. There were a lot of whales out in the first part of Icy Strait. I arrived at Gull Cove at 1435. There wasn't another good place to stop before Hoonah, and it was a little far to get there so I stopped. There were some cabins there, hope they don't mind sharing! I spent the afternoon reading (still getting over the ocean voyage), and the evening I ran the generator so I could get the logbook put into the computer (made some progress, but still have a long way to go). Then I read by flashlight.
MONDAY, 8/4/03: HOONAH!
    * Barometer 1004
    * Wind calm
    * Cloudy-rain
    * Waves to 1'
    * Cell phone 0 => 63 total
Shortly after I got up I heard a booming noise that sounded like shotgun blasts in the distance and was puzzled as to what it could be until I saw, about 2-3 miles away, whales breaching. Wow! Wish I could get close enough for a photo! One got completely out of the water. I didn't get a very early start--but even so I started too early because I was fighting a 1.5 knot tide. But, by early afternoon, it had turned and was pushing me about that so it all evened out. My goal for the day was Hoonah, a small village just off Icy Strait. It rained off and on during the 6 hour motor there, a cold, cold rain (Icy Strait is well named?). So I was very happy to arrive. As I approached I was puzzled by their harbor entrance, until I got close enough so the reversed position of their red & green markers turned the right way--it was just the angle I was looking at that made it confusing. I pulled into their transient dock, which is just inside the breakwater, tied up and went up to the harbor master's. Very reasonable for a night's stay: $14. I asked about restaurants, and then hiked through town to where the fuel dock was to check on prices ($2/gallon). First time in nearly two weeks I'd been off the boat--felt good tow walk around! While I was at it I checked out the grocery store. I found a small but well stocked store…with very high prices ($5 for a 10 pound bag of flour, $6 for a box of cereal). Glad I don't need any food! Fortunately the restaurant was a little more reasonable; I got a superb hamburger with a salad for less than $10. By the time I was done with dinner it was almost time for my 1800 schedule with Frankie, so I walked back to the harbormaster's (where there was a pay phone) and called her. It was sure nice to talk without having to worry about paying nearly $2/minute! On my calling card we could talk for an hour for the price of a single minute on the satellite cell phone. Of course, what you are paying for is access--it sure was nice to have a friendly voice to talk to when being pounded by 45 knot gusts in the North Pacific! I was still hungry after talking with Frankie, so I walked back to the Deli and bought an ice cream cone ($2.75) for desert before going back to the boat. The harbormaster was walking the docks, and suggested I move to the other side of the transient slip so people would have more room to get by (one of the problems of having a 22' wide boat!) She gave me a hand doing so, which was very nice of her. I took it pretty slow and easy, for I am still not very confident of either the motor (don't want it to stall when I need it to stop, so I go slow so I won't have to use it to stop) or my ability to make the boat do what I want (sure be glad to get the inboard put in!). But it worked out very well… I hauled my garbage up the hill (2nd five gallon bucket), got caught up on this (the hand written part, not getting it into the computer) and then spent the rest of the evening reading by candle light.

TUESDAY, 8/5/03: CHATHAM STRAIT
    * Barometer 1008
    * Wind light and variable to north at 12
    * Cloudy-sunny
    * Waves to 1'
    * Cell phone 0 => 63 total
First thing in the morning I ran out of my first 5 gallon bucket of wash/cooking water. Not bad--5 gallons lasted me 2 weeks! I hadn't liked the taste (at the restaurant) of the water here so I used the other 5 gallons I had with me. After a leisurely breakfast I walked up to the harbor masters and called Frankie. When I got back to the boat I untied and motored out of the harbor to the fuel pier. It was quite a climb up, and then back down, and then back up again…but good exercise. The guys working there were fascinated with the Acrux and one went down the 25' ladder to take a look at it. After getting 63 gallons of fuel (I didn't fill the 55 gallon drum) I headed out. Photos #1, #2, & #3 are of Hoonah as I left. Although there was a north breeze blowing in Port Frederick (where Hoonah is), by the time I got to Icy Strait it had quit. Photo 4, looking back at Port Frederick. The sun came out by the time I got to Icy Strait and by the time I was headed east it had turned into a gorgeous day. Photo 5: mountain & fog on Point Sophia. Photo 6: looking west down Icy Strait. Photo 7: maps, charts and Coastal Pilot, all laid out handy to use. Photo 8: looking north across Icy Strait, Chatham Strait on the right. At 1330 the engine quit. Twice. Water in the fuel. Sure am glad I have a good fuel filter! All I had to do was drain it from the filter and start the engine back up. I tipped the gas can and pulled the hose up a bit so it wouldn't pick up any more water (photo 9); I won't be able to clean the gas can out until I have burned about 20 gallons--the 15 in the gas can, and another 5 gallons so I'd have something to dump the left over fuel and water into. At 1500 I could see past Point Augusta into south Chatham Strait. Photo 10 & 11 Chatham Strait. #12 looking NNW at False Bay--looks like a nice beach. Protected only from the N to SSW wind though. After rounding Point Augusta the wind picked up from the north at 10-12, so I put up the jib and mizzen. Photo 13, beach just north of Flints Point. #14 North Passage Point, looking NW; #15 North Passage Point and Chatham Strait looking north; #16 side of North Passage Point, looking north; #17 jellyfish that looked like it had blood in it. About 1730 I turned the corner of North Passage Point and followed the shore to a small, spectacular cove at the end of the peninsula. I had planned on anchoring in Pavlof Harbor, across Freshwater Bay from this cove, but the wind was blowing directly into the harbor. This cove is well protected from west through north east, so I hope the wind doesn't decide to blow from the south or south-east! If the wind starts blowing from that direction I'll have to leave. I dropped anchor by 1800, read for awhile and took a short nap. I'd been getting concerned that the battery I'd been using to start the motor with was getting low, for the only charge was that little bit with the solar panels (after all it had been starting the motor--several times a day--for two weeks now), so I rigged up some wires to the generator and charged it for half an hour. While it was charging I worked on entering this logbook into the computer, and then kept on working on this until the generator ran low on fuel. I didn't want the generator to quit while I had the computer on, so I shut it down and read until it died. Then I did a final check of the boat, and noted the moon was reflecting off the water so I thought I'd try a couple of shots: #18 at 1/15th of a second and #19 at 1/8th.  Neither of these shots worked, so the numbers were dropped.

WEDNESDAY, 8/6/03: MURDER! COVE, THAT IS.
    * Barometer 1008.5
    * Wind north to 12
    * Cloudless and Sunny
    * Waves to 1'
    * Cell phone 4 => 67 total
I was up fairly early, for I wanted to make it to Warm Springs Bay by dinnertime. Photo 20 - cove where I'd spent the night. Photo 21: Heide Rock, just off the cove. This area was well protected from tidal currents so I tested to see how fast I was going: 6 knots. Photo 22: Pavlof Harbor; #23 just SE of Pavlof Harbor; #24 end of Freshwater bay. Photo 1: Tenekee Inlet. By 0900 there was a 10 mph north wind, so I set the jib. Then I spent an hour getting the main up for the first time. It took that long because I had to get the halyard down, tie an extra rope to the end of it for it had been cut off short, and then (because the pulley at the top that the halyard wire ran across was chipped and I didn't trust it to let the sail down again) rig up a pulley with a rope that I then pulled up with the old halyard. Then I used this pulley and rope to pull the main up with. Because this was the old main sail, which had blown out the bottom the last time I used it (the new main sail arrived in Seattle--2 days after I left Fairbanks!) I tied it so that it was loose-footed. It worked fairly well, and when I called Frankie at 10 I was able to boast of having all the sails set. 1115 I passed Angoon on the far shore. 1200 passing Peril Strait, which I would have come down if winds had blown me south to Sitka. The wind is dying away; down to only 7-8, just barely enough to fill the sails. 1230…all sails down. Photo 2: tugboat and barge. 1330 passing south end of Catherine Island, and the start of Baranof Island (photo 3) in the background. #4 southern most tip of Admirality Island at 1630…farther than I intended on going, but that tailwind really pushed me along, and I'm sure I had a trailing tidal current most of the day. By 1800 I had the anchor down, after a false start due to the murky water (the first attempt the water was only 8 feet deep…with a couple of hours to high tide, this wasn't enough to keep me afloat when the tide went out!) Photo 5: Murder Cove. Gosh what a lot of horseflies there are around! The old car battery I'd been using for navigation lights was too weak to run the inverter for the computer, but when I hooked up the solar panels to it that gave it just enough. I used the computer like that for an hour, until the inverter squawked from lack of power as the sun went down. Then I started the generator and kept working until 10 and bed.

THURSDAY, 8/7/03: DOWN FREDERICK SOUND
    * Barometer 1009.5
    * Wind...none
    * Cloudless and Sunny
    * Waves to 0'
    * Cell phone 4 => 71 total
Wups! Well I've done that before. Embarrassing though: went aground at 3 am when the tide went out. The boat got a good tilt to it, and went crunch, crunch as it ground down into shells on the bottom. By 5 am I was floating again, and slept in a bit to make up for the missed sleep. I did manage to get out of bed in time to call Frankie at 10, and then got under way. Photo #6 & #7 of Bartlett point with Baranof Island in the background. As I came out of the cove I felt like I was surrounded by whales: some coming up half a mile to either side and more breaching to the east and more to the south, though none were very close they were in all directions. Wish I had a good telephoto; all I've got is 85 mm and that isn't enough to take pictures at this range. I tried anyhow: photos 8-14...only #13 and #14 were much good. I finally had burned enough fuel so I could clean out the tank. I dumped the few remaining gallons into the empty 5 gallon can and then refilled the 15 gallon gas tank from 5 gallon cans. I poured the gas through a shammy cloth to take out the water, and a good thing I did to: I got another 3 cups of water. Turned out I didn't get it all though: the engine quit 3 times before I finally tipped the jug and pulled the hose out a bit. Guess they sold me some bad gas! This filter sure is nice… The bulk of the day was motoring across a glassy Frederick Sound. I spent the time reading, for the going was dead simple. Almost no other boats around, even, though I did see the State Ferry and a couple of fishing boats. 5 twin engine airplanes, all in a row, flew over; looked like they were going from Sitka to Petersburg. Photo 15-16 north end (Pinta Point) of Kupreanof Island. Photo 17: Stephens Passage, looking due north. #18 looking east down Frederick Sound at Kates Needle. Wow, what a peak. Over 10,000 feet high, and the last 5,000 feet go up at more than 60^o! I fought the tide, with a ground speed of 4.5, until 1700 when it changed and boosted me along at 7 knots. Unfortunately I only went for 3 more hours, dropping the anchor in Portage Bay at 2000. There is a good tidal rip going into the Bay; hope I can get out in the morning! Photo 19 Portage Island, just off Portage Bay (photo 20). The Coastal Pilot recommended anchoring in the middle of the (3/4 mile wide) bay, so as soon as my lead line got under 40' I tossed out the anchor. The rest of the evening I spent with the generator running, working on getting the logbook all caught up in the computer.

FRIDAY, 8/8/03: PETERSBURG!
    * Barometer 1009
    * Win N at.0-10
    * Cloudless and Sunny
    * Waves to 1'
    * Cell phone 0 => 71 total
I was in no hurry to get under way; I planned to spend the night in Petersburg, which was only a 6 hour trip. When I did get ready around 11 I had to get the anchor out. First I went to start the motor--and found kelp tangled around the rudder. I cleared it and was very glad I had, for there was some line tangled in the kelp--the motor probably would have cut the kelp, but the line would have made a mess. Once all that was clear I motored ahead a bit to take the tension off the anchor rode (there was a 10 knot wind blowing, and I'd anchored in 30 feet of water so had out all 200 feet of anchor rope). Then I went to pull in the anchor. And the rope wouldn't come. After struggling to get in ten feet I found a huge ball of kelp wrapped around the rope and had to cut it off (reached down with a long pole, hooked some kelp, pulled it up, cut it off…repeat until done). Finally by 1140 I was under way. It was another gorgeous day, and for a good bit of the way I had a nice tailwind--enough to sail about half the time. Photo 21: Point Straight and the NE corner of Kupreanof Island. The tide was pushing me part of the time too, so I made very good time, up to 7 knots. Photo 22: Sukoi Islets, just before Wrangell Narrows. #23: North entrance to Wrangell Narrows and Petersburg. When I arrived in Petersburg I tied to the end of a handy dock and went up to the harbormasters office and he assigned me a (double) slip for $15. I moved the boat and then went for a walk through the waterfront part of town. I called Frankie at 6 (nice to be able to talk without having to worry about that $1.75/minute cost for the satellite link!), bought $15 in groceries (well, $8 of that was a book) and then walked back to the boat. I had a leisurely dinner before spending a quiet evening reading (by candlelight after dark).

SATURDAY, 8/9/03: WRANGELL NARROWS TO SUMNER STRAIT TO SNOW PASSAGE, DOWN CLARENCE STRAIT *WHEW*
    * Barometer 1008.5
    * Wind NE-NW at.0-12
    * Cloudless and Sunny
    * Waves to 2'
    * Cell phone 0 => 71 total
Photo 24 Acrux moored in Petersburg. First thing in the morning I hiked up to the hardware store and bought 3 maps for $56. Then I stopped in at another store and bought a pump so I could pump the oil out of the top of the motor instead of having to drain it $28. Then I tried to call Frankie but the call didn't go through. So I hiked back toward the boat and, at the phone near the top of my ramp, tried again. This time I got her and we chatted for a bit before I headed on down to the boat. I untied, motored over to the fuel dock, where I had to wait in line for 15 minutes--fighting the currents while I did so, which wasn't very easy. It took 40 gallons to fill all the jugs I'd used since Hoonah. Price was a little cheaper, so it only cost me $74. I'd wanted to leave by 10 to take advantage of the 2 knot tide flowing south through the Wrangell Narrows then, but it was 11 by the time I got under way. Photo 1: south Petersburg, looking north from the Wrangell Narrows. #2 Wrangell Narrows, looking NE from about halfway down. Fortunately my time turned out to be better than I thought, for I hit the middle of the narrows about the top of the tide; there was about 15 minutes of slack tide and then it started pushing me south again. I don't know how they manage towing barges and big ships through those narrows; not a job I'd want! It really looks too narrow for them. Fortunately none came alone while I was in the narrows, but I did see a couple exit while I was sailing across Sumner Strait. It was very hazy all day, and in the afternoon I thought I smelled a bit of smoke. As the sun went down the haze looked redish, so I suspect there is a forest fire somewhere that is really putting out a lot of smoke! Not too long after I got out into Sumner Strait a NE wind picked up. It was only blowing about 5-6, but that was enough to make it worth putting up some sails since it was nearly across my course. With all sails up it pushed me along an extra knot or so. Photo #3: Zarembo Island. I cross Sumner Strait, went through Snow Passage and into the north end of Clarence Strait.  There was a little bit of wind, so I had the sails (photo #5) up part of the time. I had picked two possible places to spend the night, Coffman Cove and, 12 miles further, Ratz Harbor. Both of these were on Prince of Wales Island, a place I have been intrigued with since I nearly bought some land in Thorne Bay 15-20 years ago (unfortunately Thorne Bay was too far to make tonight). Without the wind I would have had no chance of making Ratz Harbor. But I was doing 6 knots when I passed Coffman Cove at 1900, and figured I'd have just enough time to get the anchor down in Ratz harbor by 2100. So I pushed on. The sun set at 2045, a little sooner than I'd planned, and it got dark relatively quickly so I was glad to get the anchor down at 2115. This small harbor (about the size of the south arm of Sawmill Bay in Valdez Arm, for those of you who know that one) had another sailboat and two fishing boats in it when I arrived. Within the next couple of hours 4 more fishing boats showed up (I can see why they put a light at the entrance!) and made the place very crowded with 8 of us anchored in that small harbor. I imagine I'll have to get used to it though; the farther south the more populated it is likely to get. I spent the evening reading by candlelight--listening to the boats drop their anchors as they found a spot.

SUNDAY, 8/10/03: KETCHIKAN!
    * Barometer 1009.5
    * Wind S at.10-12
    * Cloudy to Sunny
    * Waves to 2.5'
    * Cell phone 0 => 71 total
I was not very comfortable with where I was anchored (deep water so my scope was poor, close to an unknown shore which could have outlying rocks) so I got up every couple of hours to check and make sure I wasn't dragging the anchor. So I didn't get a very early start. Then I was fighting a headwind and modest waves, so the going wasn't very fast. It had started out cloudy, but turned into a nice day. As usual I spent the day reading and steering, with quick dashes below to make lunch, use the head, etc. Photo 6: entrance to Thorne Bay. #7 looking N on Clarence Strait, Thorne Bay to the left. #8 Caamano Point and Behm Canal. #9 Guard Island and the entrance to the Tongass Narrows to Ketchikan. #10 Ryndam exiting the Tongass Narrows, northbound. #12 house on Danger Island. #13 downtown Ketchikan. I arrived in Ketchikan about 1830 and called the harbormaster. No answer. So I cruised by the first marina (Bar Point Basin) real slow. I didn't see anywhere I could tie up, so I tried the harbormaster again. Still not in. So I cruised on down to the second marina (Thomas Basin, 1.5 miles further on) and cruised by it. That looked even worse. So I tried the harbormaster again. This time he came back, and I asked for a slip. He asked me to hold on. After holding on for half an hour (while I slowly motored back to Bar Point Basin) I called again. He had found a place for me to berth, and by the time I was tied down it was nearly 2000. I walked up the hill to the harbormaster's to check out the phone, shower, garbage and water facilities. Then I had dinner before my 2100 appointment to talk to Frankie. After a nice long chat with her and Mom, I called Matt and talked with him for awhile before I headed back to the boat to read that McCaffrey book I'd bought in Petersburg…by candlelight, as usual.