60° 32.825N 148° 09.863W Nellie Juan Cannery, AK 15-AUG-2021 — Caro Babbo is traveling with a crew of three this year. Although I view Caro Babbo as Jennifer and me, having Jennifer’s daughter, Flora, with us has not only been very pleasant, but a great addition.
Even though I’ve known this young woman most of her life, there are two generations between Flora and me. So, there is a difference in how we interact and how much time we each feels appropriate to spend with a family member that great distance of years from us.
Spending five weeks on a 31-foot boat erases those differences. Whether or not it allows Flora to know me better I don’t know but, Jennifer and I have gotten to know Flora; we are startled and amazed at Flora’s depth and breadth of knowledge. Conversations between Jennifer and I now often end with, we need to ask Flora.
Flora’s different interests stretch Jennifer and me. Flora’s interest in what is happening ashore, the plants and animals, matched with her lack of fear of large non-bipedal omnivores takes us places neither Jennifer nor I would go.
It has been very good.
So how old is glacial ice? The immediate answer that jumps to everyone’s mind is 10,000 years old! The glaciers been there for 10,000 years right?
US National Park Rangers have told us that the ice we find floating in the water off tide water glaciers is a couple of hundred years old. That’s about as long as it takes for snow that falls to make its way to the bottom of the glacier and slough off into the Water.
In previous years we have tried to corral floating ice into pans and collenders. This year, the obvious came to mind and we lassoed larger pieces, perhaps 30 or 40 lb chunks of ice with a nylon dock line, then tied a figure eight loop as close to the ice as possible and using the main sheet, that has been detached from the traveler, as a four-to-one hoist, to lift the ice onboard. We’ve never had such a cold Ice box.
It is with great reluctance that anyone, especially me, mentions how well everything mechanical is working. But it is! After years of needing to bleed the diesel engine, it no longer needs to be bled. After more than a year of having a leaky shaft seal, it no longer leaks. Having a straightened the prop shaft, replacing its bearing and balancing the propeller, the roar of the prop when under sail has completely disappeared.
At six knots, previously the propeller start to growl, at seven it would become a frightening roar. We were told by some friends that this is merely cavitation and nothing to worry about. Once all the repairs were done, it became completely silent.
Silent to the point where I was frightened that the propeller had fallen off.
All the electrical has been working well, as has the stove.
Hmm, I shouldn’t get lost in self congratulations. We have some electronics issues, namely the new AIS device. The core functionality works but the ancillary features have been giving us grief. It is a replacement for an old unit that started to fail last fall: two failed units in a row raises the question, is the problem the unit or the customer?
It’s been a less driven trip than others. Less driven has its allure, but so does charging.
Stay touch, send us emails and texts.
john
Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.
Great to hear that your repairs are so successful. I am sure getting to spend time with Flora is rewarding to all three of you. Where are you’ll traveling to this time? Safe travels.
We have just arrived in Whittier alaska. This year it is a loop from Homer Alaska into Prince William sound and back to Homer alaska. We are starting our return journey tomorrow morning.