Tag: Hilary

Cooking in Meyer’s Chuck

6-AUG-2017, Meyer’s Chuck, AK – I get asked often about what we eat aboard, about what we eat and what we cook when we’re ashore.

We don’t use prepared foods, including bread, and on board we have no refrigeration – though we occasionally buy ice. The ice allows us to have fresh meat and fish until it melts. (It is worth mentioning that even fresh meat and fish will keep for a few days without refrigeration – Remember the Ben Franklin quote about guests and fish, both stink after three days.)

I’m working on a ‘‘simplest’’ bread video for our friend Heath, which I’ll post on YouTube in a day or two. I also outlined a 13-part cooking show, which I abandoned as too much like work. Perhaps I’ll dust it off.

At Jennifer’s urging I’ve started to keep a food journal so that we can go back to things that I’ve cooked that we both liked.

Continue reading “Cooking in Meyer’s Chuck”

We tear out a cleat, anchor in tight quarters and see bears.

5-AUG-2017, Frosty Bay, AK – We ripped the aft starboard cleat out of the boat today, then glued it back it in at a little two-boat dock in Frosty Bay.

Continue reading “We tear out a cleat, anchor in tight quarters and see bears.”

Leaving Wrangle

4-AUG-2017, Wrangle, AK – A quick status on this and that: Hilary is requiring more and more energy, both physical and emotional. Aside from some flares up between Jennifer and me, which are never related to Hilary, the only impact has been on blogging. I’m sorry.

The weather has turned into San Diego weather, hooray.

As I write this Jennifer has discovered we need to leave, NOW, in order to make a current change.

We’re good, the weather is fine and the stove is working again… Clogged fuel lines, of all things. Many, many great pictures to post.

Some electronic issues

The AIS has been signaling errors. I noticed this yesterday. The light on the unit is moving between red (possibly orange) and green.

We’re seeing the RSSI numbers move from high -90s to -60s on both channels (A and B) but generally it is B that has the problem. We receive oaky, but may be having trouble transmitting.

This could be an antenna problem, or a unit problem. I lean towards the unit because nothing that a I know of physically has changed and the unit has worked well the entire trip so far.
Continue reading “Some electronic issues”

Hydaburg, Klowack and Craig; Stretch and Elise.

3-JUL-2017, Craig, AK – We’ve met people who spend each fourth of July in a different Alaska town. Each town has its own character and make up.

Craig, where we are today, Monday, the morning of the third of July is home to many young familes with children. We met them yesterday at a children’s fishing competition at the marina. This town of 1300 or so showed up with any dozens of children under ten years old fishing a remarkable number of Halibut from beneath the docks… by remarkable I mean dozens and dozens in a one hour period. Continue reading “Hydaburg, Klowack and Craig; Stretch and Elise.”

Punchbowl, AK – This year versus Last

It’s difficult not to compare that second time one does something with the first.

Jennifer and I find ourselves doing that often these last couple of days.

We compare our calendar and where we were last year against where we are this year. The comparison is a false one: so much was different.

We feel like we’ve sat at anchor for days this year doing nothing, while last year at this time we‘d sat at anchor waiting for parts, and then sat a t a dock waiting for parts. Jennifer and I spent weeks apart last year as Jennifer flew to Owen’s graduation and I flew to say good bye to my dying friend JoAnn.

Yesterday, we were in Punchbowl, two day’s sail from Ketchikan, though we took three days, stopping in a small cove we knew a few hours south of Ketchikan that contained a mooring buoy. And then staying at a further cove, with a Park Service cabin and buoy. Continue reading “Punchbowl, AK – This year versus Last”

We meet a new friend in Foggy Bay and we’re remembered in Ketchikan

8-JUN-2017 Foggy Bay and Ketchikan, AK – Yesterday morning, when we had cellular service for a few minutes, Jennifer called US CBP to say that we would be spending the night in Foggy Bay, on the American side of the border.
We spent the night before in a long, poorly charted inlet called Winter Inlet. The GPS coordinates for the charts, both Canadian and Navionics, were hundreds of feet off. The holding was good and we were fine, but Jennifer was unsettled by the experience. Continue reading “We meet a new friend in Foggy Bay and we’re remembered in Ketchikan”

No Lions, No Tigers, but Bears. Oh My! and Wolves.

5-JUN-2017, K’tzim-a-deem Grizzly Bear Sanctuary – It has been a very different trip this year.

I find myself thinking that the lack of things breaking has decreased the excitement of the trip: There is little adversity to overcome.

Jennifer often points out that we’ve been here before. The continual acknowledgement that this is as far north as we have ever been is also missing.

Things are different. Hilary is a much larger burden and we have no guests to look forward to. Continue reading “No Lions, No Tigers, but Bears. Oh My! and Wolves.”

Shearwater, weather and new Hilary shows her face

25-MAY-2017, Shearwater, BC – It has been busy, and when it is not we haven’t had internet access.

There has been weather… terrible forecasts, but not too terribly bad on the ‘‘inside’’ where we sail. Though on Tuesday we came into Shearwater with a host of there boats to wait out the weather. Needless to say, the bad weather dissipated and was not as bad as expected for as long.

Continue reading “Shearwater, weather and new Hilary shows her face”

Small Inlet, Johnstone Strait, Hilary, Two Whales Feeding and things that work

17-MAY-2017, Johnstone Strait – Yesterday morning we had two conflicting weather reports. Environment Canada said wind on the nose up Straits of Georgia and in to Johnstone Strait.

Our GRIB files said four knots the entire day.

The Strait outside Campbell river was flat and calm. As we made our decision to leave all 100 feet of Discovery, who was docked across the finger dock from us, powered up.

The night had been a real windstorm with moments of driving rain. When on an anchor, the boat general points into the wind. The portion of the cockpit in the dodger’s wind shadow stays dry. Continue reading “Small Inlet, Johnstone Strait, Hilary, Two Whales Feeding and things that work”