Thoughts on Adventuring

Inanudak Bay, Umnak Island, The Aleutians, Alaska, US, 16-JUL-2020 — It is Hilary’s birthday today. It is really the first birthday without her. It is fitting that we are in Alaska, in an empty bay, not surrounded by mountains, as we normally are, but by volcanoes. The original Hilary would have reveled, as would have the later, dementia-suffering woman.

The night before last it blew forty knots through our anchorage. Jennifer analyzed the other coves and decided this was still the best place to stay given the anchor holding ability of the bottom, the room to drag and that she could perceive no difference in the wind that would come through the valleys for the other coves.

The distance to build waves, called the fetch, was not large, less than half a mile, but waves did build and slapped the side of Caro Babbo as the wind shifted 90 degrees, back and forth. We’ve been in winds at anchor like this before and I have great faith in our ground tackle (anchor and nylon anchor rode – you can read other places why we use nylon rode rather than chain.), and was not worried.

Jennifer was terrified. To prepare for what might happen, she put on everything she wears when sailing in cold offshore water: Over her regular clothes, rain pants, harness with crotch strap, and life vest (with AIS Crew overboard beacon).

I slept in long johns and a waffle shirt. I trusted the ground tackle.

Last night a front moved through gusting to 20 knots in the anchorage. Jennifer slept through the entire night without waking. The slug slept until 9:15 am!

After the wind came up about 3:30 am, I checked our swing every 30 minutes or so, via an internal clock.

The number of sail boats that come through the Aleutians each year is measured in dozens, if that. Our friends Sara and Wade on Comfort Cruising, who cruise here most summers — they keep their boat here, speak about going three or more weeks without seeing another boat.*

In SE Alaska, we were thrilled to spend so much time alone in anchorages, but we did see other boats almost daily and we knew there were other people less than 30 miles away, always.

Jennifer and I talk about whether we would do another passage. On this passage, we said, generally, no this will be our last, but we felt the same way when we were on the San Diego-Hilo passage. We discuss how much time this eats and we discuss whether we are enjoying the trip. This passage was easy, if not enjoyable. I think there has to be a certain amount of ease, confidence and competence before one can relax and truly enjoy. We’re not there yet, but in compensation is the thrill of accomplishment.

We were reflecting on our second Caro Babbo trip, where we sailed up to the top of Quadra Island. We were thrilled we had done such a thing. It really stretched our abilities (and to be honest, the waters around Campbell river, even with our current abilities, are still daunting and not be be trifled with.)

But that is only a third of way to Glacier Bay. Glacier Bay is about half the distance to Hawaii.

I’ve been thinking about being here. There is a village about 30 miles away, so it is not uninhabited, but one can not take a cruise vessel here, there are no guided trips. If you want to come here, you must get your own boat, or hire one.

The definition of the adventure and its success is entirely on you.

There are people who have come before us. There are some informal guides. The people who have written these can be contacted and spoken with, as we have with Sara and Wade.

2021 is currently planned. We’ll sail around Prince William Sound and then work our way south to Puget Sound. We hope Lee’s Landing will have a slip for us.

The idea of cruising Polynesia with hundreds of sailboats in a marina is nothing that attracts us. I think we’re not that sociable.

But what remains is the question of what is the definition of an adventure. Jennifer wants to travel around North America by land. I protest I do not want to be in crowded camp grounds. She smiles and replies, no she wants to travel in the *Canadian* northwest and into Alaska: No crowds of campers there.

We’ll sail Caro Babbo, or perhaps a successor** and spend our time in the San Juan’s and BC’s sunshine coast. I’ve had a dream of anchoring some place for a week or two at a time. There are some hidden spots deep in BC that would be perfect. One or two where it gets warm enough to strip and lie in the sun.

Can we actually slow down enough to do that?

There are physically adventuresome places to go to. More in the Aleutians, and other places. And culturally adventuresome, Asia. I’ve worked there. Sailing there would be such an accomplishment and a thrill.

But there are other things to do: enjoy the houses we own. I love the place in Port Townsend, but truly think the house in Phoenix is special. I’d like to spend time there… and write.

I can’t seem to write when we’re traveling. I want to write. I have twenty years left, if I follow true on my family’s general life expectancy. Like many things, so many (fill in the blank), so little time.

How much have we upped the ante on what an adventure is? What will fulfill that part of our lives?

Our friends see us special, outside the norm, but to requote Ray Penson, who I do so often, ”Everyone one I know…” and so we find ourselves in a cohort group where everyone we know crosses the Pacific Ocean, anchors in bays that see a handful of boats per year, spend a large percentage of their cruising time hunkered down waiting for weather to pass.***

The next time we will seriously consider a passage is 2022, so who knows how we will feel then. While some crazies, who have upped the ante so far that they must makes passages against the wind, and there are some, to make a next passage, wherever that will be, will compel us to pass south, past Seattle, south, until the butter melts.

* I expect they do see other vessels on AIS out in the Bering Sea as they make their way to the ‘Deadliest Catch’ fishing grounds.

** Yes, if we will no longer be going offshore, I thought it might be fun to have a trimaran, assuming I can find some place to keep it.

*** On my list of must learn, is weather forecasting. We are completely reliant on software for forecasting and on our HI-AK cruise, a weather forecaster. Admittedly, the places we now cruise are so recently cruised because of technology, I need to understand how this software and these professional make their recommendations.

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