Back under way - Finally!

Well it's been more than a year since I updated this  blog - you've been patient long enough.  My last update was from Shearwater in British Columbia. I, of course, challenged the weather and water gods by blithely claiming how easy our next few day's travel were going to be. Of course, they were nothing of the kind. I guess the gods heard us. We ran into rainy fog just before Ivory Island and had to feel our way into Oliver Cove. Then, we motored around and up to the east end of Oscar Inlet. Along this stretch we saw a small group of Dall's Porpoise one of which was completely white! Have never seen a white Dall's Porpoise before. That east end of Oscar Inlet has a very confined 'S-turn' which must be a corker when the current is flowing. Luckily, we arrived there at slack water and were able to just enjoy the view. After Oscar Inlet we had a very fast beam reach across Findlayson Channel around the end of Cone Island and up to Klemtu where we stopped quickly for a few supplies before heading up to Cougar Bay for the night. The next day's run was very long but we ended up anchoring near the dock at Bishop Hot Springs where we spent a couple of days just soaking and enjoying being stopped. Three more days of mostly motoring along had us in Prince Rupert where we discovered a couple of geocaches and did a little shopping before heading across Dixon Entrance and home to Alaska. We mostly fooled around and meandered our way to Juneau where we took a place at the dock and, I went back to work for the next year maintaining and updating Cold Fusion applications for the department's webpages and, learning Visual Basic dot Net programming to create a totally new apps for the department. My! How fast a year passes.

Well, we're back underway again. The boat's been moving very slowly. The first couple of days, we had trouble breaking 4 knots and have been averaging closer to 3 knots, especially against wind or wavelets. Now that we've been moving for three weeks we've knocked most of the year's worth of growth off the bottom so our speed is picking up a little. A friend recommended the marina/haulout at Point Roberts in Washington for pulling us out and getting the bottom painted: much less expensive than here in Southeast even with them providing the labor! So, we'll be really slowpoking our way along until then.

We started our voyage with our 2-year old grandson Dylan along. He crewed with us from Harris Harbor in downtown Juneau around Douglas Island to anchor behind Suelda Island in Auke Bay. Then the next day, up to the fuel dock and, after fueling up, over to the loading zone for a crew change. We swapped youngest grandson for youngest granddaughter: 5-year old Kitty. We had lunch of cheeseburgers and milkshakes before heading out to Funter Bay. Kitty is sure she could survive on Chocolate milkshakes alone for weeks at a time. With Kitty aboard we spent 5-days visiting Funter Bay, Hoonah (across from the entrance to Glacier Bay), Swanson Harbor at the end of Couverton Point and back to Auke Bay for a night and day at anchor before heading into Auke Bay harbor for another crew change. Now, we're in Petersburg with our oldest granddaughter, Isabelle, along as crew.

It took us 2 days to bash our way to Cedar Cove in Freshwater Bay on Chicagoff Island with an overnight at Funter Bay. Slow, tedious smashing into wind driven waves of 2-3 feet and 15-20 knot winds. We're making 1.5 to 3 knots and it seemed like forever before we go anywhere. This was our first time in Cedar Cove; what a little jewel! After all that bashing, I declared a day off and we laid around resting up for a day. The next day we headed over to Tenekee Springs arriving early in the day. In Tenekee we walked in to the town and did a little shopping. I stayed outside with the doggies while Christine and Izzy shopped. I was sitting just outside the building that houses the community hot springs when I heard singing "You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy by night and day." It was a group of women in the springs harmonizing and belting out old songs. I was absolutely charmed! What a wonderful moment; a bunch of naked soaking women singing in the hot springs and I get to listen in! Perfect!

There are two geocaches in Tenekee; one at the City Park and, one downtown across from the store. We, after considerable searching, were able to find one but, not the other. Still, that made us First Time Finder for the one we did find. We ambled back to the boat picking salmonberries along the way and left the next morning heading down Chatham Straits.

We spent the night in Cosmos Cove (another little jewel of a place - long narrow inlet with barrier island keeping the waves in the strait from coming into the anchorage, tall snow capped mountains as a backdrop - what could be nicer?  Well, how about Baranof Warm Springs where we arrived early the next day. Remarkably, we were able to get a place at the dock, an easy walk up the boardwalk to the bathhouses and were even, across the dock from an old friend; Vic Cano, musician, carver, singer and all around renaissance man. We spent 2-nights at Baranof Warm Springs before forcing ourselves to leave - Izzy has a plane ticket from Ketchikan later this month and, if we're going to get her to the plane on time, we have to keep moving.

After BWS we passed under the bottom of Admiralty Island with a quick stop to watch a large family of sea otters play in the kelp beds then, headed up the the Fox Farm anchorage behind Whitney Island. The water was glass smooth: hard to believe this is the same water we've been bashing into for days! We've been coming to this anchorage for 15-years and never knew that there was a geocache here. We went looking for it but, couldn't find it even though the hints and directions were very complete. This cache was placed in 2003 and hasn't been found since 2006. Alot of leaves have fallen since 2006, trees fall, the old fox farm buildings have completely disappeared. Still, even though we didn't find the geocache, we did spend a wonderful evening sitting in the cockpit and listening to a wolf howl on the island. He must have been lonely and sad - he kept it up for hours. This has been quite a trip for wildlife viewing: whales, porpoise's, sea lions, sea otters and now, wolves! Alaska!

Another day's smooth passage brought us to the Ruth Island anchorage in Thomas Bay. I like to anchor here and always read "The Strangest Story Ever Told." This is a small booklet you can pick up in Petersburg that tells the story of strange happenings in Thomas Bay: gold, monsters, crazed miners... this story has it all!

We woke to rain yesterday 7/3 and I'd have been happy to snuggle back into my sleeping bag but, we upped anchor and headed into Petersburg. It was 5-hours of motoring into rain, wind on our nose and, seas but we arrived here yesterday at about 1600. After that many hours of wind and rain, I was ready to tie up to the dock and call it a day. The rest of the crew headed into town for a quick shopping trip while I stayed aboard with a little medicinal brandy.

We'll be here in Petersburg for a couple of days (today's the Fourth of July and most stores are closed). Tomorrow, hopefully, the library will be open and I can post this entry then, the next day we'll head on down the Wrangell Narrows and keep working our way south.

I'll try to be better about keeping this blog current - I promise.

David and Christine and Crew
SV Raven
Juneau, Alaska

Currently located: Petersburg, AK

Codville Lagoon to Shearwater

This will probably be our last blog entry for a while. Once we leave here tomorrow (probably) we won't be around towns or villages that have wifi again until we arrive at Prince Rupert in two weeks or so. From here we'll head out Seaforth Channel to turn by Ivory Island light and spend the night in Oliver Inlet. Then, it's around through Oscar inlet and Findlayson Channel to Klemtu Channel where we'll overnight at Clothes Cove just before Klemtu. From there we'll head up Tolamie Channel to Green Inlet and Horsefly Cove for the night. From Horsefly Cove we'll have a long day to Bishop's Hot Springs where we'll probably spend at least 2-days soaking away the stiffness and soreness from the past week's travel. From there it's up Grenville Channel to Lowe Inlet for the night then, if we can catch the tides right we spend one more night in Grenville Channel before making our way to Prince Rupert.

I'm comfortable telling you all of this as, this is the highway most traveled on the Inside Passage. Other than the places we're stopping, there's not much else to distract us. The Channels are long, straight, and without crossings. Since the islands on either side are so tall and the sides so steep, you as the boat-driver, just put it in gear and try to keep from falling asleep from boredom.

An interesting thing happened this morning. I was up at 0630 making coffee for the day's travels. It was already pretty warm (70's) so I had the hatches thrown open as well as the sliding window over the stove and also, had the companionway doors open. As I waited for the water to boil, I heard this loud buzzing sound. I looked up and what should I see? A hummingbird had flown into the cabin and was hovering above the galley. He banked this way and that til he finally, turned and flew out into the cockpit and was gone. This was the second time a hummingbird has visited us. When we were heading out the Straits of Juan de Fuca last year in the fog a hummingbird stayed with the boat for quite a while before heading off into the fog and (hopefully) shore.

We left Codville Lagoon at just after 0800 and headed for Lama Passage. Just before we got there I heard the Alaska State Ferry Columbia make a 'Securite' announcement that they'd be heading down Lama Passage past Bella Bella. We were going to meet in Lama Passage. I worked on the Columbia for two seasons with the US Forest Service giving classes to Elderhostel travelers. This was my ship!

Here we were, two great Alaska vessels meeting in the wilds of northern British Columbia! I was jazzed. (See pic above).

We arrived here in Shearwater just before noon and pulled up to the fuel dock to try (once again) to top up the tanks and cans. This time, the attendant let us know that he was closing in about 10-minutes for lunch. We tied up there anyway and took to Sibs out for walkies. Like sailors everywhere, as soon as we reach an new port, they want shore leave. Sonny has even begun to let out a lusty howl once the anchor's down to let the locals know that a 'new dog is in town.'

We walked up into the woods just past the Shearwater boatyard and found a Geocache located near an old WWII bomb shelter. A quick, fun find and, we were back to the fuel dock in time.

After fueling up we anchored then, went ashore in the dinghy to do some shopping: dog food, tortillas and, wifi access. That, pretty much brings you up to date with our journeys.

David and Christine and Sibs
SV Raven
Juneau, AK

Currently lying: Shearwater, BC

Port Hardy to Codville Lagoon

Well, we left Port Hardy on 6/1 at 1512 heading for the fuel dock to top up the tanks prior to attempting Queen Charlotte Sound. We pulled up to the dock only to have the attendant inform us that "there's no fuel." There's a power outage that's affecting the entire top of the island. No electricity from Port Hardy to Port McNeil. We have enough fuel in jerry jugs on deck to get to Shearwater with fuel to spare. Just that, Shearwater's a resort and very expensive to boot. Well, that's why we carry 25 gallons on deck. Just for emergencies like this. We fill up the water tanks anyway and head out for God's Pocket in Christie Passage for the night and hope for continued good weather tomorrow.

Got up at 0500 6/2 and the weather forecast was good. Had a quick breakfast and headed out Gordon Channel to pass west of Pine Island. Seas calm, wind light, so far, so good. Turned northwesterly to pass west of the Storm Islands, seas pretty calm, wind light and on our nose, still: so far, so good. We raised the main and sheeted it hard while cheating the traveler to try to grab some of that wind on our nose. At the very least, we'll get some stabilization from having the main up there.

Headed up towards Egg Island, very light swell from our forward quarter, light wind on our nose, seas rippled - still good! We're almost there! After passing Egg Island, we started feeling wind coming down Fitzhugh Sound. Again, right on our nose. Seas became a little lumpy but still no noticeable swell action. Even though it makes for a very long day, we decide to bypass Safety Cove and head on up to Kwakshua Inlet and Pruth Bay. We dropped anchor there at 1811 for a total crossing of more than 13 hours! No wonder we're tired. This was a great day for wildlife watching. We passed a group of about 30 Dall's Porpoises, spotted 2 black bears along the shore of Calvert Island and watched a humpback whale slapping his pectoral fin right off the entrance to Kwakshua Inlet.

We expected to make a short day on 6/3 and just head up to Sea Otter Inlet and drop the anchor after only about 4-hours of traveling. Sea Otter Inlet is just under half-way to Bella Bella/Shearwater where we expect to get on 6/4. As it turns out, we're feeling strong and rested after our easy QCS crossing and decide to just continue on to Codville Lagoon where we'll have an easy 4 or 5 hour trip into Shearwater. The last time we were in Codville Lagoon we were pinned down for 4-days by deluging rain and gale force winds. We went stir crazy and were desperate to get out of there. So desperate that we went out into Fitz Hugh Sound in 20-30 knot winds and slogged our way down to Namu where we tied up to a rolly dock. This time, the weather was with us. We had beautiful blue skies and warm wind (on our nose of course). By the time we'd anchored in Codville Lagoon at 1648, the temperature inside the boat was 81. By the 2100 it had risen to 83.3! We had to Lagoon to ourselves. Only the osprey, eagle, mink and sea lions disturbed the quiet. It was so hot and quiet you could hear me moaning for miles.

David and Christine and Sibs
SV Raven
Juneau, AK

Currently lying: Codville Lagoon, BC

Bickley Bay to Alert Bay

We left Bickley Bay thinking we'd figured the slack times for the next (and final) two sets of rapids. We must of been wrong in our calculations. We reached Greene Point Rapids during a strong ebb flow that had us straining along at less than 2kts. We took pictures of the swirling, churning, bubbling water but in the end, they just look like pictures of water! The Whirlpool Rapids were also a tussle with strong currents and whirlpools that pulled the boat down and tried to send us off in directions that we didn't want to go (like towards the rocks and shoals!). We made it through to our night's anchorage at Forward Harbor.

I awoke early on Saturday morning and went outside to look around when what should I see? A beautiful black bear foraging along the shore! He was turning over rocks below the high tide line and munching on the little crabs that lie under the rocks. We watched him for more than an hour as he worked his way down the shore then back again. Must have taken more than 40 pictures and even a video of him. See above for a picture of Deja watching the bear from the boat. The sibs were, of course very interested in the bear. They each 'woofed' at him but very quietly. Little quiet 'woofs' that satisfied their egos but didn't disturb the bear at all. What a life we lead - sitting in our cockpit, eating breakfast and watching a bear just yards off our stern! This is why we cruise.

The weather forecast was for high winds and even gales in Johnstone Straits for Saturday and Sunday so we just stayed where we were and did boat projects. I polished the winches in the cockpit; Christine scrubbed the deck to get rid of the doggie pee smell. The bear didn't come back while we were watching. He must have other beaches he dines at. We were up at 0600 Monday morning and departed by 0700 heading north.

Our day's destination was flexible. Did we want to go through Havanah Passage and spend the night near Minstrel Island? Did we want to just go up Port Harney and spend the night where we were when we came south in '07? As it turned out, we lucked on an ebb current headed in our direction and were able to ride it almost to Alert Bay. We made more than 48 miles today in less than 9-hours for an average speed of more than 5-knots! That's great for this boat - especially as it hasn't had its bottom painted since June of 2007!

The forecast for tomorrow is high winds again. We may stay here in Alert Bay for a day or more. We'll see. The weather guys say Wednesday and Thursday should be good days to cross the Queen Charolotte Sound and get inside Calvert Island (see our Trip Log #27 on the Queen Charlotte Sound in 2007 logs). If we can get there early, we'll head over to Port Hardy and restock and fuel up before we jump off for points north. If the weather sets in earlier than forecast, we'll just stay here and look for some of the geocaches in the area.

David and Christine and Sibs
SV Raven
Juneau, AK

Currently lying Alert Bay, BC

Tenedos Bay to

Since Monday May 18th was a Canadian National Holiday and we couldn't get out new cable made until Tuesday, we decided to spend a couple of nights at Tenedos Bay. A very good decision.

Tenedos Bay is a dreamlike place of wonderful brown, black and dark gray cliffs that drop in fractured steps to the water. The whole effect is softened with a covering of velvety yellow-green moss interspersed with Madrona and evergreen trees. Beautiful! We spent two nights; I could have spent weeks. I was able to spend some time and found the bad wire that was keeping the ignition switch/starter button from working. We're all back together. While there, we met a young couple from Yellowknife who were exploring Desolation Sound from a canoe. We all had a very pleasant evening chatting over snacks.

After an overnight stop at the Copeland Islands we arrived in Lund early on the morning of the 19th where we tied up to the outer floating breakwater. I pulled the bad cable while the sibs had the run of the float. Then, we all dinghied over and walked up to the parts store. $75 cdn lighter, it was back to the grocery store for provisions. We left the next morning, after a stop for gasoline for the generator, heading north.

First night we headed back into the head of the Teakerne Arm to anchor in a small nitch right next to the Park dinghy dock. Another spectacularly beautiful place. From the dinghy dock a natural staircase of rock leads straight up the side of the cliff next to a waterfall to the top of the cliff where we found a geocache (see picture at top of entry. I'm practicing with the timer feature on our camera and took a bunch of pictures of my butt before we got a few of us all together). The anchorage was a little exposed and choppy but calmed down in the evening for a quiet night and an early start north to the rapids.

Even though I'd calculated the transit time and slack water at the Yuculta Rapids we still arrived 2-hours early. The Yucultas are not something you fool around with so we spent the next couple of hours jilling around in great big circles til we just couldn't stand it any more and headed north. We entered the rapids about 1 hour before slack and battled our way up the current running against us at about 4kts. Throttle wide open we continued to make progress through the boils, eddies, upwellings and overfalls to the pass at Gillard Island. This small stretch of about 200 yards had us slowed down to 1.6kts but we made it through and into the Dent Rapids on the other side. After all the dramatics of the Yucultas, the Dents were a breeze (we actually hit the Dents just at slack water) and we passed through them with hardly a ripple. From the Dents it was another 2-hours to our night's anchorage at Bickley Bay.

We're up early today to head north through 2 more sets of rapids (Green Point Rapids and Whirlpool Rapids) before the day's done. Thankfully, these are the last of the rapids we'll encounter as we head north.

David and Christine and Sibs
SV Raven
Juneau, AK

Currently lying: Bickley Bay, East Thurlow Island, BC

Meltdown!

5/12 My mother's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! I tried to call 3 times - really! Line was busy each time.

1030 Engine start. Christine went forward to raise the anchor. All normal. Same thing we've done daily for years every time we anchor (which is most of the time). Then, I heard an alarm buzzer. I didn't pay too much attention, the bilge pump often goes off just after we start the engine. This time the buzzer went on longer than usual. I stuck my head into the companionway and saw smoke coming out of the battery cupboard. Thinking it must be the anchor windlass frying the cables, I held my breath and jumped down to flip off the 100 amp breaker switch for the windlass then, back to the cockpit to shut down the engines. Buzzer continues, this time when I look into the cabin I see green acid smoke coming from the battery cupboard. Hold breath, jump down into smoke filled cabin, feel my way to the battery selector switch to disconnect the batteries. Battery selector switch just spins in my hand. Christine, who'd come aft to see what all the action was about, started fanning smoke out of the companionway with a towel, I, from on deck, pulled open the two hatches in the cabin and fore peak.

The Damage (see accompanying photo for composite picture of cable, battery and battery selector switch):
    - Battery selector switch fuzed and melted
    - Battery cable connecting House bank to common ground burned up - GONE!
    - Starter cable from battery selector switch to starter shorted out - less than 1/3 of its thickness remaining
    - Numerous fuses blown
    - One of the House bank batteries holed by melting cable

I pulled out the holed battery and joined the remaining House bank battery to the Starting battery (which wasn't injured during the meltdown). Then, I reconnected all the wires to their appropriate poles replacing fuses along the way. We were able to dinghy over to the Squirrel Cove community store and buy a replacement battery selector switch (an On/Off switch rather than the 1-All-2-Off switch we replaced).

I wrapped the shorted starter cable with insulating tape and rerouted it away from the place where it had worn through (it had been pinched between the engine blok and the motor mount - lots of vibration and wear). By now, we have power to most of the boat's electrical again. All the pumps, lights and radios, etc. seem to be working. I can't, however, get power to the ignition switch, oil pressure alarm and starter button.

Using a remote starter button I'd bought to use for tune-ups and valve adjustments I am able to start the engine. Starter appears to have survived just fine and engine is undamaged. We're a half-days motor from Lund where there's a marine repair shop and parts store. I called and spoke with one of the mechanics there. After I told him just about what's written above he thought a moment and told me that there must be a fused or missing wire someplace. On a Yanmar motor, the ignition system is seperate from the starter power circuit. Monday is a holiday and he can't help me before Wednesday. "You've got plenty of time, find that wire."

I'm looking. Seeing as how we're mobile, we decide to continue exploring Desolation Sound by moving over to Tenedos Bay

Bloodied but unbowed we are,
David and Christine and Sibs
SV Raven
Juneau, AK

Currently lying Tenedos Bay, BC

Nanaimo to Squirrel Cove

Area Whiskey Golf. Area Whiskey Golf is a large semi-rectangular area of the Straits of Georgia just north of Nanaimo where the Canadian Navy practices with their submarines and torpedoes.  Normally, when such practices are going to be going on, they make an announcement over the VHF radio "Area Whiskey Golf will be active from 0800 to 1700 today." They probably made that announcement on the day we left too. We didn't hear it... we left Nanaimo on the morning of the 7th of May. From Nanaimo to our days destination at Lasquetti Island is 3 1/2 to 4 hours directly through Area Whiskey Golf. This would have us taking the wind and waves on our aft quarter and running pretty much down wind and wave. It wasn't to be.

We were about 1/3 of the way across when a large range patrol boat hove up in front of us blue and red lights flashing. We were left in no doubt that Area Whiskey Golf was active! Told to turn around and head back the way we'd come, we had to head up along Vancouver Island's eastern shore until we'd cleared the active area then turn towards Lasquetti Island and Boho anchorage. The range controllers (Winchelsea Control) did monitor our progress and let us know as soon as we could proceed without interfering with the activities in the area. Unfortunately, that put both wind and wave on our beam. Seems like the Straits of Georgia start the day fairly calm then, as the day goes on wind and wind-driven waves start to build. Winds were 10-15 kts (not too bad) but the waves had built up to 3-4 ft and were causing us to roll considerably. Poor Deja was very sick even though we'd administered Dramamine to each of them before we'd left, it was apparent that on longer days, we'd need to re-administer another dose. The trip which should have been a downhill run of 3 1/2 to 4 hours turned into a rolly 5-hour drone.

After a night at Boho Anchorage, we continued north with an overnight in Sturt Bay on Texada Island (a very well protected cove with lots of curious sea lions and active ducks) and a stop in Westview to top up the fuel and gasoline tanks. Then on to an overnight in the Copeland Islands where we arrived early and ran a line ashore to keep us from swinging. Within a couple of hours several other boats came in to anchor too. What a show! Two trawler style boats spent the better part of 2-hours dragging their anchors around the cove, trying to get them hooked while backing at at least 10 kts! Then, rowing ashore with a stern line only to  find that they were too far away from shore for the line to reach so, back to the boat, let out more anchor rode, row back to shore with the stern line, by now, the boat's drifted away in a completely different direction so the guy has to try to pull it around with the stern line while trying to keep his dinghy from getting away and working his way up the bank to a tree around which to run the stern line. At first it was kind of funny to watch... then it was just painful.

Next day we went into Desolation Sound and made our way up Grace Inlet to a little anchorage where we could just kick back and wait for Monday when we wanted to head over to Squirrel Cove store and mail off my letter to Juneau. Last time we were in Squirrel Cove was in August. There were hundred's of boats anchored there. The place was a parking lot. (See our Trip Log #28 from 2007) This time we were there for 5-days due to electrical problems and alone most of the time. Much nicer experience this time. We were able to take the dinghy over to the community store (about 2-miles) and do some shopping, let the dogs run free on one of the islets in the middle of the Cove and not have to curse people speeding around blasting their PA systems.

See our next entry for details of the Great Electrical Meltdown!

David and Christine and Sibs
SV Raven
Juneau, AK

Presently lying Squirell Cove, BC