The Gulf

We are just south of the Fairweather Grounds, 39 nautical miles offshore of Lituya Bay. The seas are 1-2 feet with an occasional 4 footer. Winds are almost on the nose, of course, at 6-8 knots. We are 57 hours into the crossing with another 16-19 to go.

We left Ellamar Sunday, August 30. Although it was fair in the Tatitlek Narrows and over to Point Freemantle, the fog bank began about 5 miles south of Bligh Reef and continued all the way across the Sound. We broke out about 5 miles northwest of Hinchinbrook Island and it was beautiful all the way into Garden Cove.

While we were waiting for Steve on the S/V Resolute to arrive, a fellow came driving up to the boat in a skiff. Turned out to be Nick Dennis, owner of the Nuchek Lodge on the spit at Constantine Harbor. We drank beer and chatted. Nice guy. He left and a half hour later the Resolute was rafted up to Blue Note. After checking the weather we made plans to cross the Gulf early in the morning.

Monday dawned overcast and calm. I was able to call Dirk as we motored out of the anchorage. We rounded the corner at Hinchinbrook Entrance and the marathon began.

The shortest path from the Entrance to Sitka grazes the south end of Kayak Island about 68 miles into the Gulf. From there it is 310 miles to Sitka. At an average speed of 5 knots, that’s a little over 75 hours running time. That is 3 days exposure to some of the fiercest weather imaginable. This time of year the storms are closer together and more intense making for smaller and smaller windows of relatively settled seas and winds to make the crossing. As an example, this window opened Sunday afternoon and looks like it will close Thursday afternoon.

Both Blue Note and Resolute are typical sailboats. That is they can approach and occasionally exceed hull speed under sail. Motoring, they are underpowered. Neither can go much faster that 6.5 knots without overtaxing the engine. The irony is that the safest weather in which to cross is virtually windless. It’s true of this one. Blue Note has been motorsailing all but maybe 2 to 3 hours. It’s a long time to listen to the drone of the engine.

It hasn’t been boring though. A collapsed heater hose, a botched fuel tank switchover, and a dog too fastidious to poop or pee on the boat have kept things lively. The first night was spent in a wicked beam seas, causing the vandals to come visiting. That’s when all the stuff that is supposed to be in cupboards and counters ends up stirred around and mixed on the cabin sole.

My life is ruled by a kitchen timer. Every 20 minutes it goes off prompting me to survey the horizon if it is daylight or the radar if it is dark. We’ve encountered 2 tankers, a cruise ship and several fishing boats so far. It is some comfort traveling with another boat as 2 watch standers are better than one. We have been swapping two hour wheel watches which allows for some rest.

The timer has gone off again and there is a target on the radar on an intersecting course. Probably a long liner fishing the Fairweather Grounds. More later.

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The dock lines are cut!

Friday morning. Blue Note is tied to a mooring in Virgin Bay, Prince William Sound. The weather is rainy, windy, low to mid 50s, barometer falling. A small craft advisory is posted today for PWS. No time to be out voyaging around. We’re sheltered from the brunt of the wind here but the boat is rocking and Jazz has his worried thing going. This mooring is bombproof though and we’re warm and safe.

Leaving Valdez was bitter-sweet, of course. The Friday-or-Saturday plan turned out to be wildly optimistic. I had forgotten about my Monday get together with the kids and Dirk’s departure for Anchorage.

Tuesday looked good and then the kids couldn’t make it. Rik, Susan, and Austin came down to the boat Tuesday afternoon. Rik brought Anchor Steam, my favorite beer, and Susan brought wine. We sat on the foredeck, drank the beer and talked. Susan poured the wine over the bow and with Poseidon appeased we said our goodbyes. Departure in the morning?

Well no. I hadn’t taken in to account the Leaving Time Factor. The LTF goes like this. You’re busy stowing things when you realize you have forgotten to pick up a supposedly very important item. So you whip over to the store where you run into three people, separately of course, who have heard you are leaving and, in most instances, want to hear the story. So after telling it three times you get back to the boat where you discover you need this other thing. This Ouroboros syndrome can repeat until the boat sinks from the weight and or Christmas comes.

All things for a reason though. Pam came by Wednesday and surprised me with some Fu Kung moushu (sp?) pork, another favorite. We had a pleasant dinner, a tearful goodbye and I left.

Well, I’ve listened to the weather forecast on the VHF and looked at the HF faxes I just received and it looks like Monday might be opportune for the crossing. I think I will call Steve, my cruising partner on the S/V Resolute, and make plans for leaving here for Garden Cove, Hinchinbrook Island, Sunday.

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Is it really going to happen?

Welcome to the log of the sailing vessel Blue Note. It is my intention to use this site to allow those of you who are interested in where the boat is and what I’m up to to stay abreast without having to call the Coast Guard because you haven’t gotten a phone call or email in a week or two. You who know me well know I am not the best at timely correspondence. That characteristic with the circumstance that the only time I will be able to update this log is when I am in range of an internet connection dictates irregular entries. Please bear with me. I anticipate passages and anchorages with no wifi or cell phone service in addition to my own slothfulness.

This is my first experience with blogging. I understand you can leave comments. I encourage you to do so. Hopefully I have set this up with that capability. Email me if you find that’s not possible and I will try to correct the situation.

I write this from slip A-5, Valdez Small Boat Harbor, my residence for the last eight years. Today is rainy with a small stream flood warning in effect. More importantly, it’s windy with seas to 15 feet in the Gulf of Alaska. It will have to be considerably more settled before I will attempt to cross to southeast Alaska. Further more, I still have shtuff to deal with. So, the current plan is to leave here sometime Friday the 21^st or Saturday the 22^nd with a stop at Ellamar to say goodbye to friends, then out to Port Etches on Hinchinbrook Island to await suitable weather for the crossing.

I finally realized the majority of the anxiety I’m experiencing has to do with leaving Valdez and very little to do with the coming solo crossing of the Gulf. This has been home for over 29 years. I’ve lived here longer than anywhere else I have ever lived. I’m also feeling the anticipation of doing something I have dreamed about for almost four decades. It’s a tumult of emotions.

May the adventure commence.

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