Pacific NW

Expeditions

Today we slept in and had a lazy day! Last night, with the help of our new friend Roger, we obtained a grim weather forecast: wind from the north 40-45 knots all day. We awoke to a gusty wind shrieking through the shrouds, safe in the harbor. It was yet another clear, albeit windy, day. Roger and his wife live on a Nauticat in Ketchikan Yacht Club, and he was nice enough to share with us the keys to the kitchen and showers, and detailed weather faxes. Roger used to fly all over SE Alaska and was very knowledgeable about the weather patterns. He has also made the crossing from Prince William Sound to SE Alaska, which makes him the first person I’ve found who’s done it. He spoke encouraging words of Silent Partner. After breakfast Lee and Christoph set out to hike up a huge mountain directly behind Ketchikan. I stuck around home, cleaned the boat, and enjoyed being alone with Silent Partner for the afternoon. We deemed today a “fudge factor day”, in that we have roughly 5 extra days to do as we please and can still make it to Juneau in time to pick up my Dad. In one of Ketchikan’s many tourist candy shops, we bought one pound of fudge and received one pound for free. Off-season special! The fudge was promptly divided into 5 sections and we consumed the first of our “fudge factor” ration. It was a relaxing day, and I’d say we all deserved the rest, but in reality the whole trip has been pretty relaxing. Roger gave us the forecast in the evening: north winds 25-30 knots diminishing. Tomorrow we go. We have enjoyed our time in Ketchikan and are eager to set out into Alaska!

An epic day, one of “Silent Partner’s” finest! We woke late (8:00 AM) and steamed into Prince Rupert for fuel. On our way to Dundas and Moffat islands complex where I had planned on spending the night, I received the forecast. NW winds building to gales 40-50 knots on the morning of the 18th. Our next body of water to cross was the wide Dixon Entrance, open to the ocean and the gateway to Alaska. Conditions in the strait were NW 25 knots, and we decided to just go for it! And a good choice it was. We enjoyed a fantastic sail across the Dixon Entrance, and watched the the sun set just after crossing the border into Alaska! Alaska!! “Silent Partner” proudly punched through the waves as I hoisted the Alaska flag up to the spreaders of the mast. We sailed all through the night as we made our way to Ketchikan. Around 3AM, the northern lights appeared below the dipper and north star, welcoming us to Alaska. We arrived Ketchikan at 6AM on the 18th. After firing up the wood stove we cleared customs and Lee and Christoph promptly went to bed. I was too excited to sleep. I went to the Pioneer Cafe and had a huge breakfast and three cups of coffee. So much food! I walked it off, exploring the entire city and its extensive boardwalks at sunrise. I am home! I love Alaska! I am still a bit tired from the all-nighter sail, but extremely proud of “Silent Partner” and her crew for having gotten this far. Next contact is planned for Juneau.

We had a great little sail in the Chatham Sound this evening as we approached the Kinahan Islands, near Prince Rupert. Silent Partner handles wonderfully in the four foot chop we encountered. We dropped the Forfjord at sunset and explored the islands. Deer tracks in the mud flat and the remains of a really old cabin. It was a peaceful day. I am finding Lee and Christoph very agreeable company aboard “Silent Partner”.

Christoph and I soaked in the cold, cold early and clear morning. We gave Lee a 7AM wake-up call by running down to the dock, screaming, and leaping off the dock into the bay. It was a quick swim, and very invigorating, followed by another soak. For most of the day, we motored up the Grenville Channel, a long and beautiful marine canyon. In the evening, I had the most pleasant anchoring experience I have ever had. We swung into Nettle Basin for the evening, which has a huge waterfall at its head. The bay was filled with foam from the waterfall and looked a lot like the icebergs of SE Alaska. Finding the “regular” anchorage unsatisfactory due to the forecast wind direction and its proximity to several reefs, I pulled out the big guns: my 40 pound Forfjord storm anchor and 60 feet of chain. We pulled up to the face of the waterfall and let the anchor drop. It held the boat immediately upon hitting bottom, and I let out an additional 150 feet of scope. The current was very strong, and I threw her into full-out reverse, and the Forfjord held the boat fast without budging an inch. All night, the current from the waterfall held our bow into the stream, no matter what the wind did. It looked like we were under weigh, the boat was leaving a wake at anchor! I instantly fell in love with the Forfjord and slept soundly throughout the night.

Another stellar day. The ruins of Butedale are quite extensive, and we explored them at dawn. The old powerhouse and hydro dam are still in operation, complete with an old wooden cedar pipe, providing a bit of power for old Lou. A clear day again! The sun filtered through gaps in the walls as we walked through the buildings, which still contained everything from the 1950’s and 1960’s. We found an old bowling alley, basketball court, and massive piles of intriguing electrical devices. It was so cool! Lou invited us in for coffee, and he talked a blue streak until we left. He’s probably still talking to us right now! Poor Lou. But he seems happy to chop his wood and warm himself by the stove, in his own city. We traded a bottle of whiskey for a boat load of firewood. Justin had given us the bottle and told us it was for keeping us warm. He was right, literally! Thanks Justin, we are enjoying many warm nights and hot meals now by that bottle! By 1400 hrs we pulled into Bishop Bay hot springs. It was sunny and warm, and a weasel followed Lee and me around on the trail to the hot springs. We enjoyed a great soak. Later on Christoph and I did some more “engine maintenance”, which involved spray painting the Honda and scuffing it up with sandpaper. Knock on wood that this will deter any thieves of stealing our good motor. A few fishing boats pulled in for the evening and gave us oysters for dinner.

At the head of Kynoch Inlet is the massive Kynoch Falls, which plunges into deep saltwater and sends out a tremendous plume of spray. I placed our dirty dishes into a mesh bag and lashed them to the bow. We battened down the hatches, donned full rain gear, and prepared to enter the waterfall. It was time to give “Silent Partner” a freshwater bath. Christoph, who sleeps up under the bow, became very interested in securing all bow hatches and sealing all possible points of entry for water. As we approached the base of the falls the visibility was reduced to zero and soon the waterfall was thundering down all around us. I took her out of gear and let the current carry us back out into the inlet. It was excellent and we went back for a second attempt. Not a drop of water in the boat. Upon entering the Heiksish Narrows, a pod of 8-10 dolphins closed in on us and graced “Silent Partner” by riding her bow wave for 10 minutes or so. Lee laid down on the bow and was so close to them he could have touched them. In Matheison Narrows we passed by perhaps the largest tombolo I have ever seen. A tombolo is a spit of land that connects a larger body of land to an island, which has escaped the effects of glaciation. Later in the day we passed through a violent tide rip and battled a head sea for a few hours, but conditions turned favorable again and for the remainder of the day we enjoyed the beautiful scenery of the mountains and had wine and cheese in the cockpit, in our T-shirts in the sun. Toward sundown we approached Butedale, where we spent the evening. Butedale was a town built in 1909, and is now entirely abandoned, it’s buikdings cracking off dramatically into the water and falling off the mountainsides. Butedale’s sole inhabitant, Lou, came down to the dock and greeted us. After hiking a rugged trail up to giant Lake Butedale, we came back down and had coffee with Lou, who was quite a character. We were the first visitors he had had since December 13th, and was quite in the mood to talk. Before bed, he told us that Butedale was haunted, and that he had a ghost for a girlfriend. We made our way back down to the boat, amidst the ruins of the town. Just before I fell asleep, a figure walked past the portlights of “Silent Partner”. I looked outside, but saw no one. I had seen the ghost of Butedale. It was the perfect ending of a perfect day.

Happy Birthday Reeb!!! And a happy day it was aboard the good ship “Silent Partner”. It had, perhaps, all of the elements of the perfect day. By 0817 hrs, we had already navigated through a rapids, viewed mountain goats, and discovered a cave. And that was only the beginning, which set the tone for the rest of the day. But I’m getting ahead of myself…..We awoke to yet another crisp, clear morning in the spectacular confines of Culpepper Lagoon, weighed anchor and proceeded to the narrows. Conditions were such that there was a 3 or 4 foot drop into Kynoch Inlet, but the flow was fairly smooth in the center. I determined it was safe to shoot the rapids, which we did with great success. Much less stressful than doing it in the dark! Once we were in the inlet a spell of wind kicked up and we rolled out the jib. The sun broke over the 5,000 foot tall granite half-domes and warmed us as we sailed out of the inlet. We spotted a cave near the waterline and decided to investigate it. “Modulus” was promptly launched from the mothership, with Christoph as the first shore party to investigate. Upon his return, he reported the cave as quite extensive. Christoph manned the ship as Lee and I rowed out next to explore with flashlights. The cave had a waterfall off to one side and turned out to be enormous, with extensive tunnels leading off in all directions. “Silent Partner” herself could have fit inside the main chamber with no problem, mast and all. Lee and I explored several tunnels and inner chambers, some of which led back down into salt water and others that led up to staggering heights. From what we could tell, we were somewhere underneath the waterfall at that point. We were sorry that Christoph wasn’t there with us, but he later reported that he was proud to have served the important mission of manning the mothership as we explored the inner chamber. True teamwork. We dubbed the cave “The Module” in honor of faithful Modulus, whom allowed us to discover the cave in the first place. All exploratory spelunking teams safely aboard and on our way again, we celebrated by polishing off the remainder of the giant cookie with big glasses of milk. We also admired the three mountain goats that were staring back at us from the 100 feet directly above, on the face of one of Kynoch Inlet’s magestic cliffs.

Fantastic morning! It is always fun to come into an unknown place at night, and not knowing what it looks like, “discover” it upon waking up. And what a place to wake up in!! Culpepper Lagoon is a marine canyon, walled in by towering snow-capped peaks that look like big mounds of shaving cream. Several waterfalls and two creeks plunge into the lagoon. I went for a row and was lured on around each bend in the shoreline by the sublime perfection and stillness of the morning, until I committed myself to a complete circumnavigation of the lagoon, some 2.5 miles in length. I came upon a family of 6 river otters who were very curious to see me. They poked their heads way up out of the water and snorted at me for 10 minutes or so, then disappeared around the next bend. I rowed a bit further and caught up with them, hauled out at a waterfall. They jumped back in and I tried to follow their bubbles as they swam away underwater. 5 minutes later I heard loud snorting in the trees on shore. I looked up, and the otters were all in the branches of a hemlock 10 feet directly above me! I slowly drifted away from the tree, and was followed by 5 or 6 seals on the remainder of the journey. I explored several waterfalls and found the remains of a burned-down cabin, returning to the mothership as the blinding sun spilled down over the shaving cream mountains. We remained in the lagoon the entire warm and still day. Christoph and Lee went exploring on shore and I puttered around on the boat all afternoon, enjoying a well-deserved relaxing day. It was ” the evening of the giant cookie” tonight. After exhausting our cookie supply, Christoph and I became very concerned about what we were going to do without cookies. We were thrilled to discover that we had all the ingredients necessary to bake chocolate chip cookies on the boat! We mixed up a batch, decided it wasn’t enough dough, and doubled it. After adding a bit more extra of everything, we snacked on the dough and formed the rest into a giagantic pie in our biggest skillet. Cooked over the wood stove, and voila! A masterpiece. Another great ending to a great day!

This morning, in proper fashion, we sailed wing-on-wing up the Fitz Hugh Sound, with 10 knots of wind from the SE. We were torn between going up the outer passage, which is more intricate but also more exposed, and in the end I feel we made the right decision by taking the inner-route. We are coming into the mountains now. This evening we swung into narrow Gunboat Passage and are moored in a tiny lagoon, very peaceful. The weather broke loose. Christoph, Lee and I explored the central chamber of the lagoon in the rain. We made an unsuccessful attempt at entering the inner chamber, but the tide was too low and the rapids were too strong. Christoph made a fantastic “Thai” dinner with our remaining vegetables on hand. I must say that the food on this trip has been some of the finest ever served aboard Silent Partner.

This morning “Modulus” and I went for a row in the foggy cove. We were in a state of waiting as we needed the conditions to be just right for our ocean crossing of 45 miles. The Canadian forecast had been for SE gales of 40-50 knots all day, but I caught a revised 1030 hours forecast and the conditions were just perfect. We quickly threw everything into action and prepared for the sea. Christoph and Lee took turns on the helm as I excitedly pulled my charts, plotted our course, considered our bail-out options, and monitored weather conditions and reports. Soon “Silent Partner” was feeling a low, 3 meter southwesterly swell under her bow, and the fog began to burn off as we entered the Queen Charlotte Sound. Ultimately, it was a routine and uneventful crossing, which was just fine by me. I was thankful for our window and that it came so early, without a long wait at Walker Island Cove (though it would have been a fine place to be stuck for a few days). I guess you could say that every place we’ve been would be a great place to spend a week or more. Each anchorage has such a different feel and mood to it. Tonight we are at Fury Cove, which looks out onto the ocean, and it is made up of several islands with high, white beaches. The beaches turned out to be made up of millions of crushed clam shells. Christoph and Lee spotted a mink on the beach. Today ended up being another clear, good- weather day, and warm in the afternoon. I am relieved that we have put the crossing behind us, and am feeling the lure of the North coast!