Pacific NW

Expeditions

Big day today, very big. At last, we steamed from Thunder Bay. Whew! First thing off the bat we lashed Modulus to the deck and prepared for sea. With harnesses on we met with sloppy seas and 25 knots of wind from the East. The forecast was still a bit rough, but with a dying trend. I figured we could have just bailed out if a situation got too rough. By 5AM we were sailing out off the godforsaken capes with the wind behind us, making good time. We sailed past so much inaccessible country. This coast is backed by the Harding Icefield and its cliffs plunge directly into the sea, an ironbound coast. We saw a big bear on a huge lonely beach, and a few whales, and one navigational marker. It was nice to see something man made after our stormbound episode. I also established communication with the Coast Guard on Kodiak Island. We were so lucky as to meet up with two other sailboats who were also going the same way. Rounding Gore Point was one of the roughest parts of the day, and it was good to have the other boats around. Three major tides collide with each other off this cape, creating huge rips with a heavy SE groundswell. It was ugly, but we all made it around safely at slack tide. Hopefully that will be the worst weather and seas we encounter on the voyage. Once around Gore Point we had the wind and current and seas directly behind us. We screamed along at 10 knots, surfing down waves with the mainsail out. The wind steadily dropped but we were shot through Chugach Passage by the currents and the rollers. No part of this section of coast is hospitable to sailboats, and we were very fortunate to have all the elements with us. I began to wonder about how we’re going to ever get back! Once west of Gore Point the tides coming in and out of Cook Inlet have a huge effect on the currents, with few places to bail out and violent tide rips along the entire coast. We totally lucked out and made a solid 9 knots for the last few hours. After the rough seas around Gore Point, riding the calm, swift current into Cook Inlet was awesome. We blasted the music, cleaned up the cabin, and made a bee-line for Port Graham at slack tide. The country around the base of the Kenai Peninsula is spectacular. Giant sea arches everywhere, inaccessible sandy beaches and vertical cliffs to 3,000 feet set the mood. In Port Graham we rafted up with the two other sailboats, “Ursa Major” and “Creola”, that we had been talking with over the radio all day. We all rode on Ursa Major’s anchor, which was nice. Ryan and I are having difficulty with the spare anchor rode and it was nice not to have to anchor again before we get all fixed up in Homer. We found out that the Ursa Major had also been holed up for 7 days in an inlet not far from us. Good to know other people made the same decision as we did! Our fresh food had completely run out by today. But we had a meal of fish tacos and all kinds of vegetables, cheeses, and beers aboard the Ursa Major and Creola. It was a most excellent way to end the day. We’re around the ugly water now. Just a small hop to Homer tomorrow!