By the First Mate

Dropped by the fish market where they auction off catches to local restaurants.  There were several fish on the block I had never seen before, very cool. Obviously I don't know much about fish.  Each fish has a small chunk cut out of the tail to display quality of meat. I couldn't see the difference but the buyers sure could judging by the different auction prices.

 Some of these fish went for several thousand dollars-each.

The tag 152 is the weight.

  

By the First Mate

 

By the First Mate

By the First Mate

 

By the First Mate 

By The Skipper:

Working on a way to make our site more interesting and user friendly, especially the blog.  YouTube is changing formats soon so our YT channel will be looking different; not convinced it will be an improvement, but time will tell.  Look for changes to the Voyages page, possibly, to be replaced by our YouTube channel page.

Meanwhile, we are looking into ways to improve this blog to make it more flexible and interactive.  We may change site building tools or go to a different blog software.  I do not know yet - just beginning to get into it.  One suggestion was to try Wordpress.  

At this writing we are getting about equal traffic here and on YouTube.  I am not sure how much is duplication but it might be good to consolidate the feedback some way. One thing we are looking for is a better way to share Lauras photography while keeping it here on our own web site. We do not see good way for Laura to share her still photos on YouTube.  We just do not like slide shows on YT.  We go there for video and we think most other people do too.  We will be looking for better ways to present her photos here. Of course, as always, we welcome your suggestions.

By the First Mate

By the First Mate

A clear and comfortable Friday afternoon. Temp is 80 degrees, light trade winds blowing 10-15.  The Fuel Dock switched back to summer hours yesterday. The store is hopping busy. The laundry facility is full and boats are coming and going getting ready for the weekend. I would not want to be the owner of a power boat this summer.

Chuck has been busy writing articles and working on our sail plan. We have been checking the weather daily but it continues to be Winter in the Pacific.  

Wonder what kind of a sunset we will have tonight...... 

   

Yes, Spike Africa was Sterling Hayden's First Mate on Wanderer.

Given the popularity of our "D Minus Ten-Preparation" video, Chuck is working on a series of articles and videos covering planning and preparation.

We do not have access to any new weather information at sea so we rely on seasonal trends and the latest forecast we can get.  After that we just deal with it.

We might.  We have found several Burgoo recipes that are not quite so weird as Jones'

We never really know. Some pressure to head South but we really want to visit Alaska.

When the wind is fair.

By The Skipper:

The sail maker came by to measure Lealea for her new genoa.   Remarking that he usually attached a messenger line but would forgo it this time, he attached his tape to the jib halyard and hoisted it to the masthead.  When he pulled it taught, the tape came down leaving the halyard at the masthead.  I could not help but laugh out loud.  Embarrassed, he fetched another tape from his truck and, after attaching a messenger line, sent it aloft on the spare halyard and got his measurement.

I told him not to worry about it; that I would go aloft and retrieve the halyard myself.  Unfortunately, I was unable to haul myself up the mast with the four-part tackle we have for the purpose, a rather depressing surprise to me.  I will have to make a rope ladder for the purpose.   Meanwhile, I will have to ask the sail maker to come back and retrieve the halyard.

By the Skipper:

I thought we had two burned out fans and figured to replace one of them today.  I had ordered a new fan assembly from Jamestown.  I thought the new unit, although different from the old one, would fit close enough to work but no such luck.  On the other hand, in disassembling the old set-up, I discovered that the problem was not the fan motor after all.  It was the switch!  Easily fixed. I cleaned up the wiring in the forepeak and got rid of the non-functioning fan. Other than ending up with a new fan that I have no use for, not a bad day's work.

By The Skipper:

Having gone through the vessel checklist and identified a few things that need attention we have been pretty busy the past few days.  We are well into the "B" list now, as far as the boat is concerned.  Time to turn to navigation.

I got serious, today, about the navigation phase of voyage planning.  I got on line and located what looks like three likely pubs within one NM of the transient docks in Sitka.  I have had the weather patterns, currents, shipping lanes and the Japanese tsunami debris field in mind for some time now but had yet to turn to this most important detail.  With this out of the way, I can enter final waypoints and lay off a course.

We will  continue preparing the boat - you can never be truly finished with that task - and when the new genoa arrives, we will do our final provisioning run and wait for fair winds and favorable weather.

By the First Mate

By the First Mate

It is another beautiful day in paradise.  We spent the morning drinking coffee and watching the harbor activity.  South swells are making the surfing in front of Waikiki most excellent for this time of year.

Chuck has taken a walk in search of the correct type of lighter refill which will fit our Ancor Torch so he can complete the wiring on our new stern light today. 

Some disappointing news on our new sail.  We picked it up yesterday and made to hank it on but 4 of the new hanks did not work properly. The sailmaker sent someone over to pick it up first thing this morning so we should have it back shortly. 

There are other small chores on our list to be completed before we start North but nothing that can't be done while at anchor somewhere. 

Our set of Alaska charts have arrived.      

By the First Mate

We plan to be casting off in a few hours so this is just a quick post to let everyone know that we will be out of touch while we explore some of the more out of the way places in Hawaii.

By the Skipper:



Lealea Rafted up with True Blue and the Cruising Grannies.

You meet the nicest people while waiting for weather.

By The Skipper:

For the past month or so we have been cruising the quieter parts of Hawaii, although we did visit Lahaina briefly.  First we sailed to Hale o' Lono (Lono Harbor on the chart) on the Southwest corner of Molokai.  Lono is an abandoned barge harbor  with no amenities whatsoever - no water, no restrooms, nothing but crumbling wharves and what we call "Kiawe" here in Hawaii, better known as Mesquite in the Southwest.  Lono is almost always deserted save for an occasional cruising boat.  The harbor also serves as an assembly point for the escort boats that accompany the outrigger canoe, kayak and stand-up paddleboard races from Molokai to Oahu.

After a week at Lono, we sailed to Manele Bay, Lanai.  While at Manele, we took the ferry to Lahaina for a day, ate lunch at the Lahaina Yacht Club and strolled around like the rest of the tourists then returned to Lanai at sunset.  During the three weeks we stayed at Lanai we enjoyed plenty fresh fish and, a real treat, venison steaks courtesy of the friendly locals.

Now back in Honolulu for just three days, we did our Costco run this morning; Laura is busy repackaging and stowing provisions for our voyage to Alaska.  She prefers to perform this task herself, mainly because a second hand is just in the way.

Scheduled departure is Thursday Noon...

Weather permitting.

by The Skipper:

After receiving updated weather reports at 1800 and experiencing increasing winds and seas in the Kauai Channel, we decided to make for Nawiliwili rather than coninue Northward off an increasingly dangerous lee shore.  We put Lealea on a broad reach in front of winds clocking 25 to 30 knots and ten foot seas on the starboard quarter, making for Nawiliwili harbor at 8 knots.

Once again, we find ouselves passing the time, waiting for favorable winds.  Forecasts indicate that may not be until next Thursday.

ByThe Skipper:

Nawiliwili

Still waiting for weather. We missed a 24 hour window last week, perhaps being too timid, but we judged a snug mooring preferable to bashing to windward in marginal conditions.

So we wait. Best guess for departure is now possibly Friday or Saturday. The North Pacific High, which governs all sailing decisions in the North Pacific, is uncharacteristicly far to the West of its usual location and is causing all sorts of mischief with the weather this year.

We will depart when the wind turns favorable. Soon,we hope.

Arrived Sitka, AK 35 days from Nawiliwili, HI Yesterday, August 3.  Had a great trip! Battery a bit low so will fill in details in a day or two.  Lots of video to edit and upload so it will take some time.  We will be in Sitka for about 5 days and cruising SE AK for the next few weeks.

Aloha

Chuck and Laura
and Bree

It is a sad day aboard Lealea.  Our Boatswain of 16 years is no longer with us.  She was our loyal companion for every voyage but, alas, an old cat will develop health problems no matter how well cared for.  Bree started getting ill a few weeks ago and we took her to the veterinary hospital in Sitka when we arrived for a check up.  She stayed in the hospital overnight and was diagnosed with kidney failure.  We made the difficult decision to put her to sleep before she suffered too much.

We have shed a lot of tears but we have a lot of fond memories.  We know she is happier now that the Rumble Monster will no longer trouble her.

By the Skipper:

Now in the little fishing village of Port Alexander after stops in Whale Bay and Puffin Bay on the west coast of Baranov Island.  Using a public computer now so I will have to keep this brief.  Laura took a lot of photos and video that should be pretty spectacular. I will hike back down to the boat and put together a more detailed post later.

By the Skipper:

After leaving Sitka, we motored down the outside (West) coast of Baranov Island to Whale Bay where we spent two nights in a small bight called Kritoi Basin.  We put our inflatable kayak in the water and spent an afternoon paddling around the perimiter of the basin, stopping for a picnic lunch on shore before retuning to the boat.  The next morning we saw a mama brown bear with two cubs on the far bank! Next day we went farther down the coast to Puffin bay and another small cove where we anchored near a stream outlet surrounded by salmon making their way upstream to spawn.

We are now in the little fishing village of Port Alexander, Alaska.  The cruising guides do not have much to say about PA.  Understandable with no amenities usually sought by yachties like fuel, dockside wi-fi, 30amp and 50amp power, restaurants, washrooms, shopping or entertainment.  There are no roads or motor vehicles.  The only way in or out is by float-plane or boat.  There are about 35 full  time residents (All very colorful and friendly) and a small fishing fleet.  The village is served twice a week in the summer (Once a week in winter) by a supply scow that brings in the mail and fuel for the fishing boats.

That is the reason we are here: we needed fuel.  We arrived yesterday and found a tiny snack shop at the head of the single float called The Problem Corner, Ember, proprietor, where we were told that the Eyak, supply scow, was due in "Probably tomorrow or the next day" and they might sell us some diesel fuel.

It was noon and the fishing fleet was mostly out so we asked if there might be an internet connection somewhere.  There is;  in Bear Hall, a sort of combination community house and library up the boardwalk next to the small K-through-12 school that serves the eleven children in the village.

Continuing up the boardwalk we found the Laughing Raven Lodge, a family charter fishing operation, and met TJ, the cook and Molly the manager and her father Pete of whom we inquired if we might find showers and maybe a meal.  Since they were under booked this week they had a room available at a very reasonable price. The menu that evening featured fresh halibut caught by their other guests.  The result was that we enjoyed a wonderful meal, served family style with Pete, Molly, her husband Ryan who captains the Albin 31 sport fishing boat, and their four car-dealer guests from Florida.  The talk was mostly about fishing and the car business.  One of the guests was wearing a Harley-Davidson T-shirt so of course we talked a bit about motorcycles too.

After supper, the guests, exhausted by a full day of fishing and facing a 6am departure for another of the same, departed for bed while Molly, Ryan and us stayed at the table talking about the best places to cruise in this part of Alaska.  Out came the charts and Molly and Ryan shared their favorite anchorages with us. Pete, having brought the family here in 1974 in his steel ketch, Blue Jacket, and Ryan were a fertile source of maritime knowledge (and sea stories). 

The Eyak arrived today and the friendly crew, curious about the tiny sailboat from Honolulu, was more than happy to sell us 15 gallons of fuel at a surprisingly reasonable price.
We would love to stay in Port Alexander a while but time is getting short and we have to find a place to spend the winter. We will let you know as soon as we figure it out. Once we are settled in for the winter, assuming we have good internet access, I will get working on the web site again.We will update here as often as possible meanwhile.

Aloha

Today is bright, sunny and dry.  The wind is blowing 25 knots from the north against the current setting up 5 ft wind waves and effectively pinning us in port for another day or two.


But Port Alexander is not a bad place to hole up for a few days. (above: looking up "Main Street" in PA)

By the Skipper:

Just a few miles north of Port Alexander, we are now tied up next to the fish pens of the Port Armstrong Hatchery.  Everyone in Port Alexander assured us that we would see bears here.  In the past hour we have seen at least 4 individuals and maybe 6.  The hatchery workers chased a bear off the boardwalk with noisemakers a few minutes ago (They also had a rifle and shotgun with them).  The hatchery is an amazing operation.  We were given a tour when we arrived and welcomed warmly.  The docks and pens are new, having been wiped out by a storm last winter.  Wi-fi at the docks and virtually unlimited hydro-electric power, and plenty of bears.  Check out the link.

Before we get too far from Port Alexander be sure to check out the Laughing Raven Lodge   website.  If you are interested in sport fishing, I cannot think of a better way to experience fishing in Alaska than with Pete, Ryan, Molly and the crew at Laughing Raven in Port Alexander.

After our first cup of coffee, Laura got off the boat to stretch and had a chat with Dave, skipper of FV Hazel B, and Ben, the manager of the hatchery.  "You won't be going anywhere today" they told her.  Although the sun was shining cheerfully, the gusty North-Easterly wind meant it would be unpleasant to head North in the Chatham Strait.  

We accepted an invitation to watch and maybe help a bit with the daily operations which included tagging fingerlings, a fascinating process, and keeping "Bear watch" while some other workers repaired a pipeline support. Laura went on inside to watch the tagging while Ben and I stayed outside on the boardwalk.  We had noticed a bear about 200 feet away on the shoreline working his way toward us. Two hatchery workers were in the water on the shoreline under the boardwalk to repair the 12 inch plastic pipe that had come adrift from its support.  They had a 12 gage shotgun with them.  On the boardwalk,  about 8 feet above the water, Dave and I kept watch with Ben who was also armed with a shotgun.  After a few minutes, another worker arrived with his shotgun.  All four of us scanned for bears under the boardwalks and up the wooded hill behind while the men below us worked on the pipe.  I noticed another shotgun propped against the wall nearby.

When the bear came within 50 feet the workers yelled "Go away bear!" and tossed a couple of rocks at it.  The bear turned and ambled up the hill into the brush.  With the pipe secured the work party gathered their tools and climbed back up to the boardwalk.
After a while, the bear came down to the water under the boardwalk and caught a fish.  Laura and I walked back to the boat for lunch.  From the cockpit we watched the rather surreal scene of three bears catching fish on the beach across the cove about two hundred feet away while Coho and King salmon leapt into the air in astonishing numbers. It is the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

By the Skipper:

We will be spending the winter in the bustling metropolis of Petersburg, AK (pop 3060).  Petersburg has all the amenities and social activity a boater could want.  We will, however, have to invest in a couple of pairs of appropriate footwear.  Our fancy Sperry sea bootsw are a bit out of place here. Everyone, and we mean EVERYONE, man woman and child, wears Xtra toughs.  since the internet gods won't let me embed a video to day, go to: http://youtu.be/35Pj0nHdPBo to check it out 

By The Skipper:

When the weather is nice here it is REALLY nice.  What a terrific Autumn day we are enjoying today.  I walked the mile or so up to the Post Office to get our mail while Laura went into town to do some shopping and laundry.  Then we met up here at the library to check email and post a blog entry. 
I stopped by the Petersburg Visitor's Center and Chamber of Commerce and had a chat with Marylin while I picked up some information on the local scene - hiking trails, things to do, history and archeology of the area, the gymnasium and pool, churches and volunteer opportunities and, of course sea food recipes and Oktoberfest next month.  We continue to make new friends everywhere we go.  I would like to spend time working on the web site but it is just too nice a day to waste indoors.  There will be plenty of time for indoor activities when the weather turns. 

By The Skipper:

We have been here in Petersburg, AK a little over two weeks now and are settling in nicely.  We put the awnings up on Lealea to keep us a bit drier and to provide a little more privacy.  Laura is doing something she has always wanted to do - work in a coffee shop - and I am practicing my cornet an hour or so each day.  Something I have been wanting to for a few years now is play Christmas carols on the street during the holiday season and this looks the perfect little town to do it.

The Petersburg Public Library is the perfect place to work on our videos and Laura is in the best possible place to meet the townsfolk.  She only works four hours a day and gets her lunch free.  That leaves me on my own - a minor hardship - but it makes me more productive in terms of articles for the web site and video editing.  Too, with Laura out of the way for a few hours each day, I am free to work on interior boat projects that would be too disruptive if we were both sharing cabin space.  Today that involved emptying lockers and spreading the contents around the cabin while I did some re-organizing to improve air-flow in the storage spaces.  This will become a critical, ongoing project in the weeks to come as the temperatures dip lower and condensation in the boat gets to be more of a concern.

By The Skipper:

I was raised in a family with four boys and no girls.  Mom taught all of us how to cook and I still enjoy whipping up a tasty meal from time to time.  I especially like our pressure cooker.  Mom never measured anything so that is how I do it.  A handful of this, a pinch of that, a dash of something else; I wouldn't know how to cook using cups and teaspoons.

Today I am making a stew. Often I will just throw some veggies and spices in the pot resulting in a vegan-friendly dish but today I picked up some stew beef so it is going to be a hearty beef stew.  For vegetables I usually just wander down the aisle in the produce department and pick up whatever catches my eye.  This time it was acorn squash, carrots, a sweet potato, a couple of red potatoes, celery, red and green bell peppers, red and green jalapeno peppers and a big yellow onion. Garlic and a half pound of navy beans came from ship's stores.

I began by braising the beef in the bottom of the pot with some sage and sea salt.  Then I washed, peeled and chopped the veggies into large-ish chunks and added them in along with a small handful of cumin, some dill weed, more salt and some black pepper.  After giving the whole thing a bit of a stir I sealed up the cooker and put it on the heat.  It just came up to pressure so I turned it down to low.  In 45 minutes it will be done and we will have enough stew for several meals. Mmmmm does that smell GOOD?  Oh Yeah!

By the First Mate

Slowly settling into a routine.  Rain this morning.  We have never seen the barometer swing so much as here.  

I've taken a part time job at a small, local restaurant called "Helse" located on historic Sing Lee Alley.  I work four hours a day Monday through Friday.  Definitely a great way to meet the locals and short enough hours that the afternoon flies by.

Chuck and I went to a fundraiser a few week-ends ago for KFSK, the only radio station available in Petersburg.  There is, quite literally, a captive audience but luckily they provide a wide variety of programming.  Most interesting is the local aspect which provides listeners with daily community calendars and diverse music programs run by every day volunteers from the community. Beginning this week Chuck will be contributing to the programming with a two hour program every Friday. We will post a link to the radio station with the details if anyone wishes to listen in.  

Another opportunity was found that same day.  I have started volunteering an additional 4 hours a day at Waterways Veterinary Clinic. (something I have always wanted to do)  Dr. Hill has a clinic here in Petersburg and a mobile practice on his boat which travels between small towns, most of which are only accessible by water.  Dearly missing Bree. We have decided to wait a while before bringing another pet aboard and this gives me the opportunity to get some daily dog and cat hugs while learning some new skills.