Cathleen flew home from Echo Bay and there will be no more crew changes or additions. I am single-handing the final 350 miles home. I really like having other people on board and it is especially gratifying to share this experience with friends and family. None of us had been on a wilderness boating adventure... Continue Reading →
The Broughton Islands Marine Park is broadly defined to include an area between north Vancouver Island and the mainland encompassing some 300 islands and narrow waterways. It would take years to see them all. Its rich history begins with Native villages dating back thousands of years. Clamshell midden beaches are plentiful where the villages once... Continue Reading →
Ketchikan has been a hub for crew changes. This is the third and last time to be docked here. Mark and Linda flew back home and Thomas arrived for the leg to Shearwater/Bella Bella. He and his lovely wife B-Dub are good friends of ours from Redmond. They have seven children so getting away for a... Continue Reading →
Mark and Linda arrived in Ketchikan about two hours before Scott and I were docked so they made their way from the airport to the Arctic Bar in the middle of town. Docking in Thomas Basin Marina was a lot easier than when Alec and I docked here the first time since the wind wasn't... Continue Reading →
Before leaving Juneau, we had lunch outside at The Twisted Fish on a rare sunny afternoon. The place was teeming with cruise ship tourists. Scott and I left Juneau for a short 20 mile cruise to Taku Harbor. We anchored and grilled steaks for dinner. I don't usually take pictures of food, but this turned... Continue Reading →
Sitka is a beautiful little town. We were lucky to have some nice weather to walk around it and take it all in. We took a taxi to the Fortress of the Bear, but they closed early for Fathers Day. Instead, we stopped at the raptor rehab center to see the many eagles, falcons, hawks,... Continue Reading →
After six days in Ketchikan, I was ready to get back out on the water. During this time, there must have been 25 cruise ships come and go, each with a couple thousand passengers to see the sights. They arrive early in the morning and are gone by 5pm. The town seems to breathe a... Continue Reading →
I was planning to change the oil in the generator. I pulled off the sound shield and started it up, warming up the oil, when I noticed water streaming from the raw water pump. This pump pulls sea water into the heat exchanger to cool the coolant/engine. I shut down the engine. I have a... Continue Reading →
Six days after leaving Shearwater, we crossed the border into Alaska! Before leaving Shearwater, we walked to the grocery store, picked up a few provisions, and dropped off our trash and recycle items. We motored to the fuel dock and added 800 liters of diesel fuel to the tanks, ensuring we had plenty to get to... Continue Reading →
On May 17, Alec and I left Seattle’s Elliott Bay Marina to cruise on Fiddler for three weeks up the Inside Passage to Ketchikan, AK. Ten days later we docked at Shearwater Marina in northern British Columbia, the approximate half-way point in terms of days. We have traveled 475 miles of the 750 mile trip,... Continue Reading →
Fiddler 