Sunday, April 26, 2015

Alaska Bound

April 26....Nanaimo BC
After a one day delay, we left the dock at 0705 Saturday, April 25 under cloudy skies but on flat waters.  It made for a very long day, but the skies cleared and the water remained flat so we spent 11 1/2 hours and got to the Nanaimo customs dock at 1830....only to find out that our phone service to CA had not been established......need a phone to call customs.  Gary borrowed a phone from a Vietnamese fisherman behind us to call in.  We cleared customs, put up our Candian courtesy burgee and headed to the Nanaimo Yacht Club for reciprocal moorage for the night.
The forecast was calling for winds SE 25-30 by morning and they were spot on.  At 0530 winds at Sisters Island (in the middle of the Strait of Georgia) were blowing steady at 25.  We decided to stay put at the dock for a couple of days until this subsides and the water flattens out.
Spent the morning straightening out the phone and internet mess.  We are now all connected and tied securely to weather out the blow.  Will attend to some housekeeping chores today, read  a bit and rest up after a long first day.

April 27, Sunday.....It continues to blow.  Got a bit of housekeeping taken care of.  Finished one book and started "Alaska".  A bit of a tome but bears a reread since we are heading that direction.  I need a history refresher to get in the right frame of mind.

Friday, April 3, 2015

So after saying that, I should tell you that our first summer we stayed in the Washington state waters and the waters of southern BC...venturing only as far a Ganges on Salt Spring Island. 
The next spring Gary told me we were going to Hakai Pass....where the heck is that?  That summer we made it north through the Strait of Georgia, up Johnstone Strait and across Queen Charlotte Strait, rounding Cape Caution and heading north into Fitzhugh Sound and Hakai Pass (Pruth Bay).  We were so proud of ourselves!  Nice trip, no horror stories and home safely.
The next year we did the Vancouver Island 360 and were even more proud. Our confidence was building with each trip and adventure.  The following year to took aim at Alaska and made it ....just as far as Ketchikan and the Misty Fjords.  Just far enough to get us hooked!  The next year we went back and travelled SE Alaska in all its grandeur. 
In total we have taken 5 trips to Alaska and 6 around Vanvouver Island, each trip revealing something new and wonderful.
And this year will be our 6th Alaska voyage, our first in our new boat, Magic.  Getting excited.


Baranof Island, AK
 

Warm Springs, Baranof Island, AK
 

Point Retreat Lighthouse, just northwest of Juneau.
 

Just a little history

Before you think that one day we just bought a boat and took off into the wilderness, you should know a couple of things.  I grew up in the mid South and my only boating experience was water skiing on Tennessee and Mississippi lakes and one Bahamas Cruise!  Gary on the other hand grew up in Edmonds on the water with a Dad who fished and boated since Gary was a little kid.  Further, by the time we bought our first cruising boat, Channel Dancer, Gary already had over 25 years experience as an Air Force and commercial airlines pilot flying the world over.  So understand, he already knew chart plotting, radar, weather system interpretation,  radio communications, rudders, trim tabs, pitch and yaw.  He just needed to learn to drive a boat!  And I needed to learn to be his assistant.  We accomplished both.
He quickly realized the need to learn to dock safely and neatly.  Coronet Bay, just around the corner from us, has a mid water float that we used over and over and over to do nothing but practice dockings....with current, against current, with wind, without.  It made a huge difference in our confidence.  That is not to say we didn't have a lot to learn; the first summer was not pretty.  Every docking was a high anxiety time for both of us.  I used the boat hook frequently, I bought gadgets to help me grab the dock, I got yelled at occasionally and I sweated bullets....but so did he.  With time and practice we got it.  Our very first time to dock with my just "stepping off" the swim step to run grab a couple of groceries and come back as he sidled up to the dock to retrieve me was a proud moment!! 
Also know that his flying history gave me more confidence in his ability to handle the boat in a variety of conditions.  Our first adventure in the fog was terrifying until he taught me how to begin to interpret a radar screen;  how to see a tug and a barge, how to identify something huge like a cruise or cargo ship vs. a small go fast.  Anyone can learn these things with proper instruction and it is a must if you want to safely travel our big waters.
Queen Charlotte Strait nearing Cape Caution

Thursday, April 2, 2015

In the beginning..........

In the beginning, in 2001, we bought a 34' Tolly and named her Channel Dancer(see Channel Dancer Adventures). We spent 13 summers cruising the waters of the Pacific Northwest and one day last spring we found a different boat!  Out of the blue, suddenly we dismissed our plans for another Alaska trip in 2014 and started making our new boat, Magic, a 38' Helmsman Trawler, into the vessel we needed to make lengthy trips.  She was quite nice to start with but was equipped for the weekend boater in the Salish Sea area and not for cruises which last up to or greater than 3 months and require self sufficiency.

Channel Dancer

Magic
 
 
Allow me to introduce ourselves.  We are Gary and Carol Curtis and our little dog, Diesel II.  We were able to take a short, by our standards, summer cruise last year and then spent the fall and winter making additions to Magic.  These additions included a gen set, larger propane tank, larger furnace, pilot house window coverings,some rewiring, larger ground tackle, a new dinghy, revamping the upper deck railing to accommodate the new Bullfrog, downrigger mount, stern tie mount,  the addition of another radio on the bridge, teak bookshelf for the numerous cruising guides and fishing regs we live by in the summer time, new fenders....you get the idea.  It was a winter's worth of work, mostly for Gary..  She is now just about ready for departure!  We plan to take off April 24, once again, bound for Alaska.  Stay tuned.