30 days and counting

Were getting closer, only 30 days to go before we shove off.
Before we go we have to haul the boat and clean the hull, scrape the barnacles and double check the running gear. I probably should figure out what kind of props I have and order a spare set so if I do the unthinkable and hit something we can be back in service quickly since Glen will have his dive gear with him.
I have to put a new transducer in to use the new fishfinder and put a strainer over the raw water intake for the genset. It sucked in lots of eel grass last year in the san juans and we found out there was noting covering that intake port.
Other than that we should be about ready to go
Still have to build the awning once the canvas arrives from Seattle fabric but that should take a couple hours in an evening to sew it together.
Gotta keep Chris from loading too much stuff, she has a tendancy to overpack.
Hopefully the fickle weather will improve and start looking like spring. snowed the last three days here so maybe it will get the bad weather out of its system and we can look forward to a great dry and warm spring. OK, i am halucinating, but one can only hope.

50 days and counting

Lord, less than two months to go and tons of stuff to do.

The boat needed a good cleaning after a long wet winter but everything seemed to work and it looks like the leak in the forward head is finally gone. Cross our fingers.

Both engines started, that is a good thing considering the electrical glitch I found last week and fixed. The engines were cross wired at the factory. the port power switch gave power to the starboard engine and vice versa. there was also a loose connection that caused intermittant loss of power to the main breaker. Both were easy fixes once I found the problem

Installed the radar arch this weekend with the help of Glen and several others from the club who offered advise and some help. Looks great! the primary purpose is to extend the canvas top further back to cover the door for the anticipated wet weather up north.

Eventually we will transfer the radar and lighting from the mast to the arch but no time to do that before the trip north.

Next on the agenda is to haul it out for about four days, clean the bottom, remove all the barnacles if any and check the props. Need to find two spare ones.

Probably install a new depth sounder fish finder to augment the digital depth guage. Finding the shallow shelf or pinacle to drop an anchor on in some of the deep coves will require being able to see the bottom contour which I can't do with a digital readout.

Gotta change oil, change the secondary filters on the engines and the filters on the genset, clean the whole thing up a bit more and load it down with provisions and we should be ready to travel. Oh yea! Fuel it up. Prices keep going up, 3.66 this weekend, Guess I better run up to Brownsville this week and top it off before it gets to 4.00 a Gallon.

tracking the voyage

We will be using a new spot satelite personal tracker as we voyage north.
This will allow those with the password to click on the link and view a map of our travels.

The spot will send out a signal every 10 minutes during the day to a satelite and download a gps marker wherever we are at that time.

That might be of interest to those who wich to join us to make sure we are continuing along our intended path and are likely to make the actual pre arranged pick up point. We can also signal for help if god forbid that became necessary.

check it out, copy and paste the below into your address line

https://share.findmespot.com/shared/gogl.jsp?glId=1WgAGNerjDoCMNmG7NfecmWTTZ4TipY8Z

You will have to log in using the password I gave you
click on Messages tab
click on last 30 days
click on highlight all
click on showonmap

Click on Satellite

Alaska adventure, planning

It is only 3 months away. Departure date. We are getting the schedule sorted out and here is what we know right now.
We depart for the far north on May 1st. We start in Lake Washington on the 1st, through the 4th for opening day at the Montlake Cut. Becky and Mikey are joining us out there as is Jason and Katie, I think.
We depart Lake Washington on Sunday the 4th with Katie and Jason as crew. We will take a couple of days to cruise as far as Sydney BC where our crew will depart either by Victoria Clipper or small aircraft. Katie is voting for Clipper, Jason for small plane.
We will join up with Glen and Liz somewhere in the Gulf Islands probably on Wednesday the 7th or Thursday the 8th.
We will then head north cruising about 4 to 8 hours a day and should be in Ketchikan by May 18. I have to come home the first week of June so I am planning on leaving the boat at Wrangell Alaska. I will be here from June 1 to June 7th when we return and resume our travels
We are going to head a bit west for a week and explore an area on the outside of Prince of Wales Island, Shakan Bay, El Capitan Passage and Sea Otter Sound. Were actually killing time and returning to Wrangell to pick up Becky and Mike on June 14th.
From Wrangell we will probably hang around the area of the Stikine river for a day of fishing. We then head north to Petersburg through Wrangell Narrows. Should be at Petersburg on June 16 or 17. From Petersburg we head north to explore Endicott arm or Tracy arm for glacier and ice berg viewing, stock up on glacier ice for the drinks and stay at Fords Terror. Some more fishing, crabbing or shrimping along the way and we end up at Juneau on June 21.
Becky and Mike depart on June 22.
Sherm and Nancy fly in on June 22.
From Juneau we head north west towards Glacier Bay, Icy Straight, Elfin Cove, the Pacific side of Chichagof Island. wx permitting, Perill Strait, Tenakee Hot Springs, Angoon, Hoonah and various other places to explore.
Sitka on July 3 or there abouts where we pick up Debbie Bailey.
July 4 fireworks in Sitka, fishing and kayaking around that area and provisioning and making any needed repairs for the trip south. Sherm and Nancy Leave from Sitka, July 5
With Debbie we head back through Peril Strait and Gunkhole south along the east coast of Baranof Island anchoring in various protected anchorages, fishing, shrimping and bear watching then exploring Kuiu Island and Tebenkof Bay and the Bay of Pillars.
July 13, Petersberg where we say goodby to Debbie and now have to do all the crew work by ourselves for the first time. The galley slaves are gone.
Start to slowly meander south exploring as we go. After crossing Dixon Entrance explore a different route from the northbound route. At the north end of Grenville Channel take Ogden Channel and the West side of Pitt Island. Explore for four or five days were very few boaters venture. Remote and isolated area.
August 3 to August 17, arrive back in the Broughtons, North end of Vancouver Island. Maybe pick up Buck and Lisa at Port Hardy or they could take a sea plane to Greenaway Sound. Cruise the hundreds of islands in the area and the popular areas for fishing and shrimping.
August 18 head south down Johnstone strait, through the tidal rapids to Desolation Sound
Ed and Jennifer possibly meet us somewhere in Desolation or the Gulf Islands. Spend remaining two weeks cruising slowly south through Desolation Sound, Canadian Gulf Islands and then home by August 30 and Labor day at Long Branch with the club.
Back to work with a grey beard, long hair and bad attitude on September 2.
Thats the plan, we will see how it actually goes.