Summer '06 Aboard Naknek

[TyBoo]

Naknek's Summer Adventure 6

June 3, 2006

Hi Friends,

The adventure continues … but still no online services. At the moment I have part 4, 5, and now 6 to send out when the opportunity presents itself. It is beginning to look like Prince Rupert may the next opportunity. Oh well….

We are currently at "Bishop Bay Hot Springs" which is 427 statute miles north of Anacortes, and 85 statute miles south of Prince Rupert. According to my log we have "wandered" 1076 statute miles since leaving Anacortes on May 4th . As you can see, we're doing a lot of sightseeing as we wander north. It has been fun, and we've generally had a lot of good weather, but for the past couple days it has turned rainy and cold. …and when it get's rainy/cold here it's bone-chilling. We arrived at Bishop Bay around 10AM and were headed to the hot spring by 10:30. An hour later (and warm again) it was time to think about some lunch. On a day like today grilled ham and cheese sandwiches and hot soup were perfect.

Wanderer and Naknek are traveling on our own for a while. Halcyon decided to take a slightly different route closer to the coast, so my guess is we may not see them again until up near Prince Rupert near the eleventh. With the generally scuzzy (that's a professional sea-faring term I think) we decided to just lay-over at Bishop Bay. There are no facilities, but they do have a small floating dock. Currently there are four boats here, our 2 C-Dory's and two larger boats (for that matter, virtually all cruiser's are larger than C-Dory's!). The hot spring is about a :03 walk away. Very convenient, in fact I suspect there will be a before-happy-hour soak followed by a before-bedtime soak.

Yesterday, on the trip north we stopped in "Klemtu," a First Nation (native) village with a decent gas dock and grocery store. It was a good opportunity to replenish fuel and food items. The store was surprisingly well stocked for a bush-community, and the prices were about what you'd expect as well. My impression was that virtually everything began at $5.xx or more. My bill came to a little over $42 and easily fit into two regular plastic grocery bags, and the 128liters of fuel came to $160.87 (!), but it beats rowing. Such is the cost of travel in the north country. The one good buy we found was halibut and chips at the café, for nine dollars! I guess having the café right next to the fish processing plant allows them to get fish at a good price; I know the processing plant certainly adds something to the ambience! But anyway - the fish and chips were quite good.

Last night we stayed at a broken down (literally, broken down and falling into the sea…) place called Butedale. At one time it was a fish packing site but is now biodegrading its way back to "nature." There is only one fellow (Lou) who lives at Butedale. In fact, I'm told that he is the only person living on all of Princess Royal Island. That in itself is not too surprising unless you realize that Princess Royal Island is 51 miles long and upwards of 28 miles wide. Now that's room to roam, eh? (…more Canadian speak) This is not a resort by any stretch of imagination, just a place to go ashore and take pictures of the ramshackle buildings in various states of decay. Interestingly enough, they present a kind of charm and were interesting to explore - just be careful where you step. Lots of loose boards and rotten wood. There were a couple of other cruising boats at Butedale when we arrived. All were friendly and didn't let the drizzle dampen their spirits. About 9:30PM I was sitting in the boat reading and heard someone shouting. I looked up and all eight (or so…) folks were leaning over the railing calling me to join their group up on the landing. Off I went. When I arrived they all got a real hoot out of my large golf umbrella. Everyone was standing around a campfire, in the rain. Everybody wanted to make friendly comments about their warm Southern neighbor and his golf umbrella. Within five minutes there were three other folks sharing my umbrella. These are fun loving folks, and they certainly don't let a little rain ruin their travel or fun…eh?

I just checked the daily schedule. It's 4PM and I just have enough time to get-in a nice soak before happy hour. Guess I'd better keep on schedule.

Best to All,

Casey

Aboard C-Dory Naknek

…looking for a sunny day to dry-out!

[TyBoo]

Naknek's Summer Adventure 7

June 13, 2006 / Ketchikan



Hi Friends,

Goodness … it has been ten days since "Part 6," maybe Casey's getting Lazy, eh?

On the 5th the rain stopped and we had a short/pleasant 30 mile ride to Hartley Bay, BC. Hartley Bay is a native village of around 200 people. As native villages go this is a pretty nice one - most of the houses look reasonably well built and maintained (a rarity in many villages…). There are no roads or vehicles in Hartley Bay, but they have more boardwalks then I've ever seen! Very well constructed boardwalks go everywhere. These 10' wide, elevated boardwalks are laid-out much like streets, and residents walk or sometimes use ATV's, and other scooter-type vehicles to get around. I even saw one fellow with a golf cart (…didn't see any golf course though).

Another rarity at Hartley Bay was the general lack of trash. Residents actually use trash receptacles at their houses and there are built-in containers along the boardwalk. Once or twice a day a fellow comes along on an ATV (with a trailer) to collect. That doesn't sound exceptional until you've seen other villages. Trust me; trash collection is a novelty.

As we walked through the village we learned that one fellow "…sort of has a store" - but it was closed. He had gone fishing. Further down the boardwalk we came to the school. There are about six teachers, both native and non-native. The "Anglo" teacher we talked to had been there for three years and enjoys the village lifestyle and the teaching challenges in a remote environment. The "K - 12" school is quite proud to be graduating seven high school students this year, the largest class yet. As we rounded the corner we looked in a classroom and were greeted by a bunch of smiling faces - several missing their front teeth. The Tooth Fairy has been busy at Hartley Bay! We learned there are only a few phones in the village, so everyone uses Channel 6 on the marine VHF radio for village wide communications. Several folks seem happy that Hartley Bay is getting a payphone this July. Maybe modern conveniences, slowly acquired, is a good thing, eh?

Farther down the boardwalk we came upon two women ("elders") who were busily preparing a sizeable halibut for smoking in the adjacent smokehouse. Both women were quite chatty and seemed to enjoy telling us what they were doing, and how they prepare the fish for smoking. George got some great pictures, I'm sure. They had a collection of very sharp knives but the preferred item was a native knife called an ulu. I have seen a variety of ulu's, but this was the first time I had actually seen anyone using one. The lady would slowly slice-off the meat into ¼" thick slabs that were 6-8" wide, then begin another cut. Trying to explain what she was doing it sounds easy, but the cuts she was making were so precise she had obviously been doing this for a very long time. When she finished a slab there weren't any holes in the thin meat, and their weren't any ragged or mangled edges. By comparison, ask me to clean a fish sometime and I'll demonstrate mangled. As she worked we chatted about a number of aspects surrounding village life. Both ladies lamented that they were unable to go to fish camp this year "…there were just too many things going on in Hartley Bay." At happy hour that night George, Penny, and I wondered what all was going-on to keep these friendly people in town. Summer "fish camp" is a traditional lifestyle activity enjoyed by Native people's throughout the North; to give it up, there must be some big doing's in town. Hmmm … I wonder if it has to do with the upcoming high school graduation? Guess I should have asked.

I don't think we met a resident at Hartley Bay who failed to give us a friendly "hello" (and maybe even a smile if we were lucky). Both moorage and electricity on the dock were free. My impression is the First Nation council at Hartley Bay did a good job establishing the village infrastructure and keeping it running. They have good water an electricity, and even have a fuel distribution system for piping fuel-oil throughout the village. Pretty impressive; but it was time for us to move on.

Prince Rupert was still about 110 boat miles away and we were getting charged-up for a restaurant dinner, showers, and ice, so the next day, away we went.

Prince Rupert is a comfortable town of about 12,000, with an increasingly busy port. This was my sixth visit to Prince Rupert and I must say - the city makes a genuine effort to attract tourism. They currently have two cruise ships per week, so haven't become completely inundated by cruise liner tourism. (For those of you who may have read some of my earlier opinions regarding mega-cruise liners, you may recall that I'm not exactly a proponent.) …oh, did I mention that we had three consecutive days of warm, sunny weather in Prince Rupert. I can see the headlines in the paper (if they had a paper…):

"Heat Wave Hits Prince Rupert - Provincial government sending sun lotion!"

The next major segment of the trip was crossing the exposed "Dixon Entrance," and we decided to get an early start. Up here, traveling early in the day often avoids some of the windy conditions that often come up around midday. We had a decent weather forecast and made the 60 miles to Foggy Bay, Alaska by mid-morning. Foggy Bay is just about the most perfect anchorage a person could want. It is what boaters often call a "bomb-proof" anchorage meaning you are safe from any bad weather outside the bay. Nice place, and a total of six boats Saturday night. Frank and Penny reported seeing a brown bear on the beach late that evening … but your reporter had already gone to bed. My loss.

On Sunday, the 40 miles into Ketchikan, AK (Alaska…yea!) ranged from nearly flat calm to uncomfortably bumpy but we made it and were cleared by U.S. Customs by mid-morning. At this point we have traveled approximately 1312 miles from Anacortes (but only 610 miles as the crow flies).

I will be in Ketchikan until Sandy arrives on Thursday (6/15). Due to their schedule George and Penny decided to press onward … but we may see them somewhere down the way. In any case I'm certain we can all say it was fun traveling together, and it will be fun following our own paths for a bit.

It's nice having friends like Wanderer and Halcyon to share these experiences with; in fact, we even saw Shawn Ogimachi aboard the C-Dory Tonie-O cruise into Prince Rupert. Shawn will meet his wife Tonie in Juneau in a week or so, then travel to Pelican, AK for ten days before heading to Craig, AK. Meanwhile, David aboard Anna Leigh, and Pat & Patty aboard Daydream are steaming North at flank speed. They have matching C-Dory 25's - so clearly we're preparing for some serious action when the heavy cruisers come North.

Lordy - It's a C-Dory invasion of Alaska!

Best to All,

Casey

Aboard C-Dory Naknek

…anxious to meet Sandy on Thursday!

[ffheap]

Great story Casey.

In the beginning you wondered what or where you were going this summer. Why don't you join us on the Erie Canal this September. Just ask El and Bill about it. Great cruising, and great food.

Keep the story coming.

Fred

[sportner]

We are following your and your fellow travelers progress with anticipation. Thankyou for sharing it all with us.

[Casey]

All - Thanks for the kind words!

Fred - I doubt that we'll make the Erie Canal trip in September, but we're giving it some thought for next summer. (After this trip it may be necessary to stay home and rebuild the Travel Kitty a bit!)

Best to All,
Casey
C-Dory Naknek

[Jazzmanic]

Thanks for sharing your stories with us, Casey. Great writing! Great to hear of your reunion with Sandy. Keep the stories coming as we're all living vicariously through you and all the other brats now in Alaska.

[TyBoo]

Naknek's Summer Adventure 8

June 25, 2006 / Prince Rupert

Hi Friends,

" … Whoa, Prince Rupert, southbound already? What happened?"

I'll get around to that.

Sandy arrived in Ketchikan right on time on the 15th. The Ketchikan airport is located on Gravina Island across from town, and must be accessed by ferry. (You may recall our congress's recent pork barrel appropriation of $250M for the "Bridge to Nowhere." That ill-fated project was intended to build a bridge from Ketchikan to Gravina Island … but I digress.) The airport has a lengthy floatplane dock for arriving and departing passengers who are connecting with Alaska Airlines. Pretty cool, actually. At one end of the floatplane dock is a smallish area for personal vessels to tie-up if they're picking up or delivering passengers. I think Sandy liked being met by her guy on their own (…if small) boat.

We enjoyed a couple of days in Ketchikan (beautiful weather … write That down!), then enjoyed absolutely perfect weather for the forty mile drive up Clarence Strait to beautiful downtown Meyers Chuck (summer population about 20-30) which is Sandy's favorite place in Southeast. It is a very special place, in fact, Sandy was recently heard to say she may like Meyers Chuck even more than Key West. Interesting. Hmmm….

Unlike Wrangell (another of our favorite places) which is very commercial, Meyers Chuck is almost a non-commercial zone; Chucker's didn't plan it that way, it's just reality. There is no store, gas facility, mall, or café/restaurant. There is no community-wide electricity, just individual generator's for the occasional time's one wants electric. On the other hand there is a post office (about 8x10') with fly-in mail service on Thursday. There is also a very well built State dock, good water (it's seasonal, the reservoir pipe freezes for up to three months during winter), several transient vessels during the summer, and Scenery. This is a place where one must enjoy themselves and their companions. It's Quiet.

We returned through Meyers Chuck on "mail plane day," and several of the folks currently in-residence turned out to see the floatplane and the arrival/departure of the few passengers. In such a small community it was interesting to see even a couple people arrive or depart. Obviously everyone knows everyone else, and the atmosphere was very friendly and cordial, even for us "non-Chuckers." At one point I suppose there were 12-14 people on the dock (if you include the pilot), a sizeable part of the local population. Here, folks don't have vehicles, but everyone has an aluminum skiff with a small outboard to get around the bay and the "back chuck" (the long narrow channel that connects the bay at high tide).

Earlier, I compared Wrangell and Meyers Chuck, noting the commercial perspective. My impression is that Wrangell (…a wonderful small town) is trying desperately to remain economically viable. Folks in Wrangell are actively trying to make a living, working, and operating businesses. They fish, log, work for the city/state, or run a business. Meanwhile, the population dwindles toward the economic tipping point as the whole system tightens (my impression). Myers Chuck, on the other hand, is distinctly non-commercial. There are no businesses, or services. (Ok, Cassy sells cakes and pies, Nancy does artistic-grade cedar bark weaving, someone lathes spectacular wooden bowls for sale, and at least one person is a successful business consultant.) Several folks are seriously in to artistic endeavors.) Virtually everyone in Meyers Chuck is retired from something Outside(ie. retired fishermen, an airline pilot, seamen, retired judge), but the common quality is that each has chosen to spend at least part of their year/Life in Meyer's Chuck. Several folks that we talked to have homes or condo's in Arizona or New Mexico but have decided on a lifestyle that includes four or five months of summer in "the Chuck." It seems that residents have lived here for anywhere from a couple years, to over forty, and most don't seem particularly interesting in having Meyer's Chuck become anything more than what it is - a quiet little non-commercial backwater with some surprisingly talented folks who've chosen this for a portion of their lives. …it does give one pause to think; at least it makes us think. Hmmm….

On the sixty mile trip up to Wrangell there was still a minor tug-of-war going on in my mind as the distance increased from Anacortes. It occurred to me that maybe we didn't need to venture farther North than Wrangell (been there…done that…will do it again). This time, having departed from Anacortes put the truck and boat trailer a long way farther south than our customary Prince Rupert departures. Honestly, we had some property we wanted to look at in Wrangell, but we didn't have a compelling need to continue farther North. So we revised the revised trip plan and decided to head south from Wrangell.

As mentioned, Wrangell is a delightful small town. Folks just seem to love living there, but over the years my sense is that employment is becoming more and more of a difficult local issue. Although I didn't count "For Sale" signs, we got the impression that quite a few of folks are quietly putting their homes or businesses on the market at pretty healthy prices in hopes they can quietly cash-out of an economically challenged community. We have a good friend in Wrangell, and that observation isn't meant to hurt; and Lord knows I've certainly been wrong before. Wrangell looks like a great place to live, but maybe a challenging place to make a living.

Ok - so much for Casey's candid comments. Now for some fun stuff.

The Wrangell Harbor Authority is in the process of making a new boat basin immediately south of town. The large breakwater is finished and encloses a multi-acre area, but so far there are no docks, slips, or boats; just a perfectly calm, protected lagoon waiting for someone to use it. In this case, the local bald eagle population has begun the Eaglet Flight School. Have you ever wondered how or where eagles acquire the deft flight maneuvering required to swoop in on a fish swimming just beneath the surface and grab it with their talons? We had an opportunity to watch this year's class of young eagle's in their advanced flight training, and it was hilarious. About 10-12 youngsters were practicing their flight maneuvers in the boat basin, using various pieces of wood, a couple paper plates, and some other items they found floating on the surface. The eaglets would make their approach (…sometimes a very shaky approach) homing-in on their chosen target. As the eaglets approached the target they would make a quick grab for the item, and immediately go to full take-off power (that would be heavy duty flapping…) with or without grabbing the chosen item. If successful we could almost hear their screams of joyous success as they lifted-off clutching a paper plate or stick. After a few moments they'd drop the and item prepare for the next practice approach. Overhead we observed 3-4 mature eagles (maybe proud parents) orbiting over the lagoon actively vocalizing (…eagles can really screech!). Although I have no idea what the Instructor eagles were saying, I suspect it was something like:

"Eaglet Three - watch your glide path, and concentrate on aileron control…"

"Eaglet Eight - good job, drop the plate and resume your position in the pattern…"

"Eaglet One - will you ever learn? ...you're not a duck or seagull; eagles don't land on water!"

"Eaglet Nine - You're cleared go outside and practice with live fish. Good luck."

The young eagles reminded me of watching student pilots practice their landing after being newly soloed. Fascinating. …been there; done that.

After a few days and another halibut & chip dinner at Wrangell's "Diamond D Café" (the best halibut & chip's we've found anywhere in Alaska - and only $10!) we were back on the water returning to Meyer's Chuck.

In a small boat, listening to the weather forecast is vitally important (even if the forecaster should be fired…), and we listen with regularity. Every weather report follows a similar format so you soon learn the portions and area's that interest you. On the 22nd we had what sounded like an excellent 2-day forecast, so decided to get back to Meyer's Chuck. Enroute we encountered Bill & El aboard C-Dory Halcyon, and enjoyed a leisurely half hour conversation while rafted together in calm waters. There are so many C-Dories along the Inside Passage this summer we have had folks at two different fuel docks comment on the number of C-Dories!

Back in Meyer's Chuck we found ourselves appreciating the remote lifestyle with new eye's. Could we enjoy summer's there for the next five or ten years? Gee, I wonder if anyone would come up to visit us? How long could we enjoy eating halibut, salmon, and crab, paddling about in kayaks, and performing the myriad things one must do to be comfortable in "the bush?" For those who remember, many of our comments were similar to my thoughts surrounding my summer love affair (2004) with Elfin Cove, AK. …but Meyer's Chuck is somewhat less remote (only 40 boat miles to Ketchikan…). Hmmm … something to think about. Brings us back to the question: "What are we going to do when we grow-up?" (Tentative Answer: Don't grow up.)

After a perfectly flat boat ride to Ketchikan we enjoyed a couple of wet days in town (take an umbrella, and be sure to get a "Queen Burger" and enjoy it with a beer across the street at Ketchikan's oldest bar "The Artic Bar") and we began listening to the forecast for the Dixon Entrance Crossing. As it turned out, the forecast for Dixon appeared to give us a weather window and at 0430 yesterday I drug Sandy from her sleeping bag and we were underway to challenge that dragon. Happily, the dragon was still asleep and the water was almost glassy … well, as glassy as Dixon Entrance gets. (Administrative Note: Don't fire the weather forecaster. Yet….)

While in Ketchikan, once again we were treated to views of cruise ship paradise. There were four ships in town each day (three docked + one lightering its passengers ashore). We inadvertently discovered the secret formula determining how long cruise ships can be. We made the discovery while observing passengers waiting in line to reboard their vessels. I think the ship about 950' in length and named the "Island Princess, Aurora Star, Majesty of the Sea," or something like that. Just prior to lunch time and the reboarding line was literally the length of the ship! …and two and three abreast! Cruise ship designer's may have discovered that passengers will revolt if the reboarding line is longer than the ship itself. Then again, how long a line would I be willing to tolerate? (Maybe that's why we travel in a 22' boat; besides, I always have my security/reboarding documents handy for Sandy to inspect so there isn't usually a major delay.) (Note to Shirley and Linda regarding your upcoming cruise: Be sure to wear your comfortable shoes ashore so you can wait-in-line comfortably; even better, consider reboarding a little early!)

That brings us to Prince Rupert. The weather window appears to have closed behind us, but the Dixon is also behind us. Yeah! It's raining, and the wind is picking-up but we're dry and warm (we have electricity at the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yachting Club), so Life is Good. It's Happy Hour (some things don't change), the XM radio is playing nice music, and we haven't a care in the World except the rounding Cape Caution, but that dragon isn't even on the horizon yet (literally or figuratively).

Now, maybe I can find a WiFi somewhere….

Best to All,

Casey and Sandy

Aboard C-Dory Naknek

…Prince Rupert, southbound!

[Pat Anderson]

Here is a pic of Casey and Sandy I took at Meyers Chuck on the morning they were leaving, the quality is not what I had hoped, sorry.



Casey and Sandy, of course you know you could buy Nancy's waterfront home for a mere $140K...all set up with kerosene, propane and 12v lighting systems!

[TyBoo]

Naknek's Summer Adventure 9

July 12, 2006 / Secret Cove, BC

Hi Friends,

It's a little over two weeks since Naknek Summer Adventure 8; so I guess you can that see I'm enjoying having Sandy aboard, it's great having her along!

The southbound trip has been more direct than the wandering northbound trip. In some ways I feel like a horse that senses it has turned around and is headed for the barn - there's no slowing me down! We did divert from the direct route to return through Ocean Falls, BC. We spent two days there and met even more locals and cruisers. Nice folks. We were in Ocean Falls on "Canada Day" (July 1st) and enjoyed the festivities. Most of the town folk (about 40) turned out for a pig roast and potluck. The weather was perfect, and I must confess that hearing "Oh Canada" while the flag was being raised actually sent a bit of a tingle down my spine. A beautiful song, beautiful country, and nice people; a great combination. Maybe in another life I was a Canadian … eh?

A few days south of Ocean Falls, the next big item on the cruising agenda was 'rounding Cape Caution. Aside from an attention getting name, Cape Caution/Queen Charlotte Strait is the longest exposed passage on this voyage. Southbound from Goose Bay to Sullivan Bay (around the cape) is about 80 miles, and 70 of that is exposed to the big bad ocean. But sea conditions were pretty good with a light swell. We were in fog for about 75 of the 80 miles, and could not see the coastline which was reportedly out "there" somewhere. Generally we had visibility ranging from ¼ to ½ mile along most of the route . All thing considered I prefer to have fog than rough conditions. We have really good electronics on Naknek so it is manageable - but it still gets one's full attention, if you know what I mean. For those of you who aren't into this nautical stuff - modern navigation is quite simple compared to years gone by. Virtually everybody nowadays uses Global Position System (GPS) equipment that is remarkably accurate and reliable. With it you can usually determine your position to within less than 100 feet (it often has 20 foot accuracy) anywhere on the Earth's surface. Using that system you place "waypoints" along a digital chart display of the area, and the GPS depicts a little boat (…that's you) together with it's location and heading as it moves toward your waypoints. Very simple, and pretty cool … as long as everything works. For the trip around Cape Caution we'd layed-out waypoints about every 3-4 miles, so we had these electronic breadcrumbs to follow the entire way. So much for route-finding. GPS and digital charts will tell you where land masses are (coastlines, coves, islands, etc.), and display where you want to go, but does not show other boats. In inclement weather or bad visibility, that's where radar comes-in. Radar transmits radio signals that bounce off solid objects (coastlines, boats, birds sometimes…) and are translated on to a screen telling the observer what's "out there" when you can't see. It works very well, but takes some getting used-to. At one point I noticed a fast moving target that was heading right toward us in the fog. It turned out to be a bird, but certainly got my attention. So much for Nautical Electronics 101.

While at Goose Bay the evening before Cape Caution, we encountered both Anna Leigh and Daydream, 25-foot C-Dory's that were also headed southbound. As it turned out both boats departed about an hour behind us, but it was nice knowing they were back there.

Farther south we stayed two nights at Echo Bay waiting for bad weather to blow through, but otherwise the southbound trip was delightfully uneventful. We returned through the Yaculta Rapids (in fog…), then proceeded through "Hole In the Wall" and Surge Narrows which were both interesting. I had been a little intimidated at traveling through Hole in the Wall. Cruising guides mention that in flood tide the current runs 12 knots, so you want to hit it near slack (when the tide turns the other way). Slack lasts four minutes. We were right on the money time-wise, so proceeded through without a concern. I was somewhat humbled seeing a tug-and-barge going the other way at the same time! The barge had three logging trucks onboard, loaded with what must have been some very expensive logs. (All the logs were perfectly sized, pre-cut and looked like they were going to be someone's new [log] chalet. It seemed strange seeing logs being shipped into this area, I mean, this region is the home office for logs. They're everywhere!) I can only guess what that home will cost - and I never did figure-out why they were being shipping-in aboard trucks as well. Seemed strange.

Those non-events bring you almost up to date.



When we departed Pender Harbor yesterday morning it became clear it was going to be a low mileage day. The wind made the water very rough so after about ten miles we ducked into "Secret Cove" for a cup of coffee and to re-evaluate the day. (I also wanted to check the prop. In the rough sea conditions we "found" a 4' diameter deadhead log, and managed to hit it, but happily there appeared to be no damage to boat or motor). Damn strong little boats.) The forecast was not very good so we headed to "Smuggler Cove" to anchor for the evening. Lots of other folks had the same idea. Being only 22 feet, Naknek can comfortably anchor in considerably shallower water than most boats so we went to the very back of the hidden little cove. As we rounded the corner near the far end - there were three C-Dory's at anchor (Fun Patrol, E-Ticket, and Tesoro). We were very surprised, to say the least. Over the balance of the day we chatted with everybody, exchanged names, travel plans, and just generally talked about how great these little boats are. The forecast for today called for upwards of Gale-force wind, but (hopefully) easing tomorrow. At 6AM this morning we went out a few miles, and sure enough the wind was howling … duh. Since we spent yesterday at-anchor we decided to have a day with electricity since it appears we'll be here (Secret Cove) for another day. In times like these it's tempting to just plow-on-through with these hearty little boats but it's wouldn't be fun; and at this point in Life, boating must be fun or we'll let someone else do it.

So here we are, sitting at the Secret Cove Marina tied to the dock. It's raining cats and dog's, the wind is blowing 25+ but we have electricity and WiFi. …and Anacortes is only about 90 crow-miles south.

Life is good.

Best to All,

Casey and Sandy

Aboard C-Dory Naknek

Southbound … in the home stretch!

[Captains Cat]

Casey and Sandy, great stories. Keep us posted, we're (or at least I) am living it all vicariously through you two!

Charlie (on the calm Potomac and Chesapeake)

[Sawdust]

Great post Casey and Sandy -

Diane and I enjoy every minute of your adventure. We've been suffering here - yesterday breakfast on the veranda at the Islander Lopez wasn't all bad though . Guess a Bloody and seafood omlette are on my restricted diet.

Look forward to seing you in Anacortes -- have a safe and fun trip back.

Dusty

[TyBoo]

Naknek's Summer Adventure 10

July 27, 2006 / Lake Montezuma, AZ

Hi Friends,

Naknek's summer adventure came to a successful completion when we got her back on the trailer in Anacortes, WA on July15th. It was a great, if long…trip with no mishaps, lots of spectacular scenery, a delightful array of new experiences, lots of friends (both new and old) and Lots to think about. Although we had "done Alaska" by boat previously, when you embark on a trip of this magnitude, one never really knows how it will turn out. That is doubly true for a small boat. I guess dealing with the Unknown is part of the allure; it may keep us young (or…it may make us old!)

Note: Some friends have suggested that pictures would add a lot to these writings. I agree. If I ever get off my butt and make a website I it will no doubt have pictures, but for the time being I'll just hammer away at the keyboard with random (and often disorganized) boating thoughts and impressions. If you haven't visited Halcyon's website (http://www.geocities.com/bill_fiero/index.htm) or Wanderer's website (http://2wander.com/2wander/) I strongly urge you to do so. They are both so far ahead of me on web-stuff it's almost intimidating to venture in that direction. Surf over to both sites; it'll be time very well spent. (This has been an paid, non-commercial plug. I'll collect my pay [a glass of wine from each…heh, heh, heh] next time we get together for a cruise.)

One aspect of this trip that was new for us was the part-time travel with other boats. As it turned-out Halcyon, Wanderer, and Rana Verde were delightful traveling companions. There were usually folks around to talk to, and if necessary lend assistance, but everybody respected one another's "space" and sense of Adventure. …and let's face it you just haven't lived until you've enjoyed "Sundowner's" (aka: Happy Hour) on a twenty-two foot boat with five other people while it's raining outside! …and the sight of the refined Lady from Annapolis kneeling on a dock while washing her hair with a garden hose is definitely worth remembering! …or the spectacular culinary delights Rana Verde Chris can do on a Wallas stove, …or maybe the wish-we-were-there looks from bigger-boaters as we gathered our folding chairs on a dock at about 4PM so we could "Commence Yachting" (Wanderer George's term to bless the beginning of Happy Hour). I guess that's the value-added part of boating, and C-Dory boating in particular. You see lots of nice scenery and have a multitude of experiences, but the real gems are in the folks you meet and interact with along the way. You come away with a collage of images and recollections that really add to Life. Guess that's what it's all about … eh?

Although Halcyon, Wanderer, and Naknek all returned south by somewhat different routes and timetables, we were all back in Anacortes within a couple days of one another. Maybe we were moving in a subconscious synchronization or something. (Come on Casey - don't get schmaltzy on us….). Anyway, we all got back to port safely.

Naknek headed off to Arizona, Wanderer had a cross-country ride back to Maryland, Rana Verde was headed for San Diego, and Halcyon was stored nearby in preparation for Fall cruising in the San Juan's. Meanwhile Bill and El were headed for their annual family-thing in Colorado, then back to the PNW.

All this leaves us with "…what'll we do next" on our mind. At the moment we're in the post-Adventure phase, enjoying the comforts of home (and intimidated by the chores that still need to be done) and wondering what the next Adventure will be and when it might begin. Questions to be answered in due course.

Delicate topic. We may have found the only C-Dory shortcoming (...if it can even be called a shortcoming). After a series of boats, Naknek is the vessel that has truly opened cruising to us. We learned that we both really like cruising but may want to do trips longer than 2-3 months. Being the creature-comfort wimps that we are, a seventy-one day trip aboard a twenty-two foot boat might be a bit long for us. Items for us to think about are: [1] do we limit our trips to a comfortable 30-45 days, or [2] look at a larger boat that would permit comfortable year-long trips, with some occasional trips home (Sandy's Mother reads my reports…), or [3] look for a basecamp-type cabin in Alaska and keep Naknek there for shorter trips. We honestly don't know the answer to those questions, but for the time being it's something to ponder. In any case, Naknek is the magic carpet that permitted us to explore these new cruising opportunities. (It'll probably come down to a trailerability versus "comfort" tradeoff.) Stay tuned.

Practical stuff. Aside from the miles-and-miles of spectacular country, I'll comment on some logistics that may be useful to future Inside Passage traveler's. Fuel price X many miles made for a costly adventure. As I calculate, Naknek traveled 2468 statute miles from Anacortes to Wrangell, AK and return. Over 234 engine hours we used 806 gallons of boat gas for a whopping $3186. Round trip in the truck from Arizona was 3200 miles and consumed 310 gallons of diesel ($963). Clearly, this isn't a trip we'll be doing every summer - but you only go around once, right? Boat gas averaged $3.13/gallon in the U.S. and $4.13/gallon in Canada (in Canada it ranged from $3.18 to $5.60/gallon). For two previous trips to Alaska we drove to Prince Rupert and launched. We'll probably do that for subsequent Alaska trips (e.g. 2008 - but don't tell Sandy…) since we enjoy the drive to Prince Rupert, and is closer to our Heart; which, as you know, we left in Alaska.

Another detail I found interesting was the overall 2500 mile distance. If you want to test your patience sometime, try driving from Anacortes, WA to Daytona Beach, FL at about 16-18mph for the whole route. Thank goodness for the XM radio and headphones.

In Prince Rupert on the northbound leg of the trip I decided to adjust the 13.5" diameter ProPulse graphite prop from 17P to 18P to see if it made any difference in performance or fuel consumption. It didn't. In fact, measuring 1230 miles on each setting, the 17P and the 18P burned within two gallons of the same amount! I was amazed. I guess the concern over the "perfect" prop pitch was a bit overdone. My sense is that the 17P may provide a bit more power, and is a tad slower - while the 18P is a bit faster the gallons-per-hour fuel burn is a bit higher. It's a tradeoff. I'll probably go back to the 17P (unless I get a wild hair an buy to try one of the 14" Piranha props…hmmm). During 234 engine hours, and two mid-trip oil changes, the Suzuki 90 (four stroke) didn't miss a beat. Superb motor. (Note: the small hand operated oil pumps work very well [if a bit messy], but unlike the Honda 90, with the Suzuki 90 requires you to remove a cowling to access the oil filter. To remove that cowling the Suzuki must be out of the water. Two points: Honda.)

RECOMMENDATIONS.

Camper canvas. Naknek is configured as a cruising boat, not a fishing boat. With that in mind we find that having a really good "camper" canvas enclosure is vital and virtually doubles your living space on board. This is not a major factor in good weather, but when it gets cold or nasty, having additional weather-enclosed space is very useful. With the additional enclosed space we usually kept the cabin door open which greatly helped to mitigate C-Dory's notorious cabin condensation (which wasn't a major problem unless you're boiling crab or cooking spaghetti!). We literally began our days with coffee on the "back deck," and ended it with happy hour on the back deck. Sunbrella canvas is very good stuff, but for the top, we chose Sunbrella's "SeaTeck" which works very well. SeaTeck is vinyl lined and waterproof, not just water repellent. (If you travel to Ketchikan you may appreciate the difference between waterproof and water repellent!) Last canvas comment: use upgraded vinyl for the windows; it's easier to see through, durable, and easily cleaned.) Final canvas comment #2: We think we may have finally come up with the ultimate canvas configuration for a C-Dory. If you want more details email me.

Fixed lines. We find it handy to have fixed bow and stern dock lines on both port and starboard. Sandy likes having both lines ready as she steps on to the dock. To manage the lines we mounted four "cam-cleats" (e.g. West Marine part 367211) to keep the lines secure when not being used.

Extra fuel. On previous trips to Alaska I said I'd like to have at least a 200 mile range on the boat to permit exploring and not just motoring from fuel-stop to fuel-stop. Since our C-Dory only carries 40 gallons of fuel (I fuel plan at 3mpg), having some extra fuel containers is fairly important. Prior to this trip I fabricated a wooden roof rack to carry four 6-gallon containers. Sandy thought it was ugly, but she finally agreed it was functional. The rack was configured to attach to the roof handrails and did not require any holes or permanent mounts. If anyone in the C-Dory/C-Brat community is interested I can furnish additional details. In retrospect, I only used the fuel from those containers on three occasions but it was comforting knowing they were available if needed. You can route plan all day long but if weather, tides, or current conspire against you, having some extra fuel handy can be a real stress reliever. C-Dory's are great boats, but I wouldn't want to row one! Several people have asked if having 20-24 gallons of fuel atop the cabin made the boat top heavy or unstable. I don't think so. I didn't note any increased roll tendency, so don't think stability was hurt at all. If anything, having the extra fuel containers outside the cockpit was handier than inside, and having the weight a few feet forward was a good thing. …now the only remaining item is to make the rack "pretty." (Maybe I could make 'em out of teak or mahogany, eh?) The rack is not a permanent addition, but useful if/when needed.

Anchoring. In 2003 when we bought the boat (Les/Kathy at EQ Marine) I asked Les to install a 22# Delta anchor versus the "normal" 14# Delta. Although it worked fine once the anchor was down, it never self-launched properly. I messed with the arrangement a little, and learned that the anchor was hanging-up on the boomshackle gizmo on the forward edge of the pivoting bow roller. I made a new and slightly larger boomshackle out of ¼" aluminum rod, and now it works like a charm. Press the windlass switch and anchor deploys perfectly. Back off to set the anchor slightly, and sleep soundly (…sounder) knowing that behemoth is down there holding your comparatively tiny boat. It works for us.

Autopilot. Not everyone agrees, but I love autopilot. I thought it was over-the-top when we bought the boat but have come to absolutely love it. I make a practice to never leave the helm with the boat in motion but the AP still earns its keep. It holds a course better than I can, and in low visibility/radar conditions is doubly valuable. …just my opinion.

Dinette seat cover. Prior to this trip we remodeled the dinette cushion/hatch cover atop the water tank. Previously, ever time I'd replace the hatch it would pinch my fingers. The remodel consisted of removing the plywood backing from the cushion and making the cushion soft sided on top and bottom. We cut another piece of plywood, configured part of it to open with a piano hinge, painted it, and reinstalled. Much easier - and no pinched fingers.

Carpeting. A couple years ago we measured and cut cheap indoor/outdoor carpeting for most deck surfaces, including the cockpit and galley shelves. It worked so well we'll replace it when the time comes. Carpeting seems to make the boat somewhat quieter. To level-out the curved C-Dory center aisle we also used a single line of Dri-Dek squares beneath the center aisle carpet runner.

Proper prop. …no recommendation here. I'm still trying to find the magic solution that will give me an honest 4mpg. (I can almost hear the C-Brat community laughing and telling me to sober-up!) Get Real, Casey.

That's all for this season's boating reports. We may take the truck/camper to Colorado in September, and maybe Newfoundland next summer, but for the moment Naknek will be allowed to enjoy a brief retirement beneath her boat cover and dream about her next Adventure. (…well, maybe a week or two at Lake Powell in October, but that doesn't really count - does it?) Lake Powell, anyone?

Life is Good.

Best to All,

Casey and Sandy

…at home in AZ

[Byrdman]

Awesome Trip Casey and Sandy... and Tyboo...thanks for the post. I have made a single word document from these and emails I received from Casey... If I can get me some pics from them ....I should be able to make a pretty snazzy "document" for the trip. I did some numbers (yes...another spreadsheet) on fuel cost/useage to help Casey get over his tears for what he spent on fuel....just to put some things in prospective...compaired with other means available for travel...

OK, Statute miles = 2468, Eng Hours = 234, US. Gallons Fuel = 806 & cash spent on fuel = $3,186, start day is 5May06 ending on 15Jul06 for inclusive days on water of 72.

Avg $ per gallon = $3.95
Avg Gl/Hr = 3.444
Avg Gl/Statue Mile = 3.9528
Avg $/ Hr on Motor = $13.62
Avg $/ Mile = $15.63
Avg Mile/day = 34.277
Avg Gl/day = 11.1944
Avg Hr on Motor/day= 3.25
Avg Fuel $/day = $44.25
Avg Statue MPH = 10.547

So...compair that to going down any highway, in any vehicle, staying in a hotel moving bags in and out every day and screwing around with traffic... This looks like a great way to spend funds...

So...compair to a nice 7-10 day Alaskan Cruise...well,,,first...for just fuel cost alone.... you would have to loose about 60+ travel days..... and...you have to go at THEIR SCHEDULE....to THEIR PORTs.....


Casey....Brother I think ya done good!

Byrdman

[Dora~Jean]

Hey Byrdman, thanks for posting the data, something we all can use. And yes I agree, seems like a very worthwhile use of funds, quite reasonable compared to a commercial cruise.

I found a couple of formulas that seemed backwards though. Your third entry, "Avg Gl/Statue Mile = 3.9528" is in error, and I thought it would be more useful as MPG, so I reversed the calculation. This also affected your "Avg $/ Mile = $15.63" amount (also error). Couldn't see how to attach a file. Danged Excel, sometimes it has a mind of its own...

Now reads for those 2 items:
Avg Statue Miles/Gal = 3.06
Avg $/Mile = $1.29

[Casey]

All...

Yea, it was a good trip. Not inexpensive; but neither is Life unless you choose to sit on the patio and watch the World go by.

We all have a certain recreational money that we choose to spend in various ways. For some folks it's paying green fees, other's enjoy an occasional trip to the casino, for some it's a "big night/weekend" on the town with dinner, theatre, etc. A friend of mine has a nifty airplane he likes to use (...now there's an expensive hobby!).

I suppose my intent for sharing some of the figures and statistics was simply give folks an idea of what we enountered this summer. One item that I didn't mention comes from previous performance testing aboard Naknek. If my data is correct (its been rechecked), if one slows-down to hull speed (about 6 or 7mph) fuel consumption drops by about HALF. Put another way - fuel mileage and range goes UP to about 6mpg.

There are a LOT of sailboats and trawlers along the Inside Passage who enjoy a normal cruise that isn't much faster that. But naturally, the temptation is to kick the C-Dory up on plane and "get there" at 16-18mph with resultant fuel costs.

Given fuel costs, it will be interesting to see how we manage our C-Dory addictions in the years-to-come - but we will find a way!

I figure when it comes time to repower (Happily, still a Long way off...) I may go for twin Suzuki 40's. By then gas will be $6-7/gallon, but with twins I'll just USE one-at-at-time! (but have the other for those "get there" moments!)

Whatever - we will find ways to adjust, eh?

Casey
C-Dory Naknek