Across the Gulf and Home

Here is a picture of the first trees we saw in over a month. This is the North entrance to Kupreonof Strait.

Here are the pictures of the finn whales as promised. I think they are finn whales.

Across the Gulf

2014-09-06

We spent three intense days in Seward getting Gipsy ready for the trip back to Juneau. A high pressure system moved in and we had some pretty warm clear weather. I learned how to put eye splices in our eight strand braided tow line. I dove four times on Gipsy to clean the mussels off the bottom and propeller.

Travis, our new crew member showed up on Saturday, after listening to the weather once again we decided to leave Saturday night. Jeff another volunteer crew member showed up at the last minute and we shoved off.

The weather has been spectacular so far. For the most part the seas have been calm and the swell is moderate. We are travelling at a slower pace to accommodate Gipsy. We passed Kayak Island about three hours ago and we should be off Yakatat about midnight tomorrow. Then we will decide to go for it or stay and wait it out.

2014-09-08 1900hr

We have been running for forty eight hours. Out the porthole the sea is calm as glass. For the most part the weather has been perfect since leaving Seward. Right now we are thirty five miles offshore of Yakatat. We received the weather this morning and it looks like we might be able to get to Cape Spencer before the next low moves in. In the meantime we are taking it easy and looking at the gorgeous views of the Saint Ellias Mountains.  Gipsy seems to be running fine. They are following us about two miles back. They don’t have an autopilot so are using Lindy to steer by. The moon is full and it is a real pleasure to run at night and actually be able to see something.

Anyways with any luck we should be rounding Cape Spencer tomorrow at this time.

2014-09-10

We got around Cape Spencer without incident. Because of the ebb current in South Inian Pass we had to anchor up for a couple of hours. We all had supper together and then it was off down Icy Strait and the last 70 to eighty miles of our 4500 mile trip.

We arrived off Bill’s dock at about 0830 in the morning and promptly went aground due to the extreme low tide. We all had breakfast on board and waited for the boat to float off.

About an hour later we tied both boats off to the dock and the journey was over.

( 69 days 4500 nautical miles ) 

We spent two more days working on the boats then it was time to hop on the ferry back to Skagway and the road back home.

This blog thing really didn't work out very well for this trip. I hope to put together a web page and will post it here when I am finished.

Racing up the Alaskan Peninsula

2014-08-31

One of the reasons we stopped in Dutch Harbour was to drop off David who had to go back to school and to pick up Monty a good friend of Bill’s who will be sailing with us back to Juneau.

Here is a picture of David and Ken whooping it up on the back deck.

Here is a picture of a dragger, the life blood of Dutch Harbour.

 They harvest 2 billion pounds of pollock a year. Here is a picture of a grizzled old sea otter that was hanging out near the dock.

Well we haven’t been doddering around since we left Dutch Harbour.

We left Dutch Harbour at about eight thirty in the morning and arrived at Akutan Pass at slack tide. Much to my disappointment there were not as many birds around as when we came through in earlier. I did snap a bunch of pictures of Auklets and hope to identify them later. I did nail a picture of a Whiskered Auklet. It is not cover material but you can see the field marks.

 As we headed out into the open Pacific and Unimak Pass the wind increased to about twenty knots behind us. We did see one ship carrying logs but visibility was good and it was easy to avoid.

 I went to rest up for my night watch. When I awoke we were approaching the Alaskan Peninsula and we got some great views of a smoking volcano through breaks in the cloud.

Later as I started my watch I got to see a sky bright with stars, a sight not seen since early spring.

All day we have been motoring along behind a bunch of Islands hugging the Alaskan Peninsula. We did see a small sailboat go sailing by. He had perfect wind and was on a beam reach heading Southwest down the peninsula.

2014-09-01

This morning we put up all the sails and the boat has been moving faster with a lot less rolling. Later in the afternoon I took some kite aerial shots.

2014-09-02

When I awoke this morning we were just entering Kupreonof Strait which seperates Kodiak  and Whale Island. We got to see our first forest since July 15^th.

Got to see some finn whales on the west side of Kupreonof Pass.

will post whale pics later

0200 am Sept 3^rd

And now we are racing across the Gulf of Alaska towards Seward. It is blowing 20-25 and seas are big. Things are rocking and rolling. We should be in Seward tomorrow afternoon. Then the other adventure begins. The trip across the Gulf with two sailboats.

1130 Sept 3rd 

Arrived in Seward. Weather is gorgeous.

On to Attu

The passage from Kiska to Attu was only 24 hours so we arrived fairly well rested.
We saw a pod of orcas as we approached the Island.

 We arrived at Holtz Bay first. This was a major installation for the Japanese. Unfortunately most of Attu Island has been cleaned up and there is not a lot of ruins to see.
We spent an afternoon walking around and I saw a bunch of new pelagic bird species. Unfortunately I didn't get very good pictures.
the next day we motored over to Massacre Bay where there is the remains of a Loran Base that looks abandoned. There is also a very good airstrip there. Besides a few memorials, there is not a lot to look at.

Left to right. Corrine, Rich, Bill, Ken

 The Aleutian race of the Cackling Goose was reintroduced to Attu Island. Now they have overrun the island.We saw no Bald Eagles on Attu or foxes. It seems like every stream through out the Aleutians has a salmon run in it.

 Ruddy Turnstone

 Loran Base at Massacre Bay

 Common Murres

 Military Base at Shemya Island about forty miles from Attu.

On the way back, just off the Southern Tip of Kiska Island I was fortunate to see 12 orcas and a whack of pelagic birds indulging in a feeding frenzy.

 Laysan Albatross

This Black-footed Albatross has a band on his leg. Looking forward to hearing where it was banded.

Anyways here we are back at Dutch and I have skipped over many many miles but I am sort of up to date.

Kiska

Just before arriving at Kiska, after another long passage we spotted a Sperm Whale sleeping on the surface

Kiska and Attu were the two islands invaded by the Japanese. There is lots of old junk lying around. The americans and canadians geared up for a big assault. When they arrived they found that the Japanese had evacuated and left in the foggy night.

 An unexploded bomb

 Japanese two man submarine.

 Hillside littered with old fortifications and bomb craters

 Trout lagoon

 Japanese gun

Rich and Corrine were new crew members that came over to our boat from Orries. 

Rich caught about a 50 pound halibut within minutes of our arrival at Kiska

I hiked over to Salmon Lagoon and found a glass float on the beach.

Linda and Suki here is a geo cache we stumbled upon.

More pics