Anchorage Run

We were able to bum a ride to and from Anchorage yesterday.  So we jumped on it.  We needed some rode to add to our chain.  The anchorages are more often than not very deep here.  Our 90 meters of all chain rode just wasn't cutting it so we added another 150 foot of 3/4 nylon ( roughly 45 meters more).  We also bought quite a bit of other things including a new pair of glass frames for Mark, as his were in pretty bad shape.  Anyway today was spent adding the rode and rebuilding the false floor in the anchor locker.  We also fixed the drawer stops on the top two drawers in the galley as well as do some more cleaning.

The to do list is getting much shorter but a couple of those items are rather large like scrape and re varnish the exterior!  The scraping might get done but we doubt we will get much varnishing done before our guests arrive next month.  Chris, Tom, Megan, and Brendan are coming for a visit and we will head off to Denali for a few days with them.  We still want to hit the Sound and do some exploring before they get here.  That might help us decide whether we are going to stay in Seward for another year or head south.

The Cruise Ships are Coming

This is the second cruise ship of the season.  Of course the season only opened yesterday!  We are still making progress.  Pauline converted one of our old sails into a tool bag and a bag for keeping our griddle from getting scratched.  So the sewing machine works as well.  The engine is running along with the engine driven fridge.  The engine seems fine but did have a lot of surface rust on it. It has been repainted with a primer paint.  Maybe we will touch it up with the Perkins Blue later. Big projects left are the generator and the forward cabin top bunk (Read Storage Shelf)

We have been enjoying the sea life in the marina.  We have dozens of sea otters hanging around the boat, and for the last couple of days a large sea lion has been feeding right around us, the seals are becoming a little less common but are still around the boat.  Pauline saw a whale but that was outside the marina!

Progress Report (Well Maybe a Bit of a Playday)

We have most of the boat cleaned.  Three of the sails are now bent on, only the main is to go.  The engine has been scrubbed, wire brushed and the first coat of rust remover applied (one to go then a paint touch up). The instruments, minus the radios and depth sounder have all been checked and are working.  Mark made two runs to the local Spenards and on the second time came back with a dehumidifier to keep the moisture in check.  It was while he was reading the manual on this that Father Tero came and said we needed a break.  He was willing to take us up to Exit Glacier.  For those who follow the blog, this is the glacier cousin Steve took us to back in October.  That day was rainy and kind of cold, plus Pauline had the wrong shoes on for a trip up to it.  But today we went up to the glacier's edge.  We saw moose poop and all kinds of neat things.

moose poop

Alder tree

in 2010, the glacier was up to the sign

this is just to prove we were there

a closer view of the glacier (notice the blue)

the toe of the glacier

View from above

We mentioned that one of the priests from the local catholic church is a sailor.  Well, the other priest is a pilot.  They are both retired from the military.

We were watching a movie on the history of old Seward at the rectory with Father Tero (the sailor), when Father Bill (the pilot) came through and said that it was such a lovely evening and he wanted to take his plane for a look around but it is not worth all the work just to go up by himself and if we would like to go with him.  Need he ask!  Of course we jumped at the opportunity!

It was indeed a lovely evening.  It was a sunny and calm evening.  We got to the airport at about 8.30pm and after all the pre-flight preparation, we took off about an hour later.

Once again, the photos do not do justice to the real thing.  Snow-capped mountain tops as far as the eyes can see.  Many different glaciers, islands and bays.  It was such a magnificent view from above.  Thank you, Father Bill, for the amazing experience.  Oh, and Mark took a turn driving the plane (or whatever pilots do up there!)  We went up to 6,500 feet and as fast as 135 knots.

Father Bill and his plane

Panther, his German Shepherd

Mark in control 

view of the marina as we took off (Sari Timur, a tiny dot)

snow-capped mountain tops

Bear Glacier, with ice bergs

more of Bear Glacier and the icebergs

another view of Bear Glacier and the icebergs

Exit Glacier

High above the mountain top

Why we like Seward?

For many reasons!  The scenery is amazing.  The people are friendly.  The town is small enough that places are accessible by bicycles.  The wildlife is aplenty.

These photos will attest to the fact that Seward is a pretty place, but they don't come close to doing this place justice.

Sea Otter

another sea otter (or maybe the same one)

Making Headway

Well we were getting rather frustrated yesterday with the cleaning and sorting.  Mark had spent several hours cleaning the cooker which included some disassembly.  Then he went to cook lunch and none of the knobs worked.  And he was still knee deep in things from the cupboard near the stove that still needed cleaning.  Luckily the knobs proved to just be stuck and some WD-40 and some pliers got them working.  A few "I hate boat" words came out of his mouth at that time.  Anyway we had been invited by the local priest (who is also a sailor) to his place for dinner and some discussions about Prince William sound.  He had just come back from a two month land tour of New Zealand, so after dinner while having ice cream we watched his slide show.  He traveled through all 14 National Parks.  It was such a great evening, all the stress of cleaning and throwing away stuff seemed to disappear.

Back on Board

Well we are back on board and what a mess.  Loads of mold and a few wet spots.  The damp cold also seemed to damage the varnish and paint down below in some spots as well.  Anyway we worked until late last night cleaning and digging through cupboards and have been at it all day today as well.  Sari Timur is starting to smell better but it will be a few more days before she is even close to clean.

Just Arrived Anchorage

Well we got to Anchorage.  Only about a half hour late.  Of course it is really about 4 hours early.  We were supposed to take a later flight so we booked a hotel.  Even though loads of daylight now we still figure a night in a hotel is a good idea.  The boat is still winterized and it would still be a late night before we could get to bed.  So we are up for a good night's sleep before heading back to Seward tomorrow.

North to Alaska

We don't know if there is a rush on, but we do know there is a plane with a couple of seats.  We head out tomorrow afternoon and expect to be reunited with Sari Timur Saturday.  After de winterising we hope to head over to Prince William sound for some playing before returning mid June for a visit from the Rileys.  With them we will go visit Denali as well as do some cruising in Ressurection Bay.

Cinco de Mayo

Cinco de Mayo is Spanish for Happy Birthday Pauline

Grand Haven Get Together

Well it has been a couple of days and a few beers.  It has been a little too short to catch up and a lotta years for some of us but some great fun.  Here are some pics of part of the old gang from Mark's early life.

Tom, Amy, Mark and Chris

The Gang