We departed Petersburg in a complete blanket of fog. Visibility was under 50 yards. I could barely see the front of the boat., 20' away. The picture, above, is courtesy of Kippy. This was taken as the fog was starting to lift.
3 GPS/Chartplotters, 2 Radars, 2 AIS, 2 Depth Sounders, and an active VHF - we were underway. I just want to thank Wally Smith, my USCG Auxiliary Coxswain and friend, as he made me drive on patrols whenever it was foggy in Monterey Bay. I also have to shout out to Scott Galloway who was our lead Instructor in the navigation classes we co-taught. If you want to learn how to manage yourself, your boat, and flow with the sea, then I highly recommend the US Coast Guard Auxiliary. Fabulous training, experience, and people. THANK YOU, Wally and Scott!
I sounded the appropriate fog signal as we entered the channel, my compatriots were not happy, so no fog signals thereafter. This is not a good practice. Maritime rules require me to sound fog signals (1 prolonged blast on the horn every two minutes).
While I really like my horn, it causes brain damage when we light it off as it is very loud. Yes! Must be a guy thing...
Fortunately, I had paid great attention to detail as we transited Wrangell Narrows on the way north a few weeks ago. As long as I followed my exact northward course on my southward journey, I should be fine - right? Great in theory, but in reality, things like other boaters, kelp, crab-pots, etc. show up to push me off my reciprocal course. But the various channel markers and aides showed up where and when we expected them, so this transit was not particularly stressful.
About halfway through the Narrows, the fog started to lift so we could see 1/4 mile, then 1/2 mile, then 1 mile. Whew.
Along the sides of the Wrangell Narrows channel there are a lot of fishing camps/lodges like the one pictured here.
We timed the trip today, so we got pushed a bit on the way in and pulled a bit on the way out of the channel. Wrangell Narrows currents meet at about South Flats and North Flats and that is where we wanted to be at high tide/high slack current. We timed it just perfectly so; we scooted through in a little over 2 hours.
Captain Kippy at the helm! I don't think she is happy with the unnamed photographer...
Two more hours and we were pulling into Wrangell, Heritage Harbor on their first-come-first-serve docks. We found a spot, side-tied, and that's where we are.
We discovered two friend's boats here, Marzee and Raven.
Raven is another Selene owned by fellow Selene Owners Association Board Member, Geary Long and his wife, Lois.
Marzee is a McKinna owned by Scott & Annie Hayes who we met as they were coming out of the PMC yard in Anacortes at the same time we were. It was great to catch-up with new/old friends.
Today's big adventure consisted of a hike into town of about 1.2 miles for lunch and then another mile to Petroglyph Beach where they have (wait for it...) petroglyphs.
This one looks like a high school prank as it is different, the work is crude, and it looks like SpongeBob to me. Until informed otherwise, I'm going with SpongeBob. What do you think?
We hiked to the Harbormaster's office and then back to the boat.
Karen crafted a lovely dinner of Grilled Chicken Pesto with fresh cherry tomatoes over spaghetti (extra pesto for me). All of this was preceded by our customary salad and my "Goose" dressing (fresh squeezed lemons, apple cider vinegar, kalamata olive oil, loads of garlic, salt, and a lot of pepper). If you want a more exact recipe, just ask.
Why "Goose" Dressing? I learned this recipe from George and Roxanne when aboard the Spruce Goose, a 24' cold-molded sailboat that George had built in about 1982. I joined them in 1983 as novice crew in San Francisco and San Diego and we then sailed down to Mexico and the Sea of Cortez and beyond. This (or something like it) was the salad dressing that they made.
To compliment all of this I opted for a 2010 FontanaFredda La Rosa Barolo. 2010 was a spectacular year in Piedmonte, Italy as was 2013, 2015, 2016, and 2019. This was another Barolo winery we drove by during our Alba trip last fall but did not partake.
Tomorrow, it is off to Frosty Bay, about 30 miles to the south of Wrangell. The narrow channel and currents dictate that we depart about 1100 (11:00am), so that's the plan.
Good night.
Comments
Post a Comment