We departed 8:00 am in the rain with an uneventful morning heading East. We were very thankful for AIS (Automated Information System) as we rounded Cape Seal and found we were on track to meet a freighter. We were able to alter course in large rollers with a short chop which gave us the feeling of bobbing up and down in a child’s bathtub, however we were doing 8+ knots over the ground so we were happy. We saw numerous other fishing vessels in the area and were treated with some clearing skies. We approached Cape Castle with clear skies and took some great shots and it also marked the end of one of our weather zones… goodbye 155, hello 150. The cape was not hard to recognize as its name does it justice. The clear skies were great as there were shear cliffs with waters falls on all of the islands.

Rounding one of the islands we saw some more Dahl Porpoises and they began to streak back and forth in front of our bow. I snuck out on to the pulpit and was amazed as a porpoise veered left and right just a few feet underneath my feet!! A group would zip in from the left or right and breach briefly to catch their breath. They were so close they tempted me to jump in as they looked to be having a ton of fun, I really did want to catch one.

We have made pretty good progress today, but have to hole up short as the areas to duck in are becoming fewer and farer between. The weather outlook looks good as there are no major systems moving in and the swell is left over from the previous storms. We plan to make Kodiak Island tomorrow and work our way up the west side as far as possible to give us the best chance of a late Monday evening arrival.

Cheers,

Shane,

P.S. From Walt… We went through quite the expanse of uncharted water with numerous rocks, all the chart said was HAVE A NICE DAY!!!

Late PSS We were not happy with the anchorage situation at Sutwik Island so we are headed for Kodiak tonight. We will work shifts with 2 on at all times: 2 hr off and 4 on. This is not a good system, but it will work for one night. We have each had a nap today.

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