A day of calm
August 24th, 2008 by Kip "Galley Master" Jones(70º31.4′ N, 127º23.2 ‘ W — Amundsen Gulf) Greetings from The Geraldine! We have enjoyed a quiet and calm day today with one knot of wind and flat seas! Yea! After a good night’s sleep at a firm anchor, we started out at first light and have put lots of water under the boat so far today. The sky looked overcast and stormy but it’s been so pleasant. We saw some whales and a pair of birds we haven’t seen before that escorted us for a long time. The male had long plumes but the female did not as you’ll see in the pictures. We wish we had a book on the names of the birds we are seeing.
Our plan is to run through the night again as bad weather is coming behind us and we want to get to Tuktoyaktuk tomorrow afternoon. So all of us have been napping through the day to be ready for our night shifts. Kip is making plans to leave the journey for home in either Prudhoe Bay or Barrow to get back to start up in BSF. Ed Wright, Walt’s friend from the BSF School Program, will be joining the crew then for a few weeks.
Pat is downstairs making bread at the moment,in the fine Renaudin French tradition of four generations of bakers on his mother’s side of the family. Shane is driving, Walt is reading “90 degrees North, the quest for the North Pole”, and I am writing you! We successfully made 30 gallons of water for the second time and are hopeful that running at the lower pressure will do the trick so there will be no more failures.
Tonight we ate Arctic Char pasta; do you detect a theme? Reminds me of Forrest Gump and the many ways to fix shrimp! Char baked, Char pasta, Char chowder, Char sandwiches, Char scrambled eggs, Chicken-fried Char, Char a-la-mode, Char tartar…..we love it! Pat is hoping Arctic Char also restores hair loss! 🙂
August 25th, 2008 at 1:44 pm
Are you catching said Arctic Char? Doesn’t sound like it’d be too hard to have Char Ice Cream. Can’t wait to see the hair restoration!
August 25th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
Pat, if the char works for you, remember me brother, mini-me
August 25th, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Hello to all(especially Kip),
I was wondering what was going to happen to BSF. Enjoy this year of teaching Kip. You are such a wonderful leader and teacher. Tomorrow I will see my 21 first graders walk into the classroom for the new school year. I am excited about that opportunity to be with them all year. At home, Jeff and I will be leading a small group study on prayer this fall. I pray that your change of crew goes smoothly and the rest of the voyage goes well. I am sure they will miss you and your cheerful ways.
Love, Pam
August 27th, 2008 at 4:32 am
8/27/08
Kip, your journal is so folksey and fun to read. Fewer facts and more about the people, birds an scenery. It would be such fun to “pop in with a pie”, but I belong here and not “in the way” up there. I love you and Walt so much !!