(57 deg 19.3 N 135 deg 47.2 W – Kalinin Bay, Kruzof Island) What a great day! We were up with the stars at 3:30 am so that we could get out of Latuya Bay at slack water. There were two flashing lights we needed to have lined up to make sure our course was right for a safe exit through the narrow opening; all this in the dark but we made it just fine. The sky was crystal clear and beautiful as we watched the sun rise passing La Perouse Glacier which came right to water’s edge.

We went by Boussole Head where we saw a huge arch worn through the rocks. Further along the way we saw whales spouting and two tail shots with more beautiful mountain vistas. We traversed Cross Sound into fog momentarily, then came out and motored down Lisianski Straight, spotting a pair of bald eagles watching us from the tree tops!  We then went back out into the Gulf of Alaska to later come inland to Kalinin Bay where we are now at anchor.

The forecast is for rain tomorrow and we expect to reach Sitka by noon with no outside passages required! For a moment we had cell coverage and called Visa to pay the bill and the marina to confirm our reservation for a slip.

One more day left of this amazing adventure. We are so grateful for the privilege to do something so extraordinary and the safety afforded us and our wonderful crew. Praise the Lord!

Today I wrote out the recipes needed to write a journal cookbook, “Cooking your way through the Northwest Passage.” Maybe it can help offset the fuel bill!!!

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Hi! I’m Raime! Yesterday I arrived in Kodiak with my dad and Shane’s wife, Rebecca! I’ve been busy since we got here. I went to the harbor on Sunday afternoon and I saw a fisherman cutting octopus tentacles into little squares. Where they going to eat it? No. They were going to use it for bait. I asked them what they where catching — it was Halibut. 25,000 POUNDS in 3 DAYS!

Next, we saw the Geraldine.  She was beautiful.  Grandma Kip arrived from San Jose this evening, and we’re happy to have her aboard!

[Editor’s Note: The crew has posted photos all the way back to Nome — great shots!]

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The all night run up to Kodiak Island went well with the help of the moon to dimly light the water allowing us to see the horizon.  Each one of us slept for two hours followed by a four hour watch.  This allowed two of us be awake at all times as we plowed through the seas and with the help of some positive currents  we arrived at Kodiak Island by dawn.  From there we traveled up the north west side of the island with the calmest waters since I came onboard in Nome.  A most pleasant change especially since we are all tired from the sleep deprived night.  We had another whale siting today and many more birds than usual.

At the north end of Kodiak Island we headed south-east down Whale Passage with seas like glass and plenty of sunshine.  We had numerous whale and otter sightings.  The mountains on either side of the passage were coated with green vegetation and trees which we previously had not seen along the Alluctian Islands.  Behind these mountains were higher mountains with patches of snow that peaked in and out of the clouds and rain.  What gorgeous scenery.  Along the edge of the passage were several homes and buildings confirming our return to civilization.  We were blessed by favorable conditions as the tides and currents gave us a huge lift down the passage where we reached a speed as high as 13.3 knots.  Normally our speed is in the range of 7-8 knots.  This was a wonderful way for ending my part of this journey. 

The destination for tonight is Kodiak Harbor where Scott and Raime (Scott’s daughter) and Rebecca (Shane’s wife) will join us.  Kip will join the crew on Monday night and I will depart back to San Jose, probably on Tuesday, if my reservations can be changed.

Ed (second mate)

PS Arrived Kodiak, St. Paul’s Harbor at 8:30 PM rendezvoused with Raime, Scott, and Rebecca.

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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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