It was a "boundary stretcher"

Rikki-tikki-tavi was hauled out of the water on October 10, 2011, at Seaview North Boatyard in Bellingham. We are very pleased with how the crew at Seaview handled our 26.5-foot wide multihull. With barely two inches to spare on each side of the slot, they carefully secured and lifted us with two straps slung from their 150-ton Travelift, having left most of the straps laying out the tarmac. The lighter weight straps were much better for us than the humongous ones used on the 300-ton lift at Port Townsend. There is much potential for hull damage to Rikki's 1/2" thick wooden sides due to their being hefty enough for hauling out weighty vessels such as tugs and barges. Seaview's smaller slings removed a great deal of anxiety for us.

As we waited for the boat to be positioned properly, with the weight being taken by the forward and aft aka, our thoughts were running wild. How long Rikki-tikki-tavi would be on dry land? We knew there was water damage, but just how extensive was it?

There were numerous benefits of hauling out in Bellingham: We would be able to retrieve our car, which is stored in Mount Vernon, and have transportation for the duration. All of our favorite stores–Trader Joe's & Costco–are nearby. There is also Harbor Freight and a wonderful, old-fashioned hardware store called Hardware Sales, we soon discovered. We would make good use of all that was available. And we were so glad it was easy to get to! At Port Townsend, we would not have had the car...

When Rikki-tikki was hanging over the asphalt in the lift, we watched as he was power-washed. At Port Townsend, we'd had to do this ourselves, getting soaked in the process. We took advantage of a Seaview special: free haulout with the purchase of Seahawk bottom paint and hull prep by the Seaview crew. 


Once situated on stands in the yard, our first problem to solve the construction of a cover over the boat to protect the deck areas that needed repair from the elements. We bought heavy duty 16' x 20' tarps at Costco to drape over the boom aft the mast and two smaller 8' x 10' tarps to cover forward of the mast, which is stepped in the center cockpit. We used PVC pipe across the boom and tied off the tarps every which way. We laid much rope over the top of the tarps to keep them from buffeting in the wind. This system worked very well–it even held on the night the wind blew for hours between 40-50 mph, gusting into the 70s! The noise was outrageous, however. Fortunately, when this wind storm happened on November 22, Nina was away in Sacramento (from November 1 to January 5) assisting her mother's recovery from knee replacement. She is very glad to not have been on the boat as it was perched atop spindly tripods. She could only check the weather station on the roof the the adjacent Bellingham Cold Storage building. With the live webcam, Nina could see exactly what Clark was experiencing from the comfort of her studio.

Under the wing, rudder & centerboard.

Needless to say, Clark had to deal with some challenging winter weather while performing repairs on our intrepid wooden trimaran. There were many frosty mornings, too, which made getting to the ladder leading down to the pavement treacherous. 


Four major areas of the topsides had to be torn out and rebuilt due to water finding its way into layers of plywood and spreading laterally much farther than one would imagine. There was also wet wood in the bottom of the rudder and the leading top edge of the centerboard where the fiberglass sheathing had been stretched apart to form a fissure where water could seep into the plywood core, despite the epoxy coating and saturation. We were rather disheartened when we discovered the extent of the damage that had occurred over Rikki-tikki's seven years of being out in the weather. This was not a short haul-out to paint the bottom and clean up the prop! Here are some photos that show a quick recap of the work...

My rather forced smile.

We were shocked and dismayed to discover water had wicked into the core of the rudder at the bottom. It has also wicked into the plywood core of the centerboard, which we had to "drop" out of its pivot pin in order to affect repairs.


It was painful for Clark to have to tear apart what he had so carefully constructed just a short while ago. He found himself asking if these kinds of repairs would be something he'd be required to do often? He certainly had not anticipated that, after only seven years, he'd be ripping things apart.

Back to dry wood.

We decided to tear back to dry wood and replace everything. All the damage appears to have been the result of failure of caulking around hardware mountings, such as the winches, a block, and the forward chainplate. We really cannot explain the infiltration of water in the rudder and centerboard other than the wood moves. It responds differently than the epoxy it is coated with and different from the fiberglass sheathing, which doesn't stretch. The sheathing separates along the weave, creating little fissures into which water finds its way. These "zippers" have occurred on edges and corners in numerous spots on the boat. Along with all the large areas needing repaires, there were a few dozen smaller areas undergoing repair simultaneously.

Rebuilt deck, coaming & winch pads.

We stressed over how to deal with what needed to be done and, most importantly, how to keep it from happening again. Rot–a wooden boat's most feared foe (besides worms). I researched online at the Web Locker nearby that had internet access while Clark began tearing into the starboard coaming and the bow.

Repainted, winches mounted on new bases.

Interestingly, I found much discussion about the value of ethylene glycol in halting fungus and rot. We ordered a quart of it to be shipped. Another benefit of being at Seaview–we could order items from Fisheries Supply and have them sent up with the Seaview truck. Clark coated the wood with the ethylene glycol once he'd torn back to where it was dry (or drier) in hopes it would help stop spores from starting an area of dry rot.


I had to leave on November 1st for my flight to Sacramento, but before I left, I stocked the boat with nonperishables so we wouldn't have to fill the Honda with stuff in April, when we returned from California for our summer season of cruising up north.

Tearing into the bow.

Torn out deck.

Rebuilt & curing under quartz work lights.

To combat the cold and give epoxy a fighting chance to cure, we purchased three heat lamps. Clark mounted them on wood based and built wire cages around them. They were aimed up underneath the deck areas that were under repair. We also bought six 250w quartz work lights. These were on constantly, day and night. It was quite a puzzle and struggle to get them aimed properly and moved from one location to the next. It was fortunate that the kilowatts we used were included in the yard fee!

May 2nd, 2012: We have left the dock and no longer have regular internet access. We find it necessary to leave the narrative at this point. Please enjoy the photos until we can finish the story for you. They are worth a thousand words, correct?

To your health!
Clark & Nina

Heat lamps and rain protection.

A lot of deck had to be replaced.

Heating the port side while it cures.

All seven quartz lights as the paint cures.

Completed port aft deck.

It began to snow on January 15th.

Soon we had about five inches of the white stuff.

Final hull color going on.

The Honda sheltered under Rikki's wing.

Going back to the water...

The trial is finally ended.

2011 "Cruise"

The captain and first mate of Rikki-tikki-tavi enjoyed several very leisurely months in British Columbia's waters this summer. Between May 16th and September 22, we visited Princess Louisa Inlet, Von Donop Inlet, the Octopus Islands, and Annette Inlet. Between long stays at each lovely spot, we overnighted in Ballet Bay, Rebecca Spit (twice), and took a mooring for three days at Newcastle Island (Nanaimo). It was a summer to sit still, enjoy meeting friends both new and "old", and doing boat work. After seven years, our Rikki-tikki is needing some TLC. The weather was not very cooperative. Consistent sun did not arrive until mid July, so the rain slowed down our progress. We have more work to do.

We will be hauling out at Bellingham on Monday, October 10th. It will be our first experience using the Sea View yard. We are hoping the the weather is kind to us! We'll let you know how it goes.

Clark & Nina

2010 Cruise

Mouat Cove

Rikki-tikki is now snugly tied in his spot behind the harbormaster's office at Roche Harbor, directly astern of the big catamaran named Gambit, which makes a good windbreak. Our sleek trimaran took us on a magic carpet ride all the way to Juneau AK this season. It was our goal to meet new friends and hang out when we found a stop that was particularly enjoyable.

Anan Black Bear

Back in 2007, we did a "great circle" route around Southeast, so we missed all of Admiralty Island and the east coasts of Chichagof and Baranof Islands. This year, we managed to see some new territory and enjoy some warm and sunny days while reveling in the company of new friends. We have acquired a plethora of pleasant memories. Of course, it is Alaska, meaning that there were plenty of gray, rainy days to endure too. We don't usually travel in the rain, unlike our powerboat friends who like to drive wearing their bunny slippers, the heater going and the windshield wipers keeping the view forward clear. We stay put, hunker down, pull out a book to read and wait for dry weather.

We entered Canada through our usual Customs point at Tsehum Harbor on Vancouver Island on May 1st. Rikki-tikki took advantage of his membership in the West Sound Corinthian YC to availe himself of reciprocal privileges at Sidney North Saanich YC. We visited our Seaweed friends, Loren and Sandy, at their home and enjoyed dinner with our Cloudbreak friends, Alan and Bet. Then we made a beeline to our favorite destination, Princess Louisa Marine Park. It was an 84 nm run between Pirates Cove and the dock in front of Chatterbox Falls and we had time to refuel in Edmonds, catch a nice fish for dinner. While waiting for Malibu Rapids to turn, we hovered close to shore in Queens Reach watching a black bear with her cub! For Rikki-tikki's 6th birthday, we opened the boat to the folks on the dock, all of whom we had come to know during our 5-day stay. Tearing ourselves away from the serenity of "The Princess," we turned our trimaran's three noses toward Ketchikan, running while the running was smooth.

Coho!

TTFN, Clark & Nina

svrikki.net

The Sweet Sixteen Baja Ha-Ha

Clark & Nina joined Roz & Russ Worrall aboard “Worrall Wind”, their motor-sailing ketch, for the Baja Ha-Ha. This annual cruiser’s rally is sponsored by the popular sailing rag “Latitude 38”. A record 193 boats signed up, only one of which was a power boat (gasp!). On October 26th, about 165 boats crossed the starting line at the mouth of San Diego Bay. Excitement was high, spinnakers were loosed, crews whooped & hollered as they passed the Port of San Diego’s photo/news boat. We were off and rolling (literally)! We crossed the finished line on November 5th, but continued around to La Paz a few days later, stopping along the way.

Warm sun, fresh fish, sandy beaches, new friends. Sleepless nights, big and bumpy seas, relentless rolling, bruises, spilled coffee...

Our most enjoyable memories of the journey down the west coast of Baja California are of the spectacular skies. We reveled in glowing sunsets and sunrises, softly lit clouds at dawn, a sublime full moon rising over Bahia Santa Maria, night sailing in bright moonlight, jeweled clouds over Cabo. We were fortunate to see the green flash at sunset too! We did not imagine it– several other sailors reported seeing it the same evening, including Roz. Russ unfortunately missed it.

Not so enjoyable were the rough seas of October 28th. Clark managed not to get seasick while steering, cooking, making coffee & using the head by taking Meclizine. Nina, who is very prone to motion sickness, wore SeaBands® and dosed herself every 4 hours with Dramamine. She kept her stomach busy digesting raw nuts & kept her head as still as possible by hunkering in a spot in the pilothouse with the least motion, on the centerline of the boat with good visibility of the horizon. She used the head as quickly as was possible under the conditions. Night sailing would have been sheer torture for her. It was good we decided to dive into the large bay south of Punta San Carlos. Even so, she kept up the preventive regimen even at anchor.

We had fun exploring the capitol city of Baja California Sur, La Paz, on foot. The sidewalks held much of our attention due to two things… every few yards the construction & design of the walkways would change in very artful & creative ways, and they were treacherous to navigate due to holes, elevation differences, chunks missing, and uneven surfaces. The people were very friendly & several stopped to greet us as we rested on benches. Our Spanish is nonexistent but we managed to communicate in a small way. The malecón, a waterfront promenade, is extensive and is adorned with many lovely works in bronze. It was a pleasant place to people-watch. We noticed how very few Mexicans own dogs. We saw only one, a chihuahua, on a leash, though there were a few obvious strays. All other pet dogs were attached to gringos.

In La Paz, we found the stores fascinating as we wandered down the many narrow streets. The dress of the women was quite flashy, sexy even. We looked at crafts and weavings but we purchased only provisions at the Costco in Cabo and at the Super Mercado Aramburo in La Paz. We did not buy anything to eat except a cup of coffee– no ice cream, no tortillas, no restaurant fare. We came home without any souvenirs though we do regret not being able to haul back a gigantic chunk of New Zealand butter we found at Costco! We turned just $30 into pesos & spent most of that on a taxi ride, tips, the coffee, and groceries at the mercado.

If we decide to travel to Mexico again, we will learn to communicate in Spanish. We were unable to talk to the drivers of the Marina Costa Baja free shuttle, unable to ask questions of anyone unless they spoke English. Truly pathetic. We had a little Seiko translator and it helped us figure out a few words, but it was inadequate. Next time, we will also bring fewer and lighter weight clothes!

Cabo San Lucas is inundated with families of obvious poverty hawking cheap silver jewelry, whistles, trinkets and assorted tacky items. They are positioned every few yards along every walkway & it’s difficult constantly waving them away with a polite, “No, gracias.” When we managed to get a decent number of blocks away from the hotels and the marina, this distraction was minimized. Even so, most of the goods for sale were ugly, gaudy or crass, such as the frog coin purses. We did not see this type of hawking in La Paz. There were established “booths” along some streets such as the plaza in front of the cathedral, but we only saw a couple of artists with their finely made macramé jewelry laid out along the sidewalk. Nina was tempted to purchase a necklace but we merely commented on the quality of the work and walked on.
We've published a small website about our "Month to Baja by Water" at svrikki.net/RTT/Ha-Ha
Rikki-tikki-tavi is patiently waiting for us in Roche Harbor. We'll return to the Pacific Northwest in the Spring.
Clark & Nina

May at Chatterbox Falls

Rikki-tikki-tavi began his cruising season at his very favorite spot– Princess Louisa Inlet! His crew, Clark and Nina, reveled in the serenity and beauty of this most spectacular of places while Rikki-tikki rested quietly at the dock behind Seaweed. The first two weeks were typically drizzly and misty, which only accentuated the splendor of the mountains that stream with a myriad of waterfalls. Then the sun came out! The weather was deliciously warm and bright, the skies and waters pellucid. Chatterbox Falls is the glorious centerpiece of Princess Louisa. The flow of the falls constantly changes throughout each day in response to temperatures and rainfall. Fascinating. We kayaked, harvested shellfish (which is open until May 30th), visited with cruisers, and bathed in the sun.

Nina made four hats– one for granddaughter Eva, one for Clark, a special "9ah hat" for Sandy who was having a birthday, and a sunhat for herself. Rikki-tikkii also celebrated a birthday. May 10th was the fifth anniversary of his launch into the Sacramento River! Nina scrubbed the sail cover and polished windows in preparation. Sandy and Loren contributed a bottle of champagne to our meal of prawns, pickled oysters, and steamed mussels. Clark blew out five candles inserted into cashew/coconut nut balls. It was a perfect day.

The 22nd through the 28th brought some large tidal differences with one large ebb during the day. This means that the ebb currents through Malibu Rapids were delayed significantly due to the huge volume of water exiting the inlet. Most boaters depend on the Canadian Hydrographic Tables' corrections for the timing of the slack current at Malibu, which is taken off of the tide station at Point Atkinson. The corrected time is, we want to emphasize, an average of all the current slacks over time. Folks were not taking the tidal differences into account and many entered the rapids too early only to face unexpected strong currents and turbulence. Boaters came to the dock with horror stories. Two boats actually aborted halfway through and turned around! They were traumatized along with other boaters (not only small boats, mind you!) who made it through by the skin of their teeth, so to speak. Thankfully, there were no tragedies. We want to remind those who travel the distance to lovely Princess Louisa Inlet to pay attention to the tidal differences. In times of large tides, Malibu Rapids may be up to an hour-and-a-half late on the ebb. Take care.

There are no more BC Parks mooring buoys at MacDonald Island. The anchor chains had all rusted completely through and the buoys floated freely away from their stations. We learned that three large powerboats had tied to the last two that had stopped near shore on the north side of the inlet. A Nordhavn rafted to a second yacht shared one of these overnight. Yikes! Fortunately there were no strong inflow or outflow winds during their visit.

Rikki-tikki-tavi plans to make annual visits to Princess Louisa Inlet. Clark and Nina find it the perfect starting point for a season of cruising in British Columbia. Long live "The Princess"! Thank you, Mac. Photographs copyright 2009 Nina Courtney Wagaman and Clark Wagaman. All rights reserved.

Tucked in for the Winter

We left Rikki-tikki-tavi safely moored at Roche Harbor, San Juan Island, for the winter. Headed south like Snowbirds, we stopped to spend time with friends in Mount Vernon, Washington. On our way through Oregon, we enjoyed a pleasant visit with family in Estacada. We all drove up to Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood and had lunch. With car-camping in Southern Utah on our minds, we then sped on home to Sacramento.

Rikki-tikki-tavi at Roche Harbor

Nina with Aunt Ruth and Uncle Lynn

Enjoy your winter, everyone!

TTFN, Clark & Nina

Princess Louisa Inlet

Hello, Friends!

We spent over three weeks at Princess Louisa Inlet this spring. Here is a short description of one of the days.

Clark and I visited with Kathy and Noel aboard Integrity II. They are quite an interesting young couple. She’s a glaciologist from the UK who worked at Antarctica studying the movements of the ice shelves. He was a navigator with the British merchant marine from Ireland who was aboard the supply ship to Antarctica. They have a photo album with images of their boat in Taiwan under construction back in 1965. Their little ship is a Mason 38 ketch that was built as a private cruiser but the owners decided to sell her and make a business of building additional boats instead. They worked on the boat in Nanaimo for nearly two years, had a engine shipped over from the UK. It’s a very well-built boat and appears quite capable to taking them to Hawaii and the Marshall Islands, as is their plan.

Talisman approaching the Princess Louisa dock.

After our visit, I showed Kathy how to identify wild cucumber, gathered some for ourselves, then we got ready to move to a bouy at MacDonald Island. Seaweed was already there. Loren and Sandy left the dock yesterday. We ran the watermaker on the way, going very, very slowly. The rain stayed away and we took the long way around the island to get back to mooring #3. Then we went ashore to gather some shellfish– oysters and Littleneck clams.

After dinner, we rowed over to Seaweed for a couple rounds of cribbage, which is new to us. Sandy and Loren are the most pleasant people. They make no demands on your energy, mentally or otherwise. Lovely. They helped Nina learn the game with great patience and made the experience pleasurable. Sandy made a chocolate dessert with the Carnation canned “thick” cream that she’d shown us. She used nsweetened cocoa powder and Splenda for sweetening. It was tasty!

It was beginning to sprinkle as we went back to Rikki-tikki in the dark.

TTFN, Clark & Nina

Back in BC

Hello, Friends,
We checked Rikki-tikki-tavi back into Canada at Prince Rupert on Wednesday, August 22nd, after three months cruising in Southeast Alaska. We saw glaciers, grizzlies, whales, wolves, sea otters, eagles, and puffins. We enjoyed spectacular sunsets, endured zero-visibility fog, met wonderful people, caught salmon and halibut. Our blog is a bit behind, we know. Please enjoy this photo of Johns Hopkins Glacier while we catch up!


We promise more to come...
Clark & Nina

April 2007 - Princess Louisa Inlet

Princess Louisa Inlet is truly a special place. We've seen some astonishingly spectacular fiords here in Alaska, but Princess Louisa offers peace, serenity and an intimacy unsurpassed. This is enhanced when one arrives very early in the season when the snow still encrusts the mountains and visitors are few. This is the way we like to experience Princess Louisa...


We have the dock to ourselves.

One of the first things the guys did was to go hunting/gathering (in the rain, of course). The oysters at PLI are the best we've ever had and we were looking forward to eating them again. After a scrumptious dinner of fried oysters with Diane's spicy salad alongside, we played a game or two of Farkle. It was like coming home after a long absence- pure enjoyment.


It rained frequently while we were in Princess Louisa this year.

When the sun finally came out, we noticed that Talisman was looking very good. During the previous two weeks, Dean had buffed on a gloss coating and the dark blue hull was brilliant. He'd was just finishing up the replacement of all the wood plugs on the rails, a project begun back in Friday Harbor. The beautiful stained glass panels that Diane had designed and made were now installed in the cockpit doors. Together with her new Tartaruga hard dodger and canvas, the Pearson 424 ketch looked great.



Diane scooted around the inlet in her Hobie Mirage kayak on one of the few sunny days. I took her peddle kayak on a little excursion too and was treated to a close view of a black bear! The Mirage is virtually silent because there is no splashing of a paddle. This allows close approach to wildlife and leaves hands free to use a camera or binoculars. Plus, the leg exercise is very welcome. We sit way too much living aboard a boat.


I encountered this very healthy-looking black bear along the shore.


The shellfish - oysters, mussels, littleneck clams - were abundant and so very tasty.


It was easy to pick up a limit of oysters in a very short time.


This is wild cucumber, an edible wild plant and also very abundant. We would go a few yards up the trail and, in ten minutes, pick enough for the evening's salad. We were careful to selectively collect partial stalks away from the trail so as to leave the area looking undisturbed. Also known as Twisted Stalk, the Streptopus leaves are delicious with a light dressing of lemon juice, almond oil, salt and pepper.


A sleepy-eyed toad along the trail caught my attention.


We had a few visitors on occasion. Dave, Vickie and John aboard their Lord Nelson Victory Tug, Nellie D, dropped in on their way north.


Steve, Caroline and Abi, a family from the UK, visited in a chartered sailboat. We enjoyed meeting them very much.


The skunk cabbage in the creek bog was fresh and beautiful.


One day, a couple aboard this float plane dropped in for a short hike, then took off again. Another day, we heard a roar, but it wasn't one of the many avalanches we'd seen. A small black helicopter came zooming around the bend at low altitude, streaked past us, then banked sharply up above the waterfall. It circled the glacial bowl behind Chatterbox and buzzed along the snowy ridges. We wondered what it cost to take a tour like that- thrilling but expensive!


I made unique crocheted hats for each of us- Hats by 9ah

One afternoon, we took our dinghies down to Malibu Club. The four of us walked over to the edge of the pool which is perched in the rock above the rapids. The current was running out of the Inlet at 10.5 knots. We watched the whirlpools and swirls in awe, the tongue of the flow was clearly defined. Suddenly, a fast boat with two people aboard came flying through at planing speed. They were airborne several times as the hull glanced off the surging water. Then, we leisurely toured the grounds. Only a handful of folks were there getting things ready to open for the summer season. The setting is lovely, the buildings are intriguing- some are the original structures from the early part of last century. It's a terrific location for a summer camp.


Rikki-tikki-tavi in front of Chatterbox Falls.


Talisman approaching Malibu Rapids on our way out.


Malibu Club, Princess Louisa Inlet, British Columbia


Leaving Malibu Rapids behind for another year.

We spent eight lovely days at Princess Louisa this year. Dean and Diane were there for over three weeks! Sadly, our friends Loren and Sandy aboard Seaweed didn't arrive. Diane made a "Reserved for Seaweed" sign, we signed our names and attached it in their favorite spot on the dock. We've decided that we should start our cruising each year with a long stay at this exceptional place. That is, if we don't spend the winter in Alaska (which is yet to be determined)!

With best wishes,

Clark & Nina

May 2007 - Part 1

Hello from Alaska!

Rikki-tikki-tavi crossed the International Boundary between British Columbia, Canada, into the waters of the USA, state of Alaska, on Sunday, May 27th, at latitude 54˚46.16'N, longitude 130˚38.97'W. At this point, a line is drawn in a zigzag fashion up the middle of Tongass Passage, between Sitklan Island (USA) and Wales Island (Canada). There the line turns northwest up the middle of Pearse Canal, then up the middle of Portland Inlet to its head.

Canada charts are quite good, in our opinion more readable than NOAA charts. We reviewed the route into the USA to Ketchikan, the required check-in point for US Customs, while we were peacefully at anchor in shallow, roomy, sticky bottomed, empty Winter Inlet on the north side of Pearse Island. Canada Chart 396001 at 1:40,000 scale clearly showed that at the end of Sitklan Passage there was a shortcut into East Dixon Entrance between Tongass Island and Kanagunut Island. This shortcut would save us at least three nautical miles, a half hour. It was shallow and there were rocks, but there seemed to us a safe S-shaped course through, so I'd plotted waypoints to follow.

The morning seemed benign with light winds, so when we arrived at the point where we could've turned right (starboard) and taken the deep, therefore safer, passage along the mainland coast, despite that we saw a large ocean swell coming in, we continued into the maze. Two small, high-powered fishing boats were heading out the same way. We could see the swells rising higher on the outside as the bottom came up to meet them. Big waves crashed over the rocks, which showed us exactly where they were, of course. Rikki-tikki was in his element, his bows lifting to the swells easily. We were less enthusiastic about the heights to which we were rising, as the course we needed to hold gave little margin for error. Clark piloted the chicane (as in a narrowing turn on an auto-racing course) with confidence into the swell where it wasn't breaking and we (I) didn't panic. Let's just say that this short but exciting ride is etched into our memories. We made it through safely.

The day before, we motorsailed 35 NM down Portland Inlet with the jib out, bashing into bumpy swells and wind chop whipped up by a 20 knot breeze. To avoid motion sickness, I used my Sea-Bands with good results. We had just spent two nights at the BC Parks Khutzeymateen Grizzly Reserve, where we were treated to thirteen sightings. Luckily, we had turned up just at the right time! Late May is when these brown bear head down to the shorelines to graze on grasses, look for crustaceans and shellfish. Later in the season when the berries ripen, they head into the mountains. We managed to get fairly close by dinghy to capture this photo of one male lazily browsing on sedges.

Drooling from the bitter sedge grasses he's been eating, this grizzly calmly observes us observing him.

Now that we have reached Alaska, let's go back to the beginning of Rikki-tikki's 2007 Adventure before the story gets too confusing...

After a windy, cold, wet and exceptionally snowy winter in the Southern Gulf Islands, British Columbia, and Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, USA, when you would think we would be yearning for some warm sun south of the border like reasonable sailors, why are we anxious to go even farther north– all the way into Southeast Alaska in 2007? This is a question we are asked quite often, though never by other boaters who have cruised the Pacific Northwest and who understand the multitude of delights this the vast area holds for intrepid adventurers. The sea and land is simply gorgeous, filled with wildlife and fascinating geological features like glaciers, fiords, volcanoes, and a zillion islands of every size and shape. The Northwest offers endless cruising opportunities that would take a lifetime to explore thoroughly. Sailors who've been around the planet often complete their lifetime of sailing by spending the rest of their days Up North. We figure it will take us several more years just to touch some of the high points. After all, we'd done snow (this was our Happy Holidays eCard!) so we were confident that we could do Alaska, at least "Southeast".


Our 2006 Holiday eCard. Photo taken November 30, 2006, in Montague Harbour, British Columbia.

In February, I took a SWA flight from Seattle home to Sacramento for a short visit and some precious time with my grandson, Merritt, then already seven months old. I delivered the crocheted "Kiss Hat" that Clark and I made for him while we were rainbound in the boat during January's wet weather. Thanks, Mom, for making the week so enjoyable and productive for me by cooking, sharing time, lending me your car, and making the trip possible. I spent two full days with little Merritt while his parents, Michael and Samantha, were at work, giving his other grandma, Jeanne, some time off. She has been Merritt's full-time caregiver since mom returned to work. Jeanne is absolutely wonderful– she has my admiration and grateful appreciation. I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Merritt– he was so much fun! He is a cheerful, athletic, inquisitive, interactive and wonderfully adorable baby! Being so far away is terribly difficult. When I returned to Friday Harbor, we ordered a little webcam so we could see each other over the computer during our Skype VOIP calls. This is very cool!!

Merritt wearing his "Kiss Hat". Photo by dad Michael.

Rikki-tikki-tavi got a new bottom paint and a straightened prop shaft beginning March 16th at the Port of Port Townsend, Washington, where his 26.5' width meant their monstrous 300-ton lift was required. Rikki's weight didn't even register on the gauge. Clark and I were challenged by high winds and rain, but we got the job done despite the weather. Rikki-tikki was spiffy-looking and ready for the water on the 24th, but winds were forecast to be 30 knots with only two lift operators on duty, so we took time to walk around the charming town while Rikki waited patiently for the right launch conditions. Clark was able to retrieve his commemorative "30th Annual Wooden Boat Festival" poster from the Wooden Boat Foundation down at Port Hudson. (More later about the Wooden Boat Festival, in which Rikki-tikki-tavi was honored to be accepted as an exhibitor.) We mailed it back to Mom in Sacramento for safekeeping. The calm morning of March 27th, we traveled the 31 miles back to Friday Harbor, across the east end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, in 4.5 hours! Rikki's speed seemed enhanced by his three clean, smooth bottoms. The shaft noise also seemed quieter and smoother.

Like a moth held by a gigantic spider's web, Rikki-tikki waits to be released into the water once again.

Back in Friday Harbor, our lists of things to do before heading north were getting shorter. On a very warm day, I took a kayak outside the breakwater to photograph the schooner W.N. Ragland. It belongs to the singer/songwriter Neil Young. While paddling past the breakwater where the current ran swiftly, I noticed that the dock float was covered with what I thought was hard to find– winged kelp, alaria marginata! It had been growing right here in Friday Harbor all along. The kelp was very clean this time of year, too, before the hordes of summer boaters had dirtied the harbor. I plucked a choice selection of fronds and piled them on the kayak. Back at the boat, I cut out the center vein, chopped it up for stir-fry, then hung the "wings" of the fronds from the bow nets. When they were dry, I fried 2-inch sections in hot coconut oil. One batch I left plain, the second I sprinkled with Dixie Belle Rub, a dynamite recipe from Dana Carpender's The Low-Carb Barbeque Book. We shared these delicious treats with several folks who had expressed interest in eating sea vegetables and with one who ate our kelp only as a favor. He shall remain nameless, but such a good sport!

Neil Young's schooner, WN Ragland, in Friday Harbor, Washington.

Meanwhile, Clark worked on solving our mysterious stray electrical current issue. This condition was very evident when Rikki-tikki was hauled– there was blistering of the copper bottom paint and a thick crust of barnacles all around the shaft log and up both sides of the main hull. However, there was no pitting of the prop or the shaft, or excessive deterioration of our zinc anodes. In talking with several experts, Clark first installed a new grounding brush to the prop shaft. On further consideration of the characteristics of the problem, we decided that it was better to keep electricity from getting into the water in the first place. The question was: How had it gotten there? After days of taking things apart, testing & retesting, putting things back together, taking some systems out of the circuits, testing & putting them back in... it all came down to the Honda 2000 generator. Nowhere in the manual does it tell a person who uses the generator on a boat at anchor (no earth to ground the unit to) that the floating ground in the generator should be changed so that the neutral and ground are connected inside the case. Thanks to Dan on Sequel for this information. Clark hooked them together and, voila!, no more hot neutral circuit. He also isolated all the underwater metal from the electrical system. Only our FrigoBoat keelcooler has a neutral wire running back to a battery neutral. The boat is not bonded. We have eliminated a path for stray current to get out of the boat and into the water. Our bottom paint should now stay on the bottom (except for the fact that we put on an ablative!). It won't be blistering off due to stray current.


This is where we tie up while in Friday Harbor.

Thanks to all who helped us on our way– Dean and Diane for grocery shopping, Rod for use of the shop tools, Dick and Sharon for storing our car and putting us up, Patrick for helping us get the right antenna for our wi-fi connection, Dan for the SSB/HAM radio assistance– and the many others who shared experiences and friendship. On April 10th, Rikki-tikki made a final stop at the Friday Harbor fuel dock before pointing his nose across Haro Strait into Canada.

Rikki-tikki-tavi at the fuel dock, Friday Harbor.

Checking into Canada brought the Customs officers down to speak with us again. They reminded us that we are allowed a visit of only six months out of every twelve. We didn't think we'd been overstaying our welcome, always returning to the USA before our allotted time was up. Does this mean we'll have to seriously consider spending the winter in Alaska, once we get there? They gave us our requested sixty-day clearance saying, "Enjoy your time in Canada!"

Canada's HMS Oriole leaving Tsehum Harbour in early morning light.

We anchored for a few nights in Tsehum Harbour, visiting friends and shopping. Clark helped Gerta bring Millennium Dragon from Canoe Cove to Cowichan Bay, while I drove her BMW to Victoria for provisions and an adapter for our new high-gain wi-fi antenna. Fully loaded with goods from Costco in Langford, I continued along the beautiful highway north to meet Millie D. Gerta suggested we stop for dinner on the way back to Tsehum Harbour at the resort pub in Brentwood. The Happy Hour special was chicken wings- we devoured two orders along with a pitcher of beer. Next day, we squeezed in a short visit with new friends, Alan and Bet, whom we'd met at Conover Cove, Wallace Island, BC, back in January. A wet, bouncy ride in Darzee took us to Rikki, as a storm was blowing in. Immediately, we left in the late afternoon light for Royal Cove, an island where we'd spent an entire week hiding from weather back in November.

Conover Cove in January. Photo by Bet and Alan on Cloudbreak.

There were two sailboats already in the protected cove, both with long sternlines to shore. Sheltered from the southerly wind in the cove, we had no trouble dropping our hook, pulling in between them, and securing our own sternline to one of the park rings on the rocks. The rain began and it rained all night and all through the following day. We stayed on the boat and finished stowing our provisions. The larger sailboat left, and little Wildflower, a sloop we'd seen in various anchorages in the Gulf Islands, was Rikki-tikki's only neighbor.

About 2 AM, a choppy sea started slapping off the hulls- the noise got Clark up to take a look around. We were holding in place just fine and Wildflower's anchor looked to be holding too, but the lightweight cruiser was bouncing around a good deal more than we were. Clark thought about hanging fenders on our port side but came back to the warm bed instead. We drifted back to sleep. BANG! The loud crack shocked us awake, the adrenaline rush had us fumbling to get dressed in a flash. BANG! We knew that Wildflower had dragged her anchor and was on us. We should've hung the fenders! Out on deck, we offered to let the skipper tie alongside, but he started the engine and drove slowly away to reset his anchor. He said he would stay up the rest of the night to keep watch. It was 3:30 AM. It took awhile for us to settle down enough to fall asleep again.

Next morning, the sun appeared and we said our good-byes to Wildflower's skipper, wishing him well. Rikki-tikki now had a six-inch mark where the paint had been scraped- nothing to worry about. We motored over a flat sea toward Gabriola Passage to catch the current at slack. As we glided passed Porlier Pass, where the current was running at full 5 knots of flood from Trincomali Channel into the Strait of Georgia, we watched as a sailboat went through. We looked at each other, then turned around to follow. The fast current had already carried the other boat far into the Strait- we watched our speed increase quickly. Porlier held no surprises and we flew out into the Strait. If it looked too bumpy, we could always duck into Silva Bay, but the following seas were tolerable. We rode Rikki-tikki all the way to Pender Harbour, into Gerrans Bay, arriving just as a light rain began. After fueling up at Hospital Cove, we headed for Princess Louisa Inlet next morning, crossing our fingers that Dean and Diane on Talisman would still be there.

Hospital Cove fuel dock, Pender Harbour, British Columbia.

The day trip up Jervis Inlet began with warm sun on the decks.

Clouds moved in and by the end of the day, we had sprinkles and some wind.

Dean & Diane, hello!

Much to our excitement, Dean and Diane were waiting at Princess Louisa to take Rikki's docklines once again. It was such a thrill to see Talisman all alone at the end of the dock as we came around the last bend to reach Chatterbox Falls basin. The beginning of our season of cruising was getting off to a great start!

Fair winds and beautiful views,

Clark & Nina