Every winter, I fall asleep thinking of boat work needing to be done and dreaming of summer fun in the sun. After what feels like forever, the summer is somehow here before I know it.
Putting off bigger chores, the girls and I spent a week afloat in Prince William Sound. You can follow our track from that trip on our 2024 voyages map. May is a special time in the sound, as there remains deep firm snow excellent for snowshoeing and backcountry skiing. Weather was rainy but calm as we sailed the 100 miles east to 3 finger cove, a favorite spot from my childhood days on our Newport 30. An easy trek across spring corn snow leads to Shrode Lake and views to the east, magnificent even in the hazy drizzle.
15 miles north, Bettles Bay welcomed us with thawing avalanche chutes thick with fiddlehead ferns. The next morning, Yan and I, accompanied by our two hyper English Golden Retrievers, snowshoed to the south in search of abandoned mines and relics. Light rain was welcoming as we labored up a ridge riddled with early black bear prints. After a week in the drizzle, all aboard declared our spring outing a success as we pointed the bow home toward Seward in 25 knots of breeze.
All boat owners know that maintaining a “to-do” list that resists elongating rapidly is a minor miracle. In the case of a 52 foot sailboat, the baseline list is often overwhelming. This summer’s plan was to haulout in June for paint and shaft seal replacement, but the paint ordered from West Marine in April did not arrive until mid-July. Haulout cancelled, I decided to tackle a nagging vibration in the drivetrain by aligning the engine and replacing the flexible shaft coupling with a custom spacer. This all-day project went as well as could be hoped, with alignment at least >12 thousandths at baseline corrected to 5 thousandths, the maximum improvement possible with the current engine mount placement. A quick check revealed smooth running at the dock, so I tackled the next project of draining the engine coolant. To my horror, black (previously red) coolant came out of the block. The next 4 weekends had me replacing the heat exchanger, flushing the block, checking
the thermostat (which requires removing the entire header tank), and, once all was theoretically fixed, developing leaks in the exhaust manifold at rusted expansion plugs. Fun times!
Although the engine itself, a 36 year old Perkins 4.236, runs well with only minor expected smoke and oil leaks, everything else attached to it is also 36 years old. Three and a half decades of raw water on cast iron acts as the laws of chemistry would predict, as does an aluminum header tank in contact with an iron block. Last year, a low-flow raw water issue was fixed when I replaced the cast iron mixing elbow, but this still leaves the other bits mentioned above eliciting consternation.
Instead of using the boat, weekends at the dock became stressful as I struggled to prepare for our 500 mile sail to Sitka. Unsure if the boat would be ready, I altered the plan and instead we have spent the last week exploring our home-away-from-home: Prince William Sound.
In contrast to May, 8 days of warm sun feel sweet relief after a month of boat woes. Although rolly, MacLeod Harbor and its brown bears served as a wonderful arrival from Seward. Fishing our way north, we landed a small halibut and rockfish to enjoy in Port Chalmers. The following morning, taking advantage of unusual 61F water temperature, I geared up and dived on the boat to change zincs and clean/inspect the propeller and driveline. In the afternoons, we paddleboarded and kayaked the inner bay, watching salmon crowd their way upriver. So far, so good!
Landing a 30” king salmon ought to be a lucky omen, but Saturday morning the watermaker declared rebellion, leaking saltwater everywhere. A small drip discovered back in 2020 had predictably become a fountain. Out came the massive motor and pump, leading to a 3 hour rebuild of valves, o-rings, and seals. But for the first time in 4 years, we are now making water with no leaks!
In 1976, Columbia Glacier rested on its terminal moraine at the north end of Heather Island. But following dramatic recession over the last 30 years, the glacier face has pulled some 13 miles north, opening up an expansive bay that did not exist when I was a child. Typically, the inner bay is so tightly packed with ice that it is not possible to get close; in fact, in all my years exploring Prince William Sound, I have never been able to approach the glacier face. But yesterday, the ice conditions appeared favorable so we motored north around the corner as our chart plotter showed us to be nearly 4 miles ashore! Ice blocked our way when 1.25 miles from the face, so we drifted among floes and seals as the glacier calved massive bergs into the water. The girls paddleboarded and kayaked into the ice while I flew our drone, taking advantage of the clear skies and warm sun.
We are now anchored in Long Bay, just to the west of Columbia Bay. Shrimp pots are soaking, and for the first time this trip raindrops patter overhead and fog shrouds the hills in mist. Black bears at the head of the bay do not seem to mind the rain, nor the eagles and salmon splashing in the intertidal just to our north. Today is a day for a cozy fire, warm showers, and games as we fill the water tanks and plan the rest of our week. Sunday, George and Bjorn arrive for what was originally to be a sail back across the gulf from Sitka; instead, we will explore the north gulf coast and enjoy the best of Alaska summer. I can’t wait.
Awesome!