JOURNEY FROM FANNING ATOLL TO ALASKA (part two)
We are writing to you from Sitka, Alaska where Galenaia and So Long are tucked up in secure berths in the fishing harbour for the winter surrounded by a superb panorama of the snow-capped mountains and hills of Baranof Island, and where the boats are taking a well earned rest.
Most people would presume that in the depths of winter it is cold, icy and snowy at 57ْْ N, but here in South East Alaska and particularly in Sitka the climate is quite benign. It is true that further north and inland somewhere like Fairbanks may be experiencing minus 40ْ C and several feet of snow, but in Sitka rain is more of a problem. We have had two minor falls of snow and some temperatures below freezing and we are sure there will be more frosty days and more snow before spring arrives, but the solstice has passed already and days are slowly increasing in length. There is a joke that there is hardly one month in the year without at least one dry day and when tourists ask: "Does it always rain in Sitka?", the correct answer is: "No, sometimes it snows….."
We last wrote to you from Fanning Island which is situated just north of the equator and about 1000 miles south of Hawaii. We were preparing to sail for Kodiak, Alaska and there was no fresh produce available at all. On Christmas Island with the impressive names of villages like Poland, London and Banana, even bananas were not available. We did however obtain potatoes and onions which had been imported from Hawaii, and we just had to dig deeper into our stock of New Zealand canned goods.
Galenaia sailed from Fanning Atoll on the 28th of May and Susanne left on So Long two days later. The first 1000 miles was excellent sailing in the northeast trade winds with Galenaia averaging 120 miles per day and So Long averaging 153 miles per day. Our course took us just west of north, each of us heading for a convenient point where we could cross the Hawaiian chain of islands west of Kauai and Oahu. We had no intention of going to Hawaii because of the strict quarantine regulations, and we could not have made it there anyway from Fanning Island because it was too close to windward.
Susanne passed the island chain after nine days at sea close west of French Frigate Shoal and didn't see any sign of the low islands and reefs although only four miles off. Galenaia passed east of Necker Island on the same day, also without sighting any land. Susanne was ahead of me now and had passed at a distance of 147 miles. The day was also significant because we went under the sun, which was on its way north and because there was a full moon.
North of Hawaii the winds eased off and progress was slower and So Long pulled away from Galenaia. Susanne had to do some exciting mast climbing after the splice on the lowering rope of the Cruising Chute came undone while flying this huge light weather sail, but despite some big swell running the mast steps on So Long did a great job. We had 54 degrees of latitude to cross between Fanning Island and Kodiak and a change in water temperature from 28ْ C to 7ْ C and consequent weather changes. Later we had rain and drizzle and dense fog and So Long saw two late spring frontal systems passing her track. Susanne arrived off the southern end of Kodiak Island on her 29th day when someone switched off the wind, and she was motoring in bright sun alongside the snow-capped mountains for fifty miles to the port of Kodiak.
Susanne was 600 miles ahead of me and I was wallowing in dense fog with little or no wind. I gradually used up my supply of diesel and was eventually alongside the southern end of Kodiak Island on my 46th day out, still no wind and no diesel. She had been in port for 14 days, had celebrated the 4th of July with new friends and she was getting a bit restless so she motored out to me with a can of diesel. We met in dense fog with GPS readouts given on the VHF radio and suddenly were nose to nose less than 100 metres apart like two ghosts in a churchyard. I soon had the most welcome can of diesel aboard and motored the last 40 miles into Kodiak Port.
It was calm in the area for nearly a month with bright sunshine and locals were sunning themselves in shorts. That was just a bit too much for us with our tropically acclimatized bodies. In fact, on So Long the diesel heater was on in the evenings despite the very short nights in those high latitudes near midsummer. Susanne knew the town pretty well by then and was able to show me the ropes. Honey was pleased to be in this doggy friendly country where the harbour- masters office and many shops had doggy treats ready. Our Customs and Immigration clearance was conducted by telephone and fax to Anchorage in a most friendly way, as Kodiak is not a port of entry. It is one of the busiest fishing ports in the USA and we loved the place. People are extremely friendly and helpful and especially the fishermen. We are used to getting the cold shoulder from them, but here in Alaska they seem a lot brighter than the average fisherman worldwide, well educated and knowledgeable.
We prised ourselves away from Kodiak in late July as we wanted to see more of Alaska in the short summer available and before we settled down for the winter. The good weather had broken now, there were a few small blows, and our most important items of clothing were rubber boots and wet weather gear. We stopped at some superb anchorages, usually on our own, where we were able to watch the Brown Bears (Grizzlies) at close quarters from the boat and from ashore. In several places we were aware of the close proximity of bears by the droppings and by the footprints and even by the smell sometimes. We picked ripe berries which are also a favorite food of bears. Honey had a great time but she was occasionally cowed when she got the scent of a bear.
The salmon season was in full swing and they were trying to return to every creek and stream in Alaska to spawn and then to die. The bears were having such an easy time catching salmon that they were just gorging on the roe and throwing the rest away. Nature seems so wasteful at times but it all finds its' own equilibrium.
We anchored near a salmon hatchery where nature gets a helping hand from man. This place on Afognak Island was very remote and could only be approached by boat or float plane, the Alaskans use the latter like taxies. We were shown around the hatchery where the roe and sperm is taken and the eggs are incubated in tanks. When the emerging young salmon are the right age they are taken up to the lake to be "mapped". After so long in the lake water they are "imprinted" with that specific area so that they will return unfailingly to the stream which leads to that lake after several years of circulating in the North Pacific. Then the fishermen reap their harvest by the millions of pounds. Alaskans are proud of not having fish farms but we wonder if hatcheries are entirely in accord with the delicate balance of nature. Nevertheless we thoroughly enjoyed the Coho salmon (also called Silver salmon), generously given to us by the manager of the hatchery.
We made our way north to the Kenai Peninsula, seeing a lot of wild life, spectacular glaciers and snow-capped mountains. The Gulf of Alaska is not a good sailing area in the summer as there is virtually no wind. We motored nearly everywhere and used more diesel in two months than we would normally use in a year.
In September we settled in Sitka for the winter after a choppy crossing of the Gulf with the first autumn gales. It's been quite an active year for us. We sailed about 10.000 nautical miles in the seven months between leaving New Zealand in February and arriving in Sitka. Of the 146 days between NZ and Kodiak for Susanne on So Long, 54% were at sea and 46% in port.
Of the 161 days between NZ and Kodiak for me in Galenaia 72% were at sea and 28% in port. Interesting statistics from Susanne.
Also in September the last cruise liners to visit the town sailed away and then Sitka seemed to take on a new atmosphere. There were many events not least of which was the re-enactment of the handover of Alaska to America by Russia. The event, now called Alaska Day is especially proclaimed in Sitka where the changeover occurred in 1867. Sitka was the Russian capital of Alaska, previously called New Archangel. It is enthusiastically celebrated by Sitkans over the course of a week. Pipe bands come in from Seattle and Juneau and parade through the pubs after shows at various theatres around town, and there are Parades through the streets.
There is an enormous amount of talent, surprisingly from a city of only 8000 inhabitants, displayed in their cultural and amateur dramatic events. Alaskans are very casual, particularly in dress code. Any function is well attended and people turn up just as they are, many looking as if they have just stepped off their fishing boats, which they probably have.
The mainstay here is fishing and we have tried every type of salmon there is, fresh or pickled or smoked, shrimps, Dungeness crab, King crab and various other fish, not to mention venison, mostly courtesy of our good friend JoAnne whom we met some years ago in Patagonia, and from other generous fishermen.
There is no road outlet from Sitka because it is on an island, like many cities in South East Alaska. Even the capital of Juneau, which is on the mainland, has no connection by rail or road. There is a great state run ferry system called "The Alaska Marine Highway" with good service to all outlying villages all the way to the Aleutian islands and South to British Columbia, Canada.
There are only about twenty miles of road in Sitka along the coast and you would think there would not be many vehicles but there are, and mostly big juicy V8 pick-ups. But if it made sense anywhere to have four wheel drive vehicles, it does in Alaska. The car parks around the fishing harbours have hundreds of parked trucks, some of which never seem to move for months. Plenty of new ones but also many old pick-ups with bumpers falling off and rusted out wings, reminiscent of the early 'Waltons' television series.
Susanne and I are very happy getting around on our bicycles, even in the snow. We bought a mountain bike for Susanne for $15 from the Police auction and they threw in a (new) trailer which has been converted to carry shopping, firewood – and Honey! They even delivered it to the fishing harbour for us.
The firewood is for Galenaia's solid fuel heater, which I only use during the day but So Longs diesel heater has been running non-stop since October, using only one US Gallon per day and with diesel prices only half of what it is in Europe, not a bad deal. Susanne has spent many weeks putting more closed cell foam insulation against the hull and the bronze windows of So Long which helps in heating the boat and reducing condensation.
We were given a very reasonable long-term mooring fee and have a safe and scenic place next to each other at the transient pier on the outer breakwater with a wide jetty acting as our private veranda. The only handicap is not having shore power, but with a change of our interior lights to power saving LED's, we use very little electricity and praise every ray of sunlight of charge on the solar panels, even if the sun is below 10 degrees at noon at the moment.
Our plans are to leave Sitka in the spring and to head South along the coast in the inside passage and to visit remote anchorages and villages on our route to Canada and eventually to Seattle (USA). A journey of about 800 miles in daytrips through mostly untouched wilderness often compared to the Channels of Patagonia in Chile (where we had been cruising all of 2002).
We wish you all a good year and fulfilment of your wishes and resolutions,
Tony and Susanne
PS:
At the website below is Susanne's story which was printed in German from the Trans-Ocean magazine complete with photographs:
www.bluewater.de/revierberichte/australien/nz-alaska.htm
Last year Susanne sent out our newsletter from Fanning Island via the shortwave radio and Pactor modem from on board So Long. Shortly after the system crashed and some of your replies were lost. We apologize if yours was one of the lost e-mails. The system should be running again this year but meanwhile we welcome your replies on the susanne_tony@web.de address.
