Sail Cutthroat

North to Alaska Seattle 2008 Series
18 June 2008
Lat N47.44.23
Lon W132.09.649

It is with deep sorrow that I report to all our loyal followers of the Cutthroat Blog some very sad news that occurred today while still at sea in the North Pacific…a mere 300 miles from the Strait of Juan de Fuca (who is that guy anyway?).  Life comes at us in many strange and unanticipated forms.  From time to time we all experience sadness and despair, especially at the loss of a loved one…a family member or dear friend.  We have no guarantees that those closest to us today will be with us tomorrow.  God works in mysterious ways and finding the good sometimes is most difficult.  It’s when we must go back and realize that there is a bigger plan…a higher cause perhaps…a reason for our suffering today.  But, more about that later.

We’ve been flirting with the 300 mile mark now for most of the day.  When I went on deck early this morning at 0530 I checked the log on my way up the companionway and found we were still at 328 miles. As I returned to my cabin tonight after the first night watch took over, we still hadn’t crossed that line.  So, if you’re thinking that we had another light wind day – you win!  While it wasn’t the becalmed state of most of yesterday, it was slow going all day long.  To make matters worse, the winds are now out of the northeast – right where we want to go.  Had someone told me I’d be tacking to get into any of these “S” cities, I would have thought they were crazy.  But unfortunately, we are now stuck in a low pressure area that is moving in the same direction we are with very light and variable winds.  The good news is that it should blow past us by Saturday and hopefully there will be a nice little high with northwesterlies as we enter the Strait.  Who knows – that’s a few days away, and the GRIB (weather) files seem to make radical changes every day.  The weather service isn’t doing any better either, so here we are.  Three Hundred miles seems so miniscule out in the ocean, but it is seeming like an eternity right now.

Compounding this is our fuel/generator/engine issue that continues to deteriorate daily.  We are in a race to see if we get to the mainland before we are out of power completely.  This takes us to our “Sad News” as eluded to earlier.  But because I am concerned with “jinxing” our situation even more, I’ll wait to fill you in on the details until we are safely there.

The ship’s compass also has a gremlin now.  It developed a huge bubble at the top.  Then it got stuck in one position making it virtually worthless.  Well, that caused a 5-alarm issue.  Roger wasn’t sure and Pat immediately wanted all the backup GPS’ and hand held compasses we had aboard.  Someone else suggested that they merely unscrew it from the binnacle and turn it upside down and shake it a little.  If it didn’t turn into a snowy village snow globe, it just might work again.  Well golly, it worked.  The bubble even got smaller the next day, but it got bigger again today.  Maybe it’s tied to the wind velocity?
Today Roger made lots of progress with negotiating our welcome committee (rescue boat) once we hit the Strait.  In order to get to Port Angeles, or just about any place else, we will require a tow.  Roger spoke with the Marina Manager in Port Angeles to update him on our progress and get some hard info on how we ensure a tow will be available assuming we need to get one upon entering the Strait.  We’re just not sure with the winds, currents, and our ability to maneuver the boat.  So we want to make sure there is a plan we can execute quickly.  Now we have two sources of willing and capable people to assist us.  If the wind gods are with us (and I’m not sure why they would show up now since they have obviously taken an extended leave of absence), we should be able to sail down the Strait and get close to Port Angeles.   Based on the last week, I’m just not banking on it.

Carol, Pat’s wife, is due to fly into Seattle to meet us.  Hope she enjoys the weekend in Port Angeles without us.  She will be able to assist via sat phone though in coordinating any assistance.  Bob would also like her to pick up a Pizza for when we arrive.  I, on the other hand, would like a reservation at the Four Seasons…wonder what she can do about that.

The crew continues to digress the closer we don’t come to shore.  When Chuck asked Paul what he was going to fix him for breakfast, Paul responded with, “How about a nice big bowl of Shut Up!”  We are convinced that the Pat, Chuck and Paul watch team are really from Croatia – we finally broke the accent. All three of them have it bad!  Chuck’s beard really gives it away at this point.  Lynn – you’re actually going to like it.  He just needs to clean it up around the neck line.  It looks very cool!  Paul and Pat are clean shaven as are Bob and Roger.

The jokes are getting worse and the stories redundant but we are all glad we are here together.  This trip will give us stories to tell for years.

Friday morning addendum…we are moving again after a very fast night of travel breaking the 300 mile mark and now closing in on the 200 mile mark.  We anticipate arrival on Sunday.  This will probably be the last update until we are safely berthed in Port Angeles as Christine doesn’t want to play anymore and her close buddy, the unnamed engine is not putting out enough rpm’s to charge our batteries.  So, in order to conserve power, no more updates…only position reports.  So, YOTREPS should still reflect the changes.

All is well with us!  We are just fine and enjoying the final part of this trip.

Love to all our family and friends…stay tuned for the rest of the story on our sad news of the day.

Roger, Elise, Bob, Chuck, Pat and Paul…
s/v Cutthroat