06/30/2009, PETERSBURG, AK
This Bald Eagle was sitting on my neighbor's mast for about 30 minutes checking me out... until another Eagle swooped down on him and almost knocked him off the mast!!! I didn't have my camera at the ready when the second Eagle came in... bummer!
This shot isn't' the greatest, but it shows the dive-bomber knocking off the Eagle in Port McNeill, B.C.
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06/30/2009
JUNESSA has a model 2003 Volvo three cylinder diesel auxiliary motor. It's performed wonderfully so far, however... the maintenance on it SUCKS!
The engineers that design marine engines must NOT work on them!!! The oil filters are screwed on horizontally, so you get oil all over the place when changing them! They should come with remote filter housings that can be mounted in a easy access space!!! The fuel filter gets diesel fuel all over the place... and the valve adjustments... oh what a joke!!!
You can see by the pictures that there are three spacers that are LOOSELY fitted on the valve cover. When you pull the cover off, you potentially have a major problem IF one or all of the spacers fall down INTO THE MOTOR!!!! I didn't realize this potential problem until I had the cover off and ready to be put back on... I flipped it over and two of the spacers fell to the floor!!!
So, I made a spacer catcher out of plastic JUST IN CASE the spacers decided to let go and try to ruin my day! It took three attempts to get the cover back on without loosing the spacers. Then I forgot the compression release lever needed to be installed before putting the cover on... oh!!! crap!! It took another 30 minutes to get it all back together and ready to test run.
I should point out here that the Volvo manual says to check the valve clearance every 50 hours!!! Ya right!!! I don't think so!! Plus they want the oil changed every 50 hours and oil filter every 100 hours... WHAT A PAIN!
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06/28/2009, ANAN BAY, Alaska Inside Passage
I took this a few weeks ago on my trip NORTH along the Inside Passage. I could've stayed here for weeks, enjoying beautiful scenery and peace and quite!
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06/27/2009, Somewhere along the Inside Passage
I took this shot onboard a ALASKA AIRLINES flight somewhere along the Inside Passage.
It's such a dramatic contrast between the tall snow capped mountain peaks and the ribbon of life running towards the sea.
Just AWESOME!
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06/26/2009, WRANGELL NARROWS
This was shot along Wrangell Narrows about an hour South of Petersburg.
What a neat way of life!!! Seafood out your front door, wild berries everywhere! and the best part... MILD WINTERS!!
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06/29/2009 | SandbarSam (svsandbarfl4036 att aol dott com)
"Rick" I live in FL....We have mild winters..LOL
Please define your term of "mild" winters.. |
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06/29/2009 | sandbarsam (svsandbarfl40362aol dott com)
Rick..your e/mail address on this site does not work.svsandbarfl4036@aol.com
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06/29/2009 | RICK PETERSON (BCCJUNESSA att GMAIL dott COM)
MY DEFINITION OF 'MILD' WINTER IS- ABOVE ZERO!!! I'VE LIVED IN THE ALASKAN INTERIOR AND MINNESOTA AND IT GETS PRETTY DAMN COLD!! WELL BELOW ZERO!! BURRRR! MY DAD'S DEFINITION IS ABOVE 70! HAHA (HE LIVES IN HAWAII!!!)
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06/29/2009 | RICK PETERSON (BCCJUNESSA att GMAIL dott COM)
I TRIED THE EMAIL LINK AND IT SEEMS TO WORK ON MY END...I USE A MACBOOK. I'LL TRY FROM MY WORK COMPUTER (PC)TO SEE IF WORKS THERE... RICK
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06/23/2009, INSIDE PASSAGE
Here's a short clip of me celebrating my dream of sailing into Alaskan waters! I was so excited and happy to finally fulfill my dream! Wow! :)
Sorry about the audio... I had the waterproof housing on the camera and didn't know I had to YELL to be heard...
You can download the FREE Quicktime player to watch all the videos on this site at: www.apple.com/quicktime
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06/23/2009 | Colin (colin at yacht emerald dot com)
Congrats Rick, Hope to follow your wake up there once we cross the pond. Casting off the dock lines next week! The admiral (aka Nichola) is busy route planning our way west and north to the Scotish western isles.\fair winds c
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06/23/2009 | Rich Fewell (Richfuel att mac dott com)
Cheers!, and Congratulations too! I'm very envious of you. Enjoy every second of it.
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06/25/2009 | Heidi (svcetus att aol dott com)
Hey Rick!
Glad to see you've gotten going! We must have just missed seeing you in Friday Harbor -- we've been bumming around the San Juans since June 2nd. We plan to be in Neah Bay getting ready to head down the coast by August 1st. Hope to meet up with you somewhere tropical one day! Enjoy! Heidi & Terry S/V Cetus |
06/22/2009, PETERSBURG, AK
I rented a car and did some sightseeing around Petersburg. I cam across this beautiful piece of property forsale overlooking Fredrick Sound! What a view!!!!
I walked around the place and couldn't stop daydreaming of living here. To bad it was way-way out of my reach!!!
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06/20/2009, Somewhere along the Inside Passage
I had some awesome sunsets along my trip North! It was so peaceful sitting on deck and watch the sun go down...I could hear the Eagles calling and other unique sounds as the tide changed. I did hear wolves one night... very neat experience!
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06/20/2009, FRIDAY HARBOR, WA
I thought this was pretty funny!! :)
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06/19/2009, Somewhere along the Inside Passage
This is such a cool shot.... If you stare at it long enough, your mind starts to play tricks and faces start to jump out!!!!
It's the reflection of the low tide shoreline!
What do YOU see in the picture?????
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06/19/2009 | colin (colin at yacht emerald dot com)
i can see an alien,,,,,,,, pass the drugs! or the straight jacket!
eek! |
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06/20/2009 | Bill (liamjr att ctox dott net)
Rick you are doing everything that I didn't. Congradulations. Maybe in 10 yrs or so. Bill
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06/19/2009, INSIDE PASSAGE
Taken 5/22/09
This was such a cool spot to spend the night!!! I had the whole bay to myself (like 99% of the places I stopped!). The light was magnificent!!
I tried my luck at fishing here, but only caught a bunch of crappies under the dock.
I woke to 38'F or 3'C temps and fog! Brrrrrrrrr!!!
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06/19/2009 | Heidi Angel (hmangel att gmail dott com)
Wow! Unbelievable pictures, Rick. We have been enjoying keeping up with your blog and are about to begin our trip north next week. We've had some minor mechanical setbacks (involving a brand new Yanmar -ouch!) but are close to heading out. Not sure where we'll land, but you have inspired us to head north!
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06/19/2009, INSIDE PASSAGE
I was able to spot floating logs a ways off when the birds were using them as a rest spots! Otherwise, I had a hard time seeing the logs until I was right on top of them... Not a good feeling!
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06/16/2009, Somewhere along the Inside Passage
I could spend years with my camera and tripod here! Everywhere I turned, another subject to photograph!!! My only problem is that I'm ALWAYS in a rush..... I really need to S-L-O-W D-O-W-N and enjoy everything around me.
I've read alot of cruising books and articles and they all say "Schedules and Cruising DON'T MIX!" and I'm going to agree! Schedules force you to push the weather, push the equipment and push your ability to make good decisions because of fatigue. I was very lucky in my trip NORTH! I didn't have any major breakdowns, accidents or storms to contend with.
The trip SOUTH will be at a much slower pace. I plan to do more hikes and more photography. I'm thinking of avoiding the marines as well and anchoring in remote anchorages. We'll see.....
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06/15/2009, ANAN BAY, Alaska Inside Passage
This was the first time I used the new outboard motor!!! I put the oil and gas in it, pulled the chord three times and she started right up!!!
I really had to go SLOW and METHODICAL about getting the outboard motor down to the dingy without dropping it overboard! I almost lost it a couple times as I tried different ways of getting it down to a moving dingy.
I wasn't impressed with the dingy/motor combo that Westmarine sold me!!! I would get it up on a plane and then 10 seconds later the motor would cavitate and loose all power.... I'm not sure what's up with that, but going at 1/2 speed just isn't the same as FULL THROTTLE BABY!!! HEEEE HAAAAAA! oh!... I mean.... slow and relaxing.... :)
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06/16/2009 | sandbar sam (svsandbarfl4036 att aol dott com)
what combo do you have?/ I'm looking to up grade. I want a small hard bottom inflatable will the rigt small motor to plane
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06/16/2009 | RICK PETERSON (BCCJUNESSA att GMAIL dott COM)
I PURCHASED THE WESTMARINE RU-260 SPORT BOAT AND MERC 3.5HP MOTOR COMBO. THEY GAVE ME A GREAT DEAL ON THE COMBO. THE BOAT INFLATES IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES, THE MOTOR STARTED AFTER THREE PULLS. I BOUGHT IT MAINLY FOR IT'S LIGHT WEIGHT. I MAY HAVE TO PLAY WITH THE TRIM SETTINGS TO GET IT TO PLANE. I WILL UPGRADE TO THE 310 RIB BOAT AND LARGER MOTOR LATER ON.
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06/15/2009, Somewhere along the Inside Passage
Here's a short clip of me trying to master the art of making a cappuccino on the boat while dodging huge ships! (I shot this a few weeks ago...)
Don't ask me why I'm wearing my headlamp in the middle of the day...??? I must be tired!
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06/17/2009 | mom (elainereese att me dott com)
I loved this one. Yep, head lamps are always
needed.....day or night. I love and miss you. |
06/14/2009, Aboard JUNESSA
I found a whole bunch of videos that I downloaded from the trip... sooooo... I'll be adding a few more clips here, then later on I'll move them to the proper order in the trip.
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/
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06/14/2009 | Cyndi (cyndimarcus att yahoo dott com)
fun video, cool phone!! I'm gonna have to get me one!
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06/14/2009 | Colin (colin at yacht emerald dot com)
Thanks Rick,
worked a treat on the counter. Cheers Colin |
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06/14/2009 | RICK PETERSON (BCCJUNESSA att GMAIL dott COM)
OOOPS! I SAID FLIP PHONE... IT'S ACTUALLY A FLIP VIDEO CAMERA. I HAVE A WATERPROOF HOUSING FOR IT, SO I CAN FILM IN NASTY WET WEATHER AS WELL! ONLY ISSUE IS WHEN I HAVE THE HOUSING ON, I REALLY NEED TO TALK LOUDER SO I CAN BE HEARD. GREAT LITTLE CAM!!!!
RICK http://www.theflip.com/index.shtml |
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06/17/2009 | mom (elainereese att me dott com)
ok now I know you took lessons in cooking from me
if your smoke detectors are going off while cooking pancakes. Cute video. love ya honey mom |
06/14/2009, ANAN BAY, Alaska Inside Passage
Here's a short clip of a dingy tour around JUNESSA. I was anchored in Anan Bay (a few weeks ago) and used the dingy and motor for the first time...
You will have to download the FREE Quicktime player to view all the video clips on my site.
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/
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06/08/2009, S.E. ALASKA
Here's a shot of Petersburg from the air... The Wrangell Narrows are off to the right hand side.
I'm on Alaska Airlines heading back to work in the Philippines for a few weeks.
Once I'm back in the Pi, I'll update the website... adding more photos and video and putting my trip into a logical order. So, check back often! :)
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06/10/2009 | kathy (spicerz att hotmail dott com)
The shots are GREAT! Thanks for sharing. Was it easy to find a place to leave the boat until you return up there?
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06/10/2009 | RICK PETERSON (BCCJUNESSA att GMAIL dott COM)
HI KATHY! I HAD A BLAST WITH MY CAMERA!!! I LOVE THE CHALLENGES OF GETTING GOOD SHOTS. PETERSBURG HARBOR MASTER WAS VERY FRIENDLY AND HAD A SPOT FOR ME AT AROUND $140/MONTH. :) NOT TOO BAD EH?!?! THANKS FOR THE COMMENTS! RICK
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06/11/2009 | Colin (colin att yacht emerald dot com)
Hey Rick, how did you put the web counter on your blog?
Love the photos Cheers Colin and Nichola |
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06/11/2009 | RICK PETERSON (BCCJUNESSA att GMAIL dott COM)
I went to 'Theme Settings', at the very bottom, and pasted a free webpage counter (you can google free counter)... whaalaaa!
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06/07/2009, S.E. ALASKA
This is kind of a famous shot in Petersburg... Devil's Thumb (mountain in the back ground) with the fishing fleet in the foreground.
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06/17/2009 | mom (elainereese att me dott com)
wow great shot. Did you take any more
of Petersburg? |
06/05/2009, PETERSBURG, AK
I rented a car and took a little road trip 'out the road'. This deer didn't care that I stopped about 50 feet from him... he/she just kept on munching on some wild salad. :)
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