SV Panta Rhei Retirement Trip

Vessel Name: Panta Rhei
Vessel Make/Model: Able Apogee 50
Hailing Port: Seattle
Crew: Larry and Karen
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18 September 2017 | Seattle
23 August 2017 | Prince Rupert
15 August 2017 | Anan Bear Observatory
19 July 2017 | Petersburg, AK
17 June 2017 | Hoonah, AK
03 June 2017 | Seward AK
03 June 2017 | Denali
25 April 2017 | Seward AK
23 March 2017 | Seward, AK
11 March 2017 | Seward, AK
23 January 2017 | Seward AK
06 December 2016 | Seward AK
12 November 2016 | Seward Alaska
14 October 2016 | Valdez, AK
21 September 2016
05 August 2016 | Seward, AK
26 July 2016 | Whittier, AK
19 July 2016 | Valdez, Alaska
05 July 2016 | Seward, Alaska
Recent Blog Posts
18 September 2017 | Seattle

We are back in Seattle

It feels like home. Of course we are not in Silshole. Maybe we will be, someday, but there is a list and we are on it. In the meantime we are at Bainbridge Island Marina.

23 August 2017 | Prince Rupert

The dinghy holds air again

It wasn't very nice of the bear to tear the fabric across a seam. We were worried that we couldn't patch it but tried anyway. The glue had a job to do and it did it!

15 August 2017 | Anan Bear Observatory

A Grizzly Bear damaged our dinghy

We were visiting the Anan Bear Observatory south of Wrangell. It is one of the best places to visit in all of SE Alaska BECAUSE it has bears. But (as we learned) there is a dark side to this bear concentration. And of course, there is a story to tell.

19 July 2017 | Petersburg, AK

Moving On

"No matter where you go, there you are" (unknown reference). By now we have been there and done that. Most recently that included Cannery Cove on Admiralty Island. The photo shows the quiet grandeur of the setting with Ron and Suzie's boat SV Tango in the foreground. It has been like that for the last [...]

17 June 2017 | Hoonah, AK

We are in Hoonah, SE Alaska now

We got something resembling a high pressure ridge so we moved expeditously across the Gulf of Alaska. The crossing took three days and weather stayed as forecast. That was a very good thing. The weather changes in the far north far more rapidly and dramatically than we ever experienced in the more southern [...]

03 June 2017 | Seward AK

Crossing the Gulf of Alaska

We are still in Seward, AK. Now that spring has come, why not start south?

Getting ready to leave for the Big Crossing

13 March 2012 | Panama City, Panama
Larry Nelson
Trade winds are blowing and the anchorage is rocking and rolling. We've been to the Miraflores Locks, visited Cosco Viejo (the old part of the city) found some really good restaurants, and visited with Kristi and Merril Heck and their kids (Ryan and Lewis). Yesterday we fueled the boat. That sounds like nothing, but surprisingly it is a difficult and important milestone. The fuel dock where we are anchored is also the ferry dock and the dinghy dock. It is an amazingly busy place. The tides here are spring tides and they run to 16 feet. Add to that a 25 knot wind and access is restricted to captains with macho. So you have to schedule your fuel. They call you on the radio when your turn comes. Some of these boats are taking on thousands of gallons, so timing your slot is next to impossible. To add to these difficulties, they charge $20 USD just to come to the fuel dock for fuel. When our turn came the tide was falling like the stock market in 2008. We arrived at the fuel dock with only 8 feet of water. By the time we finished receiving 100 gallons the tide was only 7 feet deep. We draw 6 ft 9 inches, so we left without taking time to pay our $432 bill. Oh, boy that made some people real nervous. But we had to do it else we would have been hard aground. Paying takes way too long. Tides do not wait. We went back in the dinghy after anchoring and now everything is fine.

The preparation for leaving involves a lot of boat stuff. We've done a complete engine inspection (where we found 2 seeping salt water leaks which we fixed and maybe solved the antifreeze loss mystery), cleaned all the screens, cleaned all the filters and cleaned the engine room itself (remember the salt water bath?). We took in a load of laundry which we will get back Wednesday morning. I've paid for our arrival in the marquesas by arranging a bond. Karen got our US taxes filed and estimated taxes paid. We've boarded about $500 USD of groceries so far and are still shopping. We've never gone for more than a month without ANY shopping. We already know milk and eggs will be gone in short order. Then what? Post Toasties and Vodka? It could get grim.

The picture is of a sloth that lives in the Smithsonian managed park next to our marina. It is not true that I resemble a sloth. Finally, we can put that rumor to rest!
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