Downeast in Southeast Alaska

Petersburg

Tracked down the gauge problem to faulty wires on a harness - easy fix. By the time we wrapped that up and did some laundry, the current an hour after the -3' low was already ripping through the harbor, and the wind was picking up. Conditions made for a difficult exit. We decided to stay another day, pick up a few provisions, finish routing the rest of the way up.

Minus 3' is low, low, low. The ramp was like a ladder. I could see the bottom under the boat. The fish processor's vacuum hose couldn't reach the boats looking to offload from the top of the pier. I overheard a couple in the laundromat recounting how they had struck a rock in Thomas Bay (NW of here, across Frederick Sound) given an extreme low."It was just plain stupid," he said. "I shouldn't have tried the cut." They damaged the prop on one engine, and ripped out a drain plug. They were taking on water. A passenger asked if they had a wine cork. The woman said, "the wine I drink isn't that good." Thinking fast, she stuffed a ZipLock baggie into the hole, and they were able to get into Petersburg on one engine. (Glad to know ZipLocks are good for something!)

What is it with rocks, lately??

Next: Farragut Bay, West Brother, Wood Spit, Taku Harbor, Young Bay, back to our home port in Auke Bay on Sat., 8/10. Back home just in time for the weekend warriors and the full fleet of charter vessels. We're likely to be off grid for most of the week.

Total South: 1261 nautical miles
Total North: about 1090.5 miles
Total for the Magical Mystery Tour: about 2351.5
Total number of waterfalls: never enough!

Wow!