Our high seas adventure

View as we sail out of Auke Bay harbor

 We were invited to take a boat trip this past Sunday with Tim & Kathy.  They have lived on their 39' boat for the past year, harbored in Auke Bay, but they have actually lived on a boat somewhere in the world for over 25 years.  Kathy told me the story of their first boat and how sad she was to sell it since it had memories of raising their daughter in places like Panama, where they were frequently going through the locks of Panama Canal.  She told me that they installed her "jumper" from an eye hook in the ceiling of the boat, and that she made friends with others in the harbor in Puerto Rico. 

View of our condo area from the back of the boat

Now, with their daughter grown, they live on their boat in Juneau, where they both work independently in home repair and painting.  They are flying out of Juneau to Oregon for a month to check in with family and some property they own near Eugene.  With that, Tim wanted to take the boat out to "rev" the engine.   He didn't want the boat to sit too low in the water due to the high sea levels this time of the winter, but did need to use up his fuel.  In the harbor where they live, there was a boat that sunk this past week when the owners failed to clear the accumulated snow and ice.  The mast is

the sunken boat just visible in the corner of the dock

pretty much all you can see of this vessel.  The only reason it is not totally under water (the water in the harbor is anywhere between 50 and 100 feet deep) is that the boat is still tied to the dock!  We set off on our "great adventure" about 1:00 p.m. on a very snowy day - you can see from the photos that the snow was very heavy on the dock.

Frozen deck railings

Bill tried to glean as much information he could from Captain Tim as we motored out of the harbor and into the high seas of the Inside Passage.  Kathy asked if I was prone to seasickness - if I was, it was too late! As we sailed north out of the harbor and around Lena Point, the sea became extremely rough.  Bill equated it to "Deadliest Catch"!  We bobbed and weaved, up one wave and down the trough on the other side.  You could hear the engine as it fought to keep straight through the bouncing.  At one point, Kathy and Bill went out on the back deck to clear the floor drains of the accumulated ice so the water

Captain Tim and First Mate Bill

wouldn't wash into the cabin.  The rails of the deck were frozen, and the wipers were kept busy trying to clear the windows so the captain could see!  We didn't see much due to the cloudy/foggy weather, when suddenly Captain Tim brought the boat "about" so we could watch about a dozen harbor seals frolicking in the open water - they were huge!  They were about the only things able to withstand the

Kathy waving goodbye as we leave the boat

cold semi-frozen water.  Soon we turned and made our way back to our watery home in Auke Bay.  We helped with the mooring lines, then waved to Kathy as she settled in for the night with only the snow and some hearty seagulls for company (besides Tim, that is!).  As we walked on the 8" of fresh

Boats in Auke Bay harbor

snow down the dock, we passed a large boat for sale (only $375,000!).  We looked at each other - and for a moment thought about what it would be like on the open seas, sailing around the world not caring where we docked for the night.  Nope, we thought.  We love the ocean, but we prefer terra firma in beautiful Juneau, Alaska!