Captain’s Log: Fall 2021 Cruise out of Sitka, Alaska

October 6-22

Hi All,

We finally made it back to Mystic after a 3-month break. This is exactly why we brought Mystic back to the USA to allow us to do other things!!! We spent the month of July enjoying family & friends in the Bay Area as well as a trip south to see our oldest son & family in Santa Rosa Valley. Then in August for 5 weeks we finally enjoyed our African Safari after it was postponed in 2020 due to Covid. I have blogged separately about Africa (although I’m only half way through the 5 weeks with Botswana and Cape Town blogs still to finish.)

We arrived on Wednesday 10/6 in Sitka….11 hours door to door so not too bad. Mystic was in good shape having survived a high wind storm the previous w/e (wind gusts up to 70 kts, yikes). However, I’m always wondering what kind of attitude Mystic will have when we return having left her so long. Is she getting old like Kathy and me and enjoys her peace and quiet or will she be temperamental getting back at us for leaving her….yes, after 17 years I certainly believe boats have personalities:))) Well….to that point….<36 hours on the boat I had my head into the master head….yuck:((((….clogged toilet paper in the small bleeder tube….simple job so I hope Mystic lets me off the hook gently this time:))) And…how did it turn out you ask, I did spend quite a bit of time fixing things so we have an answer….temperamental…that’s my girl:)))

In 2018/2019 the weather was absolutely ideal….lots of sunshine and somewhat warmer. We cruised the whole month of Sept 2018 in perfect weather. Well, 2021 is the opposite. It rained every day in September and continues in October. We left the marina on Saturday, after 2 days of opening up Mystic and shopping in the cold rain, running everything, buying new boots for John-boy….I had blown out the heal on my favorite pair in June, provisioning and having Diver Dave dive on the bottom. The bottom paint going on 2 years (SeaHawk Biocop) is still looking good, but we needed new boat zincs and both props were pretty skuzzy with long algae growing on them. The thrusters OTH, were very clean….hmmmmm!!!

Dan on f/v Solstice had told us last June about an anchorage called Uhsk just north of Poison Cove right as you enter Peril Strait from all the narrows after Sergious Narrows. Wow….what a treat….lovely spot….we will be back….anchored in 100’….we wanted to get closer to shore but too many crab pots in the way…..commercial crab season is open in Oct-Nov…yikes!!! We left the marina at 10am to time Sergious Narrows for 1:30pm slack, made the anchorage by 3:15pm….anhcor down, dinghy down, set 2 crab pots, and opened passage beer by 5pm…..always takes longer the first time as 1) you have to get everything out from storage and 2)you have to remember how to do everything again….arghhhhhh!!!!

Carb count: 2 keepers…one >10″….holy crab batman!!!

Kathy wanted to stay another day as it was that DDG….but, Mr Weather said not so fast….another “storm force wind Low” is coming in two days so we decided to go on to one of our favorite places….Kelp Bay….but this time try the South Arm as it hopefully has better protection from the upcoming storm. We made the 48nm run….saw 6 whales…..one breached right in front of us about 200 yards out….K calmly says….uh, you might want to STOP so as not to HIT anything:)))) I happened to have the binoculars on the spot when the whale breached….to have your whole vision filled with a breaching whale is something I will always remember….I mean I saw all the barnacles….everything…as it twisted in the air and then splashed back down….oh, how I wish to get that on video some day!!!

South Arm is another iconic DDG anchorage surrounded by 2-4’k SNOWCAPPED mountains….we just hope none of those predicted 50kt winds find a crack in some valley!!! Anchor down in 75′ by 3pm, dinghy down, 2 crab pots set, opened passage beer by 4:30…..hmmmm, still too slow, should be able to do it in one hour….ugh!!! AND….we had a Brown bear sighting….quickly walking along the stream in the meadow….pretty hidden by gullies and tall grass but every now and then it came out in the open….ODG….big, dark brown, belly hanging to ground…the guy did good this summer finding lots to eat and avoiding the hunters!!!! A very calm night….we hope it stays like that….slept in….this is our first chill day so let the naps begin:))) Checked crab pots…..4 keepers, 8 undersized….yippee!!!

Forecast for the storm: **STORM FORCE LOW WITH HIGH WINDS AND HEAVY RAIN**: A storm force low moves into the north central gulf Monday evening while pushing a strong front into the Panhandle. High winds and heavy rain are expected; with the worst conditions anticipated along the Outer Coast.**

Well….so how was the storm you ask….actually we did quite well picking a good storm protected anchorage….we had mainly 5-10G20kts for about 8 hours, although we did see one gust of 43kts but just for a brief 5 second period and then nothing else. The surrounding area had 30-60kt winds so we felt very happy (data from NOAA observation buoys which we could download via Predict Wind). Close to dark 2 fishing boats came in which made for somewhat of a tight anchorage but both behaved and were gone at first light the next morning. What we didn’t expect were wrap around winds coming from the north, the storm had SE winds, but we guess the winds came in Kelp Bay and hit the mountains and then came down South Arm. Still not too bad….but, what we didn’t count on was an uncharted extension of the mud flats by about 25-50 yards. Yep….we grounded….arghhhhhh!!!! The charts had us in 40-60′ but…..the north winds pushed us right into the uncharted mud wall. When I had the dinghy out to set crab traps I sounded around Mystic but obviously missed this southern area (I think Mystic was at the end of her chain in the north direction so I just misjudged the range on the south end…we had 250′ of chain out so I was guessing at 500′). About 6pm at high tide we noticed the depth was about 20′ and we were going to lose about 20′ at low tide by midnight….not going to work…so we pulled in ~30′ of chain and were in 30-35’…ok, that should work….NOT…..by 9:30pm it was 20′ and from our bed instruments I watched it rapidly decrease to 10′. By 10:30 -11pm it was 3′ on one sounder and 6′ on the other and we were not moving. The keel was stuck in the mud wall while the rest of Mystic was fine. We tied pulling in more chain but all we did was bring in the anchor…really, right through the mud…ugh….then we tried the engine….but, we heard noises from the prop so it was hitting on something and Mystic did not move anyway. So we waited for the flood tide to lift Mystic off the mud…which happened around 1:30am….and w/in 5 minutes we were back in 40’…go figure!!!!

When we got up the next day a bit bleary eyed and somewhat emotionally drained we reset the anchor….the storm was predicted to now be a continuation of various lows/fronts for the rest of the week with 25-35+kt winds for a few day….ugh….we said heck, lets stay here and rest. Mr Weather is certainly having his jollies with this ever changing-for-the-worse forecast. Last night while grounded the rudder shaft had moved up by 1/2″ but had settled back down in position after getting off the mud. We had good steerage, no prop noise or vibration so we had a big sigh of relief. Of course we won’t know until we run the prop on high rpm’s to be sure no prop damage/vibration!!

Crab count: Since it was raining hard and somewhat windy late yesterday afternoon, no crab check. So this am I went out after a 24hr soak….2 big keepers, 6 undersize….hmmmm…wanted more after that long soak but oh well!!!

Tuesday: Rained hard all day….took many naps/read:)))) But oh wait….Mystic says not so fast big guy…big leak in watermaker…after several attempts at tightening things in cramped quarters with no joy I found a cracked membrane end cap…WTH….should never happen but it does…we have a spare but….every connection is frozen….takes me several hours….finally get the hammer out….hmmm, does the trick…..get end cap off and replace, put everything back together, fire it up and now a new leak….it’s 6pm….watermaker wins, John-boy defeated…..on to the Advil and wee drams….arghhhhhh!!!

Wednesday: We think it might be ok to leave for Middle Arm in Kelp Bay but a chance the big winds out in Chatham Strait will spill over into Kelp Bay and ruin the Middle arm anchorage….but we want to run the engine/prop and feel for any damage from the grounding….LIG, no issues at high rpm’s…but after we get anchored in Middle Arm here comes the winds and chop…1-2′ in anchorage…too rolly ….back to South Arm….all in a 15nm day to back to where we started!!!

Crab count: checked in am after 24 hour soak: 6 big keepers, 1 soft shell threw back….Kathy said stop crabbing:)))

Worked on watermaker again….I had spare parts for the membrane connections so I just replaced everything….so after an hour fired it up and NO LEAKs….only took a total of 4-5 hours…yea…happy dance…..but, not to be….it went out while we were having dinner….hmmmmm….more scotch please….whaaaaaaa!!!

Thursday: Up early to head to Saook Bay off Peril Strait but must tackle about 3-5 miles of 10-20 kts, 3-4′ head, then beam seas until we can go north in Chatham Strait for 8nm and it will all be behind us. Why do breakdowns on boats happen in 3’s….we went aground, watermaker leak, and now the dang anchor shackle is fouled….the shackle twisted on the anchor shaft….found this when Kathy raised it at ~8am….we tried everything but the twist made it too big to bring up onto the bow pulpit and with the weight hanging down no way to get any leverage to untwist…we even tired reanchoring hoping Mystic’s weight might untwist it but no joy. So, we just pulled it high against the bow pulpit and tied it off and went the 32nm to Saook. Even with 20kt winds and 3-4′ wind wave chops our tie job worked and kept the anchor snug. After we anchored in Saook, we dropped the dinghy, then dropped the anchor gently into the dinghy and voila….getting the weight off untwisted the shackle and LIG!!!! In the meantime we used the CQR anhcor which is our backup. We anchored in 100-110′ as we could not get closer to the shore due to a gazillion crab pots in the way.

Watermaker: hmmmm….all systems seem a go but the salinity is too high…>875ppm, so will not make good product water….I reexamine the old end cap and dang….another O-ring is located down inside the female end….it’s hard to see and I missed it in the dark the other night….why-o-why do people sell spare parts with out the associated O-rings…..arghhhhhh…..ok…..another round tomorrow but pretty sure this is it…fingers crossed!!!

Friday: Up early….well 6am….and it is really, really dark at that time…sunrise @ 7:36am, sunset at 5:56pm…just 10.5 hours of sun…whoa….what made today especially dark was more rain/mist!!! Made the 28nm to Deep Bay, right before Sergious Narrows. We will get up and make the 8:48am slack and be in our slip at the marina by noon tomorrow, Saturday the 16th.

Watermaker: yea it is fixed FINALLY….put in the missing o-ring and voila…making good water!!!

Crab count: Checked in Saook this am, 1 keeper, 2 small females….yippee….my first crab in Saook Bay after 3 different tries….we counted over 40+ commercial pots so there must be some crab, just hard to find!!!

Another thing to break: Our stand alone GPS unit we use via Bluetooth to connect the iPad to run Ovitel Maps, the program that uses Google Maps to track Mystic….that way we can see shallow water, like reefs and mud flats!!! It just died, could not find the GPS position…only 8 years old….a dinosaur in the electronics world!!!! Oh but wait, after 2 days of not working, it started working on our last day approaching Sitka….weird!!!

Saturday: Up early again….need to make 8:45am Sergious Narrows slack 4 nm away. Out to get crab pots at 7:15am, raise dinghy and out of anchorage at 8:10am….a little late as anchor chain jumped off quide wheel in front of windlass so took a few minutes to get it back on track. We made the 30nm easy peasy and in our slip by 12:15pm!!! and gee what is that bright yellow thing….ODG it is the blinding sun….low in the SE sky glaring right at us, but no complaints!!!

Crab count: 6 big keepers, actually 7 but we limit at 6, 5 females throne back!!! That is 21, yep TWENTY-ONE keepers in 6 days of crabbing….3.5/day average….not too shabby, just ask Kathy as she did all the picking!!!

Oh I have been remiss in mentioning the culinary organism dinners Kathy has made: seafood chowder with crab and halibut, crab bisque soup with sourdough grilled cheese, steamed fresh crab (twice!!!)…..yummers!!!

So what are you going to do for the next 6 days in Sitka??:
Winterizing/work/clean on Mystic: install storm windows (not so much for the windy storms but it provides significant insulation for the 6 big salon windows cutting down heat loss, drafts and condensation!!! Wash boat (this time hired Ehren from Boatwatch!!!), wash dinghy (John), store all traps, flush Tohatsu w/fresh water and drain gasoline out of lines/motor outboard, cover dingy and adequately secure from winds, Engines: check bilge above keel in ER for water (still got some, 16-oz but much better than 52-oz got last July so maybe getting near the end of vacuuming all the water out), cleaned all sea strainers, checked all zincs, take oil, transmission and coolant lab samples for all 3 engines, flush w/fresh water all 3 engines. Watermaker: new filters as left on flush

Kathy: Defrosted FB GE freezer and took inventory of frozen goods, vacuumed whole boat, tons of laundry, mopped all floors, clean toilets/showers….yep, livin’ the dream:)))

Things that went wrong while in marina:
Kabola: on Wednesday night I noticed the bathroom fans kept running all night(they only run when the Kabola’s glycol water is circulating and hot) which is not supposed to happen at night when all the thermostats are set for low temperatures. I called Costica, (the Kabola tech in Seattle) and after several hours of problem solving he determined the control board is bad or something glitched in the programming. If we left it running with the circulating pump and burner on 24-hours we’d use about 6 gallons of diesel per day….way too much and $$$$. So, I called Ehren, the technical person who works with Tom at Boatwatch and helped us install the storm windows, and he came over to take off the control panel. I will take it back with us to CA on Friday and then ship to Costica in Seattle. He will make the repairs and ship it to Ehren here in Sitka and Ehren will reinstall. Hopefully that solves the issue and the Kabola will run the rest of the season with no issues!!!! In the meantime we are running the CruiseAir on reverse cycle. It does ok, but does not heat up the hull like the hydronics do on the Kabola, so the floors are pretty cold!!

Yanmar….the little engine that can. When we ran the Yanmar after the grounding, it was fine in neutral but had a vibration and clanking when in gear…ugh!!! We had Diver Dave dive on it and the cutlass bearing had come out forward….not good. He was able to slide it back in all but 1″…the bearing is 8-10″. He then taped the shaft to keep it from coming forward again. We ran it in gear here at the dock and all sounded fine and no vibration. He did say the bearing looked worn and spun with the shaft….arghhhhhh!!!! I’ll be doing my research next week on how we can effect changing out the bearing…fingers crossed we can do it in the water????

Weather: well….it just sucked….in the 16 days we were in Sitka, we only had 2 days of partial sun, it rained 15/16 days, every few days a new storm with winds in the 15-25G35kt range….yikes!!!

Trip home: Well….Mr Weather had the last laugh. We left the boat at 9:45am in a soaking rain/wind storm….our clothe/socks/shoes took 3-4 hours to dry out…ugh!!! Then a small airplane crashed at takeoff in Juneau, probably due to >60kt winds at the time, closing the runway for 4+ hours. Our flight was delayed for 3.5 hours and we had to change connections in Seattle 2 times and finally got home ~1:15am…..15.5 hours door to door…arghhhhhh!!!!

Critter Count:
Dungeness: 21 (2 USHK), (4 South Arm 1st check, 2nd check 24 hours soak due to storm: 2, 3rd check: 24 hour soak: 6 keepers, 2 soft shells….K said stop crabbing, music to my ears:)))) (1 in Saook Bay), (6 in Deep Bay)
Brown Bears: 2 in South Arm
Whales: 12: 10 Humpbacks: 1 outside Sitka, 5 Peril Strait going out and 1 coming back, 1 Chatham Strait, 2 outside Sitka coming back; 2 Orcas in Thatcher Pass

Hope all is well!!

John
Mystic Moon
in stormy Sitka Alaska

At the Oakland airport for opening Bloody Mary’s on 10/6

Almost to our anchorage in Uhsk Bay off Peril Strait and saw this gorgeous rainbow

Views as we approach South Arm in Kelp Bay off Chatham Strait

That’s our anchorage off to the left, inside the forested point

Yes, we think this anchorage will offer lots of protection from the big storm coming. 2-4k’ mountains!!

A break in the clouds. Gorgeous reflections on the water!!

That’s our track during the big storm and the bottom point is where we went aground…arghhhhh!!!!!

That is the rudder arm that attaches to the steering cylinder. The two bottom plates were separated by ~1/2″ from the rudder being lifted from the grounding. Fortunately it came back down in position when we got off!!

Anchored in Middle Arm in Kelp Bay…barely see the waterfalls. Last June most of the mountain around the waterfalls was covered in snow. The anchorage got to be too rolly so had to move!!

The cracked watermaker membrane end cap

Beautiful snow capped coastal mountains on Chicagof Island as we enter Salisbury Sound

Mountains on Baranof Island as we exit Olga Strait, close to Sitka…..just behind those mountains is Kelp Bay where we stayed for 4 nights waiting out storms!!