Jan 28 – Feb 2
Hi All,
OK…Winter is Here in Sitka…..12*F last night….22*F now at 3:30pm….down to 18*F tonight…..brrrrr….wind chills were down in the 0-5*F range!!! And we had a frozen hot water hose….still do not know where it iced up. We had heat in all the outdoor cabinets and in the lazarette…..curious. Cold water hoses were ok. Finally it thawed about 11am today….we will do hot water shifts tonight to run the hot water every few hours to keep it from freezing…..arghhhhh!!!! Tomorrow, a heat trend starts….up to 30*F and then above freezing hopefully after that!!! Yes, I know quit whining….just look at our friends in the Midwest….-28*F et al…..arghhhhhhh!!!!
The curious thing is no ice in the harbor….maybe the 5-20kt north wind and slight swell is keeping the water stirred up enough. A few weeks ago with no wind we had ice around 30*F….now 18* colder and no ice…go figure!!! The Kabola diesel heater is running nonstop and gets the PH to high 60’s and salon in the low-mid 60’s….with blankies and 10 layers not too bad:)))
But, the good news it is sunny during this cold period….well, makes since, if it is cloudy then not so cold. We now have sun from 8am – 4:30am…..means light from 7am – 5pm…..so getting much, much better!!!!
There even was a Northern Light/Aurora show the last few nights….of course, 5*F wind chill…best viewing from midnight – 2am…..NOT….we’ll just look at the pictures:))))
So why is this so amazing to us….well, last year at this time we were in 90*F+ temperatures in Malaysia Borneo then Philippines….shorts, t-shirts and flip flops with the Air-con running at night….now its everything on we own:))))
It’s been 5 weeks since our arrival and yep, John-boy is finally getting most things done and a bit stir crazy:))))!!!! Only 1 week left before we head south to the lower 48 on 2/11!!!!
– 2019 cruising itinerary done…check!!!
– we have selected our 33 day Africa trip/safari for 2020….Aug 5 – Sept 7….check!
– completed 15+ boat projects with 10+ more to do…check!!
– Moorage in Seattle/Puget Sound….ODG….last Mon & Tues I made 20+ phone calls….we heard a lot of laughter….really, your kidding me sir, you want what? when?…..whoa!!! One very nice lady just kept laughing the whole conversation….she had a 20+ year waitlist….I started laughing myself….silly boy. But, we did find 2 places….Port Angeles where the boat is being painted and Blaine where our good friends Andy and Sue on sv Spruce have stayed this winter. We have possibility for two more, Oak Harbor and Bremerton….call us next Sept/Oct, ok….and we are on the waitlist for Cap Sainte in Anacortes.
So, it has us thinking real hard about coming back to Sitka in a few years. After looking at all our pictures for Kodiak, Katmai and Kenai NP, and PWS we really want to go back for a season or two!! And, if that is the case then maybe some time on Vancouver Island also might be a possibility….we have to be careful with time in Canada et al. So, we will not get too stressed about it and just keep following up on various leads.
One project we did not count on was a broken watermaker….ugh!!! I went to run the watermaker just to give it a workout and to do some problem solving for a sticky divert valve only to discover the Variable Speed Controller….an AC Tech unit….had blown up…..hmmm and $$$$. This had happened before in 2012….arghhh. Of course, all the techs say wow, never seen that happen before….gee, thanks. Either the pounding the unit has taken in the past 6 years from the 35,000nm we have done since 2012 or its from a voltage fluctuation. I suppose it could be the latter as that can happen with shorepower but no other electrical unit has been affected. Power was on the watermaker as we left it in the flush mode.!!!! Just in case the cause was a voltage surge I’m going to install a voltage surge protector for the unit!!!
So that’s it….one more week and then sun in Phoenix, beautiful San Francisco Bay area, and snow in Tahoe….oh, and the grandkids:)))
Hope all is well!!
John
Mystic Moon
Sitka Alaska
Pictures on the website:
http://mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/glacier-bay-alaska-part-3
http://mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/excursion-bay-hoonah-peril-strait-and-sitka
Local photographer’s picture of the Aurora
This picture was posted on Facebook and here is what the photographer said: Tonight’s aurora (Feb 1-2) was much better for the naked eye than last night and there were several people at Starrigavan (about 5 miles away) and at the turnout before the ferry terminal looking at the lights. They were even dancing a bit. I started the night at Silver Bay (10 miles away), but they were not strong enough to get a good image but I think if I had gone there an hour later it would have been spectacular with the white mountains. However with the wind coming down the bay and 11 degree temperatures it was miserable out. Starrigavan was as cold but there was less wind. I took these pics at Starrigavan between midnight and 1 AM.
The VFD that burnt up in the watermaker….PITA to replace….arghhhhhh!!!!
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