Nov 8, 2011
Pictures from Ketchikan to Monterey, Ca.
Final Alaska Thoughts and Adventure
We left Ketchikan on August 30th after spending all of August at the Ketchikan Yacht Club docks. We had a great time there and have made many friends who are residents. Chuck also enjoyed being able to fish and continued to catch more salmon, this time Coho. They are really excellent eating.Our trip through the inside passage of British Columbia was quite picturesque and easy. We encountered no weather issues and no rain. It was a very calm and easy ride. We arrived back into the United States at Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands on September 15th where we enjoyed 4 days of fun. We then went to Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island and our plan was to have the boat taken out of the water and stored at the boat yard where we have left it previous years. As you may recall last year at this time we took the boat to San Diego so we could enjoy having it during the winter months. As we sat in Oak Harbor we kept looking at each other and saying, what a bummer it was going to be not having our boat for the winter. So, as we have often said here and other times, our plans became just intentions. Margaret said, "remember how much fun Monterey, Ca. was last year and I wonder if we could get a slip for the boat?"
Well, that was all she had to say, and a phone call later confirming we had a boat slip made up our mind. Down the west coast we would go again. BUT, the previous times we had made this trip no later than early September and now it was going to be early October, an entirely different weather pattern. We also decided the trip would be too rough for Margaret, so my friend Gary agreed to accompany me down the coast. On Sept. 28 we moved the boat to Port Angeles about half way out the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Margaret caught a flight into Seattle and back home and Gary flew in there to join me. On September 30th we went out to the end of the straits and spent the night in Neah Bay, an indian village. After topping off with fuel we got up at 3:30 am and departed around 5:00am for Newport Oregon, a trip of 253 miles or about 25 hours. It had been some time since I'd been on the water in the dark, so it was a bit weird leaving there with zero visibility using our instruments for navigation.It all went well though and while it was a bit rough, 25 hours later we arrived at Newport, Or.on October 2nd. We had to wait outside the harbor entrance for first light so we could see the entrance and also understand the wave conditions over the "bar" (a sand bar that forms from the outflow of the river), which can be quite dangerous in high winds and sea conditions. This time it was quite calm and we arrived at the fuel dock inside the marina at about 6:45am. Needless to say we were tired. But we had napped during the night and did not go to sleep until that evening. We did leave Newport until October 7th.as the weather was quite rough on the ocean. On 10/07 we departed for a non stop run to Crescent City, Ca., about 190 miles where we took on fuel and then went right back out heading to Monterey. Total trip, Newport to Monterey was 530 miles and took 59 hours. Much of it was quite pleasant but there was one 8 hour stretch where the wind blew 30-40 knots at times and the waves were quite high. A bit scary but the boat did well and we were never in any danger with swells in the 10-15 ft. range. So we had two full overnights and arrived in Monterey at 5:30 pm the third day or October 9th. We have a nice slip here and we love Monterey. It is a very beautiful place. We will spend the winter at home with our family but go to Monterey about once a month for a week or 10 days at a time. In mid April Gary and I will take the boat back to the Seattle area where once again we will head to Alaska, our most favorite place. Here are some statistics from our summer cruising:
Miles Traveled 3,170
Engine Hours 354
Average Speed Knots 8.87
Gallons of Diesel 2,593
Diesel Cost 10,498
Price Per Gal Avg 4.05
Miles per Gal 1.22
Chuck and Margaret
Well, that was all she had to say, and a phone call later confirming we had a boat slip made up our mind. Down the west coast we would go again. BUT, the previous times we had made this trip no later than early September and now it was going to be early October, an entirely different weather pattern. We also decided the trip would be too rough for Margaret, so my friend Gary agreed to accompany me down the coast. On Sept. 28 we moved the boat to Port Angeles about half way out the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Margaret caught a flight into Seattle and back home and Gary flew in there to join me. On September 30th we went out to the end of the straits and spent the night in Neah Bay, an indian village. After topping off with fuel we got up at 3:30 am and departed around 5:00am for Newport Oregon, a trip of 253 miles or about 25 hours. It had been some time since I'd been on the water in the dark, so it was a bit weird leaving there with zero visibility using our instruments for navigation.It all went well though and while it was a bit rough, 25 hours later we arrived at Newport, Or.on October 2nd. We had to wait outside the harbor entrance for first light so we could see the entrance and also understand the wave conditions over the "bar" (a sand bar that forms from the outflow of the river), which can be quite dangerous in high winds and sea conditions. This time it was quite calm and we arrived at the fuel dock inside the marina at about 6:45am. Needless to say we were tired. But we had napped during the night and did not go to sleep until that evening. We did leave Newport until October 7th.as the weather was quite rough on the ocean. On 10/07 we departed for a non stop run to Crescent City, Ca., about 190 miles where we took on fuel and then went right back out heading to Monterey. Total trip, Newport to Monterey was 530 miles and took 59 hours. Much of it was quite pleasant but there was one 8 hour stretch where the wind blew 30-40 knots at times and the waves were quite high. A bit scary but the boat did well and we were never in any danger with swells in the 10-15 ft. range. So we had two full overnights and arrived in Monterey at 5:30 pm the third day or October 9th. We have a nice slip here and we love Monterey. It is a very beautiful place. We will spend the winter at home with our family but go to Monterey about once a month for a week or 10 days at a time. In mid April Gary and I will take the boat back to the Seattle area where once again we will head to Alaska, our most favorite place. Here are some statistics from our summer cruising:
Miles Traveled 3,170
Engine Hours 354
Average Speed Knots 8.87
Gallons of Diesel 2,593
Diesel Cost 10,498
Price Per Gal Avg 4.05
Miles per Gal 1.22
Chuck and Margaret
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