Friday, March 25, 2016

Hello Again!

This blog has been dormant for far too long. Why, you ask? No, nothing bad resulted from the fishing boats drifting into me. I didn’t sell the boat, or decide that living aboard wasn’t for me. I’ve just been busy—work, boating, travel, fixing the boat—life, really.

Since my last writing I’ve put another 800 hours on Safe Harbour. During summer 2015, I led a flotilla of boats from Anacortes to Ketchikan, then turned around and headed out to Haida Gwaii. More about that in a future blog post. In the off-season, I’ve been wandering around Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.

Sgaang Gwaii
Reg, a Haida Watchman, shows off one of his Argillite carvings.
Protected waters in Haida Gwaii
Tow Hill, on the north end of Graham Island.
Crossing Hecate Strait. It's not always rough.
Of course, I’ve been busy with boat projects. Besides the usual maintenance, Safe Harbour has gotten quite a few upgrades: a revamped electrical system, new sole (floors), a new refrigerator (more space, less power), upgraded electronics, and more. The next project is a watermaker, which I plan to install over the coming month. More about these projects in upcoming blog posts, too.

Yay! No more carpet.
What else have I been doing? Flying. No, I haven’t learned to fly, although I will one of these days. I’ve just been sitting on airplanes a lot—about 75,000 miles in the last year. Highlights include my brothers and I taking mom to Italy to celebrate her 60th birthday and three weeks in Thailand, which made me seriously want a cruising boat in a tropical locale. Someday…

Hmm...this could be fun boating...

What’s next? I’m heading back to Southeast Alaska this summer. I’ll be departing Anacortes on May 15th with a flotilla of eight boats. After dropping them off, I’m planning to visit favorite anchorages and explore new parts of Southeast Alaska. Lituya Bay and the west side of Chichagof Island and Baranof Island are on the agenda, weather permitting.

More soon!