Crossing the Pacific Ocean from Cabo San Lukas to the Marquees Islands
Man - it's warm; and dead calm!
But let's start at the beginning:
We are in Cabo San Lukas and want to start going. Abiding by the motto, plans are made for changing them we are thinking do we really want to go to Kiribati? Actually we would favour to go further south. The Marquees Islands wouldn't be so bad as well. Well, who has the choice has the dolor. Therefore course 210° direction equator.
The wind is good and we are making quite some miles. Our next goal, Clarion Island is lying about 450 miles ahead of us, therefore approximately 3 to 4 days. Except of a short dead calm during which we are motoring nothing happens actually.
We are tuned to 4 long weeks, in this case what role do these few miles play? Orderly in our "time schedule", how else could it be, we reach our goal, guess when? Of course in the middle of the night!
The island is uninhabited, but has a Mexican research station on its southern side. That is where we want to go. According to our map there should be a small anchor bay marked by a signal pyre. But there there is not.
Probably no power or something like that. Anyhow using GPS and radar we are feeling our way towards the coast. But something is wrong here. Radar and map don't seem to speak the same language. That is not good. We know a lot about coasts and surges meanwhile, we have no intention of standing suddenly amidst the crushing billows!
Thus we have a look at the depth and let down the anchor at some pretty deep 30 m. Well, the place isn't really the best.
The shore with its rocks is maybe still a little bit close. At night in the dark it is difficult to estimate but if the wind might turn it will be not so good and might also turn into a disaster. But what is that? The lighthouse is burning!
As such it is not logical that they switch their light signal on and off manually. I have a look at the map again and o wonder the AIS shows another boat.
It must have seen us and must have turned on its forgotten anchor light. Good, so we have an orientation and can park somewhere else. Everything is in best order.
The next morning begins, we hardly believe it, with whales. We are standing in the middle of a bay which seems to be one of the favourite resting places of those sea giants. All around us it is sniffling and blowing, a real joy. And almost dangerous.
Actually Kathrin could have set aside our dishes also on one of the suddenly appearing giants back when doing the dishes back on our bathing platform. That is how close they come.
We prepare the dingy and at first start for an inaugural visit to our American neighbours. Sailors are simply curious. Also we don't want to miss the chance to fill up our water tanks. Rather a little bit more than not enough in the end. Only the surge is giving us some worries but the water is warm and except of our two canisters we don't have anything valuable with us.
So, eyes closed and through. It works. The Mexican receiving committee is at place already. They have a desalination facility therefore water is not a problem. Friendly like they are they are driving the filled canisters back to the beach for us.
Also we are not allowed to try to cast off alone. Two men in full outfit are pushing us through the surge. In fact they look like a drowned rat in the end but we are dry. Really nice!
So - our next action is to pack a bottle of tequila and we drive to the MYSTIK. Randy and Jenny are on a sailing trip along the Mexican coast including all of its islands.
Both of them are snorkelling and absolutely want to swim with the whales. Honestly that would be nothing for me, but why not. Randy seems to be an exceptionally gifted diver. As a matter of fact he dives the 20 m down our anchor chain and comes back with sea urchins as a prove. I can hardly go 3 m deep.
This is a good moment to have a check on our propeller. Because we weren't able to get into the dry dock in Cabo San Lukas and the tide was not enough to test the dry falling on the beach I was only able to mount the screw provisional.
Together we can have a look once more and re-tighten everything again. But still, later a diver or a beach with good high and low tide is needed to check everything again. It simply will have to hold until then. Just in no case drive backwards. By the way the dive is quickly accomplished; Randy only has to wedge a board in the screw so that I am able to tighten the retaining screw with the help of an ell long extension. It works.
Afterwards it is one more time tequila time. Surrounded by whales - it is unbelievable; wunderbar! So the day goes by and when it is the nicest one should go. This means we dash again into the trade wind. Or actually dead calm. We seem to have special luck in this issue. Therefore it means motoring.
Fortunately not for too long. Eventually we got our long yearned breeze from abaft. Consistently and reliably blowing exactly from behind. But actually, something is different here. The waves absolutely don't match to the wind. Too high. Not that it would bother us but for the sail it is really unpassable.
Flap, sail left, flap, sail right; that is not good. We have 2000 nm ahead of us. With flap-flap we will never arrive. But how is the saying? "Dem Deitschen Inschenör ist nichts zu schwör." (For the German engineer nothing is too difficult)
In plain English this means to put the main sail completely outwards, a couple of guide rollers plus the thing to get the sail down used for other purposes than intended. That way the genoa can be guided directly outwards and we have a trade wind sail. I have checked, in total I needed 7 additional leashes for this construction.
And the way to the bow resembles an obstacle course. But whatever we are making progress. At least as long as the much vaunted trade wind is still blowing. Which unfortunately doesn't seem to be the case. Because it is tailing away. But in fact we still have our blister which is still willing even with the slightest breeze. Eventually 5 knots are always possible. So the days go by.
We use the time to finally clean our poor PERITHIA. Bitterly necessary by the way! The whole deck is scattered with little rust pimples. In this case only a toothbrush can help. Thus we are working the whole long day on knees across the deck. So much for the recreative crossing of the Pacific… By the way this squalor came from the Cambridge Bay and from our Russian friends. One simply should never tie up on an old rusty metal dock or pack up a lot of toothbrushes.
In time with the evening usually clouds come up. Not to make the sailing too boring they are pushing strong blasts ahead of them. Most of the time we are struggling with this situation and are fighting with our blister. I don't know how often we throw it into the water during this trip, it's not normal. But what can you do?
Involuntary tests have shown that from 10 knots up it is becoming unpleasant with the genaker. When it is getting too much the yacht comes too much to the wind and it is not really an appeasing feeling to make a 180° turn when downstairs the keel is stopping and upstairs the huge sail would actually wants to go straight ahead.
In any case the whole reef system is not very well though out. I think we are not the only ones who are struggling with this. When it is dead calm all this might be possible but what to do when it's windy?
I got to go infront to the bow to fish for a shoelace thick fall. With it I then should try to pull the recovery tube over the genaker. To my relief and also to get the wind out of the sails Kathrin was supposed to pound away the sails on astern. So far so good. Only the more wind the more tension on the leashes. Then Kathrin is not able anymore to handle them. And additionally the whole issue is extremely dangerous.
I don't even want to think about what can happen when you get entangled in the recovery leashes. The sail will smack open and you are hanging 5 m out side in the wind.
Thus plan B: "Dem Deitschen Inschenör ist ……" A few blocks and rolls later and we are able to recover our genaker comfortably from inside the cockpit. But also the best constructions don't help against the doldrums. Being this year extraordinary distinctive the stop us already 300 nm before the equator.
Zero wind, zero clouds and zero rain. In fact everything is just warm. Meanwhile the water has pleasing 29° and is therefore only conditionally suitable for a cooling bath. Unfortunately my genuine idea to install a fountain on board fails on the quality of our do-it-yourself store garden pump. But it would have been nice!
Slowly but surely the equator comes close now. Also it has to if Poseidon still wants to get his share of the tequila he should hurry up. For a change during day time it happens: 00° 129.10.
No "Welcome!" banner, no customs barrier, only water and nothing.
We celebrate the obligatory equatorial bath, drink on Poseidon and continue. The doldrums seem to have moved quite far north, anyway we have punctually with the crossing wind again. And this not too less.
This is how the boring part of our tour begins. We are sailing quite close to the wind, therefore having quite a tilt and actually have nothing to do than waiting. Thus cleaning is also not possible, frankly spoken the water would simply swash out of the bucket. Instead Kathrin discovered her taste for vampire books (or doesn't she even any other books anymore…). 9 big fat books long Andrej and Abu Dun, both good vampires, are travelling with us on the PERITHIA.
In the evening when the sun has disappeared we install our notebook on deck and enjoy the open-air cinema beneath a tremendous starry sky. That is quite wonderful. The PERITHIA drives completely by itself, except of the wind in the sails and the murmur of the waves there is silence. And this is how it continues until Ua Huka.
Oh, we almost caught a fish. Next to vampires Kathrin has also discovered her passion for fishing. And one doesn't want to believe it suddenly the roller whirrs away. Unfortunately with it also our best bait including the steel case!
The suspicion is obvious, at least a shark or even something bigger…
March 29th 2010
Last report from Mexico
It's time for a short interim report from Mexico. There is really nothing more relaxing than a sailing boat without a motor.
Does the wind blow, great, does it not blow, also no problem, than we simply wait. This way we sail down the coast. Our first destination is Bahia Asuncion. It is not very far and we still want to see something of Mexico.
Like every time, we arrive in the evening when it's dark, but we are already used to it and we quickly drop the anchor and prepare the dinghy. We go for the search of a place where they still might sell a tortilla and a beer. Only bad thing is the heavy breakers.
With mixed emotions we observe the last waves at the beach. We actually don't feel like going to swim.
But we do have a method: wait for a good wave and swiftly ride on it with our dinghy until reaching the sand. It always works.
Just don't get passed by the next wave. But we reach the beach dry and lift our dinghy onto the beach.
There doesn't seem to be much life here. It is not that late but all the lights are already off. It kind of seems an abandoned place. But a place with tortillas and beer is still quickly found. The rest is as dead as a dodo. So we stroll along the beach and - what a surprise - we find a load of plumb. What a coincidence.
In the port before last I lost my plumb belt at diving. It just slipped off my hip and in spite of immediate and intensive search I couldn't recover it. You should think more weather to wear your belt below or above one's belly… Since then, diving without the belt has been a bit more difficult.
Wearing a wet suit without plumb you swim like a cork on water - and then try to untie a robe below the boat. However, here is a belt plumb just lying in the sand. It is not the newest but usable. What a lucky break!
Get back to the PERITHIA through the breakers works the same way as getting to the beach - just wait for the right moment and push. We do still have practice from Barrow, but the water here does not have 0°C but 20°C. Well, it works and we stay dry.
Next destination: Bahia Magdalena
We lift the anchor and the wind stops to blow. That's not what we want, so we drop it again and wait for wind. It takes only two hours for the wind to come back and we can start.
This part of the coast is perfect for sailing. The wind is coming almost 100% from North and it should stay this way. We advance pretty quickly. Only now and then there is a calm period of a couple of hours - but that's normal. After two hours at the latest, the wind recovers.
It's not necessary to change the position of the sails, just wait. We are advancing and can already see the Bahia Magdalena. It's no problem to enter the big bay, but the small fishing village where we wanted to go, is about 7NM north.
That means windward and we have to tack. As our PERITHIA is no racing boat and doesn't have the best features for tacking, it takes us some time. Doing zigzag and (of course) in the dark we slowly sail to the north of the bay. But we manage to arrive there and this night our boat is the only one here. But already in the next morning we get company. An US American yacht stops next to us.
It's amazing that someone else found the way here as we are already off the beaten sailing track. As well as the fishing village is not quite a place for tourists. Some huts and a bar, that's all.
As there is no vegetation, only sand and stones, it gives a pretty barren impression and doesn't seem very inviting. But as usual the people here are very friendly and are happy about any visitor.
Still two boats at the same time, that's too much for the stocks of the cantina. At least the tequila doesn't last an hour. I'm lucky and get the last beer. But what do we do now?
The Americans with their big racing yacht seem to be very good prepared. They get fresh supply and we spend a fun afternoon. At a later point there we will have lobster. We are invited for dinner.
But first, we try to get back to our PERITHIA and manage it with some difficulties. Kathrin falls overboard just one time and gets back into the dinghy very quickly. Unfortunately, we slept through the lobster dinner…
From here to our actual destination, Cabo San Lucas, there are only 150 NM left - one day and one night. That is by the way the place where the swordfish fishing with the highest prize takes place - 2.5 Mio. $.
That means that there must be a Merlin around, at least from time to time. Time to get the fishing equipment prepared. In the hard fight to the death, eyeball to eyeball with your enemy, when only the victory counts, everything matters. Power, know how, intuition and equipment, everything must work together in the right moment. There is no room for the smallest mistake. If the technology fails now, it would be really bad. Some oil here, some grease there - it won't do any harm. I'm ready for the Merlin.
But at first tourists are coming. It seems that all Americans with some spare time, are spending their vacations here in Cabo San Lucas. A very different bay - pure tourism. We anchor very close to the beach and unfortunately in front of a disco.
And to cap it all, it also the entry route of the many jet skis. It's a milling mass and we are surprised that are no accidents. Also, cruise liners are coming and departing one after the other. It seems to be Mexico's main holiday resort which is very popular with the well off Americans: very luxurious.
Our propeller is already waiting and thanks to Tom who gives us a ride, we get it quickly to the boat. The installation itself takes some more time, but in the end it is not a big problem. We even make it to repair our fridge which broke after water had entered because of the Tsunami wave. Now, we just need to fill up our food stocks and supplies and we will be ready for the next section of our circumnavigation.
We will cross the Pacific and into the South Seas!
March 21th 2010
Relaxation after the Tsunami
In front of us the picturesque bay of Bahia Tortuga is opening up. After getting through the tsunami wave and without an engine this is exactly what we need. Slowly (almost no wind) we are sailing to our anchor place. Although not alone there is space enough.
Those few yachts anchoring here scattered in close distance to the beach are letting us enough space. Of course our livelong docking maneuver is observed very carefully. It is in fact not so easy to navigate to the right spot only under sails and with an almost stagnation. This takes time and also is not really common. Normally one could use the propulsion for the last meters. Thus it takes a long time and we are already receiving our first visitors. Sailors are simply curious beings. Also the local fuel barge doesn't let us wait for long. Ernesto the filling attendant implicitly had to explain us all about the assets of the village. Not that we will miss something.
The bay seems to be very popular amongst sailors coming to Mexico from Canada or the States. It is very obvious to make a gas up or shopping stop here. Quickly the dingy is made ready and at first we start for a sightseeing tour.
At the beach beneath some palm trees (no cacti yet) there is a bar. Actually this is all we need. We are not in a hurry.
Back again at the PERITHIA I decide for the beginning to free the screw from the damn rope. Therefore, as usual putting on the neoprene suit and off into the water. Just - this time the diving session will be a short one. The propeller is gone. Probably the permanent entanglements have been to much for it. Well, it doesn't help, we will have to bite the bullet and order a new one. Anyhow, we are not going to be disturbed by such odds anymore. Since there is an internet café in town the ordering should not pose a very big problem. Only when we wanted to take off our dingy was swimming without a leader and slow but sure away from us! Obviously the one millionth knot did not hold. This is in fact a really stupid situation! Sailing after it is not possible with any wind like that. But fortunately we have a radio set and Ernesto's water taxi. Thus we laugh a little bit and everything is o.k.. Also the ordering of our prop turns out to be without any problem thanks to our friend Wolfgang from Seward. Just the delivery address… We must send the package somewhere. And really nobody here is speaking English. Only my cousin Beegee, he is speaking Spanish. Thus a connection establisher per Skype and translated over Germany. At the end of the day everything will work. Only that it takes some time. Then in the evening another small beer in the beach bar and we are as such quite satisfied. Everything could have turned out much worse.
The next day begins and once more our dingy disappeared. Great! Probably we are the only ones who ever achieved this twice on the same day. Only this time it was quite windy over the night. What is letting us not suspect anything good. Ernesto then is immediately on hand and we go on a search for the runaway. Well, it is found quickly but in what condition! Seemingly it was a little bit too wavy. The surf was providing the rest. But everything is there. Lying scattered at the beach we find paddle and even the lost thought out board engine. In fact I have to dig the motor out of the sand but it is still there. I heave everything into the dingy which is standing full of water but still able to swim. On the way back to the PERITHIA I have in fact the current against me but hopefully somebody is going to pick me up. At least I thought so. And so I paddle and paddle against the wind. From time to time I stand up to wave with my paddle. Everywhere on the world this is the sign for: "I need help!" Only not here it seems. Anyway nobody notices me. And therefore I am drifting slow but sure into the centre of the laguna which is big. I think at least Kathrin should sometime have a look after me. Nothing… The redemption comes with Jim. He as the sailor lying the farthest away finally saw me.
Back on board and the damages reviewed it first means to get the sand out of the out board engine. Then the whole thing is rinsed with fresh water and properly cleaned. Nobody really believes in my success but I think I will get it to work.
And voilá half a day work and the engine is almost running better than before. Which is good because now we can go to land without further help. Truly we never had problems to do so, Jim or Ernesto have always been at hand but also our water tanks want to be filled. And this per canister. So the days go by, we are here already for a week. With every day it becomes more difficult to leave the bay. But it really is pleasant here. Everything goes on slowly and peacefully. The people are super friendly and because of the permanent coming and going of the sailors it never gets boring here. This was also noticed by George, a 73 year old American who kept lying here with his sailing yacht forever. But what good is it, slowly it is becoming time for us to set the sails. It seems that also our prop is on the way to Cabo San Lucas, until there it is 400 nm. Therefore lets go. With the nicest wind it goes off out of the bay with the direction south.
March 4th 2010
Short Interim Report on PERITHIA's situation in Mexico
We are anchoring in Ensenada, the first accessible port in Mexico.
We arrived here - like always - in the middle of the night and chose the first free jetty. But unfortunately it also seems to be the most expensive - a 60 $ charge is quite pricy. In general, everything looks a bit different to the neat US. There's no Marina, just many different jetties. And everyone belongs to a different person with whom you have to haggle over the price. In the end, we agree on 15 $ after tough negotiations - although the jetty is a bit wonky, but at least it floats. As we are very excited about Mexico, we feel like going into the city the first night. To have a look how life is around here.
There are bars at every corner, but of all things we end up in a brothel.
Still, the beer and Tequila taste well and now we know what we need to be vigilant about.
Back on the boat, kitty officer Tassi is missing. But as he recently had more extended shore leaves, we are not too worried: he'll come back surely. The next morning he still hasn't got back and he won't react on our calling and whistling. Fortunately there was a guard who recognized Tassi and saw him at the former jetty - he must have overslept the changing of our parking position and gone back to the other jetty where he had to sleep on a strange boat. The guard informed us and we could welcome our missing crew member again on board. It was a very restless night anyway. The boat was moving all night and anything knocked at it all the time.
That means that you stand up every time to check which boat is bumping into it and to tighten the ropes. A really exemplary yacht owner would have got a minute of sleep. The next morning, we are quite surprised to see that our neighboring jetty has disappeared. Only some rests are looking out of the water. The impact of the Tsunami really got until here. A fisher tells us that the water level changed up to 3 meters (10 ft) last night - that must have been too much for the jetty. Never forget the registration. Again, we are already a long time in the port and haven't gone yet to the authorities. Today is our second day in Mexico and it's high time to make the registration. It means to swallow the pill and hurl ourselves into the paperwork. At least the officials are really nice. But still, forms en masse and everything in quadruple copies. It takes us hours to get the stamp. Now officially arrived in Mexico, we can enjoy the life in Ensenada. After a short familiarization phase, it is just wonderful.
Promenade, little store and terraces ... Everybody is always in the mood for a chat. It is also easy to organize stuff for the PERITHIA. Around here a lot of boats are taken apart and so it is no problem to get spare parts. We are lucky and find what we need. But although it's beautiful here, we have to go on. Our original plan was to head off directly into the South Sea from here, but Mexico attracts us and we don't feel ready yet for spending three to four weeks at sea in the middle of the Pacific. The renter of our jetty - a sailor himself- recommends us the Laguna de Negro where you can observe whales. So we start sailing along the coast and Mexico promises to be interesting. But at that point we didn't know that it was no good idea at all. This tour should turn out to be the most dangerous situation of our entire journey.
At the end it almost could have cost us the boat and even our lives.
But at first we passed three wonderful days on sea. The wind blows from behind and we don't have much to do, the PERITHIA sails on its own. We have time to get out our blister which is beginning to become covered by moss. How I said, just wonderful. We didn't have the chance to sail this way for a long time. The last months were mainly storms, ice and waves. That is why we enjoy these days very much.
As we say in German, "If the donkey feels too well, he goes on the ice to dance." (Means that you do something stupid when you feel overconfident.)
We are so happy about sailing this relaxed and untroubled way that we forget to strike the blister during the last daylight.
The darkness of the night comes very quickly. In principle, it is no problem but something has got entangled around the mast top and we don't manage to strike the blister. And a blister is pretty huge.
You can't do much by hand. So at first we simply detach it to take the wind out of it. The disadvantage is that the ropes fall into the water and unfortunately get under the boat. The fate takes its course… As we can't get a hold of it, we decide to drop the blister completely. With wind and only two people it's not an easy task as someone has to operate the winch in the cockpit. The other one has to try to anyhow keep the entire sail inside the boat and as I said there was also some wind. In short, at the end most part of the sail is inside the water and we've got our hands full with trying to heave the canvas into the boat. At some point, we have managed to get it inside. You should do maneuvers like this rather at day. But what is to come now, is real bad luck.
All the time a rope was hanging inside the water but it didn't worry us much as the motor was off and we are just floating. But this time - no humbug - we fished ourselves! Not that bad, we think as we won't need the motor to get into the laguna, we can do it by sailing. There I will have to dive again and as I'm already used to it, every time I manage it quicker. As usually, we arrive at the laguna in the middle of the night. So we turn about and drift along the cost at about 1 knot. Tomorrow is another day.
The entry into the laguna is not as easy as we thought.
From 5NM before the coast there are sand banks everywhere. We need to be really attentive to not run aground. The map shows a channel but the fairway is rather narrow. We hope to make it anyway as the wind blows from after. But something nobody could have taken into account and of what we had no idea happens - the Tsunami! I hear a rush behind me, turn around and just think, "Holy Shit!" A huge wave, or better a breaker comes from behind us - every surfer would have cheered upon it. I can't do anything, it happens too fast. I shout "Attention!" but as Kathrin is downstairs, it's useless. Fortunately we always close the hatchway in such situations. The breaker sloshes with might and main into the boat from after. The hatchway is closed but the hatch on top is open and in one second the water is standing 15cm (6") high inside the boat. I made it to not lose grip and now try to keep the PERITHIA straight in the wind: just don't let the boat swing round sideways and don't fall portside. On starboard is our entire electric equipment. The most important is not to list to the right with all the water inside. But the next wave is already coming. As long as it hits us straight from behind it will still be ok. I am already sitting below the table when it dashes over the boat and pushes it extremely fast toward the coast. With just the slightest deviation it could knock us over - but it goes out well. Three to four times more and as a start it's over. The sea is getting a bit smoother but the next waves are foreseeable.
And, in addition, there are sand banks everywhere. It's a miracle that we have not yet run aground. To get an overview, we weigh the anchor and now we are also standing with the bow towards the waves. Now we need to scoop out the water. All pumps are running and you won't believe how much water can enter through the hatch…
Now, the question is: how do we get out of here? Should we go on in direction to the laguna? - It is too shallow! Or back into the open sea? - The wind is blowing directly head on and the water is shallow as well. We would have to overcome shoals from 1.50 m (5 ft) to 0.30 m (1 ft). Also 3 m (10 ft) depth wouldn't be enough with waves of a height of 5 m (16 ft 5"). The only possibility is to send a mayday. Having a pilot, a tug boat or at least a life boat near, would help us a lot. But radio silence! The coast guard doesn't seem to be that organized around here. Nobody is hearing us. But anything must happen now! The anchor is loose and the next breakers are approaching. After studying the maps in detail once again, we actually don't have much range for maneuver. It's better to try to get out of this tricky situation as soon as possible than waiting for the waves coming closer. We lift the anchor and set off. It's quite challenging to avoid those breakers with direct headwind. We manage to avoid the first one. We gain some speed and manage to take it more or less diagonally. But the misery is just to begin… Kathrin shouts the direction from downstairs and I try to coordinate it with the wind direction. Not a chance! The waves are coming. To gain at least some speed, I have to situate the boat diagonal towards the wind and with this also diagonal towards the waves. It's really fascinating how slowly everything is happening - like in slow motion. The breaker comes, the boat tries to turn at the last moment and the bow moves very slowly in the right direction. The swell is just too high and too quickly, and we are too slowly. So we get lifted and never ever we are going to overcome the peak. And that means we get pushed back at high speed. Just keep in line with the wave! - If we get abeam, we are going to capsize. Than the water crashes into the boat. For an instant it was a submarine. Unlike most sailors, we fortunately dismissed any construction on deck long ago, as we do already have experience with storms. So we only lose our sprayhood and all our lights on deck.
However, the wave broke the deck hatch of the front berth and that is much more dangerous. We are scooping more and more water with the bow. But we are still floating! The alarm of the bathometer peeps and signalizes unequivocally that the waters are too shallow. But we have to trust to luck. In the very moment when I think that we are going to run aground, a huge wave lifts us over the shoal. As quickly as it started, it is suddenly over now. One could say that we were at the right place at the right time.
After all, we will keep our hands off that laguna. We are going to sail to a secure bay about 60NM southward where we will dry the boat and check and repair all the damages. The Bahia Tortugas seems to be appropriate. Maybe there's a church and we will light a candle…
01/01/2010 to 08/02/2010
Inside Passage and North American west coast to San Francisco
The weather is favorable. Punctually on the new years day we want to cast off Sitka. For sometime the cold should come to an end.
The plan: at first we make some miles - until Prince Rupert we go outside afterwards it gets unhurried along the inside passage. We just have to say goodbye.
At the moment Andre has a guest, Dean whom we had met the other day on the street, who is there with a bottle of Baileys for a new years drink. (the world is small)
He is an older skipper who came with his boat in two and a half months tuckling up the inside passage from south to north and who is now living here in the port.
We like each other from the beginning, the only problem that we have some difficulties with communication. (southern states accent at its best…)
Our take off maneuver then becomes a little photo session - Andre's profession is photographer. Dean gives us his map atlas of the inside passage as a farewell present in which he plotted, marked and commented everything from his route into the last detail. We are speechless and rejoice immensely.
The miles to Prince Rupert then go by in no time without any noticeable difficulties. Only the entry into the port; you should rather arrive in daylight. We however arrive at night…
Not guessing anything we drive into the huge bay. Bang, an enormous bang. It seems something was in the way. In no time, up the stairs and the turning off the engine, it only takes seconds. Within the last light I see a tree trunk disappear in the darkness.
Oh, Oh! This could have turned out diffently. A quick check of the bilge says everthing is o.k. only our speed indicator for the run through the water got hit. This is stupid because now we can not calculate the current anymore.
But from now on we watch out! In any case any more night drives on our further trip through the passage are unthinkable. Everywhere lurks driftwood. In addition it is important to keep an eye on the tides. There are currents of unbelievable 11ktn! This then would mean backwards. And last but not least the tides don't stick to their usual north-south flow direction.
If one xeric is too long without further ado the water divides and it happens the low tide flows off towards north.
Too make it short, always consider where you are at the moment and not later 5 p.m. you should have found a port or an anchor place. Whereas this does not pose such a big problem, every once in a while comes a small village.
But most of the time native reserves, what once more means there is no little beer and also no small wine. But despite driftwood, sometimes very narrow places, prohibition, lots of rain and fog and other adversenesses the inside passage is a very beautiful route. Nature pure.
Endless forest, water falls, hot springs, small and big islands, in the summer bears, fish en masse - I think an outstanding route for paddling or something.
However, our goal is victoria. To get there only means to cross for once the Dixon Entrance and afterwards, shielded by Victoria Island, covering roughly 200 nm.
This as such is not really difficult. Only the wind is blowing towards us just in the right moment. Nothing is with: "Fast across the only part of open sea." "Aback!" is ordered. And… it is getting dark.
On the map we find a tiny bay. This one should do it to anchor. O.k., one hour in the dark will come all right. We arrive in pitch dark night and try to find the entry.
In such situations you can not really rely on the map plotter, not exactly enough. 100m differences are no uncommonness. One time in Barrow we even drove across an island (according to the map), to our fortune on the appropriate side.
In this situation exclusively the radar is reliable enough. Therefore - creep speed. At night 50m see pretty narrow. Then the bay should open up for about 200m in width.
If we could only see something! According to radar we search for the approximate middle and at first let down the anchor.
Because there is a little bit of wind blowing and we want to lie safely we leave out a lot of chain. Stupidly this is exactly what brings us again closer to the rocks. There is nothing to see but probably with daylight you would be able to jump aboard from the back. But somebody must be living here.
Indeed our computer shows an internet connection. So in the hindmost solitude it happens that we manage to send our e-mails. One can only wonder.
The wind refreshes, slowly we have worries. If we hit accidental with the stern on the rocks, the rudder is at the back, who shall help then? Thus we rather get out of the bay again. Just - how?
Getting in the anchor, o.k.. But to be able to recognize something on the radar and on the plotter we need at first some momentum. So both eyes shut and through we go. This way in the end we came better out of the bay than into it.
We simply had luck! Since it is slowly turning into day again we steer back towards the open sea. In fact it is rocking a bit but this is better than a rock. So we get out slowly indeed but at least at all out of the passage and are approaching Victoria.
Here we should, if we are lucky, be able to see whales. And we are lucky!
Like it was ordered our route crosses the way of an orca family. About 20 small and big family members swim carelessly around our boat. Always when one of the smaller ones is getting too close to us the probably worried father shuffles himself between us and his offspring.
It is simply impressing and we are absolutely astonished.
And there are sailing boats again. It seems as if they are starting a regatta in Victoria. Also the start had to be directly in front of our port entry…
So at least 20 sailors under full sails are cruising back and forth in front of us and await the starting shot. We with motor have to obey the right of way and have real difficulties in this chaos. What is left to hope is that everyone knows what he is doing.
Anyhow the marina itself turns out to be a flop. The most expensive and most noble anchor place at all.
And really nice people… At first a fence which is once you are outside not possible to open without a key.
We go to the port office but it is closed. Good, somebody is going to come to let us back to the PERITHIA. So it was and slams the door right in front of our nose which means I have to swing over the fence!
The next day, we are only moving separately and with a walkie-talkie to the outside, the registration succeeds. With it we learn the first un-missunderstandable rule in the yacht port: 'Working on the boat; that is not possible here!' Well probably I could hire a company, do it your self doesn't seem in fashion here.
But we don't want to stay for long anyway. Just with Tassi to the veterinarian/dentist, getting our packages and then we continue. We got a city map and even find our address. The bus takes us to the beginninf of the street, the rest we can walk.
But what we did oversee was: we are number 300 and want to go to 850 or something. Who has been to Canada before knows that these are numbers of single-family-homes. Hours later, when we got our packets we come back to the boat totally exhausted. Somehow we are not used to walking anymore.
From Victoria onwards along the North-American west coast it goes south. The wind is not really intoxicative, mostly coming from south, but it should work. The first port is Neah Bay, a city shortly before Cape Flattery.
One could think that we have lost our way and are again in the high north, barely one street. Good, we take off again.
The next goal is Westport. As such not far but - we notice quite fast, one should for one more time not drive in the dark. The whole coast is full of so called crab traps. These are iron tubs at the ground, a rope attached and three buoys. Probably each fisherman owns hundreds of these.
If you accidently drive over this, no chance to avoid this in the dark, you'll have the complete rope in you screw. So also we! And so we swing now ca. 10nm in front of the coast, a nice snarl of such a rope around our screw and of course: zero wind!
One could say just jump into the water and untangle the whole thing. But there is no way. The screw is quite far back at the boat. Because of the round shape of our boat at halt and even with the smallest waves the stern smacks down heavily on the water.
And to get 10 to 15 tons on the head, well. Through repeated back and forward shifting we succeed in getting the screw free at least good enough for creep speed forward. So with about 1kn we then chug swearing and railing towards the 10nm far away port.
Unfortunately the entry is quite a headache also. Due to the huge pacific surging billows a tremendous swell occurs within the entry. As such it is possible to control this, only for that you need some drive.
So the waves keep on rolling at us from behind and are pushing us poor rather than good into the port. The rest as such is actually not a problem if only the neoprene suit would fit me.
The length is still ok only in the perimeter it seems to have shrunk immensely…
Over the topping lift (or uphaul, the rope that holds the main mast and therefore ends the farthest to the top of the mast) we pull the PERITHIA as askew as possible and I try my luck in diving. As said the neoprene suit seems to have shrunken and thus so whole activity turns out to be extremely straining. But two hours later we did it and the screw is free again.
Our next goal is Newport. We are keeping the eyes open, because it is not necessary to go diving once more.
As before there is no wind, so we go under engine - directly into the next trap. It is unbelievable. Maybe crabs taste good, certainly they are also healthy, but everywhere. Eventually we have to drive somewhere.
The next reachable port for us is Garibaldi a nice small town with nice fishermen who are waving at us during our entry.
The neoprene suit is still too tight but we have routine now. The boat pulled askew and happily butchering the screw with the knife.
It works. Nevertheless we are slowly being at a loss. How should we ever sail down the coast here? We just can not go diving in each and every port. We need a new system. Therefore the best for us is to go into a fishermen's bar. A few investigations would not be amiss.
The evening became quite long and the way home somehow difficult…
But what I do remember the next day that one crab trap cost around 150$ and only appears up to a depth of 120m.
Well than, let's drive further out. Until Newport it is quite a distance, so a small extra tour can do no harm. But what we did not consider is that the latest before the port entry you have to get back to the coast.
So we think, after realizing this that probably nobody fishes directly within the port entry. Therefore we keep strictly with the buoys and bam - crab trap the third.
Only - this time we are hit badly. We are not able to cut the rope. Consequently we have the iron basket beneath us and are pulling it with us over the ground. That is no solution at all. Much too dangerous.
Only after endless to and fro we succeded at least so much that we got rid of the basket. Only the clew in the screw seems to be bigger than usual. It is as if someone is holding us back. Despite all jigging and joggling we get to the port, slowly but safe. Now of course on pitch darkness…
What I can make out of the entry lets me suspect evil things. The moles are built quite far into the sea and are supposed to keep away the worst surf.
Probably this also works fine if you are a fisherman for 20 years and drive in and out here three times a day. Anyhow at best will me make on knot of speed, there is not so much steering possible.
So at first I let myself drifting slowly towards the entrance. It is 100m in width that should be doable. On the left side there is a rock, the surf probably 10m high. The mole on the right side does not look much better either.
Kathrin is sitting under deck and tries to lead me the way according to the map. But in fact this has the decisive disadvantage that the reality sometimes looks a bit different than on the plotter. The waves are bursting in vastly from the back and the first fisherboat does an emergency turn.
Actually we should have stepped on the accelerator, but with a rope in the screw? Kathrin directs me towards left, but there is the rock, forgot? It does not work that way.
The rudder turned around and back. The engine howls and joggles, the PERITHIA really is giving everything. Slowly, really slowly she fights her way back through the breakers. Barely done. Anyhow that is not how it is going to work. I observe the next fisherboat.
It approaches the right-side mole, stays there to wait for the next wave. Then with good speed towards the rocks then a turn and that is it.
Well, test the 2nd: I let myself to be pushed slowly towards the mole. Kathrin's job is to give the signal for the turn at the right moment. Quite a thrilling issue in the darkness. At best will you can not tell the distance. But it works. The right wave comes and pushed us right into the entry.
We are through. Later (during the exit under daylight) I saw that our first attempt almost ended at the rocks, about 20m a not really a safety distance.
"Never again at night without a fully functioning boat!" we say us.
After the standard diving procedure which is going meanwhile quicker and quicker we take a look around the city. (for insiders here the series OC California was filmed). But we don't want to stay here for long, San Francisco is our goal. But in fact in one trip we will not make it. A storm is announced. But 2 days should still be ok.
We are sailing quite far off not to have to do an emergency stop again. Slowly the wind freshens up and we are wondering. Actually this should have happened in two days from now. So up into the night it is still o.k. but then the fresh breeze develops more and more into a fully grown storm.
A newly check in fact does not show as any wind but 9 Bft are 9 Bft! It doesn't help, we have to lay not to by drifted on land to starboard. This way we are only drifting slowly on the sea.
This way we only lose 10nm during the night. Fortunately the next day becomes a bit calmer. Because we are so nicely far out we can sail pretty hard at the wind diagonally towards the coast to reach our protection port Crescent City. Indeed this time we sail almost right up to the port.
In no way starting on the engine! Until the present day it is not clear to me why the fishermen put their crab traps directly into the port entrances. The entry is, like all around here, outstanding… Narrow, stony and the swell is pushing from behind. But this time everything is working at us. So we also don't have any mentionable problems. The port master is already waiting and assigns us a guest lying place.
Also we get to know the reason for our unexpected storm here which by the way blew on average with lush 44 nm. An earthquake, ca. 400 nm north of San Francisco, thus directly in our proximity, could have been the trigger for it. Well actually none of our weathermen could foresee this.
Also otherwise we did well to call in this port to outwait the pronounced storm. Even in the middle of the port an 8 Bft is blowing. We need all of the mooring lines that we have to not to be pushed away from the boardwalk.
From here to San Francisco it is now only two to three days. We have luck, the weather is in our favors and we have two wonderfully calm days at sea. Wind from abaft almost a little bit too weak. But we have time.
And viola, punctually at dusk after 14.633 nm after our departure in Korfu on May 2nd of the previous year the Golden Gate Bridge comes into sight.
Unfortunately it is dark and it is raining…
22.12.2009
From Kodiak via Seward to Sitka
We are approaching Kodiak. The port guard is informed of our arrival and is offering to tow us for the last remaining miles into the port. But we don't need them.
Meanwhile our beloved Volvo Penta is accepting his destiny and despite of a few dropouts it is gargling fairly along the way. Even the autopilot on the last miles is giving its best once more. Actually one of us has to stay on deck permanently to throw an eye on it, but this is still much better than to steer on my own.
It must have come with the frost that it developed the bad habit of wanting to change compass-north and thus its course in the most unfavorable moments. But no big deal, considering we are fast enough it is possible to correct this with a few turns or a circle.
Just the entry to the port is quite a headache; it is very long and pretty stony.
So at last comes indeed the suggestion that we shall rather anchor and wait for the daylight tomorrow. No way! This is the call of the land. Therefore we weave, wobble and circle through the mat of stones, rocks and buoys and are arriving in the port in fact in the dark but with no dents or damages.
The first floating dock is ours. We are welcomed by the port-master and also receive a first briefing of the place.
Everything important is nearby and reachable on foot. Kodiak itself is a nice small coastal city with a bar and internet access (always very important for us), boat shop, super market and what ever you need.
Only we can not repair our engine here. It seems that everybody is busy, unwilling or both. Therefore we order here only a new autopilot and also a replacement for the "stolen" wind gauge. Whereas attaching the same turns out to be quite difficult.
Our mast is around 18 m high, so this is nothing for my fear of heights. The try to hire a worker fails - despite the offered 60(!) $ per hour - because of I don't know. Thus there is just Kathrin left. It is windless, the sun is shining, therefore the best prerequisites. So I wind and wind, the way to the top is far! It seems Kathrin ate a little bit more chocolate lately than she should…
Having arrived at the top she tries to remove the rest of the wind gauge. And it works. Only with the mounting of the new one on the same place she has some problems. "It doesn't work!" I hear her complaining from above. That is not possible!
Meanwhile 20 m below I brood around and swear also a bit - what should you just do now? I can't just let her stay up there. Well then, down again. Got down we compare new and old apparatus thoroughly. They are right dab the same parts.
It is no use; we therefore start the second attempt. And we are lucky, after initial difficulties finally the victory. We got again a wind gauge. Since then every also from very far approaching eagle is observed mistrustfully, the gun is loaded!
Our plan of sailing directly across the Gulf of Alaska to Sitka fails at the immigration office. We have to declare in as fast as possible and for that the officials want to inspect our boat. OK.
Unfortunately the next port accessible from Anchorage by car is Seward. This in fact does not lie on our route but it is no use, so we sail towards North again.
Consequently we reach the most northern point in the Gulf of Alaska. Indeed afterwards we are very grateful to our officer Peterson. Seward is a place which you should not miss once you are up here. At first you have to go ca. 20 nm into a fjord. A picturesque yacht port lying beautifully embedded between snow-covered mountains.
Almost unbelievable. Just the thin ice cover in the port makes us worry. We meanwhile did not think of freezing in anymore. Gnashing we slip towards the boardwalk and are happy of having arrived.
The first way leads us, what else, into the next harbor bar. Nowhere else you get all the necessary information faster and everything else that you need. So of course also here. Already on the first evening we get the key to the local yacht club. Isn't that great?!
We can use the whole three storey building, can shower and sleep there, whatever we want. And we receive a telephone number.
Here in the village lives since more than 30 years a German whom we shall call implicitly. But we don't need to, Wolfgang an old sea bear and captain on many ships in all parts of the world, himself went on a search for us because it made the round quickly that the two of us arrived with a sailing boat coming from the north. At first he is inviting us for dinner.
It becomes a wonderful evening with adventurous stories from his time on the seas and of our experiences. This night since a long time we sleep in a real bed in a house on land.
The next days will become a bit straining. Our PERITHIA gets out of the water and we thus live on the dry dock.
Our mechanic Dennis takes care of everything and is responsible for all kinds of jobs. Therefore we are of good hope to have a functioning boat in the end. Also Officer Peterson with nice company coming especially from Anchorage gives us a visit. Finally we get a visa and have 1100 $ less.
All in all the time goes by in no time. Christmas is coming nearer and we are still stuck here in the cold which, at -18°C, disables also our gas for cooking. (fortunately after 3 days it gets a bit warmer again)
At last the PERITHIA is put back into the water and surprise: everything is like it was before. Only - we have 4500 $ less. Our good mechanic Dennis (who is actually a welder, how we learn later) has done everything possible.
Just, not the right thing. In fact the local Volvo dealer could have said something too, but no. Well, you never stop learning. At least they assure us that the transmission can not be broken otherwise there would be traces visible in the transmission oil. Appeased we could go on. At least this message appeases us a little bit but really happy we are still not. Nevertheless we cast off; the price was in fact a bit shocking for us.
We have good wind thus we start direction Sitka. We will need around five days for this tour. Shortly before the goal indeed a storm strikes us. To our luck everything is coming diagonally from abaft but in the middle of the night. Which has also its positive side, in fact you suspect the gigantic waves but you don't see them clearly.
Anyhow the rocking overcharges even our new autopilot. It is no use, thick clothes put on and self steering. Being in the pitch-dark in the middle of a snow storm really is not the nicest place to be. Fortunately the Genoa always pulls the boat into the wind.
Thus the steering is at least not a very big problem, only it is damn cold. After the third shower and the last pair of dry shoes (each time the cockpit is looking like a bathtub) we rather give up finally and lay to. Then the night becomes in fact quite cozy. In the morning the storm is over, the autopilot is working flawlessly again and the waves are pushing us towards our goal.
I think we have arrived in the most beautiful region up here. A landscape made of fjords, small islands, volcanoes and even hot springs. In summer this is a wonderful sailing area and a paradise for anglers and hunters.
Here we will spend the Christmas holidays. If not under palms on Hawaii, so at least comfortably with a Christmas duck, dumplings and red cabbage, with Christmas light set and candle light. Over Skype we are telling Christmas tales and singing Christmas songs with our dear ones at home. And Santa Claus presents us a long yearned satellite telephone.
Here we meet several people who are living on their boats and are waiting for the summer. Hardly arrived it knocks and by Andre, a charming, French one-hand-sailor we get invited for dinner. Or Susann, coming with her husband from New Zealand, who brings German books and Christmas cookies for us.
Or Dean who one year ago travelled with his old fish trawler the difficult Inside-Passage and who presents us his marine atlas in which he has documented his route up to the smallest detail.
And JR who is coming from the Philippines and is working with deprived children. He is not only funny and adorable he also manages to set our new telephone for the receiving of e-mails.
All in all we feel very good around here, if there wasn't the thing with the engine: So we start our hopefully last try to repair the good PERITHIA. The engine must be fixable somehow. To make it short: two mechanics and prompt two diagnoses later we decide: do it yourself!
And voila, a couple of new injection nozzles and everything is in best order. Therefore cheers to all local mechanics; these ones were number 12 and 13!!!
We are all around ready for sea again and equipped at best.
And then still a little cream top at the end: Thanks to a super-friendly lady from the immigration office it turns out that our nice Officer Peterson out of no comprehensible reason was a bit too penuriously with the time dimensioning of our visas which therefore put us into quite some time pressure. On the last day of the old year we were brought the prolongation to us at the boat!
This means we will spend the turn of the year with preparations for take off. Full of pleasant anticipation we drink on our good old PERITHIA and our continuation of the trip.
On the first day of the new year we start. The North with its beautiful landscape definitely now is lying behind us.
Also our hearts are not able anymore to perceive the uniqueness of this fascinating region. Since long time we simply yearn for warmth and are taking course now direction south.
After King Cove to Kodiak
November 10th 2009
Covered in clouds King Cove is coming into sight. Wind and waves from abaft, we are virtually being propelled into the port.
No special incidents, we are happy having finally separated from Dutch Harbor. We only want to stay here shortly; the city (village) is not so big after all. Now we have to wait for a storm warning and then we should go on quickly.
The smart man is planing ahead, therefore I informed myself thoroughly. Everything here is depending on fishing (what else?) as well as its processing.
One supermarket and two bars (I have a free drink tag). Not to forget the school. So at first we moor and are starting a short reconnaissance trip.
And that should be it. Man, here really is the rub.
But it is interesting that we only found internet here in the school at the deans' office. But because officials are usually nice there is no problem to use his office in the meantime as a news station.
Well, at least the weather is with us. In fact quite a breeze is blowing but as if it was our order directly from the west. Let's wait another day and then it is the start with Sand Point as the goal.
Two days later we are ready for take off. The route before us is a bit complicated. We are now sailing within the Aleuts; consequently we have to circumnavigate a lot of islands. Partially an enormous current is building up because of the 2.5 m tides. Not mentioning the waves that this kind of tide is bringing. Anyhow the map is dotted with warnings and hints.
But we are biding and are then starting. A nice 7 BF is blowing. The current and the wind are pushing us forward. Sometimes the passages between the islands are quite small and we are approaching speeding with approximately 9 to 12 knots.
Therefore it should not be a bad idea to watch out a little bit. Stopping against the current at this speed is unthinkable. But everything is good, we are so quick - for once we arrive much too early in a port. Indeed I find it fair and beautiful when a strange port comes into sight - everything is new, one waits what new experiences this landing might bring.
But please not when it is pitch dark outside. First it is up to us to turn into a small passageway in between two islands. There it is shallow and to all our woe there are also a lot of rocks. In fact there are some barrels but how should I see them from down inside the caboose? But fortunately we have an auto pilot and ISY with the sea chart system. As always even the smallest details are matching. We manage to get around the rocks and stand in the middle of a pitch-dark port.
Don't they have light here? The only bright spot - a fish trawler. Well, we say to us, lets moor there for now. But mooring on a fishery vessel usually brings an advantage as well as a big disadvantage. On the one hand you don't have to worry about the tides, which is good. However fishermen like to get up early, this is bad. So it comes also in our case.
In fact already with the first cock crow our neighbors need to go and therefore us too. There is not even time for a coffee. But what can you do?
So we use the early daylight and look for a good place in the port.
This place is quickly found and how a first overview reveals also not so bad. Sand Point itself is quite small but is completely specialized on fish trawlers. Fishing and repairs.
Because today is Veterans Day for now it is not possible to register at the port office. Therefore, fortunately no paper bumf. So we can explore the city. There is not much to see but we meet Jim and Charlie. It is like everywhere. On our way back to the port they see us through the window and are waving us to come into their house.
Apparently they are sitting for a while, there must be something to celebrate. Mumbled Alaskan American English, may someone try to understand this! Anyhow we have our difficulties with it. Also the level (of the alcohol) is not quite the same.
But what so ever, so we hurry up and celebrate with them. Last but not least we get a salmon packed for us. I can only say, so delicious!!!
Besides this there is actually nothing to tell about Sand Point, maybe that the people here are very friendly and helpful like everywhere in the north. So the time goes by and two, three days later we should actually head on.
Still we have to gas up which is not so easy. The gas dock seems to be suited only for cruise liners.
So high that I could even let down the canisters over the Davits. Better it is if we take the car gas station and haul.
Fortunately I meet somebody at the mole who is lending me his truck. In fact this has a steering wheel dangling so much that I prefer to have a look at first if it really doesn't fall off. But this way getting diesel goes off quite fast in the end.
The route in front of us is pretty much the most difficult one the Aleuts. Thus we better inform ourselves about the best route by asking the fishermen.
And great - we should have better asked only one. It is like everywhere, if you ask four you end up having at least fives alternatives. But the problem of the route, so much is clear, lies in the many bays and the quite high mountains behind them.
The wind blows across them so that nobody can tell what the next 100 m might bring. The advices reach from: get pass them very closely, this way are the least amount of waves, to: far off shore, there are smaller blasts. So we decide for the golden middle way and are mixing blasts with waves.
Not that we miss something. And go, this is not so bad. The waves we know already. From the front left to back right over the boat.
Bad only we chose some very cold days. The wind increases and we are slowly getting difficulties to keep the height. All around us are appearing again quite many rocks, that is why we decide to take a small detour to be able get away from the off shore winds. Imagine like this: we drive by an area of islands where there are enormous currents during the tides. This together with the usual storm plus waves from the side makes it difficult to stay on track.
If something happens then you better not stand before a shore. Therefore as a precaution we go round. It seems that we have chosen in addition to the Shelikof-Strait which is the coldest point here also the coldest day. In addition to that there was also a spray ice warning.
But somehow we must have over read this one. It is -13°C.
Each wave bashing over the boat immediately freezes. Slowly now the situation is becoming a bit dangerous.
The PERITHIA is getting an ice shield, becoming thicker with every wave and thus also becoming heavier. We can not take much more and we get into serious problems.
Meantime we have about 20cm ice on deck. To think of sailing is long ago not possible everything is frozen and our transmission is running us down now in the exact right moment.
Since long it was already a bit defect. Meanwhile on backboard we have a stable about 60cm high wall of ice. Our railing on the wind side is frozen completely.
That is 15m times 60cm times 20cm of compact ice.
May somebody calculate the weight of it. Anyhow we are slowly heeling. The best is probably to wait over night. Not to drift away too far we do the only right thing - we tie the rudder as much as possible to backboard and set the engine to creep speed.
This way the machine can not make it to turn us against the wind but is pushing us against the rudder and holding us this way against the waves at the approximate some spot.
In case we are standing this has the advantage that we are swimming on the water like a cork. The waves stay out of board. The last thing I do now is calling the coast guard, so they know at least our position and can make their own picture.
One never knows!
To keep the motor running over night I do what I am doing almost daily since weeks, I let the water out of the filters.
I haven't got a clue where this water is coming from. I can only imagine that because of the temperature the water is condensing.
We urgently need a new water separator. So now everything is ready for the night. Only, that I shouldn't have done the issue with calling the coast guard.
They suspect danger and want in fact to get us with the helicopter. But what happens then with the poor PERITHIA? After all, the situation is not so bad. I manage to convince them and we agree upon regular statements of our position every half an hour.
But because we need every now and then also some sleep which is not so easy with the permanent radio calling we prolong the time limit later to one hour.
Nevertheless on a sailing boat there is something to do from time to time and with an interruption of 15 min for radioing every hour nothing is getting done. Anyway the next day is coming with sunshine and snugly winds from the right direction.
Indeed we look like the ice palace of the evil snow queen but with hammer and chisel even the hardest ice chunk eventually falls off. A helicopter comes to see if we are still floating.
At best weather and sunshine we are sailing towards our next goal Kodiak. (not forgetting hourly notification)
Dutch harbor
From 10/20 until 09/11/2009
A breather for us and our PERITHIA
Since a long time this is the first bigger port. Man, are we happy to arrive here without any problem.
In the port already the port master is waving. A sailing boat seems to attract attention.
He explains us the way to the boatyard. "Tie up with GOOD DEAL!" A little bit irritated we think: "Should we make a deal now with the fishermen or what?" But it is only the name of the boat.
The lines made ready and moored. We hardly frapped yet everything up as our arrival as well as our technical worries already seem to have made the round.
The world is small in Dutch Harbour. Our neighbour Mat, a sailor who wants to winter in the port and a Lithuanian named Karl who is also sailor stand at the boat and offer their help. One coffee later the local mechanic knocks on our door. I believe in this times there are not so many sailing boats arriving anymore.
Quickly we take off the lines again. So we make a trial round for observation.
Anyway Dutch Harbour is the linchpin around here. There is hardly any boat on the North-South route which doesn't stop here shortly.
We are quite surprised to learn that the FIONA started here just two weeks ago.
So we almost could have met her again. The test drive is finished, at least we think so. We should get the boat out of the water. What turns out not to be so easy.
Here everything is fit to big fishing ships. With 4000$ it would be no problem but for our small PERITHIA?
We will see. I go and make already some inquiries and feel the ground. In doing so I don't find a crane but as a gift of arrival I get a bag full of king crabs on the way.
The stupid thing is only that they make you full so fast. They taste so good but it is not possible to eat all of them even with best will.
The city itself is not so big like we thought. Everything is focused on the fishing and on crabs. But there are funny people.
Still in the first evening while we were going to have a look around the port one boat stands out. All full of plants, this is a bit strange. Anyway not a minute later and we can watch Jeff and his house boat from the inside. Here lives besides the family also two dogs, a cat as well as lots of guinea pigs. (He also plays an old blues for us on the guitar)
And there are eagles. In all variants and in such amounts you would hardly believe it, they are sitting everywhere.
I would say like the pigeons with us at home (not exaggerated). The bad thing, they seem to be quite heavy. My last functioning wind meter anyway didn't survive a landing by one of these giants. They even become tame.
Charlie an older one-eyed is sitting every day punctually in front of the only pub in town and waits for his lunch.
So our first day ends in the long pined hotel. After months in the boat finally a bed again which isn't rocking and even a real, quite small, bath tub.
The days go by. Because we are one of the few sailing boats up here and additionally the last in this times most of the people are very curious to hear our story.
The workshop can not help us but constantly takes care of our orderings (everything has to be ordered and therefore is coming either from the continent or from wherever). In their halls we are even able to dry our sails including all spare sails.
Only we can not get the PERITHIA out of the water. But fortunately we know Karl. We got to know him on the first day as well as on one of the dinner parties. He is a diver and is offering us to inspect the PERITHIA from below and to repair possible damages.
Of course we say yes. In fact I do have my doubts; I could not move the propeller even for one Millimeter when we were in Greece.
But Karl seems to be an artist and our especially from Seattle ordered new propeller almost changes itself alone. A thorough investigation shows everything is in best condition, only the rudder has a crack.
In one of the next ports we will look for a dry dock. A bit of filler shall do it.
So the days go by with patching, scouring, smaller and bigger repairs and improvements. For example I recently quickly needed a signal rocket: "Where the hell are these damn things?" Or the hand lamp. Not to speak of the fire extinguisher. "why don't they have a holder there where you can find them?" Even Old Gunstick marched through his cabinet during the last storm leaving behind a big whole. Now is time to build a firm holding for everything so that everything has its definite place.
There is a lot to do but we have time and fortunately also a neighbor who is an electrician. He could even handle the problem with the permanently boiling battery.
Also we don't forget ourselves. In fact the last few weeks where a little bit straining but here it is nice. Despite the weather being alternating it is more often sunny and rarely below 5°C.
We enjoy it and even Tassi has found a park next to the boat to go for a walk.
So the days go by with long sleeping a little bit of work and a party in the evening. By the way it is custom here that with each drink goes a toast. This means in case the evening is getting long one or the other toast is repeating.
But actually we wanted slowly to go on again. And how life goes as we are ready for take off - the weather changes there is a storm warning.
You know that you have to take it seriously if you don't see a single fisherman going out to the sea.
Therefore we tie up the PERITHIA with all lines we have and wait at first.
In the night it is rocking as if we were sailing. But we are tied absolutely secure on to our neighbor GOOD DEAL. 'Just', I consider 'hopefully he is the same to his!' (we are lying in the three pack). Because if he doesn't hold we go off together. A quick nightly inspection shows aggravating shortcomings. Quickly I look for some lines not to see him and thus also us drifting through the port.
But actually later this initiative is a bit embarrassing to me; a fisherman probably knows better than me how to tighten his boat. But it is best to be on the safe side!
So our stay in Dutch Harbour involuntarily extends for another week. It seems so that the winter is holding in.
In fact it doesn't become much colder but the wind is making a real effort and is blowing over the mountains, which are presenting themselves now completely covered in snow, with all its power. The Aleuts in late fall!
We solace ourselves with the distance to King Cove being just about 160 nm. There should be sometime two days with a fairly good weather precipitation. Meanwhile the wind is turning so that we don't feel it anymore in the city. Only the fishermen are still all lying in the port. But this also changes, the barometer goes up. We are ready.
The route before us is a little bit tricky to sail. Mat is an expert of the sailing region; he is giving us good tips for this route.
Since we are still on the side of the Bering Sea of the Aleuts we have to go through a small pass after 15 nm to go onto the Pacific Ocean. But there are not so many of these passages that is why during the tide a large amount of water is streaming either uphill or downhill.
So it means: to stand right on time one hour before the end of the flood tide at the exact right position. Therefore start is compulsively at 10 am.
But it seems that the trawler crew in front of us doesn't know. Their captain has made off with the board cash box.
So they have time and invite us for vodka. This is how we celebrate the parting. However we have more neighbors… It only becomes "a tiny little bit" later! But with the 10 o'clock start, well! We can never make it to be on time at the said location.
Therefore we prepare everything for the next morning.
A newly checking of the weather shows yet nothing is lost. We have one and a half days until it becomes windy, a calm 5 Bf which is going to molt to a 7 in the afternoon. Itself not a big issue if only not a 10 and 11 Bf would be lurking behind that one.
This means this time we are up early enough. Anyway I don't want to explain to everybody in town our newly technical defect. Gassed up and brave hearted this time we start at the right time.
Outside before the port it blows a bit but that should not disturb us.
Exactly in the right moment we turn into the passage. Man, the current is tremendous! With an average speed of 11 knots it is pushing us forward. It is not thinkable to stop against this. This is OK with us!
Including sail and motor we give everything, just quickly through and go on again. The rest is child's play. From every bay the tides flow out differently which leads to an enormous rocking.
Additionally they interfere also with the wind. But to this we are used to. Obeyingly the PERITHIA lifts and lowers her stern and bow and lets the waves roll through underneath her.
King Cove comes into sight.
In fact covered in clouds, but picturesquely in between huge mountains. …
October 5th until October 19th
From Russia again to America
Only away and into freedom into the land of opportunity…! This is for the moment our primary goal.
When I think over that our interpreter from Providenia wanted to bring us down to this way already two weeks ago…
Anyway now it is still 280nm to St. Lawrence a small American Island directly below the Bering Strait. At some point in time it will seem as if we are driving in a circle. It is the beginning of October and we are still loitering around here.
At the northern most end of the Bering Sea!
On St. Lawrence, our first stage, there should be a small Eskimo village on the other southern side. There we will gas up and get weather information, only a short sailing trip.
At best weather and good wind no problem, in no time, two days later land comes into sight.
Finally we made it, from now the cruise should get easier and there should actually be no more difficulties to go from board to get internet or just the simplest weather data. So we think.
Only that it turns out that our Eskimo village is a camp and most camps like also this one are of course uninhabited during the winter. Great! We cruise a bit before the coast and don't want to believe what we see. When I consider we should have come directly from Providenia to gas up here.
Not even thinkable. Up here in the north diesel and gasoline are the most important things at all. Those mean heating and proceeding thus surviving. But fortunately we never get out of a port without our tanks being filled to the rim.
Therefore we are well supplied. Only that we are lacking of weather data. After our latest experiences this is not a good feeling. Meanwhile the Bering Sea earned our deepest respect. We know how fast the weather can change here.
Two days to Nunivak on the southern course. With an anxious heart one eye always on the barometer we get on our way. But this time the luck seems to be with us; best weather. We get off cheap this time. Slowly but surely we come closer to the island.
When driving towards it one should beware a bit, the island is surrounded by a belt of sand banks and all kinds of shoals, which doesn't make the navigation exactly easy. A port doesn't exist, but instead a big, long drawn bay. And a ship, the first since a long time, lies in front of the entry, an oil barge that waits for its load.
Of course we stop for a small talk over the railing. The where from and where to are obligatory in this godforsaken corner.
In any case it would have been better if we had tied up on them and slept there. But this could nobody know.
Inside the bay then awaits us a motor boat and takes us to, for us the best suited, anchor place.
We probably want to weather off the big forecasted storm so their assumption. There is a storm warning for the whole region.
However we did not notice that and congratulate ourselves maybe 100 times a day for being arrived in good time. Considering our luck lately we should have actually been driving right into it.
The anchor is just down already our empty diesel tanks a taken off board and are driven to the beach. Everything goes faster than we actually want and before we can see we sit first in the car and then inside the living room of our welcoming committee.
We are really happy being finally arrived and before all getting a hearty welcome immediately.
The village, a middle sized Eskimo settlement with about 200 people, simply a typical picture in the north. Nice but I think neither one of us would want to live here. But there is a shop, gas station, propane filling station and everything else for your needs.
Back on board we find time to make on our moorage. The bay is everywhere way too shallow for us. There is only a small fairway in which we are lying. Because to all misfortune there is also an approximate tide of 3m we have to be very careful.
There is not much space left towards the ground but on my request concerning the coming storm it is assured to us repeatedly that we are lying safely. And we believe it…!
The next morning after the breakfast, after I don't know after how long time, again showering is on our agenda: there is, what luxury, a laundry with bathhouse.
In fact we have two warm showers at the PERITHIA, but since a long time not the necessary amount of water for it. Of course the laundry must be, why not so, at the other end of the village.
It becomes like it always becomes having finally arrived there we probably know everybody. Everyone we meet asks about from where and where to. We tell our story so often that we seriously consider holding a speech at the market place right from the beginning.
Therefore the way to take a shower becomes longer than expected. A truck that comes to drive us brings the rescue. It seems as if the people here don't have washing machines, thus the laundry is highly frequented or chock-full.
The women are sitting with the patience of an angel between their mountains of laundry; it is almost like in the old times Thursdays the washing day. The newest news are in the Laundromat.
In the meantime outside the wind freshens up, probably the storm is coming. To shorten a bit the lengthy waiting for either a free washing machine or a free drier we use the time for an extended viewing of the place and for visits at new friends.
Also we enjoy it to move ourselves a little bit at last. There is enough to do and we are curious. Quickly we notice there are really friendly people here.
With my water tanks in my hands I ask for example an older Eskimo for the way to the water gauntlet. Immediately and without being asked he leaves his quad to me. Otherwise the way would be too long. I nice acquaintance, later we will experience quite some things with him.
Slowly it turns evening, our washing day comes to an end, we have to go back. We definitely should bring out another anchor.
In the rain and semidarkness we march with our bundles of clothes towards the beach. We tied up our dingy on another on the sand lying boat. Smart as we are during low tide, now is high tide… Now the boat swims in the water, unreachable for us - with our dingy…
If you don't think of just everything! So I look for a piece of rope bind a stone on it and exercise myself in fishing. This works eventually only that our laundry bags fall into the water. We could have spared the driers.
Swift back to the PERITHIA it is starting to be fucking cold out in the rain and our second anchor still has to be brought out as well. But soon everything is done, the heating is turned on and it is getting comfortable.
Only one thing disturbs, the ebb begins and as usual quite a strong current builds up.
This is nothing new it is just that we are now lying in the water the wrong way around meaning against the current. For a while we put the blame on the wind but something is wrong here. It seems that we have turned and doing so the rope of the spare anchor got entangled.
Ok well, so we lie the other way around and take care about it tomorrow. So is the plan.
In reality the called storm is coming. Slowly but surely it is blowing stronger and stronger. Thus nothing with sleeping, it is time for a night watch. By shortening our anchor rope I try to correct our orientation at least a little bit.
But too much it also shouldn't be, the chain should still stay long enough. Sometime in the night it is the moment when we should urgently leave the bay. It is much too shallow, the waves are too high and directly behind us the rocks.
Only we, we are hanging at the entangled rope and someone try to get rid of this in the pitch-dark night!
At three in the morning the whole thing is slowly getting dramatically.
The wind flogs the water against us with such a force, long time we will not be able to get a hold on here. So secure like it was told us this place turns out not to be.
Our last chance is the barge, it could tow us out of the bay. So around four o'clock in the morning there really is nothing else to do, I send out the emergency call and ask for help.
To our fortune there is a night watch which also reacts immediately and wakes up his captain. This one understands our situation and his only question is how much time we have left.
"No time", I answer "please come as fast as possible!" "OK we are on the way", is the tight answer.
On many occasions now we experienced that it doesn't need many words to help at sea. In the meantime our situation gets more and more dangerous. If only one of our anchors doesn't hold we are stuck on the rocks behind us.
The moment to leave the boat still in time comes closer and closer and help is not half in sight yet. With a heavy heart I give the order - Get ready to leave the ship! - Most interestingly in emergency situations everything goes quite orderly and regulated with us.
Kathrin jumps in her survival suit and gets the live jackets. Tassi gets his box packed including a life jacket as well as everything necessary on money, cards, passports and so on is made ready. In the meantime the barge comes closer.
It is quite a spooky picture, the ship comes into the bay at full speed every floodlight switched on. Around it is daylight and you can see the spray and the waves scourge across the deck. I put on already the neoprene suit because somehow we must get rid of the second anchor.
Slowly the towing boat tries to reach us rearwards. From minute to minute the force of the wind increases and with every missed try our situation becomes more critical.
I am standing at the bow, tied to the front stack and try to throw over our line. At the third or forth try we have luck. I strap us tight while Kathrin tries to explain the problem with the anchors via radio. Slowly the towing boat starts to pull and we manage to recover at least the main anchor.
Now it depends on me. Being in the neoprene and bound to a rope I let myself off into the water and try to reach the anchor line beneath the ship. There is absolutely nothing to see and the waves push the boat from one side to the other. The danger of simply being stroke dead by 10 tons is enormous.
It is useless, we can do nothing about it! Now with a loud bang also the towing line breaks away. A sudden not implicitly small wave captured us, lifts us up and puts us about 100 m later onto even ground.
Now we lie with at least 45° sloping position, the waves go across the deck and to all misfortune it is starting to hail. A monster alike the bright lit hauler comes after us with top speed and tries to reach us.
It is hopeless the ebb has advanced too much the hauler can not make it. He apologizes at the radio and has to leave the bay as fast as possible if he doesn't want to be endangered as well.
The only thing left for me is to thank him. After this we close all hatches and go under deck. On our sand bank we lie absolutely secure. No even jiggles us.
So we simply wait for the morning. Of course meanwhile the whole village has met at the beach but they also can not help. Slowly the mood on board is getting better again, we are happy to have saved our bacon.
Actually nothing happened. Only how do we get away from here again?
Already with the first daylight we get a visit again. An Eskimo on his quad wants to ask how we are doing.
It is almost an amusing situation. I crawl on deck, walking in this tilt position is not possible and go from board next to him.
So I stand suddenly in full outfit, survival suit plus life jacket within knuckle deep water. I really forgot the low tide.
The sea gave us free. We lay on perfectly fine sand maybe 50 Meters away from the rocks at the shore. Henry that is the name of our first visitor explains to me that at this place the tide should reach approximately 2 Meter. This means we get free.
With increasing daylight comes back also optimism and life into the crew. The hindering anchor chain is also quickly removed and the anchor fast found.
Because after thorough investigation I could not notice any damages the world suddenly looks much better again. Despite all there is a lot left to do. As tilted as we are lying we won't be able to get the water out of the boat.
But cleaning the boat is ordered. The anchors must be laid out because sometime the flood comes back again.
From our villagers soon the barley purges from the bran, the young come to watch, the old get a hand on. Who from them can not help then brings coffee and tea for us.
In the end we lay out three new anchors and try to place them as far as possible against the awaited current.
We build a chain and tear and push anchor by anchor together with the lines until breast height into the water.
Henry (the guy with the Quad with whom we went to get water) in the first row. For me it remains unclear how he managed to be in the ice cold water for hours in just normal clothes.
Also I earn admiration and acknowledgment, in this suppose not so cold water an Eskimo does not freeze so fast that is clear but a German?!
Nobody has to know at this point that I have beneath my heat-insulating survival suit also a dry neoprene suit.
So in the end the is even some time finally to get rid of the algae growth on the hull of the PERITHIA. In fact only on one side but at least.
Around noon the flood comes back and our helpers have to leave us. Slowly our laid out ropes tense and keep us in place. Unfortunately exactly these lines will later mean our biggest mistake.
The hours pass and slowly but surely we erect again. Because of the storm, the whole time in the bay blows 8 Bft with the according waves, we receive hits - it is beyond all description!
Every stroke the PERITHIA receives also strikes us. Our biggest worry is about the rudder. A demage here, who can repair this?
But we have also spiritual support. A flute player takes a stand on the beach.
His play brings us the last centimeters of water beneath the keel. Almost standing upright I start the engine and try already to push us out of the sand. It works; two three waves later and we are free. Overwhelmed we let us drift into the middle of the fairway.
We made it!!! We think so. Next, the anchors have to get back into the boat.
The question is only how? Under all foresight what we did not consider: How to get several anchors hanging on different ropes into the boat all at the same time, in a storm? To take it right away; not at all! The situation begins to repeat itself. We are turning around our own axis.
With the motor we can not cope against the wind and the current at the same time. Behind us the rocks come closer and from the front the waves shoot with full strength across the deck.
Slowly a good advice becomes expensive. As the last and equally worst possibility remains only to cut the lines. To be able to recover them later we tie both ropes on a distrainor and away over board with it.
Suddenly - a slash, then silence. The engine is off.
It seems that one of the two ropes is again in our screw. The hardest decision is now up to me. As the last do we let the chain also from board or not?
But actually I don't have time to think. Shortly before the rocks we let it slip.
And now comes the art: With the probably fastest sailing maneuver in the world I set the main sail to one third and subsequently the foresail maybe two Meter and we are shooting in the very last second in a tight bow sharply pass the rocks across over the shallows and towards the exit.
Two turns later, the fairway is narrow, we are out. And this under wind force 8 Bft against the wind and the current!
Stupid is only that without an anchor and an engine.
For the moment being in security there is only the question how to get back. It is definitely not possible to keep off this island by sailing under this kind of wind. But no problem, help is in sight.
Two boats of the Eskimos which noticed our quick start are already on their way to get us. Surprisingly they now tow us deeper into the bay into completely calm water. This place must have been there already before the storm as well?!
They think of everything, thus we have two new anchors and lie during the night totally calm.
Just that, when five Eskimos try at the same time to throw out the anchor you should better take a step aside…
The next morning:
From inside the bay you can see the village. Unfortunately in this whole drama yesterday our dingy got overturned on which occasion the air pump and the paddle went over board and disappeared never to be seen again.
Not speaking about the motor set under water.
(Contrary to all expectations and with the energetic help of a friend I later manage to get it functioning again)
But somehow I should reach the village. Many things have to be done. Fortunately the wind blows favourably.
With a board as a paddly I soon drift calmly and patient towards the other shore.
From there to the village it goes through swamp and morass. To my fortune I could spare this way. Here somebody is always lurking somewhere, a quad approaches picks me up and brings me to the village.
There are a few things to organize. Because there is another time half of a halyard in the screw this means: falling dry the second time.
But this time organized and with a plan. Furthermore the anchors have to be recovered. Only one of the three brought out distrainors are visible the other two seem to be vanished.
We urgently need a boat.
This is how we meet Howard. He commits himself with his heart and soul to the preservation and the cultivation of the Eskimo culture and tradition especially for the generation of the children.
So in his boat we draw our circles over knee deep water to find one of the ropes somewhere lying on the ground. Impossible, remains only the third distrainor.
We pull and tear and marvel. A small miracle happened. There in fact the two lost thought lines entangled with the anchor chain. Everything is there, no loss!
Now concerning the dry falling:
Howard tows us to our old place and in retreating water we try to find the approximate place. Only with three anchors which placed strategically should lead us and due to the strong current this turns out to be almost impossible.
Therefore: anchor over board and sails up. The simplest thing what we can do; we sail slowly towards the beach.
It gnashes and we are grounded. Now quickly a rope tensed between the mast and the shore - we want to fall to the right way - and we wait.
So four hours later we lie one more time quite tilted on the sand without the lightest shock. Now the rope is quickly removed from the screw, but it seems as if we carried away quite some damages.
At least the propeller looks like a medieval sword after the battle. The gearing, well, lets hope the best.
In any case in the next port the boat has to get out of the water. Relaxed we wait for the flood, hold some small talks and are ready for the leave.
It is really touching how many people are coming to ask us if everything is OK or if we still need help.
Many leave-takings later, the water is again at its peak, I start the engine. Along the newly laid-out anchor we are quickly pulled back in to the fairway. But in fact the getting in of the rest of the eternally long lines and anchors turns out to be a hell of a job; but this time this goes of hand without any mentionable difficulties.
Finally and meanwhile almost usual with us at the second try we cast off. Quickly via radio a few words of thankfulness to the village, call the latest weather data and we hold course against St. Paul. One day and two nights, thus it is not far, it promises to become an explicitly recreative trip.
The weather keeps its promise, nothing going on up to St. Paul. We enter the first really free port since Cambridge Bay / Canada and are delirious to be able to tie up once for a change at a mole.
Being received very friendly by the port master we get the permission to stay here over night. Probably we are also the only sailing boat witch strays here at least in this times.
Also here wait some surprises, we don't stop wondering. There is a huge seal colony in the middle of the port. The nursery ground, here secure of the orcas outside before the mole. We learn this way that St. Paul is a nature conservation island.
Protected in reserves all possible kinds of birds and seals live here. The place itself surprises us with streets, nice houses, supermarket and bar. A huge difference compared to Nunivak barely 200nm away. Two completely different worlds.
But we don't want to stay here for long. One visit by the local mechanic, he gets the PERITHIA going at least provisorily and that was it.
At glooming sunshine and best weather we sail forward to Dutch Harbour.
Slowly now the cities are bigger. In this corner of the world Dutch Harbour is one of the biggest fishery ports of the Aleuts.
A whole fleet of crab fishing boat lies here at anchor. This seems to be the best place for the necessary repairs. The port master is already waiting and we get a place in the small boat harbour.
It is really nice to lie again on a real floating footbridge. Water, electricity - everything is there. Only with the electricity we have a small problem, it is 110 Volts. And also here comes up a bit of astonishment, it seems we are a little bit late on our way… As a sailor at this time of the year?
But here we are in October and did just sail through the whole Bering Sea and this off course right through!
15/09/2009
Tribute to the Northwest Passage
A reflection and a short backpedalling
Surprisingly, we realize that with the crossing of the Beaufort Sea we do already have sailed around half the world.
Therefore a short summary:
We consider the route Northwest Passage - Bering Strait as well as a trip to the South Seas a very interesting and recommendable itinerary.
First it shortens the circumnavigation and spares you the long and tedious way from the Canary Islands over the Atlantic Ocean. The itinerary over Great Britain or the Azores shortens the approach and has much more variety - and you won't have to pass the Panama Canal.
Greenland is also worth a trip to as it quasi on the way. Gigantic fjords, untouched nature, pleasant people and colorful houses are waiting. There are only few things that are more thrilling than sail round the huge icebergs, listen the noise of the breaking of the ice or watch the whales passing by. Tolerable temperatures, plenty of sun but - unfortunately for sailors - no wind in the summer months.
We do not consider the route a recommendable sailing area just for the fun of it: A wasteland of stone and boulders, settled very sparely. Although the ice is receding slowly but surely, there is still a very short time frame to cross the sometimes dangerous areas of the Passage.
From the outset, it should be clear that, in spite of the best preparation, the risk of hibernation or a total loss of the boat cannot be excluded entirely. The smallest problem can become a real danger to the crew and to the boat with catastrophic consequences.
It is imPossible to control the ice and forecast its performance. On top of that is the total isolation. The nearest icebreaker is not waiting round the corner but at the worst will need some days to rescue.
Just imagine a boat trapped in the ice plus a family of curious polar bears which are very frequent in this area and we are pretty on top of their shopping list. If you did not think of a rifle when checking your equipment, you might have a problem now.
The polar bear is classified as a vulnerable species in Germany (and elsewhere) and it is not easy at all to convince our hunting agency of the necessity of a gun but I prefer not to check if it is possible to fight the biggest predatory animal on land with a whistle and lids of pots. One can classify two types of ice:
Drift Ice if you are lucky - it entrains the boat some of the way and if it is not drifting into shallow waters it will release the boat without harm in due time.
The second and more unpleasant type is the Pack Ice - big ice floes are move together or on top of each other and mount up to bizarre figures. Extreme pressure can develop.
If you get in such an area of floes, your problems just start. Into the bargain, ice barriers can form and the floes accumulate behind the barrier. It is not necessary to describe what happens with a boat that breaks the barrier and gets into the streaming area of the floes.
We also don't want to talk about any damage that would make it necessary to recover the boat or to fly in a replacement part. Just that it will probably be necessary to set up the winter camp for the next 10 months at least at a safe place.
There are two possibilities to cover the distance of about 1.000 nautical miles from East to West. No one can predict which one might be the better one - as usually it is the other one anyway. Let me give you this information beforehand: in July the ice starts to melt and in September it comes back.
Plan A: Be there as soon as possible, as from August 1th, in Resolute or in Pond Inlet - what is a bit more far away and therefore more disadvantageous - and wait for the ice free time frame. The advantage is that you have more buffer time. But due to the constantly moving floes it is extremely dangerous.
It is wrong to think that you wait for a gap at the border of the ice field and then cross it quickly. First there is not only one ice border and second those fields are moving permanently at an unimaginable speed. The risk of being trapped between the floes is very high which is shown by the statistic of the number of calls for an icebreaker.
Plan B: Wait until the mid or end of August. The advantage is that almost all the ice has gone already. With some luck you might get off without big damage. But there is absolutely no time for a second try. That means that nothing may break nor the ice may foil your plans and make you return. In any case there won't surely be enough time for another try.
Real bad luck will be when you cannot even return and have to stay over winter.
The biggest disadvantage of Plan B is the distance of 1.600 nautical miles to the Bering Strait which has to be covered afterwards.
The route through the Arctic Ocean can come up with sunshine and still air as well as West winds of all forces. One has to consider, too, that in the Beaufort Sea the dominating water depths are between 3 and 50 meters. It is not the best place to wait for a storm to pass by. And more outwards where the water is deeper and it is less probable to be pressed onto the shore, there are the ice fields lurking. Plus the race against time is beginning.
Who is not a special aficionado of Arctic storms should have left the area around September 22/23. At that date is equinox and heavy storms are to be expected.
Both Plan A and Plan B have advantages and disadvantages one can only weigh up afterwards.
Hindsight is easier than foreside.
As there are always other sailors who want to pass the Passage over the same route it is of course reasonable and safe to form a group. It ensures that there is someone to help nearby in case of emergency as well as a moral support. But sadly in most cases the freedom-loving and individualistic heart of the sailor impedes this. An alliance means agreements and the most upset would be if the other one may handicap you and to become dependent.
Beside all the described difficulties the Passage has of course unquestionable attractions.
At first there is the amiability and helpfulness of the people living here in The North which impresses us again and again. Without their support it would not have been possible to cross the Passage in a more or less safely way. We are very aware of the luck we have had and despite all difficulties we could keep going on.
Not by any stretch of the imagination we would call ourselves experts for ice, wind or streaming up here. Retrospectively it could have been gone completely different as well.
As we said, the slightest mistake …
Therefore we commemorate with absolute respect the first who accepted the risk of the discovery of this route. Without our modern means, equipped only with sextant and compass which is not even working up here they achieved almost superhuman.
We are talking about difficulties and call the icebreaker via radio if we can't go on.
The expeditions of Amundsen and Franklin show all that what firstly seems impossible to us is possible.
In consideration of that we all, who are tackling the Northwest Passage and hopefully overcome it, should pause a moment and commemorate the men of the Franklin expedition.
They did not make it.
17.10.2009
From Barrow through the Bering Strait to Russia
Finally the sail in our hands, we cast off immediately of course. The weather is virtually optimal.
Only - that we have to hurry to be within two days at the cape of Point Hope where we want to make a pit stop. According to the weather forecast the wind shall increase there dramatically.
Our plan is to wait in Point Hope or the next place Kotzebue for the best breeze to do the passage through the Bering Strait. So we set all sails and are shooting across the water like the devil.
For a change the weather forecast is right this time. Arriving at the cape in the middle of the night the wind blows towards us in such a way that we have difficulties in even only keeping our height.
It is frustrating, we see the lights less than two miles ahead but don't move a bit in any case. The engine and that little bit of sail which is just possible are just holding us at height but don't bring us any closer.
The machine whines heartrendingly, the cloth piece on the mast nearly lays the boat on its side but the extreme current united with the short flogging waves seem definitely not to want us at Point Hope.
No chance!
Obeying our hardship we decide to try it with Kotzebue. Theoretically under land this should be possible.
Practically now also the waves come into play. More above than under the boat they push us off the course more and more. Well then, let's contemplate. What's left is the third alternative.
Grit your teeth and get on with it. Again we veer and sail crossways over the Bering Sea directly towards the Bering Strait. With this decision we probably hold a new speed record Barrow - Bering Strait.
Wind and waves from behind and this not too less, I find it difficult in the end to hit the admitting quite narrow passage.
This may sound funny, after all this are more than 20 nm. But it really is not always easy under real waves from abaft to run off abeam.
With each wave this pushes the stern so much out of the track that the autopilot has its difficulties to correct the deviation. Additionally most of them land in the cockpit which also is not always so pleasantly.
Downhill doing schuss we reached a couple of times up to 16 knots. In fog we sail early morning on the third day after Barrow and despite all vexations pass the Diomedes Islands and are through.
WE SAILED THROUGH THE BERING STRAIT!!!
Despite all efforts we were unfortunately not able to make a photo of the Diomede (one belongs to Russia the other one to America), the fog simply obstructs the whole sight and swallows them totally.
Suddenly a cry, piteous whimper; I don't know what is going on. Then blood! Just now I realize Kathrin slammed the refrigerator door and forgot to remove her finger. Everything must go now quickly. The blood is everywhere and because of the rocking, there are probably 5 meter high waves which shake us, walking is not so easy.
My biggest worry is: let the finger still be attached. With a big effort but with high speed we manage to view the damage and to make an emergency bandage. So the finger is still attached.
Looks terrible and probably hurts like hell. (At this occasion we notice: why are in one compress package always two compresses? The second then will never be sterile anymore).
Heavily injured Kathrin then gets a resting seat and I am relieved that I don't have to work as a surgeon.
Fortunately it is not far anymore. Shortly after the Bering Strait towards west lies our goal: the Russian port town Providenia. Now it gets funny and aggravating at the same time.
Via radio we register correctly, meaning we try to. Our friendly dialog partner speaks approximately as good German or English as we speak Russian.
For some unexplainable reasons he does not really want to have us. Nevertheless in the last light of the day we come in and are happy to have finally arrived.
After all the weather conditions were everything else than optimal. Over is over.
From the point of view from the water Providenia doesn't necessarily look very inviting. A typical industrial town à la GDR.
We find ourselves a barge to dock to and are awaited, like expected, by the local headquarters. Nicely how they are, they receive our ropes and we can tie up.
Of course the first question concerns our visae. Since we haven't got any we explain the problem with the wind and the weather, lacking diesel as well as we urgently need medical help for Kathrin's finger.
So far so good, we are advised to quickly change parking space. We don't really understand this but are doing them this favour. All are coming with us, this way we have enough helping hands at the end.
Later we realize to our or to their protection we immediately have to be watched. At the new quay place already lays a Belgian who waits for his visa. This saves soldiers. We practically lay at the meeting point.
We are not allowed to leave the boat and as long as the "right" soldier is on duty a talk over the railing is also forbidden…
Why, is not clear to us, but what can you do. Besides, for what we have the radio? The Belgians came over the EAST-WEST-PASSAGE and are waiting for a special permit. And this can take long.
At ours soon appears an Eskimo, who English speaking shall function as an interpreter. We really can not complain over lacking helpfulness.
Accompanied by a 5 man strong escort Kathrin immediately gets taken to the local nurse (I am not allowed to come). Anyway after quick disinfection she exchanges our beautiful bandage for a Russian counterpart suggests x-ray and gives Kathrin free again.
After long discussions also our other emergencies are recognized and it is looked together for a solution, but delayed 'til tomorrow. But shopping they want to do for us today. Posthaste I take my chance and lament my woe… To a Russian of course to the exact right address.
Therefore beer and vodka are assured. The beer here only comes in 1,5l plastic bottles which you first have to get used to.
But I can live with that, a fest. For dinner we have pelmeni and sweet pasties. When it comes to giving us electricity then overstrains the local headquarters. But our friendly boat neighbour, a tow boat on which we tied up, finds a free socket and also this problem is solved.
In the next morning we have some time to look around a bit: we lay in the middle of an industrial area and what we can recognise from the point of the boat the best days here have past also long ago. Everything looks a little bit like breakdown or like at times "long, long ago".
Our visitors (the headquarters) of course don't let themselves wait for long. The most interesting seem to be our communication devices. Do we have perhaps a satellite phone or something similar? We don't have, thus alright. Who pays our journey? Nobody, thus also good.
A militiaman wants to copy all our photos. We explain something from copyright and also this is accepted. So ends the official part of the negotiation quite fast and vodka is served.
For us totally unexpected the problem consists only of the fact that diesel or gasoline has to be applied for and for this we would need a visa from Moscow.
If we don't rather want to drive to St. Lawrence. There is a small American Eskimo settlement which but is in our maps only as a camp. So what to do?
Meanwhile I walk around on the neighbour boat and get to know its captain and his machinist. Both live in a tiny room on the ship.
Kathrin and I are invited and we sneak preferably unseen of our watchers under deck. Beer, vodka, karlbasa and dried fish - we make our first real Russian acquaintance.
Nobody understands anybody, but also this gets better with time.
Only our soldier is not so happy about our conspirative meeting. An invitation to us on board so also ends in a fiasco.
As soon as we sit, promptly our officials must show up and quickly it turns out here exist two worlds. At it despite all passed time and all achieved freedoms nothing changed here in the deepest remote land. Admittingly we are a bit angry; rather we would sit again on the neighbour boat. In spite all stays the worry what will be now.
Visa yes or no. But really worried we are not yet. Most of the times there is always a way out at the end. So was our experience until now.
And behold: in the evening at 11 o'clock - suddenly - the situation surprisingly clears itself. Either we choose arrest or we take diesel and drive until tomorrow noon. A bit surprised we decide for the diesel.
So go in a cloak-and-dagger operation 200 l gas into our tank, water is brought in canisters from home and on my request also a few packets of cigarettes.
We are not allowed to pay! With the words, that is all what we can do for you everybody is gone again and we don't understand the world anymore.
It seems as if in the end there are everywhere people which are simply helpful but whose hands are to often tied.
The next morning we get one more time an official visit, quite fast we realize it is only photo session time. Everybody necessarily wants to be photographed behind the steering wheel. After finished work and word rich goodbyes we quickly sneak to our Russian neighbours and say meanwhile goodbye.
True Russian style of course with vodka and beer. Anyway sometime our watching soldier gets a bit nervous and starts to push us a bit. Therefore: Cast off, away we go! All in all the visit lasted just two eventful days.
Out of the port receives us best weather. We are very happy - But now as fast as can be to Japan!
As if as fast as can be. Weeks will pass, before we even veer away from the Bering Strait. But this nobody senses. Dinner time, we install the laptop and make ourselves comfortable…
Bang, the beer tips over and over course spills over the computer. It would be too nice if everything would just work fine until the end.
This way now our navigation system is disarmed for the moment. Does not sound very bad, but in fact it is dramatic.
All attempts to dry it fail, the spare laptop isn't working since a while and the last storm destroyed Spiro's portable navigation system. Unfortunately we wanted to look for a replacement when being in Japan.
In this situation without eyes and ears we have definitely to go back. But whereto?
We can see the coast but have no chance to see in the dark the entry into the fjord and into the port. In fact I am able to spot two bays but which one is totally unclear. Of course also nobody answers the radio. If so - we wouldn't be able to understand each other.
Sometime the redemption, a ferry heard our may-day call and turns. And to our fortune of the redemption the captain also speaks English: "What can we do for you?" "We haven't got navigation, please show us the way to the port." "OK. Follow me!"
The passengers had to wait and the steamer drives ahead of us until we have the lights of Providenia again in our field of view. In the middle of the inlet our spare computer magically recovers.
This means to everybody's surprise we are gone again by the next morning.
On absolutely calm sea we go on our old course again and almost feel like already in Japan. Still approximately 700 nm along the coast. Behind the Commander Islands the worst is overcome. But the worst is yet to come…
Against evening the wind freshens up a bit, we are happy und set the genoa. But unfortunately it seems that the Bering Sea one more time wants to remind us of where we are.
Synchronical to the wind we reef until only a "towel" is left. That this will become the night of the catastrophes at this time nobody thinks of.
The first one is Tassi. Suddenly he starts despicably to meow and disappears, leaving a track of vomit behind, into the sleeping room. Later we learn to look at him, like the old miners saw their budgies, as an early warning system.
I sit at the map table when I recognize something is wrong here.
It is just enough time to call Kathrin then I am knocked out. I simply pass out or whatever this was. Not capable of anything I now see my environment only in schemes or not at all.
The worst thing is Kathrin also is not doing much better. In addition the wind is blowing with never known force and pushes us inexorably towards the coast.
To our fortune the auto pilot is steering and we are not totally out of control. In the end it wouldn't be quite optimal for a yacht under sail to sough into a storm.
Sometime I slowly find back into life but unable to do anything. Just as much that I can roughly evaluate the situation.
Immediately the sails must be hauled inboard. Kathrin is the only one of us who can still do at least something. Therefore she has to recover the genoa at first. But this manoeuvre in a storm from abaft and without going out of the wind is quite some piece of work.
Being in very bad way and in addition the injured fridge finger a miserable undertaking. In order not to end in chaos always at least 2 mostly 3 ropes have to be managed. And such a wind is very powerful. Done!
All hatches airtight, we drift later slowly but surely towards the coast. And we have for the moment some time to reorder us.
In fact the boat lies relatively safe and calm but the waves break over us from all sides. It is never exactly to see if above or under as is more water.
Helplessly we have to observe how our deck gets shredded, for a salvage simply the strength is missing. A while later it's the wind wheels turn. If at least it would get lost into the sea.
But no, it has to keep hanging on a screw and bangs drifting in the water again and again against the lower fixation of the backstay. There is no other way, I have to go out.
Secured with ropes and armed with all necessary wrenches I crawl back on all fours. To see something at all Kathrin tries to give me some light from the hatchway.
I admit that it looks fascinating: the wings are still turning in the water and are thereby alighted by our stern light. They are mirroring themselves on their nicely polished attachment which went into union with our backstay. Not so easy to free the boat of this heavy beast. I hang head first back under the railing and tear and push. Many curses and hits later it finally disappears in the dark and will never be seen again. So there we are sitting now; everything which wasn't truly nailed down already shot through the air but at the moment tidying up just doesn't make sense. We are inexorably drifting towards the coast. All three of us are sick and therefore quite helpless. We think of breaking up our journey if we get out of here somehow living and first overwinter. The only town with a secure port which therefore is a possibility for us and is at all reachable is Anadyr. It is the biggest town here with airfield and a big port but unfortunately also 200nm along the waves. It does not help, we have to go. With my last power I schlep myself on deck and start the motor. Meaning I try it. The electric system is completely soaked. After a few tries, I am already thinking about a piece of main sail, it in fact starts. So far at all possible we take the direct course and sink totally exhausted onto the sofa. The PERITHIA is pounding bravely through the waves and is therefore holding her height and direction. I think we will never forget this night.
We take hits, a miracle that we are still swimming. To all misfortune water is coming into the boat from somewhere. I assume we are scooping it from behind. We can measure the level at the fridge, because there it swells forth from in between the floor plates. Anyhow, we survive!
The next morning it is better, even the storm calmed down a bit. First of all we make us a first overview: quite damaged but functioning!
Therefore we storm through the waves and slowly also comes back our confidence. Because we are meanwhile very familiar with the entering of strange ports there are also in Anadyr no major problems.
We are orderly registering and are asking for entry permission because of an acute case of distress. But anyhow we can tell whatever we like, nobody understands us. (Next time we will definitely need a Russian dictionary)
We are docking during the dark and are quite confused; on the one hand they help us friendly with the lines but there is nobody to see from the official side. Well this we are totally not used to anymore.
Confused we decide to wait for one and a half hour and than to go to have a look into the city. We necessarily have to find the port office for registration.
Because nobody is coming we start to walk. Straight through new building settlement in the style of GDR we reach unseen the city centre. Not that we would like to live here but it doesn't look so bad.
Firstly we go shopping. The supermarket here looks like at home. Then we look for the port office and find a restaurant. I think the best of the place. Only the food, well…!
Quite clearly arranged on the plate and the cook seemed to have forgotten the side-dishes. Despite all, of good cheer we want to go back to the PERITHIA but this way we can spare us.
A jeep stops and we are picked up. Practically this is what we expected and also it safes us the long and cumbersome way back.
From now it gets official. In the office we are friendly greeted and we get some coffee. A young interpreter who translates into English is ordered.
Then, for some me not understandable reasons, I get placed into the kitchen and practice waiting. My guard in fact does not speak English but apart from that the communication works very well. I am able to get a lot of information about the city and the people. In the meantime Kathrin describes our odyssey and officially applies for Russia's help.
Actually just for this case there are no bigger problems. Now it seems as if nobody knows what to do now. During 2 o'clock in the night we are back in board calmness takes over and we come to the conclusion to wait a bit first.
To our big surprise even the phone works again, this means in spite of our watchers on the quay we are not quite so cut off the world.
The next day begins with work. Port office, port captain, workshop and hospital. At the medical specialist everything did go very fast. Patients who happened to be there were simply put outside, the army needs space…
The diagnosis of the doctor is short and understandable, we need urgently rest, and from the doctoral view we are not allowed to go back on board and therefore must take a hotel. But how to arrange this with the missing visae?
To make it short we kept on sleeping on board.
We get to know in Anadyr a lot of bureaucracy, (the investigation of our "case" consists of and 8-sided protocol!) Mistrust towards the own fellow countrymen but also really true everything exceeding helpfulness and sympathy. Just when everybody wants to give up there is some way in the end.
(There would be a lot to report at this point… We are very thankful!)
So it is in the end like in Providenia, nobody believes in it and suddenly it starts. After 6 days to and fro, hoping, despair and hoping again they say: Cast off!
In the meantime we changed out route; only away and reach the free world as fast as possible. Therefore we say goodbye via radio with the words: "The PERITHIA is Anker up. We living now to USA. Mui gawarim doswidania!"
21.09.2009
Barrow or: How you should not do it…
The trip from Tuck to Barrow is completely uneventful. Good weather, of course no wind.
Hardly that we stick our nose out of the cabin. So the miles go by.
Only shortly before the target, to get an overview, I constrain myself and go on deck. It is unbelievable; we are just driving through a huge herd of whales. Well, this way we get at least some more pictures. So that is how we approach Barrow.
Barrow lies in Alaska and is therefore not an Eskimo-state..!
Shave, shower, new clothes and instruct Kathrin: everything must now go clear off hand.
Since months we will find here the first bar. A nice little beer is calling.
Not to loose time, I meanwhile call the port master:"Where is the port here?" I ask him. He is amazed: "A port - we don't have such thing here!"
But which draught we have got is what he wants to know and after some seesaw he sends us into an offshore lagoon. Nice as he is he gives us the number of the immigration office in Nome, Alaska.
This issue being totally unproblematic. ´We are there´, we think. Unfortunately there must have been a misunderstanding between meter and foot as a measurement unit.
Anyhow soon after there is a short shock and we are grounded. So I call the master of the port again meanwhile a little annoyed and ask for a towing ship. Meanwhile we try with some to and fro to pull us out of the mud.
We just made it when the "breakdown service" is to the fore. This way we have at least a pilot whom we can follow. We drive after but at 5 feet it is the end anyhow.
Therefore this side of barrow remains closed for us. Enforced we decide to anchor in front of the coast.
The weather is on our side. Said, done - we drive to the other side of the peninsula and let down the anchor there. It is extremely shallow, just 4 meters.
As fast as can be the dingy is put to the water and off we go to shore. Two Eskimo girls on quads welcome us and surprised by my immediate question for the next bare they explained me:
"No bar, everywhere is dry."
In the meantime it is also quite late, but we still desperately need an internet connection. Because we ordered our new sail from Greece to be delivered here we want to know where it will arrive.
Inside a bank we find internet. So in the middle of the night we stand in the foyer next to the cash machine and open our laptop. It does not take a minute, and the police are on the spot.
For some reason they don't care about that we haven't got an entry stamp, only inside the bank we shall please not stay. We shall rather go to the hotel.
And we shall beware of the polar bears which wander around the place during the night. And seemingly they also like swimming.
Well - the hotel is closed already, but vis-à-vis is a Japanese restaurant.
We even find an unsecured net and are able to log in. Everything seems to work. The sail should come tomorrow, Monday.
Relieved but "thirsty" and being in a good temper we go back to the PERITHIA. Considering the warning by the police we take out again Old Gunstick - you never know - and go to bed.
In doing so I still don't feel really well. We lay totally free and uncovered in front of the coast. Additionally in only 4 meter depth. So I rather sleep a night on the couch so that I don't overhear the stranding alarm.
But the weather is with us and we overcome the night quite comfortable.
The next morning in the hotel comes the sad truth. The sail will not be there before September 18th, which means Friday!
Four days which we loose! And - what if then it does not arrive also?
Gradually the whole misery becomes clear to us. If we had known that there is no port here, never we would have ordered the sail to here.
This way we absolutely haven't got time - the winter with his storms sits us in the neck and we lay totally coverless in front of the coast. So what else can we do?
An eye always at the weather development, we have a look around Barrow. There is not much to see, simply a typical North-American small city. I think the pictures say it all.
We use the time to refuel, fill some water, shopping - especially chocolate, cookies, nuts, and liquorice, find a genius weather program and kill time somehow - quite comfortable at the hotel sofa with internet connection and compassionate hotel staff.
Of course now the weather must change also. Wind category 5 Bft is what is told. Directly in front of the bay we can not lay like this. So we decide to try it one more time with the lagoon.
We chug these two hours around the peninsula - to run exactly into the waves on the other side. Fast it becomes clear that we never ever get through the narrow entrance of the lagoon.
The waves pile up high in such a way that we have a hard time getting back around the cape. In doing so I have another time the chance to set the whole cockpit under water.
The waves really know no mercy with me and the poor PERITHIA. Either they swish across the whole boat in front or they strike from behind.
But when, always with full force. And I, one more time, stand in the water up to the knees. The hardest one though is a little monster directly from abeam.
In the last second I dive next to the cockpit table to the ground and get a hold on somewhere.
The PERITHIA gets laid on her side and wallows, mast ahead, downhill under the wave. Arrived at the bottom she stands up again well behaved and I see how I can get the water out of the boat.
Then we are through and around the cape. We draw up the sails and back it goes with 7 knots towards our old anchor place.
In a manner of speaking we could have spared this excursion…!
Due to the enormous breakings we can not land anymore with the dingy. That is why I quickly call the master of the port. He shall please ask in the hotel if not maybe our sail arrived, because today is Friday! So he does - it is not there!
Instead we make a funny discovery this evening. There is a radio channel which tells the weather twice a day. You can talk quite good with the operator which keeps you always informed most precisely. It seems that they have different sources than me…!
Anyway, I believe nobody is sober anymore. And that is also what it then sounds like!
Today the September 19th (Saturday) the packet shall now finally and irrevocably arrive! Should it not come, we must continue without sail. Here it is snowing meanwhile and the way south is still far.
To reckon is: How to get with the dingy the best way through the surf to the shore and before all back again? So we pack everything that we so need into plastic bags and tie it up properly. Should we capsize we have in fact our survival suits but will never make it back to the PERITHIA.
So, only the shore is left, and this is far - especially when the current is parallel to the shore. Cheers to Spiros Salvanos' motor - it really starts in every circumstance of life! It does not matter how - we must get to the shore.
Now it is essential to capture the right wave and to ride on it towards the beach. So far this works quite well. Only - we arrive diagonally. That was really close!
We have dry clothes with us; therefore we go to the hotel. Kathrin's first action: the call to UPS, and behold, the sail finally arrived!!!
Overwhelmed with happiness we shoot a photo of the handing over and schlep everything back to the beach. The much more difficult task is still before us. Somehow the rubber boat must somewhat safe through the breaking out to the water.
Meanwhile we don't care about anything anymore; on the PERITHIA it is warm. To be wet is so not a problem, only don't capsize. Thus we await the best wave and start to push.
Of course Kathrin does a belly-flop but at least into the boat not next to it. But her momentum safes us; soaking wet, but safe we sneak over the first waves.
The motor starts up and everything is saved. Back at the PERITHIA we get out of the wet clothes, pull up the dingy and can finally start towards the Bering Strait.
Only the weather still makes us worry. If everything stays like it is we are pin-pointing into a wonderfully beautiful little storm. Probably it will be best to accept a small extra way via Kotzebue the last settlement before the Bering Strait and to wait for better weather.
Stupid only: because there are sandbanks everywhere we need a pilot to get on land. Oh one more thing, the aforesaid monster-wave seemingly did something to the electric system. Every now and then the starter battery starts to cook. Perhaps I will disconnect it for now.
In the next port will be enough time to get to the bottom of this evil. The wind meter also did not survive, so we have one more time enough things to do.
Really nice is only that starting from now we should get the wind always from abaft. This way it will go unhurried rocking piece by piece towards south.
15.09.2009
From Cambridge to Tuktoyaktuk
Now we "only" have to leave the polar sea behind us..!!! First we must get there!
The trip to Cambridge is a competition against time. Everything depends on arriving punctually on Friday evening; since I heard that in whole Nunavut there is only one single club which serves beer. And that one is in Cambridge and exclusively open on Friday.
I think: `such a nice little beer..`
We arrive in Cambridge on Saturday morning 5 o'clock..!
The small quay is occupied by a towboat, which is advantage ous for us. That way we can moor sideways and don't need to worry about the tide. What we don't know is that we will meet this towboat a few more times. We just moored when there comes a seaman, I believe it is the Petty Officer Second Class or something, and has a look what we are doing. First we are having a smoke and tell him the usual stuff about from where we come and where go. They cast off soon but then we can take their place. Before we are of course invited for breakfast, are allowed to take a shower and are getting the PERITHIA's water tanks refilled. The shower is a pleasure, already some days ago we ran out of the use water. Also in other ways this meeting becomes more interesting. The cook fries bacon according to wish and we shall surely take whatever is there. Stephen Wright the captain of the NUNAKPUT, greets us during our breakfast, gives us two base caps which we immediately have to put on for the obligatory photo.
So we are stuck now in the mess of the NUNAKPUT. Because I am missing one more time a piece of sea chart, I ask him if I could have a copy. The Petty Officer Second Class is sent and soon returns with a whole pile of charts under his arm. First I check if really no detailed map is missing. We don't realize what happens to us and suddenly can call a complete set of sea charts including all details our own. But this wasn't everything yet, the cook allures us into his storage room. Filled to the rim with everything a ship with a 12 man crew needs. We shall pack he says and is also helping diligently. Surprised we don't know where to grab first. But the cook is not prude and packs heartily: coffee, milk, butter, cream, cereals, fish, oysters, sausage, cheese, juice, bread, onions, potatoes, garlic, pie, yes even toilet paper he brings. We have to walk several times to bring everything on to the PERITHIA. We were just done when they already cast off and we are sad that this meeting was only for 2 hours. But that is how it can go.
We go to bed, to be able to explore Cambridge well rested and to make the long time necessary repairs (Thermostat) and maintenance works on the misery proven PERITHIA. From the SILENT SOUND I know a workshop directly at the quay. So this is not so much the problem. Worse - my look into the diesel filter! Now I realize why the gas is always so jumpy. It seems that in our tanks develops some kind of slime. The same we observed once at the reserve canister of the Greenlandic fish trawler. Anyhow the complete filter is totally clogged and sticky. It is a miracle that something works at all. I think it is because of the condensing water in connection with the cold. Everything is replaced quickly. Only that - the motor wont start. So I go back to the workshop and lament my woe.
Luckily there are nice mechanics, one of them promises to look after us the next morning. Thus we have time for sightseeing and shopping and such. Despite almost the same size the cities of Gjoa Haven and Cambridge are differing for worlds. Here it looks almost like in a city. And the people are righteously described as pleasantly friendly. Nobody who doesn't wave to us or greets. So when we are back at the boat we are besieged by a bunch of children which implicitly want to explore the PERITHIA.
It costs a lot of effort to keep the overview in this chaos. Othmar, a medic from Switzerland helps us. He is living in Canada for years, first in Yukon and now here in Cambridge. It really is very interesting to talk with him and to hear his stories about his arrival in Canada and him living in a tent with bears in front of it. So we spend a nice evening and are cheered by how nicely everything can work. Even the weather seems to work for us. Although a depression is forecasted we should be able to handle 5 Bft. Freshly supplied and restored we start to the last part of the passage. Here actually nothing can happen anymore. To say it with Dieter's words: "Well, this part is going to be rather boring!"…
Until, maybe one and a half days later, the barometer is dropping and dropping and dropping.
We are not really worried yet, still we are inside a Sound and surrounded by land. Except of a little wind there should not happen so much. Towards the evening it slowly begins. As usual the wind blows exactly from affront and slowly builds up a quite considerable wave. The stupid thing about this is that we must pass through a quite narrow passage which acts like a jet nozzle and also in other regards the rocks and islands are not really far away. To be safe we change the course a bit athwart to the wind to escape at least the currents. And the barometer meanwhile lively keeps on falling.
Eventually comes the moment, when it is not possible anymore to keep the boat on track using the motor. Under sails this is another story. The last mainsail which we have left is patched on every corner (everywhere) and the new one hopefully soon lays in Point Barrow. That is why we simply can not allow us a loss. Therefore - the genoa put out a bit and sailing with the wind a back. The wind meanwhile increases more and more and the crests of the waves meanwhile surmount us house high. We can not see anything and in a radius of 5 nm around us wait everywhere islands and shallows for us. Therefore Kathrin sits below at the GPS and constantly states the direction. We try to reach a bay diagonally windward, maybe possible with the motor. Here with me at the aft the waves come in faster as the water can flow off. Partially it looks like inside a bathtub. My boots seem to be to flat, quickly they are full of water (2°C!). To all pity every now and then somebody has to go to the front to tighten up anew the dingy and the blister. The boat cover simply doesn't hold. That is quite some fun, on all four extremities across the boat, always somewhere grabbed and under water the whole time. Actually the wind is not so much a problem, 8 Bft with blasts 9 Bft is possible to sail off. Only the waves are for some reason gigantic.
And the worst or also the most dangerous is - we don't have space to run around! Additionally comes the lack of sleep, both of us are rotating since more than 36 hours.
A huge wave then heralds the beginning of the end. It strikes with full force into our boat and disarms the whole electric system. Suddenly there is a scary silence on board. It is over for the engine. Too much! It is also over with our bay. Meanwhile the waves increased so much, I have never seen this! So, sail after all. The genoa set to the size of a towel and the main a tiny little bit. After 10 min there is no main no more, which had to be expected. In the end this is the moment when nothing works anymore. Sail lost, engine broken and sailing off under top and tackle - with this waves not possible anymore. Additionally we are pressed onto the lee shore by off shore winds. In fact we are starting to pack the emergency bag. Signal rockets, water and everything you might quickly need when you are supposed to sign off.
Eventually there is nothing else to do. I come to the decision to do a May-Day call. The problem we have to think off is: in fact we are going to be rescued, but the poor PERITHIA stays back facing the rocks. That would be it for her. Unfortunately the density of the radio mast here is so low that we don't reach anybody with our FM radio. The only thing left: waiting. I let standing a little piece foresail, put the helm completely windward and go under deck. Up here on deck there is nothing left to do.
The PERITHIA obeyingly turns diagonal to the waves and we weather. Like a miracle the wind pushes us through the only exit of this mess. Unshorn we get back on our route of the forward way. Therefore no rocks. Because we can not do anything now I send Kathrin who is totally overtired and at the end of her nerves to bed, sit myself around the radar and scan the surroundings for another ship. Slowly but surely we are pushed into the Dease Strait and the wind and also the waves slowdown a bit. This way I can even set a piece of genoa and the PERITHIA is controllable again. If only the wind does not turn. Our only chance is now wind from abaft - only not more than from abeam.
At last a freighter comes into sight. I describe him our situation and ask him to inform the coast guard.
It does not take long and we have got a connection again with the outside world. The cost guard calls us and we discuss what the best to do is.
Because meanwhile wind and waves have stabilised, we agree upon permanent radio contact und in Cambridge already precautions for our recovery are undertaken. Ironically with a stable 6 Bft we have a much faster way back than to.
There's nothing else to do for me than constantly watching the direction and to announce our position and speed. In between I watch TV.
So it happens that I miss our saviour and have to be requested by the dispatcher of the cost guard that I shall please come on deck. Embarrassing! Being in a poor state we are towed and being manoeuvred to our old place in the port.
In between I get to know from the coast guard that another sail yacht lays in Cambridge. Because they heard of our misery and have a sail sewing machine on board they are waiting for us.
Meanwhile the freighter NUNAKPUT ran in again. There at our old place everybody is ready for our reception. The ropes are taken off us and we are heartily received.
The other sailors, an American family with two children, don't even let us the chance to speak up. Our sail gets retrieved, the torn up boat-cover loaded in and everything gets transported into the mess of the freighter.
There the tables get cleared and pushed together. We are meanwhile sent to bed.
So we stand there quite perplex and come to terms with our fate.
One doesn't really want to believe it, a few hours later we crouch out of the feathers and everything is repaired.
Practically we are ready to go. During the vespertine dinner on the neighbouring boat we get to know our diligent helpers.
A family from Michigan-USA with two kids, who are on the way to circumsail America. They call their own a small really beautiful wooden cutter, the PRECIPE. We only wonder how they all can fit in there.
Because time is short, winter comes and they lost already a day because of us they cast off the same evening.
We are not quite ready yet, but promise to hurry up. Because we are faster we will soon pass them, probably still before the Arctic Ocean.
We want to sail this reach together. No sooner said than done, after a restorative evening and a morning shopping (the storm swallowed my gloves) we haul inboard our ropes and start a second attempt.
Because the weather forecasts this time is also not really promising we marked, in wise forethought, escape bays along our route.
So we sail under highest tension as fast as possible along the Dolphin Strait, an eye always at the sky and the barometer.
I calculate a bit around, soon the PRECIPE must come into sight. Over shortwave we transmit our position and behold, almost we drove past. So we continue the way together.
Fortunately the weather forecast up here seems not to be the most reliable one. We sail under best wind and dazzling sunshine into the Arctic Ocean. Kathrin uses the nice weather for an open-air nap.
Despite that I am happy to finally reach the open sea.
We dash like the mad to leave this passage behind us as fast as possible and set all sails that can possibly go.
But this means that one railing is always in the water and that the waves sough over the bow.
Sleeping, one more time, is not possible. Fortunately we have a new course now, wind from abaft.
You can not sail calmer. To Tuktoyaktuk it is still 120 nm.
This means - tomorrow morning we should arrive quite relaxed.
14.08.2009
From Resolute to Cambridge Bay - our most difficult stage of the Northwest-Passage
So, tomorrow departure is ordered.
Because we want to sail together with our American friends from the FIONA, the last details are quickly talked about during the dinner.
The start shall be sharp at noon. All of us are confident and the ice charts don't look bad. It is going to be alright.
But none of us don't even have a glimpse what we are going to face. How possibly?
For some, for us not understandable, reasons the Amis suddenly became anxious and nervous. By any means they wanted to start early in the morning.
Because we still had some stuff to do our small sailor community fell apart before it really started.
We agree on a meeting point on a later coming island and say goodbye, for now.
Said - done we set sail at noon. That means first the PERITHIA got to be freed of the ice and a way out of the bay has to be found.
The weather is soso and prompt we encounter the first ice field. Nothing bad, it only costs a bit of time.
We cross the Barrow Strait and turn into the Peel Sound. Totally ice free he lays before us.
No wind, no waves - only that it is quite cold. "All this can not be so bad!" we think and shall still learn a lot.
Actually we are making a good progress; the meagre land passes besides us and nothing really exciting is happening.
We have time to recapitulate the passed in Resolute. Both of us have the opinion that in the end it was a pleasant stay and we met nice people and made new friends.
Only one day later in the night we are slowed down by an ice barrier. Because I am to watch I try my luck and for first steer into the ice. Meanwhile the days are getting shorter and during nights it becomes already a bit dusky, so that I turn around after some time of looking for a way through the floes to wait for light. But - where to tie up now?
Without long reasoning, what so about, I stop the PERITHIA within the not so dense ice, let her drift and dive down into the berth. Early in the morning a small bumb, as if the ice wanted to say to us "But now hurry up a bit!"
Only that it is around 4 o'clock in the morning and respectively uncomfortable and cold. But it is daylight and so with good view the passage through the ice field is quickly done.
So we continue into the Franklin Strait. On our sea chart directly next to the discharging Bellow Strait we spotted one of the here very rare anchor bays for the evening.
The FIONA should be about 8 hours in front of us. We will catch up with her no later than at Tasmania.
By the way the anchor bay is covered with ice. What else could we do, we drive throughout the night and so get to Tasmania Island quite fast.
Of course there is nothing to see of the FIONA, how could it, the whole island is surrounded by ice.
"Doesn't matter" we think. "So we anchor in front of the bay"
Unfortunately up here in the whole region it is very deep. The shores fall down steep. But directly in front of the entry of our chosen bay we make a strike.
It is quite close to the shore but it is calm. Kathrin lets down the anchor and I bring the boat into the right position. To do so I have to turn. And almost get a heart attack!
I can not believe it. Like being pulled by a ghost hand all the ice in the bay gets moving and streams outwards. It is a breathtaking sight. Stupid only that we lie exactly in the way and also have the anchor down.
If this now does not go quick…
Kathrin did not notice yet what is happening and wonders about my shouts to pull up the anchor, and probably thinks I am confused or something. But we can manage it just in time and can witness an impressive spectacle. The whole ice shelf of the bay moves magically and gives free the anchor place.
But how to get in?
Through the ice it is not possible.
"Well the FIONA won't be here for sure." we think and decide to sail along. At some time we will catch up with her. This we almost achieved. But I think that we would not have been so happy about it…
We pass ever bigger growing ice fields, right of us a never ending barrier and left of us the land comes closer.
Slowly I start to be concerned.
What if the ice drifts towards the land?
How to avoid it then?
At some point it will be over.
Threateningly and impenetrable a hilly landscape made of ice stretches before us. Here definitely is no more forthcome.
The ice lies in front of us in the midst of the current and I don't want to know how much pressure has accumulated behind it.
All I know is: we shouldn't be standing here.
To my continuous radio calls nobody is listening. Where the hell are they? "Probably" we say us "they found a narrow fairway and got through."
At that time we could not know that only a few kilometres ahead the catastrophe broke out and that the crew from the FIONA was fighting for boat and life. As answer to their MAY-DAY call an icebreaker is already on the way and should arrive within two days. But of all this we fortunately don't know anything.
Now even a typical regional fog comes up and sets our whole misery into an unreal white. We continue a bit to scan the ice barrier and actually don't really know what to do now?
Stay behind the wall - definitely does not work!
The impenetrable fog presses us down and the mood sinks to point zero. It went just too good until now!
O.K.! let's turn around and search us a waiting place inside the meanwhile ice free bay of Tasmania. We turn around and will soon are stuck.
Still we only have to struggle with small ice floes. But it seems like the ice has a certain kind of independent life and tries again and again to cut off our way.
Through the fog we soon loose totally the orientation and fight firstly to get back a little bit liberty of action. But nothing is makeable.
It does not take long and nothing goes anymore. The stupid thing is that every compass shows here so close to the magnetic pole something different and for the GPS we would need some speed.
The only thing we can take out from the map: we are slowly but surely approaching the shore.
If we now run on ground with our ice field then "Prost Mahlzeit!" Desperately we try to push aside the floes with a bar. The PERITHIA can then widen the so accrued gap with motor power.
But - for how long?
Close next to us opened a narrow gutter. If this one leads to open water, we do not know. It does not matter, we need moving at least to determine our position.
The whole route to Tasmania which had been fairish free short time ago is now covered with ice. We push ourselves forward piece by piece towards the suspected bay!
Meanwhile we can not see anything anymore!
Actually it does not go further. Not in your life up to the bay!
"Well, fortunately not!" we shall later say. On the way to there I saw a tiny bay at one offshore island. In real need this one might be an escape. So we search and find out - we are almost there.
A few more meters, a small intersection in the rock becomes visible. We slip carefully inside, let down the anchor and manoeuvre back to throw also the stern anchor.
Completely we do not fit into the bay but this way we are at least secure of the worst hits of the trespassing floes. If only the wind won't turn!
Time to calm down a bit.
Totally depressed we remember all the mistakes that we have made.
Yes afterwards you are always smarter. Anyway, here we don't have anything to search for. Retreat!
So breaks the new morning and opens besides fog, that over night our desired anchor bay of the day before is again filled with ice floes up to the last meter.
Not thinkable we would have laid there.
All this shows us: you can not calculate the ice and one also should not trust it and think yourself in security. Distance is the best precaution. Downhearted we so get on the way back.
Of course we are upset; many things could have been avoided. Later we shall learn that even the best preparations are useless if the ice does not want.
Of course meanwhile the complete, free until yesterday, way is dotted with ice fields. And it is getting colder and colder, the thermometer shows -3°C, the water has -2.7°C.
On deck develops an ice coating which lets the walking become a slither party.
Then punctually at evening the way back is also blocked.
And - the cigarettes run out.
Fortunately our position is at a quite wide part of the Franklin Strait. Next to us are a couple of islands that could invite for anchoring.
One bay seems to be suitable, a little bit shallow and stony but apart from that wonderingly ice free.
We have hardly the anchor the ice decides of course together with the tidal change that our bay has to be filled as well…
Said - done, it crashes and pushes so long until the fight against us is won and we are stuck one more time.
Meanwhile it is also too cold to undertake something useful outside. We make it us cosy and watch the spectacular drifting of the ice fields.
Lots of seals bustle about in between or on top.
Despite the miserable situation it is a wonderful show. We discuss the situation and agree after thorough consideration to make a second try under better circumstances starting from Resolute.
Some noise, different than the ones we are meanwhile used to, lets us listen attentively.
Maybe the ice is moving.
Kathrin goes on deck and is back quite fast.
"I think there is a polar bear" she whispers, "On a floe back at the platform directly at the entrance."
What to say about this. Old Gun Stick, the ammunition and I are melting into one unit.
"Under 5 shots on a 2 m distance at least one should strike" I say me and put a precautionary extra packet of 20 cartridges into my reach.
Noise is good we remember.
Therefore Kathrin arms herself with pot lid and ladle. So equipped we then upgrade our defence line.
Unfortunately an "Alamo position" since the only discussable escape hatch behind us is blocked by the dingy.
By the way Kathrin didn't follow my request to make a photo…
Because we don't want to shoot the polar bear in case of emergency we get also the signal rockets to give him a shot across the bows when necessary. Outside everything stays quiet, thus I sneak up outside with the gun levelled just like an Indian making use of every backing. The coast is clear!
Probably he smelled the can of fish on the table but then was put to flight by our determined defence readiness.
We see him swimming and can observe his behaviour for a while on the next bigger ice floe. When I think about that I slept the last two nights in the ice on deck I still today start to feel queasy.
Anyhow we will not make one Stepp more without gun. Also in the evening in the sleeping room, the gun is always in reach.
Actually one can not really imagine this. But "Knut" is actually pretty big, damn fast and in addition a good swimmer. To all misfortune he seems to love ice floes. Not for nothing he is the most dangerous predator on land, so it is written.
The next morning we can witness a small miracle. In the evening the whole sound was covered with ice now it is completely ice free.
"Where did the ice go?" we ask ourselves.
Because the route is now free again we come closer to our starting point Resolute Bay.
The melting ice tells us we have been too hasty. To wait and to have patience is the motto.
We decide to gas up, to get the newest ice maps and after licking after our wounds a bit to start a second attempt.
Arrived in Resolute, the people are wondering. But they are also happy that nothing happened and that we escaped healthy.
The people here live with the nature and know that nothing can be forced.
And helpfulness for the sake of safety is here always in first position.
One can never know if not next time it is you who needs help. So we organise fuel, propane gas, cigarettes and whatever else we need.
In between I become a photo model. The cruise-liner BREMEN docks and a bunch of passengers are debarked at the beach by some zodiacs.
Of course at exactly this moment I have to float along in our dingy. A sailing boat up here in the north wants to go through the passage, of course this interest everybody.
And already the cameras are taken out: I with dingy, without dingy, from all sides. With my fur cap, moon boots and the over dimensioned thermo clothes which are not necessarily the cleanest I probably look like the old man and the sea or like Robinson Crusoe after 5 years.
Later a mechanic comes to repair the broken thermostat on the motor and we visit our friends.
Somebody organises even a beer from somewhere which is not a matter of course, since it is forbidden and therefore exorbitantly expansive.
In the end we also find some packets of cigarettes which were given to us without comment and secretly - probably in course of my explanation of the overcome shortage. Later against evening we invite ourselves for a farewell dinner in the hotel. Just by coincidence presently the defence minister of Canada together with his advisory board is guest and is holding a reception.
Ossi, the hotel manager is honoured for his engagement with a baseball cap and a coin.
But don't think that this is a reason for him to clean his office and not to wear jogging pants.
As well everybody, including the ministers, is standing there in stockings. The shoes are taken off outside, also at a ministerial reception!
So everything is quite informal. We grasp our food (there is yummy fish with mushrooms…) and withdraw to one of the few altogether 10 tables.
Two bites later a very nice man sits at our table, luckily he speaks German and we are in among the events. Later still joins the minister to our round and Kathrin asks herself if her not so chic but comfortable training pants are the appropriate outfit.
Anyway all of us are well entertained. The minister and his advisors are very interested and enthused by our trip and pose us many detailed questions.
But once I immensely put my foot in it. I really think until the end that the high visit at our table is the minister of the Inuit-republic Nunavut. But one quickly informs me about and so bad it then was not.
Addresses and e-mails are exchanged and this is how the last evening in Resolute ends unexpectedly interesting and entertaining.
Actually we want to start immediately but we decide still to sleep a couple of hours and to start then very early. At 3 o'clock in the morning is the start.
The red temperature lamp of the motor is on and there is no start. What can that be? I think what things the mechanic could have done. To find the mistake I disassemble his work again piece by piece.
So after an hour I ask myself why I did not do it by myself from the beginning.
Removing, mounting, testing, removing, mounting and so on. Time goes by and a solution is not in sight.
To remove a thermostat, seal up anew and to mount it again I now need not more than 2 min anymore. Practically I could start working at Volvo Penta. But that you should refill the cooling water after finished work I will remembered quite late.
At least I did remember…
But now let's finally go! It is snowing and in Resolute probably the winter won't wait for much longer. We have to get out of here as fast as possible!
22.08.09
Once more across the Barrow Strait into the Peel Sound. But it does not work, there is again ice. So we scan the ice edge and soon find a get through.
Inside the Peel Sound even blows some wind which under quite some waves, luckily from behind, pushes us towards our goal. With every meter our confidence grows.
Now or never! Only the dragy fog makes us trouble. By now we know the way quite well. So we are happy each time that we left a difficult section without ice behind us. Patience and luck is the device, we tell us and the confidence is rising and rising.
Later we meet the OCEAN, another sailor that encounters the passage from east to west.
The question if we are the PERITHIA (it is waited for us), a few friendly words, ice reports are exchanged and already we move along.
But one only problem we have indeed. Because we had to swift to another than the planned route we are missing some sea charts.
So we dig out the spare paper chart.
Unfortunately this is only a very rough outline map which actually only in total system failure shall show us the land when we are in danger.
But we don't have to master a very difficult part we take the risk.
What else we could do?
So we come closer to our part goal, Gjoa Haven, till then scotfree. But nothing works out, it would have been too easy. Shortly before the target the fog increases once more so much that you can not see the hand in front of your eyes.
So, also not the port entry. Our overview map anyway only shows rough contours.
Simply, we don't know where to go.
Slowly we feel our way towards a huge bay of which we think it might be the right one. Huge extent, shallow beach and only small depth. Who gets struck here by wind, for him it is over.
Fortunately not the smallest breeze blows and since we don't move along we decide to wait. In the next morning the same game.
The sun shines above us and we sit inside the ground fog which is hovering persistently three Meters above the water.
Somebody must be able to give us the coordinates from Gjoa Haven.
The place is only 5nm away and still unreachable for us. I try to radio to the coast guard - nothing.
All channels that I can think of - nothing.
Around noon the time comes, the fog is clearing away, the view is getting better. In the distance appears a motor boat and approaches us. I ignite a hand torch and think for my self that this should not be able to be overseen.
Everywhere on the world a red hand torch accounts for distress at sea. We feel a little bit like on the TITANIC.
This guy really drives past us! But nevermind, the fog meanwhile disappeared and we can spot the first houses..
We simply were one bay to early.
At brilliant sunshine and after endless searching we come into the port. There already lies the SILENT SOUND at anchor.
We are cheerful to meet here the last boat that still had to come towards us.
The village itself does not really thrill us. Dusty and dirty it reminds more on a mining settlement.
There is the obligatory hotel, two grocery shops with enormous prices and that is it.
Here meanwhile the liter milk comes to a price of more than 4$ and a package cereals to 8$.
But we are quickly enlightened. The people here are relatively careless about these prices.
Because the whole region here, like a native's reserve, is inside the public field of vision and the people here additionally are indigenous everybody gets what he needs.
Only the perspective is very small or not there at all.
Gjoa Haven is according to the records Canada's city with the highest birth rate.
We see young girls, holding one child at hand a second one on the back, pregnant and themselves almost still a child.
Surprised we let us explain that according to old Inuit tradition the whole village is responsible for the child education.
Very often the kids are adopted by the grandparents so that always everybody brings up the children of the next generation.
An understandable necessity, with mothers being hardly 14 years old.
Later we also discover that every child gets provided by the state as well as it gives 2000$ additionally for the adoption. So at the end every tradition has an immediate practical sense.
The weather regales us with 15°C and sun pure. We recover from coldness and fog, Kathrin takes out the glass with the germinated sprouts to grow us vitamins we finish our mails and Tassi enjoys - as usual.
Again I fight my desperate fight with the thermostat. In the end I glue the whole thing together with silicone.
Maybe this will hold leak tight. I will get the motor heated somehow. Tomorrow we will move along.
Slowly we are running out of time. Starting from our next goal, Cambridge Bay, about 220 nm away, it is still 1600 nm till the Bering Strait. And these lead through the Arctic Ocean.
We should really hurry! The first half of the route Gjoa Haven - Cambridge is quite demanding.
Permanent shoals and a throng of waterways which constantly change their direction.
The whole thing is equipped quite good with navigation signals. But still both of us are needed. One looks under deck at the GPS data and route suggestions, the other steers the auto pilot from on deck.
It works quite good this way, but it is a little bit fatiguing over time.
Additionally the Canadians maintain here a research station. The closer you get to it the less works the navigation. Whatever they seek here, they massively distract the compass and the GPS.
In contrary to the first, the second half takes us over open water. For lack of a sea map I beforehand organized waypoints and transferred these to our available map material on the laptop.
Together it functions very well. I sit in the warm and only have to give the direction to the next way point from time to time. The only danger here is every now and then a sleeping whale.
Being quite good recognizable on the radar they are easy to drive around them.
Kathrin has the second watch and oversleeps the whole fun. So it goes peacefully towards Cambridge Bay.
The Passage is achieved - Now we "only" have the Polar sea to leave behind us…!!!
14.08.2009 Start in Resolute
A view at the newest ice maps lets us think about departure. (click to enlarge)
Over night it became again a bit tight in our bay. But we are confident to find an exit.
So: Start trough the Northwest Passage on August 14th 2009 at 12 o'clock.
12.08.2009 The polar bear
Here in Resolute there are everywhere posters which warn of polar bears and erect some important rules of behaviour.
For example:
always go in groups,
don't let your children unattended,
only camp inside a secured camp,
don't leave food rests lying around,
tell somebody where you go and when you come back,
remember, that the bear is an excellent swimmer, a very good climber and can run very fast,
therefore he is an extremely dangerous predator
So well, actually we know that!
As we meet our first bear in reality, as a precaution we rather load our gun and put it ready to hand.
Although the bear really makes a cute impression (we remind on "Knut") in the evening we take the gun with us into the sleeping room…!
10.08.2009 Resolute Bay
Across the bay sounds the call: "Danger! Ice!"
It is 2 a.m.. I stick my head out of the bed and out of the scuttle and do not believe my eyes.
The wind turned and pushes whole mountains of ice floes into the bay. And this happens enormously fast.
Time to do something. It is dam cold outside and extremely windy.
Now try to find quickly the right clothes…
The French boat is the first to be ready und searches its way through the floes out of the bay. Kathrin struggles with the anchor which wants to disappear under a floe. I have just the luck to stand wind protected, but I need all my hands to prevent a collision.
The Americans from the FIONA which is lying next to us finally also show up and try to rescue what is still there to rescue.
In the meantime the ice field in front of us got so dense that a getting through became impossible. We start another half-hearted try but no chance.
Anyway we have the opinion that it is better rather to get hit here close to the shore because nobody really wants to get stuck in the ice many kilometers off the shore.
Meanwhile it does get a little bit tight. In front of us the ice field continuously comes closer and behind us it is getting shallow. We keep on juggling a little bit through the floes but there is not much we can still do anymore.
The FIONA is struck first. Because she has 35 cm more draft she runs aground. There she really does not stand at the best place.
For the start we clamp at some ice floe and try to get an overview.
At the very side it does not look so bad. In front of there is a small headland which keeps the most rough pieces away. Only - how to get there?
The only reasonable we can do now is to search for a safe calm place in the ice. Luckily we find a big stable looking ice floe, which seems to sit aground.
It has one straight side which is like made for the PERITHIA. With a little bit of work all unevenness's are removed and we tie us to the ice.
We could not make a better choice.
All around us it cracks and crunches, floes slide over one another mountainous high. Luckily some bigger blocks got stuck in front of us and give us shelter. We lie like at a small mole.
The FIONA also has brazen luck. 2 Meters in front of her the ice stops.
In this way both boats don't have a single unwanted ice collision.
We make us some coffee and wait for the morning. The wind calms down and at rest we can look what to do. The whole bay got filled with ice within no time.
It is unbelievable with which speed this happens. Slowly comes the flood and with it also some movement comes back into the ice.
It is time to get away from here. So we steer to the last fairly ice free sector of the bay and anchor there.
So now we arrived in Resolute.
Here we will have to wait, until the ice in the "Larsen Sound" and the "Victoria Strait", the most difficult section of the Northwest Passage, lets us through.
A sightseeing of the place is quickly done. A few houses, a shop and a pension. A settlement for 250 people at the end of the world, so it seems.
No tree, no bush, only gravel as far as the eye can see. To get an overview we first go to the pension. Inside the office we meet Phil the manager.
He is in the village the contact person for everything. The pension is something like the meeting place around here. Constantly there are people coming, coffee and juice is free and there is TV and internet. Also we quickly get in touch with the indigenous Eskimos.
The first attempt make like everywhere in the world the kids. Back at the PERITHIA it does not take long and the first canoe puts out for a boat inspection.
Everything is examined and peered. Anyway they don't suffer from fear of contact. Later during our extensive walks through the village we meet Josh.
He lives across from the only shop and we start talking.
He offers us his help - washing clothes or taking a shower - of course we are hearty welcome.
Indeed our first visit of his family almost ends with a misunderstanding. We stand in front of the door and knock, but nobody opens. Knocking or even door bells don't exist here. The doors are open and if you want something you just go inside.
Alone because of the bears no door, also during absence, must be closed. Therefore every house serves as an escape way. Anyway bears are no rarity in the village.
We learn that one day before our arrival some were…
Oh! Wow! A bear swims by the boat and indeed focuses the next floe.
Call Kathrin, load the gun, get the camera - everything is one!
To our luck Knut (let's call him like that) leaves himself time and lays down for a nap.
Still yesterday evening the ice was up to the boat. So the Eskimos don't carry their guns just for fun…
So the days here pass by quite diverse. Resolute Bay is always good for a surprise.
Josh shows us the only sight in town - a pile of saber-tooth bones or something like that and the whole stony surrounding. If we want we can use his quad at any time, he gives it to us for use just like that.
Unfortunately Josh got to go to the hospital on Thursday and this means: to say goodbye. Thereby he gives us a bag full of groceries and everything one could also need!
We understand this as a guest gift and are quite surprised with the extent of the hospitality here as well as how self-evident it is done.
So the days of waiting for an ice free Passage pass surprisingly fast and enjoyable. Even the weather shows itself from its best side. Despite all we could not imagine under any circumstances to live her.
Resolute is just a "little bit" too remote from the rest of the world… Two times in a year comes a supply ship for bigger consumer goods like TVs, washing machines and such a like.
The rest comes per airplane. Hence it happens that over the weekend the cigarettes run out.
Then it is waiting time. Resolute was founded 1946 by the Americans and possesses an airfield for jets that fly over the North Pole and get into emergency.
Since the founding of the autonomous Inuit state Nunavut not much more has happened here I think. Knut on his floe meanwhile slowly drifts around the bay.
We hope that the camera batteries will still endure a while…
Indigenous people with cars and quads come to the beach for photographing, until it gets perhaps to loud and to hectically for our polar bear and he walks away across the ice floes.
09.08.2009 From Upernarvik (Greenland) to Resolute Bay (Canada)
So today we start to our actual goal of the journey.
The passing of the Northwest Passage. We want to start early, quickly spend the remaining Greenlandic krones and off.
But somehow everything takes so long. As usual we are looking for an internet connection.
Meanwhile we luckily have experience in such matters. So we go into the next office building and ask.
There is always someone nice who frees his desk for us. Back at the PERITHIA there waits already the machinist of the DAGMAR AAEN which moored in the harbor one day before us.
He has luck, I exchanged the last krones for beer. Normally we wanted to cast off but now we take he chance and decide to take a close look around on this really nice schooner.
I really have to say a very nice boat. Everything is perfectly thought-out and customized. Only that I know some people who would not fit into these bunks…!
They are really very narrow. (Except Bim of course, he is slim now!)
I think meanwhile it's 11pm, and it is more than time to go to the northernmost point of our tour (74°41.488 N; 094°50.493 W).
 -Resolute/thumbs/vor-Upernavik.jpg)
The Baffin Bay is calm and the icebergs are moderate. Too calm.
Just the next morning the trouble begins. Coincidently I look outside and wonder: "Why exactly are we driving sinuous lines?"
But before I could think about it was over again. Now we go in circles.
While Kathrin searches the autopilot manual, maybe there stands something helpful inside, I do something I haven't done in a long time. I steer by myself. At least I try to.
But now one would have to know at least the direction. The two compasses that we have, one on each steering wheel, show to different directions, one to the left the other to the right. And the comparison to the one in our hands gives a third alternative.
OK we still got our GPS. An alignment with the compass gives me a rough direction. Sometime I notice: the compass card is somehow inert. It reacts endlessly slow. So we draw our meanders and think. I did not think that the magnetic pole, whose position constantly changes, already has such an impact here. Also it is could and it is raining.
 -Resolute/thumbs/ein-Schauspiel,-das-fast-unwirklich-erscheint.jpg)
For the beginning we try it with a new calibration of the auto pilot. Maybe he will show some consideration. One, two hours later - I am just preparing myself for an unpleasant night- we finally have success and the whole thing calms down a bit.
Although we still drive curvy and from time to time also in a circle, we drive!
One more time we appreciate how so cosy and warm it is under deck, presuming that the PERITHIA does her duty without making problems.
Slowly comes to sight, under cloud covered sky, the -Lancaster Sound. The entrance to the Passage.
In the middle of the night and totally unspectacular we lurch pass the Cape Walter Bathurst. (I resolve to look after who that must have been) I sit at the map table and have an eye on the monitors, Kathrin sleeps and we change roles after 4 hours.
One does not need to look for other boats here; as usual we are the only ship since days. Inside the sound we drive with 280° map course towards west. To Resolute Bay it is still about 250nm; so two days.
Approximately 50nm before the target lies Cape Riddle. Here in this bay lies buried a seaman from the Franklin expedition.
You can also view the remains of an old Inuit house as well as a Tschuktuck.
 -Resolute/thumbs/Franklin---Expedition-ein-Mitstreiter-ist hier-begraben.jpg)
Shortly before Resolute the ice fields begin. So about 2nm wide they don't cause us big trouble, we always steer along the edge of the ice.
Some worries only arise shortly before the end. Hopefully the entry to the bay is free. But - luck.
We navigate into a big calm ice free Bay and are at finish. Or better said: at the beginning of the Passage. The anchor is dropped quickly.
We get together with two other boats who we already know and who have the same goal like us and we are looking forward to sleep through a night unconcerned and calm. But it should come totally different.
In the middle of the night we wake up by loud whistle, calls and wild yelling:
Danger!!! Ice!!! Danger!!! Ice!!!
06.08.2009 From Ilulissat to Upernavik
We are going back now from Ilulissat to Aasiaat.
We just want to check if at that beautiful place we were more lucky at fishing.
The native fishermen had told us that we should get a fish on our rod after 10 minutes at the latest.
We are curious. The way back turns out to be more difficult than expected.
When during our outward journey there was almost no ice around Ilulissat, the wind has turned over night and pushed enormous ice fields into the inlet of the port. You can admire them already from the port.
It's no use. We slowly make our way and search for the best way through the entanglement of the ice floes.
Imitating the fishermen, we do not have any other possibility than going on slowly and pushing the ice aside.
If it would only be a small zone, but like this it takes us hours to pass through the ice floes.
Kathrin is standing at the front of the bow, telling me which direction to take and I try to react as quickly as possible to her signals accelerating more and less.
We also take the time to shoot some fotos - in that amazing scenery! Kathrin also uses the Dingi to make smaller excursions.
The scraping and butting of the ice will make necessary a new paint for the PERITHIA.
It won't surely be the last thumps we will have to bear. We arrive only the next morning in Asiaat.
We arrange to meet our friend Bjane who is actually electrician but claims to be a born fisherman.
So we meet him at the mole and go on board of his boat.
I won't need my high-tech-fishing-rod here, we will fish in the traditional way.
It is pretty simple. You need a short stick on which the fishing line line is rolled including a sinker and a hook. Taht's it.
When I am looking at that thing I am worrying how I will get the promissed fish out of the water. But we will see.
So we dash to the place where the big fish are supposed to be and already unreel the fishing line. Two beers later we agree that the current is not favorable and begin to pack up everything.
We go on testing the best places with most fish. From time to time I look at our beer that is not getting more during our tests.
We finally agree to make one last despaired attempt. Now definitivley at the reight place... !
I am surprised that there are fisher boats all around us, probably they already fished all the fish away. But behold, something has got entangled in our fishing line: round, slimy and pretty thick.
To me it looks like a crossover of a globefish and a sea cucumber. From now on we fish that kind of animal all the time, but you can't eat it.
Occasionally we also fish a kind of quillfish which is - to make matters worse - dangerous.
"Beware of the dorsal fin!", is what we hear.
But suddenly I feel a weight on the fishing line. I reel the line in and the catch succeeded.
What a splendid specimen! I don't know if was because of the cold water or the shock it did not even dither and I could pull it into the boat without resitance.
To not overstrain our luck at fishing, we pack up now and go back. The 10 minutes have become already 3 hours.
In the meantime it has become evening and we decide to stay at home and spent the vening in front of the TV. Tassi was most excited about the "giant fish" and scarfed it down completely.
It had roughly his size as well. We are sorry but we have to go on now. The Passage is not waiting for us.
We want to set off tomorrow early in the morning. But one moment, I have not yet told you about our gas pipe which I wanted to remodel all the time but never made it. There's got to be time for that.
We do fortunately know a plumber. Kurt did already design the exhaust system of the generator and is now tackeling our gas pipe. After everything is ready, we refuel and store water.
We say good bye to our new friends who really helped us as much as they could and cast off in direction to Upernavik.
As we will be leaving Greenland soon, we look back on the things we experienced here and we notice: we did not make a single bad experience here and exclusively got to know nice and helpful people.
People here are very proud of their homeland and are glad to show it to others.
That time the weather unfortunately throws a big monkey wrench in our plans. The wind is blowing extremely and of course head on. As we want to sail close to the coast, we cannot make much advantage by beating about. And honestly we are not very eager. We are more tuned in to two relaxing days withou stress.
We also have a lot of new pictures we need to sort and prepare.
So after about 30 NM bouncing over waves we call at the little port of God Haven for tonight. We have 3 possibilities to dock: alongside at an old big fishing cutter, at the ferry dock or next to three smaller fishing boats. We decided for the last option which will turn out as pretty wise.
At 6 am the big cutter casts off and at 7 am the ferry. It would have been a very short night for us. After docking and mooring we scramble over the other boats to reach the mole which is not that easy because those fishing cutters are all much higher than the PERITHIA, especially the last one. On board of the penultimate boat is a firendly fisherman who shows me the best way by hand signs to pass to his bigger neighbor.
So I swing up into dizzying heights and bracchiate along the slippery ship's side. I hardly arrived on top when the friendly fisherman sees Kathrin.
Lo and behold! Of course he gets immediatly a ladder for the female visitor and makes sure that she arrives safely on board. The village itself is small but interesting.
We notice clearly that we are reaching northern regions. The houses here are smaller and are build in a winterproof style.
Every house has a lot of dogs around which do not seem to be a tourist attraction. It is not getting a late night. We stroll through the village, stop at the tavern and scramble back to our PERITHIA very soon.
The next morning I get up very early to cast off as soon as possible, there are still some miles until our next destination. The weather plays along again only the barometer is a bit worrying. It is falling steadily.
Annoying are the icebergs that are drifting from the Disco Bay and the neighboring fjords into the open sea.
There are a lot of glaciers that deliver fresh supply of icebergs.
You can't overlook them. They unfotunately have the bad habit from time to time to break apart with a lot of noise.
That is why mostly there are several smaller ice floes drifting behind the giants. It is more difficult to recognize those smaller ones and you need to be attentive all the time.
We also wondered why the natives are only using glass fiber reinforced plastic boats to pass through the ice. The answer was rather surprising to us. Aluminium is getting refractory under these cold temperatures and would not bear a possible collision with ice clots. They should know what is best and are happy having a hulk of plastic.
Writing this, I hear a loud whack. There must hav been something in our way. It was a chunk of ice as big as a car.
Even Kathrin woke up and comes quickly out of the cabin, pretty frightened. We check it immediatly and see that we are lucky again.
We go on to Upernavik without further incidents. We meet the DAMAR AAEN again. We refuel, buy the bare necesseties, search for an internet and set off in direction to Canada.
From Nuuk to Disco Island
Before we get everything ready to continue our journey, I think, once again of our remaining piece of fishing net. Since the Mediterranean we have it hanging on our rudder and are hauling it with us. Because the water probably won't get any warmer in the coming months we decide unanimously (with one vote against by Kathrin) that it is about time to remove it. The water currently has about 3 ° C, which is not exactly warm. But because the neoprene-suit does not fit me I am quite confident and am happy to give good advices. So Kathrin dives death-defying into the water and after detailed inspection of the rudder explains me that there is nothing to see. I think the murky harbour water impedes the view; it's got to be somewhere. One more attempt and voila the net together with the corresponding floaters comes to light and is quickly removed.
My proposal, to perform now a check of the screw, however, does not lead to great enthusiasm from Kathrin. She is happy to come out from the water again. True to the motto "A burnt child dreads the fire" we now before we continue our journey refill all our diesel supplies. Unfortunately it is weekend and it seems that all Greenlanders want to make a water excursion. At the gas station it is like at the "Hainstraße". It is not so easy to navigate the PERITHIA between all these small boats.
Everything is full, we need only water for the tanks and off we go. The sea is relatively free of ice, so that we don't really have to face major problems in the direction to Aasiaat. Only that the electric generator at some point stops its duty. Our emergency generator is not necessarily good, but a bit of power it still brings. Therefore: no worries. We travel directly along the coast and admire the magnificent view. Arrived in Aasiaat we are the only sailboat and also quickly find a good place to moor. We must mind the 2.80 m difference in height between high and low tide which makes the on-off always to be a lot of climbing. As we are now 2 days on the boat, we decide to stretch our legs and to take a look around the place. Aasiaat is a relatively small nest, but it has its own airport.
And - I have been heard - a bar! So we went inside. It comes of course, like it should be. Hardly we sit, we get to 100% visits at the table. Always feminine, and never sober. Fortunately, the shop is filled with a shock and we are in the middle of a party. Somebody has got some visitor someone turns 50 and the local teacher has finally received Viagra. The Eskimos, like the Indians also have an additional name. As "always standing Penis" will be introduced, Kathrin does not know exactly where to with her eyes. The night that is day bright ends five o' clock in the morning in a private club. We have met a lot of nice people. This helps us very much with the repair of our little ailments at the PERITHIA. I will get up early and think, let's see who can still remember the promise of last night. Already it honks and after a coffee we go to all the workshops that we so need. The alternator is replaced quickly and a shiny new generator we have also. Since there is no public internet in this town, we can us the computer in an office.
Because we like it here, we postpone our departure until tomorrow. That brings us an invitation to dinner and we sit half the night grilling in a conservatory (sun-room). Actually, here are all fishermen, I think and try to get a few tips. My last fishing experiences, however, trigger astonishment. 10 min per fish seems to be the rule. So we will have a fishing trip with professional management. I'm excited!
Sooner or later we must, however, go. The satellite images show a relatively ice-free zone for the next 40 nm.
Barely out of the harbour, it is first - machines stop -. We suddenly find ourselves in the middle of a whale herd. It is unbelievable; these huge animals swim directly around our boat. It snorts, sniffs, blows and puffs once ahead of us, sometimes right next to us, now behind us. Sometimes we think: "Hopefully, the whale also knows that we are still there." Kathrin rushes to the camera to shoot the images of her life. Of course, the battery is down ...
We comfort ourselves with the fact that this certainly have not been the last of their kind.
Ilulissat slowly comes closer. So does the ice. Here is the birthplace of the greatest ice giants ever. To circumnavigate the icebergs in slalom actually goes quite good. Bad are only the fields of drift ice through which we must go. Probably the PERITHIA soon needs a fresh coat of paint. From time to time it crunches a bit. This can not be avoided. So we reach at midnight in zigzags the port of Ilulissat and notice: it is quite full. After thorough inspection, we spot the DAGMAR AAEN.
"Arved Fuchs will not eat us!" We think and moor alongside. So far everything is good, only the next morning a large trawler claims our berths. Two sailors in a fairly crowded harbour are looking for a new place. Fortunately, this is not like a supermarket parking lot. Here is pushed and pressed and re-parked until it fits. Ilulissat is a tourist town. A few cafes, 4 restaurants, souvenir shops and excursion offers.
Unique is the glacier here, which clogs the deep fjord with icebergs and ice fields. We decide that this shall be the backdrop for "a few snap shots" for our main sponsor ISY! His electronic charts have previously shown the way perfectly. There is absolutely nothing to complain! We will therefore take the most trouble.
This you will read in the next report and the in the photo album you make your own picture, whether we succeeded.
17.07.2009 From St. John `s to Greenland
After initial difficulties to refill our diesel inventories we want to go.
Indeed we must go with the canisters in the car of a friend, but then pack the trunk as full as possible.
There is not enough space for everything but it will be enough, we think.
Exactly this will later proof to be a fatal fault. The fact that there is slowly rising fog in the harbour does not bother us further. Stashing drinking water and here we go. Since we have the same route as a young Frenchman we start together.
Now outside of the port the vision has become so bad that you can not see your hand before your eyes;
as well as the Frenchman.
Only with the help of the radar, we can pursue the position at least on the monitor.
But that way it's very complicated! Via radio, we decide to work together - we have the technical capabilities
to come safely through the fog and he has still a bottle of Brazilian rum
So we invite him to visit us, bind his CHIMERE behind, set the autopilot and the radar alarm and start already to pound lemons.
In the next morning the fog is gone, but there's stillno wind. Motor driven, we slowly move on.
Actually, we wanted to sail the Canadian Coast northward to cross later to Greenland through the Labrador Sea.
The ice maps from the Coast Guard, however, threw a monkey wrench in our plans. Just north is ice everywhere.
The first smaller ice floe, I see already on the 48 ° N. Well, then just right course NNE.
Two days without wind and nowonly wind from the front. The sea has probably decided to show us that there is another way.
A really nice storm is comming up. 3 days only wind, thick, fat clouds, rain - nothing of sun.
We are fighting on three fronts: first, the wind blows exactly from our direction. But because of her rolling Genoa the PERITHIA does not necessarily have the best "hard on the wind" properties. Not to bear away too far, I must drive the Genoa as large as possible, as otherwise the role would make the wind leave. That brings, of course, a slant you first have to get used to.
Second we shoot over the waves and slam back down on the other side. That gives each time a huge bash. So we continue to shorten sails, thus we come to about 60 ° to the wind and the waves. They now splash over us and clean the boat. Soon everything is wet. Our roof indeed is capable of holding the loads but water runs through all the cracks. With the boat rocking around so much the generator seems to work no more, no electricity and nothing can become warm, not to mention dry.
And finally to all abound: A look at our - freshly in the Azores repaired - mainsail says nothing good...! Now with this waves try to get the sails down and the replacement up again. Tied to the mast and soaked, we manage to get it right and what can be, will be - also this sail does not withstand the wind for very long! The decision to buy new sails still falls during this storm.
Unfortunately, the problems are just beginning. Because of the great pressure on the Genoa we can not completely roll it in. The meter, which still hangs out, makes it impossible to maneuver the boat. We can steer as much as we want, the bow is always pushed to the side - time to pay out. With the wind, the PERITHIA goes excellent and we have time to think: We are roughly at the half of the way. The problem we still have a lot of other sails, but without mainsail we are stuck up. Shortly we think of going back to St. John's and get everything fixed first. But for reasons of time this would mean the breaking off of the passage. So we will make one sail out of two.
We perform the stunt to salvage the Genoa make us to patch. With the "knitting Liesel" (awl) it actually goes well.
You sew from above: one steadies, the other pulls the needle through. Now, the thread has to be pulled from the other side through a loop.
For this you have to go below the sail. And this for every stitch. However, we started early in the morning and succeeded indeed late at night.
Of good cheer we are waiting for the next day and the weather even calms down a bit.
I steer with the electronic wind controller. This has the advantage that the boat goes always in the same angle to the wind.
So there are no surprises. We have time to clean up and to clear the boat at least somewhat. The next morning,
then it turns back the Labrador Sea at its best; wonderfully smooth and with bright sunshine.
Immediately our mood betters. Slowly everything dries, the heating is back and the first iceberg is in sight.
To supply all of you who remained home with photos we decide to steer by as closely as possible.
Suddenly there is a quiet mumbling in the air, which quickly swells to a rumbling.
With enormous fanfare a fairly respectable piece of ice dissolves and roars into the sea.
Well, fortunately we were not there. It is gigantic! We explore and photograph the giant from all sides.
Only now I find that I do not have a whiskey with me. I would have enough ice...
With the weather change it becomes really nice. Luscious sun, about 20° C, and we chug through sea as smooth as glass.
So after two days I estimate our stocks in the diesel tanks. It does not look very well at all.
In order to ensure to arrive, we decide a further course change to the nearest port of Greenland.
As our barometer predicted correctly there is of course not the slightest breeze of air. But we arrive the coast.
With the last litres of diesel, we can reach the long yearned south coast of Greenland and face a huge ice barrier.
The entire coastal section is closed. The place Nanortarik remains inaccessible to us.
The student of the University of Bremen, who this week was responsible for the cards has probably overslept or had to do better,
because the ice-map of the university showed an ice-free coast.
We reflect and find out we have a problem: No wind, no fuel and we also do not want to drift at the ice.
But how do you say? -Luck is with the uninformed, since 9 days we see the first fish trawler.
I radio him, explain him our plight. "No problem!" comes from the radio and the trawler turns to.
I then had some trouble with him to go alongside. After all, our mast extends only to its railing.
Kathrin takes the chance to exercise in the capture of the heaving line and a sailor lets down a 20 litre canister.
Of course we welcome the unconventional help and try to pay. But more than the exchange of photos is not there.
20 litres are 7 h and this means for us 40 nm. The coast guard also must have listened to our radio message.
Now it appears actually a police boat and asks about how and where and whether everything is all right.
So many boats in one day, we have not experienced in a long time. "Don't you have maybe 20 litres of diesel?"
At least I wanted to ask ... On the other side, they calculate. Up to Nuuk, what I specified as the destination, it still takes 300 nm.
Well, becoming courageous, we agree: 100 l have are necessary at least. "OK! Please stop and wait! "is the answer.
Soon, a dinghy is lowered and two sailors come to us. Meanwhile I am looking for all available canisters and decide myself,
10 20-litre-canisters will do it too. More I cannot get together in this hurry. We again offered our dollars but again could not get rid of them.
The diesel was a gift from the gouvernement, as well as a few current ice maps on top.
They wish us a good trip and we were even allowed to shoot a few photos.
That is really nice, we get all gratuitous one.
Apart from a plethora of icebergs, big or small, which we bypassed in slalom,
we now drive completely carefree to our next destination. Frederikshåb, a small town in a fjord.
As Europeans, we would describe it as quite remote. A small one-horse-town, not even a pub.
But there are nice people, and we get a look-around of the town. An ATM is also there, and I ask the nice woman
from the post office about the exchange rate. She has it of course not in here mind but would like to look.
To be sure a colleague is called and the computer is consulted. They then finally find something and Kathrin and
I decide we are not soo hungry. One meal for two is also enough...
So we still turn a few laps and then go back to the port. There first climbing is required.
Having parked during flood, we are 2.80 m deeper when we came back.
Further, it goes with goal Nuuk, 230 nm.
We continue to our destination Nuuk, 230 nm. By now there will be no more dark nights
what makes the navigation around the unending ice giants considerably easier.
We travel directly along the coast and admire the landscape.
Pure sun.
We noticed that we still have not seen a single tree. Only stone and rock, as far as the eye can see.
But somehow touching
when you consider what a vast area it is and how sparsely populated!
Nuuk itself has a very small port for its size. We dock here together with three or more.
And we are thus quickly in conversation with other sailors.
The town itself consists of the usual wooden houses and
newly built settlements which spring up like mushrooms. Department stores,
banks, pubs - everything there. Ah, we can go out to eat for two again. After a
new request of the exchange rate, the post office computer in Frederikshåb
turned out to be defective. At the end there was no reason for our concerns
being among the oil tycoons and not being able to afford the restaurants.
Tomorrow we will shop and fill our tanks. Then we continue towards Disco Island
to the birthplace of the ice giants. We expect to need about 3days. But please
remember, we are underway with the sailboat and not with the train which can
comply with a schedule (or not ...) So do not be impatient!
03.07.09 23:03 clock special message from St. John's
Newfoundland
"Hello Dieter, have not yet started, the Petrolman still has not come.
There is a route change:
our American neighbors have Icemaps from the local Coast Gard
and that is why tomorrow we will go directly to the west coast of Greenland to Nuuk.
We expect about 8 days.
At the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador is too much floating ice
(Incidentally, unlike the Icemaps from the University of Bremen show).
We will probably soon see ice !
So see you soon. Peti and Kathrin
11.06.09 - 02.07.09
San Miguel (Azores) - St. John's (Newfoundland, Canada)
Our crew has shrunk.
After 3 weeks of struggling Bruni finally lost the fight for her life even despite the forced
feeding with dextrose-solution via infusion and we buried her seamanlike at the
Azores, a sad event but unfortunately irreversible. In complete contrary to
Bruni Tassi develops increasingly to become a seaman and either jumps around on
deck or drones and sleeps.
Across the big ocean…
I immediately say it ahead: our crossing to the American continent succeeded quite peaceful and without adventures.
Except water from above and from down and somehow from everywhere thick clouds,
sun from time to time and 3 days of impenetrable fog there were no bad weather extremes.
Being spared by storm and monster waves we get used to cold temperatures. (Air: 9° to 13°C; Water: 6° to 10°C)
Certainly it will not get warmer anymore in the next 5 months!
Well, there comes the question what are they actually doing for 14 days,
surrounded only by water and air for 24 hours in intimate togetherness?
Surprisingly there was not yet any moment of boredom.
For it our board-library and board-movie-archive are too big.
Also we are diligently learning English, even as at our "high age" it turns out to be more difficult than we thought.
The vocabularies just do not want to stick in our heads..!
Because our appetite is enormous we especially devote ourselves to the preparation
of yummy meals (including baking bread)!
And then we also had our birthdays! Speaking of which;
THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVELY (-: CONGRATULATIONS!
Normally we are used to celebrate with family, friends and acquaintances and would not celebrate sitting home alone.
Obviously this was not possible this time but still there was a boat party.
We blew up a lot of balloons, asked: "who shall be with us?" and drew at each balloon the typical face.
Being distributed in and on the boat they then were dancing with the waves to Bob Dylan's
twanging blues music until the next day.
Of course a festive menu should not be missing; instead of fish we had beef roulades with potatoes
and red cabbage and for the dessert vanilla pudding with strawberries.
By the way during our passage there were always (not only close to the coast) birds at our periphery.
Now we are no ornithologists and can not say what kind of birds but we though:
were there are birds there must also be fish. Far from it! Except one time!
As we are floating along we see in front of us approximately 40-50 pieces sitting like in
a pond with a radius of about a mile.
And as we then drive by in direct closeness it shines very bright under the water.
Suddenly a dark body as long as our boat shows up next to us like in slow motion
and blurts out a huge fountain of water: a pot whale!
We are totally thrilled and see in the far 2 miles around us water fountains.
It must be a big herd of whales. We don't move from the spot we are standing on,
not even to go and get the camera, because then we could miss something.
This encounter shows us very clearly how small we are and who actually should be here on the vast ocean.
Apart from that we are often accompanied by dolphins, so often that we only look for them when they are more than five.
Once there was even a baby dolphin! Each time is fascinating; they swim ahead to turn around dive beneath the boat and back the other way. Thereby they twist and jump out of the water as if they have as much fun in this game as we. One can not help it - inevitably you stand there with a wide smile in your face and you are being glad to meet these amazing animals in their free, natural living environment.
Finally - after two weeks - Land in sight: Newfoundland!
We decide to go for the main port St. John's.
It lies in a big bay and therefore well sheltered and we are the only sailors.
There are two small swimming footbridges, what makes the landing for us much easier.
Here are approximately 1,5m of tide. This should not be forgotten when dimensioning the mooring ropes.
Hardly tied up we are glad to have again solid bottom beneath our feet and at first go for a breakfast.
But thereby remorse creeps over us. Maybe we should first drop in at the customs.
We search and find the responsible authority and our entry to Canada designs itself completely unproblematic.
The customs only wants to quickly inspect the boat, but what is there to see?
Only - Old Gun Stick - (our shotgun) must go to the weapons cabinet.
After a thorough evaluation Kathrin's wardrobe this time is not found to be really
burglar-proof and - Old Gun Stick - gets a bike lock as security and has to
move to the police station for the time of our stay.
Now tied to - the square of the two dogs- , that is the name of our dock
and in the meantime arrive two other sailors, a beautiful old American cutter and a "dwarf boat" (8m) from France.
Like they tell us both want also to go to Greenland.
St. John `s is a typical Canadian city, consisting of a Main Street and a bunch of wooden houses.
Only that everything is very spacious. Therefore we also don't a supermarket in the immediate vicinity.
We ask somebody and find out that all the markets are, like everywhere, outside.
Sure, in Canada due to the spaciousness of each meter is gone with the car.
Our new Canadian friend thinks it is too far to walk, he's back in half an hour and gives us a ride.
Returning from shopping, we get a visit from a Canadian who had somehow learned
that we (once again, but this time only a small ...) have a problem with the sail.
Unfortunately, the sail maker will close in a moment and tomorrow is Canada day - i.e. holiday.
From our idea -Do it your self- he is not so pleased and decides to drive immediately to ask.
"Segelmäcke" then really wanted to knock off work already. But the two seams are still possible.
Once started, nothing can stop him to control everything and to renovate every little seam.
We notice that we actually did not ask for help any of these three people we met first on the American continent.
Apparently Canadians are all here very communicative.
Constantly someone is standing on the boat with us and asks where we come from,
where we go and whether we need something and offers his help.
Although we wanted to continue as soon as possible, we decide for one day longer here,
because the holiday here we must not miss and then go to the party.
Since it is really cold, we nestle up in thick clothes.
Here the people seem to be used to different temperatures.
So I am in fur coat next to girls in miniskirt.
Country Music is in fashion. And even hardened bikers swing their dancing leg.
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Today on the third day we really have to go. Kathrin must quickly dive under the boat. Remember that since the Mediterranean Sea we have been dragging a piece of fishing along with the rudder. That must be removed. Fortunately, our neoprene suits only Kathrin ...!
Then only refuel and fill the water tanks and next we steer to the city Nain (for us, the northernmost town in Newfoundland).
The approximately 600 nm should still be ice free!
June 1st 09 - June 10th 09
Sines (Portugal) - San Miguel (Azores)
Differing from our original plan we decided for the route Sines-Azores-Newfoundland.
The extra way is not too long. Only one more time the problem is: there is no wind. Luckily we have a motor.
So we chug ahead and hope for better conditions.
To enrich the diet, it would be nice if now also a fish would go into our net respectively our fishing rod!
But it seems that the whole Portuguese fishing fleet has conspired against us
and during the night just fishes in front of us. Anyway - no fish!
Our new strategy is: Put the boat advantageously into the wind and wait for flying fish.
One time it worked and actually during the night one got tangled up in our tarpaulin.
Unfortunately he was gone as fast as he came.
Anyways it comes like it has to come, after: no wind - comes: lots of wind, stupidly exactly from the front.
Of course because of our furling genua we do not have the best possibilities to sail close-hauled.
So we motor with the help of the main sail.
The wind seems to be like nailed down here - constantly from the west.
The only thing - it is getting stronger and stronger; meanwhile we have wind force 7Bft.
But one also gets used quite fast to waves of 4-5 Meters in height.
What attracts our attention is that there is nowhere another boat travelling.
This is of course advantageous for us at night.
Our radar spots everything in the reach of 12 nm and would warn us at danger.
Days later, and the wind is still increasing. Using the time I start to think if it would
be better to take the waves angular or better not so angular.
Unfortunately I don't come to a conclusion. Suddenly, a loud bang and the main sail is fucked.
Until today I don't know what the reason was for that.
Getting in the sail to rescue whatever there is to rescue, it does not matter.
Of course the honorific mission to recover the wreck and to bring the reserve-main to the mast falls on me.
Just for itself it is not so difficult.
It is just that it is rocking heavily and there are about 35m² cloth that want to be tamed somehow.
It spurts enormously and "Clean Devil" is doing a great job. The work on deck is done and onwards we go.
Because of wind reasons we decide to call at a small port in
San Miguel to get a little bit of diesel. Unfortunately the port entry is so narrow and dark,
that we at first anchor in front to await the day. So we at first sleep and land in the morning.
Immediately there are helping hands and we get professionally tied up. Of course I forgot something, 1,8m tide!
We go on land with our canister and providently ask for a gas station. However in the village there is none.
But even this problem is taken care of without even asking. Someone gets his car and away we go.
Meanwhile someone discovers that our bow ropes are not so O.K. anymore. So he just stays the whole time at our boat and watches our ropes.
I would say this definitely was the friendliest port of them all.
The last meters to Ponta Delgada then with motor and we dock in at a beautiful marina.
Here are the supposedly best possibilities for supply and maintenance on the whole Azores.
But we don't really notice anything of that. It is again like in every southern haven.
Actually nothing is happening unless you do it yourself.
In the meantime we got a thick fur and wait for the things that come along or simply don't… Interesting
is that just now the season was heralded. Now every day a hard-rock band plays and there are so many happenings,
unfortunately 50 m next to us.
Today we finally got back our sails.
After several phone calls I am also approaching the final installation of our internet system.
Broadcasting tests with a friend on the Portuguese mainland showed that we can radio over thousands
of nm without any problem. Since so far everything seems to be O.K. we will cast off tonight
and start towards Newfoundland. Still we are in our time schedule but must slowly start to hurry a bit.
Also we are very curious about the "SILENT SOUND" of the OPEN PASSAGE EXPEDITION which
advances us from the other side of the North-West-Passage.
01.06.2009 Gibraltar - Sines (Lisbon)
The last stage before we head to more northern regions.
Surrounded by Spain we meet in Gibraltar old honourable as well as modern commercial flair;
(fish and chips in pubs, right-hand traffic, typical English policemen with their nice hats,
investment offers for condominiums at the marine for very "well-heeled" people)
In the port it is very international.
Time and again there are interesting details to discover.
For example it is very astonishing for us that it is possible that in midst of the marina a boat is slowly sinking just like that. And there is nobody who cares!
Totally tourist - we of course want to see the famous Rock of Gibraltar (Monkey-Rock).
Inside this nature reserve are some free living apes which pose unbelievably competent for the camera. It is urgently recommended not to make any trials of attracting them through offering them some food or similar things.
Of course we obey; nobody of us wants to be bitten by an ape.
Further on the way to Portugal we hope that the Atlantic Ocean will bring us more favourable wind, but it is hopeless!
A few times we put every sail cloth that we have but with wind category 2, respectively wind directly from the front we have no chance to win some miles without using the motor.
We are under time pressure and want to start not later than the 1st of June from Portugal, first towards the Azores - then North.
And there are still a lot of things to be done in Portugal.
These are: the flange at the motor cooling water system, the impeller for the outboard motor, the battery acid and also a radio specialist would not be so bad - just to name a few things.
Actually nothing really problematic, but somehow everything takes a small eternity until a certain part can be ordered, until it arrives, until somebody comes, not to speak of - until somebody repairs! But here in Sines our friend Fips, who has here in Alenteju his second home, has send us to a good friend of him.
Oliver seems to help as a lot; he really knows every Tom, Dick and Harry, even a radio specialist!
Quickly Bernd explains us that it is not so complicated like we thought: simply quickly install the short-wave-radio, push a button and on the spur of the moment we are world-wide-webable and can send and receive emails - it turned out to not soo simple!!!
That is why our next logbook entry is sometimes not so real-time.
Do not lose your patience!
So there is still a lot to do - all the same we want to hold on to our starting date the 1st of June, unless…
21.05.2009
From Algiers to Spain
The trip to Spain is uneventful, not to say: boring!
We're going to wind strength 1 (if any) under the engine and are disappointed
that really is not a breeze, at least to the blister.
Far and wide, no country, no boat, no fish in sight.
Except two turtles that are easy to swim past us,
(and unfortunately too quickly dive in order to photograph them) nothing really happened.
We sail with our PERITHIA sluggish through the mirror-smooth water westward
and every one of us looks for any employment; Uwe finally deals intensively with the shortwave radio,
Proviant OneSeat reads the primer (and now know how to shark preserved),
I struggle with the computer and Bruni and Tassi sleep.
Fortunately we have a large supply of chocolate, salted nuts and other nibbles
(the new curves are visible already slow ...)
But someday, hopefully, come the wind again!
In Cartagena, we will stay longer than intended to a flange on the cooling system of the engine again einzukleben,
us with new bait fish (which we will then hopefully times upon success!)
Proviant zuzulegen and us - for a snack in between ...!
Then it's on to Gibraltar.
05/2009
Northern Africa - Tunisia
and Algeria
An exciting report of our detour to northern Africa - Tunesia and Algeria
written by Peti
May 10th 2009
From Pantelleria, the last small Italian island on the way to Tunis, it is about 130nm to Tunis.
This means if we start early enough, we can still arrive in Tunesia during daylight. So at four o'clock in the morning we started. Unbelievable but true even a fresh breeze is coming up.
Wind from aft means: Blister! And that implies a good piece of craftsmanship.
So we graft the sail sack to the fore and up with it. Of course with the back to the front
(green is on the outside). Blister back down, turn it around and up with it again.
Finally this monstrosity is in its place. We swish over the water and of course what will be,
will be: "I think the wind freshens up!"
To recover a blister under wind is everything else than a pleasant thing to deal with.
The bow is not quite wide, it's rocking like hell and I try to get ca. 70m²sailcloth dry into the boat.
Anyway, we managed to do it in time. In the course of the next hours the wind freshens up more and more.
Meaning our sails get smaller and smaller. At storm force 8 bf. one could actually also take the sails of the "Günstsch" (that is our small jolly-boat at home). Approaching Tunis, there then is a buoyed navigation channel which is meant to be striked. The bay before Tunis is very shallow, ca. 7m deep. Accordingly high are also the waves. Anyway, we drove around the barrels and steer towards the only designated marina. It is a small port and we only see one place which is free. Unfortunately behind an army boat….
Whatever - distrainors out and there we go.
But there must be a guard on duty, by all means there is suddenly half of the
Tunisian marine at the pier and is vehemently defending itself against our docking manoeuvre.
Being equal to an invasion we ignore their defeat trials and sailor Eisermann suddenly vanished.
Fortunately our opponent is a signatory to the Geneva Conventions… and fishes the lost sailor out
and deposits him quite wet at the mole. After endless, stringy negotiations we were advised to another place.
This one indeed turned out to be also inside the restricted area, but a German speaking negotiator is consulted.
I explained to him that sailing under this wind is not possible. He translates and everything is fine.
Immediately we have helping hands to anchor, electricity is being laid and everything is alright.
The only thing left is clearing inward in the middle of the night.
A car is coming and we are friendly asked to drive with them. O.K.!
The ride takes us to the nearby ferry port. There, quickly getting a stamp and back.
At the boat two nice gentlemen from the customs are already waiting and would like to go on board.
The usual questions: "Do you have alcohol, cigarettes or weapons on board?"
Sailor Eisi, now dry again, is in full cry serves pastry and wine and everybody is satisfied.
Only we still need to sign. For that purpose of course belongs a stamp.
"Sachlich geprüft und bestätigt"("Factually certified and accredited") gets accepted
and everyone is gone. Apart from those three gentlemen who seem to originate from another authority
and implicitly want to copy our passports.
Now in the next morning it is explained to us unmistakably that we rather
have to ship to another port. Very well then. 5nm ahead there is a small very beautiful marina
where even the clearing inward "designs" itself relatively simple.
A funny port-policeman and an all-of-us-fever-measuring health inspector and we get a hearty welcome.
The small town Sidi bou Said turns out to be a quite acceptable accumulation
of Souvenir stands and is really worth a walk.
Now lying inside the harbour we also have time to trace down that unexplainable leak in our front fresh water tank.
Water in - mop up - water in - take turns and of course we make no headway. For now the hole has to stay.
May 11th 2009
We check out and away we go; direction Algiers.
The wind lies advantageous, that means: again blister and main.
Actually one time one could also take a nice photo for our generous sponsor ISY.
At least we are travelling with his nautical charts. And this is very good!
So Eisi is getting ready with the dinghy. We heave it, started and launch it. Kathrin equips
herself with windbreaker (CleanDevil) and life jacket also sets up the walkie talkie and is ready to go.
Or maybe not.
Our almost new, serviced motor does not have cooling liquid.
How should it when the impeller is broken. But it doesn't matter, we postponed the repair
and leave Kathrin staying alone in the dinghy to sail directly towards her.
10 min. later she disappeared. One never would believe how fast such a small boat is out of sight.
Into the bargain the stupid blister is winding itself around the forestay.
So we drive circles to untangle that thing again. After that we look for Kathrin.
Anyway it did not come to a photo taken with the boat under full sails.
Hours later I sit downstairs and am writing in the logbook, suddenly a loud scraping and then a bang.
I'm up and engine stops - all one action. What happened?
Some fisherman had discarded his net and we of course must drive exactly in the middle of it.
It is cut off quite fast. But - now beneath the boat we are dragging the rest with us.
It seems that in the next port someone has to go diving.
Additionally the weather is changing. The wind comes from the front
and that is how it will be the whole night and the next day.
Stupidly, its force is even increasing and with it, also the waves.
Eisi and I are discussing if they are now 3 or 4 meters high.
Anyway, slowly our diesel is going to finish and we decide to sail to the next port for refuelling.
Let's see how things go in an Algerian port.
Unfortunately we did not consider that today is Thursday. And this means here weekend and nothing is going.
So we sail through another whole night to get gas up in Algiers.
Here a nice port policeman welcomes us and misses our Algerian flag. But it is possible to appease him, as we want to buy one as fast as possible. Now follow whole legions of inspectors and controllers. It is diligently written and copied. Still quickly a seal on our weapon locker, meaning that Kathrins wardrobe is now blocked. Of course also our stamp ("sachlich geprüft und bestätigt") comes into action. Eventually all are happy, disembark but we are stuck here. We don't get an entry stamp, today is Friday. This still means weekend - and no diesel. In exchange a guard is assigned to us, nothing shall harm us…! Because we are not allowed to come off the boat, the port authority is even taking care of our shopping list, so that we at least get delivered tomatoes and bread on public expenses. Only no diesel!
May 16th 2009
With a new day come new chances: After several calls our specially ordered agent appears
to ask us what we actually want. Wordy explanations later for one more time everything is clear,
we are only supposed to wait which we are used to. Meanwhile also other boats have noticed that we are on the "holding track" since quite a while. The captain of the neighbouring boat passes hoses providing us with freshwater and a Dutch captain named "Babbelo" or something like that delivers us two cans of coffee and fruit juice. Hours later, we cannot believe it, a completely new face appears before us, also wants to see our passports and explains us in three minutes we'll be free! Anyway slowly Eisi is getting impatient and pleads for an immediate cast off because it seems that three minutes here means three hours - at least! Only narrowly I am able to convince him that it will not be so good in the absence of wind to row the Perithia. However, finally agent Abdou is coming and we - o wonder - leave the harbour in his company. Though he takes us only to an office in the middle of the city there are 4 rooms with computers and internet, which we can use during the waiting. So by now we have a special permit, get a "Helferli" (a person who helps, usually in exchange of some money) at our side and are allowed to go shopping. (Stupidly when buying vegetables Eisi forgets to ask where is the liquor shop). We quickly make a date for a night sightseeing tour and made some efforts in getting diesel. To do so, at first I radio the captain of port and explain him my concern. Unfortunately, he only speaks French - but never mind. First we start to drive and look for the gas station which he seems not to like so much. Pretty fast we get boarded by a police rubber boat. There is no time for counteractive measures. Luckily we manage to demonstrate that we don't have anything evil in mind, even have Algerian money and are looking only for the gas station. Against our expectations we now get an escort to a petrol pump truly accordant to all international environmental regulations…! (by the way the cheapest diesel that I ever bought; 0,11€ per litre!).
That means we fill every container that we can find.
A short radio message to the harbour master and we can cast off tomorrow.
Meanwhile also Abdou arrived with the promised beer, which he smuggled through the controls and we go and eat Kebab.
The nightly sightseeing tour then leads us directly into the next bar - I did not think that there are those in Algeria!
Some drinks later Abdou insists on inviting us to his home so that we certainly get to know real Algerian food
which his mom serves. Inside Abdou's "kid's room" it is allowed to smoke, and we marvel at the assortment
and choice of alcoholic drinks for Muslim circumstances.
Eisi discovers his dancing skills and we have a frolicsome party until two in the morning,
a wonderful end of our visit in Algiers - although we did not see much of the city.
Altogether I would say in Algeria everything needs a loooot of time and 250$ for a personal agent…
apart from that the people here a very nice.
05/2009
Korfu
- Malta - Pantelleria
We are now finally on 02.05.2009 16.00 in Corfu clock started
The trip to Malta, runs quietly, not to say - boring.
We hope for a little more wind, so that we can expeditiously move forward.
Except for a couple of passengers who take the opportunity
(come here only when the birds come from?)
and a few dolphins, we accompany a piece, nothing actually happens.
From Malta, there are of us not so much to report, we hold ourselves here only briefly.
We make a little stroll through the old port district "Marsamxett" and
the acquaintance of a very unfriendly and incorrect taxi driver.
(who has not already abroad the discussion off to taximeters
and the following fare at a dizzying height led ...?)
Well, you just never learn!
Water
and electricity fuel, some food and bought the next day to go towards Algiers
with a stopover in Tunis and Pantelleria.
04/2009
Our Start Port - Corfu
The two weeks passed until the start as in flight.The final preparatory work keep us pretty busy.
Grinding, stress, scrub, battery replacement is required.
You have to imagine times, there are still empty batteries, Where now the acid take?
Sailing check, last electrical work and what else is everything so "little things" to do
(it never ends ...) make us very often and welcome customers in DIY, boots, electric shop and sail maker workshop.
In addition to veterinarian and acclimatization of Bruni and Tassi, there is fortunate to be still a bit of culture.
For example, Easter:
Greece at the highest holiday, according to the Julian calendar a week later than us and in Corfu particularly colorful and lavishly celebrated,
thousands of people on the streets.
Large and small, young and old will accompany on Good Friday, led by the many bands mourning processions through the city.
On Easter Saturday, it's dangerous.
Forewarned, we know of course, clock 11:00 point in the whole city from all the windows and balconies with water-filled pottery thrown on the street.
It is better to cover in time to find!
There is this strange custom of three statements:
The Venetians used on New Year's Day, old items (dishes, furniture, etc.) out of the window to throw.
The new year should bring new. The Corfiot over for Easter.
The ancient objects have been replaced by clay jugs, which filled with water, so that upon impact they make more noise.
One after another, this statement loud custom pagan origin.
Easter marks the beginning of the fertile season.
Nature wakes from hibernation, and harvested fruits in the new receptacles are collected, the old man throws away.
A third variant is that the people as their anger over the betrayal of Judas want to express.
The popular mood then was right contagious.
We never thought that we Blaskapellenmusik times to the beat mitwippen.
Unfortunately there are so many people on that it is almost impossible to make somewhere to order a beer!
Sunday at midnight, will finally open-air exhibition celebrates the resurrection,
that was already for us unforgettable, poignant sight.
Tens of thousands of candles in the windows of nearby houses and the hands of the believers.
It looked as if we were the only ones without a candle.
Musical effusions in the Ancient Greek Orthodox, and a toll coordinated choreographic fireworks, to the kissing and the surrounding people around us, let us move the "way home" to our PERITHIA applies.
But the culture is not enough, the origin of our boat name:
The previous owner of our vessel, Mr Spiros Salvanos named it after his birth village PERITHIA, translated: "nice view of" probably the oldest place in Corfu in Greece. We have heard that you should not rename the boat the would-be disaster.
So it remains our PERITHIA and "beautiful view of" ... a great trip, .... a good time ... or exciting experiences fit so somehow!
Now we want to at least the place, whose name bears our boat, once seen them.
He should leave now, so we expect a few old ruins.
After a long winding drive over roads that are unfortunately not in our own map are purchased, we reach the "abandoned" city and see first of all a taverna, is a second, third, etc. followed.
So that is mysterious or mystical, we are perhaps a bit expected.
But as the old abandoned PERITHIA just revived.
Finally I said, Corfu for us because of his, for Greek conditions rather unusual because very luxuriant vegetation, one of the most beautiful islands of this country and for a visit only to be recommended.
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