#22 DA IN AK

“There are only two colors to paint a boat, black or white, and only a fool would paint a boat black.”
– Nathanael G. Herreshoff

M/V Europa

52’ 42” N

128’ 10” W

09:45 Ship Time (GMT+8)

Currently ghosting through Fiordland Recreational Area, a British Columbia Provincial Park.  Narrow green channels; mist shrouded waterfalls, gray green turning blue, the Pacific Northwest national colors. Literally a world apart from the sunny Caribbean and my last update.  I mentally pull myself from this majestic scenery to return to Barbados to bring you up to date. 

The final day with my friends on the R/V Knorr was spent cruising through downtown Bridgetown, a crowded, busy third world, work town.  Navigating the bustling streets, we ducked into a shack, the science crew’s favorite domino parlor.  The matron set us up with Mount Gay Rum and the local ginger drink, as a mid morning refresher, with “Cutters” all round (a cutter is a fried flying fish sandwich, a local standard) and thus began the pattern for the day.  





The mild mannered science crew showed their real sailor colors as they hit the shore full stride, thirsty after three weeks at sea.  What followed cannot be truthfully recounted due to both the nature of the activities and the faulty memory of your reporter, due to the medicinal nature of the local drink.  



What I do remember involved a crazy wild beach party, jumping on a trampoline set on a large float in the 85 deg water, most of us limping away with damaged appendages, sailing a sunfish not understanding why we couldn’t keep it right side up until realizing the hull was cracked and had filled with water and was sinking just as we rounded a large freighter way out in the harbor, and more personal exchange between these science types in this afternoon than had transpired in the previous three weeks, stories such as the birth of one gal’s  romance by trudging across an Antarctic glacier to meet up with a Polish scientist (her future husband) to carry on an elicit rendezvous during the midnight sun.  My gosh, it turned out these placid mild-mannered scientists had passionate throbbing hearts beating within. Just add rum and watch the dancing begin!

All good things must end and eventually, goodbyes were said, hugs passed, and they all reboarded the Knorr and went back to work.  

Meanwhile, I rented a car and circumnavigated the island in the next four days, which is quite a feat considering the island is about the size of Manhattan. Beaches, potholed one-track lanes, poking around old sugar plantation homes, scuba diving in wrecks, hanging with the Rastafarian diving guys.

The 2^nd night I spent in an old historic hotel on the wild surf filled west coast of the island gazing from my balcony, the same waves that I had rode on the Knorr just 2 days prior.  Barbados was surprising in its informality, high prices and the locals disregard for materialistic wealth while being surrounded by $5-20M bungalows on the beach. There is little sense of the haves and have-nots. A very peaceable kingdom.

During this whole circumnavigation, I was beginning to really pine for my Texas gals, both who would be awaiting me in Seattle.  A great flight up the Windward Islands across the aqua-blue Bahamas, into Miami, through DFW and on to Seattle, kiss & hug and jump into the rental convertible and on to Pier 66 w/ backstage passes to the Lucinda Williams concert (our friend in Seattle is the stage manager for the city’s downtown summer music series).  So here I was, brown from the Atlantic, salt and sand still drying in my ears from the Barbados beaches, sitting in this crowd of Seattleites, looking out over the Puget Sound, ferries coasting in from the surrounding islands, seagulls, cool, cool air gracing my skin, the towers of downtown Seattle rising next to the majestic volcano  cone of Mt. Rainier, and my two Tx honeys in my arms.  Ecstasy!

Three wonderful city filled days later, we left our dear friends Bridget and Steve, on the eve of the birth of the child they are set to adopt.  Pins and Needles! (all during our visit, every phone ring was accompanied by nervous, expectant looks by all in the room)  We board a floatplane in Lake Washington and fly off to Desolation Sound, way north of Vancouver, BC to join our friend on the current pleasure palace that I now inhabit.

At this point, I had given up on any semblance of continuity of any kind.  I had been running from one geographical area to another, climates, cultures, social settings, and indigenous natives, all in flux.  Change had become the norm.  Nothing seemed as natural as to lift off over the million dollar homes of Microsoft executives, and take to the blue skies of the northwest checking out the volcanoes, islands, boats, whales, and other interesting airborne visible items.

What was to prepare us for our arrival at Refuge Bay? What could ever have given us a hint as to what was in store when we unloaded on the floating dock and walked down to M/V Europa?

M/V Europa is a 54’ Krogan trawler, a stout, full displacement, long-range ocean going tri-level vessel w/ two cabins, two heads, pilothouse, galley, and saloon.  Recently purchased by an old friend, who has refit her interiors and cleaned up the exterior with a new paint job and refinished exterior woodwork.  She now has an elegant and rich tapestry upholstery in browns and golds that complements her teak and beige interiors. Dave has supplied her with all the best equipment including two laptops (redundancy) w/ navigation software, SSB, VHF, Radar, video sonar, and the normal bridge accoutrements of meters for depth, wind, barometer, etc.   She also comes complete with two ocean kayaks, rowing dory, zodiac inflatable and a mountain bike!  It’s hard to communicate the level of luxury and elegance that resides within this salty tugboat. It is such a rare boat and one that constantly raises inquiries from dock walkers, and even radio calls from passing trawlers on the marine highway we are traveling on.

The first week on the boat we traveled from Refuge Cove in Desolation Sound, BC, to Port McNeil near the tip of Vancouver Island.  In that time, both Daves spent quite a bit of time in the engine room trying to diagnose an electrical charging problem.  We also had to dive on the prop to clear a tangled line.  The water was ~50degs and we rotated diving under and clearing a couple of turns then scrambling to the engine room that stays a comfortable 110 degs.  Kerry & Teale left from Pt McNeil and we waited a day to shoved off to cross the Queen Charlotte Sound due to gale warnings. This sound is the critical leg of the inside passage as it’s open to the open ocean.  Europa handled it with no problem.  We’re now in Prince Rupert with many miles under our belts and ready to hit Ketchikan tomorrow.  We’re off to search for an Internet café and you’ll know of our success if you receive this.