The Magic Bunny visits Wecantu

And now he won't leave...

Happy New Year!

This is the sight that greeted us after returning from our week spent visiting family and friends in the Seattle area. Juneau often feels a bit surreal to me, and with all the darkness and snow and ice I feel like I am living in the world of Peter Hoeg's novel Smilla's Sense of Snow. The fresh water on the surface freezes when the temperature drops and intricate patterns are created by the motion of the tides and the currents moving through the harbor.

Ah, Alessandro!

I blame Matt entirely.
One of our current dark-of-winter entertainments is following the Vendee Globe, a round the world solo sailboat race which began November 10. In the beginning I chose Samantha Davies as my favorite, the only woman competitor. But early on she was dismasted (but thankfully not injured) so I cast around for another favorite. Matt tried to draw my attention to some guy who was dead last, but I ignored him and fixated on the Laughing Cow boat. (Who can resist a boat with the Laughing Cow of cheese plastered bigger than life on the mainsail? I couldn't.) But soon that boat had a mix up with a trawler and was also out of the race, or 'retired' as they say.
Once again Matt brought up this Alessandro guy who was still in last place. "But he's having fun!" Matt said, and made me watch a video of a French-Italian guy talking animatedly about the sprouts he was growing in the cabin of his sailboat. Other videos followed: images of porpoises playing off the bow, the birds that came to visit Alessandro's boat at sea, Alessandro making pan fried bread and adding jam (I'm a big pan fried bread fan too), Alessandro hanging out in Speedos, Alessandro in his wacky get-up for the equatorial crossing,  and Alessandro in action in the cockpit grinding away at his winch, which is not nearly as naughty as it sounds. All of this he does with a twinkle in his eye. Not knowing French (or Italian) I cannot understand a word he says, except for 'voila', 'soleil', and 'ciao ciao'. But what I can understand is that he really is having fun, and has tremendous joy for being exactly where he is at.
So yes, I blame Matt for the big crush I've developed on Alessandro, but both of us welcome the lively distraction from the cold and dark that looms outside our own cabin on these long winter evenings.

If you want to see what the fuss is about, check out Alessandro di Benedetto's Team Plastique site, and the Vendee Globe page.

Spot on

 A trio of beheaded Pandalus platyceros 

One of the benefits to living in a marina in Southeast Alaska is the opportunity to buy fresh seafood directly from our neighboring fishing boats. About a month ago we saw that one of the locals was open for business. Several people were in line. I took this to be a good recommendation for whatever catch they were hawking, made Matt give me all his cash in his wallet, and joined the queue.
The sign said prawns, but the fishing people called them shrimp. I really had no idea what exactly I was buying, but I happily took my bag back to our boat. Once we had satiated ourselves with a meal of pink-hued sea bugs I figured I should learn more about the little critters that were gracing my tummy with their presence.
To start with, I decided that the white spots were not random blemishes but an important key to identification. Sure enough a bit of internet research revealed that we had innocently gorged on spot prawns, or Pandalus platyceros, highly regarded in the culinary world for their sweet taste and firm texture.
I learned that the terms 'shrimp' and 'prawns' are used interchangeably, and that P. platyceros have a very interesting sex life.
Although the commercial season seems to be short and sporadic, we've scored spot prawns a few times now. We've determined that our favorite way to eat them is to simply boil them, peel the shells off, and then dip them in a mixture of Sriracha and Thai sweet red chili sauce.

Some spot prawn facts:

They are the largest West coast shrimp, and females can grow to 23 cm or more in length.
They range from the Aleutians to Southern California, as well as the Sea of Japan and Korea Strait.
Their typical lifespan is 7 to 11 years.
They become sexually mature at 3 years.
They practice protandric hermaphroditism. (Meaning they all begin their lives as males, and then at around 4 years of age turn into females. I guess this gives all those mature female prawns a great excuse to date youthful males - they don't have any other choice!)
In the past, Southeast Alaska was called the 'shrimp treasure house'. Although not as abundant now, the spot prawn fishery shows promise as an environmentally sustainable one. (So I don't have to feel too guilty about my newest addiction...)


My sources included:

The Spot Prawn Fishery Status Report

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

To SV Osprey, an apology

In one of my classes in college I remember studying the chaos theory, and the poetic butterfly effect which posed the idea that the movement of the insect's wings could possibly affect the development of a hurricane elsewhere.
Well, we have been following the progress of our friends Richard and Brian as they make their way south on SV Osprey, and although we don't really think it's possible that my coughs and sneezes from a head cold have been affecting the weather for them, we still would like to offer an apology for the following forecast for their immediate area this morning:

Zone Forecast: Coastal waters from Pt. St. George to Cape Mendocino CA out 10 nm

Synopsis...A STORM IN THE GULF OF ALASKA HAS GENERATED LARGE LONG PERIOD WAVES WHICH WILL PROPAGATE THROUGH THE WATERS TONIGHT INTO MONDAY. AT THE SAME TIME A STRONG PRESSURE GRADIENT SITUATED JUST OFFSHORE WILL CREATE NORTHERLY WINDS FOR THE WATERS. AS THIS GRADIENT INCREASES MONDAY AFTERNOON INTO TUESDAY...NEAR GALE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE ACROSS THE OUTER WATERS. 

Yes, the gulf of Alaska is a big nasty brewing pot of storms, and we are very sorry that the weather in our neck of the woods is affecting you.

Again, so sorry, and we will do what we can to remedy the situation and hope to provide more moderate winds for you in the near future.

Rendezvous of two

A few years ago when we had first acquired Wecantu we took her to a Westsail rendezvous in Port Townsend, Washington. These gatherings happen every year in various locations, and it is quite a sight to see all the beautiful Westsails lined up. This year we were not able to attend a rendezvous, but did the next best thing. In July we headed to Taku Harbor with Mark of SV Escape for our own mini-rendezvous. We had first spotted SV Escape a year ago while anchored in Taku, and ended up meeting Mark and his wife Patti a few days later when both our boats were docked at a Juneau marina. We quickly all became friends (including Wecantu and Escape). The sight of even just two Westsails together is enough to make me sigh in appreciation. Did I mention that I think they are beautiful boats?

For the second night of our mini rendezvous we headed to Tracy Arm and anchored in a little cove. There were quite a few icebergs around, more than last year.
By now SV Escape is probably getting ready to cozy up for winter in dry dock, but we look forward to seeing her and her crew again next summer!

What's in a name?

Repainting the name has been a project that I have planned and dreaded to do ever since we acquired Wecantu. Originally it had been painted by Duane Freeby of Port Townsend for the previous owners. His lettering was unique and I wanted to preserve his craftsmanship. I am not much of an artist when it comes to brushwork, so this was a daunting task. Perversely I like to do things the hard way, so paying a professional or having decals made wasn't an option. The name has faded greatly over the years (see above photo), and since part of being a federally documented boat is having the name of the boat readable, this project had become more pressing. However, since the weather in Juneau is often wet I had given up hope of being able to do this any time soon.

But, the other day we awoke to spectacular and very un-Juneau like weather. No clouds, temps in the high 70's to mid 80's. Perfect. Fortunately I had bought the paint a few years ago, so I had all I needed for my name painting frenzy.

After prepping the surface I created a stencil using masking tape and a razor blade. This was the most painstaking and time consuming part. After the tape came off, I did the shadowing free-handed with grey paint. This was the most fun. I could see Duane's old brush strokes and tried to copy his technique the best I could. His strokes had been flowing and assertive, and even though he (and I) could have chosen not to do the shadowing, I think this was what really made his artistry stand out. It was an intensely meditative process, and I felt like I was learning from a master. And I had never noticed before how he kept the light source for his shadow work the same on both sides, so that on one side I was painting shadows to the left of the letters, and on the other side to the right of the letters. Duane was keeping me on my toes...

Wecantu is very excited for her fresh lettering, and I'm pretty happy with it too, as long as I don't look at it too closely!



The Grid and other happenings

Not much of note has been happening of late, but here's a few things that may or may not be worth mentioning.

In April we had a decent spell of weather (not raining and blowing) so we took this opportunity to haul out on the tidal grid. It was our first go at it, and we assume it was Wecantu's first time as well. She took to the grid marvelously, mainly because of her, ahem, ample endowment of a keel. As our friend Richard aptly observed, hauling out in this manner "looks really easy, with the potential for unimaginable disaster." Well put.

Beforehand we had heard a tale or two of others' misfortunes and so understandably were a little on edge. (And the fact that we tied up next to piling number 13 did not inspire confidence...)  But in the end I think I prefer this method over having to watch your beloved boat get lifted from the water by a couple of rather worn and dubious looking straps, then watch helplessly as she swings alarmingly in this cradle as the travelift carries her over a vast expanse of pavement, where she is then finally set down to rest with only a few spidery jack stands to keep her upright.

You cannot see this detail in the photographs, but there are several lines tying her to the pilings, plus a halyard from the mast down to a railing for good measure. The trick is keeping these lines adjusted as the water level changes.

Other items of note:

We saw our first bear of the season, thankfully from the car. He was a black bear, but definitely bigger than the black bears we are used to seeing in the Cascades.

We saw our first bear paw print of the season while out on a hike. It was in the mud on a well hiked trail, and was as big as my head. If that doesn't make one fly up into the boughs, I don't know what will.

We are still addicted to swimming and I have worn out three swim suits already. Matt is still on his first. I am not quite sure what to say about that.

And lastly, we have developed an immense liking for spending our evenings reading Georgette Heyer Regency novels. One of my colleagues (that would be you, Alene) recommended this author to me a few years ago, and I was a ninnyhammer for not pursuing this author's works sooner!

P.S. Our group was able to put that Volvo Penta engine back together correctly, and it actually ran. Never mind all that oil leaking out...

Engine rebuild

The classic Volva Penta diesel engine was often a common choice for powering the Westsail 32. Even with a long and proven track record they, like all high hour diesel engines, need to be rebuilt at some point. This winter has found us elbows deep in oil and parts, but luckily the ailing patient is not our own!

Just steps away from Harris Harbor where we currently reside with our healthy diesel engine is the University of Alaska V- Tech center. We are enrolled in a course which is providing us the opportunity to learn about the magic inner workings of the iron genny. Much to our chagrin there are no hamsters or genies inside. It has yet to be seen if we can put Humpty Dumpty back together again.

Spring is here! (sort of...)

A kind soul at work was giving out daffodils, so I ended up bringing a few home. Our boat lacks strong natural light inside due to the small port lights and the flowers were rather reluctant to open. When they did decide to bloom they found two very ardent admirers waiting to worship them. Matt and I finally feel we have made it through the dark wet tunnel of a Juneau winter, and the days are slowly growing longer and brighter. The basil seeds I am  trying to start have remained unconvinced however.

We continue to ski tour on the weekends, and you only need to venture up a few thousand vertical feet to wander around in a still wintry alpine environment. The above photo is from today. I nearly skied right over two ptarmigans who were out for a peaceful Sunday walk in their all white winter plumage. The three of us eyed each other for a while before I finally skied off to let them continue their amble that I had so rudely interrupted.

When we aren't skiing on the weekends we like taking beach walks. Sometimes we get a rare sunny day with spectacular views. A cold spell back in January brought temperatures into the teens, and Matt and I had a rather novel (for us) beach walk. We dressed in our mountaineering down jackets (and were still chilly) and ambled among frozen tide pools, rocks iced up from ocean spray, and some very hardy barnacles, mussels and seaweed.

Powdery Accumulations: A Primer on the Poetics of NOAA Forecasts

Wecantu's 'cocoon' keeps her cozy in all weather

I love reading the text weather forecasts from NOAA, and on occasion I stumble across a gem of a sentence that wonderfully describes the poetic side of a weather event.  "Powdery snow will accumulate quickly" is a recent example. The adjectives 'powdery' and 'quickly' conjure up some heavenly images in my skier's mind.

Here's another: A FEW BREAKS OF BLUE ACROSS THE AREA. If you have ever spent time in rainy Southeast Alaska, you can imagine how the thought of blue sky can make the heart flutter. Waiting for truly good weather however can be a bit like waiting for Godot.

This sums up typical Southeast weather and seems to cruelly state the obvious: VERY WET AND WINDY IN SOUTHEAST ALASKA THROUGH FRIDAY. Just change the  name of the weekday as needed.

Of special concern during the holiday season: PEOPLE MAY WANT TO SECURE LOOSE OBJECTS AND OUTDOOR DECORATIONS.


FREEZING DRIZZLE WILL MIX WITH THE SNOW STARTING EARLY THURSDAY MORNING. Freezing drizzle? When it strikes you in the face, you will come to understand the nature of freezing drizzle.

The following forecast we interpreted correctly to mean that we would not get a wink of sleep Wednesday night or Thursday morning...
* WIND...SOUTH TO SOUTHEAST WIND 25 TO 35 MPH WITH GUSTS TO 60 MPH *TIMING...STRONGEST WIND GUSTS EXPECTED LATE EVENING INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF THURSDAY.

This one sounds like an inscrutable message from a fortune cookie:
PERSONS NEAR STEEP SLOPE SHOULD STAY ALERT FOR CHANGING CONDITIONS.

The following conveys some complex imagery, but the subtext is very clear - wear your Xtra Tufs and if you are a pedestrian try not to get hit by icy sheets of water launched by cars speeding through those ponds.
PONDING OF WATER ALONG STREETS AND PARKING LOTS WILL CAUSE POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS FOR DRIVERS AND PEDESTRIANS...ESPECIALLY WHERE WATER COVERS HARD PACKED ICY SURFACES.