Greetings everyone!
Prince William Sound is incredible!
After a tough crossing of the Gulf of Alaska we were looking forward to being back in protected waters.
I’ve heard of Prince William Sound but never really focused on it. It’s a wonderful cruising ground in protected waters with a huge amount to see
LET’S TALK ABOUT WEATHER
Many of the readers of our blog are new to boating, and new to the blog, By “protected waters” I am referring to the high winds and waves that can make boating miserable, and even unsafe. Roberta’s and my boat, North Star, is extremely safe and prepared for cruising anywhere in the world or crossing any ocean. That said, when the ocean is really riled up, there is no such thing as an unsinkable boat. Large freighters have been snapped in half by storms. Roberta and I have crossed both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans by picking our weather and being willing to sit still when the weather isn’t good.
Your local newspaper probably gives a “10-day weather outlook.” I can tell you, after having cruised worldwide for a couple decades, that any weather report more than 24 hours into the future cannot be trusted. I’ll talk about it later in this newsletter but we had problems just this morning caused by last night’s forecast being overly optimistic.
Anyway, when I refer to protected waters, I am referring to the presence of hills or mountains that create a barrier between our boat and strong winds or waves. An excellent example is the Inside Passage between Seattle and Alaska that is heavily traveled by recreational boaters and cruise ships. There can be places on the Inside Passage that have rough, or dangerous, weather, but generally the waterway is protected by the surrounding terrain and gives good boating conditions much of the time.
THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE
Our trip from Seattle to Boston via the NW Passage is around 8,500 miles overall,
The Northwest Passage itself is somewhere around 3,400 miles long. I say somewhere because it isn’t clear what route we’ll take. Our actual routing will be dictated by the ice.
This image represents the forecast for mid July of ice through the passage. The red color represents a solid ice pack.
Once we enter the NW Passage there will be little but ice between our boat and the North Pole for much of the trip. We will be moving slowly and cautiously while dodging ice as we go.
Unfortunately, the NW Passage itself is not our only challenge. We have to travel around 3,000 miles just to reach the passage and then will have another couple thousand miles once we reach the east coast in order to reach Boston.
It’s a long trip, and some of the most difficult travel is over the next three weeks.
That said, the last week has been absolutely incredible, so let’s take a look back
Our first stop in Prince William Sound, the town of Cordova
One of the many complexities of cruising long distances, like we are, is that you don’t really know what your schedule is. There is an endless stream of weather delays, and there can also be the opposite. One of our rules when we cruised through this area as part of our run to Japan was that “When the weather is good, we go.” Weather delays can stretch for days. A week waiting on weather is not uncommon.
Making reservations at marinas is a challenge. Many marinas flatly refuse reservations and when they do accept reservations it can be impossible for us to arrive on the prescribed date.
Adding to the “fun” is that the lack of reservations means that we need to identify bail-outs along the way (places we can anchor if we are surprised by bad weather) as well as locations near the marina where we can anchor.
And of course, anchoring for North Star is not easy. We need water that is somewhere between thirty and one hundred feet of depth, that is protected from the weather, and that allows the boat to rotate around inside an 800′ wide circle. And if our destination was a city, we need to be close enough that we can drop the tender (one of the two small boats we carry) and travel by tender into town, and then hope we can find a safe place to dock the tender while we do our exploring or shopping.
North Star at the dock in Cordova Alaska
Here’s something pretty crazy. While we were at the dock in Cordova there was an aluminum sailboat behind us named Tika.
The sailboat looked rugged and ready for extreme action. Something about it seemed to Roberta like it could be headed the same direction as us: the NW Passage. Roberta asked me to go knock on the side of the sailboat and ask whoever was inside if they were going to the NW Passage. I refused. We are still 1,600 or so miles from the entrance to the passage, and only five to ten boats transit the passage from west to east each year. What are the odds one with that idea in mind would be docked behind us?
Well … as always, Roberta was right! Whereas I was shy about talking to the sailors behind, our crew had no hesitation. They introduced themselves and YES, the sailboat was also headed to the NW Passage. We are now in touch with them and will meet up in Nome. Both North Star and Tika will be stuck in Nome, probably for a couple of weeks waiting for enough ice to melt so hat the passage can be attempted.
A sea lion next to our boat. He popped up to swallow a fish but he was faster than my camera
There’s not a lot happening in Cordova. We hiked into the center of town hoping to find a nice restaurant, but … failed
Roberta and I wanted to celebrate our successful crossing of the Gulf of Alaska. Roberta mentioned to Chef Dani that she wanted a “romantic dinner” and Dani rose to the challenge. We were stuffed!
EMERALD BAY AND COLUMBIA GLACIER
After a night in Cordova we were all eager to find some beautiful cove to drop anchor.
I knew there were glaciers around, but wasn’t mentally prepared for dodging icebergs this early in the trip. In our quest for a great anchorage we headed toward the Columbia Glacier, one of the world’s most rapidly retreating and changing tidewater glaciers. Located in Prince William Sound, it has retreated over 20 kilometers (12 miles) since 1980 and lost more than half of its volume, regularly calving massive icebergs into the sea.
As we approached the Glacier we started seeing small icebergs in the water.
For safety reasons, we dropped the tender and sent Lydia ahead to see whether we could make it through the ice field or if we should anchor nearby and use the tender to explore
Lydia exploring the ice. At some point we will need to get comfortable weaving our way through bergie bits (the ice chunks left behind when a glacier calves), but for now anchoring and exploring by tender is the better option
We decided there was too much ice in the water to try to get closer to the Columbia Glacier, deciding instead to drop the anchor at nearby Cannery Cove and explore with the tenders.
North Star has two tenders, a 16′ Walker Bay and we added a smaller 13′ tender just for beach landings. The Walker Bay is nice, but climbing over its bow to get to a beach is not practical. The little tender takes up a lot of space on the fly bridge and will be deflated and stowed after this trip.
Roberta checking out the iceberg
I wanted to get close enough to the iceberg to grab a piece and find a way to turn it into a margarita. Roberta thought that was a dumb idea and said no
We could see the Columbia glacier in the distance, and thought about trying to reach it, but it was farther away than it looked. I thought it was maybe a mile away, but it was closer to 12 miles. That would be a little far to go on the tenders
Lydia, preparing to venture out among the icebergs
CASCADE BAY
After an incredible night at Emerald Bay we decided to move about 50 miles to the west, to Cascade Bay.
The bay has a tricky entrance with an uncharted rock to avoid, but there would be a chance to anchor in front of an amazing waterfall.
To enter the bay we sent Lydia ahead with the tender to check depths, find any hidden rocks, and give us a precise (and safe path)
These are the experiences that make all of the expense and labor of cruising worthwhile
Our crew took the little tender ashore and hiked to the top of the waterfall.
Roberta is showing the waterfall to Pixie (an Alaskan Klee Kai), and Keeley (a tea cup Rat Terrier). They are just happy the boat is now in calm waters after a couple days of the boat constantly bumping around in the Gulf of Alaska.
A rainbow while underway in Alaska’s Gulf.
WHITTIER, ALASKA
Provisioning (buying and storing food for the boat) is a huge issue on a voyage like this. When in Nome, we’ll take on two more travelers (an ice pilot and a nature guide), and then halfway through the Passage in Cambridge Bay, we’ll take on two friends of ours — making us, finally, a group of ten on North Star. Once leaving Nome, shopping will be impossible. The small towns in the passage will be hundreds of miles apart with negligible shopping opportunities. We want to be respectful of the towns we visit. To the extent they have stores, they will be tiny. We could easily empty their store shelves, which we do not want to do.
Before leaving Seattle we loaded up the boat with food and basics, which we have added to at various stops. And although it seems impossible that we could find a place to put more food and paper products we planned a stop in Anchorage where there would be a Costco and plenty of other shopping!
But the city of Anchorage is not easy to get to. From Prince William Sound it is a five hundred mile voyage by boat to get to Anchorage. A small town called Whittier, Alaska is located in a convenient spot to drive by car to Anchorage over a short highway. So, we cruised into Whittier and rented a mini van so that Lydia and Dani could drive to Anchorage and do a heck of a lot of shopping!
The drive from Whittier to Anchorage starts with a 2.5 mile long tunnel through the mountains. The tunnel is only wide enough for one vehicle and is shared (not simultaneously!) by trains and cars
We arrived at Whittier in dicey and windy conditions. We were told that moorage was on a “first come-first served” basis and that to the extent they had space for us it would be at a floating dock where we would need a tender to get to shore.
Making it even more “interesting” we were told that the floating dock was fragile and that if the winds exceeded 15kts we’d need to leave.
At our arrival in Whittier the winds were bouncing between 15 and 25 kts.
For my readers who are not boaters, I’ll digress for a paragraph to talk about wind. For the most part, wind isn’t a problem. In a tight place, like a marina, wind can be a factor in that it can push the boat and complicate movement. The real problem with wind is its effect on the water. The greater the distance that wind moves over water, the more likely it is to create waves. The word for this is “fetch.” I’ve been in 55 knot winds which were not a problem because a nearby shoreline limited the fetch. It is waves that make life interesting on a boat, not the wind. Even light winds given enough fetch can stir up waves. And the issue gets even more complicated in that currents can play a role. If the wind is pushing the water one direction, and the current is in the opposite direction, it doesn’t take much wind at all to create messy seas. And to make the issue even more complicated, the boat’s direction is a factor. If the boat is going the same direction as the wind the ride is much smoother than going against the wind.
Anyway, to make a long story short, at our arrival there was too much wind to enter the marina and our nearest place to anchor for the night was half an hour to an hour away. Instead, we semi-anchored across from the marina to wait hopefully for the wind to drop. I use the term “semi-anchored” because the water was too deep to anchor properly. We found a location where we could drop the anchor in 125 feet of water, on a steeply sloped bottom, closer to the shore than we liked. It would be fine for a few hours of waiting and watching, but if the wind didn’t drop before evening we’d need to move to a proper anchorage.
But we were lucky and within two hours of our arrival the wind died down and into the marina we went!
At anchor across from Whittier hoping the wind would subside
At semi-anchor across from the town of Whittier Alaska
North Star in Whittier, happily settled into our floating dock
The next day we dropped the tender to get to shore. Given that shore was only about 75 feet away, they weren’t long tender rides. Also, the weather turned sunny and very nice!
Dropping the little tender for the long ride to shore
Lydia’s and Dani’s drive from Whittier to the shopping mecca of Anchorage starts with a 2.5 mile long tunnel through the mountains. The tunnel is only wide enough for one vehicle and is shared (not simultaneously!) by trains and cars. They had to wait their turn to enter the tunnel going OR returning!
Chef Dani and Lydia took a rental mini van into Anchorage where they did a variety of errands. Instead of Costco they decided to go to a large Fred Meyer store where they purchased an insane amount of groceries and items. The cashier was aghast and here is seen posing with the cash register receipt that is longer than she is tall!
Critical cruising supplies – A four month supply of Think Thin bars
One of the several wheelbarrows of groceries that need transferred to the boat. Finding places to put everything was a multi-day challenge!
While Chef Dani and Lydia were in town doing errands, Roberta and I and the pups explored the town, including having lunch on the waterfront. I noticed a $50 appetizer, Snow Crab. Later that night, our dinner menu included crab dinners ranging from $110 to $399. I took the “cheap” option at $110 and do have to admit that my king crab was better than anything I’ve gotten in Seattle
Various gift shops line the waterfront
The “downtown” part of Whittier is inland from the waterfront separated by a road and a collection of train tracks. To reach that area, there is a long, meandering — and kind of creepy — pedestrian tunnel. Roberta has Pixie and I am carrying Keeley in her furry insulated pouch. Keeley has very short hair and gets cold easily, plus she is 14 years old. The long cold walks are tough on her
The Town Under One Roof
To call Whittier “unusual” would be an understatement. There are only 242 residents almost all of which live in one building. It’s a harsh environment with limited employment. The seasonal shops along the waterfront are tourist centric. The real town is within this building which has the municipal offices, a medical clinic, a post office, a grocery store, a laundromat, and a church, with a creepy walking tunnel connecting residents directly to the local school.
Completed in 1957, the building has a rectangular plan and a flat roof. It is 14 floors high and is made up of three connected towers. Gaps of 7 or 8 inches allow the buildings to sway under wind or earthquakes. The north side has two protruding modules that form two square towers. Inside, sets of branched corridors and elevators allow residents access to all areas of the complex.
Sign at entrance to the building where the town’s resident’s live
A bit of town history
Roberta and the pups admiring the view
In the lower right corner of this picture are a pack of jet skis. I took the picture thinking, why? Who would be crazy enough to try to jet ski in freezing cold water?
I underestimated tourist’s tolerance for pain. The jet skis are a popular attraction. The riders are wearing extensive weather gear which I presume is provided by the tour operator. I’m not sure what the gear is, but it looked like diving dry suits. Would I do it? No.
Pictures are not adequate to convey the views
After a beautiful sunny day in Whittier we awoke early to high winds that touched 30kts at times. Given that we were at risk of destroying the dock at winds of over 15kts we were not happy about the situation. A combination of low tide and the high winds had us at the controls ready to push the boat against the wind at any moment. As soon as the tide came up we escaped the marina and were on to the next adventure!
A beautiful sunset!
AND LASTLY
Your questions and feedback are the best part of my blog! I have an incredibly smart group of readers, and I’ve learned more from my readers than could ever be imagined.
You are encouraged to participate in the discussion! Email any questions directly to me. I’ll answer you via email or include some subset of the questions in my next newsletter. If I include your submission in the newsletter I’ll list only your first name and last initial.
Write to me at: ken@mvnorthstar.com
That’s it for this edition of the blog.
Ken and Roberta Williams, with Pixie and Keeley
Email Ken, at ken@mvnorthstar.com with your questions. I’ll answer most of them in the next issue of the blog (or email newsletter, whatever this is)
What a great blog Ken! I particularly appreciate the diagram showing the 30 degree pitch movement. That was impressive and I will be watching with bated breath to see what may lie ahead.
I am curious how the hot tub water stays where it should when really rough seas are happening. I’m imagining a tupperware top. Did keeping the hot tub mean additional complications in design? I am now imagining you two enjoying a good soak while chilling in the icy waters.
Have you had any animal experiences yet you care to share?
Over and Out
Eva L
——–RESPONSE FROM KEN——–
Unless we are just doing a short hop, in perfect weather, between anchorages we always drain the hot tub. We don’t worry about filtering the water or adding chlorine. It is rare for the hot tub to be full of water for more than a day or two. I’m sure there are people who think a hot tub on a boat is crazy, but those are only the people who’ve never been in a beautiful bay, surrounded by nature, kicked back, listening to music while soaking and sipping an adult beverage. Just one of those days can make a whole season worthwhile.
Hi Ken,
What kind of technology do you have on board these days? PC desktops, laptops, Macs, etc.? Just curious whether you’re a Windows, Linux, or macOS person, or some combination thereof. I’m also curious whether you’re still working on or tinkering with computers during your latest adventure.
I hope your voyage continues to be safe, successful, and rewarding.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. Fair winds and following seas.
Richard D
——–RESPONSE FROM KEN——–
I programmed my first game on an Apple ][ computer, but swapped over to the IBM PC and DOS when IBM released their personal computer. Until recently I was exclusively a Windows user. Roberta uses a Windows laptop, as do I — until very recently.
Throughout my career I was always curious about Mac, but didn’t think a Mac computer could handle software development. I never really took the Mac seriously. However recently, I started researching the idea of having a local AI engine (LLM) on the boat and loading it up with all of the various boat’s manuals. I discovered that a Mac is arguably better than my high-end PC for running a local AI engine. I was thinking about trying a Mac anyhow, so I went for it and bought an M3 Mac Studio Ultra with 96gb of unified ram. I am in love! Thus far, I’m disappointed in what I’ve been able to accomplish running a local LLM (I’ve pretty much tried them all). It’s a long story but doing something simple like trying to upload my spare parts inventory was a disaster. But for software development and video editing, the Mac has exceeded all expectations. I’m now, to my complete surprise, a happy Mac users.
If you haven’t watched it this is a fantastic video on calculating pitch based on sea state, etc from a fellow Nordhavn owner. He explains it so well I feel like I understand it! 😁
https://youtu.be/3zBpP_huV_w?is=mCeZsfA2CcvK_9iW
Regards,
Tom S
——–RESPONSE FROM KEN——–
Thank you!
Hi Ken (and Roberta),
Long-time fan going back to your Sierra Adventure Games era.
Excellent newsletter on the start of your new voyage.
These remind me of when you used to create newsletters promoting new tech for early PCs, like sound cards, and CD-ROM drives, to make game-play better. I looked forward to them.
Please continue to create the newsletters, since I can read them anytime, anywhere, without needing to make audio noise watching a video. It seems like you put a lot of work into the videos, but I can’t enjoy them at work, or even at home where other people need quiet time. Funny: I guess you can promote earbuds for this.
Thanks again for the newsletters and keep them coming.
Joe D.
——–RESPONSE FROM KEN——–
I also prefer the email newsletters to the videos, but a huge segment of the population prefers movies to books. My blog gets way more attention on YouTube than anywhere else, and … there is no way pictures in a newsletter can be as compelling as video. I have miles of incredible video footage that I MUST turn into a video blog entry, and that will keep me busy for the next week at least.
Roberta asked a good question the other day… “Why do you care about getting a large following on youtube? If you prefer doing the newsletters, why not just do those?” It’s a good question, and I might ultimately do that. I don’t make money off the blog and don’t want to ever make money off the blog. It would require taking it seriously and I do boating for fun, not as a job. My answer to Roberta is simply that it is in my nature, if I’m going to do something, I want to do it on the grandest scale possible. It would seem weird to me to speak to 10,000 people when I could speak to 100,000. It’s just how I’m wired. And truthfully, the pictures do not do justice to the scenery around us. The videos will blow people away. I just need to get my tail in gear and start doing some editing.
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CHECK OUT OUR LATEST VIDEO GAME: COLOSSAL CAVE 3D!
Roberta and I are video game developers when we aren’t on a boat, having published literally hundreds of games during our long career. Our most recent game is a re-imagining of a fifty-year-old classic game called “Adventure (aka Colossal Cave).”
One Response
Ahoy…Ken and Roberta! Really enjoy following along your blogs…as ever ~ And..especially enjoying the video footage…love the reminders of the beautiful and scenic Northwest…as we enjoyed with you all on the ‘Grey Pearl’ during the epic 2009 Siberian Sushi Run. THANK YOU! Best of luck…in your continued passage ~ Tina & Braun