We spent several days anchored in Northwestern. There was a strong high pressure system sitting in the Gulf of Alaska that provided a handful of uncharacteristically sunny days. Our location deep in the fjord sheltered us from the 20 - 30 knot southwest winds along the outer coast. We rose each morning to the sounds of oystercatchers trilling and glaciers calving. We also topped up our fresh water supplies from a spring (more of a seep, really) spotted from our anchorage. Brent made several runs via kayak with our blue five-gallon jug. The tank was topped off by adding 12 gallons; we've adapted well to being more conservative with water now that we're off the dock and away from an easy source. Friends on a water-taxi dropping off kayakers brought us a small jerry can of diesel, just in case. We topped up - adding about two gallons of fuel (what we had used over about nine hours of motoring). Filling up this small amount was a stark contrast to what we'd grown used to working on power vessels around here, which can easily burn between 150-200 gallons of fuel in a day for a round trip to Northwestern Glacier. We covered this distance in about a week, and sailed much of the distance. We enjoyed an evening on the shore of Erratic Island. I loved watching the beams of light dancing around the peaks and seeing Katabatic from a new perspective. Here's a photo taken during our time-lapse adventures (full video in the previous log entry). Our final morning in Northwestern was very special. We were enjoying our coffee on deck when a piece of brash ice floated right past Katabatic - with a harbor seal pup on it! I put down my mug, ducked below to grab my camera, and emerged quietly to take a few photos. We watched breathlessly as the ice slid along just a few feet from the hull and the seal pup dozed and occasionally glanced around between naps. We could see the steam rising from its damp fur - warm from its body heat and drying off in the bright sun. Normally we would stay far away from pups on ice to not disturb them, but in this case all we could do was sit quietly and take it all in as the ice brought the seal to us. What a wonderful encounter!
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Voyage Log
AuthorCanvas & Ice Archives
April 2021
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