The sailing adventures of SV Meriwether and her crew
Before we came up to Alaska, Kerri and I both vigorously agreed that the backpacking gear would get some use this year. Sure, it has been since 2017 since we last used it, and we have carried all this gear around ever since, but this was all going to change damn it. As luck would have it, during our time...
It felt like an eternity staying in a marina for a week and a half, but with all the engine repairs complete we were ready to start our Alaska adventures. We finally left Ketchikan on Thursday evening, motoring south to the fuel dock to top off the tank as we knew what was in our future. Our new engine parts...
Poor Meriwether has not moved since arriving in Ketchikan. We finally found the cause to an engine issue that arose back in May and have ordered the replacement parts. Until those parts are replaced, we have chosen to stay put. This season up here in Alaska will involve a lot of motoring, so tip-top shape it must be in. Wish...
Crossing Queen Charlotte Sound would be the hardest part of the entire passage and include just as many miles as the previous six days combined. It was sort of an ocean adventure while not being fully out there in the ocean like our first attempt. After taking a beating last month, I needed to tackle an ocean-like body of water...
Yes! We are re-attempting the passage to Alaska, this time via a “hybrid inside passage” which will include following the east coast of Vancouver Island to its northern tip, then sailing north, across 300+ miles of open water, to get to Alaska. Once again, we can be followed via our maps page which shows our location in real time (along...
We had one more week before our planned re-departure towards Alaska and we did not want to spend it in the same place as last week (Friday Harbor). All the major repairs and provisions are complete so we chose to get away from civilization and get a little relaxing on. We decided on a return trip to Garrison Bay at...
Rested and recovered, we are ready to get back to our lives living and traveling on our boat. Already supplies were being ordered and shipped into Friday Harbor – not only replacements to our broken items, but also some new items after lessons learned in the wide open ocean. We had some new estimated dates to start our hybrid inside...
Meriwether and her crew (we) made it back to San Juan Island to start our week long recovery process after last two weeks of preparing for and failing at a Pacific passage. Just getting the boat back into ‘living mode’ was a whole day process. Then came the shopping for a new fridge unit. Of course, our previous unit was...
12 hours is what it took. 12 sweet hours of undisturbed sleep. I haven’t slept that long ever in my life. We woke to a bright and beautiful Canadian cove right outside our salt coated portlights. Bald eagles were soaring above the green pines on shore. The very land that we could not legally set foot on. Life was certainly...
Kerri took the first watch of our first overnight at sea. From 10 PM to 1 AM she ensured all was well as we sailed west (with a smidge of south) with only the moon and an audio book to keep her company. She did tell me that she passed by a few ships during those hours, but I can...
