Alaska Prologue

April 16, 2011, Saturday

When Linda and I bought Hobbit 17 years ago we had a vision of cruising to Alaska. During the ensuing years we have done a lot of cruising as far north as the Queen Charlotte Strait. After every cruise we have been sad to see the trip come to an end and wished we could have stayed out longer. This year we are finally heading to Alaska in our longest ever planned trip – 3 1/2 to 4 months.
Preparation has been seemingly endless. Mechanically we put in a new hot water heater and a new exhaust manifold for the main engine. The manifold had to be custom made out of stainless steel. I had a mechanic go through the engine to set the valves. We also did normal stuff like change oil in the engine, generator, and transmission.
Because we’re heading out for so long in areas where stores are few and far between, we decided we needed a real freezer rather than just settle for the one in the refrigerator. Last fall I came across a special shipment of 3 1/2 cu. ft. freezers at Home Depot that only cost $110 so I purchased one. My current task is to run AC power to the bridge which is the only place we can put the freezer. I am also running heavy gage DC wire to the bridge for an inverter which will allow us to operate the freezer from the battery. Our plan is to give the freezer AC power 1 – 2 hours a day from the generator plus additional time from the inverter while Hobbit is under way.

While I’m busy getting the mechanical, electric, and electronics in order, Linda has been working on a substantial first aid kit and organizing food.

Freezer with Duct Tape and Styrofoam Insulation

Route planning has been going on for months. I currently have programmed a complete route including a large number of anchorages. Thank goodness for computer software – I’d hate to input all of the waypoints by entering latitude and longitude. I will be using MapTech’s Chart Navigator Pro supplemented with electronic charts for the entire trip. All of the waypoints I put into the computer can be transferred to the GPS which I use to steer Hobbit most of the time. I can also steer Hobbit with the computer.

Another task that has been taking a great deal of time is organizing the research I will be conducting on abundance of microplastics in marine waters. The most time consuming activity has been to obtain permits from the National Park Service (in order to take samples in Glacier Bay National Park) and two separate British Columbia Department of Fisheries and Oceans organizations. Both the Alaska and Washington fisheries departments told me I didn’t need a permit; however, I convinced them to put this in letter format in case an enforcement officer questioned what I was doing. You can read more about the microplastics project in the blog section on "Plastic in the Environment".
This spring has been unusually cool and rainy which has significantly hampered our activities. We need to redo the varnish but may not be able to do before we go because that task needs warm, sunny weather.

Getting the yard ready for a long absence has also been time consuming. I finally finished putting in an irrigation system which I will set then let my neighbor turn on when the weather gets hot. I also weeded the gardens and put down lots of Preen which I hope will stop most of the weeds. Then, of course, the lawnmower died and went to the dump. In its place I bought my first lawn tractor; a John Deere which is sure to make the kid who mows our lawn happy.

April 20, 2011, Wednesday
Linda and I hosted Julie Masura (UW Tacoma), John Miller (NSE Environmental Director), and Kristin Ching (NSE PAO) out on a short cruise to test the manta trawl. The trawl went well and we learned the techniques necessary for a successful collection of plastics in surface waters.

May 2, 2011, Monday
We had planned on getting underway yesterday which, given the beautiful weather would have been wonderful. Unfortunately, the number of tasks just seems to keep increasing and our departure has been pushed out several days. For example, today Linda brought to my attention that Hobbit’s galley faucet was leaking. Since I have already repaired the faucet several times I decided to buy a new one. That was the easy part – getting the old faucet out took me hours because of corroded fittings.

The salt water wash down hose which I use to clean the anchor chain had a hole in it; the “Y” valve to the head was frozen, the fuse holder protecting the autopilot remote was broken, one zipper on the canvas that connects the main windshield to the bimini was broken and a few other pieces of canvas needed to be stitched up. The canvas received its annual wash and Linda removed all the varnish from the rails (except for about 4 feet that still needs to be tackled). And the beat goes on….

We did manage to get our $100 freezer on the bridge and loaded with food – about half the volume is in orange and grapefruit juice. Then we decided the freezer really needed additional insulation so I made a cover out of 1 1/2 inch thick Styrofoam and duct tape. It actually looks pretty good and so far works quite well.

Yesterday I donned SCUBA gear and went under Hobbit to check the zincs. This is the first time I can remember when I didn’t have to change any of the zincs after a 5 month soaking. Even the barnacles and algal growth were low.

Today in the pouring rain I managed to get most of the crabbing and shrimping gear on board. Linda stayed home putting waterproofing on the bimini where it could be sheltered from the rain on our breakfast deck. I also, got the second scuba tank inspected and filled with air in case needed on our trip. More and more of the tasks on our list are being checked off! There may yet be light at the end of the tunnel.

May 4, 2011, Wednesday
We’re a few days behind schedule but think we finally have everything taken care of. Planning on a 3 ½ month cruise means we wish Hobbit could tow a trailer to hold much of our stuff. Linda even packed a commercial sewing machine in case a zipper or seam in the canvas rips out which it seems happens continually. If we forgot anything, I guess we’ll just have to do without. On our final day, a rare warm sunny one, Linda went to Hobbit with the car packed while I tried to prepare the bees for a lengthy period of no care, mowed the lawn, set up the irrigation system, made last minute changes to insurance for Hobbit and briefed our neighbor. Linda and I are both emotionally drained and looking forward to relaxing after several weeks of going constantly to get ready. Just a few more clothes and stuff for the refrigerator and we’ll be done. Estimated return home is mid August.

Happy Star Wars day,
May the 4th be with you