Day 70 – July 19 Ketchikan
First to finish off yesterday. We are docked in the Bar Harbor marina at least for the night. We may move to Thomas Basin, which is closer to town tomorrow. The weather is drizzly. After the refrigerator installation was complete and our other chores done, we all went to the Ketchikan Yacht Club where the harbormaster had told us they have a weekly BBQ. Glen had called ahead to check it out and then we went down by taxi. They have a BBQ every Friday evening at their clubhouse on the docks in downtown Ketchikan (Thomas Bay Marina). It is a very small facility, with a warm and friendly group. We ate BBQ hamburgers (with all the trimmings), chips, coleslaw, 3 bean salad, and dessert for a $5.00 donation. The salads and desserts were homemade and very yummy. It is BYOB, and you can bring something (cookies, salad, snack) if you wish; we took a tray of cheese/pepperoni and crackers. We were welcomed with open arms and had a good time visiting with quite a few members. While we were there they held a general meeting at which they voted on new membership for a couple. The couple was there but they were asked to go out on the porch during the meeting. We got to stay. I must say that taking minutes at this clubs meeting would be a snap. The entire meeting lasted less than 3 minutes. No pomp and circumstance just business. The minutes would read something like. The meeting was brought to order by x (unnamed person), he announced that they had a new membership application and stated the names of the couple, then asked for a vote. Yeas were heard, and the announcement was made stating ‘okay we hereby have new members’; followed by the meeting is adjourned. Oh they then invited the new members back inside. The clubhouse has a kitchen, a small storage room, two bathrooms, and a meeting/dining area lined with burgees from clubs all over the country. No RHYC burgee however. The club has one pier with about 2 dozen club boats, and at times can accommodate visiting boats (up to about 40 feet). Their membership numbers about 150. We were told that most of their members rarely use their boats other than the live aboards, and that they do not have any club cruises. One long time member told us that some would refer to them as a drinking club. I said oh a drinking club with a boating problem, and he said ‘no, just a drinking club’. Anyway we had a great time visiting and sharing a meal with them and then headed back through town to our boats. We decided to walk back (about 1 mile +) just to get some exercise and see what we could see. Interesting town, most buildings built on piling or stilts, and right up against or seemingly hanging onto a rock/dirt wall. Lots of signs from the building inspectors stating ‘do not enter’, etc… In down town proper there are tons of shops, and everything seems to be in pretty good repair. With 3-4 cruise ships in town per day (3-4 days a week), and upwards of 2,000 tourists per ship these stores see a lot of business; at least from May thru September. We plan to play tourist before we leave town.
Back to the boats and the wind and rain keep coming on stronger. We watched a movie and listened to the wind and rain as we felt Magic lifting and moving on the water. At one point I told Glen that ‘if this keeps up, I’ll have to wear my bracelet to bed’. The guys kept checking the wind gauge and I believe the top speed that they saw was 34 knots. There are white capped waves inside the marina. Our slip is the second from the end of the dock and near the entrance to the harbor and its rock breakwater. We are very glad to be tied to a dock in a harbor.
I checked the blogs and found that the Reeds are safely at a dock in Sitka. No posting from Jim Waters. I sure hope he has found some warm shelter tonight. I would not want to be in a tent on some rock.
It’s still raining and windy this morning. Wind speeds in the 15-18 knot range noted this morning. Still waves in the marina. Our stern is to the wind so everything on the back deck is soaked. We left a drink glass that we had found on a beach outside on the counter (under cover) by the BBQ last night and guess what it is full of water this morning. So maybe we have finally found the Alaskan weather that people have been talking about. This is definitely raingear and boot weather.
Sherm and Nancy Voiles flew in this morning to join this adventure on the ‘Debt’. The guys have headed up to the hardware store to get some parts to fix the Miner’s back door. It seems that it worked fine before the refrigerator installation but last night they closed the door (from the inside) and then could not get back out. They also could not get it open from the outside. Humm, another guy project. Glen also wants to try to find a magnetic latch to replace one that broke on Magic. ‘Knock on wood’, our repairs are very minimal compared to the Miners. So far we can work around any small inconvenience. Magic has been wonderful to us on this trip.
Chris and Nancy are currently loading up the new refrigerator and making a list for grocery shopping later today. I’m sitting here listening to the rain, typing, and doing laundry. Once all our chores are done we plan to go to town (by taxi) and play tourist. This will be our last chance to shop in Alaska as we will be heading back into Canada in about 3 days.
We went shopping and did the tourist thing in the rain. And I mean rain; the big wet nasty kind. Just like at home. But it was not that cold out, even with the wind blowing. We should have done down town Ketchikan on the way north when it was sunny and hot. Oh well, we’re from Seattle so a little rust on our gills won’t hurt us.
We plan to spend the evening inside staying warm.
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