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2-4. Dutch Harbor-Nome (Alaska)
Track
Logs ( 58 )
By Berrimilla on June 29, 2008, at 0058 UTC
Today is a perfect day. The sun is shining, the boat is packed and ready, the wind’s blowing from the right direction and we’re planning on heading off at daybreak tomorrow towards Nome. Usually that would be enough to make me jump around like a jack-in-the-box with excitement.
But today I’m bubbling with happiness for a completely different and far more exciting reason.
Last night I found out that all the way back home in Tasmania, my brother & sister in law – Matt & Caroline – have just had a beautiful little baby girl called Amelia. So today, the little people in my head are jumping up and down and doing summersaults for them instead.
Today the scale of the big adventure awaiting Matt & Caroline makes ours pale into insignificance.
K.
By Berrimilla on June 29, 2008, at 0454 UTC
For Gonzales: There is a house in Venice that has this enormously wide spiral staircase up to it..it is an apartment on the top floor and it is a very very old apartment. The man who built it yonks and yonks ago loved his horse so much and had nowhere to keep his horse outside so built the big wide spiral staircase up to it so he could take his horse up there everynight and so the horse could stay warm and dry and happy in the living room. Since you appear to be in Europe maybe this should be on your list of landmarks to visit with The Burro?????? For everyone else: all is well in Berriland. And this is just a quick one to say ‘hi’ and ‘bye’- we are heading off for Nome (take 2) at first light tomorrow. Forecast looks good for the next couple of days- SE or S 20 to 25 knots- excellent really!!! So off home for last of the packing and an early night as first light is about 5am here!!! And then, how exciting!!!! back to sea!!! I can’t wait!!!! Lots of love to everyone… McQ xxx ps thanks so so very much to Steve and Kelly (and Chico the wonderdog) for their amazing and fabulous hospitality and for introducing us to ‘Ruk-Shuk’ my new fave game… and most of all for generously giving us their own set of little rocks!!!! Awesome!!! Thank you!!!
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By Berrimilla on June 29, 2008, at 2243 UTC
Just an iridium test – departed small boat harbour 0630, waved off and photographed by Steve and Kelly – thanks, you two!
Calm day on the Bering – unusual! – cloudbase about 1000' so mountain tops hidden – I still haven't seen the top of a volcano up here.
Speeds, please bleep on the old satphone number if you send. I have message for H but will wait till later to see whether we can still get sailmaiol
zxx
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By Speedy on June 29, 2008, at 2300 UTC
Will the man in the sharp suit and the smile blazing with insincerity, gazing out from the home page of SLEEKHOST.COM remove his jacket and get down to the engine room and sort out the server now. Because by the time you’ve read this, so will another 20,000 people…………..
Marketing – don’t you just love it…………..
Bookmark this page everyone. Google, can probably cope.
Love, Speedy ( better in health than temper)
XXX
By Berrimilla on June 30, 2008, at 0410 UTC
I think we are about where we got to last time – I didn't log the position at the time but it was about 60 miles north of Dutch. Every mile from here, AGW, gets us closer to what Churchill called the end of the beginning. I hope that if we get to Nome in the 5 or 6 days it ought to take, we won't need to stop there for very long. BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia is beginning to break up and we will have to go and have a look.
Everything at BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia is off the beach for us – no jetty and we draw too much to get over the bar into the lagoon, so if we need diesel or anything else, it will be interesting. Will also depend on how much ice remains stuck to the beach – we can get Berri in to within about 50 feet of the beach…
A photo from Pascal yesterday shows BeecheyBeechey Island is an island located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago of Nunavut, Canada. More on wikipedia Island still iced in – but signs of break up. Tuk is open and I have spoken to the RCMPRoyal Canadian Mounted Police – The Mounties there to advise them that we expect to transit through Canadian waters and will check in with them. Also to the Deputy Harbourmaster at Nome – who is also the local Reporter…
Kimbra is cooking dinner – McQ asleep – Con has occurred – still balmy calm for the Bering tho a bit lumpy by Sydney Harbour standards – 25 knots from the SE forecast in 24 hours or so. Engine – and gearbox – running all day so far. Wood is being touched…
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By Berrimilla on June 30, 2008, at 1522 UTC
131 miles for the 24 hours. SFSG and a bit better than take 1. Bleak Bering morning, 15 – 20 kts SE and we're hooningAs far as I can gather, if Berri were a horse, she’d have the bit between her teeth to be hooning. LizzieLizzie the Whizzer: Berrimilla's wind generator whizzing – bright star, or more likely planet that was astern in a hole in the cloud at an elev of about 15 deg has faded and the sun will (probably!)rise soon but we ain't going to see it.
Later – we did, briefly, and the moon. Odd being at sea again after about 3 weeks ashore – back on the job and the focus returns but its sometimes not easy.
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By Berrimilla on July 1, 2008, at 0849 UTC
What a fantastic morning…There is bright bright sunshine and blue, yes, BLUE, sky dotted about!!! We had amazing night too with three stars in view for ages!!! Its been a while since we've seen such things!!! There are lots of birds (no eagles!) little flying penguin ones and puffins are the best!! It is truly wonderful to be back at sea- we are stonking along at over 6knots over the ground with a steady 20-22 knots of wind from just aft of the beam… it is due to build to 30 by tomorrow evening and back to the E, so fingers crossed it builds quick and blows through quick before we have to hang a right to the East!!!! I think its time, once again, to pay attention to the whims of the wind gods!!!
love
McQ
xxx
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By Berrimilla on July 1, 2008, at 0900 UTC
Comms difficult and The Force has not been with me but I’ll try to keep these flying through the air. We’re almost at 58 N Berri’s highest ever latitude. Cape Horn is at about 5730 S.
Wind now 30 kts, nasty lumpy sea but we’re still stonking – McQ has said it all, except for the big whale we saw a couple of days ago and some more Dall’s Porpoises. The whale was about half a mile away, only one spout and I think I saw tail flukes as it sounded.
If we can keep it all together, Nome in about 3 days. Might see our first ice before that, but unlikely. And only 30 days to the eclipse, so we have to try to get at least to Cambridge Bay by then.
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By Berrimilla on July 1, 2008, at 1529 UTC
just a quick position report
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By Berrimilla on July 3, 2008, at 0009 UTC
My word, the sea is 3.2 degrees celsius, which I am guessing is about 37 degrees Farenheit for those who work like that. Either way, its cold, so very very chilly here in the Bering Sea!!! Colder even than the 4 degrees that I attempted to 'swim' in in Spitsbergen!! And some of the seas are quite beam on and any that break near us scatter gazillion blobettes of icy icy spray down ontop of us. It pays to keep your hood up!!! All else good- various shades of brightening grey as the day goes on- oh for blue sky!!! The wind has backed a touch but seems to be easing a little too and we are still stonking along above 6knots over the ground and eating away the miles to Nome!!! No sign of the flying penguins today. (Kimbra laughed at me when I said the sky was full of little flying penguins!!!! Apparently they are guilliemots. what would you rather be known as though? A little flying penguin or a 'guilliemot'???)
Did I ever mention that we mended and re-waterproofed my boots!!! and, most importantly, its working!!! So it may be cold but at least the feet are remaining dry!!!!
Lots of love to all
McQueen
xxx
ps what is lat of plockers? and what is lat of muckle flugga too??? we are now at 58 55- certainly north of Glasgow my miles I think???
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By Berrimilla on July 3, 2008, at 0030 UTC
As McQ says, the water temp is 3.2 deg C, and that is confirmed by the nethers, which were given an opportunity test and comment this morning. OOOhaaaah! was all they could manage. Other indicators – VoANot the Voice of America, but the Viscosity of Anusol. Sophisticated and innovative system of onboard temperature assessment. Full explanation here = 1, solid and requires heating, outside air temp is 6.4, so it really is as if you were sitting in your fridge with some melted ice in the ice tray but without the beam sea, 25 knot-- Speed: definition of speed at sea. One knot is one nautical mile per hour. The nautical mile is about 1.15 % longer than the "statute" mile used on land. A knot is about half a metre per second.
-- A knot is also the result of winding a rope around itself or another rope to make a join or a loop .
spray, bleak overcast and occasional rather beautiful grey and white petrels. Too hard to get the book out Carla – sorry – maybe in Nome.
About 40 miles from Nunivak. We were overtaken earlier by the USCG cutter that was in Dutch when we left – would have been good to talk to him. Might see him in Nome and ask whether they took any photos.
Berri damp and cold inside, but sheltered from the wind and spray. Really glad we put in the insulation – condensation would be awful otherwise. Pete and I discovered in the Falklands that the place to buy specialised gear is where it gets used. I bought myself a full length Mustang survival suit plus a half length jacket in Dutch, as used by the USCG and fishos. Great gear, warm but bulky and hard to get in and out of in small boat – and, interestingly, it does not have face protection like any good yachting jacket. I’m going to contact Mustang when we get close to a usable internet link and ask them why not – there might be a special mask that goes with the suit, perhaps.
No ice yet, and unlikely with this wind, which will blow anything that might have been around way to the west.
Cold fingers. Will try to connect to iridium and send these.
Hi KatherineAlex’s daughter – I hope you’re home safe and happy – sorry I missed you on the phone. xx
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By Berrimilla on July 3, 2008, at 1801 UTC
The laptop is now set to UTC.
Calm, glass green water, like looking at a pane of window glass end on with light coming through it. Still patchy overcast – small glimpse of blue sky way ahead earlier. About 10 knots, NE, just able to lay Nome without too much cranking. About 2 days at 4.5 knots – 220 to go. White petrels, guillemots, the occasional puffin, a seal. While the sun does appear to set (we haven't seen it for a few days) it doesn't get dark – early twilight conditions. We're making freshly squeezed Bering sea with LizzieLizzie the Whizzer: Berrimilla's wind generator whizzing to meet the power requirements and I'm trying to dry out my best gloves – el cheapo lined waterproof gardening gloves from AdakA city on Adak island (Aleutians, Alaska) and a former US naval base. that got left out in the rain in Dutch. Better than anything else I have tried for keeping the hands warm and dry.
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By Berrimilla on July 4, 2008, at 0216 UTC
Wouldn't you know! 60 miles to Nome, 20 kts on the nose and building. 2 reefs, half heady, engine, all straining to get us there – but the sun is out and the sea is showering broken olive glassy garlands in sparkles and spangles and cascades – quite different from the blue Pacific we all know and love and worth the journey. Sunshine makes such a difference. Doubt we'll make Nome anytime before about midday tomorrow – Independence Day! – but the harbour works 24/7, I'm assured so we'll find somewhere to park and probably sleep.
Pam J – thanks for advice – I'm going to let things develop for a bit and then try a hot spoon handle. And the rest of you can work that out if you can! Reports will follow whenever necessary. Pam, if you need to contact me urgently, the website is probably the quickest way, but will take a day or so. Iridium is not working for me properly at the mo. If we get to Nome, I may have a mobile number.
Iff everything works out with to-do list, we will aim to leave Nome in minimum time – perhaps Monday. Will depend on ice reports en route to and at BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia.
But right now – no way I'm going to sleep in these conditions so I'm going to assume that Chichester was right – when it all goes TU – or, as George Carlin definitely would have said, Tits Up, it's time for a G & T. I suspect there might be a photo.
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By Berrimilla on July 4, 2008, at 0608 UTC
A curious thing happened on my 0500 watch yesterday. As I was sitting on deck wondering if any patches of blue would show up through the grey murk overhead, or whether the grey murk would do something nasty if I shook the second reef-- As a verb – to shorten sail, to use reefing lines or other techniques to make the working part of a sail smaller and so reduce its power as the wind rises. --- As a noun, (1) the part of the sail that has been shortened, folded or rolled. May be referred to as a slab or a slab reef which is a particular way of forming a reef.
-- As a noun (2) – a bank of coral, rocks or other obstruction usually close to a shoreline and potentially dangerous to sailors. out, I saw a pizza box go floating by. Followed by 10 paper plates over half an hour. How did they get there? Did the guys on the US Coastguard ship that we saw have pizza for dinner? And surely there should have been more than one pizza box for 10 plates?
The Bering has been refreshingly free of garbage from the land. But in a twisted way, it was kinda nice to think that someone else is up here sharing this grey sea with us, probably not too far away in the grey murk.
Lots of guillemots (sp?), puffins and petrels. Also came across a seal late last night. All very benign now and just sitting on deck marvelling at how many shades of grey there are. We're now much further north than Inverness, so this is the furtherest north I've ever been…and getting furtherer by the hour!
Love to all, K.
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By Berrimilla on July 4, 2008, at 0609 UTC
I'm so pleased to hear that someone else thinks little flying penguins do exist!!! I am not crazy!!! Though it would have been cool to stake a claim to both inventing a new language AND discovering a new species!!! It's highly entertaining to watch them try and take off and you can easily while away a whole watch going, 'fly little penguin, fly,' and crossing your fingers that they get airborne!!! Very cool!! It makes me wonder though, do you think you get flying polar bears in the Antarctic??? (note to self: next trip is to the antarctic to find flying polar bears and maybe other new species!!)As for any other wildlife, I haven't seen the elusive seal yet (might he be on a par with the lemmings of Ballyhoo??) I just can't wait to see some walrus (one walrus, two walri???)- they are totally my favourite animals up here!! And all else is good too, the sea is flattish, we have engine assisted sail in operation to keep our average up and hopefully get to Nome or near enough before the pink and purple bits from the North on the gribWeather files.
Graphics in Binary file: GRIB files associate a specific weather datum (eg wind velocity or atmospheric pressure) with a geographic position. Because the resulting file is a collection of these points they are extremely small and so ideal over slow links such as sailmail. hit us!!! Sky is still various shades of grey and sometimes I am sure I can see blue bits from the corner of my eye!! Water temp has shot back up to 8.6C-positively balmy compared to what must have been a particularly cold bit yesterday!! Still- unlikely anyone will be able to convince me to dive in!! Not much else to report at the moment really, but we are making good progress. Already our list of jobs for Nome is getting long aswell!!! We are now north of Weeg, Inverness, Plockers and Muckle Flugga too- how exciting!!! but still a wee bit to go for me if I want to get further north than I have been before on a boat though!!! (80N!!!)
Time for a snooze and hopefully some dreams of inspirational things to do with cabbage and potatoes for dinner!!!
Hope everyone is well.
Lots of love,
Cor
xxx
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By Berrimilla on July 4, 2008, at 0620 UTC
A bit like the Model T – you can have any colour you like as long as it is grey. AGW, Nome in about 24 hours – still a biggish to-do list – must re-investigate the gear linkage for a start – still not quite right and I hope we’re not doing any damage by running it.
Cape Romanzof -33 miles away and we can see it – black, rocky peninsula, three lumpy peaks streaked with snow and wonderful cloud formations coming from the top -NE wind, fluffy stuff close to the peaks, then almost lenticular – bars of cloud, rolling downhill – if the nik was behaving, I have pics.
Yesterday we signed off from the Westward Fishery skedShort for schedule. A pre-arranged (scheduled) time and frequency for radio contact often co-ordinated by a shore station, such as Penta Comstat, which is monitoring location and safety of boats in their area. Failure to respond to one or more sked can be a sign of trouble – a different take on David Kellett and the S2HSydney-Hobart Race: often described as the most gruelling ocean race in the world, this annual race starts on 26th December from Sydney Harbour and ends in Hobart. The course is 628 nautical miles. – Calling the Alaskan Command, this is double U ess gee 884 Westward…Calling the Arctic Wind…Calling the Caitlin Anne…calling the Chelsea K…calling the Hickory Wind…calling the Viking…and at the very end…calling the Berri. Thanks Dave, thanks Dan and thanks to all the skippers – it’s been great and I hope we don’t need to call you again on the way back! Right now, we have the Sea Robin coming up astern – bound for Nome, don’t know what he is but have him on the AISAutomatic Identification System. An automatic tracking system used on ships and by vessel traffic services (VTS) for identifying and locating vessels. and spoke to him – you speak kind of funny, says he. Yep,says I – Australian with an english accent. Looke as if he might come quite close but still 6 miles away.
Warnings around here about driftwoood – we’ve just passed 2 huge trees. Sawn at one end, so there must be some sort of lumber industry in Norton sound.
mjc – the survival suit is an MS 2175 model – not by any means YSL but practical and warm – no fittings for mask, but the masks I have seen in previous lives are designed as separate elasticated or velcro ‘over the top and roll it down’ spray hoods and that would work with this one. Who named Norton Sound? For whom? CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. would have followed most of these bays in and out to make sure he did not miss a passage, so CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia.?
Nothing to report – Mome, AGW, will become the launch pad for earth orbit – final decision for interplanetary burn at Point BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia. Will try to pull in Kodiak WxShort for ‘weather’ fax ice report tonight to see whether we can get it via sailmailSailmail is the system that Berrimilla uses for email communication. It is a non-profit association of yacht owners operating a network of private coast stations in the maritime Mobile Radio Service..
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By Berrimilla on July 4, 2008, at 1024 UTC
With about 30 miles to go to Nome, all was going nicely… with the assistance of the current we were almost making course for Nome with the Northerly wind too!!! The wind was slowly but steadily easing and after contemplating for a while I decided it was time to shake out the last reef-- As a verb – to shorten sail, to use reefing lines or other techniques to make the working part of a sail smaller and so reduce its power as the wind rises. --- As a noun, (1) the part of the sail that has been shortened, folded or rolled. May be referred to as a slab or a slab reef which is a particular way of forming a reef.
-- As a noun (2) – a bank of coral, rocks or other obstruction usually close to a shoreline and potentially dangerous to sailors.. That done, I headed back to the cockpit just in time for Ray1-The autopilot; 2-Human's name to throw a wobbly as the wind came in front of us and involuntarily tack us, oh bad Ra-ay, so I took the tiller and went for a donut back on to course, but as Berri turned so did the wind, following us all the way round, so stopped turning us and tacked sails, just getting the headsail across when suddenly, out of absolutely nowhere, we get knocked flat by 30 knots of wind!!!! totally barmy!!! and so typical that I get caught out with full sail up too… anyway dumped the main, put some, then all headsail away and the wind died off back to its original 15 knots, only now from the SSE and made sure we were pointing back towards Nome again… are you keeping up with all this??? yes, it was keeping me on my toes too!!! so main all the way out, preventer firmly attached, then headsail fully back out too, then wind wants to veer to the SW, so gybeGybe - A sailing term for turning the boat so that the stern passes through the wind. Potentially dangerous if not controlled because the wind can fill an uncontrolled mainsail from the wrong side and crash it across the boat, possibly causing damage to the rig and anyone getting in the way., then it wants to go back to the SE so gybeGybe - A sailing term for turning the boat so that the stern passes through the wind. Potentially dangerous if not controlled because the wind can fill an uncontrolled mainsail from the wrong side and crash it across the boat, possibly causing damage to the rig and anyone getting in the way. back. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr wind gods, grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!! Pause, tidy the mess of reef-- As a verb – to shorten sail, to use reefing lines or other techniques to make the working part of a sail smaller and so reduce its power as the wind rises. --- As a noun, (1) the part of the sail that has been shortened, folded or rolled. May be referred to as a slab or a slab reef which is a particular way of forming a reef.
-- As a noun (2) – a bank of coral, rocks or other obstruction usually close to a shoreline and potentially dangerous to sailors. lines, furlerA device fitted around the length of the forestay(s) of a sailing yacht that enables the crew to roll the headsail partially around the forestay and so make its effective area smaller (the same as reefing) or to roll it up completely (furling it). The sail would be furled when at anchor or otherwise not being used. There is a full description here . line and numerous sheets now littering the cockpit and grrrrrr some more!!! After I'd had enough grrrrring and started chuckling to myself again at the mentalness of it all, it was time to wake Kimbra (funnily enough she was already awake!!!) for watch and check course!!! On the money for Nome, with wind directly up the chuff now… extremely frustrating, and anyway after a bit more playing with the sails we are now motor-sailing directly for Nome with about four knots of wind from the North again!!! Mental!!!
I'm going for a five am etaEstimated Time of Arrival- maybe followed by a couple of hours sleep and then I reckon, scrambled eggs and bacon for brekkie to set us up for the busy day of work (and 4th July celebrations!!!) ahead!!!
Lots of love
McQueen
xxx
ps. You know how people steal gnomes from other peoples gardens and take them to famous landmarks round the world and send pics back??? well, I was wondering, do you think anyone has ever stolen a gnome and taken it to Nome??? That's what I'd do if I were to stumble across a stolen gnome: take him to Nome, then send him home!!!!
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By Berrimilla on July 4, 2008, at 1035 UTC
Topic(s): Sunset Actually I won’t complain. Since Bol wrote her bit and put her head down for the noight, I’ve tacked and gybedGybe - A sailing term for turning the boat so that the stern passes through the wind. Potentially dangerous if not controlled because the wind can fill an uncontrolled mainsail from the wrong side and crash it across the boat, possibly causing damage to the rig and anyone getting in the way. about a squillion times. But that 30 knotter from the north is nowhere to be seen!! Now motoring on in direct to Nome in 4 kts of wind, from anywhere and everywhere with a triangle of heady out to help slow the roooollling around and the main nicely flaked on the boom to stop it flapping and disturbing the peace and quite.
It’s sunset again, and has been for about 3 hours. Looking out to the east we could be sailing through a Gainsborough painting. Beautiful. Land on the horizon and a million shades of purple and apricot. And grey. Out to the east is a different story. The usual Bering Sea murk. I put my rain jacket on about an hour ago expecting to get very wet (and probably knocked flat by 30 kts again by the look of it), but so far nothing. Actually almost too warm tonight to wear the full party kit. Have had to shed layers to stop sweltering & water is a balmy 13 deg C! Tropical!!
Anyway, back to the deck to watch the rest of that sunset, make sure no big drifting trees are sneaking up on us, giggle at the dippy “flying penguins” and wait for the sunrise – should start about the same time as sunset finishes tonight I reckon. Haven’t seen full darkness for a couple of days now.
K.
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By Berrimilla on July 4, 2008, at 1552 UTC
The wind has come around to the north…We were hoping to beat the 30 kt northerly that is due tonight but doesn't look as if we'll make it. Poo!
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By Berrimilla on July 4, 2008, at 1714 UTC
Just had a call from Alex; they are safe and sound in Nome. Comms are bad from there so no emails or blog updates at the moment. He is on his ‘Falklands‘ phone: 00881621440078. Apparently the local mosquitoes, are pleased to have some fresh food in port. Well done Berri and her crew.
Speedy.
6302 16640 A bit of a whinge.
Sometimes it’s the little things that get to you and sometimes it’s the big ones. And sometimes it’s both at once. I ought not admit this to all y’all out there, but for me, this is now getting to be just a touch tense. The equation: We’re at least 24 hours out of Nome, gearbox seems ok, but some odd indications that all may not be right. Using the engine just to keep some VMGVelocity made good – loosely, speed in the right direction. on the clock, wind gradually lifting us but due to increase by tonight to 25 – 30 tomorrow morning. The ice is opening towards BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia and we need to be up there by July 12ish – it’s about 700 miles from Nome so a week if we’re lucky and if there’s nothing wrong with the engine. So – do the sums…
And then we have to avoid the huge lumps of timber all over the place out here – mostly waterlogged and awash so almost invisible in the slop until they are abeam or past us. Water now has brownish tinge to the bottle green – someone has been putting brown bottles in the green bin at the recyclery.
And I’m still unable to get my very expensive Iridium SIM voucher for the Arctic to work properly and I can’t talk to the technical people at Xsat (long story but their system is set up for people with an internet connection and they will not just send me a simple email that I can reply to)so I’ve paid lots of money for a service that I am not getting. Nothing much I can do about it but it’s desperately frustrating. Will try to talk to someone at Xsat from Nome.
But we had a sunrise this morning – makes up for a lot. Gone now, behind the clouds but there’s still some blue sky.
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By Berrimilla on July 5, 2008, at 1650 UTC
By Berrimilla on July 5, 2008, at 1654 UTC
By Berrimilla on July 5, 2008, at 1709 UTC
Strange – eerie? – feeling. I remember vividly looking at Nome on google earth in Sydney what seems now only yesterday yet so far in the past it has no time frame. I remember my feelings at the time – this tiny spot so far away – a harbour – Berri still on her mooring at RANSARoyal Australian Navy Sailing Association; a sailing club located in Sydney, Australia. – so far to go, so much preparation, perseverance, patience and persistence to get there – such a thoroughly uncompromising task to get Berri here and this is only the beginning. And here we most definitely – yet somehow unbelievably – are. On Independence Day – seems fitting.
I sat in Breakers Bar on Front Street as the festivities went on outside – long, narrow dark bar receding into the murky cigarette smoky distance, Mr Zappa and the Grateful Dead on NPR loud in the background, a bunch of goldpanners, construction workers and locals spread along the bar drinking the most amazing concoctions. Ice, cranberry and Vodka with a side shot of Crown whisky is one I remember. I felt as if I belonged – yet the signpost outside the Nugget a few doors away said Sydney 7181 miles (easily the furthest away of all the names). Tony, the barman, had a cookpot behind the bar and he opened it up and put a big black lump about a foot long onto a huge cutting board and started to carve it. My July 4th brisket, said he – would you like a plate? Would I??! How much is it? Against the law to sell it in here – I’m giving it away…so I got a paper plate with slices of marinated sugar glazed brisket, cooked overnight, with crisp bread and a mix of beans and onion. One of the best meals I have ever experienced – washed down with Alaskan Amber. A feeling of something achieved yet the usual apprehension that the ExaminerShe who asks awkward questions of the crew and tests them with difficult tasks. still lurks and we’re really only at the start line. Can’t ever escape that except by getting on with the job. Just needed MarvinThe manically depressed robot with a “brain the size of a planet” from HHGTTGThe Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams; essential reading for those trying to understand these logs. You may be none the wiser once you’ve read it, but at least you’ll have tried. More here along to park the amazing collection of hard country vehicles outside and tell me that his b.t.s.o.a.p. was wasted in Nome and did I have a real job for him?
On which: today is back on the gearbox problem. It’s a linkage problem, I think – doesn’t always seem to engage properly so I will try to dismantle it all again and adjust it – almost impossible to get to the business end of the Morse cable that moves the gear lever but I gotta do it somehow. McQ and K having their usual morning sleep in and will probably appear around lunchtime and start on the other jobs.
Still too much ice up north and we have been strongly advised by the locals who know that we should not leave until it is open at Point BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia so we will stay here until that happens. So – out of this expensive hotel and into a B & B if it looks like more than a few days.
I’ve absolutely had it with Xsatusa and their Iridium vouchers. Too long a story for now but I will one day publish the series of emails since April – farcical and funny except that our safety could have depended on the service working properly. I intend to abandon the NL200 voucher that cost me $155 for cheap calls in Alaska and Canada yet doesn’t work – despite early assurances that it would – from a boat off the coast. Xsat refuse to credit the other voucher with equivalent value and I don’t have the emotional fortitude to take them on. Carla, bless her, had a go and they are now apparently refusing to take her calls or answer her emails. Back to my more expensive but reliable Cable and Wireless service based in Port Stanley from here onwards when we can’t reach sailmailSailmail is the system that Berrimilla uses for email communication. It is a non-profit association of yacht owners operating a network of private coast stations in the maritime Mobile Radio Service. on the HFHigh Frequency – usually refers to HF radio which is long range digital radio that Berrimilla used to send all but a few of the logs on both circumnavigations. The radio was connected via a Pactor 3 digital modem to Alex’s laptop and used the Sailmail software application called Airmail to send emails and pull in emails, weather and GRIB files. Airmail also supports Iridium satellite telephone messaging and Alex used this as backup when the HF radio died approaching England. (or SSB, as it’s referred to here).
More later.
By Berrimilla on July 6, 2008, at 1615 UTC
A Dutch Harbour T shirt – YUCK on the front, Young Urban Cod Killer on
the back. I expect there may be other versions.
It's been Sydney hot in downtown Nome – locals shirtless and pink – I
was talking to one of the construction guys down near the harbour (the
whole harbour is a construction site) and he said he's been in Alaska
for 26 years and you never get used to the extremes – over time you
just learn to tolerate them. I can relate to that – same happens in
little boats!
Yesterday after we had done some boat jobs, I set off to walk/run up
Anvil Peak behind the town. The microwave antennae on the top are
probably visible on g earth. Long, hot dusty walk in the sun with a
heavyish backpack. There was a strong northerly wind blowing,
surprisingly warm and humid, and I decided at the base of the hill
that I had not left myself enough time so turned back. Found some old
WW2 8 inch naval gun barrels and a howitzer which might have been
Japanese, plus a couple of derelict landing barges. McQ and K are
going to try a second summit attempt today – I think I'll try to
borrow a bicycle…
They love the wind here in summer – it keeps the mossies away. I
wonder where they go – do lots of them get blown out to sea, never to
return? Here, mosquitos are bugs and you need bug dope to get rid of
them.
Bizarre – I bought a salad from the store for my dinner on the 4th
because everywhere else was closed. So, not far from the heart of the
king crab industry, I sat in my room eating crab stick – almost
certainly denatured Pollock surimi with added flavour, texture and
pink dye and probably from Dutch Harbour via China in a process they
call the double freeze.
Steve J and Kris – I was trying to find someone with influence to get
me an entry into the July 4th mountain run here – which, in the end, I
missed by half an hour or so because the start was at the same time as
the store that sells shoes and shorts opened. Undoubtedly a good
thing, because yesterday's walk showed just how much the once mighty
leg muscles have atrophied since, I suppose, I took the year off to go
around with Pete. One marathon in the Falklands does not a runner
make!
I'm now in the Polaris Hotel – much cheaper and definitely more down
market that the Aurora – has wifi but very spotty and I have to take
the laptop to the bar to get a signal. And no coffee – awful though it
was up the road, it was better than nowt – so I'm off to find some
after sending this.
Sadly, I think we're going to be too late for the eclipse – we might
just make Cambridge Bay by Aug 1 but I doubt it looking at the ice
reports. EleanorDaughter of Alex Whitworth, take a good camera!
By Berrimilla on July 7, 2008, at 0353 UTC
Well we arrived in Nome around 0530 on 4th July- Independence Day, no less!!! After breakfast on the boat (scrambled eggs and bacon for Big A, Kimbra and myself and Big A, Kimbra and myself for the ginormous mosquitos!!) we scrubbed and cleaned wee Berri until she positively gleamed inside!! Then Kimbra and I wandered along the high street towards the Aurora Inn (our chosen quarters for the duration) Our amble through town coincided fantastically with the start of the parade, which was a brilliant spectacle and resulted in us carting stars and stripes beach balls, sweets, beads, candy, lolly’s and twirly wind things with us for the rest of our walk!!!
We dropped all our luggage and paraphernalia off at the hotel and headed back out to watch the street games and eat free ice cream at the fire station and got sidetracked in the Breakers Bar on our way back!!!
The Breakers is fast becoming our local here in Nome and also seems to be the favourite haunt of the local tug crews delivering diesel and stuff on barges to here and communities farther north. Hugely useful bunch of people to talk to and the verdict seems to be that we are a little early to get round the top- confirmed by the ice reports… so we wait, with baited breath for the next Canadian and Alaska Ice Forecasts over the next couple of days… if the sweltering heat (yes, indeed!!!) and bright blue cloudless skies over the past couple of days are anything to go by then the ice should be getting less icy by the second!!!! Of course, the northerly winds are a bit unhelpful, blowing the ice south and potentially closing any gaps before they fully can open for us round BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia… its all exciting stuff!!!!
Kimbra went up Anvil Peak today and I had a quiet day, trying to write some postcards and visiting the museum… Nome is a mental and bonkers place- almost more so than Dutch, quite different but equally nuts!!! There is so much history here to learn about from the IditarodAn annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March from Anchorage to Nome (Alaska). An annual long-distance sled dog race run in early March from Anchorage to Nome (Alaska). Approximately 1600 miles and takes the northern or southern route in alternate years. to the gold rush to Amundsens voyage through the NWPThe Northwest Passage is a sea route through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways amidst the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. More here. and if we are here for a few days more a second visit to the museum will have to be done!!!
We have decided to take a tour tomorrow with local guide, Richard, to Teller, which is about 70miles north of here… Teller is, amongst other things, the site of the landing of Amundsens successful balloon attempt across the top… It will be particularly awesome to see this for me as two years ago I visited the historic site of the launch in Spitsbergen, which is quite a crazy thought!!! Hopefully we will acquire lots more knowledge and will report back tomorrow evening or the next day… oh and I nearly forgot- he has promised to take us panning for gold!!!! Since fickle and contrary me has decided that I don’t want ot be a king crab fishergirl anymore, and instead a gold nugget prospector, this is very, very exciting!!!!
I’ll try and put some phots up soon if I can…
In the meantime, congratulations and all the best to the parents of: Amelia Lindus, Oscar Russo, Elizabeth Thorogood and Lily Gillard and all other babies that seem to be popping out all over the world at the moment!!!!
Lots of love to everyone,
McQueen
Ps Gill and Simmo, hope you have the most fantastic wedding day and I so wish I could have been there!!!! Lots of love to the whole family, Bol xx
pps Uncle Iain McQ: I hate it when I waste the port by spilling it on the keyboard too!!! cor x
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By Berrimilla on July 7, 2008, at 0718 UTC
Roald Amundsen made the first flight across the north pole from Spitzbergen to Teller, 70 miles north of Nome some time in the 1920's in an airship. There's a magnificent sculpture of his face in Front Street and I'll try to send a photo with this. The three of us are going on a guided tour to Teller tomorrow as the ice seems firmly fixed up at BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia for the time being.
This morning, I borrowed a bike from the man behind the bar and rode to the base of Anvil Peak with heavyweight nik. M.B. T. B is a robust 75 or so, with much shorter legs than me, and Nome is flat so he doesn't use any of his 18 gears above the lowest. Low seat and barely effective gear change made for an interesting ride out of town through the gravel patches and up the 4 miles or so of gentle hill out to the peak. I hid the bike in a bush, then climbed the scree slope up to where the road crosses diagonally and followed that up to the 4 big microwave antennae. Worth the climb. Then I broke all the safety rules and cut across the tundra around the side of the peak and back down to the bike, taking pictures of the lovely, delicate wildflowers and collecting some snow in a bottle on the way. Pics will be on cd posted to Hasta la Speedy tomorrow.
Paul – thanks for the Kiwi advice – I had intended to do the adjustment when Berri was on the hard at RPA but the pitch seemed ok. Could perhaps do with one turn now. Dismantled the gear linkage again by impossibly contorting torso, arms and wrists, but I'm sure it's ok. The problem is that there is no thump as the gear engages in ahead. Just possibly might be that the pitch is too fine to provide the necessary resistance. I don't know and neither does John, but we'll watch it carefully…
Email from Spanish boat Amodina – headbutting the northerlies 2 days ago, 200 miles south and no sign of her yet on the flat calm horizon.
By Berrimilla on July 7, 2008, at 0816 UTC
OK. Stuff that people park in their backyards in Nome: very big Chevy and Ford 4×4's; ski-doos; big snow mobile thingies with
cabins; quad bikes; huskies; tinnies (small dinghies with outboards for the non-Australians); hydrofoils (yes, really); antlers;
webber bbq's; wheelie bins; 44-gallon drums; excavators; rusted kids bikes; stolen street signs; dead taxis and any other
random machinery that has wandered in by mistake sometime during the last century and settled down to graze.
My favourite so far – the old yellow "snow car". Does anyone recognise this thingy or know anything about its production
history? It has 4 separate treads instead of wheels & looks like front and rear may be separately driven. Mal – reckon it might be
a good next car for you when the old Holden finally packs it in!!! Looks to be of a similar vintage to your current car. She needs
a bit of work, but plenty of room in the back for bikes, boards and other toys.
Stuff that is definitely not found in the backyards of Nome (so far): mondo grass; water features' slip'n'slides; swimming pools;
pergolas; tennis courts or deck chairs. And I know that they're usually in the front yard, but I haven't seen a letter box yet…
Climbed Mt Anvil today. Absolutely fantastic. Proper account of meanderings and pics to follow. But right now we need to pack
our bombsite of a room to shift to another room in the morning before heading out to Teller.
K.
By Berrimilla on July 7, 2008, at 0826 UTC
Hmm…something happened to the pics that I just tried to send through with that last blog. Let's try again…
K.
By Berrimilla on July 7, 2008, at 1611 UTC
MJC – the large buildings are the frames for the collecting surface – with a big waveguide on a tower in front. Each building has a doorway and appears to be set up to be lived in – except that the smoke stacks for the stoves that stick out from each have all been shot up and are full of bullet holes…
Doug M – I seem to remember a story of survival following the 'Italia' crash and poor Nobile getting the blame for something out of his control.
Gonzales – last year they tested a tracked Humvee at HMPNASA's Houghton Mars Project camp on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic. on Devon Island – looked a bit like the old snowmobile.
By Berrimilla on July 7, 2008, at 1809 UTC
The climatological data in the US Coastal Pilot says that, on average, there are only 5 sunny days between the start of July and the end of August in Nome (nearly as bad as Manchester). I guess we’ve been lucky. We’ve had 3 stunners so far and today is shaping up to be another beauty. Off to explore Teller and make our fortunes panning for gold like good little tourists today.
Our friends from the Amadino are due in from Dutch Harbour today as well. Will be good to catch up with them this evening and see how their trip went they had a lot more headwinds than our run from Dutch. So now there wil be another mast peeking above the harbour wall in Nome until the ice clears (winds and sun starting to look favourable to start opening the pass at BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia…)
K.
By Berrimilla on July 9, 2008, at 0022 UTC
 Velvet Eyes As I was working away on a Sudoku puzzle in our room yesterday evening, Corrie called up through the window “You’ve got
to come down here…there’s a reindeer!” Okaaaay… (visions of reindeer disappearing down main street into the proverbial
sunset).
This is not what I expected to see.
Meet Velvet Eyes. We found out the story a bit later from Pat in the pub. Velvet was orphaned when very young and taken in
by one of the locals. She has a bit of a personality crisis and thinks that she’s a dog. Could have something to do with being
brought up with a cocker spaniel and a black lab. Anyway, Velvet’s apparently in the middle of the family pecking order -
after the spaniel but ahead of the lab.
I found this website with lots more great pics of random Nome happening: http://www.tomsnome.com/nomephot.html
Check it out if you’ve got some time, and thank you Tom whoever you may be. I particularly like the rubber duckie race!
We used up the rest of our sunshine quota yesterday and it’s cool and cloudy again over here today.
Cheers to all, K.
By Berrimilla on July 9, 2008, at 1923 UTC
If I understood Richard, our guide on the trip out to Teller, the local Native Americans believed that the Raven had special significance in their relationship with the land, the animals and eachother. Symbolically, everything came together ‘under the wings of the Raven’. Lovely concept, and I’d like to think that Berrimilla and her crew will be able to relate to the places we go to from here as if we too are under the wings of the Raven, but I think that might be a cultural hijack and so I’m just going to try to respect the Raven and hope that it looks after us too.
Raining and muddy here this morning, and cold, just like Dutch Harbour. Great contrast to the last few days of heat and sunshine – the sea now a rolling, surging brown and the southerly wind pushing it up the beach and raising the water level in the harbour by at least half a metre.
We had an absorbing trip out to Teller, the little village where Amundsen, Nobile and Ellsworth landed the airship Norge in 1926 in a storm. They were trying to reach Nome. The airship was destroyed and I assume that the crew eventually followed more or less our route to and from Nome by dogsled. But the imagination quivers a bit at the thought of what the local natives must have thought when a 70 metre airship arrived above them…
I have sent Speedy photos from the trip – lovely delicate tundra wildflowers, melting permafrost, musk ox, arctic terns, a bit of scenery. We met Norbert, a local friend of Richard’s, who has been blind for 40+ years since getting measles as a child. If you can find “Burdens greater than mine” by Hank Williams Snr, Norbert is the blind man and the other two were his friends.
I feel as if I have just seen the tip of the lure – this is an amazing place and there’s so much that is fascinating and related in so many ways to Australia and things that happened and still happen there – and CookBritish explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the Royal Navy. He made 3 voyages to the Pacific Ocean, during which he achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. More on wikipedia. – I intend to re-read his journals when we eventually get home to try to observe again what we have seen ourselves but through his eyes.
And from the philosophical to the totally ridiculous – there’s a tv in my room and I was idly watching last night and doing other things and I saw scenes shot in Manly (a Sydney suburb close to the entrance to the Harbour) – it was an episode of, I think, Jag or JAG – a bunch of US naval people hunking around in stereotypical Oz. Not my gig but stirred the homesickness strings just a bit. The Supreme Court of NSWNew South Wales. State in the East of Australia. New South Wales' capital city is Sydney. was set in St Patrick’s Seminary on the hillside to the south of the beach. Hollywood license. Some of the rest of it was cringemaking – are we really seen like that?
Mjc, the microvave towers long disused – were part of the communications system for the DEW line.
By Berrimilla on July 9, 2008, at 1936 UTC
The flowers ars known as Kamchatka Rose – the seeds blow across the Bering strait from Russia and they are only found on the west and south sides of the Seward Peninsula slopes. They are members of the rhododendron family – tiny examples of what I remember as huge bushes in England.
By Berrimilla on July 11, 2008, at 0007 UTC
We sure picked the best day for the road trip – the sun hasn’t been back since. The play of the light across the tundra and mountains was something to behold.
Look closely at the pic of the river. All of those dark shadows are salmon! Lots of them. Yum.
K.
By Berrimilla on July 11, 2008, at 2302 UTC
Velveteyes the reindeer: Noted to be eating lettuce, thus, not vicious. However, slightly more vicious on attempt to get closer (some foot stamping went on!!!)
Gigantic Arctic Mosquito: could be considered the most vicious of all, due to amount of attacks against humans, who make delightful prey as we don’t have really thick skin and coats of fur for them to bite through!!
Herd of muskosk: not vicious really, kinda cute, but protective of their baby muskoxes and then apparently they do some pretend-vicious snorting and more foot stamping
Drying Salmon: red but not vicious
Swimming salmon: rather un-vicious really
Bees: HUGE, noisy, but so far not vicious and pointless as they don’t make honey
Moose: too far away to make an educated viciousness rating
Nomeites: All very friendly so far and not vicious at all
Blueberry Beer: Delicious not vicious!!!!
More vicious will no doubt follow!!!
Hope everyone is well and Gill and Simmo, you had a great day!!! Please let me know the website for photos soon!!!
Also, congratulations and apologies for forgetting the parents of: Jake Griffiths, Tabitha Mackenzie, Cameron MacGregor and Lola Sakura HH!!!!! (no more babies for a bit, folks, please!!!)
All is well here in Nome as we wait patiently (still!!) for the ice to melt a bit more before we attempt to head north. I think it is good to have a few enforced days: it gives us time to ensure that Berri is properly stowed and organised and all the little bits and bobs can get some attention and means it is a whole lot easier to stay on top of things when we get going. Unfortunately (certainly for my bank manager!!) land also equals spending too much money!!!!
We have been welcomed again and again into the home of Pat and Sue and their family and we are hugely appreciative of their continuing generous hospitality- thank you very, very much guys!!!
Thats all for now, really. Am trying to upload some photos as we speak, but it is quite slow and may or may not work.
Lots of love to everyone
Cor
xxx
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By Berrimilla on July 12, 2008, at 0311 UTC
Pics – it's musk ox hair – soft, warm and valuable and you can find it all over the tundra.
If you are planning to sail into the US, you must
- have a visa. You cannot enter via the Visa waiver scheme
- apply for a cruising permit which authorizes you to enter US ports and harbours without paying taxes and dues
- report your arrival and departure to US Customs and Border Protection immediately you enter and leave each port.
I got the first two right but took a rather too casual approach to the third when we got to Nome, thinking that we could report at our convenience. Not so, and I got into trouble for failing to report on arrival.
The equation develops: we are still in Nome. BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia icebound and the wind and sea are not the best for sailing north for the next few days. We are looking at Monday as the first possibility – that should get us to BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia in 4 or 5 days if there is no intervening ice. Last year, BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia opened on July 20th, (I had been told it was completely open by the 14th) so it’s getting tight. If we can get past Point BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia, we need a southerly wind to keep the ice offshore and allow us to get across to Canada. Point BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia to Devon Island is about 2000 miles, so an absolute minimum of 20 days. Perhaps 14 days to Cambridge Bay on the way, so we will definitely miss the eclipse. A pity, but patience and wisdom are the way to go – we’ll take things as they come.
Devon Island to the Atlantic is about another 1500 miles – so some time in September, all going well. Then we will decide which way to go – across to the UK or south to the east coast of the US.
Pat and Sue's daughter Megan is a runner – first marathon a couple of weeks ago – and I've been running with her for the last couple of mornings. Talk about contrast – decrepitude versus lithe athleticism. Megan wants to qualify for Boston next year – go Megan!
That's about it – cold and rainy, and tonight is pizza night – we hope to return some hospitality at the Airport Pizza Bar which is actually in downtown Nome.
By Berrimilla on July 12, 2008, at 1719 UTC
Pity about the eclipse, but it was only ever going to be possible if we got an early pass though Point BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia. I’ve squeezed as much fuel (in plastic jerries, or jugs as they call them here) as I think we can manage into poor, fat Berri so that once we do get through, if we decide to go for the Passage, we can perhaps bypass at least one of the planned refueling stops (Kaktovik, Tuktoyaktuk, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven and Resolute) and increase our chances of better weather in the Atlantic. We have about 450 litres on board, which should give us 800+ miles of motoring in ideal conditions. Unlikely, of course, but we’ll configure the boat for range rather than endurance – most aviators would understand the difference. Resolute would be the most likely candidate to miss as it requires a big diversion to the west and is iffy to get into, but that would mean getting from Cambridge or Gjoa all the way past Greenland to wherever on the final refuel and the wind. Not without some risk. There are ports in western Greenland if we get into trouble, but not easy to navigate.
AGW, I would really like to call in at BeecheyBeechey Island is an island located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago of Nunavut, Canada. More on wikipedia Island but last resort pragmatism may also dictate some corner cutting when (if!) we get to Lancaster Sound. If we get there towards the end of August, Pascal and the NASA crew at HMPNASA's Houghton Mars Project camp on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic. will be leaving HMPNASA's Houghton Mars Project camp on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic. as well, so there would be one less reason for going to BeecheyBeechey Island is an island located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago of Nunavut, Canada. More on wikipedia. We might be able to wave as they fly past on their way out!
Today, we will be interviewed by Anna Hahn, who works for The Nome Nugget on her way to High School in Sitka. The Nugget is on line – google it if you want to know all about Nome.
I would love to joke about getting into trouble with Authority, but I think that would be unwise. Very serious people and to be taken very seriously. A pity – I can see an interesting dissertation on dysfunctionality hovering somewhere out there but I’d prefer not to be in Cuba when I write it.
Lifelong friends indeed Pat – if any of y’all out there are interested in a real adventure, put ‘Pat Hahn umiak’ into google – fascinating stuff and an amazing family.
And – if any of you are visiting Potter at Royal North Shore, please tell him I’m thinking of him and sending get well vibes.
Enough already – the pic is an Arctic Tern over the salmon filled Sinuk River – we were told that the Tern migrates between the Polar ends of the earth. Stunningly beautiful bird.
By Berrimilla on July 14, 2008, at 0340 UTC
The entrails are in conformity with the planets and the oracles have spoke – here, in BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia and in Prudhoe and it seems to be time to go. We intend to leave Nome tomorrow morning when all necessary formalities have been completed and I've paid the Harbourmaster. 30 kts from the south forecast and then who knows. At this stage I'm less concerned about ice around BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia than about the steady 20 kt easterly that's been blowing along the north coast. The ice will go away eventually but the wind may not and that could make life very difficult. About 3000 miles to Lancaster Sound…Berri fat and heavy with fuel and food – appendages please!
There was a brown bear – grizzly – walking the streets of Nome this morning – apparently sick or it wouldn't have been here, and probably now shot. And Megan and I ran Anvil Peak – can't believe the aged legs held out but they did and are now seriously in need of Medicinal Compound, which is being administered orally. Anna is writing her article, so if it makes the paper, it should be in the Nugget on Thursday.
Bags packed and checked out of the Polaris, but experience says the hovering ExaminerShe who asks awkward questions of the crew and tests them with difficult tasks. may queer the pitch. It's been a wonderful stay – great people, fascinating history and I hope as Pat says, friends for life, Pity we missed the volcano in the Aleutians.
Matt – I'll be in touch, but I can't go south of (I think ) 34 degrees N until after the hurricane season so November sometime, if memory serves.
By Berrimilla on July 14, 2008, at 1740 UTC
I got up early to look at the forecast – Nome bleak and cold in heavy rain and the wind due to go north 20+ kts on Wednesday, just when we would be most exposed if we were to leave today. (If you go here http://pafc.arh.noaa.gov/ice.php and click on Marine and then the areas, you will get the forecast wind and see what I was looking at. You can check the ice too). Enter Prudence, stage left, carrying Proclamation. So I climbed on Pat’s trusty bike and sloshed up the main street to wake Kimbra and McQ and suggest we wait at least another day. And so it shall be.
I’ve never been a proper cruising sailor and I find these periods of more or less enforced waiting quite difficult – we have this rather daunting job to do and it tends to look more and more difficult the longer one has to contemplate. And today, I had my bag carefully packed with all the stuff I thought I wouldn’t need for a week or two at the bottom, so the whole lot is now spread all over my bed again. EeyoreThe lugubrious donkey in AA Milne’s Winnie the Pooh. – That’s just what would happen.
The pics are from my window and over the breakwater. Bleeah!
By Berrimilla on July 14, 2008, at 1746 UTC
You can see Berri's and AmodinoSteel boat built in NZ and sailed through the North West Passage with us.'s masts if you look carefully.
By Berrimilla on July 15, 2008, at 1838 UTC
Not much to add really. It’s still bleak, raining and cold in Nome – so bleak that Megan and I wimped out of our run this morning. Shame on us.
And it’s still blowing from the north east up north of the Bering Strait in the Chukchi Sea and along the north coast with no obvious sign that it’s going to change any time soon. The ice is loosening and Point BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia will probably be clear in a few days, so we are in difficult decision mode. It is very easy – too easy – to sit here and wait for the perfect moment – if it comes – but a couple more days seems sensible. Our friend in BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia agrees – it's great to be able to talk to someone up there with real and long term experience of the conditions.
The focus for me has now shifted towards the other end. It’s at least 4500 miles to the Atlantic, so 50+ days if we are lucky. We must be there by mid September at the very latest and I’ve just spent a difficult hour on the computer and the phone buying the digital chart for the Greenland coasts in case it is pearshaped when we do get there and we need a bolt hole somewhere. Not an easy coastline and with typical fjord wind conditions, so I hope we don’t. SlartyMegrathean planet designer from HHGTTGThe Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams; essential reading for those trying to understand these logs. You may be none the wiser once you’ve read it, but at least you’ll have tried. More here whose favourite job was doing “the wrinkly bits in fjords”; He carved his face on the big rock above Baie de L’Oiseau in the Kerguelens. didn’t design it for sailing boats! Anyway, to get over there in time, I think we must leave here for Point BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia in the next 10 days or look at the alternatives.
Sadly, therefore, not our year as far as the original objectives are concerned. We will certainly miss the eclipse and probably also any chance of a rendezvous with Pascal and the HMPNASA's Houghton Mars Project camp on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic. team. They expect to leave Resolute on August 19. Slim chance indeed but I still have a beer delivery to make. Maybe a cache under a cairn at BeecheyBeechey Island is an island located in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago of Nunavut, Canada. More on wikipedia, just like old times! Pat Hahn says that this year seems to be more like the years when he was up there himself – everything is later than it has been for the last few years. It will almost certainly clear sufficiently to allow us through, but timing at the other end becomes critical. The Atlantic in October is not a good place to be.
So there it is. The main objective, the NW Passage is still definitely feasible but the fun bits are a bit more remote. Watch this space, if you have the patience!
For anyone planning to follow us – a word of warning. The digital charts that I own and some of the others that I have seen are far less detailed than the paper versions. By no means worthless, but certainly not what I have become used to further south. Check very carefully before you buy – I suspect a copyright battle somewhere in the background.
By Berrimilla on July 16, 2008, at 0111 UTC
The wind gods, those darn wind gods, continue to conspire against us!!!! Now it appears that the northerlies are set to stay for another few days, which means the wind gods are probably in cahoots with the ice gods and I imagine they are all chuckling away together as the northerlies might blow ice southwards!!!! So, fingers crossed that we get a weather window soon and also, hopefully that the big winds just break the ice up and melt it enough for us to get a safe passage up and round the corner and onwards to the East!!!
Meanwhile we have time to peruse the weather here in Nome too!!! Looking out the window I have decided that Nome Alaska’s weather is not dissimilar to Scotland!!! Now, some people will know that Scotland’s weather depends on where in the country you are but often the consistent thing is rain!!! Here in Nome we have days where it is like Edinburgh, cold wet misty drizzly rain and other days where it’s like Glasgow, big wet blobbety downpours!! Its a bit like going back and forth along the M8 but not sure which end you are at each morning when you wake up!!!
Its kinda muddy too, as a precaution i have re-gunked the outside of my boots with sealant and they are getting a good workout in the muddy puddles, for sure. I am pleased to report that they are still working!!!!
It would be great to get back to sea and get going again soon!!! But as Big A says its all to easy just to wait and soon enough we will have to bite the bullet and give it a shot- all we can do is hope that our judgement call to go is the right one when we do and if we end up in the North Atlantic a bit later than hoped, well I guess, we cross that hurdle when (if) we get there!!! I have the utmost faith in wee Berri that she will be cope with whatever is thrown at her!!! I can tell you though that my bank manager will be delighted for me to get back to sea and I imagine he believes the longer I stay at sea the better!!!!!!
I have bought us some dice so we can play Perudo (my favourite game: similar to liar dice, but a bit simpler and without the need for poker dice) and think I may have got Kimbra hooked, though I keep losing (grrr, I HATE losing!!!!) and soon I won’t be able to blame it on beginners luck!!! With that and good old ruk-shuk I’m managing to keep my competitive edge at bay!!!!
I’m still struggling to upload phots to the blog but I will keep trying!!!
Not a lot else happening here to report, but hope everyone is great at home, (and the summer is still summery for those in the UK!!!)
Oh, I also have a new favourite song, which I keep wanting to put on repeat on the juke box in the Polar Bar (!!!)…. all together now, ‘No-orth, to Alaska…’!!!!!
Lots and lots of love
McQueen
xxx
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By Speedy on July 16, 2008, at 1840 UTC
I’ll be off the air for about a week.
Cheers, Speedy.
By Berrimilla on July 16, 2008, at 1909 UTC
Or turning the pear in gritty Nome…0800 and just back from a run around the edge of metropolitan Nome on the dirt track with Megan – hard gravel, potholed, wet, muddy, in thick misty rain – we squished past some dog team kennels set back from the track on a low rise almost invisible in the cloudbase – howling dogs and eerie shivers – perfect Dartmoor and The Hound for anyone who has read the book.
Yesterday, I went to talk to the Met people at the airport – a mile or so out of town, downwind outbound to get there, sandy, gritty muddy puddles followed by sandy gritty muddy road followed by … and then seriously upwind inbound with the extra attraction of windblown sludge from the passing trucks (they mostly are trucks and big pickups here) so my eyelids still feel like sandpaper. Pat's bike works, so at least I had some gears to play with but the derailleur gets choked with grot and misbehaves and so do the changers on the handlebars. The Scottish wildlands indeed! And, as it turned out, all for nothing. They had no more information out there that we can get ourselves. Strong southerlies with heavy rain till about Saturday then a chance of a short change then back to the same. Still looks like northerlies beyond the Strait by the weekend and easterlies along the north coast. Uggly.
Today’s ice report shows BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia with about 3 tenths ice with offshore drift. It moves back in when the wind drops so still a bit too early for Berri – I think we will be in Nome for a few more days and then it will be time to go and have a look. The ice is still fast in the narrow Straits to the east and past Cambridge. If it still shows no sign of breakup when we eventually do get to BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia, I think it will be a potential showstopper. The wind here has dropped, so the water level in the harbour will also drop and I must go and check Berri's mooring lines.
PMcQ – Eric the Red and his offsiders leapfrogged all the way up the west coast of Greenland, I suppose in open boats – there’s hope for us yet! The Eskimo were there first in their open boats – interesting to know whether they were able to co-exist.
Steve – still wish we’d seen Okmok blow. The vis was so bad when we sailed past that we didn’t see the island at all.
The photos are looking SW from Pat’s window. The Port of Nome has been remodelled over the last few years – the Snake River mouth used to be just outside the window, but now filled in and the river diverted to the west. Two new breakwaters forming an outer harbour have been built to the west with the river flowing out between them. The crane is finishing part of the breakwater and there is an inner harbour along part of the old river course which is mostly a construction site.
By Berrimilla on July 17, 2008, at 0312 UTC
There's a cruise ship alongside the outer wall in the murk – small one called Sea Odyssey/sea with about 200 pax at a guess. They are all over town in the mud and rain – easy to spot because they are all cringing a bit at the conditions and are mostly inappropriately dressed – some in wet looking sneakers and some women even in raised heel slip-on shoes tippying through the puddles – you'd think that the ship would have warned them. Reminds me of Port Stanley – perhaps a shade bigger than Nome but very similar and a huge cruise box anchored in the outer sound and ferried about 2500 people ashore in big lighters. They milled around town, avoiding anything remotely wet or dirty, bought postcards and got lightered back aboard 6 hours later. Woe betide if you missed your lighter. Like this ship in Nome, the more organised went off in buses to look at the local sights, so there have been yellow school buses everywhere as well. The shape of the future for here and points north.
We were sitting in the Caff this morning and couldn't help listening to one of the visitors talking with hushed amazement about this little sailing boat 'and y'know, it's heading north…' Didn't want to spoil the illusion by breaking in with a 'maybe'! The Nugget just hit the streets and Anna's article has the centre fold.
My next project is to come back here with the Nikon and a couple of weeks to spare and borrow the mighty bike again from Pat and tour the local backyards and the bush taking arty farties of abandoned equipment for a coffee table book. There's at least one Beech 18 out there, plus endless snowmobiles, four wheeler bikes, various tracked and rather untracked crawlers, lots of machinery of dubious purpose and dredges everywhere – there isn't much of the local countryside that hasn't been mined at some time. Then there are trucks, old cars, some wonderful junkyards, one of which has a bent aircraft propeller. And – wonder of wonders, I think I saw and heard a DC6 flying in through the murk a day or so ago. Not, after all, abandoned.
Pics – Pat Hahn demonstrating why I like to be around him – he's got even less hair than I have – plus cruise box and crab boat.
By Berrimilla on July 17, 2008, at 1651 UTC
By Berrimilla on July 18, 2008, at 0052 UTC
Went looking for dead aircraft today – here are some rather sad photos – 2, possibly 3 Beech 18's and a couple of indeterminate high wing mono, resting in an old gravel pit near the original town dump.
By Berrimilla on July 18, 2008, at 0130 UTC
A dead Frogstar battlecruiser – this one is huge, but there are hundreds of smaller ones around the place. I've never seen one actually operating.
By Berrimilla on July 19, 2008, at 0205 UTC
Pat Hahn worked his way through college on big dredges (almost calls for a burst of Marvinspeak – btsoap and here I am dredging gravel. Who needs gold?) – he says that they are classified by their bucket size. Yesterday's pic of the burned out pile of metal was actually quite a small one, with 5 ft buckets, all driven by a belt from the engine to the gearbox – you can see part of the drive train in the pic. There are to others out in the boonies a bit further with 9 ft buckets. Real monsters – I'll go and try and find one if we are here for long enough. Pat, as a volunteer fireman, attended the dredge fire – nothing they could do except stop it spreading.
Our Spanish friends on AmodinoSteel boat built in NZ and sailed through the North West Passage with us. left yesterday. Ambitious, in my humble opinion, but a 75 ft, 60 ton steel boat with huge engines, so a very different equation. I will call them in the morning to see how they are going. We are here for at at least a couple more days, I think. Weather up north not encouraging, but signs the ice is beginning to break up in Queen Maud. If you have google earth, you cal zoom in on Cambridge bay, look NE of the houses, across the bay, and you will find the remains of Amundsen's boat Maud. Sad end.
By Berrimilla on July 19, 2008, at 0240 UTC
Sunshine in Nome! South wall of the inner harbour. AmodinoSteel boat built in NZ and sailed through the North West Passage with us. gone, dredges out in the Bering sea dredging for gold, big barge being loaded in the middle distance under the crane on the far side of the harbour, Snake River coming in from the NW on the right, inner harbour exit just behind the small motor boat, trusty bike on the wharf. Salmon jumping in the harbour…
By Berrimilla on July 19, 2008, at 2314 UTC
Really nasty wind and sea between here and BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia for at least a couple more days according to NOAA. Patience and perseverence…the ice is definitely breaking up at BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia.
Yesterday, Pat and Anna went swimming in 4 degree water. Megan and I bought our way out by agreeing to go for an early run today, hence post run coffee and warm fire. The fireplace is the only one I will ever see that has a vertebra from a bowhead whale that was probably killed a century ago built into it.
Chris P – the BrolgaBerrimilla is a Brolga 33 designed by Peter JoubertJoubert, Peter: mechnical engineer, specialising in fluid mechanics, now retired. Highly respected sailor and designer of the Brolga and other yachts; many mentions but see 115; Pete’s meeting with him, 122. For specs, see here is likely to be Django, belong Becketts.
By Berrimilla on July 19, 2008, at 2319 UTC
For Steve – Nik pik by Megan.
By Berrimilla on July 20, 2008, at 1641 UTC
Early on a cold, foggy drizzly day in lovely downtown Nome. There's a good surf today coming in to the beach and the breakwater. Forecast still pearshaped further north but the ice is definitelt clearing art BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia. There's a small boat advisory in force until tomorrow for the Bering Strait. I've been trying to contact AmodinoSteel boat built in NZ and sailed through the North West Passage with us. to see how they are going, but so far no luck. I hope they are not too uncomfortable.
This is an interesting website:
http://rapidfire.sci.gsfc.nasa.gov/subsets/?subset=AERONET_Barrow
mostly cloud in the latest pics but if you change the vector to 'coast only' at the top you get the outline.
Anyone care to guess what the photo shows?
By Berrimilla on July 21, 2008, at 0635 UTC
Fascinating day. Cold bleak morning – just a greyish brightening of the twilight as the sun dips for a few hours – and Megan took me for a run out to Dredge No 6. This one's more or less intact – still has it's corrugated iron outer facade, most of the works still in place including the massive driving gear and the bucket chain – it has 9 cu ft buckets. Was going to go out on the bike to look for No 5 – the one that put Pat through college, but instead, we went up the Snake looking for salmon. McQ and K sleeping off a late night of monopoly and medicinal compound. As I don't have a State of Alaska fishing licence, I just operated the Nik but Pat and Megan caught several big salmon all of which they put back – too far gone was the diagnosis, meaning that the spawning effort and the physiological changes that it induces make them not worth cooking and eating. They looked ok to me, but I'm an iggorant Oz. The hump on the male fish in the photo is all fat and there's almost no muscle left. We went up as far as the weir set up to count the fish that cross it as part of a big survey of the salmon population of Alaska – there are 35,000+ fish above it so far and, it seemed to me, a lot more below. The fish are allowed through the barrier into a live trap, counted and released up river.
On the way back, we hooned around a bend to find a moose calf mid river and its mother on the bank. The calf crossed, mum backed off into the willows and we went between them – something you never ever do on foot but can get away with in a boat. You can see the mother in the last photo – huge animal. And when we got home, we had moose burritos for late lunch – moose mex.
As for the reason we are really here, there seems to be a promising break in the weather on Wednesday. But I never predict.
By Berrimilla on July 21, 2008, at 0644 UTC
Wind has turned north – Berri blowing hard against the wall. Glad we're not in Bering Strait.
By Berrimilla on July 22, 2008, at 1747 UTC
Rather too much ConsultationA regular engagement with alcohol. One might say this whole epic is a Consultation with a bit of a sail round it. See also Conservation Mode; Linear and Parallel Methods of Consultation last night and I've just wimped out of a run this morning. The big low pressure system is still parked west of BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia giving us a N or NW gradient with up to 25 knots and 10ft seas further north. AmodinoSteel boat built in NZ and sailed through the North West Passage with us. had only got as far as Cape Wales by last night – about 150 miles in nearly 4 days. There is a tiny break forecast for tomorrow and the next couple of days and we might get going and have a look but it's not promising. BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia appears to be sufficiently open to get through. The ice in Queen Maud has started to melt but there's still a lot of fast ice there and the Canadian Environment Service graphs show 10% more ice in the NW Passage than last year. It's beginning to look as if we might have picked the wrong year, but there's still time to get through safely if we can get to BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia and Maud melts enough to give us a reasonable probability once we do. Pat, who has been there and been caught for a year, says that if the break up in Maud and Peel Strait is late, the ice tends to be blown south and packs in from White Bear Point north to Jenny Lind, blocking the passage. If that happens this year and we are not through, we would have to leave the boat in Cambridge Bay or go back 600 miles to Tuktoyaktuk or even further west if is still open. The later we get to BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia, assuming we do, the more we should know about what is happening to the east, but the decision will not be easy unless things change significantly in the next week or so. Today, I am going to try again to contact a friend of Pat'swho lives in Cambridge Bay – someone who has also sailed the passage and knows the conditions – to try to get a feel for what might happen there over the next month. He hasn't been answering his phone, but maybe today.
If you are not already bored silly by all this inactivity, watch this space.
By Berrimilla on July 23, 2008, at 0337 UTC
Looks like tomorrow's the day. I'll confirm in the morning before we go. If all goes well, about a week to BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia, then the infinite improbability factor takes over. AmodinoSteel boat built in NZ and sailed through the North West Passage with us. crossed the arctic circle today and will be somewhere out ahead unless they get stuck somewhere.
By Berrimilla on July 23, 2008, at 1546 UTC
Perhaps for the last time at Pat's. 0630, just up from the boat and looks like today's the day. Conditions far from perfect but the best we are likely to get – north today, strong southerly late tomoz, rain and fog and then round to the west and back to the north again by the weekend. BarrowPoint Barrow or Nuvuk is a headland on the Arctic coast in the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost point of all the territory of the United States. More on
wikipedia won't be easy to reach! From here on, messages from the boat so as and when we can connect. Thanks for all your good wishes – Carol, I hope the knife does the job and Fi – enjoy the endorphins! Pete – got your message, tried calling, can't find your skype address.
Love yez all.
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