Seattle to Glacier Bay, AK and Back on a 32' Boat with Twin One Year Olds

We've been home for three weeks now, it's really hard to imagine just how quickly time has flown.

We've had some time to think and talk about this trip and what it is we want to remember about it and lessons we've learned for living on land.  Parts of this trip were INCREDIBLY difficult, learning how to live and travel with two toddlers on a 32' boat, watching the boys get sea sick, the scary times were all that much scarier because we were responsible for two little people, diaper washing and living with raccoons. That being said...we wouldn't have changed ANY of it for the world.

Togetherness
Our little nuclear family lived in a very small space for 3.5 months total (not including the time in Ketchikan because of work commitments).  We could always see each other and always hear each other.  Our close physical proximity led to a whole lot more snuggling, hugs and book reading with little boys than when little boys are free to roam in a much bigger space.  It was wonderful to have the time, the close proximity and the lack of distractions to witness the magic of the daily changes in the boys as they grew and developed.  Our final destination and the travel to and from there was incredible, but hands down, the best part of the trip was the time we got to spend together as a family.  When Tor is at work he sees the boys for about an hour and a half a day.  It stabs his heart every time we put the boys to bed and he has to say "I'll see you tomorrow night,"  a great day is a weekend when he can tell them "I'll see you in the morning."  This is the biggest adjustment we have to make to living on land.  I always had support instead of being out numbered all day, and Tor got to see the boys all day everyday.  We are trying to make sure that weekends are for family, not chores to help rectify this.  Tor and I are trying to get the chores done in the evenings so that weekends are free.  Last weekend was fantastic and it went a long way to making us all feel better about Tor being back at work.

Self-sufficiency
I've always enjoyed being self-sufficient.  Tor and I started our relationship backpacking.  We renovated our house and built our boat by ourselves.  We have a huge vegetable garden for living in the city.  We took our boat around Vancouver Island and to Glacier Bay and back.  We find it incredibly satisfying to be successfully reliant on our selves, our creativity, and our preparations for any endeavor we may embark upon.  We decided to add parenting to the mix on our most ambitious adventure yet, and at times we thought we were simply stupid, but in the end, it was the most empowering thing we've ever done.  As parents, we were completely responsible in a way that living in a city you aren't.  When we were the only boat in an anchorage that was hundreds of miles away from the nearest "civilization," we couldn't call a babysitter and head out for a beer when things got rough.  We were entirely responsible for their safety since an ER wasn't down the street.  The sense that we had to be self-sufficient with everything the boys threw at us made us more patient and more creative in our problem-solving in tough parenting situations.  It made us stronger parents.

Simplicity
We are mostly back into the groove of life on land and it is terrific, absolutely terrific, to be home with family, friends, the cats and our trusty washer and dryer.  But, we have quickly lost how simple life was this summer.  Being on land means there are all sorts of distractions we didn't have on board...constant internet access, netflix streaming for TV after the boys go to bed, long involved grocery shopping because we have storage and refrigeration, yard work, housework, oh, and the work that pays the bills.  Given all the time we spent washing diapers this summer, you might think we would have lots of extra time now that we can just throw them in the machine down in the basement, but we don't seem to.  We still have laundry baskets full of food from the boat that haven't been put away, a dresser full of 12 mo clothes the boys were wearing before we left on the trip and their current 2T clothes stashed in boxes on top of the dresser...or in piles on the coffee table.

The boat is small and that necessitates that we be careful about what is brought on board.  The house is big and we haven't been too careful about what comes in the door...after 10 years of living here, we are living in clutterville!  The overwhelming feeling when we got home was our house is so small, because we don't have room to store stuff.  One of the most important lessons that I hope we bring from our summer on the boat to living on land is to be careful with the amount of stuff we have.  It's high time we de-clutter this house and streamline how we live in it...a lot like living on a small boat.

Taking care of the boat so it takes care of us
One of the key reasons we had such an enjoyable trip is that we didn't run into any major boat trouble.  We take good care of our boat and she takes good care of us.  We are aggressive with our maintenance, and it helps that we know every inch of the boat intimately because we built her.  We were very happy with how the boat performed, and very happy with the preventive maintenance we did before hand.  Now, time for maintenance....water pump, a haul out, sand blast the bottom?....

Conservative Values
Okay, we aren't talking about our political leanings.  We are talking about the fact that we were conservative with our seamanship (seapersonship?).  We had the time to do this trip right.  For the most part we never faced any major schedule pressures that would have caused us to head out if the conditions were uncomfortable or unsafe.  We had the time to wait if need be.  We were insanely lucky with weather and only had two separate weather delays, but if we hadn't been so lucky, we would have taken the time needed.  Those little boys were counting on us to make it a safe trip and we took that responsibility very seriously.  We did have a particularly bad night (Lasqueti Island), and it wasn't safe, but we took lessons from it and learned.

This was an incredible trip to make as a family.  We are so excited to see the boys grow up on the water, and for us to be a sailing family.  Our timing for making a trip with such young kiddos feels perfect now that we can look back at it.  We got home on a Sunday night and on Monday morning both Lars and Odin walked across the living room.  Their need for physical activity has increased, and we are so glad that we aren't on the boat trying to accommodate that while making 40 miles a day.  Spending time with the boys on the boat from this point forward will probably be a lot more about finding good beaches for running around on or tidepooling, until they can really take part in the sailing.

This was a BIG trip, in miles traveled, in country seen, and especially in impact to us as a family.  We are still really close to it, and trying to write a summary post has been difficult.  We consider it a work in progress....

First Haircuts!

Today the boys had their first haircuts.  Tor felt strongly that both Lars and Odin should get their hair cut, but I was really hesitant.  I wasn't so keen on the mullet that Lars developed, but I really liked Odin's curls and I loved brushing his hair behind his ears.  We went ahead and made appointments at a kids salon for their first haircut special.  I'm glad we did it, even though it appears that Odin's curls may be gone.  They are such handsome little boys!

Odin Before

Lars before

Look at how much hair Odin had!  Also check out the toy cell phone.

The back of Lars' hair was REALLY long!

This may be the first time Odin has smiled for the camera

Check out the cool turtle chair Lars was sitting on!

Odin sat on a dolphin chair

Odin after (somehow I didn't manage to get a picture of Lars in the chair after)

The whole family showing the back of their heads

The whole family...now it's time to go play in the park!

2011 Alaska Trip Statistics

Being scientists, we felt the need to analyze the data we collected during our Alaska trip in our log book and our blog posts to help summarize the trip.  A post on our feelings about the trip, our observations and conclusions is still being synthesized and written in our heads, but this exercise certainly put numbers to my impressions from the trip.  Yes, we did laundry all the time and every where, and Tor sure pulled A LOT of anchor chain by hand!

# miles traveled from Seattle to Glacier Bay and back:  2646

# engine hours:  534

Total cost of diesel purchased:  $2241.22

Total number of gallons diesel purchased:  453.4

Average price of diesel (per gallon):  $4.94

# oil changes:  3

Number of nights at a dock (not including the month of August in Ketchikan due to work commitments):  50

Total cost of guest moorage (not including the month of August in Ketchikan due to work commitments):  $877.41

Average one night guest moorage cost:  $17.55

# nights at free dock:  16

# nights at anchor:  51

# nights rafted to another boat on their anchor:  2

Average anchoring depth at time of anchoring:  28

# feet 5/16ths anchor chain Tor pulled up by hand:  5245

Average anchor chain length per anchorage:  109ft

Deepest anchorage at time of anchoring:  Meyers Chuck, AK at 55ft, 200’ anchor chain deployed

Shallowest anchorage at time of anchoring:  Fox Island Cove, AK 6.6’ (arrived at low tide), 75’ anchor chain deployed

# loads of diapers washed by hand:  26

# Laundromat visits:  32

Most expensive wash:  Coffman Cove, AK at $4.25, or depending on exchange rate, Shearwater, B.C. $4.00 CAD

Least expensive wash:  Bellingham, WA at $1.00

# times ice reprovisioned:  25

Furthest North the good ship Yare made it:  59° 2.7 N in Muir Inlet, Glacier Bay

Furthest West the good ship Yare made it:  137° 01W in Tarr Inlet, Glacier Bay

# times Mama was puked on by sea sick little boys (approx. number):  7

# times Odin was seasick: 

                Puke:  5

                Impacted by motion (fussy, sleepy or puking) : 7

# times Lars was seasick:

                Puke:  3

                Impacted by motion (fussy, sleepy or puking):  6

# times Tor was seasick:

                Puke:  1

                Queasy:  1
Number of times Tor would probably have been seasick if he was below dealing with puking boys or poopy diapers:  6

# times Jess was seasick:

                Queasy:  2

# of teeth grown by little boys:  5

Types of marine mammals seen:

                Grey Whales

                Humpback Whales

                Orca Whales

                Dahl’s Porpoises

                Stellar Sea Lions

                CA Sea Lions

                Harbor Seals

                Fur Seals

                Sea Otters

In 3.5 months of traveling we essentially had about a week's worth of great sailing. This low number was mostly due to lack of wind.  Occasionally there was too much wind to sail comfortably/ safely with the boys aboard.  Often, given the fjords of SE Alaska the wind was right on our nose.

Our good ship Yare performed beautifully and faithfully.  Mechanical issues were rare and minor but include:
1) engine start button became flaky which we replaced in Ketchikan.
2) fresh water hand pump on the galley sink needed to be taken apart and reassembled.
3) Raw water cooling pump on engine began weeping (still on the fix it list).
4) Remote head for VHF in cockpit failed due to corroded wires (we used a handheld for the last 3 weeks of the trip).
5) cockpit mounted GPS had corrosion on the pins in the connector but worked flawlessly after being cleaned in Juneau.  (purchased a used spare for $50 "just in case" ours crapped out on us).
6) Dickinson diesel cook stove fuel plumbing clogged with soot once and needed to be well cleaned to burn properly.

Alaska Trip Day 104

9/25/11

HOME!!!

Miles travelled:  12

Our night wasn’t as restful as it could have been.  At 3:30 this morning the wind came up from an unexpected direction and one of the anchors dragged and the whole raft rotated which twisted all of the anchor chains together.  It was not pretty and having to wake every one up to have non-anchored boats pull out of the raft and then have to deal with twisted anchor chains was not fun.  Once the non-anchored boats pulled out of the raft, significant strain was removed and the wind decided to calm down.  As a group it was decided to try and deal with the twisted anchor chains once it was daylight.  Fortunately the winds died down instead of increasing as Tor and I feared, and we were able to get our anchor chains all sorted out without any damage or significant work.  Not the way we wanted to break up the raft, but it all worked out in the end.

We got an earlier start than anticipated due to the breakup of the raft so we just headed home.  Goodness was it windy!  Tor did get some sailing in, but I don’t think it was exactly what he had in mind.  We made excellent time with just a reefed main against the tide flooding in.  We tucked into the locks and were welcomed home by Auntie Laurie and Andre…what a welcome sight!

The winds continued to be really strong, probably 30 kts as we motored through Lake Union to our dock.  We got under all of the bridges and made it to the dock in time for the boys to go down for their nap.

After nap we gathered the essentials and headed HOME!  How wonderful it is to be here.  To snuggle with our cats and see the boys exploring this “new” place is awesome.  We had dinner with Grandma Jean and Grandpa Lee and got the boys to bed with minimal fuss.

It was an amazing trip and we are so grateful to have been able to do it.  We plan to put together some sort of summary post, but for now we’ve got some settling in to do and some cat loving to catch up on…oh, and some serious child proofing to do!

A rainbow welcomed us back to Ballard (see it over the black boat?)

Alaska Trip Day 103

9/24/11

Blakely Harbor, Bainbridge Island, WA

Miles travelled:  10

Another day of warm, high winds from the South.  Another day of not sailing.  I think it’s killing Tor, but the timing just isn’t working out with naps right now.  We will have to figure out how to get more sailing in on future trips (um, hello, don’t do 2500+ mile trips and then you can take your time getting a few miles), but this isn’t the time.

We anchored in Blakely Harbor in time to put the boys down for their nap.  The rest of the PSCC raft up participants were out sailing a non-race to determine who would win the big bottle of tequila that they would pour for everyone else.  The winner is determined less from actual sailing time and more from a complicated equation that takes things into account like boat color…actually the equation changes from year to year depending on the whim of the commodores.  It makes for a really fun time.

Boats trickled in and tied up to the growing raft or put their anchors out and then tied to the raft.  It’s always a bit of a trick to get the raft set up, but it is really nice to be able to walk from boat to boat and socialize or do a big potluck meal.  We were really fortunate for this raft up because a big catamaran (50’ long with a beam of 24’) tied up next to us so we had some serious space for the potluck.  It was good to have the space since there are a bunch of people since there are I think about 12 boats rafted up together.

We got the boys to bed and then were able to participate in the potluck with the help of the baby monitor.  The boys fell asleep and stayed asleep even though the party was right next door, whew!  It was a fun night and it was great to be back at a raft up…we haven’t been at one for probably about 2 years because I was really pregnant and then we had the boys.  It’s good to be involved again, see old friends, and to meet new members.

Alaska Trip Day 102

9/23/11

Port Madison, Bainbridge Island, WA

Miles Travelled:  27

We had a nice and relaxed morning in Langley.  We walked into town for coffee and pastries and to let the boys roam at the park.  The sun was shining and it was glorious!  We loafed around in town just long enough to let the tide come up to a sufficient level so we could pump out the holding tank…we only had about 6 feet of water and we draw 4.5 feet.  We didn’t plan it, but it certainly worked out well!

The trip south was windy, with wind right on our nose so we just powered into it instead of sailing.  At least the wind was amazingly warm so it wasn’t too unpleasant to be on deck even though we were heading into ~20 kt winds.  We were also fighting a contrary current so we didn’t make great time, but fortunately we weren’t going far. 

Tor and I love Port Madison.  It’s a really well protected anchorage with a nice sticky mud bottom with pretty shallow depths for anchoring.  There are lots of neat boats to look at and it is really close to Seattle, so it certainly felt like we were home after being away for 4 ½ months.  In fact we even started this trip by anchoring in Port Madison for 2 nights!

We had chicken and red pepper kebabs with potatoes for supper and we were able to eat in the cockpit.  The boys have been rubbing their food covered hands in their hair at several recent meals so their hair was disgusting and we decided to take advantage of the warm evening and give them a shower in the cockpit.  It’s certainly the first time it’s been warm enough to do that on this trip!  We rigged up the sun shower and I heated water on the stove since we didn’t have enough time to let the sun do its job.  We put the boys in their high chairs in the cockpit to help keep them contained and they got clean.  Yay!

Odin showering while Lars waits his turn

I'm not totally sure I like this Mama

Why do you put such value on being clean Mama?

Scrub a dub dub for Lars

Clean boys!  Odin needed something to play with while he waited for Lars...good thing he likes beer bottles!

Alaska Trip Day 101

Langley Small Boat Harbor, Whidbey Island Washington
9/22/2011
Miles Travelled: 29

(Tor reporting)

All of our wind down here in Washington is trying very hard to get up to Georgia Strait!  Listening to the VHF weather today told of 40+ knot southerlies in the Georgia Strait area and it is sucking Puget Sound's air North.  We had 20-25 knot southerly winds last night at Hope Island, and the blustery southerlies continued all day today with a steady 15 knots on the nose as we motored south.

We all woke up at the normal time (7:00), had our oatmeal and commenced a relaxing morning of toys, cleaning up from the oatmeal mess and slowly getting ready for a 0930 departure.

As soon as we slipped our mooring line and motored out from behind the lee of Hope Island, the wind and rain really picked up.  Nothing scary but 15 knots on the nose with rain showers isn't fun.  One nice thing is that the wind felt quite warm all day, keeping the experience from being truly uncomfortable.  We motored south, hugging the Camano Island side as the currents were northward and we were trying to gain some benefit by being near the edge of the main flow (edge effect).

Odin had a really rough day.  He didn't sleep all that well last night and we were up for 1.5 hours trying to get him settled and back to sleep.  We realized why this morning, poor little guy is sick.  He is congested with a runny nose, and he even vomited a couple of times today.  Hopefully it was due to swallowing mucous and not a stomach bug, which seems likely because he sure bounced back once we got to Langley this afternoon. Lars' nose started running this afternoon too, ugh.

We pulled into a slip at the South Whidbey Boat Basin at Langley.  It is a very small marina sheltered from the North by a substantial fort-like breakwater that is over 15 feet tall and built in a large C shape from logs on their end...think stockade.  The entrance is quite shallow, but it is a great little spot and within walking distance of the town of Langley.  We walked around town with the boys, climbed a big hill to find the laundromat and even stayed and had British pub fare and IPAs at Mo's pub while our laundry dried.

Lars at Mo's

Odin at Mo's