Day 24 ~ Petersburg to Portage Bay

In the morning the Simbalaut was like a cruise ship that had come in to port. Gene was getting off the boat, Wendy was getting on and the crew was knee deep in chores and laundry with a washer and dryer that can only be used one at a time.

Wendy’s Alaska Airlines flight stopped in Ketchikan and Wrangell before it got to Petersburg. There was much anticipation as the plane got closer. The plane touched down, Wendy got off and Gene got on. Wendy said that it was the first time that she was on a plane that landed, did a full turn and taxied back down the same run way. We went directly from the airport to the grocery store and then to the liquor store conveniently located next to the grocery store. Looking back I wish we would have bought more liquor because it might be the driving force that sends us back to port. We took the shuttle back to the boat where Dad was still pushing along laundry and cleaning house. Wendy was in awe of the Petersburg Harbor and all of the working boats.

We had baked spaghetti for lunch and did Wendy’s crew training while the washer feverishly continued to work. We had determined that if we got everything washed while we were hooked to the dock water that we could dry the clothes using the generator on the ride out of town. A mound of wet clothes was amassed before we switched to using the dryer. Before we left we created a float plan. Our goal was Portage Bay just 3 hours out of Petersburg.

Two days on the dock and we were ready to be back on anchor. I must admit, it was a bit unusual departing from the dock with Wendy on the bow and me at the helm. We left the harbor and headed north past the notable spot where we caught the last salmon. It wasn’t long and we were back in new territory. We got to Portage Bay, which doesn’t have the nooks and crannies, to which we have become accustomed. So we decided to anchor in the middle of the channel. The book that we have been using described the abundance of swing room but Dad and I wanted to impress Wendy with our skills at setting the stern anchor so we set it.

After adult beverages and before dinner, Wendy and I set off to drop the crab pots with the generator running and the dryer ablaze. Dad decided that he was going to work on the hatch glass which appeared to have a new leak. We weren’t gone more than 30 minutes when Dad called us on the radio and asked us to come back and get the log off the stern anchor. The currents in the bay had brought a mountain of kelp and a log up to the boat and it was majorly hung on the stern anchor. We spent a good hour freeing the log from the line and then towed it to shore. When we returned, the generator was smoking due to the newspaper kelp plugging the sea cock which is the water intake. Handyman Dad was back on the job with his trusty coat hanger. While doing the dishes the log waved at us going back out with the tide. The rest of the evening was spent doing our regular tasks and folding laundry.