July 16-17, 2010 - Whales, bergs, glaciers and the engine

Buoy at entrance to Tracy Arm Fjord - note the current and ice bergs

Glacier

Berg bigger than a couple of cruise ships combined

Sun shinning on the glacier

"Million" year old ice Ron chipped from a berg after pushing it with my kayak

- at least that's his story

Enjoying bourbon on very old "rocks"

Whales, glaciers, ice bergs and …. engine problems

From Petersburg we spent two days traversing Fredrick Sound and then Stevens Pass watching humpback whales feed on the algae rich waters. Every so often we would see them sound which meant they were diving deep for up to 10 minutes - the result would be a beautiful display of their tails as they dove with each tail looking very different. In the distance we saw a group of humpback breaching one after another and nearby a lot of tail slapping. No one seems to know why whales breach or slap their tails - lots of theory’s abound - but it is spectacular to see. It is really hard to capture these amazing creatures in photos - you just have to put down the camera and experience being in amongst them listening to the sounds they make and watching their fluid beauty.

Both straits were so calm that the water looked like mercury gently undulating around our boat and the whales which was lovely to see but also meant there was no wind. We missed one of our only chances to get the sails up and actually sail Journey due to lack of wind. So we motor on….

Our destination was Tracy Arm where we intended to travel the 20 miles up the fjord to the Sawyer Glacier and back. We entered the fjord at low tide with a knot of current behind us and anchored with about 10 other boats waiting for the morning to make the journey. (Forget what I said about their being few pleasure cruisers in Alaska - we have found them!) However, when John checked the engine oil that night he was shocked to find we had used about a gallon that day - and the engine only takes 3 gallons. We had been using oil the entire trip and some had been dripping out the exhaust, but nothing like this. We just thought that since the engine is 25 years old, it was using oil. Obviously something had changed and we had major problems.

Fortunately John had a "Eureka" moment and the problem became apparent to him. The engine oil cooler was leaking and oil was mixing with the sea water used to cool the oil so oil was coming out in the exhaust. (Probably not the way John would have explained it but I think that is the essence of the problem.) So our third trip up Tracy Arm to Sawyer Glacier was cancelled - probably a good idea as I would have hated to spill oil all the way up this pristine fjord - and we hurried directly to Juneau. We tied up at the dock as quick as we could so we could turn off the engine and call the first diesel mechanic in the phone book. Low and behold, Travis, the mechanic, came within a few hours, confirmed John’s diagnosis, tested the faulty part the next morning, ordered a replacement from Seattle that arrived at 3:00 PM the following day and we had it in our hands by 6:00 PM. John fitted it this morning and fingers crossed, all is well. This is another good reason to be married to a man who not only can pilot and navigate a boat but can fix it as well.