Bojangles happy at last in the hot Prince Rupert sunshine, record temperatures
Entering Prince Rupert harbour just as a cruise ship and ferry were leaving
The new container port facilities on the outer edge of Prince Rupert harbourWe left Baker Inlet at high slack tide this morning so the exit was easier than the entry. Our continued passage up Grenville Channel was made difficult this morning due to very low visibility. The low fog like clouds reduced our view window to around a mile which is always a bit uncomfortable at sea. As we neared Prince Rupert with the help of our electronics limping along with our lousy batteries, I was really glad to see the horizon lift and the skies start to clear for about the first time in a week.
As we neared Prince Rupert harbour, we could finally see in the distance our ultimate destination, Alaska. The distance from Prince Rupert to Alaska is only about 60 miles so we were really glad to see nice blue sky in that direction. The other amazing thing was that we are in the lower Dixon Entrance and the waters are really calm. From weather reports, we understand that a roaring gale had been running in these same waters for the past week keeping boats either in Prince Rupert or in Ketchikan depending upon which direction they were intending to head. We almost felt like running for it in the calm conditions but the big city beckons.
We arrived in Prince Rupert Yacht Club in the early afternoon and it is a great facility. We had been given really good advice, thanks Cec, to book ahead for reservations as the docks get very busy as summer arrives. They had a great spot for us on the inner breakwater so the hot rodding local boaters did not bounce us around as much as if we were on the outside.
Less than an hour after arrival, I was up in a local industrial battery outlet purchasing two new D8 batteries and hiring some local muscle to help with the transport and removal of the old ones. As boaters will know these batteries weigh around 160 pounds each and in my case particularly they are strictly dead weight. One of the local muscle turned out to be cerebral as well since he came up with the idea of tying ropes to the handles of the batteries and extracting them from the engine room in that fashion. After much grunting and groaning we managed to get the new batteries into the engine room and the old ones out and I was able to reconnect everything successfully. So we now have fully charged and hopefully functioning house batteries, what a relief.
We had a great seafood dinner last night in the Breakers Pub and plan to spend today sightseeing in Prince Rupert. Oh, and did I forget to mention the sun is out and shining in Prince Rupert. Summer is upon us, (for a while at least) and the sea conditions are predicted to be calm for the next few days.
As we neared Prince Rupert harbour, we could finally see in the distance our ultimate destination, Alaska. The distance from Prince Rupert to Alaska is only about 60 miles so we were really glad to see nice blue sky in that direction. The other amazing thing was that we are in the lower Dixon Entrance and the waters are really calm. From weather reports, we understand that a roaring gale had been running in these same waters for the past week keeping boats either in Prince Rupert or in Ketchikan depending upon which direction they were intending to head. We almost felt like running for it in the calm conditions but the big city beckons.
We arrived in Prince Rupert Yacht Club in the early afternoon and it is a great facility. We had been given really good advice, thanks Cec, to book ahead for reservations as the docks get very busy as summer arrives. They had a great spot for us on the inner breakwater so the hot rodding local boaters did not bounce us around as much as if we were on the outside.
Less than an hour after arrival, I was up in a local industrial battery outlet purchasing two new D8 batteries and hiring some local muscle to help with the transport and removal of the old ones. As boaters will know these batteries weigh around 160 pounds each and in my case particularly they are strictly dead weight. One of the local muscle turned out to be cerebral as well since he came up with the idea of tying ropes to the handles of the batteries and extracting them from the engine room in that fashion. After much grunting and groaning we managed to get the new batteries into the engine room and the old ones out and I was able to reconnect everything successfully. So we now have fully charged and hopefully functioning house batteries, what a relief.
We had a great seafood dinner last night in the Breakers Pub and plan to spend today sightseeing in Prince Rupert. Oh, and did I forget to mention the sun is out and shining in Prince Rupert. Summer is upon us, (for a while at least) and the sea conditions are predicted to be calm for the next few days.
The weather was so spectacular that we could not resist staying an extra day in Prince Rupert. We spent a bunch of time in the Museum of Northern BC and it was fantastic. We ran into two other couples from Vancouver, one of whom was an old client of mine from Teekay Shipping so we spent some time with them and joined them for dinner each night.
So it appears that we will launch ourselves across Dixon Entrance to Alaska early tomorrow morning, July 1st so if all goes well we will next report from Alaska.
2 comments:
en route to Alaska...bon voyage and with orcas blessing your path, Bojangles and her crew are going to just more than just fine. Prawns to eat; sunshine and wilderness...beautiful coastline. Bet you're sleeping well. Enjoy.
It seems strange that both batteries would go at the same time - have you checked the charging system? Anyway, that's why they invented generators! It looks like you're having a great adventure, may calm seas and a gentle wind be with you for the balance of the journey!
Grant & Marj
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