For this trip I had 2 of my grandsons, Tyler (age 11) and Bryan (age 9).
We left the harbor about 8:30 AM and headed for the fuel dock.
The boys are getting old enough now that they can actually help me with handling the boat, specifically getting into and out of docks.
So I had thoroughly and repeatedly briefed them on the process for coming into the fuel dock, specifically what their roles should be.
It threw them off a bit when the fuel dock attendant was there to help.
But we made it in to the dock OK.
As it turns out the NOAA (National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration) vessel was moored right next to the fuel dock, and for some as yet unknown reason, they decided to put an absorbent boom around it.
Here is what I picked up off Google for a definition of an absorbent boom:
These booms are often referred to as sorbent booms, marine booms, marina booms, sea booms, ocean booms or oil spill booms. Oil absorbent booms are perfect for the control of and the clean up of oil spills on water. They can also be used to contain and absorb large industrial hydrocarbon spills on land.
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| The orange band at water line is the boom |
In this photo the absorbent boom is around the NOAA vessel, however while they were deploying it they pulled it directly in front of the fuel dock, which is just astern of the NOAA vessel, thus preventing us from leaving.
Our departure from the fuel dock was delayed for a while, but we eventually were able to leave.
We made our way through Tongass Narrows and into Clover Pass and prepped and dropped the shrimp pots at my waypoint just in front of Salmon Falls Resort.
The kids were helpful in this effort as well.
We also prepped the crab pots there because I wanted to be able to drop them quickly as we approached the USFS dock at Marguerite Bay in Traitors Cove (Western Behm Canal).
I am always paranoid that we will get within sight of the dock and there will be only one spot left, and some other boat will slide into it while we are setting the pots.
Fortunately today, there were no other boats around, and we entered the bay, dropped the crab pots, and got tied up to the USFS dock at Marguerite Bay.
This is a spot we've visited numerous times.
We really enjoy spending time here.
To have it all to ourselves was a real bonus.
This trip was all about the kids having fun.
I had a BB gun for them to use, which they really enjoy.
I've told them it belongs to the boat.
They have to take turns with it since there is only one, which sometimes creates problems.
Tyler shows good shooting form.
We discovered later in the summer that it shoots much better with the scope off.
We also had sling shots, from Walmart.
They seem to be short term use sling shots because for whatever reason the rubber bands seem to start breaking after just a few hours of use.
Tyler shows good form with the sling shot, but Bryan's a little hunched over with the BB gun.
They also did a lot of dock fishing, something they never seem to tire of.
Maybe this will teach them patience.
Another thing that has become sort of a tradition with us is that once we reach our destination I issue them each their own Leatherman to use during the trip. They don't have pocket knives of their own yet, so this is a big deal to them. Of course I gave them some training on how to use them safely, and so far there have been no accidents.
Last Christmas Lisa gave me a metal fire pit that can be used on a wooden dock, so if we are lucky enough to get up to a dock as we were today, we can have a fire right there.
I had brought all the makings required for S'Mores, and they had fun cooking them.
They have to be cooked just right.
Don't let them catch fire.
A few do overs ended up in the bay.
I had also brought along a couple of kites.
Sometimes we fly them from a spinning rod while we are underway, but today we flew one from the dock. You need a little wind to get them up there, but once they are up they fly pretty well.
Sometimes it's fun to just sit around and hang out on the dock.
Tyler relaxes on the dock.
He loves his iced tea.
He can make a bottle last an hour.
I cooked spaghetti and sauce right there on the dock on my Coleman Stove, and we had a real pleasant evening.
Just before dark we motored out in the raft and checked the crab pots.
They were empty but the bait was still good so we moved them a bit and reset them.
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| Sunset in Traitors Cove |
Saturday morning we were up fairly early and I cooked pancakes on board.
That's always a big hit with the kids.
Then it was off for a hike up the road.
There is a logging road there that runs for many miles.
Since I don't have a 4 wheeler I have only explored part of the road system.
We walked up just a little way to stretch our legs a bit.
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| Foxglove |
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| Bear "Sign" - fresh too |
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| Unsure what these are, but they are beautiful |
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| Some kind of lichen I assume |
Dungeness crabs, which is what we usually get around here, have to be males of a certain minimum size in order to be kept.
I set up my propane cooker on the dock and we cleaned them and cooked them.
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| Bryan enjoys fresh crab on the dock |
The boys are just old enough that I now trust them to take the raft out for short excursions on their own. My new electric kicker works well but doesn't really go fast enough for them to get into too much trouble. I give them a hand held radio so we can stay in contact while they are out.
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| Bryan and Tyler take the raft out |
I have been having trouble with a small and slow coolant leak on the starboard engine, so I went down to the engine room to check that before we pulled out. I added a little coolant to that engine.
After we had been away from the dock for about 10 minutes I started thinking, did I put that radiator cap back on? Of course I did, but better check.
I had not, and I had been running the engines for a short time with the radiator cap off.
You can imagine the mess that made!
But at least the engine did not overheat before I corrected the situation.
On the way home we stopped and bottom fished just for an hour or so.
Tyler got 1 Sea Bass, but I neglected to get a picture of it.
We got into the stall about 8:45 PM.
Another successful adventure for Faraway.
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