They say that the happiest two days in a boat owner’s life is the day he buys his boat and the day he sells it. I’m here to tell you that isn’t true.When we first bought Drift Away, it was with trepidation and a sense of dread. We kne…
Going through the locks
Public Dock where the under age kids come to drink and party.
Schweinfurt, Germany
Guten Abend,
Today was a record lock day. We did the most we’ve ever done, 8 ! The first few are fine but by the end you’re really tired of them. We ultimately have to climb 1320 feet and are now […]
Day 145 – 365 Project…pretty in pink
Welcome to day 145 of 365 photos…sunset at the beach last night was pretty in pink. It was warm out but there weren’t too many people around where we were. I liked how the setting sun looked with the lifeguard stand. I think I am deciding that it is often easier to post photos from… Continue Reading
The post Day 145 – 365 Project…pretty in pink appeared first on Moosetique Musing.
Had to take a wee break
Saturday our Ginger Moggy, Squirt, got into some trouble necessitating a late hour trip to the animal hospital. I had noticed he was acting strange and caught him earlier in the day trying to take a dump on the front porch. I though he was just being a…
Jewish Museum Frankfurt
On the Main after the Kitzigen Schleuse
Guten Morgen,
We’ve gone through 3 locks and have maybe 2, 3 or 4 to go depending on where we stop. We left Eibelstadt just past Wurzburg after a two night stop there. We were lucky to have found a spot at the Marina Levandowski because it was quite […]
Alaska 2014 – Ketchikan to Petersburg
May 31, 2014
Today we played tourist in Ketchikan. Walking from Bar Harbor to downtown, Miriam and I window shopped and observed how quiet the town was with only one cruise ship docked. The jewelry stores were mostly empty and the souvenir stores had few shoppers. The “Disney Wonder” was on the last stop before returning to Vancouver to start the cycle all over again and we think people were tired of shopping.
We had hoped to get fish & chips and have them with something to drink at Fat Stan’s, where we had gone before. However, Fat Stan’s now has a pizza and burger menu and you can no longer have the Alaska Seafood House deliver your order to Fat Stan’s. We decided to head back to Spirit and stopped instead at a place called “Alava’s”, recommended by locals we talked to and had delicious fish & chips with generous servings for less money than the tourist places downtown.
June 1, 2014
The weather report sounded marginal, with small craft warnings, but we thought we could be far enough up Clarence Strait towards Wrangell that we would not be affected too much. After refueling, taking on 635 gallons of diesel fuel, we left Ketchikan at 0830 and headed north up Tongass Narrows for Clarence Strait. In past trips we have taken on between 600 and 615 gallons at the same point in the trip, so the fuel penalty of towing the tender is not too bad. The weather was fine for the first 12 miles, until we approached Caamano Point at the tip of the Cleveland Peninsula, and then it took a turn for the worse. The winds started blowing a steady 25 knots, with gusts to 34 knots. The seas were steep and we had continuous spray over Spirit, with no end in sight. Passing by Meyers Chuck we could see into the harbor and also on AIS that the docks were full, so we continued on rather than attempting the narrow entrance in the wind and what would have been steep beam seas. We elected to head up Ernest Sound, through Seward Passage to Santa Anna Inlet. When we arrived at 1630, after a 57 mile day we found only one other boat anchored. The wind was blowing straight into the inlet, gusting to 22 knots, but the bottom has very good holding and lots of room, so Spirit was anchored securely in 65 feet of water.
Patrick set two prawn pots and by 2030 that evening we had 4 dozen nice spot prawns, so a third pot was set out.
June 2, 2014
The wind was consistently 10-15 knots all night, with even a small rain shower. The morning check of the pots, at 0600 yielded 8 dozen more large spot prawns, which were processed and frozen before our departure at 0900 under partly sunny skies. Our route took us up Seward Passage, past Frosty Bay and into Zimovia Straits, where we intended to take advantage of the flood current. However, this time of year the flow of water out of the Stikine River and the north wind overpowered the flood current and instead of a 1.5 knot boost we experienced a 1.5 knot adverse current. Nonetheless, we arrived at Heritage Harbor, our preferred moorage in Wrangell at 1430 after a 36 nautical mile run, docking in a brief rain shower. Spirit has now travelled 789 nautical miles since Anacortes on May 15.
.jpg) |
| Some spot prawns from Santa Anna Inlet |
Heritage Harbor is about one mile from the main town, an easy run in the Grady White tender. Arriving at Reliance Floats in the main harbor, we checked in and then headed to “Summer Floats” closer to downtown Wrangell. The combination of winds and tidal chop made “Summer Floats” untenable for our boat, so we headed back to Heritage Harbor and walked into town for supplies. Since our last visit the street paving project has been completed, which was a pleasant surprise. Rather than walk back, and since we had not planned dinner yet, we stopped at the Stikine Inn for dinner and a free courtesy ride back to Heritage Harbor. The food and drink at the Stikine Inn was as good as we remembered, and hope it continues if the Inn is sold (it is for sale).
June 3, 2014
We have some broken rod holders on the Grady White, and replacements are non-existent up here, but PVC pipe will work just fine. A walk into town to the True Value Hardware was successful, with 4 pieces cut from a longer length. Patrick returned from the store and Spirit was underway at 0950 for Petersburg. Although we had overcast skies, we had no rain during the transit of Wrangell Narrows. The rain started just as we pulled the Grady White alongside for the approach to the dock in an adverse current now running at 4 knots. Naturally, the rain now arrived in earnest, continuing a pattern for the last few days. We docked at the new “North” floats, only in operation for two weeks and after registering, had a nice visit with one of Miriam’s childhood friends, Marj Oines. We may stay here for two days since we really have a relaxed schedule to get to Sitka.
The Pilothouse in all its glory….
Okay, okay, I feel so guilty about not posting for a few days that I decided to send posts in small bites since my relentless schedule is not allowing for long stretches at the laptop.Actually, my time is going to be spent on TV research: 40″ or 46″? &…
Day 144 – 365 Project…Waxing Crescent Moon
Welcome to day 144 of 365 photos…I shot this waxing crescent moon in the evening yesterday. I had the camera set on a tripod in hopes of getting star photos. The star photos did turn out all that great but I liked this shot of the waxing crescent moon. According to the chart, last night the approximate percent… Continue Reading
The post Day 144 – 365 Project…Waxing Crescent Moon appeared first on Moosetique Musing.
Make Your Dream Your Story
|
Franklin Lock And Dam Campground And Marina
We recently visited the St. Lucie Park and had written about what a pleasant and unexpected gem it was. Imagine, then, our surprise at what we found at the WP Franklin Lock and Dam Park. It is the westernmost lock in the Okeechobee Waterway out of the 5 locks in the OWW. Initially we had thought we might go ahead through the lock and continue on to LaBelle. However, as we approached the lock, the wind began to gust and we decided it was time to call it a day. I had glanced over and realized that the docks were on the east side of the lock and not the west as I had originally thought. Also, they are tucked up in a protected basin and not right next to the river as the docks are at St. Lucie. We spun the boat around and headed for the docks.
A very nice gentleman, Walt Vliet, who was out for a few weeks cruise with his wife June, came to our aid as we docked with the wind blowing us up on the finger pier. No matter how many years of experience one has, it is still difficult to dock with a single engine and a good, stiff breeze on the beam. Once secure, we had the opportunity to visit with Walt and June. Both are about to turn 80 soon and have been cruising for years. They live in Hobe Sound and often travel back and forth across the Okeechobee on either their small sailboat or their Marine Trader trawler. They were a pleasure to meet.
But the real story is the park. It is truly a beautiful little place. The RV park and marina, situated on its own little island, is located on the northeast side of the river and lock. Slow speed buoys are located at the entrance to the marina basin. There are 8 slips here as there are at St. Lucie, with 4 being first-come, first-served and the other 4 able to be reserved. Very little wake makes it into the basin. Trees and a decent size picnic pavilion are very near the docks, and a short walk west past a number of RV sites, takes you to very clean heads and showers. Recycling bins are available just next to the trash.
In the middle of the island is the ranger’s office where you pay your dockage. (Again, the same as St. Lucie – $24 per dock including water and electric, or $12 if you have your Golden Age pass for those 62+.) Just next to the office the ranger’s trailer and little fenced in yard that houses her “babies,” three small dogs. From there, turn and walk due south out to the lock and fishing pier, or turn north to walk over the short causeway to get some exercise or a different view of the island. The other, or west, end of the island has many more RV sites and a larger head and shower facility which also houses a washer and dryer. You can walk beyond that building and find another large covered pavilion at the southern end as well as a bench with a great view to the west.
If the docks are full, no problem. Figure out which direction you need wind protection from. There is plenty of room to anchor in the east basin beyond the docks, then dinghy in to the boat ramp near the heads and showers. Or anchor in the basin on the west side of the locks tucked up near the causeway that leads over to the island for great easterly and southerly protection. On this side, dinghy into the beach near the large trees just behind the building that houses the heads. The ranger is happy to have you come ashore.
You cannot walk across the lock to the other side like you can at St. Lucie Park, so drop your dinghy in the water and visit the beach on the other side as well as the visitor center. The only downside we can see is there are no provisions nearby, so come well-stocked and enjoy this little piece of heaven.
