Blog Update fom the Dogbarkers: Autopilot Pranks

Janna’s note: Learn more about our time in Haida Gwaii in Becca’s recent post on Halcyon Wandering. We’ll post more about last week’s jump to Sitka soon. But in the meantime Dogbark’s next leg to Dutch Harbor has already begun! Graeme is crossing the Gulf of Alaska with Becca and John and our good friend and sailor Eli Secor. I got an update at 23:20 tonight (Thurs, June 28) and they’ve now got about 262 miles to get to Kodiak, expecting to arrive there Saturday morning. Then they’ll make a plan for Dutch. Graeme sent this dispatch via sat phone email this morning. Enjoy!

As of 0800 local [Thurs June 28, 2018] we had about 360 miles to go to Kodiak. We also had rice pancakes. Wind too, finally. Speaking of wind, it has been a bit of a mixed bag from a sailing perspective. We have sailed close hauled, beam reaching with jib and Genoa, and then wing and wing as the wind moved progressively behind us. That’s the good news.  Bad news is it is now supposed to clock back to on our nose, and then go light again. So back through the progression we will go. But as I right this, we are ripping along downwind at 9.2 knots. Who in their right mind would complain about that?

Wilma and Wilbert, that’s who. In case they haven’t been introduced yet, they are two critical members of our crew. The hydraulic autopilots who steer the boat so we don’t have to. And they are acting funky, like they don’t appreciate all the sail changes and configurations. Wilma, who has driven most of the way to Sitka, is on strike. Completely. “Sorry John, I am off watch until you and Graeme do something about my compass interference.” Humph.

Then there is Wilbert. He is a trooper, and chugs along just fine as long as there is less than 10 knots of breeze. But if there is a puff, or a big wave set he doesn’t like, he rolls over and pees all over himself. Wee!

So the crew is a little disgruntled despite having had salmon on the BBQ last night with mashed potatoes and asparagus. (Thanks Becca for cooking, and John and Eli for catching!). We have two more small salmon to eat today, maybe extra portions for the pilots…!