Bandwagon, Big Food, Hornpipe & Rowan do the Broughton Archipelago

[James McMullen]

As far as I know, McMullen is the only one of us who owns a firearm.

"A" firearm?!? What the hell? I've got at least three I can remember, and that's not even counting the crossbow slingshot or the BB gun.

I also own a Masai spear, a couple of rolling pins that could be fashioned into emergency nunchucks if necessary, and an original copy of Mötley Crüe's Shout at the Devil album, so you better just watch it, Yeadon. Show some respect, yo.

[paulf]

I've done a lot of Hydrographic survey all through SE AK. A combat 12 gauge with slugs goes to the beach every time. We had an armory on the NOAA Vessels.

[TerryLL]

I knew the bear thing would eventually come up.

On average, one person is killed by a bear in the US every two years. In that same 2 year period, 70 people are killed by dogs, 212 by bees, 44 by cows, and 260 by deer in road accidents. So, the most dangerous part of your cruise is driving to the launch ramp.

Think you might want to carry a firearm for protection? On average, over 600 people a year in the US either kill themselves or someone else in a gun accident.

I lived in Coastal SE Alaska for 25 years, off the grid, in the bush. I saw a lot of bears but not once did I feel threatened.

[AJZimm]

Good perspective Terry. That's the way I feel about it. Take reasonable precautions then don't worry about it. Admire the bears when you see them.

[Gib Etheridge]

I've been around more black bears than I can recall, including sows with cubs. The most threatened I've ever been was one that ignored me rather than turning and running. I don't tempt them though, they're bigger than me, and stronger, and faster and more athletic. Bear spray is way more effective than guns.

[gilberj]

Be careful about bringing weapons across the border. There are lots of amusing stories about 'Mericans being stopped at the border with guns in their possession.

[James McMullen]

I had both Rammstein and Insane Clown Posse loaded up on my iPod, but they never stopped me. Let me right through.

[TerryLL]

I might also add that I did stream surveys for Alaska Dept of Fish and Game on the Kenai Peninsula. This entailed walking upstream through the spawning beds counting the salmon, those spawning, those spawned out, and those half eaten by bears. Lots of bear-killed fish, many sounds of bears running away from the stream as we approached, many bleeding salmon laying on the stream banks. We made lots of noise, blew whistles, and all the bears, without exception, moved out of the area. Everyone was hoping to see bears, but we never did, but I have little doubt the bears saw us.

[chas]

I hope you are not advancing this as an example of bear awareness, Terry. Lol / Jim

[TerryLL]

I hope you are not advancing this as an example of bear awareness, Terry. Lol / Jim

Well sort of. It's always good to make sure any bears in the area are aware that you are there. Surprising them at close range is when bad things happen.

But, it's also good practice to stay well clear of the streams when the salmon are spawning.

[paulf]

We took the guns to the beach for BBQ and if a Browne showed up to the pic-nic the party was over. Never shot any, just in case.

[Yeadon]

Clapping your hands, talking loudly, Rammstein. All good ways to let bears know you've arrived.

[Breakaway]

On average, one person is killed by a bear in the US every two years. In that same 2 year period, 70 people are killed by dogs, 212 by bees, 44 by cows, and 260 by deer in road accidents. So, the most dangerous part of your cruise is driving to the launch ramp.

Terry, your experience is not questioned and your point is well-taken. But this is a case where stats are not entirely truthful. Oh, they are accurate I am sure, but what they imply is a greater difference in threat levels than actually exists.

If an equivalent number of people to those who got hit by trucks, stung by bees or collided with deer were in bear country in any given time period, there would be more bear attacks. Put even simpler, only a very small percentage of the population is ever exposed to bears; almost everyone is exposed to bees and highway traffic.

Kevin

[TerryLL]

But this is a case where stats are not entirely truthful.

Point taken.
But on average, only three people are killed each year by bear attacks in all of North America. Certainly, millions of people recreate each year in bear country without encountering a bear. For the lone coastal cruiser, death by hypothermia is a far more likely possibility than getting eaten by Mr. Brown.

[Gib Etheridge]

Unlike the big cats bears eat their prey alive, or so I hear.

[Breakaway]

For the lone coastal cruiser, death by hypothermia is a far more likely possibility than getting eaten by Mr. Brown.

Agree, completely good sir.

Kevin

[Yeadon]

At least we've moved on as a group from all the annoying worrying about capsizing. Bears will do that.

[TerryLL]

I'll bear off now.

[Don Kurylko]

Actually, seals seem to be more of a problem than bears. A few kayaker's have been harassed by them in recent years and they can be downright nasty. Our own darroch had a small seal jump into his boat once, but it leaped back out just as quickly when he startled it - or was it the other way around.

Garry Lundgren, on his voyage up the IP, had an encounter with a sea otter that was kind of unnerving. It kept trying to crawl up into his boat for some reason and wouldn't give up, even after being whacked a few times with an oar. Go figure.

Cougars are definitely more unpredictable than bears and scarier. Especially the young ones that are half starved because they have not yet fully developed the skills needed to survive. They can become very desperate, as Alex mentioned above, and children seem like easy pickings to them.

And then there is the Sasquatch, but no one has ever really seen one or, at least, lived to tell about it!

[KMacDonald]

At least we've moved on as a group from all the annoying worrying about capsizing. Bears will do that.

Capsizing, cold water shock, and hypothermia are a real threat. Maybe it bears revisiting.
Bears not so much of a problem. Orcas might be a problem but if they are we really can't do anything about that except stay off the water.

Be thankful you don't live in an area with frequent severe thunderstorms. Lightning kills a lot more than all of the above.

[AJZimm]

Here's another short video from the day we traveled from Insect island to Booker Lagoon. Most of it was spent ghosting or rowing the length of Fife Sound. This was taken shortly before the breeze died away altogether.

[John hartmann]

Thank you for sharing the story and photos. You guys are truly fortunate to live in such an amazing corner of the world. If you will pardon a bit of thread drift, have any of you read Muriel Wylie Blanchet's "The Curve of Time"? It is a memoir of a woman who spent her summers exploring the area you were travelling, way back in the 20's and 30's, in a 25' cruiser with her 5 children. It's a worthy read. Your images and descriptions bring her adventures and the incredible land and seascapes into focus, even though your story is 80 or 90 years further along the curve.

[gilberj]

I'd guess that most boaters out here have a copy on their shelf. A worthy read indeed. She and her family certainly did spend a lot of time in the Broughtons.

[Yeadon]

Thank you for sharing the story and photos. You guys are truly fortunate to live in such an amazing corner of the world. If you will pardon a bit of thread drift, have any of you read Muriel Wylie Blanchet's "The Curve of Time"? It is a memoir of a woman who spent her summers exploring the area you were travelling, way back in the 20's and 30's, in a 25' cruiser with her 5 children. It's a worthy read. Your images and descriptions bring her adventures and the incredible land and seascapes into focus, even though your story is 80 or 90 years further along the curve.

I love that book. It's worth another read. I think all four of us have read it.

[TimH]

You guys skipped the festival for that?!?!?



Looks like a great trip.

[Eric Hvalsoe]

absolutely

[Gerarddm]

I don't think you could out run a bear. At all.

I wonder if one of those handheld propane foghorns would act as a deterrent. Bloody things are certainly loud enough.

[Eric Hvalsoe]

That's a good question

[Yeadon]

The question of how to smartly anchor four boats in a 15 foot tidal range is much more pressing than anything else we dealt with on this trip. On a longer haul, I tend to think we'd be seeking anchorages and coves more than beaches and camp sites, though on a trip like this one it was nice to sit on a beach for a couple hours each evening and hang out.

When I used to primarily cruise alone I was more focused on just finding small coves out of the way to anchor in for the night, versus water trail sites or dedicated camp areas. Since there wasn't anyone to talk to I didn't need the extra space. I'd just hang out on the boat and read. Many right ways to do this, I suppose.

[TerryLL]

I don't think you could out run a bear. At all.

I wonder if one of those handheld propane foghorns would act as a deterrent. Bloody things are certainly loud enough.

Banging on a cooking pot with a wooden spoon wprks pretty darn good. Whistles are an approved CG audible signalling device which should always be clipped to your PFD, and double nicely as a bear deterrent.

[keyhavenpotterer]

How did Hornpipe compare to the other three?

Ed

[Yeadon]

Waterline matters, though a skipper's judgement and choices matter more.

[Yeadon]

A few more thoughts ... in this type of cruising, transition matters. Moving from sail to oar and back. It's good to have your systems clear and simple, and for there not to be a lot of stuff underfoot or in the way when you're moving from one end of the boat during a transition. Moving from sail to oar ... here's the drill ... move aft, sheet in mizzen, move forward across all thwarts, drop the main, douse the spar, move aft again across all thwarts, loosen the mizzen sheet, tidy up the mizzen sail, drop the mizzen spar, pull up the blade, move back to main rowing thwart, deploy oar locks, deploy oars.

Too many thwarts get in the way. You have to be organized, too. Everything in its place, always.

[keyhavenpotterer]

Tim, it looked very light air. Did Hornpipe get speed with a narrow waterline in light air and length in stronger air more so than the others? Is she more tender though? Only seen an Alaska at a boat show and she seemed very long and thin, more than I'm used too habitually at least. Does it jostle in chop more than Rowan or not?

[Yeadon]

It's a tough question to answer. So many variables. All four are capable sail & oar cruisers.

Rowan and Big Food carried more sail much longer in heavier (25+) downwind air. A lot of that had to do with the comfort levels of their skippers in that situation. It also had to do with hull shape, obviously. Rigs matter, too, in these situations. Hornpipe has a loose-footed, boomless standing lug. Downwind, it's tough to control wind and power surges with a boomless sail as well as one with a boom. I experienced this when I had a sprit sail. Running was often an adventure that forced you to reef early.

Hornpipe generally skittered ahead under oar when all else was equal. But if one skipper felt like it they could pull hard on the oars and get out ahead of the group. No reason to, though, as there were usually multiple hours ahead to row to a destination.

One afternoon, I left a lunch spot late and got caught on the wrong side of a rip. Rowan, Bandwagon, and Hornpipe all ground ahead upwind, while Big Food used her oars to plow ahead through the rip until conditions improved for her. (Big Food can't buck both wind and current at the same time. Give her one or the other, or it's time for oars.) We all got to our destination at Owl Island about the same time.