Heater, Whales, and shhh Starlink

Dear friends and family,

After three weeks back in Wrangell, the last of the parts came, I installed them, and like some sort of minor miracle, the heater actually worked. It worked three days in a row by now, so I guess it might really be fixed.

It’s really hard to find the cause of failure when something works intermittently, as was the case with this heater. Oh well, I learned a lot about how this heater works, did the service work that I should do every other year instead of waiting for four years like I did, and even increased my confidence of the chances that I could fix it in the future if or when it breaks again. I have so much confidence in my mechanical abilities that it really does seem a miracle when something works after my fix, even when I am coached through the process by an expert ( like Chris at the PT Sipwrights).

It’s not exactly torture being here in the marina in Wrangell. I alternate my exploring with long hikes, long bike rides, long rowing trips and now even trips to the gym (just reopened) for a weights workout. And of course the occasional trip to the Marine Bar for pizza and Chuli stout.

I continue to maintain the boat trying to do some part of a project every day. Yes, it is probably hard to imagine that there could be that much to do on a boat to keep it running well, that is unless you own a boat and understand this yourself. In the cruising world, people often define their lives as “Repairing the boat in exotic locales”, which is only a slight exaggeration.

On one of my long bike rides last week along the waterfront I heard a very loud “Whooshing” sound. It took my brain a minute to register that it was a humpback whale surfacing and blowing air, in the water next to me. I stopped to take a picture, but it is hard to time when they surface  so was left with just a small amount of whale showing. As I rode north along the highway at about eight miles per hour the whale kept up with me and I could get a view whenever the trees were clear between us. We shared the journey north for about a half hour. 

By sheer coincidence, the next day on my weekly trip to the library to read the local paper (and save that dollar), I noticed in the police blotter that a driver was stopped and  warned while driving the same road that it is illegal to whale watch while driving in Wrangell. Who would know ?

By sheer coincidence, as I was motoring back to Wrangell a couple of weeks ago to fix my heater, I cruised through a cell coverage area near the town of Kake. I received a text from Bill, who I consider the local expert on all things tech on boats in Wrangell. Not even knowing my situation he mentioned that Starlink mini was on sale for two more days for only $299 USD. My first reaction was negative, why would I want to fund the richest guy in the world more? But then I thought about the inability to get weather forecasts aboard and the inability to do a video call with a mechanic to fix a boat problem, and relented. And the possibility of needing some telemedicine is real too.Bill very kindly loaned me his system to try and gave advice as to how to set up my own system when it arrived in five days. Knowing my love for Elon he even set my temporary password as CharleyandElon as a reminder as to what I was doing. I figure if I cancel my Tesler order ( the presidents spelling), then I will be even.

I do hate to say it, but it works instantly and very easily. I only plan on using  it temporarily for a weather forecast or emergency. Or maybe send out blog postings.

It’s now been over an hour since I had lunch, so I guess it is safe to swim again. It’s 70 degrees F outside and sunny. Quite a change from the last month. And the water here is up to 57F. Almost comfy.

When we were kids we went to our local lake resort called Carol Jane Lake, where we had to wait exactly one hour after lunch, timed on my father’s watch,  before we could return to the water. Picture seven Kanieskis poised and ready with inflatable toys counting down the seconds till we could get wet again. 

The hour wait was verified by the evidence: never once did any of us get a stomach cramp and die.

The word resort is a slight exaggeration as it was to my memory an artificial lake or you might say mud hole dug out to form a place for families to come to picnic and swim.

Sending love ( via Starlink as I am out cruising)

CharleY