Anchor Drop: Chuckanut Bay
Blackthorn drops anchor in the beautiful Chuckanut Bay in the shadow of a global crisis.
Hello from Chuckanut Bay! Last Friday we finally pushed off the dock and anchored in the south end of the bay. Today will be day 3 of our complete self-isolation. I wish we'd cast our lines off under better circumstances. I'm just grateful that we were able to wrap up our projects and put the boat back together before most of the marine stores closed down their physical storefronts.
We haven't been out on the water in March (or April) before. It's been stormy so far, and there's snow in the forecast, but it should melt off quickly. The solar has been hit and miss. So far it's doing a good job of keeping up with our needs despite mostly cloudy days. It's been much more forgiving than the previous year, when we were out November-February - which is good, because we had to rely on the coffee shop in Poulsbo to make sure we didn't run our batteries down too much.
The Sir is working a contract for the time being, and I've been keeping on top of my own work while preparing for and researching a big space-related project. We're planning to stay out at least 2-3 weeks, assuming we don't have any unexpected developments.
What's in our pantry?
- Our stores of rice, beans, steel cut oats, and lentils that we stowed away over the winter.
- A few loaves of bread and packages of whole wheat tortillas
- Several jars of peanut butter and jam
- Some dried fruit and nuts
- Sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, ginger cabbages, pasilla peppers, and carrots
- Kiwi fruits, grapefruits, avocados, and limes
- 30 or so cans of vegetables and fish
- A small assortment of snacks, chocolate, tea, and coffee
The tanks carry 70 gallons of water, and we have a decent store of firewood and coal.
This is the first time we've planned to stay completely away from shore for so long, so it will be interesting to see what issues come up. With the chilly and wet weather, a lack of exercise is likely to be the first one.
You can definitely expect more frequent updates from me, now that my head is no longer buried in projects critical to us getting off the dock. Heck knows I've got plenty to work on, including troubleshooting some instrument issues and getting that darn blog finally straightened out.
Wishing you all well during these grim times.
~Kim
