900 Miles to Nome

900 miles to Nome. It still feels very far away with the miles going so much slower and harder than normally. Today nice winds had been forecast. To make the most of it, we plan for a sunrise-to-darkness sail. The alarm wakes us at 0500, at 0530 the anchor is weighed. Richard at the helm, I operated the anchor. We motor out in search of the promised wind but only find broken, fluctuating and leftover wind.

A day full of sail changes, periods of brisk sailing, mostly though slow sailing and often motor sailing ensues. On the positive side, it is a day of physical activity working the sails. By the end of the day all sails except for the Gennaker are soaking wet.

After weeks of emptiness, an industrial skyline appears: the lights of the oil installations glow on the horizon all night. We are surprised by the sheer extent of the exploitation along this coast. In fairness, everything we see is remarkably clean: no spills, no ruins, no relics left behind. At 0100 in the morning we finally approach the anchorage on Thetis Island. We find Vanuily, Aglaia and Aegir already anchored next to each other. All of them sailed non-stop through the night unlike us. Also, all of them run a crew of only two. We are three and afford ourselves to anchor during the hours of darkness. Tough cookies and capable sailors all!

We are well-set to weather the north-westerlies of this night and tomorrow before we engage our final leg north west to Cape Barrow. From thereon it will go south into the Bering Sea and eventually warmer latitudes. The challenge of ice will be replaced by the challenge of raging storms. Life is tough for the Alaskan seafarers!Read more