Subject: [Fwd: Jenny's Journal of the High Seas]
Date: Sat, 14 Sep 2002 16:08:27 -0700
From: Sydney <slpark@attbi.com>
To: pwhbeck@attglobal.net

>Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 09:52:05 -0700
>From: Pat McCutcheon <Pat_McCutcheon@telus.net>
>X-Accept-Language: en
>To: Neil & Sydney Park <slpark@attbi.com>,
>       Tony Lester <lestermarshall@home.com>
>Subject: [Fwd: Jenny's Journal of the High Seas]
>
>Hi guys,
>
>I'm not sure if you are receiving updates from Brian and Jenny or not so
>thought I'ld pass along chapter 1 of there voyage.  I think you will
>find it a fun read.  I'll also send some photos we received.
>
>Hope all is well. Pat
>
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>From: "Brian McCutcheon" <finnekrug@hotmail.com>
>To: lovesaville@connexus.net.au, KMD@fmhc-law.com,
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>Subject: Jenny's Journal of the High Seas
>Date: Fri, 30 Aug 2002 04:17:29 +0800
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>Hi Everyone,
>
>Following is the start of my journal!! This is our second attempt at
>sending it, so please let us know if you have received it.
>I hope you find it informative and entertaining!!!
>We will send more if you want....just let me know!!
>We are presently at a quiant little village on an island and about
>to go for a hike.
>Very blustery coming in and was our hardest docking job to date!!
>Still no scratches though!!
>Love to you all,
>
>Jen, Capt Brian, Tem and Lindsay
>
>
>
>Day One.....................Prince Rupert, British Columbia, CANADA
>
>Well, we arrived up here on the Friday, expecting the boat to be
>arriving with the crew on the Saturday morning.
>Great anticipation as we walked down to "Cow Bay Yacht Club" twice a
>day until Tuesday when they finally arrived!!
>The crew had hit bad weather coming over from Dutch Harbour and it
>had slowed them down. Thirty foot waves breaking over the boat!!
>Water managed to find it's way into the boat so our first priority
>was to haul out the mattresses and wash and dry them!!
>We were lucky to have three straight days of sun and a brisk wind to help
out.
>The crew stayed on the boat until Saturday morning when they flew
>down to Vancouver to catch their connecting flight to Hong Kong.
>We moved all our belongings onto the boat on the Friday and had our
>first "sleepover" on the boat. Excitement plus!! The kids had a ball
>exploring everything and getting their rooms ready.
>We had hoped to pull out on the Saturday morning but had a string of
>bad luck with things going wrong. Throughout the week Brian had
>found things not working and it became a game of waiting for
>something else to go wrong!
>We had to order a new alternator up from Vancouver, the fuel pump
>wasn't working (to pump fuel from one tank to another), the
>mascerator pump in the mid head wasn't working, the water tank had a
>leak, the steering wasn't working at all, nor the windlass!!!!
>What a fun week!!
>We would wake up every morning with an apprehensive feeling of "what
>was going to go wrong today?"
>We managed to squeeze one day of school in between spring cleaning
>the boat, fixing it, buying provisions and getting organized.
>On our last day in Prince Rupert  Brian and I (with the kids acting
>as messengers) replaced the oil in the steering and got it working
>again, then fixed the windlass so we could get the anchor up and
>down!
>
>We were ready to go!!
>Other boats on the dock had come and gone all week.......all rather
>curious about us and our boat.....and now it was our turn.
>I was nervous......this was a big leap for both of us. But we felt
>confident that all the bad luck was behind us and we were ready for
>our adventure!!
>We had bought our charts and plotted our first day of 54nm south.
>We cast off at 7am and with two purring engines we were away.
>We headed to the middle of the harbour and less than five minutes
>later Brian yells "I've lost the port engine!!!". All I hear are
>warning bells going off.
>A few seconds later he yells "I've lost both engines". OH FUCK!!!
>We  looked at each other in panic. I didn't know whether to faint or
>vomit. Think, think!! What could it be?
>Brian scrambled downstairs to the engine room muttering "what is it,
>what is it?" He then decided we had better put out the anchor.
>(smart man I thought. I wanted to call the coast guard to come and
>rescue us and tow us back to the safety of the dock!!)
>Okay, not so bad, we can stop drifting into all those fishing boats
>moving around us. Brian stayed down in the engine room fiddling
>around while I had to make sure we weren't drifting (I was sure we
>were!)
>Brian bled the port engine and finally got it going again. HOORAY!!
>We would haul up the anchor and get the boat back to the dock.
>Oh no!! The windlass  wouldn't work!! We couldn't get the anchor up!!
>Were we having fun yet?
>Brian began hand winching the bloody thing up, then discovered the
>breaker switch had tripped (after 20 minutes of heavy exercise).
>So, we were able to get the anchor up and we headed straight back to
>the dock!!
>Everyone had their binoculars focused on us and I'm sure  we were a
>great source of amusement and curiosity.
>We tied up (what know was I supposed to use again?) and Brian bled
>the starboard engine as well so we then had them both going.
>So, we were ready to leave again.
>It was 9am.We left the dock and Prince Rupert with people stepping
>out of their boats to wave us off.
>
>Charts ready, we all stood in the pilothouse anxious to get on the
>move. Our overnight destination was Lowe Inlet, off Grenville
>Channel.
>The water was pretty calm as we headed out. We had gone about 8nm
>when we approached some islands and rocky reefs. I was at the helm,
>travelling at 8knots and checking our progress against the chart.
>Their were many points, rocks and islands and I called for Brian to
>come and check my direction as was a little confused!! Were we
>heading the right way?
>The depth sounder showed the water getting shallower than the chart
>said it would be!!
>We realized I was heading into shallow water and should be heading
>east of where I was going, so we quickly turned to port!!
>Phew!! We probably would have gone aground on my heading. A good
>start for my career as a mariner.
>Brian then steered us directly into a kelp bed (not a good idea darling)
>He quickly thrust us into reverse. Oh shit!! He then yells 'I've
>lost our steering!"
>I didn't know if I should succumb to the hot flashes raging through
>me and just collapse, but decided that wasn't good for the kids to
>see.
>We pulled out of the kelp bed and headed away with the steering intact.
>I think the nearby fishing boat must have had a chuckle over the
>frantic movements of our boat!!
>I'm pleased to report that this was the last scary event to happen that
day!
>We kept a close eye on our charts and proceeded along with wonderful
>sunshine and incredible scenery.
>We sat on the for'd deck in various stages of undress. Lindsay
>rigged up his fishing rod, anxious to catch something tonight while
>anchored.
>Brian and I relaxed  with a coffee and were able to finally look at
>each other and say "this is what we've come for......this makes it
>all worthwhile"
>A glorious day, following Grenville Channel down. At 4:30pm we
>entered Lowe Inlet and anchored in 22m at the head of the inlet.
>No other boats in sight which surprised us as we had read it was  a
>very popular overnight anchorage. We winched down the dinghy (a
>first) and were thrilled the davit actually worked!
>The kids had seen salmon jumping near the waterfall at the head of
>the inlet and were keen to explore (a spawning creek).
>Brian rowed them all around but they had no luck fishing. A Japanese
>kayaker came into the bay, looking for a refuge hut (called "Lowe
>Budget Hotel") He had kayaked down from Juneau, Alaska and was
>heading to Vancouver.
>Tem and I went for a row to the waterfall to try to spot a bear. No luck.
>We cooked up some yummy hamburgers on the bar-b-q, then collapsed
>into bed exhausted!!
>
>                                 DAY TWO
>
>
>Up at 7am with a calm night behind us. Lindsay was up early ready to
>fish.He kept trolling behind as we headed out of the inlet and back
>into Grenville Channel.
>We soon crossed over Wright Sound and entered McKay Reach (Princess
>Royal Channel).
>Brian went down to have a nice hot shower (wonderful hot water with
>the engines going!). I was on auto pilot and going down the centre
>of the channel when we looked starboard and saw a huge B.C. ferry
>passing us! I hadn't picked it up on the radar so was quite
>surprised to see it!. We waved to everyone and were soon surfing
>their wake! The kids thought they were back in Disneyland. I took us
>of auto pilot and bounced over 5 foot waves. I looked down and saw
>all our systems had gone off!  Brian came up with a towel wrapped
>around him at my request (the coming up, not the towel!)
>The switches had just tripped off in the excitement, but we were
>soon up and running again. The kids got a day of school in.
>We heard over the radio a mayday call from some people in a boat who
>had had to jump into their liferaft only to discover that it was
>sinking!!
>They obviously weren't sure of their bearings and the coast guard
>had trouble getting a concise area from them. About 1/2 hour later
>the search was cancelled as nothing further had been heard.
>Mayday calls are not uncommon to hear, and they certainly are a
>sobering thing to hear. Another one today was a man had fallen
>overboard and people were on the search for him.
>Later on today we heard a fishing boat had headed straight into the
>rocks (he fallen asleep).
>Shortly after lunch we decided to pop into Butedale, which is the
>site of a deserted fish cannery. We were greeted by Lou, the
>resident caretaker, who helped us tie up at he dock (lovely man that
>he was!!).
>Once we were safely tied up we chatted to Lou and Brenda (they love
>in Kitimat in the winter months)
>The kids started to fish off the dock, supervised by 2 dogs and a cat.
>Brian was taken on a 2 hour tour of the old cannery site and the
>Indian village that housed 500 people who worked here.
>The buildings had all been let go and some built on the pilings had
>collapsed due to a heavy snow load one year. They were slowly
>falling into the sea. I handwashed clothes and hung them up on  a
>makeshift line.
>We all went for a hike to a lake up behind the settlement. Knowing
>their were bears in the area, I had us all singing loudly all the
>way!!
>We passed bear tracks and poop but no bear!
>The lake was quite large with a slew of logs at our end. We started
>walking over the logs when I slipped and fell in!! Bloody freezing
>water! I managed to keep the camera above the water though and
>escaped with a cold and wet body.
>We got back to our boat to discover that the yacht that was at Lowe
>Inlet the night before was tied up at he dock behind us!! A lovely
>couple from Idaho.
>After dinner we went over the charts and plotted our course for tomorrow.
>
>
>                                        DAY THREE
>
>
>We woke to rain and fog! Brian took the kids to the old warehouse
>where Lou had set up a ten pin bowling alley!! I could hear the pins
>being knocked down from  the boat!
>We pulled out of Butedale and into pea soup. The water was glassy
>calm but visibility was poor.
>The kids did school today as we meandered along Princess Royal
>Channel and then through Hienkish Narrows. We had to make sure we
>went through at slack tide. The currents in the channel pushed us up
>to 10knots for awhile.It rained most of the afternoon, but the fog
>lifted by noon. We hugged the shore of Roderick Island to catch the
>entrance to Bottleneck Inlet.......only 50 metres wide at the
>entrance and 6foot at low tide. We were going through at high tide
>so were able to idle at the entrance and go fishing. Brian caught a
>good size rock cod that we ended up having for dinner. Yummo.
>Lindsay caught 3 fish but let them go (he's on a catch and release
>program!)
>We anchored easily at the head of the inlet, but due to rain we
>didn't put the dinghy down. We all watched a video tonight
>("Castaway").
>Luxury!!
>
>
>
>
>                                      DAY FOUR
>
>
>I woke up at 6am, conscious of the high tide at 5:40am. I wakened
>Brian and had us moving by 6:30am. We had to wash the anchor chain
>as it came up as it was very muddy!!
>We eased our way out of the inlet and straight into zero visibility!!
>We could make out the bow of the boat and nothing beyond!!
>I guess it was a good test of our faith in the gps and radar alone.
>It did feel eerie though, and the fog didn't lift until 6 hours
>later and very slowly!
>We continued down Finlayson Channel, then turned into Oscar Passage
>(a "highway" through to Matheison Channel)
>Toward the end of Matheison, we had to dodge islands going through
>narrow channels. We opted to go on the outside of Lady Douglas
>island as the channels were getting narrower and the tide was
>against us and there was a curvilinear leg involved.
>This meant a bit of open ocean on Millbanke Sound which had some
>swells (enough to make the kids queasy and stop school)
>We turned east into Seaforth Channel and were pleased to see the
>skies open up and give us some warmer weather.
>We opened the hatches and I went on deck to practice my knots!
>Brian went downstairs to "experiment" with the fuel line (I think!!)
>and I suddenly heard 2 warning bells going and both engines went
>down!!
>Was I ever mad!
>So, we had to drift around (I was glad the channel was quite wide
>here) while Brian tried to bleed the engines again, and again and
>again!!
>He was finally able to get us going again but informed me (very
>casually) that we had water spewing out of our port engine and  we
>may lose it before  we got to Shearwater. A loose seal. Oh Great!!
>Lindsay took advantage of our drifting and had gone fishing and
>caught a perch.
>We managed to get into Shearwater and there was only one spot left
>between 2 fancy boats of 60 feet!! Brian squeezed us in very well
>and we had the advantage of a cluster of men on the dock waiting for
>us to throw them our lines. We were tied up securely in no time!!
>The people here were very friendly and ready for a chat. Brian got a
>marine mechanic down and organized for the needed part to be flown
>up from Vancouver. Hopefully by tomorrow.
>A skipper from a 100 foot boat came by and starting chatting to
>Brian and tried to help getting us hooked up. (we hadn't tried this
>before) After mucking around in the boat for 2 hours they tried to
>plug us in but the chord wouldn't reach. They decided that Brian
>should turn the boat around, despite having only one engine.
>With an audience of about 10, we turned the boat around in minimal
>space without hitting anyone!! Well done Brian!!
>So, we managed to plug in for once and got the heaters cranked up to
>keep the boat nice and dry!!
>Brian and Dave kept mucking around with the electricity until 10pm.
>Kids went to bed and Brian and stayed up for a last coffee and
>talked about how we were really stretching our comfort zones!!
>
>
>
>
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