This & That

Gabe on the rocky beach of Blank Island.

Today I was given an "me" morning. Peter is making pancakes for the kids on the diesel stove while they are crowded around the table making turkeys from construction paper. They were given the project from a neighbouring boat that needs six for a meeting this coming Monday. My days have been so filled with school, meals, cleaning, washing, running errands & working (see my days aren't any different than anyone else’s, I just do them a little differently) that I haven't had enough time to sit in front of the computer & type. Of course once I do get here, there is the problem of figuring out what to write. Since today I don't have just one thing to share, it will be a variety. Ahh... here comes my coffee!

Peter & the halibut

We had borrowed a dinghy for the summer from one of Peter's co-workers, a cute yellow 12' aluminium. We're still deciding what to do for a dinghy, there's limited space to put one on deck & certainly not one that would fit all of us at once! When Peter had time & the weather cooperated, he took a few kids & when out of the marina, into the narrows fishing. It wasn't long after dropping the hook that they were reeling them in, kelp greenlings and copper rock fish. On one trip they were surrounded by sharks! Katie pulled in a 2 1/2 foot dog shark, with the rest of school following to the surface. She put it back as we didn't know if you could eat it, let alone how to prepare it. The highlight though of those fishing expeditions was the day Peter brought home a 25# halibut. It finally felt like we'd become Alaskan! at least more so than just having our registration from here. That fish not only served a celebration party with friends, but fed our family for a week! I was introduced to halibut enchiladas that I will never again scoff. For the most part Peter & I are only able to sneak a small piece of fish because the kids devour it & will still ask for more.

Gabe on his new bunk with Lucky Jack.

A year ago, on Elaine's birthday, I brought home a tiny kitten with my groceries. It wasn't the cutest little thing, but it was small enough to get used to living on a boat. The kids named him Lucky Jack, which has probably helped the fact that he's a black cat on a boat. Going through pictures I found we tend to take a lot of him & since he's made it through eagle season I figured I could introduce him.

Lucky Jack Ahoy!

As from the very beginning of his life aboard, he's liked the kids, even the little boys. I find this extraordinary in a cat. He'd rather hang out with Michael & Gabe than have a stranger near him, let alone hold him. He'll race around on the deck, jumping onto the sail covers to run the length of them as high as he can go. Our vessel being steel, he sounds like an elephant charging from one end to the other. He'll bat your head as you climb into the boat, then dodge back to hide behind the sail. He's endearing when he curls up next to you & irritating when he wakes you up whining at 2 a.m. wanting to go out. He did get seasick for the first two days coming up like the rest of us. He looked miserable sitting on deck trying to be as small as possible. We'd toyed with the idea of getting a puppy, but after having Lucky who is by far the best cat I've ever met, I don't think we'll ever get another animal on board when he leaves.

Peter had to work on his birthday, the up side being we were all able to spend it with him. The tour was small so we were given the okay to come along. It was being done on the landing craft Saint Innocent, as we were going to be left on an island for a bit of "Wilderness Survival" training. Before dropping us off though a crab pot (belonging to the tour & a scientific study) was pulled to identify & log the different underwater creatures in it, a rock fish, flounder & 3 sunflower stars. It was a beautiful day for the tour after the previous week of rain.

In practising survival skills the first thing you had to do was realize you were in trouble and you needed to do something about it. After that shelter & looking for food was on the agenda. Shelter should be made on the opposite side of were the wind hits the most (go figure) so look at the disfigured trees as a guide. Anna, Katie & Elaine worked together and built one inside an old tree stump. We were given 15 minutes to scavenge the beach to see if we could find anything edible. Bi-valves were out as the red tide here makes them toxic to eat, but limpets and seaweeds were available. 

The tour had set up a camp site and gave everyone the opportunity to try starting a fire with a flint. Although some of us threw a bunch of sparks, no one was able to ignite the moss. We were able to try devils club tea, dried kelp, dried fruit & smoked salmon along with couscous. The kids found that by mixing it all together it made a tasty meal. Being able to get out and explore beyond, something we didn't have time to do this summer, really wet the kids appetite to be more like gypsies, wandering from place to place.