Prince William Sound, 2002

Sailboat at anchor Prince William Sound, 2002

It was our first year sailing on Prince William Sound, our first year sailing at all! We love our powerboat, but Dennis couldn't resist when our next-door neighbor put his 25' Erichson up for sale. He'd bought it new in 1980 and has taken extraordinary care of it since. He'd added a kerosene heater and lots of other adaptations that made it perfect for Alaskan waters. He even came to Whittier to help us erect the mast and launch the boat with a 30' tongue extension he invented. We drew a crowd to watch the launch!

We sailed whenever we had wind and were amazed at the fuel efficiency of the four-horse Yamaha outboard. It was so roomy and comfortable in all weather that we could easily stay out for months. We went across the north of the Sound from Whittier to Valdez exploring bays and passages we'd skipped on previous trips and once again having nearly all anchorages completely to ourselves. We hiked, canoed and read to our heart's content.

Dennis' one concern was that our only backup if the motor quit was sail, and we aren't experienced sailors! We headed back to Whittier through the middle of the Sound. The wind was perfect much of the way. When it abated, Dennis started the motor and we motor-sailed. Then, cough, choke, nothing. The wind came back up from a different direction and heeled the boat over, making it difficult to check or fix the motor.

Finally, when the wind died down a little, Dennis checked and found lots of water in the fuel. We'd recently fueled in Valdez. Thankfully, he had a small auxiliary tank so we didn't have to tack into the narrow bay where we anchored that night. We actually enjoyed seas that would have intimidated us in the motor boat.

The last day we picked up Dennis' son and family in Whittier. It was the grandkids' first sailboat trip. We look foward to many more.