After spending a few leisurely days in Bahia Fosforsente it was time to weigh anchor. We were wanting to start moving farther East along the Southern shores of Puerto Rico. We also had winds that would allow us to sail. The tradewinds in the Caribbean normally blow from East to West. There was a low-pressure system moving North of the island which was turning the winds. They started blowing from Northeast then North. It wouldn’t be a beam reach but we would be able to sail most of the 59 nautical miles to our next anchorage. We had picked out Cayo Puerca for a night or two. This would be another tiny mangrove anchorage that we could sail to in a day.
 
Early in the morning Lisa and I woke up and broke the silence of the tranquil bay with the rumble of our diesel engines. Soon the clanging of our anchor chain rounding our gypsy signaled it was time to start making our way to new places. The winds were light in the protected bay as we motored out and over the reefs. We made our way a few miles offshore turned into the wind and raised the sails. It would be a slow day making around 5 knots under sail. We were trying to keep as Easterly a course as possible while still keeping the sails from flogging. The winds never changed very far North. This caused us to start pointing more South than we intended.  After several hours of sailing off course, we doused the sails and fired up the diesel engines.  They would drive us the last couple of hours into our new anchorage.
 
We slipped into another calm peaceful mangrove hole with a thick muddy bottom. The sun was just setting as we took stock of our new anchorage. There wasn’t much around. No good beaches to tender to and no wildlife to speak of yet, except the mosquitoes.  There were plenty of mosquitos.  Since we arrived at dusk the bugs were out in force and were feasting on us before we had time to secure all the screens and get inside. We secured the boat as soon as we could and settled down for a nice cup of tea for the night.
 
We spent the next morning planning how to get to our new anchorage. After spending a few days in a tranquil mangrove forest at our last spot we wanted something different. We decided to make the hop to the island of Vieques.
 
Check back next time when Unwritten Timeline leaves the main island of Puerto Rico for the first time in 7 months.

We awoke early on the day we had scheduled to leave Marina Pescaderia. There is a lot to get done when your vessel has been stationary for a long time. A sailboat has to be many things to its owners. A sailboat must be well built to withstand the high seas. A sailboat must be self-sufficient for the times when you are off-grid for days, weeks, or months at a time. A sailboat must also be comfortable when moored and at sea. Many times all these things contradict each other in the real world. No matter how much money is thrown at a vessel all liveaboard sailboats are a compromise.  So they need to be transformers to get close to making all these requirements a reality. At a marina, your boat is hooked to power similar to your home. You have unlimited fresh water. It is as simple as stepping off your vessel to get to the store. No tender ride required. Unwritten Timeline was sitting comfortably in a marina so we needed to get up early to ensure she was ready to safely take us on the open ocean. We topped off our fuel and water tanks. We disconnected the shore power cords. We removed all the covers from our enclosure so we could see 360 degrees around the vessel. We checked the navigation systems. We ensured all our lights worked. We started the engines. Once we were confident our vessel was safe and ready we started cutting the lines holding her snuggly to the marina. Lisa was at the helm while Dave managed the lines and maintained lookout on the bow as we slowly departed Marina Pescaderia. It was a great stay but ports farther East were calling our name and it was high time we listened.
 
We wanted to ease back into sailing and being on the move so our first stop was just around the corner of Puerto Rico. It was 26 nautical miles or about 5 hours to Bahia Fosforesente. This tiny bay is protected on all sides with a narrow channel from the South West. We wanted to see the marine life at night. The bay is named because of the bioluminescent marine life. At night if you jump into the water and splash around thousands of tiny sea creatures illuminate the area around you. It is similar to being surrounded by stars while you are floating in the blackness of space. Swimming at night was just as amazing as it sounds. We stayed at anchor for a few days enjoying the seclusion and slow pace of our new home on the water. During the days pelicans were busy diving on fish. There seemed to be an almost constant splash. The pelicans would circle an area looking for fish.  When they were ready they folded their wings back and careened headfirst under the water to get their meal. We even had a couple of dolphins swim by the boat to check us out. There wasn’t much in the way of a sandy beach in the bay but we did take the tender out for a little exploring through the mangroves.
 
This was a great leisurely start to our Caribbean tour. Check back next time when we continue on along the Southside of Puerto Rico.

Lisa and I flew from Maryland to Puerto Rico after the Annapolis Boat show.  We had about a month to start getting Unwritten Timeline ready to start sailing.  It always takes a little bit of time to commission a vessel that’s been sitting stationary for a long time.  You have to get ready to be without unlimited power and water.  You have to refresh how to just turn the boat on sometimes.  If you don’t you may end up forgetting the raw water seacock for the engine.  Burning up an engine as you depart the dock is no way to start a long voyage.  There are inevitably things strewn around the vessel that make your vessel a home that are not secure for sailing.  The coasters you have out on the table.  The keys you’ve gotten use to lying on the countertop.  The dishes you have now started storing in the sink.  All of these little things become airborne underway.  That usually ends in something being broken.
 
Making the vessel secure for sailing isn’t the only thing that had to be done when we returned from Annapolis.  The anchor light was out when we first sailed into Puerto Real 6 months ago.  So that was first on the to-do list.  We also wanted to wrap up some of our projects to make life at anchor a little more comfortable.  We completed the dodger before I left for Alaska but we still had to finish the full enclosure and sun shade for the rumble seat.  This would allow us to stay dry from squalls while at the helm.  The sunshade would allow us a little respite from the blaring Caribbean sun while we lounge at anchor.  We needed to commission the water maker and service the engines.  The tasks to get underway are seemingly endless.  Eventually you have to prioritize and get done what you can or you’ll never leave the dock.
 
We had only intended to be at Marina Pescaderia for a week before continuing on through the Caribbean.  It was almost 8 months later when Unwritten Timeline would be outside of the Puerto Real bay again.  While I was away in Alaska working on whale watch tour boats Lisa stayed in Puerto Real and made some great friends.   The constant moving and leaving friends is something we have grown accustomed to in the military.  We never really say goodbye anymore.  We just say we’ll see you guys next time. 
 
Check back next week when we have an illuminating experience.

After graduating the Chapman’s School of Seamanship PMT program and attaining my Merchant Mariner Credential (Captain’s License) I took a job in Alaska running tour boats.  I’ve always wanted to explore Alaska and as luck would have it I was never stationed there while I was in the military.  This seemed like a good opportunity to make some sailloot for our cruising plans.  You may not have heard this before, but sailboats are expensive.  Yeah, I wish someone would have told me that earlier. 
 
I’ve never had a seasonal job before.  I always liked knowing when and where my next paycheck would come from.  Now that I’m retired I have the security that comes with over 20 years of military work.  A seasonal job was perfect for our current situation.  I don’t want to be tied down to one job right now.  I don’t need another career while I’m trying to sail around the world.  A summer job in Alaska sounded like the perfect fit.  There are many jobs around the world for boat captains.  If you’re willing to travel you can find descent pay in some beautiful places.  Lots of people think of the Caribbean or other tropical places to run boats.  There are some amazing benefits to these jobs for sure.  It seems the pay is inversely proportional to the amount of sunshine a place receives.  In the Caribbean you can barely throw a rock in the water without getting a licensed captain wet.  They are almost a dime a dozen in beautiful tropical places and the pay generally reflects that.  Not that it’s poverty level by any means but if you’re willing to travel and go to more remote places the pay is a little more.  I wasn’t sure how financially beneficial it would be to travel all the way to Alaska for work.  Originally Lisa and I would count it as a win if we were able to net $6,000.  We figured with all the additional costs of me being in Alaska and Lisa in Puerto Rico and travel expenses we would make a few dollars.  It ended up being better than we had hoped.  We cleared an additional $20,100 for our sailing kitty.  
 
All figures are rounded after tax dollars for our calculations.  Some expenses like car insurance are wrapped up in the “Vehicle column”.  I did get a car for $1 and a few repairs.  My rent was $1,200 a month.  I didn’t spend much on food since I was working nearly every day for over 8 hours.  Meals consisted mostly of lunch-meat wraps and food from the boat.  There were several uniform items I had to purchase like work shoes and pants since I didn’t have a lot of black pants for my Caribbean attire.  There were a handful of required certifications like a Food Workers and Alcohol training since we sold food and liquor on board.

Captain Job                                   +$30,000
Rent                                               -$6,000
Vehicle                                          -$1,000
Vehicle fuel                                   -$250
Flights to and from Alaska           -$1,600
Clothes for uniform                      -$350
Required Certifications                -$100
Food                                              -$600
Total profit for one season         +$20,100
 
If you’re looking to make some additional money for your cruising dreams this may be a good route for you. 

The end of the whale watch season came to an end on 01 October. Before I left for Alaska, Lisa and I hadn’t planned on visiting the boat show this year; however, we decided to add it to our plans. It would be easy enough for me to make a stop in Annapolis on my way back to Puerto Rico. It also served to break up the trip for me. Lisa rented a car from Marina Pescaderia and made her way to San Juan where she could hop a flight to Annapolis. This would be her first time stateside in almost a year.
 
We have been to Sailboat shows all over the United States. The Annapolis Sailboat show is hands down the best place to see everything sailing. We have been to the Annapolis October show about 5 times now over the years. They bring in thousands of vendors that sell everything from rope to multi-million dollar yachts. There are seminars on everything from purchasing and maintaining a vessel to learning about weather. Most of the seminars are free to attend. This year they brought in several big-name sailing YouTube personalities to give lectures. Lisa and I sat in on the Delos cruising university. This crew has been doing YouTube for 10 years now and they have an enormous following. They were scheduled for a one single hour-long seminar. They had so many attendees that they added an extra presentation. Both seminars were packed with people wanting to hear the crew talk about their adventures sailing around the world. After the Delos presentation, the crew from Ruby Rose spoke about their trip through the French Canal system.  Nick and Terysa motored from the Mediterranean Sea to the Atlantic Coast of France.
 
Those were a couple of the YouTube personalities that were holding events. Many other YouTube crews were out and about over the weekend. We saw Brady from Delos walking down the street and Lisa flagged him down for a quick conversation. He was just as friendly in-person talking to a stranger on the street as he is in the videos. That is a big reason why they do so well with YouTube and their audience. That wasn’t even the best run-in for Lisa. Lisa was getting her book Cruising in Seraffyn signed by Lin Pardey at the Women Who Sail booth. when I noticed the Project Atticus crew standing behind her. We have been watching them ever since they first purchased their fixer-upper years ago. Jordan and Desiree are currently in Central America getting ready for a Pacific crossing but still made time to attend the show. Lucky for Lisa, because she was able to meet her new best Bud. She may have been a little star-struck meeting Desiree. Lisa was even more impressed when she stopped by on the second day and Desiree remembered her name!  Like the crew of Delos you can tell that the crews that are so great to watch on YouTube are also great people in person.  We didn’t even get to see all the other YouTube personalities that attended the show. The crew from Distant Shores, Cruising Off Duty, Sailing La Vagabond, Sailing Totem, and many others attended in 2019. It was a great place to meet fellow cruisers and see all the new toys coming out.
 
If you are at all interested in sailing or cruising you have to make it to Annapolis at some point. It’s a fantastic show and you never know who you’ll run into.
 
Check back next week when we discuss how we built up our cruising kitty by working a season in Alaska.

As September rolled around the workload with Allen Marine Tours became less and less. My 15-hour workdays became 10 hours, then 8 hours. I even managed to get a couple of days off in a row. Towards the end of the season, the tours subside and you get a respite from the long hours.  it’s a good opportunity to do a little sightseeing around Alaska. If you love the great outdoors there are a thousand things to do a few steps from your living room. I took the opportunity to take a few hikes around Mendenhall Glacier and the Inland Waterway shoreline.  During one hike around the Shrine of Saint Therese, I saw a humpback whale swim about 100 yards off the shore. As I sat there on the rocks he meandered south. The humpback whales are migratory animals. As the season ends and the temperatures cool they make their way to warmer climates. The humpbacks around Juneau predominantly come from Hawaiian waters, although some spend their winters along the Pacific side of Central America. Neither location is a bad place to spend the winter.
 
Speaking of tropical waters for the winter, the days started growing colder. It was becoming reminiscent of when I first arrived 5 months ago. Lisa and I started planning our trip from Puerto Rico through the Caribbean for the winter. We put our trip on hold for 6 months so we could build up our sailing kitty.  Now came the time to finally get started again. There are so many great places to see in the Caribbean; the USVI, BVI, French Islands, Dutch Islands and everything in between. Each island has it’s own unique culture and cuisine to enjoy.
 
Before we could get started again there was one more trip planned and few projects to tackle when I got back to Puerto Rico. We hadn’t planned on going to the Annapolis Boat Show in 2019 but my season ended October first.  The Annapolis boat show is always at the beginning of October.  Since I had to fly all the way back to Puerto Rico, Lisa decided we should meet in Annapolis. We could have a small vacation before we start our large vacation in the Caribbean. When my contract was up in Alaska I flew to Annapolis. Lisa asked our friends aboard Libertad to watch Bastet, our cat, for a few days and she packed her things for the trip. Lisa met me in Annapolis and we saw each other for the first time in 5 months.
 
Be sure to check back for next week’s blog when we talk all about the boat show and Lisa’s new best Bud.

While I was in Alaska making #sailloot Lisa was back in Puerto Rico aboard Unwritten Timeline when the news of a possible hurricane came out. She was alone on the boat and had to get UT prepared for the worst possible case. Today we generally know when and where a hurricane will strike, but there is always a measure of unpredictability. Marina Pescaderia asked that everyone remove their boats from the marina. This is a usual occurrence during hurricanes. You might think that having a boat tied to a solid dock would be the preferred course of action but this is actually not the case. If a single 15,000lb boat should start to break away it would constantly bash against the dock. This would result in the dock and every other vessel coming lose and causing damage. Eventually all the vessels and the entire marina would be destroyed. If you are at anchor and you break free you may drift ashore or into another vessel. While that is devastating for the boats involved it means the entire marina isn’t destroyed. So Lisa started to secure sails, outside cushions, disconnect water and power connections. She had to make sure her and Unwritten Timeline would be safe and secure should she be in the direct path of Hurricane Dorian.
 
Lisa enlisted help from the great people at Marina Pescaderia. They provided a few deckhands to help her move the boat to a small anchorage surrounded by mangroves. This is only about 1000 meters from the marina, which is another reason it is such a great place to have your boat. Even though we only draft 4’ Lisa still had to wait for high tide to go into the mangroves. She barely scraped the bottom on her way in. While waiting for high tide the anchorage quickly filled up with all the vessels around Puerto Real. When Lisa was able to get in she snuggled in between several other boats and tied our dock lines to various mangrove trees and dropped the main anchor. Once settled nicely in her new home the deckhands jumped aboard a small tender to go help the rest of the boats get into the mangroves.
 
Lisa and the other residents of the marina watched the news and waited to see what Hurricane Dorian would do. Puerto Real is on the South West tip of Puerto Rico. When Dorian made landfall in Puerto Rico it was on the North East tip near San Juan. Much of the Northeast part of the island sustained damage from Dorian. Luckily Lisa and Unwritten Timeline were virtually unscathed. In the mangroves Lisa had very little wind, no rain, and no damage. After a few days Marina Pescaderia opened the slips back up.  The tenders headed out to the mangroves to help the larger vessels get back over the shallow entrance and tied back up to the dock. Lisa sat and watched many of her lucky neighbors make their way to the marina while she waited for high tide once again.
 
Just before nightfall Lisa started to untie her lines from the mangroves and weigh anchor. She slowly made her way over the shallow entrance and headed back home to her slip. It was her first dealing with a hurricane. It was her first dealing with an emergency while alone on the boat. It was the first time tying up to a mangrove forest.  While Dorian didn’t directly hit Unwritten Timeline it provided the opportunity to do a lot of firsts aboard a boat. It’s a good feeling knowing you can handle any situation aboard when you’re planning on going around the world on a boat.

​A day in the life of a tour boat crew in Hoonah isn’t the worst there is but they are long days for sure.  In the beginning it’s all new and exciting and the grind hasn’t really gotten to anyone yet.  During peak months when you’ve run 4 tours a day for 7 days straight it really starts to wear on everyone.  Luckily since it’s a short season in Alaska by the time you’re ready to throw your co-workers overboard or just say screw it and jump on the next plane south the work load starts to subside a little.  You start running just 3 tours a day.  Then it’s 2 and you’re thankful for the respite.  Then the middle of September rolls around and you’re doing one tour a day and you start cleaning the vessels for winter storage.
 
0330:  Wake up and pack my bag.  The first day of a week in Hoonah always starts early.  We have the 2 hour trip to get there but the tours start the same time regardless if we travel or not.  Usually by 0430 I’m out of the house with my bags packed for the week.
 
0500:  Walk on board the Katlian Express and fire up the systems.  The deckhand and naturalist make sure we have enough supplies for the week aboard the boat.  They check the engine room and safety equipment while I look at the weather, route, and look at the schedule in dock office for any last minute changes.  There are always changes.
 
0600:  The crew unties the lines as I guide the boat off of a raft of 3 other 78’ aluminum catamarans.  The dock in Juneau only has about 8 spots but they usually carry 13 vessels tied to the dock at any one time.  This means several vessels are rafted together in the same spot.
 
0730:  This is my morning check in with Shawna to confirm our tour load for the day.  Again there are usually changes with the schedule so this is a last confirmation for the daily activities.  We pull up and tie to our designated slip and await our eager guests.  The crew completes a last walk through of the vessel before we start allowing passengers aboard.
 
0745:  We pull away from the dock in Hoonah, proceed right across the bow of the cruise ship giving everyone aboard a view of their ship from almost right under the bow.  The crew and I conduct our safety speech and demonstration.  We give the guests a quick overview of what is planned and then I slowly bring the large diesel engines up to wide open throttle as the jets quickly propel us to over 20 knots and we’re off hunting for wildlife.  We pretty much know where the humpbacks will be within 5 miles or so.  They are creatures of habit and so is their food source.  You still have to pay attention to make sure you get that guaranteed humpback whale sighting though.  It’s kind of amazing how a 50’ long 40 ton animal can hide from you in the vast ocean.  Eventually we find a few humpback whales, maybe some sea lions, seals, or killer whales.  There’s always a few bald eagles flying around as well.  Once the guests are amazed and they have great pictures or video to take with them we start heading back towards the dock. 
 
1045:  The first tour of the day is offloaded and we are already taking on our next group of guests for another great tour.  This process is repeated at least one other time for an average of 3 tours a day.
 
1800:  The final tour of the day is dropped off, usually right alongside the cruise ship so they can get back quickly and meet their “all aboard” time.  The crew and I finish paperwork for the day, clean the boat, make sure we have fuel and water for the next day’s tours and collect our bags to take our things to the Hoonah house.
 
1900:  Arrive at the Hoonah house, unpack and unwind for a little bit.  There is usually enough time to relax, grab a bite to eat, shower and get ready for bed.  The next day will start around 0500. 
 
It was an average of 14 hours a day for 6-7 days a week.  It was long but it was fun as well.  Most people save up for years to go to Alaska and spend 3 hours on a whale watch tour looking at wildlife.  I was able to do that for 12 hours a day, every day.  I saw a ton of amazing things that few people get to experience.  The hours were long and the days were longer but it was all worth it in the end.

​Once the season was in full swing and I was running tours with my crew the days just got busier and busier.  We would be doing 3-4 three hour tours each day 6 or 7 days a week.  Allen Marine Tours in Juneau guarantees seeing at least one humpback whale each tour.  This is usually pretty easy to accomplish.  Juneau and the area around Icy Strait Point where I worked was a popular feeding ground for humpback whales and several of them would return year after year.  I did enjoy the hunt for the whales though.  It reminded me of younger days flying around hunting for things.  This time I just found them and let my guests shoot them, with their cameras. 
 
The days were long but usually enjoyable.  Allen Marine was based in Juneau, but I spent a lot of my time working tours out of a little town called Hoonah.  Hoonah is a small village just west of Juneau that has great wildlife around the area.  In 2019 it was still small enough to be fun to run tours there.  Juneau is a big cruise ship spot.  They can have 5 large cruise ships a day.  Sometimes more if they get some smaller ones in port.  This means there are a lot of boats viewing the wildlife.  Hoonah can only handle 2 large cruise ships at a time, so the wildlife viewing is still fantastic.  Maybe 5 tour boats would be looking at the same whale when it is busy.  In Juneau there would be 15 boats on the same whale during the busy times.  The added tour boats don’t seem to concern the wildlife.  They have grown accustomed to it and they seem to know they are the star of the show.  But it isn’t as good for the guests or the boat crews to be jockeying for the best view spot with so many other boats.  Hoonah is a much more relaxing place to see Alaskan wildlife and I was thankful to run almost all of my tours from there.
 
I still had a place in Juneau since that’s where the Allen Marine base was located.  Usually I would drive to Allen Marine early one morning with a bag packed with 3-7 days worth of things and jump aboard the Katlian Express.  The crew and I would make the boat ready for sea.  We would cast off the dock lines and make the 2 hour boat ride to Hoonah for a few days.  I always enjoyed these trips.  The crew would be down making sure the vessel was tour ready, as we always had a tour when we first arrived. I would sit in the wheelhouse just watching the Alaskan landscape go by at 20kts without guests aboard.  No real stress, just a nice boat ride.  It was a nice way to start the work week.  About 30 minutes away from the dock at Hoonah I would contact Shawna, our tour organizer there to confirm tour times, guest count, and pickup locations.  It was great working with her.  She always had a handle on all the tours and if we needed anything she could get it done.  We would pull up to the dock for our first tour, tie up the Katlian and set up the ramp ready to take guests out to see some cool whales, and who knows what other wildlife.  When our daily tours were over we would take a van to the “Hoonah house”.  This was the crew house Allen Marine purchased to house all the crews that worked in Hoonah so we could have a place to rest at night.  It was a nice house with twin beds for the crews.  The views were amazing and made it a nice place to rest up for the next 12 hour day of being on the water.

My first official day at Allen Marine Tours went much like any job.  Lots of paperwork, orientation, and an overview of their vessels.  They have a really thorough training period for their vessel crews.  They cover everything from customer service and retail to aspects of the vessel operation, safety, and tour expectations.  They have time allotted for refresher training on firefighting, and CPR/First Aid.  They do a lot as a company to try and ensure every crew member is well trained before the season starts.  After the 2 weeks of training it would become readily apparent why they take this time before the season really starts.  Once the cruise ships start coming into the ports of Alaska and the guests start showing up for tours the operational tempo increases pretty dramatically and it doesn’t stop until September.
 
I was assigned to the Katlian Express, a 65’ 48 passenger aluminum monohull jet boat for the season.  Most of the Allen Marine boats are jet boats.  This gives them the ability to be shallow draft and have no exposed running gear to get fouled in fishing gear or damaged by floating debris.  Most of their operations are in the Alaskan Inside Passage.  This is a mostly protected body of water similar to the Intracoastal  Waterway along the Atlantic and Gulf coast.  Since it is a fairly protected body of water a shallow draft vessel is perfect. 
 
The crews were assigned and I had a deckhand and a naturalist aboard as crew.  The deckhand basically works on the vessel at dock and underway to make sure the vessel is operating the way it should.  The naturalist guides the tour and helps the guests take in and understand all the wildlife and scenery during the tour.  When arriving or departing a dock both crew will manage lines and fenders to make sure the vessel is safe and secure for our guests.  After a little time working together it’s a finely tuned crew that can depart and arrive at the dock, unload and load passengers seamlessly.
 
During training I was lucky enough to be able to get a handover of the vessel from last year’s captain.  Stu was a wealth of knowledge, a great boat handler and instructor.  We did a few trips together and soon I was operating the vessel with passengers and crew unsupervised.  It wasn’t too much of a struggle to operate the vessel.  Driving boats is driving boats.  When you take charge of a new vessel it’s more a matter of learning the new layout, systems, and nuance of the vessel.  Each one is just a little different.  Eventually you’ll be whipping it in and out of a dock like you’ve been doing it for years.  My crew and I would be doing 2-4 tours a day 6 or 7 days a week.  When you are on the water for 12 plus hours a day departing and docking that many times a day it quickly becomes second hand.