When I returned to Ketchikan, Mark told me about the Gravina's third and fourth trips. For starters, he said that the transition in the galley went smoothly because Holly Hughes and I are similar cooks.
The third trip, marked by hilarity and successful salmon fishing, explored the nooks and crannies of Chichagof Island, starting and ending in Pelican. In our friend Bill's journal entry, the phrase "we fished some more" is repeated like a mantra.
Guests also fished on the fourth trip, which returned from Pelican to Ketchikan via a different route from the one taken on the way up. Our friend Bunny even caught a halibut! But that trip was more contemplative. Holly and a guest named Jim each read some of their poetry, and Bunny's husband John read an excerpt from his novel. All four guests requested kayaks for next year (their request will be granted).
OUR LAST TRIP was a story of strangers getting to know one another in close quarters. Our guests were our friend Louise, her teenage son Nick, whom we had never met, and another man named Mark, who answered our print ad. We called him Mr. P, to distinguish him from my husband. As we were taking on fuel, we received two phone calls: one from my sister in New York City, the other from our daughter in rural Minnesota. Both seemed like they were from another world altogether.
We headed south and stopped for the night in Prince Rupert, B.C., where we checked in with Canadian authorities. In the morning Mark bought Canadian fishing licenses (but not for me - I don't fish).
From my journal:
JULY 25. Second day of fifth trip. Trolled for an hour off Oona and Peninsula Points. Mark & Nick caught two rockfish. Went though Watts Narrows (very narrow) to Baker Inlet, but repelled by horseflies. Now in Grenville Channel. Balmy weather, puffy white clouds high in a blue sky, dramatic rock formations. Mark calls this "Yosemite North."
EVENING. Anchored in Lowe Inlet again. I recognized it immediately - small but turbid waterfall spilling into it. Unlike last month, we were only boat there, initially. Soon another small boat roared into inlet & started fishing near waterfall.
After dinner, Mark, Nick & I climbed into Minnow & headed short distance to where Nick & I saw salmon jumping (not as close to waterfall as other boat). Mark & Nick landed a silver each in 15 minutes! A first for Nick, pure pleasure on his face. Other boat, fishless, left right after.
Nick was a delight. He does not have as much "attitude" as my own children! He lives with his father, and they often dine at fast-food restaurants, so he was not accustomed to my kind of cooking. When served bisque, he said, "I'm used to eating soup with stuff in it." But he ate everything I cooked.
Like many teenagers, Nick is technologically savvy. He's also a card shark and a Grand Master at Sudoku.
JULY 26. Louise made fabulous omelet this morning. Good to eat someone else's cooking. Gravina has never been cleaner with Louise & Mr. P aboard. They insist on helping. Mr. P superb dish dryer.
Louise and Mr. P, complete strangers when we embarked, turned out to be compatible. Louise is a private individual, who refers to herself as "just a revolutionary." Mr. P does not own a computer or cellphone, and he paid us in cash. Nick described Mr. P as "tension on the fishing pole of society."
AFTERNOON. To hot springs at Bishop Bay again. Nick swam ashore! We all washed our hair in little side bath, more commodious than our shower.
EVENING. Moored again in Butedale. More people this time.
JULY 27. Mark & Nick fishing again, in Khutze Inlet. Fog low & ragged. Mark says Mr. P trolls well at helm -- slow & smooth, at a consistent depth.
AFTERNOON. Through Jackson Narrows. Mark has been letting others of us be at helm, but not here. Not only narrow, but shallow, & low tide as well.
DINNER: Beef tenderloins.
JULY 28. Started to cross Queen Charlotte Sound. Bad weather. Jogged into it about an hour, then Mark turned back.
AFTERNOON: Anchored in appropriately named Safety Cove. Boarded by good-natured guy in Canadian Coast Guard (checked fishing licenses). Kept saying "Right on," fodder for frequent parodies by Mr. P.
DINNER: Pappardelle with marinara, red pepper pesto, shrimp & scallops.
JULY 29. Made it across QC Sound this morning. Not pleasant, but not bad, either. Stopped in Alert Bay. Mr. P bought cherries & we all visited sacred Namgit Burial Ground.
AFTERNOON. In Johnstone Strait, sun came out & three orcas appeared, including a baby & its mother. Seemed as curious about us as we were dazzled by them. Came close to boat several times; maybe wooden boats sound different. Each time they surfaced baby squealed & became playful, rolling on its back & repeatedly slapping its small tail.
NIGHT. Anchored in Blenkinsop Bay, barometer rising. As I gazed through a porthole, my eyelids getting heavy, a light as bright as an oncoming headlight glared in. I lifted my head slightly & saw the full moon. It passed across the porthole in a slow rhythm as we drifted around the anchor.
JULY 30. Headed down Discovery Passage. Strong rip tides because of full moon, but sunny.
EVENING. Anchored in Leboeuf Bay. Civilization closer, bay ringed by fancy houses.
JULY 31. Last day of trip. Through Canadian Gulf Islands then, back in U.S., San Juan Islands (same archipelago). Through customs in Anacortes. ETA Seattle: dinnertime. Sunlight glitters on water, welcoming us home.
AT HOME, I did the arithmetic. Our first charter season had made a $3.81 profit! We hope to make more money in the future, to cover not just trip expenses but also insurance, maintenance and year-round moorage. Next year we will be full-fledged professionals and will raise our rates.
But making money is not the primary reason for doing this. Mark wants to regain something he loved about fishing: exploring Alaska. Now he can do it at a leisurely pace, and share the experience with others, including me.
