Happy New Years!
I'm back in NZ earning dollars for the coming sailing leg to
Russia and
Japan. The
boat is happily settled into Haines, SE
Alaska with a
Boat Watch
contract, and I will return to her early April.
The plan for this section of the
circumnavigation is to push off around 15 April, explore Glacier Bay and Icy Bay, then with a suitable
weather window run the three to four days across to Kodiak Is and explore there a bit. Then I will
work my way along the Aleutians - climb the volcanoes on Island of Four Mountains (hopefully Cleveland is quiet), reprovision, change over crew, pick up Russian visa and papers etc at Dutch Harbour and
head for Petrapavlosk- Kamchatki around late July, early August.
I hope to spend 6 weeks - 2 months on the Kamchatka Peninsula then
head south along the Kurils to Kushiro, Hokkaido by end of October at latest this year.
Im looking to put a crew of four total together that can
work as a sailing and climbing team, to change about from looking after the boat while the shore crew is skinning/hiking up and skiing off peaks along the way. The region offers rare good shelter and needs a competent boat crew at all times. The climbing is steep but short with
winter alpine conditions the norm for the Aleutians but drier and open terrain on Kamchatka (bears included!)
Crew can join at Kodiak, or join or leave at Dutch Harbour and Petrapavlosk, and will need to be responsible for obtaining their own visas to meet the dates for
Russia and/or
Japan.
I’ve added more wet
weather gear and survival suits to the boat inventory, and the
Iridium Go!
satellite system has worked very well so far for up to date weather forecasts underway.
This is going to be one helluva an adventure, good for hardened sailors and keen adventurers - come join this crazy Kiwi for a unique high latitudes experience!
Get back to me if you and/or your sailing buddies are interested.
Murtaig