October 14th 2013

Kodiak City, Kodiak

57° 47,270' N, 152° 24,605' W

We spent only two nights in Sand Point as we were too impatient to stay there any longer. The first day at sea was reasonably comfortable, and we could even take down the foresail and repair the torn seams with sail tape. During the second day which was much more uncomfortable, we received the following message from our weather guru Evgeny:

If you're still in Sand Point it is better to stay.

...SOUTH WIND 30 TO 45 MPH...WITH GUSTS TO 75 MPH POSSIBLE.

I see storm wind to the east of Sand Point 12, 13, 14, 15 October.

 Be careful. )

Good luck
Evgeny

Despite the warning, we didn't make a U-turn and return to Sand Point but continued our rugged voyage towards Kodiak and, with good luck and great speed (181 nm per day), managed to stay in between the storm winds lurking on either side of us.

We arrived in the safe haven of St. Paul Harbour, Kodiak City, on the 12^th  and were warmly welcomed by Marion and Marty, Kodiak Harbour Master and his wife, who were waiting for us on the dock with a picnic basket the contents of which we enjoyed aboard the Sarema.

The next day we were dined, wined and entertained at their cliff house from morning till evening. Between breakfast and dinner we went hiking in the nearby rainforest where Marion, a professional photographer, documented our walkabout.

The photos here and henceforth are by courtesy of Marion Owen.

On Monday morning, we woke up to a lovely day with warm sunshine and a gentle breeze. Marion and Marty had planned a picnic in the mountains but after listening to the weather forecast that predicted 35 knot winds for the next several days, we decided to continue our voyage. So, although tempted to stay, we cast off in the afternoon and began our final leg of the season towards Seward.