Fred and Megan Rodolf, owners of the Alaskan tour boat Lu-Lu Belle who winter in Port Angeles, are familiar to regular readers of this column.
The 75-foot yacht ran aground May 14 about 50 miles south of Valdez, Alaska, at the Hinchinbrook Entrance in Prince William Sound.
Lu-Lu Belle’s composite hull was severely damaged and the yacht was considered a total loss by the Rodolfs’ insurance company.
Fred, who is not one to wither under the weight of adversity, purchased the vessel from the insurance company.
With Coast Guard approved engineering plans in hand, he began rebuilding Lu-Lu Belle within a couple of months of the ill-fated misstep.
I was told last week that Lu-Lu Belle is back in the water — but that Fred still has a long two weeks’ worth of work ahead of him reconnecting all the mechanical and electronic pieces and parts before he gets under way for Port Angeles.
Tale of tenacity
In the early 1980s, Dan Nordskog relocated from Minnesota to Port Angeles and soon decided to build himself a boat.
Dan’s a carpenter, so it was natural for him to settle on a wooden boat.
Despite the fact that he had never been sailing, Dan’s choice was a George Buehler-designed 28-foot, carvel-planked sailboat.
As Dan’s project took shape, he also began reading books on sailing.
This past summer, the building came to an end, the books were put away — and he launched the newly christened Misty.
The summer was spent aboard Misty cruising Puget Sound and developing the rudimentary skills required to tap the wind needed to power his vessel.
Dan then got under way and sailed Misty down the West Coast.
He sought safe haven in Drakes Bay — about 30 miles north of San Francisco — because of a balky outboard and lack of wind.
Unable to make his way to anchorage, he tied up to an outer buoy and went below for a catnap.
On the changing tide, Misty and the buoy began bouncing off each other, so Dan attempted to sail her into the bay.
When shifting winds came to a standstill, he contacted Coast Guard dispatchers to let them know he was waiting for the winds to stiffen.
They made the decision to send a boat out and tow him into nearby Horseshoe Bay.
My understanding is that Dan is still in Horseshoe Bay working through some issues that arose on his voyage south.
He still plans on circumnavigating the globe in Misty, although he was a bit shaken by the experience of riding out 40 knot winds in some pretty rough seas.
If Dan’s past is any indicator of his future, I suspect his tenacity will win out and that he eventually will overcome any obstacles that impede his goal of sailing Misty around the world.
After all, he spent 28 years building her.
Projects at Platypus
Capt. Charlie Crane, director of sales and marketing for Platypus Marine Inc. on the Port Angeles waterfront, walked me through the Commander Building last Wednesday.
One of the projects the company is working on is a Navy barge that was brought to Platypus’ facility by a pusher tug from Western Towboat of Seattle.
The 61-foot by 31-foot barge is used as a maintenance platform by the Navy at the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap.
According to Capt. Charlie, personnel conducted inspections and sounding tests on the barge to make certain the integrity of the vessel’s steel components had not been compromised by salt water.
Then Thursday night, the barge was sandblasted and is now being readied for a new coat of paint as well as a fresh set of zincs.
Capt. Charlie said when crews complete the work on this barge, two more Navy barges will be brought to Platypus for maintenance.
He went on to say that Platypus Marine has been awarded a five-year contract to perform maintenance work for the Navy on vessels that are stationed at Bremerton and at the torpedo-repair facility in Keyport.
Jellyfish galore
On Friday morning, I stopped at Tesoro Petroleum’s facility on Ediz Hook, and in the waters along the Port Angeles Harbor shoreline I saw a veritable carpet of jellyfish.
These jellyfish are known as sea nettles, and their sightings are most common during the fall and winter months in near-shore waters from Mexico to British Columbia.
Sea nettles possess a distinctive golden-brown bell that can grow to nearly 12 inches across — beneath which trail two dozen maroon tentacles that can produce a painful sting.
I checked with Todd Richie at the Port Angeles Boat Haven who said that there are thousands of the creatures in and around the marina.
Todd also told me that on Thursday afternoon, he was speaking with some commercial fisherman from Sekiu who told him that when the swarms of sea nettles invaded that area, too.
The fish were driven away, presumably to reappear when the jellyfish are gone.
Mold fighter
On Wednesday, Oct. 19, Rich Pindell of Pindell Engineering in Port Townsend will be the featured speaker at Wooden Boat Wednesday at the Chandlery in the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St.
Rich is a Port Townsend native who has invented a product that is designed to keep moisture from creating mildew and attracting fungus and mold in boats, travel trailers and household closets.
Rich will demonstrate the product, H2Out Space Dryers.
It is a cylindrical device that has a renewable desiccant filled sleeve that is designed to absorb moisture from the air before it causes moisture related damage.
Rich has also adapted the technology for use in capturing water vapor from hydraulic tanks, fuel tanks and engine systems.
Wooden Boat Wednesday begins promptly at noon and typically lasts for 90 minutes. Seating is limited and requires advance registration by phoning the maritime center at 360-385-3625, extension 101, or by sending an email to chandlery@nwmaritime.org.
Filling up in the harbor
Last Sunday, Tesoro Petroleum in Port Angeles Harbor bunkered the Bahamian-flagged tanker, Bermuda Spirit, which is 898 feet long with a beam of 157 feet.
On Friday, Tesoro provided bunkers to the Finnish-built, ice-strengthened cargo ship Igarka.
The Russian-flagged vessel, which is 581 foot long, is owned by the Far Eastern Shipping Co., or FESCO.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats, ships and strolling the waterfront.
Items involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome. Email dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.
