While writing this column Friday morning, it started raining a bunch, so I logged on to my favorite weather website, www.wrh.noaa.gov/sew, to check the forecast from the National Weather Service.
I noted that a gale warning went into effect for much of the Strait of Juan de Fuca at noon Friday — it remained in effect until at least midnight Saturday.
The Weather Service defines a gale warning as winds of 34 to 47 knots (37-51 mph) either imminent or occurring and that it is highly recommended for mariners without the proper experience to seek safe harbor.
Winds and active seas are part of the environment that recreational and professional mariners are subjected to.
As nasty as our weather is this weekend, I suspect it will pale by comparison to the storm that hit Alaska’s west coast last week.
The Weather Service characterized the tempest as a “life-threatening epic storm” because of its 40 foot seas and sustained winds of 80 to 100 mph.
Catch and eat
LaDonna Gundersen, a commercial fisherwoman from Ketchikan, Alaska, recently had a cookbook published, Salmon, Desserts & Friends.
She will be the featured speaker at Wooden Boat Wednesday afternoon at the Chandlery in the Northwest Maritime Center, 431 Water St. in Port Townsend.
LaDonna has spent more than 20 years in Alaskan waters honing her skills as a commercial fisherwoman.
She and her husband, Ole, fish for salmon from their 32-foot Baycraft Marine aluminum boat that is named LaDonna Rose.
In addition to her duties as a deckhand, LaDonna prepares their meals, and they eat freshly caught salmon five times a week — sometimes twice a day.
Salmon, Desserts & Friends is right out of the galley of LaDonna Rose.
“I share many of the delicious galley-tested salmon and dessert recipes I’ve learned to make during my years as a commercial fisherwoman including: Smoked Salmon and Eggs in a Puffed Pastry, Delicious Salmon Chowder and Seared Salmon with Wild Blueberry Salsa. There’s even dessert!” LaDonna said.
In addition to having her cookbook available Wednesday night, LaDonna will share recipes, fishing stories and colorful images of her and Ole’s experiences while commercial fishing in Alaska.
Wooden Boat Wednesday begins promptly at noon and typically lasts for 90 minutes. Seating is limited and requires advance registration by phoning the Northwest Maritime Center at 360-385-3628, ext. 101, or by sending an email to chandlery@nwmaritime.org.
In the boatyard
Bill Leicht of Port Angeles had his 24-foot Beachcraft hauled out at the Port Angeles Boatyard on Thursday afternoon.
While the boat hung in the slings of the yard’s 70-ton Travelift, Bill power-washed the bottom and the outdrive.
By the time he had mastered the nuances of the power washer, he was drenched and had to scoot home for a change of dry clothes.
The boat, which Bill has owned for more than 20 years, will sit in the shop at the boatyard through this weekend while he applies a new coat of paint to the bottom and the outdrive.
Flying down, riding up
Chandra “Hollywood” McGoff of Washington Marine Repair, the topside repair company on the Port Angeles waterfront, said a machinist was flying to Long Beach, Calif., where he will board the tanker Alaskan Explorer and work on the accommodation ladder as the ship makes her way to Port Angeles.
The 941-foot Alaskan Explorer is due to arrive Thursday and anchor in Port Angeles Harbor.
“Hollywood” said the ship will get under way the following day for the BP refinery at Cherry Point to offload her product, then return to anchorage in Port Angeles until Nov. 27.
Delayed arrival
Last Sunday, Tesoro Petroleum was scheduled to bunker Edfu, a single-propeller, Egyptian-flagged bulk carrier that is 735 feet long.
As occasionally happens and for an untold number of reasons, refueling was rescheduled for Friday.
Edfu was laden with grain that she had taken on at the Port of Kalama and was under way to Port Angeles when she briefly lost power Thursday night while crossing the Columbia River bar at Astoria, Ore.
She immediately dropped both of her anchors, which broke free and fell away.
She was able to regain power and moved offshore under her own power.
The ship was placed under strict Coast Guard Captain of the Port orders to proceed to Tacoma, escorted by two tugs.
In Tacoma, the Coast Guard will conduct an investigation to determine the cause behind the ship’s loss of power, which reportedly was the result of a buildup of silt in the oil from the amount of time she spent in the Port of Kalama.
The ship and her tug escorts were scheduled to pass by Ediz Hook early Friday evening and due into Tacoma at about 3 a.m. Saturday.
Edfu also lost power Feb. 27 while operating in the Columbia River and again Oct. 11 when she lost propulsion near the mouth of the Columbia.
In the latter incident, the ship was able to anchor and maintain her position. The ship’s crew restored power and she was escorted across the Columbia River bar to the Port of Astoria on Oct. 13.
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David G. Sellars is a Port Angeles resident and former Navy boatswain’s mate who enjoys boats and strolling the waterfront.
Items involving boating, port activities and the North Olympic Peninsula waterfronts are always welcome.
E-mail dgsellars@hotmail.com or phone him at 360-808-3202.
His column, On the Waterfront, appears every Sunday.
