The main reason I am still in Ketchikan is a continuing problem getting a working alternator from the Balmar dealer in Bellingham, Washington. Caroline needs a custom built front end (pulley placement and type) on the high output Balmar alternator. So far I’ve had the new alternator sent to me twice in an inoperable state. I sent it back again last Monday to be properly prepped for installation. I hope it will come back to me in a usable state this time, but I am losing faith in the dealer to even back up their work. They certainly don’t double check to see if they have addressed the problem. Maybe something of a spiritual nature is hinting that I should take a step back and wait out the winter, or spend at least a bit more time, here in Ketchikan before I head further into the Southeastern areas of Alaska. Maybe with the massive spread of Covid here I’m not supposed to go anywhere right now. The original plan was to winter base in Petersburg and spot cruise, weather permitting, to other coves, islands and villages throughout Southeast Alaska until heading to the west in late spring to the Aleutians and the Bering Sea before cruising back down the inland passages to Washington and the rest of the west coast in late summer and fall.

I have been given a monthly slip for as long as I need it, even though it’s a bit exposed to weather. The prevailing weather from the SE is fairly protected, but from the WNW it’s wide open. Today, for instance, the wind is gusting to 35 from the SE with heavy rain. Whithecaps blowing past the boat on the Port side but no real swell, so not too uncomfortable. Ketchikan is actually a picturesque little town. Under different circumstances it would be a nice place to visit for a while.