Alaska Bound

We have been so busy this spring that getting the boat ready for a trip to Alaska has not had our full attention.  Truthfully, it has had more of Barrie's attention than mine!  Barrie has made time to complete the installation of a new Sidepower bow thruster.  He has tested it at the dock but not at sea.  It will be interesting to see how it performs.  It has more horsepower and a dedicated battery and battery charger.  The old thruster just nudged to bow a bit.  We hope this one actually turns the boat!  He has also changed out the old sanitary hoses (not a pleasant job) but nice to have modern, clean hoses.  Also on Barrie's list was cleaning the water tanks, testing the watermaker, and running enough water through the system that we have freshly made ice for libations! 
I have just filled the freezer and laid in provisions - I expect we could make it to Alaska and back without ever going to the store - but where is the fun in that.  We have plenty of staples aboard and will augment with fresh from local farmers and fishermen. 
The plan is to leave Friday April 28th at high tide.  Barrie is still working to prepare the dingy and I have projects on Whidbey that must be complete before we pull away from the dock.  So, fingers are crossed.  Good news is that it is our boat and we get to determine our schedule.
Just getting started on the blog has raised my level of excitement. And I pulled up a couple of photos from our last trip to Glacier Bay and I simply can't wait to go again.  Amazing.