New Horizons, 2,500 Miles and 3 DAYS!

And after two days in civilization we realized we could never stay for long and started to plan our next adventure.

-  Bob (Letters from the Lost Soul)

Coordinates: 39.3210° N, 111.0937° W

Fellow sailors and dreamers, the moment has come to reopen the ship’s log, and just in time too. Fab Alyssa has hinted at an adventure, and a countdown. Well that countdown is now 3 DAYS! AAAH! 

As many of you know, we achieved our goal of sailing to Hoonah, AK without major disaster—though the broken toilets were harrowing for us ALL--but as always in Alaska, the next horizon beckons, even further than the first. It is a doozy, my friends, and we are, quite simply, SO STOKED.

It has been a few months—many waves under the hull for the Northern Star--and we’re afraid a few things have changed. We’re charting new waters this summer, bravely facing our bow into the unknown—but we’re not done with one very special, very friendly country. Except now, we’ll be seeing it in a whole new way.

Oh, Canada. How we love you—and can’t seem to get away from you either.

But I’m getting a little ahead of myself. I would like to take a moment first to salute all the friends, family and even perfect strangers who have made these past months without our Northern Star happy ones. One of these friends-turned-family is Karen Brazell and the Manatee Sailing Club who invited my parents down to Florida, so they'll not be quite the landlubbers they were. 

Each of you, whether in Alaska, the lower 48, or around the globe, are a part of our adventure and we’re grateful. Thanks for riding the waves with us, and conquering new horizons of your own.

We miss you and hope you’re ready to take a very different trip through Canada with us now--even longer than the last! Last year we saw it from the water. This year, we decided the Star needed a friend, since she can’t exactly get us around on land. So a ship of the desert was in order.

Well, not quite. Thousands of miles on a camel = LOTS of blogs (Plus, an unattended camel is to a grizzly bear what an exotic Lebanese restaurant is to us: “Oooh, spicy!”). But we did decide some land transportation was in order, and believe it or not, buying an old car down south and driving it almost 3,000 miles is the cheap way to go.

So the same crew—minus our teacher Mark—will be taking a very different ship up to Hoonah this year. Names are still out but this beauty has less fur, no sails and looks like this:

So here is the plan. First we have to somehow get over the border (Brace yourself. These guys have been known to turn Maple-red and reach for their stunners if you try to sneak in a strawberry). Passing through the soaring mountains, beautiful vistas and many quail eggs of British Columbia we’ll drive until we reach the ocean, or more specifically, Prince Rupert—the SAME Prince Rupert we visited last year (What?!). Then we take the BIG ferry from Prince Rupert to Juneau then to Hoonah where we will finally, FINALLY (FINALLY!) get to be reunited with the Northern Star in all her beauty! That is...if everything goes according to plan. 

And that, my friends, is where the adventure gets even better. Remember how we were looking forward to reading charts, tying knots, and otherwise planning our next voyage? Well, a few months ago a very strange package arrived at our farmhouse in Utah—a package with a tang of the ocean about it.

It was charts—maps, for the layman—of all the ocean surrounding Hoonah and beyond. And we were tickled pink over it. Here's a snapshot:

Yet we also realized something else. There are lots of mysterious, Forest Service roads around Hoonah. After a call to the very helpful Forest Service in Hoonah we learned there are 200 miles of remote road to explore, roads that lead to glaciers and abandoned beaches, cabins and strange sights of untamed wilderness. 

So our horizons got even bigger everyone. Living on the Northern Star, whether in dock or on the high seas, we’re going to explore both—and hopefully not have anyone get mauled and eaten. Kind of like we hope we don’t sink either (and eaten by killer whales? What a vivid thought).  Alaska’s unpredictable and full of wild things—some we’ve seen and some we’ve haven’t—but thanks to God’s blessing us, we’re excited for the chance to see more, make new friends, reunite with old ones, and grow together.

Because what is life without a little adventure? Which is why I’m happy writing this tonight—happy to be moving forward and so grateful God gives me the chance to grow and see more of his wonders with the people I love. I am very, very blessed—and so excited.

So let’s make some memories, eh? Countdown to Canada—3 Days! And way too much to pack! AAAAAH!

Skipper Krystal

P.S. The Skipper is kind of also mostly FREAKED to try out this beast—though the other crew members don’t seem too fazed. The longest zipline in the western hemisphere is in Hoonah, taller than the Empire State building. Whether or not this will happen this summer is yet to be seen, but if you hear a distant scream of terror from the north…well, you’ll know. Yet it may be my only chance to learn how it feels to be an eagle in Alaska, and I’m pretty sure that’s an experience I can’t bear to miss—especially with my crew. We’ll just have to see, eh? 😊