Cruising in Kenai Fjords and Prince William Sound, Alaska

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=105 BGCOLOR="#66CCCC" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04400690ezvthe.gif"> <div> <B>Cruising in Kenai Fjords and Prince William Sound, Alaska</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Prince William Sound"><U>Prince William Sound</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id22.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kenai Fjords "><U>Kenai Fjords </U></A>   |   <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Forget Me Knot Specs"><U>Forget Me Knot Specs</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id87.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Cruising on the FMK"><U>Cruising on the FMK</U></A>    <FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#FFFFFF" FACE="Times New Roman" >    <A HREF="http://web.acsalaska.net/~aklindseys/index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://web.acsalaska.net/~aklindseys/ind"><U>Back to Home Page</U></A></FONT></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=195 BGCOLOR="#66CCCC" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="045c3212ezvthe.gif"> <div> <IMG SRC="05aa3600.gif" border=0 width="163" height="96" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <U>So what exactly is a trawler?</U></div> <bR> <div> For most people, the word trawler conjures up images of a big fishing boat, dragging nets across the bottom.</div> <bR> <div> A pleasure trawler is a far cry from this commercial version.</div> <bR> <div> A pleasure trawler typically:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c899330000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">features a full displacement hull, which means it travels by pushing the water out of the way and does not plane</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c899330000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">is designed to be fairly self sufficient over long periods of time with large fuel and water tanks and often, a generator</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c899330000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">is designed to place a premium on comfort by having most of the conveniences of a modern RV</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c899330000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">usually has a solid, "salty" profile and is heavy and can handle rough water pretty well</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c899330000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">is quite fuel efficient which, combined with tank capacity of several hundred gallons of diesel, results in fairly long cruising range (1,000 to 3,000 miles, based on design and capacities)</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c899330000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">usually cruises around 7 to 9 knots and by design simply can't travel through the water very fast</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700c899330000.gif" HEIGHT="13" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">is an excellent choice for extended cruising in remote areas but too slow for most day trips.</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=375 BGCOLOR="#66CCCC" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>The Forget Me Knot is for sale.  $90,000.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>Contact Mark Lindsey in Anchorage, 345-2107, or email </B><A HREF="mailto:aklindseys@alaska.net" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:aklindseys@alaska.net"><U><B>aklindseys@alaska.net</B></U></A><B>.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>These cruising pages provide an excellent description of the boat and what it has brought into our lives.  </B></div> <bR> <div> <B>For the specifications, follow the "Forget Me Knot Specs" link above.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>For a description of what distinguishes the "FMK" from most other boats in Alaska, and to assess whether it may be the right boat for you, </B><A HREF="id104.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Forget Me Knot is for sale"><U><B>click here</B></U></A><B>.</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>And by all means, browse through this web site.  Hopefully it conveys the FMK experience!</B></div> <div> <B>*********************************************************************************************</B></div> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="763" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 362 WIDTH="340"><div> Welcome to our adventures on the <I><B>Forget Me Knot</B></I>, a 40' Defever trawler.</div> <bR> <div> We bought the <I>Forget Me Knot</I> in April, 2002.  What brought this on?  Well, over the years we had been interested in the salt water but our river and cabin adventures were wholly satisfying and didn't leave time for new pursuits.  However, as started to think about what else we might do, we caught the salt water bug - a particularly virulent strain.</div> <div> So while sensible people were snuggled inside by the fire, in early 2002 we started to look at boats, a ridiculous proposition in Alaska in January.  Walking the docks in Whittier and Seward, bundled up against the wind and snow, we peered through frosted boat windows. </div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG SRC="089b6540.jpg" border=0 width="438" height="340" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 191 WIDTH="340"><div> We never intended to end up with anything as big as the <I>FMK</I>.  We were thinking maybe a 32 footer or something that could sleep 2 or even 4 people, or even a boat that we would pull up to shore and set up camp, suitable for weekend outings.  Instead we became infatuated with fully equipped trawler, an appalling development for two people who have disdained creature comforts for years while proudly crawling into tents.</div> </tD> <tD VALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="412"><div> More Boat Photos   <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Boat Photos"><U> <img src="HTMLobj-219/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="50" height="50">  </U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <div> But in defense of our sellout to comfort, this is a fantastic boat.  It travels to the most remote, beautiful places imaginable.  We often anchor alone in such spots.  And frankly, while the nice days usually outnumber the lousy ones, the weather in these fascinating maritime areas is not always the best.  Tent camping out of a kayak can be heavenly if the weather gives you a break, but what can look wonderful as one plans from the comfort of home can turn miserable  in the reality of bugs, wind and rain.  Also, most of the human powered trips to these remote areas require a power boat (water taxi) drop off and pick up since the best spots are too far from the road system for most paddlers.  The FMK permits us to enjoy the wonders of these areas in comfort, in any weather.  So forgive us for not traveling as close to the ground as some.  If we in fact sold out, it's not a bad way to go!</div> <bR> <div> We keep the boat in Seward, about 120 miles south of Anchorage where the boat lives in slip D-26.</div> <bR> <div> Boating out of Seward starts with Resurrection Bay.  Resurrection is oriented north/south, about 20 miles long (closer to 30 miles if rounding Aialik Cape) and widens from 3 to about 8 miles as you head further out.  The small boat harbor is on the north end of the bay so inevitably we start out traveling south, usually headed for either Aialik Cape, the west headland of the Bay, or Cape Resurrection, the east headland.  If the wind and wave heights are bad we may stay in Resurrection Bay which is itself a large area with plenty to offer.  However, we usually have grander plans and so typically we head for one of our two primary cruising areas, Prince William Sound to the east or Kenai Fjords National Park to the west.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Explore the links in the header at the top of this page for lots of cruising content.</B></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>