text written by the Que Sera crew
Logbook from July 6 to 12, 2024
“We’re continuing to sail in dense mist, the boat is quite damp and fatigue is setting in. After our episode with the genoa “cocotté”, we have to wait a few days before we can hoist it again, and are making slow progress. Eventually, the wind died down and the sea flattened out, allowing us to put everything back in place and make faster progress. One morning, we noticed a drop in engine speed. It turns out that the diesel tank hadn’t been completely filled. We had to start a mechanical job to clean the diesel feed, which had collected the bottom of the diesel tank. The pre-filter is filled with a brown paste and pieces of Sika. Once the filters had been changed and the diesel circuit re-booted, the engine started up again. Unfortunately, the genoa problem repeats itself, and we’re forced to investigate further. The last few days of the crossing were therefore spent with quite a few engines. A few albatrosses and fulmars follow in our wake.
The length of the crossing, the cold and the fog are taking their toll on everyone, including Marco, who is young on board. After a collective decision, we decide to go directly to Nome without stopping at St-Lawrence Island. We pass close to the Yukon delta and have to watch out for driftwood. The landscape opens up at times, and the sea is glassy. We can see the coast to the east.
On Monday, July 8, we arrive in Nome at noon, and after a fine harbour manoeuvre to put us alongside a fishing boat, we enjoy a delicious soup cooked by Megan and Tom.
Everyone is delighted to be able to stretch their legs and celebrate Emilien’s birthday. We discover Nome, a town of 3,500 inhabitants that boomed after the 3 Swedes discovered gold. The pleasant surprise that delights everyone is the sauna at the Recreation Center. A good shower and clean laundry seem like a luxury after our crossing.
The days are punctuated by the boat’s construction. Climbing the mast, draining the engine, investigating the genoa, tidying up the reefs, locating a diesel leak, cleaning the deck, refuelling with water, diesel and food.
After a few days, the boat is almost ready for the Great North! We’re now waiting for a favorable weather window to open up the ice passage at Point Barrow. The stopover in Nome gives us the chance to explore the town, go on expeditions and meet new people. Jamie invites us to taste freshly caught salmon in his typical Nome wooden house. Fanny was able to recover a Red Salmon head to make Gyotaku, fish prints. A Finnish sailboat, Lumi, and its crew Juho and Sohvi, arrive in Nome harbor, also with the ambition of making the Northwest Passage. Marco flies back to Geneva after cooking a wonderful meal for the crew and guests. The crew is proud of how far this young man has come, as he celebrates his 16th birthday and the end of his adventure on Que Sera. He confides to Tom on the way to the airport that, despite the difficulties, he was grateful to have been able to do this adventure.”
Photos : Pacifique – Tom Golaz – Marion Cherrak
