Waking up from a long unpleasant dream, we find ourselves in relatively good condition walking down a long dock in Petersburg, Alaska. There our trusty stead awaits, floating proudly amongst a bivy of gillnetters, seiners, and other assorted fisher boats. The Sailing Vessel Windleblo, topsides polished, smiles at her masters as they step aboard.

It’s been a long time comin’. Isolating, distancing, masking, quarantining, vaccinating – and many other insults –  all insinuated themselves to delay this moment. Now, though, is a new dawn.

Trying to shake off the dream, we concentrate on getting our beast ready. Muscle memory renews almost forgotten spring commissioning tasks. Rigging, provisioning, gear checks, safety review, and more, all come back now that we are awake from the dream.

Our efforts are not without fraught circumstances. Every spring it seems Murphy lurks. This year, two failed batteries mar our preparations, forcing us to excise them from our bank. Replacement is not an option; a battery order now would mean a two week wait for the next barge to arrive at this island. Add battery replacement to the to do list. Ah, the joys of boat ownership!

Tomorrow, we shove off for Tracy Arm and Juneau, then Glacier Bay. At long last, cruising resumes. The post-COVID world emerges.

Here are a few images taken as our time in Petersburg winds down: