Sincerely, Denise

ELFIN COVE AT THE DOCK

Tuesday, June 23^rd

The boys got up early this morning and ran out to the fishing grounds which is about an hour down the coast to where the guide boats go. It is still flat calm in the Gulf of Alaska so they were able to easily get out there. Connie and I spent the morning on our respective vessels having a leisurely morning which I spent cooking up a storm in the galley and I think she spent it doing financial stuff for all the many things she manages. I decided to make a new recipe for Zuppa Toscana which is sausage, kale, potato (or gnocchi) soup. I couldn’t find gnocchi so looked up on the internet to see what I could substitute and Google recommended tortellini so that’s what I used. The soup was great for a few hours, but by the next day the tortellini had completely taken over all the liquids and absorbed everything, and I am left with a pile of mushy pasta that is headed overboard later today (June 25). I made a giant bowl of green salad that we can feed off for a few days, and some crab louis dressing from scratch so we can have crab louis salads for lunch today, consuming the last of my crab catch. Also mixed up a giant bowl of slurry for my prawn bait. Smelly stuff. The boys came back with a sad report of no fish to speak of, except for lots of pinks (humpies), which are not great eating fish unless consumed within a few hours. They could be used for smoking and canning but we skip keeping them and will wait for the Kings and Silvers.

The weather cleared up somewhat so Connie and I decided to take the kayaks out for a nice long paddle in the afternoon and it was just so beautiful. We paddled out in front of the docks and around a little islet, completely exposed to the opening of the Gulf which was still flat calm. Eagles were perched on rocks and in trees and there was even a Sea Lion diving about near us. We made sure he knew we were there, wouldn’t want to take a tumble from him surfacing near us and then I’d probably jump out of my skin and tip over! We paddled back into the inner harbor of Elfin Cove which is lined with homes and fishing lodges, some homes dilapidated and abandoned, others spiffy and new. Just as we were turning to head back to the boats, we got some light rain to urge us to paddle faster. I was hoping for some hot chocolate when we got back, as I was chilled to the bone, but settled for herbal tea as it seems I failed to stock hot chocolate. As the rain got more serious, we played some afternoon cards (“Whiskey Poker”) with the Abells and then decided we should go support the local economy and had dinner up at the Coho Bar and Grill, burgers and beers. I was able to strike up a conversation with a couple of locals sitting up at the bar and picked their brains about life in Elfin Cove and why they chose this remote existence which was fascinating. The answer I most get when I talk to locals living in small villages is that they like the scenery, the peace and quiet, the fishing, and the fact there are very few people. It has to be a rough existence over the winters.