Nov 1988 Travel in the Kodiak Archipelago- Boat Ride: A Sight to See

The sights to be seen was spectacular...

As we clear the shoreline cove and approach open water we are now fully in the chop. Waves rolling as high as five feet with the wind whips shore-ward. Our skiff rolls up and down with a left and right sway on the water. As we gained momentum westward against the current the experience was surreal, if not exhausting.

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As we crest on the waves the din of wind and water was deafening. The winds awash over me already drying me out from the sandy reef incident. In this chaos I could barely communicate with Jim who was just a few feet to the rear. Nor could I hear the roar of the motor pushing us along. But then we dip to the trough there is a silence so bizarre. I can hear my breathing. The motor roar echoes on the walls of water surrounding us. The walls surrounding us rises above our heads and our world is claustrophobic with only water and billowy grey clouds visible in an aperture above. It is while in this position where I can talk to Jim at normal voice levels (he asks how I am doing, I reply that I am better, good enough to continue), the convex waves blocking all outside noises like walls in a room. Each moment of trough and peak are brief as we oscillate between them continuously.
At an adequate distance we change course southward on the outer edge of the bay. I sit at the bow with an oar crossed in front of me poised on port and starboard gunwales. I lean on it for support and am at the ready to use if necessary. The overcast skies seem to be only covering the island to the west of us because eastward it clears and the morning sun shines over the horizon.
 
At one point, as we crest the waves, I notice a porpoise swimming to the adjacent to us, keeping pace with our slow moving boat. That moment, clouds being chased away by the by a westerly sun, and caught in its amber light a beautiful sliver of silver floating midway from one wave to the next, that moment’s image will remains with me forever. The porpoise’s lithe form effortlessly flitting between of the waves, as if mocking that we are jostled fore and aft by the undulation of those same waves, jeering our sensation of nausea. As we dip to silence I inform Jim of the sight and the next peak we both enjoy the sight for a few moments. The world pauses and we forget ourselves, stunned by the wonder of the sight.  Not realizing how long this went on eventually as we crested once more the creature was gone. Our world returns to the chaos of the waves and we continue on our way as if uninterrupted by the spectacle.
 To our west the shore became a mountainous terrain, a continuous ridge of cliffs extends for an undetermined length. Precipitous drops from up to 500 feet straight into the water at certain areas, from our vantage point we could see the waves crashing against the cliff walls spraying in thunderous geysers. We were sure nothing man made would survive that impact. With a glance Jim and I nodded our gestured agreement that we would put more distance between us and the shore. At the trough he confirms our change of direction.
“Go!” stating my preparation for the maneuver.
The motor purred harder as we poured on speed to overtake the onrushing waves. Up and over the peaks we went and toward the silence of the troughs. But after a few dips I notice that the motor sound was missing from the silence. I turn to see Jim tooling the motor.
The added effort of our maneuver stalled our motor and we were now powerless against the force of the current. A force that lead to one conclusion, certain doom.