The Ruffinit weighs anchor at 10.00am. We begin the journey back.
After 1/2hr. Randy speeds off in one of the motorboats. He is going ahead in the fast boat, to check the ice. We need exact information on the ice and its movement because the Ruffinit is no ice-breaker. Even a small chunk could damage its hull, which would be a bit of a disaster. He soon comes back with the news that the ice has now blocked our route.
For the time being, we cannot sail back to Valdez. We drop anchor.
And hold a Council of Elders.
At the moment we are lying up off the south-west shore of Long Bay. There are only two ways back: one goes to the west of Glacier Island; it is longer, but there will be less ice. The other passes to the east of Glacier Island. Looking at the map explains everything. The ice is coming from the Columbia Glacier, which is to the east of Long Bay. Consequently, it is obvious that the
Chapter VII.: Hard times in Alaska
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eastern passage will be icier. After breaking loose from the glacier, the path of these blocks of ice is determined by the winds and currents; depending on the temperature, they do sometimes melt.
At the moment, both routes are blocked.
We can only hope that a couple of hours of waiting will be long enough for the wind to scatter the ice. Then we'll set off.
We spend the time chatting. The subject, of course, is guns. We debate the differences of the various calibers, relating our experiences and opinions, and browse the catalogues on the boat. I agree entirely with Randy that you can never have too many guns. Flicking through the brochures I easily find 8 - 10 guns that I'd happily purchase, without feeling I was overdoing it. You can always find a reason to buy a new gun.
At 1.30pm Randy is going off on another scouting patrol, and this time he asks me to go with him.
I'm wearing my everyday clothes, so I get into the boat in a pair of jeans. The weather has improved a lot since the morning; the temperature has risen above freezing, but it's still quite chilly. First we check the western passage: Randy shakes his head. He doesn't like what he's seeing. We are just able to maneuver through the ice-floes in our motorboat, but anything larger would not be able to. The eastern route is even icier: it is not even worth considering an attempt.
We can't find a way through.
We return to the mother ship and wait.