Either I received the Spot locations out of order or they tried to enter Controller Bay and changed their mind and headed back into the Gulf of Alaska. They must have decided the passage was too rocky and decided to go around Kayak Island.
I had a large “scare” with a phone call just as I was beginning this message post. Granny Linda called to let me know there was an Earthquake 7.3 in the Aelutian Chain at 3:00 this afternoon and there was a Tsunami Warning out for SE Alaska. Details of the Tsunami Warning were posted on the NOAA website for the Alaska Earthquake Tsunami Center. I quickly pulled the site up on my computer using the handy dandy Google search engine and read that the Tsunami would hit the Gulf where Joe was at 6:44. I had just seen the 6:41 post showing he was entering Controller Bay…at 6:41… but I also received the Spot message below from Joe at 7:46 so I knew they survived the initial wave of the Tsunami and were heading to (or in) deeper water by now… which was 8:20… I only had until 8:40 or so to see another Spot Message that he was still safe… and… I had not received a phone call from the SAT phone nor a Spot message saying Help Send Coast Guard from either the Spot or EPERB they have on them. All 4 on board have survival suits and 2 would have a Help Send the Coast Guard button they could push if things got UGLY. I felt fairly certain they were fine… BUT I still grabbed the boys hands and prayed with Granny Linda for their safety.
When the initial waves hit which they were Much Too Dangerously inland for my tastes. (NOAA Tsunami site says “Tsunamis can be dangerous waves that are not survivable. Wave heights are amplified by irregular shoreline and are difficult to forecast. Tsunamis often appear as a strong surge and may be preceded by a receding water level. Mariners in water deeper than 600 feet should not be affected by a tsunami. Wave heights will increase rapidly as water shallows. Tsunamis are a series of ocean waves which can be dangerous for several hours after the initial wave arrival. DO NOT return to evacuated areas until an all clear is given by local civil authorities.” Really? A Tsunami can be deadly?!!! 🙂 ) The next 3 hours they would be experiencing possibly dangerous waves so I sent text messages Explaining to friends & family that there was a Tsunami Hitting SE Alaska where Joe, Mike, Larry & Brandon were and requesting prayer for their safety. Then I received a call from Hannah, a baby sitter I’d left a voice message for asking if she could come watch Gabriel, Daniel & Josiah tomorrow for a few hours and Saturday afternoon so I could take Caleb & Joshua to meet their daddy Saturday morning in Whittier, another call from Laura (Larry’s wife) and one from my mother. I talked to each of them.
Then, at 8:54, Granny called to let me know that the Tsunami Warning was canceled. I went to the NOAA site, verified the cancellation for myself, called Laura back telling her, texted all my family & friends I’d had praying and THANKED and Praised our Father, the Prince of Peace & of All Creation who had just caused the tsunami warnings to be cancelled Literally! Just Then the NOAA Tsunami warning center removed the warning!
And, all this led me to research and find the website for NOAA Weather for the Cape Suckling outside Cordova ~ that should make Joe happy if he calls on the Sat phone tonight for the forecast. 🙂 He asked me to locate that information for him when he was in Elfin Cove and I forgot with everything going on around the house. I also found the buoy information for Seal Rocks outside Valdez 🙂 And I found the Marine Forecast for Cape Suckling to Gore Point… Where is Gore Point??! 🙂
Anyway, all is back to ‘normal’ for the Sundog Home Team… well… as normal as life can be with 18 month old triplet boys with 7 and 10 year old brothers.
May God Bless and Keep You Safely Under His Wing Tonight.
SundogCathy Out!
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