Looking for one more poem to round out a book I'm working on, and found this tonight. Not the poem I'm looking for, but I thought it deserves a little love... so here it is. The Veronica K was the boat we built in the winter of 1988 outside Portland. We ran her up the Inside Passage that June. Somewhere I still have the Alaska flag I flew from her VHF antenna.
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​Veronika K Log Book
A Found Poem
 
1988
in the margin: Tarot: The New Handbook for the Apprentice
June 17: Finn Bay Found our way in by Radar.
June 18 - drenched the carpet today
June 20: Saw whales outside Elfin Cove
forecast is for 40 knot winds and seas to 20 feet…
looks like we’re here for a while.
6/26 – Arrive Kenai 1900– roughest weather of the trip
Sat. July 16: didn’t fish the east side opening – leak in reduction gear.
Mon. July 11 – 2323 total, 1800 reds.
Sun. July 17 – didn’t fish E-side – chiropractor.
Sat.: Didn’t fish due to weather.
Sun. July 24 - We didn’t catch shit.
 
1989 Work List:
Wind screen for bridge
Extend stack
Protective board for wires behind helm / top bunk
Install fresh water tank
Drawers?
Rehang hook for EPIRB
Spray skirt for bow?
Cabinets for focsle?
Hook up antennas
Coolant
5200 seam around rubrail
Tighten/check/spray all elect. fittings/battery cables
Check all fluids
Lube reel/fairleads/Ram
Carpet interior
Check survival suits
 
7/13/89
No oil tar balls, sheen in small rip. Choppy, foggy.
7/19/89 Fish & Game called off the season. Too much Exxon oil in the inlet.
 
1991
July 20, Sat – Jeff Snyder was killed in a car wreck off Island Lake Road at 2:30 pm. Nobody found out what happened until the next day. Fishing suddenly seemed unimportant. F & G cancelled Monday’s period due to poor escapement & “what appears to be a weak run.”
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Jeff Snyder, 1990. Still miss him.