Cruise North 2008

Journey's End

2011-02-14T20:45:00.000-08:00

As the skipper of El Bucanero, I was tasked with both keeping us safe and keeping the boat out of harm’s way. This was constantly on my mind until the boat arrived back in San Diego and was put in the water in Mission Bay, San Diego. We traveled over 2,400 miles on the boat his summer so one has to be prepared to deal with ‘issues’ as they arise.

There were challenging times: in the category of boat operation, the alternator did not charge the house batteries from Anacortes to Petersburg, Alaska. Our primary battery charger/inverter stopped working by the time we got to Ketchikan. We had an aged charger on board so that was put to work. My skills as a mariner were tested as well. We often had to make passages in very limited visibility conditions – very heavy fog and rain. Or being on anchor with gale force winds blowing made for sleepless nights. This coupled with sea conditions and debris in the water (logs, deadheads, etc.) made for challenging times.

I think what I will remember most about our adventure this summer was the remoteness of Alaska- the natural beauty and wildlife, as well as the people we met in the course of our voyage. The experience of sharing dock space at Warm Springs on Baranof Island with commercial salmon seiners won’t soon be forgotten. Waking early one morning and watching brown bears not 30 ft. away from our boat go about digging for clams at Pack Creek, Admiralty Island, was very special.

It was truly and experience of a lifetime for Darlene and I. We will never have to think back at some time in our lives and say, “If we only went to Alaska when we could have..”

There are no guarantees in life and we did indeed experience some things that were very special that we will remember the rest of our lives.

Journey's End

2010-03-28T17:05:00.001-07:00

El Bucanero is back home

2008-09-12T19:11:00.000-07:00

El Bucanero arrived in San Diego last night. She spent the night on Wave Maker's trailer, near Driscoll's Boatyard in Mission Bay. This morning (Fri) she was launched and is now back at her home port slip at MBYC (Mission Bay Yacht Club).

Our focus is now on cleanup of our adventure. We also have many wonderful memories that we will treasure forever, along with insights to help plan future trips.

We are planning to have a slide show presentation on our adventure at MBYC in Jan' 08, where we can share our insights on cruising the PNW. If you are interested in joining us, please let us know and we'll ensure you are aware of the final date & timing.

Homeward Bound!

2008-09-09T17:55:00.000-07:00

We spent last night of our trip on El Bucanero, in the Cap Sante Marina,in Anacortes, WA. We were located where the travel lift is. While this was a unique place to spend the night, we did have a great sunset. And, we had a better night's sleep as we didn't have to worry about moving the boat very early this morning. For the most part, everything was secured last night, but we did have quite a few things in the cockpit area, which we couldn't move inside until this morning. It made things tight for Brad to BBQ last night, but it worked better than if we had remain in our original slip in Cap Sante Marina.

Here is a photo of our very dirty, but beloved boat being hauled out.

Jimmy, from WaveMaker is tranporting our boat back to San Diego. And Jimmy has a new four legged friend to keep him company on his journey. His two four legged children, which accompanied him on the ride to get is from San Diego to Anacortes, are now back home keeping Jimmy's wife company.

It will take us almost 3 days to get back to San Diego. We're spending the night in Grants Pass, Oregon, which is a beautiful place that we'd love to come back to explore. Looks like a great place to hike, kayak and simply explore a beautiful town!

Having fun in Anacortes,WA

2008-09-07T20:28:00.000-07:00

While we were doing some work, to prepare our boat for transport, a cute harbor seal decided to sun itself on a nearby finger of the dock. Usually the PNW seals are so allusive I'm not fast enough to snap a picture, but while this cute guy let me take a picture, he was still quite shy...and jumped into the water shortly after this shot.

We also had fun watching a harbor seal swim on his back, tummy up to the sunshine, looking like he wanted to be a sea otter. Unfortunately, I wasn't fast enough with a camera for that pose.

It was another perfectly sunny day in Anacortes today. Clear skies and sunshine from the start of the day till the end, with a few pink clouds at sunset. {and no rain all day}.

PNW Journey has ended

2008-09-06T09:47:00.001-07:00

We completed our last leg of our cruise, on the water, when we tied up at the Cap Santa Marina in Anacortes. Our arrival was at 9:45am, which gave us plenty of time to start preparing the boat for truck transportation back to

Our current position is: 48 30.803N 122 36.300W

While I hope to get back online by Monday evening, to upload some photos, here is a short insight on what we've been up to since my last posting.

September lst - Lyall Harbor to Prevost Harbor, Stuart Island, San Juan Islands (9.3 nm)

A photo taken during our our morning cruise.

Prevost Harbor

September 2nd - Prevost Harbor to Roche Harbor, San Juan Island (6.9 nm)
While on our morning cruise, when we left Prevost Harbor we pass by Johns Island. There is a large collection of teepees, which we passed. I recall seeing a smaller number of these teepees in 2005. I'm curious as to what is going on. Is this a kids' camp? Can anyone come? Is there an indian tribe that is growing? If anyone knows what is going on here, please let me know. Curious minds want to know. I counted about 75+ teepees, but not certain how many are actually there.

A thistle in the flower gardens of Roche Harbor. Does this prove this is a flower vs a weed? I've always loved the thistle, which we do not see in So. Cal. But I know many of my PNW friends view the thistle as an invasive weed.

We enjoyed our walk to the Mausoleum. We saw a large fox, while we were on our walk. And upon our arrival, there was a young deer eating grass next to the Mausoleum.

September 3rd - Roche Harbor to Garrison Harbor, San Juan Island (2.2 nm)
Garrison Harbor is the site where the English had a camp in the mid-1800s. An American Camp was set up on another side of the island. The two military forces were involved in a political war, each claiming ownership over the island. Aka "Pig Wars". While it is now an historic site, it is a great place for boaters to visit by water (and you can also visit by car). There is a lovely hiking trail, to the top of the mountain, which gives you a nice view to Victoria, Vancouver Island and to other others in the San Juans and Gulf Islands. It is one of our favorite hikes in the San Juans!

There is also a beautiful flower garden at Garrison Bay.

This photo doesn't really capture the beauty of the area, which can be viewed by taking the hike to the top of the mountain. It is definitely worth the hike!

September 4th - Garrison Harbor to Jones Island (7.7 nm)

September 5th - Jones Island to Blind Bay, Shaw Island (6.1 nm)

September 6th - Blind Bay to Anacortes, Fidalgo Island (16.5 nm)

Update from Lyall Harbor, Saturna Island

2008-08-31T17:43:00.000-07:00

August 31st - Ganges Harbor to Lyall Harbor, Saturna Island (15.7 nm)
Before anchoring in Lyall Harbor we made a stop in Breezy Bay, slightly south from Lyall. Saturna Winery provides buoys and a small dock, just a short walk from their winery. We enjoyed the walk, which takes us past some of their vineyards. We enjoyed sampling the lovely wines from Saturna Winery, and we definitely enjoyed a delightful lunch with a nice glass of Merlot.

A view of a part of Saturna Island Winery's vineyards, as we walk to their winery.

After our stop in Breezy Bay we proceeded on a short distance where we anchored in Lyall Harbor, which is one of our favorite anchorages in the Gulf Islands.

We departed Ganges Harbor, Salt Spring Island,this morning for a 15.7 nm cruise to Lyall Harbor. But first, we stopped in Breezy Bay. Our visit to Breezy Bay was to visit Saturna Island Winery, one of our favorite stops in the Gulf Islands.

After a short walk to the winery, we enjoyed the wine tasting and then a delightful lunch with a tasty glass of Merlot. All, while overlooking the vineyard and the water. The sun was out and a few boats were "sailing" by.

After lunch we cruised a short distance to Lyall Harbor where we set anchor. We'll stay here one night (Sunday) before crossing back into the US.

Here is some insight on what we've been up to since our last update:August 29th - Maple Bay, Vancouver Island (MBYC) to Ganges Harbor, Salt Spring Island (22.8 nm)

While we tend to start cruising early in the morning, we do not always get moving as the sun is rising. But sunrises in BC are spectacular!

An early morning view, taken from inside our cabin (where we are quite warm).

I love the morning clouds that linger around the mountains and the waterline in the early morning. I just wish my camera could capture their true beauty.

This beautiful island is an area of Salt Spring Island, before we enter Ganges Harbor. I love how the clouds have lifted so quickly. Amazing how the weather can change in a 5-10 minute window, in the PNW.

There are several commercial float plane companies that service the Gulf Islands, but Salt Spring Air is definitely a popular airlines for flights that visit Ganges.

I still haven't lost my excitement to watch a float plane land or take off and I truly love to see how they manuever around boats, that are underway or on anchor. The pilots of commercial float planes are really great pilots! If I didn't have such a fear of heights, we'd go up in one!

We enjoyed visiting the Hastings House in Ganges. This is a beautiful hotel, with lovely cottages, a fantastic flower garden, delightful artwork, a great view of the bay, and much, much more. They also have a fantastic restaurant, which you can enjoy without being a guest of their hotel.

The Ganges Mermaid

Departing MBYC - Heading South

2008-08-28T11:10:00.001-07:00

Next destination: Ganges, Salt Spring Island (Fri, possibly Sat night too).
http://www.saltspringisland.org/ganges/ganges.htm

We had thought we'd stop off at an anchorage before Ganges, but we've concluded with this coming weekend being Labor Day weekend, we'd best proceed to Ganges, to secure an anchorage. Not yet certain we'll spend one or two nights there.

Saturday is a Farmers Market, which in Ganges, also includes work from various artists. There is also a vary nice quilt shop in Ganges. Given I'm missing the wonderful San Diego Quilt Show this weekend, I'll enjoy some time touring the quilt shop in Ganges.

While we can get WIFI access at the Public Library in Ganges, we doubt we'll spend time trying to pursue a connect. Thus, I may not be able to get a connect to the internet until we are back in Anacortes. So, if you don't see an update from us until ~9/6, don't fret. Weather looks good, with a few days of strong winds and rain. Wish us luck to find some sunshine, but in the meantime, know that we are having fun and enjoying cruising in the beautiful PNW.

We're on the docks at MBYC!

2008-08-27T14:37:00.000-07:00

We finally made it back to MBYC (Maple Bay Yacht Club). We stayed here in 2005 and fell in love with the club and with Maple Bay. We plan to be here for two nights, before we move south (Portland Island, Ganges, Lyall Harbor, Prevost Harbor, Roche Harbor, Jones Island, Blind Bay, Anacortes).

We've had a good day of rain in Nanaimo and more rain most of the night in Newcastle, but otherwise have had good to great weather. But it hasn't been cold and we do have good foul weather gear. Currently, the weather is delightful. Brad said today is a shorts day (but even rainy days can be shorts day for the locals). Oddly enough, we have actually heard a few people complain about how bad the weather has been this summer. One couple, out cruising for three weeks, was seriously looking at cutting their cruise short and catching a flight to Mexico to enjoy some sun. Hey, don't ya know we've been in Alaska....this BC weather is delightful!

Here is what we've been up to, since our last update:

August 25th - Nanaimo to Newcastle Island ( < 1 nm?)
Newcastle Island is a park, located across from Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. I've wanted to see Newcastle Island, for quite some time, but it seems each time we plan to visit it we end up with heavy rain. As we decided to stay over another night, we opted to move the boat from Nanaimo Yacht Club docks to the cove at Newcastle Island.

The morning turned out to be a beautiful weather day, with blue skies and bright, cheery sunshine. Perfect weather to enjoy a nice walk on Newcastle Island. While underway, we stopped at the fuel docks in the downtown harbor of Nanaimo, to take on some additional fuel. We didn't top off, but took on 150 litres for $216.63 CDN. This should carry us through till we arrive in Anacortes, Wa..

We enjoyed our walk around Newcastle Island very much. Great views out to Georgia Strait, which was amazingly calm! While this island has deer, we didn't see any.

Photo of one of the cute ferry boats (water taxis) that go from downtown Nanaimo to Newcastle Island.

Downtown Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, BC.

There is quite a bit of history pertaining to Newcastle Island. At one point, in the early 1900s, sandstone was mined here. These photos are from an area where large sandstone circles were cut for use in pulp and paper mills, primarily in the North America.

An unusual fungi on a dead log. We've seen them in various colors, but never this color.

August 26th - Newcastle Island to Pirates Cove, DeCourcey Island(11.8 nm)

The entrance to Pirates Cove is fairly narrow and shallow. One of the helpful markings is this arrow, painted on the rocks, and the "X" posted on the tree. You need to align your boat with the arrow and X, before you make a sharp turn to your port and enter the channel to Pirates Cove.

The sunrise was quite beautiful. We departed the cove early, as we wanted to pass Dodd Narrows at slack tide (~6:15-6:30am). Dodd Narrows is a narrow body of water between Vancouver Island and Mudge Island. Currents can run 7 knots, but Brad timed it for perfect slack. The Narrows are so narrow boats call out on their VHF if they are entering north or southbound. We didn't hear any boats make such a call, but fortunately two boats ahead of us had pulled over. We slowed down and pulled to the side, when a small tug with a very large load of timber came thru the narrows.

When you approach Pirates Cove you need to align your boat with an arrow painted on a rock to an "X" on a tree. And then you can make a quick turn to your port, where you follow the markers to the channel. Essentially, the entrance can be quite shallow and there are a lot of rocks. {double click to enlarge photo for better visability to these markers}

Photo of traditional channel markers, to the narrow and shallow channel entrance to Pirates Cove.

BC Marine Parks are absolutely beautiful, with great hiking trails. They are also well marked, as this sign for Pirates Cove. Next to the sign is a Pirates Treasure Chest. Tradition is to bring an item, to leave in the chest, and to exchange for an item in the chest that you might like. When we visited in 2005 we left several nautical pens and pencils (e.g. shark pens, etc) and various small stuffed toys. We later met up with a delightful young boy who had taken a shark pen from the chest and he was very happy (we didn't let him know we had dropped it off). It was so much fun looking at items dropped off, even though we've never taken anything. And more fun to see the excitement of kids who find a treasure.

Unfortunately the old pirates treasure chest has fallen on hard times. Hopefully someone who is handy with wood may be kind enough to build a replacement, as it would be a great way to ensure the fun of the pirates chest in Pirates Cove remains a tradition for years to come.

Another interesting growth in the forest. Mushroom ?

August 27th - Pirates Cove to Maple Bay, Vancouver Island (20 nm)
Sun was out for this morning's cruise. Several sail boats were out having fun "sailing", which seems to be rare. Beautiful day as you can see from these photos. And it is now 4pm and there isn't any rain in sight! Yeah!

A view of another cove on DeCourcey Island, south of Pirates Cove. Popular with kayakers as there are also some camping and picnic areas here.

A view of Maple Bay, which is much, much larger than what shows in one snapshot.

Update from Nanaimo

2008-08-24T11:12:00.000-07:00

This is going to be a quick update, as I have limited battery life left. We are using a free WIFI point, at a local McDonalds, and I can't find a place to plug in my power cord. Wouldn't you know, we finally find a WIFI signal we can connect to and this PC doesn't have enough power.

We are in Nanaimo and have been here for two nights. They were quite busy as we needed to do boat stuff (e.g. change oil, clean, etc), laundry and buy some supplies for the galley. We're on the docks at the Nanaimo Yacht Club (NYC) which is a wonderful club. They also have washers & dryers, which make doing laundry very easy.

Weather came in late last night to such we saw white caps off of the docks, winds are supposed to be 20-30 knots the rest of the day {and don't forget it will rain, rain, rain}. Thus, we've decided to stay at NYC one more night. Good thing we haven't put our foul weather gear away! But essentially this weather condition give us time to seek out internet access. With luck, I'll find more time later today for more editing on this posting and upload some photos.

Weather permitting, tomorrow we'll continue to cruise south. The plan is to go to Pirates Coves on DeCourcy Island and then to Maple Bay Yacht Club (MBYC), which provides wifi access. Thus, at the latest, I should be able to finish this posting and upload photos by this coming Tuesday evening.

Since our last update here is some insight on what we've been up to:

August 15th Lagoon Cove to Forward Harbor (33.6 nm)
Weather today was quite good. In the morning there were misty clouds, low on the side of the mountain. We headed south going through Havannah Channel, Johnstone Strait, Sunderland Channel and Wellborne Channel. We had ~15 knot winds in in Johnstone Strait, which we thought to be better than forecasted. We were on anchor (50 28.877N 125 45.289W) about 1pm, the only boat in the Harbor. But by the time it was dark, there were a total of 10 boats on anchor. Still, there was plenty of room and we enjoyed this anchorage very much.

August 16th - Forward Harbor to Octopus Island (36.7 nm)
We had another good weather day today, even though the forecast was for gale winds in Johnstone Strait (we're now quite protected). We passed through Green Point Rapids at slack. There is a lucky family, with a beautiful home, overlooking the rapids. As we passed Blind Channel we spotted a black bear on the beach. We've not seen any bears in awhile (or Bald Eagles) so this was a treat. We were on anchor (50 19.427N) 125 15.978W). That afternoon we had sunny skies and 88 degrees at 4pm. This so far has been our warmest day this summer.

We ended up spending four nights in Octopus Island. When we arrived we had thought we'd spend 3 nights, but weather conditions brought in a storm and we felt it was best to spend one more night on anchor. Basically the last 32 hours in Octopus was full of rain & wind. When we picked up our anchor, the wind had spun us around, so many times, it was as if the anchor chain was laid out on the sea bed in a swirl pattern similar to a snail's shell.

Still, we had another delightful time in the Octopus Islands, enjoying hiking and exploring the little islands. We did try a few sets of crabbing, but ended up catching only rock crab. After all the dungeness crab we've caught this summer, we didn't feel the rock crab was worth the effort, so they were tossed back. But it was still fun to catch crab!

August 20th - Octopus Island to Squirrel Cove, Desolation Sound (22.4 nm)
There are so many beautiful places to visit in Desolation Sound, but this summer we simply didn't have enough time. Our stop in Squirrel Cove was one that offered great logistics, as well as great protection from the wind. But it turned out to have the largest number of boats we've seen on anchorage this summer. No surprise, but it rained the entire time we were there. We decided to not put the dinghy in the water, as we've been there previously. But the floating bakery was still operating! 50 08.503N 124 55.213W

August 21st - Squirrel Cove to Pender Harbor (49 nm)
This leg of the cruise is very beautiful and we lucked out with a good weather day. We could tell the summer is beginning to close, as there we felt we were cruising south with ~20-30 boats (all cruising south). In the large body of water there was plenty of room, so don't think the boats were on top of each other. Still, we joked about being in a boat parade, as we hadn't seen this many boats moving on the water, all summer.

Awhile back, when on anchor in Forward Harbor, we had spotted a boat named Northern Theatre. We thought the name has a nice reflection on cruising these beautiful waters, and it was a nice looking boat. We ended up seeing this boat not just in Forward Harbor, but Barnes Bay, and in Octopus Islands. When in Octopus, Brad was able to chat with them for a bit, before they pulled up anchor to go south. They kindly offered us use of their private docks in Pender Harbor.

Arriving in Pender Harbor we tied up to a fishing boat, on the public docks. We then set off on foot to do shop shopping at the local IGA Market, to buy some galley supplies. We then moved over to Ryan & Sue's private dock, where Northern Theatre has a nice boat house to sleep in. Having heard that there was a chance of strong winds, we really were appreciative of having a dock to tie up to and a chance to stress our legs. Ryan and Sue invited us up to their home for dinner and made us some very tasty hamburgers. Sue and I also picked some wild blackberries, before dinner, and we had them with some plain yogurt for dessert. They were yummy. But the highlight of the evening was the great conversation with Ryan and Sue.

To make the evening even more special, when Ryan walked us back to the docks in the dark, a baby deer and mama deer walked right passed us and quite close. It was fun to hold still and see nature so close. To Ryan and Sue, this may not have been very special, but to us this was a magical evening and one that made our summer very special.

August 22nd - Pender Harbor to Nanaimo, Vancouver Island (29.7 nm)
We had a beautiful sunrise when we departed Pender Harbor. We left ~6:30am as needed to cross Georgia Strait and the forecast was for 20-25 kot winds in the afternoon. We had a safe passing, but some choppy water and winds ~10 knots.

We lucked out with space at Nanaimo Yacht Club (NYC) guest docks. We really like NYC as it is a friendly club, in a great location. And with a laundry in the clubhouse it makes for a good reason to tie up on the docks vs set an anchor. We did get some wind that night, but didn't give it much thought. Later we learned from another boater that they didn't sleep well, due to the wind, and were leaving.

Leaving the Broughtons

2008-08-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

Tonight is our last stop in The Broughtons. There are many more beautiful anchorages and resorts in these waters than we've had time to visit, but we certainly enjoyed our time here. And we now have a few favorites that we'll definitely visit again, when we make it back to this area, as we would definitely like to do more exploring in The Broughtons.

Cruising this morning from Kwatsi Bay to Lagoon Cove was ~22 nm, with calm waters and sunny skies. Yes, sunny skies. We woke up this morning to find bright blue skies with soft wisps of misty clouds, along the mountains, but the signs of clouds completely disappeared by 7am. Today was definitely a day for shorts and sunglasses.

We arrived in Lagoon Cove (50 35.893N 126 18.854W) ~ noon, shortly after setting a crab trap in a nearby cove. We picked up some fuel at the fuel dock in Lagoon Cove and then tied up to their docks for the night. We stayed here on our way north, and had so much fun, we wanted to make this our last stop in The Broughtons, on our way south. We enjoyed some easy walking trails in the area, caught a couple of good size crabs in our traps, eliminated a bag of burnable trash in the burn bin here at the cove, and had great fun at the happy hour & story telling time. And then, as this will be our last chance to update our blog for awhile I thought I'd better spend a few minutes on the internet.

We've made a few minor changes to our cruise plan, so it looks like our stops for the next week or so will be on anchorages in remote places (no wifi, no shopping, no laundry). Our next step will be Forward Harbor (50 28.673N 125 45.094W) and then we'll spend several days in the Octopus Islands (50 16.340N 125 13.415W), near Quadra Island, and then several days in Desolation Sound. We'll find our way south to Pender Harbor, but I don't believe I'll find internet access until we cross Georgia Strait and arrive in Nanaimo. Essentially, I probably won't be able to post an update to our blog for 10-14 days. But, as of this afternoon we are now back in range of getting a cell phone connection, so we are not totally disconnected from communication!

Here is Brad burning our burnable trash. To clarify, in remote boating areas there isn't any trash pickup. We're actually lucky to find a resort that allows boaters to burn their trash and many will actually charge $4-5/bag. Fortunately Lagoon Cove provides a burn bin that is free to guests on their docks.

This is a little beach, near where we set our crab trap. If you double click the photo to enlarge it, you can see the black bear on the beach.

This is going to be dinner tomorrow night, when we are on anchor. Tonight we had too many shrimp at the happy hour.

A view from our boat, during today's cruise.

Kwatsi Bay, The Broughtons

2008-08-13T17:20:00.000-07:00

We woke up this morning to soft, white, clouds, but no rain. We enjoyed watching a bear on the beach, while having coffee. During our cruise the clouds began to disappear and by 10:45am Brad pulled out his sunglasses. Needless to say, he had a big smile on his face as he hadn't had to wear sunglasses in quite sometime.

Our cruise to Kwatsi Bay was a sort 10 nm. The sun had come out by the time we arrived and it has now turned into a definite day to wear shorts. I'm actually sitting in the shade, on the docks, taking advantage of having WIFI access at this resort, to post this update. The view in this bay is spectacular and I can hear two different waterfalls pound on the rocks in the background. To clarify, the mountains in this area are primarily composed on granite. It is amazing that a tree can grow in such conditions, but they do.

We hiked to nearby Lacy Falls. This is a large falls where water flows down over a steep granite mountain. The hike is through a thick forest, with many areas of ferns.

Galetea is on the docks with us, along with 3 other boats. So, you can see, there are not many at this small resort. Pretty imtimate.

The WIFI here is pretty slow so I'm not able to upload any photos this afternoon, but I wanted to post an entry as to what we are up to.

Tomorrow will cruise ~22 nm south to Lagoon Cove, which we visited on our way North. The following day we'll head south to Blind Bay. Both of these resorts we anticipate having WIFI access, and should be able to be back in Cell phone access area by the time we get to Blind Bay. To clarify, we have not had a connection for cell phone access for quite sometime. Too remote I guess.

After Blind Bay we'll head to the Octopus Islands and then thru Desolation Sound. Neither of these areas we'll have WIFI, just a lot of wildlife. To clarify, I hope to have a posting for the next two days, but after that you won't hear from us until we cross over to Nanaimo, on Vancouver Island.

Weather looks good. Winds are supposed to kick up, but we feel we are now cruising the portion of the inside passage that is well protected. And when we get close to crossing the Georgia Strait (10-20km) we'll wait for a good weather day.

Hope you are having a great summer.

A view of Kwatsi Bay.

Lacy Falls, in Kwatsi Bay

A view from our boat, during the cruise today.

The floating gift shop at Kwatsi Bay (has really cool stuff)

Kwatsi Bay. Well, part of Kwatsi Bay. It is really a very big bay.

Shawl Bay, The Broughtons

2008-08-11T08:42:00.001-07:00

Our cruise from Sullivan Bay to Shawl Bay was 10 nautical miles today and was made under dry skies. Forecast is 100% for rain tomorrow and we are hearing gale winds are forecast to Queen Charlotte Strait, a bit NW of us, and strong winds in Georgia Strait, further SE of us, which should hit later this week. Hopefully the forecast for winds will not impact our plans to begin more serious cruising, more than 10 nm a day, later this week.

Shawl Bay is a cute little resort. We were able to buy a loaf of homemade bread, which made for yummy sandwiches for lunch. We now have a 90' yacht next to us on the docks. If I had a wide angle, for our camera, I'd take a photo of it. Our boat could be a tender for this big guy! We understand the owners are from Seattle and own several parking lots in the downtown area. Looking at their boat it is clear that we missed a step, as toddlers, playing in empty parking lots. Darn, we should have bought those lots years ago.

We heard an interesting story, from a fellow boater on the docks, about an eagle that recently plucked up a little dog on the docks in The Broughtons. The eagle was flying off with the dog when he suddenly dropped the dog in the water. Before the eagle could swoop back to get the dog the owner had come out in their dinghy to retrieve. The lucky dog is fine.

Our current GPS location is 50 50.888N 126 33.598W

Photos of our cruise to Shawl Bay

Here are some of the floating homes in Shawl Bay

Rick and Barbara on Galatea.

Photos of Shawl Bay

Sullivan Bay, The Broughtons

2008-08-10T12:28:00.001-07:00

From Jennis Bay we cruised east 8 nautical miles to nearby Sullivan Bay. There wasn't any rain and we had some light reflecting thru the clouds, creating spectacular reflections of mountains, trees and clouds on the water.

We didn't find any hiking trails in Sullivan Bay, but we enjoyed exploring the docks and meeting other boaters. And we ended up having a very tasty dinner at the restaurant in Sullivan Bay, also enjoying the company of Craig and Barbara from s/v Sequoia (the boat that hit the whale). It was Barbara's birthday (29th???) and it made for a fun evening out. But somewhere after dinner I lost Brad who found out that the boat Imagine has a satelite tv, and I think he is now watching tv for the first time this summer. So here I sit playing taking advantage of WIFI access and playing on the internet, thus being able to upload some photos and tell you about Sullivan Bay.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention the sun came out ~5pm and it remained sunny the rest of the day. Delightful!

All the docks in Sullivan Bay have street names and there are subdivision names for the groupings of floating homes. Brad really liked the homes in Halibut Heights.

Photos of Sullivan Bay. Don't you just love these boat houses with dock space for them to tie their yachts in front of their homes?

Photos from our cruise thru Drury Inlet to Sullivan Bay this morning (9 km)

The Chef at Sullivan Bay.

Jennis Bay Extreme Expeditions, Ltd., The Broughtons

2008-08-10T07:54:00.001-07:00

We arrived yesterday in Jennis Bay. It is one of the smaller resorts. The property was purchased in 2001 by a Tom and Allyson Allo, and has now been turned into a very nice destination resort for boaters (and I'd recommend kayakers too). It is set on a beautiful bay inside of Drury Inlet, all offering great areas to explore by dinghy or kayak. There are also nice logging trails nearby that make for great walks thru thick forests.

Later this morning we'll cruise to Sullivan Bay and check out a few anchorages in the area. Not sure where we'll end up, but it is certainly fun to explore. And it isn't raining this morning! But before we depart, I wanted to take advantage of the WIFI here. And as it appears to be too early for the other boaters to be using it, I'm able to get a strong enough signal to upload some photos.

Here is a photo of Brad in front of the Jennis Bay Cook House, which is where they held a wonderful potluck last night. Great way to get to know other boaters, as well as the owners of this delightful resort. This "house" is almost 100 years old and is an old loggers floathouse.

Another float house that has been turned into a cute little gift shop.

The resident cat, a very friendly and confident cat.

The resident dog, who recently had a bad run in with a wolf. This lucky dog has lived to tell the tale, about loosing his eye and getting stitches on several places of his neck and legs.

The old logging road makes for a perfect walking path thru the forest.

Part of the bay.

We're now cruising The Broughtons

2008-08-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

We had a pleasant journey around Cape Caution, beautiful anchorages and calm seas. The most excitement was being called on the VHF, by the sailboat ahead of us, warning us of a whale that they had just hit. It had significantly slowed this 44' sailboat down and they were concerned that we might hit it, or that it would be upset and try to ram another boat, or that it might be injured. While on the radio we did see the suspect whale, which looked perfectly fine (no obvious signs of slowing down, blood loss, or big bandaids). We asked the boat to check for leaks and let us know if they had a problem. This boat (Sequoia) was fine and we later ended up chatting with them on anchor, when we made it to Blunden Harbor.

Since our last update we've had more days of sunshine than not, but still too many days of overcast, fog, or drizzle, for our taste. We can tell the berries are late coming to season, and we are also hearing that the salmon are late to spawn. So we really want to know....Can this cold summer in the PNW be a sign of global warming?
We are now counting the hours we've had sunshine, not the days. We've also heard the locals say they cound the number of times it rains, not the number of days (e.g. it rained once in July for 10 days and once in July for 19 days, thus it rained twice in July). We've also heard that Mike, from Sea Spirit II, whom we met boating in Alaska, is back in sunny San Diego with family and now complaining of the heat! Thus we ask all our So. Cal friends to send some sunshine to the PNW and we'll try to send water to So. Cal.

THE BROUGHTONs are an area in North BC waters that includes many inlets, islands and waterways that lie on the mainland side of Queen Charlotte Strait, north of Johnstone Strait. Many PNW boaters will spend an entire summer cruising The Broughtons, as there is so much to see. When we cruised the PNW in 2005 we did not have time to go this far north, and unfortunately this summer, having spent time in Alaska, we think we'll only be able to stay in The Broughtons for a week, before we need to continue cruising south. But from what we've seen so far, the area is spectacular. Definitely an area worthy of exploring on the water, as well as on land. And an area rich in history.

We've identified 15 areas that we'd like to visit while cruising The Broughtons, and there are many more wonderful places to go that didn't make it to our list. But with 15 on our list, we know it will be difficult to see them all in the time we have. To clarify, there are more wonderful places in The Broughtons that our list of 15. But as we have such limited time to explore we needed to par down this list. Now, it is going to be interesting to see how many of the 15 we actually get to visit. Here is the list: 1) Jennis Bay, 2) Sullivan Bay, 3) Pierre's/Echo Bay, 4) Shawl Bay, 5) Claydon Bay, 6) Turnbull Cove, 7) Joe's Cove, 8) Greenway Sound Marine Resort, 9) Laura Bay, 10) Kwatsi Bay, 11) Lagoon Cove, 12)Farewell Harbour Resort, 13) Mamalilaculla, 14)Kingcome Inlet, 15) Port Neville

Oh. Before I forget. We've not had cell phone coverage for a few days. Seems there are not enough people in areas near Cape Caution for good cell coverage. It also looks like, while we'll have cell coverage in The Broughtons it may be sporadic. But as we get further south we should have great cell coverage. Still, please don't hesitate to call - just leave a message and be patient if it takes a few days for us to get back to you.

Here is an update on what we've been up to since our last posting:

August 2nd – Prince Rupert to Klewnugget (52.7 nm)
Klewnugget is slightly south of Kumealean, where we stayed on our way North. We wanted to try something different and we were very happy with both Kumealean and Klewnugget anchorages. In Klewnugget we anchored at 53 42.930N 129 43.691W

The view from inside the cabin of our boat.

August 3rd – Klewnugget to Hartley Bay (36.6 nm)
We had stopped at Hartley Bay on our way north. While there were other places to stay nearby, this was one of the places we wanted to visit again on our way south. This time was a bit different as the sun was out. We did the same hikes, but enjoyed the sunshine and warmth. Weather was in the low to mid 80's. Our GPS location was 53 25.464N 129 15.038W

Here is a photo of Brad on the boardwalk, in Hartley Bay, which passes the fish hatchery and leads to the lake.

August 4th – Hartley Bay to Khutze Inlet (42 nm)
We had stayed in Khutze Inlet when we cruised north, but this inlet is so large that there are many places to anchor that all offer a different perspective. On our way north we had anchored close to the mouth of the inlet, near a bar. This time we anchored close to the head of the inlet, in between the falls and the river.

All afternoon we had warm weather, in the mid 80's. We enjoyed sitting in the cockpit watching the seals and Bald Eagles catch fish. We observed what we felt was an unusual feeding behavior for seals, or at least unusual for our So. Cal seal population. These seals would line up at the mouth of the river and hold perfectly still, waiting for fish. Then, all at once, they would circle and flap their bodies, creating a bubble feeding type of technique where they'd then catch fish.

There were many eagles and at one point we counted 12 eagles on the river's sandbar. Some had caught fish, but the others were acting like little beggers, too lazy to catch their own fish.

The following morning the tide was quite low and we were entertained with many bears on the meadow and low tide area. Some would stand on their hind legs and look out at the water (toward us), and at times we would see them on all fours raise their head up out of the meadow grass. Quite fun to watch.

Our anchorage location was 53 05.334N 128 25.944W

Brad setting his crab trap.

Some of the catch of the day.

The nearby falls, of which this photo does not capture their beauty.

One of many falls that we passed on our cruise to today.

August 5th – Khutze Inlet to Rescue Bay (43.7 nm)
Rescue Bay was an anchorage that we had passed on our way North. We found it to be a beautiful anchorage and we were also blessed with sunshine in the afternoon. Oddly enough, at night time, we could hear seals feeding nearby and we felt one hit our anchor chain as it was chasing fish!

Our anchorage location was 52 30.814N 128 17.263W

This is our left over crab, after last night's all you can eat crabfest dinner. These leftovers will be used to make crabcakes.

A view from our boat during the cruise today.

August 6th – Rescue Bay to Shearwater (36 nm) to Codville Lagoon (17 nm)
This leg of the journey we had very thick fog from the majority of Rescue Bay to Shearwater. Shortly before Shearwater it felt as if we had gone thru an open door, where on one side was very thick fog and the other side was bright sunshine. In the fog conditions, which were so thick there were times you couldn't see much forward the bow of our boat, we needed to cruise quite slowly. There were also many logs in the water, but fortunately most had birds sitting on top, making it easier to spot them. Seems like when there isn't any winds there are more birds on top of the floating timber.

We tried to get fuel in Bella Bella, which is near Shearwater, but logistically a more better match for our route South. Unfortunately the fuel docks were out of fuel and would not have anymore until Friday. Thus, we ended up having to go into Shearwater to simply pick up some fuel. Fortunately it wasn't too much out of the way and it was under good weather conditions (delightful sunshine). But, we ended up with the highest fuel bill we've seen to-date. And keep in mind this was for "topping off" our tanks. $724 CDN for 442 litres. Ouch!!!

We found anchoring in Codville Lagoon to be delightful. It is a beautiful area but the sun was out and weather was in the low 80's. We spent time relaxing in our cockpit, reading and enjoying the warmth of the sun in the afternoon.

Our anchorage location was 52 03.656N 127 50.229W

A view from inside the cabin today.

Taking on fuel in Shearwater. Yeap, that is a floatplane getting fuel behind us!

Entering Codville Lagoon

Brad relaxing in Codville Lagoon..

This beautiful wooden boat, built in 1932, was next to us in Codville Lagoon.

August 7th – Codville Lagoon – Fury Cove, Penrose Island (41nm)
We can understand why Fury Cove is a favorite anchorage among many PNW boaters. It certainly has become one of our favorites. On the west side of the cove there are several mini-islands, some with trees, and several with white sandy beaches (true sand, not midden beaches). We had one of the most spectacular sunsets we've had this year, even better than any sunset we had in Hawaii during our April/May trip.

Our anchorage was 52 29.281N 127 45.548W

One of the white sandy beaches in Fury Cove

The sunset at Fury Cove

August 8th – Fury Cove to Blunden Harbor (52nm)
This leg of the cruise can be one of the more dangerous parts of cruising to north, if you do not watch the weather. You round Cape Caution, which the nearby waters are quite shallow, contributing to bad seas under bad weather conditions. We felt lucky that our journey south was under great weather, as most of the time the seas were quite calm & glassy. This made up for our passage north, when we had to hold tight in Port McNeil for 3 days due to gale force winds.

Blundon Harbor is an area rich in history. This is a site of an old Indian village, which became famous as a trading post when Europeans explored the PNW. To clarify, this area dates back to prior to white men being in the PNW. While I've learned only a little of the history, it appears that when the French came to the area they brought glass beads to trade with the Indians. The Indians ended up with so many glass beads that when they'd greet and/or send fellow Indians off in their canoes the ones on land would toss glass beads to those in the canoes, thus creating a situation where there were many glass beads on the shoreline. Today, people still find glass beads on the shoreline.

Unfortunately our stay in Blunden didn't occur at a time when low tide and daylight would allow us to explore the beaches. But we did have fun exploring at close to high tide. While we didn't find any glass beads (like trying to find a pearl on a sandy beach), another couple on the beach did find a beautiful blue bead while we were nearby.

Our anchorage location was 50 54.312N 127 17.431W

Exploring the beach in Blunden Harbor

A beautiful ship in Blunden Harbor.

August 9th - Blunden Harbor to Jennis Bay, The Broughtons (24 nm)
Jennis Bay is located on Drury Inlet on the NW side of The Broughtons. Our short cruise this morning was quite beautiful and we were greeted by a few Dahls Porpoise as we entered Drury Inlet. The resort is hosting a potluck social this evening, which we are looking forward to as it also gives us a chance to chat with other boaters currently cruising these waters. There are plenty of hiking trails nearby, lakes, and the bay is spectacular. The nearby waters are perfect for exploring by kayak or dinghy. http://www.jennisbay.com/

Sunny Skies, Calm Seas, and Bears. Oh My!

2008-08-01T16:13:00.000-07:00

Surprise, surprise, we are no longer in Ketchikan! With our Alaskan adventure comprising almost six weeks, it is a shame to admit that close to two weeks of it was spent in Ketchikan. Other than fighting off thousands and thousands of cruise ship tourists and holding tight in gale winds, I'm not sure if the Ketchikan stay really counts as an Alaskan adventure. Fortunately there is more to cruising SE Alaska than Ketchikan and pushing thru crowds of cruise ship tourists, as well as holding tight during gale or storm force winds, as we have enjoyed cruising in SE Alaska very much (more on that subject at a later date).

The three back to back storms late July all ran their course and we were able to depart Ketchikan on the 31st. We departed with Rick and Barbara, on Galatea, but they decided to make the lengthy all day run from Ketchikan to Prince Rupert. We split off, after 37 nm, to spend the night in Foggy Bay. The weather forecast was for good weather, but we had had heavy rain the night before we departed, and it was lightly raining with some wind, when we left the safety of the docks. But we left ~6am with confidence of good weather, as well as being eager to get out of dodge!

By 10:45am we were on anchor in Foggy Bay, but it wasn't foggy, nor was it rainy. The sun was actually out and to make things better it was so sunny we had to wear sun glasses. I think this photo really shows how happy Brad is to see sunshine and be on anchor, under great conditions.

You may want to double click to enlarge this photo. The black thing, which might look like a rock, is actually a bear. He was munching on sedge grass, at the shoreline, in Foggy Bay.

Prince Rupert Yacht Club is where we stayed when we came thru here, going North in June. They provide WIFI access on the docks, which is a rare treat vs our visit to a public library or coffee shop when we are in an actual city.

Friday, August lst Foggy Bay, Alaska to Prince Rupert, BC (54 nm)

Again, we had a day of calm seas and mostly sunny skies. Here are a few photos from this leg of the cruise.

This is Green Island Lighthouse.

Here is a photo of one of the charter fishing boats in Prince Rupert. This one takes the guests out to sea on a large boat, and once where they want to be, the guests then go fishing in their own little boats. Prince Rupert is a great place to visit if you like to fish, or simply want to explore BC. There is also great ferry connections to other nearby ports, if you are not on your own boat. I definitely want to come back to Prince Rupert again someday. There is far more to see than we have time and I'm sure there are fish that are wanting us to catch them!

Tomorrow we'll continue cruising South. Our next stop will be Klewnuggit Inlet Marine Park, which will be a new place for us. Afterwards we'll stay in Hartley Bay, which we enjoyed very much on the way up. For the most part we'll be on anchor over the next couple of weeks, with few exceptions. As we don't anticipate having WIFI access for awhile, I doubt that I'll be able to update the blog for a bit. But keep check back later in August, if you want to find out what we are up to (or give us a call on the cell).

Tomorrow, tomorrow ..... always tomorrow

2008-07-30T16:46:00.001-07:00

The winds were still quite strong last night and have only slightly died down this afternoon (30 knot gusts). Needless to say we are still in Ketchikan.

A CHB trawler tied up next to us this afternoon. They had to give it a couple of tries, because of the wind. But you could tell they were very happy to have people on the docks help them and they were happy to be secured. They had just come from nearby Behm Canal (Misty Fjords), but said it was pretty rough out.

Soon you'll hear that we are some place south and safe! In the meantime, we hope you are enjoying good weather!

Here are a few photos from our stay in Ketchikan.

Downtown Ketchikan

Creek Street is pretty famous, historically famous for brothels. We enjoyed hiking up Creek Street, following the creek up to the hatchery. You can see the fish ladder that helps the salmon up the rough part of the creek.

Will tomorrow be the day?

2008-07-29T14:40:00.001-07:00

We are still in a holding pattern, tied securely to the docks in Bar Harbor, one of three marinas in Ketchikan. This is still our favorite marina as it is out of the downtown tourist area, but an easy walk, should you want to see 10,000 cruise ship tourists walk thru a downtown of a city with a population of 8,000. There are also two nice grocery stores nearby (Safeway and the A&P). I bought fresh blueberries at Safeway, which are the best we’ve ever had. And I picked up a few stir fry items at the A&P, which I found to have a great produce and meat department.

Yesterday we fought the elements of Ketchikan, wind, rain, and cruise ship tourists, to walk thru downtown and spend sometime in the local library. It overlooks the creek and you can hear the falls inside of the library. When we got back to the boat we had gusts in the high 30 knots and during the night in the 40's. But today is much better and with luck, we might have good weather tomorrow and be able to head South.

In the meantime, I’ve come up with a new purpose to cruising, just sorry I didn’t think of it earlier. While the First Mate on Shaman may be searching for the best ice cream in the PNW (some people are crazy to think about ice cream in 55 degree weather), I’m going to start searching for the best hot chocolate or hot latte bar. Thus, I’m now checking out local coffee shops, and also hoping to find one that acts as an internet café. The Ketchikan Library doesn’t provide free wifi and the que line for their PCs is quite long.

I'm currently in a little coffee shop, near the Safeway, called Roasters Roost. They have a nice hot chocolate, with the best whip cream I may have ever had. And they provide free wifi access, giving me a great place for a quick blog update.

We’ve learned that “The Broughtons” have not had rain in two+ weeks, only sunshine! Needless to say we are getting excited about leaving Ketchikan and cruising The Broughtons. There is a large number of anchorages in quiet coves, but there are also several small marinas. Each of the marinas have their own personality, e.g. one serves pancakes, another provides a crab or shrimp happy hour, etc..

Thru our cell phone, we’ve spoken with Doug & Jean, on Shaman, and they are also holding tight on the docks, north of us, in Wrangell, and waiting for weather to cruise further south. We had hoped that they would have been able to make it into Ketchikan, by now. Hopefully we'll see them again in The Broughtons.

While Mariners need to pay attention to weather conditions when they cruise, it is particularly important to do so when cruising in the PNW. The more data sources the better, as some weather reporting sources might provide too general of information for a broader area, whereas other sources might provide greater insight on a specific area that a Mariner may be crossing.

Here is another source that was shared to us by Rick & Barbara, from Galatea:
www.ARH.NOAA.GOV
Use the sidebar menu: Marine Forecasts, Public statements, area discussion SE

Http://pajk.arch.noaa.gov
Select “graphical”

We are now able to pick up the Canadian Weather on VHF, as well as the US Weather. For where we are heading we view the Canadian Weather is providing us more appropriate information.

Dixon Entrance East: currently 10-35 knots with Storm Warnings (> 45 knots), sea swells 16’

From our perspective it seems low pressure systems come in about every 3rd day, pulling in high winds and moisture {lower the pressure, the higher the winds}. Sunday we didn’t have any rain, but low clouds and frosty breeze with wind strength increasing as the time passes. But Monday and today have been pretty wicked.

We are thinking of our friends at MBYC in San Diego who are off cruising in Catalina Island coves, with weather in the high 70’s and calm seas. They’ll have kite flying contests, picnic dinners on the beach, hikes, kayaking, happy hours and great fun in the sun. We hope they have a great summer cruise and we’ll toast them with our Alaska Pale Ale, while we dine on fresh salmon tonight, listening to the wind and wondering when it will be safe for us to start cruising further south.

We may make a direct run to Prince Rupert vs stopping over in Foggy Bay. The Prince Rupert Yacht Club provides free WIFI access on the docks. If we make the run tomorrow morning we may not be on the docks till the evening, but I'll try to provide an update to keep you aware of where we are.

While photos of rainy days in Ketchikan are not much fun, I'm posting a few photos taken in Ketchikan when the sun was out (a few days back).

Waiting in Ketchikan

2008-07-26T14:48:00.000-07:00

Yeap, we're still in Ketchikan. Gale winds, 25-35 knots, in Dixon Entrance are convincing us to stay longer in Ketchikan than originally planned. But we're having fun while we are here and getting a few things done on the boat.

Funny what a small world we live in. The boat that pulled in yesterday has members on board from Southwestern Yacht Club in San Diego and they know Rob Witters and Ron Dixon, whom both worked with Darlene at HP. Evidently Ron was in Alaska on a cruise ship this past week. We also met Ruth Ann, off of "Morningstar". She is the nurse that helped provide info to "The Other Office" over VHF to aid in medical treatment for the kid that had the hatch fall on his toe.

We did take the boat over to the fuel dock where we took on an additional 136.4 gallons for $625.

Yesterday was a good weather day in SE Alaska. Cold & wet in the morning and blue skies and delightful sunshine in the afternoon. Today is no rain, but grey overcast with a temperature of 56 degrees.

At this point it looks like next Tuesday may be the earliest we'll depart Ketchikan and that will be dependant on sea conditions. We'd like to go earlier, but we also don't want to go out in 25+ knot winds with 7-11' seas. So we'll enjoy more dock time.

Last night we had another dinner and movie theme night, with another of the Hornblower series. At this point we may get thru the entire series before we leave Ketchikan. The boat is also getting lighter, as each day goes by, as we're able to finish reading books and hand them off to other cruisers or leave at free book tables for others to acquire. But then, we also find more to take with us so we may not be reducing excess boat weight afterall.

Back in Ketchikan, Alaska - Southbound Journey

2008-07-22T18:45:00.000-07:00

I'll update this tomorrow, but I wanted to let you know we have arrived back in Ketchikan. Our journey from Petersburg to Ketchikan has had weather conditions that caused us to stay over two extra nights (one extra night in Frosty Bay and another in Meyers Chuck), but we had calm seas to Ketchikan this morning. Now the trick is crossing over to BC. Looks like another front is coming thru so we are not yet certain when we'll be able to make the crossing.

Initially we had thought we'd be in Ketchikan two nights, the extra night giving time to provision the boat, and then we'd head off to the Misty Fjords. While today was a "sunglasses day", we are logging to find some sun. Thus, given the weather we have now opted out of visiting the Misty Fjords and we'll cross over to BC as soon as the weather clears.

I should be able to update this entry tomorrow, to share more insight on where we've been since the last update. But wanted to let you know we are safe and we have been having fun.

July 17th - Petersburg to Wrangell (40 nm)
We departed Petersburg at 12:25pm, taking time for the currents to align for a delightful cruise thru Wrangell Narrows. Mid-Morning we took one last walk thru Petersburg. Here is some insight on how the currents in Wrangell Narrows were for us (aka Brad's great job planning).
North End South End
12:30pm start 3.4 knots S 3.0 knots N
1:00 pm 2.6 knots S 2.6 knots N
1:30 pm 1.7 knots S 1.4 knots N
2:00 pm .7 knots S 0 knots (slack)
2:30 pm 0 knots (slack) .2 knots South

Catching the currents going south we picked up a ride of 3.4 knots at the start of the Narrows, slowing to 2.6 knots, 1.7 knots, .7 knots to slack by the time we exited. While others may have caught more of a ride, by departing earlier, they could have end up fighting currents, consuming more fuel. Again, I think Brad did an excellent job planning for the currents to be safe and for fuel efficiency.

With our late start we didn't arrive in Wrangell until 5:30pm. We were greeted by John and Roxie of Xanadu, whom we had met during our 2005 cruise. It was great to see them, but we didn't have enough time to catch up. They were heading off early the next morning, going North, and we were heading off in the morning going South.

We made a walk into town, but soon learned the town of Wrangell closes down at 6pm.

Here is a photo taken during crossing the Wrangell Narrows. The depth ranges from ~30' to 120' and there are many zig zag turns that a boat must take to stay in the channel. In this photo you can see some boats that have slowed and are following the markers in one of the areas that are marked (not all are marked, but most are).

July 18th - Wrangell to Frosty Bay (32 nm)
W departed Wrangell at 7:30am, cruising South thru beautiful Zimovia Strait, between Wrangell Island and Etolin Island. Waters take on a glacier water appearance, colored frm nearby La Conte Glacier and the Stikine River. It is a milky green color. The seas are calm and there is light mist.

About 8:30am we have our 2nd experience with a spooky mist that appears in our galley. When this initially happened, a few weeks back, I was a bit fearful we had a fire in the boat someplace. But this weird phenomenon we now feel is caused by such high humidity inside and outside of the boat. By opening some windows and turning on the heat it quickly disappears.

By 10am we are picking up some small chop on the water, but nothing too serious. By 10:30am we are in Frosty Bay and secured to a float, but we later conclude it would have been better to have been on anchor. It rained most of the day, but that night we ended up with winds of 30+ knots. Needless to say it was a sleepless night.

The next morning, after listening to the weather reports, we concluded we'd stay another night in Frosty Bay. It rained on and off the day, but we felt the storm front was passing thru.

July 20th - Frosty Bay to Meyers Chuck (24.6 nm)
It rained most of the night before, but we decided the weather was still appropriate to depart. As such, we wanted to depart early and did so by 6:40am. For the most part the sea was calm, until we came close to Meyers Chuck. The wind had kicked in and seas were ~2-3', which isn't bad, but it made it difficult, with the rain, to spot the entrance markers for Meyers Chuck. Once we spotted the markers, Brad did a great job bringing the boat into the very protected cove of Meyers Chuck. We were on the docks at 10am: 55 44.371N 132 15.492W

Wrangell Narrows

2008-07-17T13:07:00.000-07:00

We're currently waiting for the currents in Wrangell Narrows, before departing Petersburg at 12:30pm. As I have WIFI access, I thought I'd share a bit of insight on cruising on this leg of our adventure.

Wrangell Narrows lies between Mitkoff Island on the east and Woewodski and Kuprenof Islands on the west. It extends in a general Northerly direction for 21 miles near the East end of Sumner Strait to the East part of Frederick Sound. The channel is narrow, with strong tidal currents and dangerous ledges and flats. But it is marked with lights, beacons and boys, which, with the aid of the chart, renders navigation fairly easy. Still, currents can run between 4 to 5 knots up to a 6 to 7 knot current during the spring and tropic tides. Thus, you should be able to understand why we are waiting for the currents. Oddly enough, you need to time yourself as you can catch a ride on part of the narrows finding yourself fighting currents at the other end.

Last day in Petersburg, before more cruising south

2008-07-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

We had initially thought we'd spend one night in Petersburg, but decided to stay two. Today has been a relaxing day. We enjoyed a nice breakfast of hot pancakes, ham, and memosas. We listened to the local radio which was running their session on "TRADIO", for trade-radio. Locals call into the radio station to announce what they have that they want to sell or trade and provide appropriate contact info. Quite fun to listen to.

Our last walk thru Petersburg was fun to explore, but sad to know it is our last walk here. The town is very quiet, most likely as the harbor is empty. "Openings" for when fishermen can fish vary from a few hours to weeks. The next opening is this Thursday and it appears all the fishermen are out, ready to catch fish. Thus, there are very few boats in the harbor, and very few people in town. But the sun shined down on Petersburg today, so it was a delightful day to be here.

Here is a photo of Brad, at the Harbor Masters' office, where we stopped to pay our moorage fee. We'll be departing tomorrow morning for Wrangell.

Again, Petersburg has been one of our favorite cities and we highly recommend it for a place to visit.

www.petersburg.org

Heading South: Back in Petersburg

2008-07-15T14:56:00.000-07:00

As we are beginning to cruise South, we need to make choices to visit a new place or a place we've been previously. After leaving Sitka, we decided we wanted to stop again in Baby Bear Marine Park, Appleton Cove, Baranoff Warm Springs and Petersburg. We initially thought we'd stay one night in Petersburg, but concluded we'd relax and have two nights here. After all, Petersburg has been one of our favorite cities in Alaska to visit.

The Petersburg Harbor Master is so friendly and helpful. Once again, they gave us an option of the same slip or a new place. We decided to stay in the same slip, making this our 3rd visit to Petersburg with access to the same slip, which we really enjoyed (714).

In the afternoon we did a couple of loads of laundry and Brad later chatted with local fisherman, cleaning many super large halibut {hugh}. Our dinner consisted of some of that halibut, crab and a salad. All yummy. Being well fed and exhausted, having started crusing at 5am, we turned in early.

Here are a few highlights from this leg of the cruise:

July 12th - Sitka to Baby Bear (29 nm)
Before departing, Jeff from "Daybreak" came over for a visit and brought us a lovely gift box of chocolate. Like a boat card made of chocolate. They own "Totally Chocolate", which specializes in an unique engraving process of chocolate bars. Beautiful and delicious. www.totallychocolate.com

This is a photo of the beautiful harbor in Sitka:

July 13th - Baby Bear to Appleton (22 nm)
While we've been seeing humpback whales daily, we came very close to one in Peril Strait. Also saw a few sea otters and some deer. Brad caught some nice sale crabs in Appleton, which made for another yummy dinner.

We were one of the first boats in Appleton and we ended up taking advantage of a single buoy to tie up to. It allowed us great visibility to a cabin that can be rented via the Alaska Dept of Forestry. Actually, they have wonderful cabins all over Alaska you can rent. This one was quite close to a little meadow and a nice stream.

Later in the day, Northern Ranger anchored nearby. We previously met them in Ketchikan. About an hour later, Sea Spirit II came in, whom we initially met in Meyers Chuck and have crossed paths with several times. It was nice to chat with both of them and we left the VHF on on 16/68, with the understanding we'd check in again before bedtime.

While the radio was left on we heard a call from a boat named The Other Office, from a nearby cove (Rodman). The initial radio call was looking for a doctor or nurse on anchor in Rodman. As there was no response they made a radio call seeking same to anyone in Appleton. A woman on a sailboat in Appleton responded saying she was a nurse. We then hear that The Other Office has an 8 year old boy with their toe that was severed to the bone when a hatch cover fell. They were seeking assistance for medical treatment before trying to make the journey back to Sitka.

The Other Office was going to bring their boat to Appleton to where the nurse could assist, but after sometime, when we could just see The Other Office entering Appleton, they made a call saying that they had been able to "attach" the skin, were able to stop the bleeding, and concluded they'd go ahead and make the run to Sitka. The nurse gave advice for further care of the toe and we thought that would be the last we heard of this saga. But an hour or so passes and we hear that the boat had arranged for a floatplane to take the boy to Sitka. Another hour goes by and we hear the float plan and shortly afterwards The Other Office comes back to Appleton. Hymm. We do hope the kid is ok. But later several of us all questioned why the skipper didn't make an initial call to the Coast Guard. Still, it made us all thing about having painkillers and quality First Aid kits on board.

July 14th - Appleton to Warm Springs (39 nm)
It was to our good luck that we had come across Sea Spirit in Appleton, as they had said if they found a spot on the docks in Warm Springs we could sidetie to them. And they fortunately found a spot on the docks. From my perspective it looked quite tricky to side tie as there were 4 seiners, all side tied in front, and another 4 in back of Sea Spirit. Brad did a great job "parallel parking" our boat, along side of Sea Spirit, with the currents from the falls and all the seiners around us. And would you believe more seiners came in after we had tied up!

It was truly a pleasure to be on the docks with Sea Spirit and all the seiners. We heard many delightful stories from all the fisherman, who were very friendly and pleasant on the docks.

Here we are on the docks in Warm Springs, but this photo doesn't show all the seiners that are around us.

Here is a view of the seiners, from inside our boat.

July 15th - Warm Springs to Petersburg (72 nm)
This time our cruise thru Chatham Strait and Frederick Sound was very smooth and for the most part "the sun was out". We saw salmon jumping in Chatham Strait, but no signs of salmon in Frederick Sound. But throughout the day we saw whales and at one point had one surprise us, surfacing right in front of our boat. Brad quickly steered around the whale, as well as slowed our boat down, and fortunately we didn't hit it!

Oh, we saw another black bear on Kupenoff Island shortly before pulling into Petersburg.

Last update from Sitka

2008-07-11T11:40:00.000-07:00

We topped off our fuel tanks this morning (80 gallons for total $391), as we'll be departing Sitka tomorrow morning. We're heading South, back through Petersburg, Wrangell, and Ketchikan, with various anchorages along the way. Some places will be new, some we'll have visited previously. For now, it will probably be 4 days before we'll have internet access to post another update (from Petersburg).

Yesterday, we did more exploring and plan to do more today. Here are a few highlights of Sitka:

The Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka

Last night, we had one of the best dinners we've ever had last night. We had heard recommendations that dining at Ludwig's Bistro in Sitka was a must, and now we can understand. We too highly recommend Ludwig's.

St. Michael's Cathedral

Sitka Historical National Park (Totem Park)

From Sitka, Alaska

2008-07-10T16:27:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Sitka, Alaska yesterday (Tues., July 9th) ~1:30pm. The sun was out and the weather was great, so we spent time exploring Sitka. Two cruise ships were in town, so the town was more crowded than we like, but we still enjoyed exploring and the sunshine! We’ll be here for 2-3 nights, so I’ll provide more insight on Sitka before we depart. Here is what we’ve been up to since our last update:

July 4th – Petersburg
Celebrating the 4th of July in Petersburg was probably the best 4th of July’s we’ve ever had, with the exception of the fisherman who started lighting fireworks “on his fishing boat” ~4pm on July 3rd! But the Harbormaster squashed the early fireworks in the marina, which helped us sleep a lot better that night. We could just imagine the gasoline containers, which we store in our dinghy, on top of the boat, catching on fire.

The real celebration started at 8am on the 4th with a kids’ bicycle decorating contest and ended with traditional fireworks at 11pm. We lucked out with having another great day with out rain. Various activities went on all day long, but our highlight was the parade at 11am.

The parade theme was “Uncle Salmon” and we believe every group participant won a prize. It was also fun to see all the kids riding their decorated bicycles in the parade. Throughout the day there were various food & craft vendors selling items. We ended up having lunch at the beer gardens of a local Lyon’s club, where we also learned they have a dining room and can sponsor visitors to dine inside their club on Th, Fri & Sat nights. We also learned about the many great things they do for the community, include help fund various scholarships.

This photo is of very fast Dahl's porpoise.

Here are some photos of the 4th of July parade in Petersburg.

Here is a short video of the 2x6 race, which was part of the 4th of July festivities in Petersburg.

July 5th – Petersburg to Pybus Bay, Admiralty Island (52 nm)
Today’s cruise took us through Frederick Sound, which was like a bed of glass, on the East and the North end of Baranoff Island, making it easy to spot whales. We enjoyed seeing Dahls’ porpoise and many humpback whales. We had initially planned to anchor in Cannery Cove, which is highly recommended in the cruise guides, but a local told us about a better protected anchorage SW of Cannery.

We really enjoyed our anchorage as we could look out on to Pybus Bay, and see a humpback whale cruise by the entire time. We also “heard” this whale breath, so you can see why we felt that this was such a great anchorage: 48’ of water: 57 16.991N 134 05.870W.

Doug and Jean on Shaman departed shortly after we did, but opted to anchor in Portage Bay at the North end of Baranoff Island. Their plan is to hit many of the spots we were planning on, with both of us ending up in Sitka. But for us Portage Bay, being ~20 miles north of Petersburg, just wasn’t far enough for the first day of cruising, so we know we’ll end up arriving in Sitka at least one day before them.

We are not certain what type of fish this is, but he was viewed to be too small and tossed back.

Brad rowing out in the bay to set a crab trap.

July 6th Pybus Bay to Warm Springs, Baranoff Island (35 nm)
As we departed Pybus Bay we saw more whales and Dahls’ porpoise, while we were in calm waters of Frederic Sound. But as we reached the southern tip of Admiralty Island, along Point Gardner, the seas became confused as the currents of Frederick Sound and Chatham Strait converge. We had 6’ swells with windswept whitecaps, many of the waves would have been considered good surfing waves for Southern California surfers. This wasn’t a fun part of the cruise, but Brad did a great job handling the boat, and we were happy once we rounded Point Gardner, once we entered waters controlled only by the currents in Chatham Strait.

In Baranoff Hot Springs we tied up on the public docks (57 05.309N 134 49.915W) by 11am. There is a very large and noisy waterfall, fed by a large lake that you can hike to. The lake was unseasonably full, as a result of heavy rains and snow melt off. Overlooking the falls, there is a very large hot spring, with two perfect soaking areas. Water is also fed to three man-made hot baths which overlook the bay and the falls. While we enjoyed a delightful hike to the lake and saw the hot springs, we opted for a very long soak in the hot baths. Aaah. Hot water, a great view, and the relaxing sound of waterfalls. I’m not sure cruising can get any better!

It was great fun chatting with other boaters on the docks, some of whom we had met in previous points on our trip. We did learn that these docks can become quite crowded as fishing boats come in and tie up, allowing the crew to enjoy the hot springs. Thus, we learned recreational boaters may have a better chance getting dock space when commercial fishing is open, which is how we obtained space when we arrived.

Here are two video clips of the portion of our cruise with bad weather. But keep in mind these video clips were made after the sea conditions became stable enough to take photos.

July 7th Warm Springs to Appleton, Baranoff Island (40 nm)
Appleton was a nice muddy anchorage: 57 28.201N 135 17.367W and we had an uneventful cruise under good weather conditions. But while on this cruise, we heard various VHF radio calls pertaining to a ship that had gone aground in Glacier Bay. It turns out it was the "Spirit of Glacier Bay".
Click here to read more about this story.

We frequently have dogs from other boaters visit us, while we are on the dogs. This interesting guy came from one of the cabins. He came calling while Brad was cooking pork chops and stuck around until we finished and gave him the bones. He then carried the bones all the way up the docks, to eat them on shore. Amazing an eagle didn't swoop down and get him for a snack. Smart dog!

Brad with a very, very yummy King Salmon.

July 8th Appleton to Baby Bear Marine Park, Baranoff Island (22 nm)

Baby Bear Marine Park was another wonderful and secure anchorage: 57 26.214N 135 33.299W in 38’ of water. There are many coves in Baby Bear, providing what would be a perfect place to explore by dinghy, kayak, or shore at low tide.

July 9th Baby Bear Marine Park to Sitka, Baranoff Island (32 nm)
We had light drizzle when we departed Baby Bear Marine Park, but it was a pleasant cruise. The sun came out by 9am and we found this leg of the cruise to be one of the most beautiful that we’ve made in Alaska. We spotted two Sitka deer on a beach. In Kakul Narrows, going into Salisbury Sound, at the North tip of Baranoff Island, you can look out and see the Pacific Ocean, which was very calm. There was a very easy going humpback whale that was circling nearby, clearly focused on dining. We also spotted a large sea otter with a very small baby.

You may want to click on this photo, to enlarge, to better view the two Sitka Black Tail Deer that are on the beach

Here is a short video clip of a Humpback Whale we saw in the Salisbury Sound.

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-03T17:12:00.000-07:00

We hope you have a Happy 4th of July. We will be celebrating in Petersburg, where there are various activities going on through out the day. There will be a parade, bike decorating contests, balloon toss events, and I believe there is even a fish toss. The grand finale is traditional fireworks at 11pm. The next morning we'll leave early to cruise to Sitka, with various stops on anchor over the next week. Thus, we will not have any updates until we find an internet access in Sitka.

We want to share with you something we read in the Petersburg Pilot (the local paper) this morning:

THE PRICE THEY PAID have you ever wondered what happened to those men who signed the Declaration of Independence?

Five signers were captured by the British as traitors and tortured before they died. Twelve had their homes ransacked and burned. Two lost their sons in the Revolutionary Army, another had two sons captured. Nine of the 56 fought an died from wounds or the hardships of the Revolutionary War.

What kind of men were they? Twenty-four were lawyers and jurists. Eleven were merchants, nine were farmers and large plantation owners, men of means, well educated. But they signed the Declaration of Independence knowing full well that th epenalty would be death if they were captured.

They signed and they pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor.

Carter Braxton of Virginia, wealthy planter and trader, saw his ships swept from the seas by the British navy. He sold his home and properties to pay his debts, and died in rags.

Thomas McKean was so hounded by the British that he was forced to move his family almost constantly. He served in the Congress without pay and his family was kept in hiding. His possessions were taken from him, and poverty was his reward.

Vandals or soldiers or both, looted the properties of Ellery, Clymer, Hall, Walton, Gwinnett, Heyward, Ruttledge and Middleton.

At the battle of Yorktown, Thomas Nelson, Jr. noted that the British General Cornwallis, had taken over the Nelson home for his headquarters. The owner quietly urged General George Washington to open fire, which was done. The home was destroyed, and Nelson died bankrupt.

Francis Lewis had his home and properties destroyed. The enemy jailed his wife, and soon after she died.

John Hart was driven from his wife's bedside as she was dying. Their 13 children fled for their lives. His fields an dhis grist mill were laid waste. For more than a year he lived in forests and caves, returning home after the war to find his wife dead, his children vanished. A few weeks later he died from exhaustion and a broken heart.

Norris and Livingston suffered similar fates.

Such were the stories and sacrifices of the American Revolution. These were not wild-eyed, rabble-rousing ruffians. They were soft-spoken men of means and education. They had security, but they valued liberty more. Standing tall, straight and unwavering, they pledged: "For the Support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of the Devind Providence, we mutually pledge to each other, our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor."

They gave us Independent America. Can we keep it?

Log Update From Petersburg

2008-07-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

We are back in Petersburg again. You wonder why? Well, it really is a delightful place. Plus we needed to come back to pick up a package (Brad's cell phone arrived), and logistically this is a great place to get fuel before we head off to Sitka and explore Baranoff Island. We actually arrived back in Petersburg yesterday afternoon (Tues., July lst). The boat is running well and we are fine. We will most likely be here a few days, possibly thru the 4th of July.

To our pleasant surprise when we docked, we were greeted by Doug, from Shaman, as we tied up at the docks. We had not seen Shaman since they departed Ketchikan to go south to the Misty Fiords, while we headed further north. Unfortunately Ann has some eye problems and needed to fly to Juneau to see a doctor, but we have since learned she will be ok and back in Petersburg in time for the 4th of July. It also sounds like they too are interested in heading to Sitka, so there is a possibility that we’ll be cruising together again for another leg of our adventure.

Another pleasant surprise is that the sun is out in Petersburg and we are now experiencing some delightful summer weather in SE Alaska. Here is an update on what we’ve been up to since our last blog update.

Saturday, June 28th Petersburg to Snug Cove, Gambier Bay, Admiralty Island 52 nm
Before leaving Petersburg we stopped at the fuel docks to take on 57 gallons ($272). Currents were pretty strong so needless to say docking was interesting.

Heading north, out into Frederick Sound, we saw glacial ice on the East side of the sound. Weather was drizzly, with calm seas for most of the cruise. Brad pointed out water temp was 44.8 degrees.

Snug Cove is another delightful anchorage that one could spend quite a bit of time at. We also saw crabbers tending their pots, so it looks like this is great place to do some crabbing. We just didn’t have time to set out our trap.

Here is a photo of a midden, which is where natives (First Nation) would shell their clams and the result, many years later, is a sand of shells on the beach that stand out at quite a distance.

While I may want to have a larger boat, this little boat definitely proves you can have fun cruising in Alaska on a small boat.

Sun., June 30th Windfall Harbor, Admiralty Island (Pack Creek Bears (40 nm)
Our time at Windfall Harbor was definitely a highlight of our cruise and a place that we highly recommend that others try to visit. While the cruise books advise of anchorage in the south end of the harbor we anchored at the north end, south of the bar, but close to the haulout provided by the rangers. The haulout is a circular line linked to shore and buoys in the water. This allows you to get to shore, yet pull your dinghy back out to water, to avoid bears doing any damage to your dinghy.

We had just started rowing to shore in our dinghy when we spotted a good size brown bear on the shoreline. Brad rowed us closer and we had fun taking our time and watching this bear. It poked around, looking for clams, and crawling under a tree hanging over the water’s edge. It eventually plopped into the water and seemed to sit there, with his head just poking out above the waterline, for quite sometime. I later learned that the bear was cooling off, as it was quite hot for bears when the sun is out.

Once we got to shore we were greeted by a ranger who gave us an overview of Pack Creek and safety tips. The bears here are not tame, but are habitized to seeing humans in certain areas and will go about their business if humans stick to a regular routine. Following this insight, we walked the designated trail to a meadow at the base of the creek that the rangers have set up for an observation area.

There was a nice size brown bear eating grass in the meadow and it was quite fun to watch. This was a serene area that was a perfect movie setting: Snow topped mountains, forest, meadow with bears, stream.

We also did a short, 45 minute, hike to an observation tower, with a well maintained trail through the forest. As the fish were not running upstream, there were not any bears at this observation tower, but we did see two deer sunning themselves on a sandbar in the middle of the stream. And there was a nice beaver dam nearby.

But our highlight was the next morning when we watched three bears on the shore at low tide, while we enjoyed hot coffee. At one point, one of the bears had another running off, as if to ensure the larger bear could claim the entire low tide area. It was the larger bear whom we watched dig for clams and how he used his upper body strength to pound on the clams, to break them open.

Brad had also caught some crab in this bay. While we could have spent a few days in this beautiful bay, we needed to move on to try to see more of SE Alaska before we need to start cruising South.

Here are photos of the hiking trail to the observatory tower, which overlooks the stream. As we began the hike we noticed a very mauled sign, which was a traditional park trail sign that had been damaged by the bears. Hymm...is this going to be a safe hike?

There are two deer in this photo. You may want to "click" on the photo for a larger view.

Here we are at the viewing area overlooking part of the very large grass meadow where the bears like to come eat "sedge".

This photo shows the low tidal area, north of the spit. No, this is not an area a boat would anchor in, but a great place for the bears to clam.

Brad proudly showing off a very large crab he caught.

Mon., June 30th Hobart Bay (original plan was Tracy Arm Cove (42 nm)
Just like the weather, cruising plans need to be flexible when cruising in Alaska. While I had hoped to visit Tracy Arm, it appears this leg of the trip it wouldn’t be the best time. Earlier in our cruise we had heard rumors among boaters that Tracy Arm had been closed, but when we checked with various authorities they all said there was no official closing and boats were going into Tracy Arm. But while in Windfall Harbor we heard two boaters in Tracy Arm on the VHF, one was entering and the other was exiting. The boat that was leaving said they had to turn back ~2 miles from the glacier due to the volume of iceburgs in the water. While there is still a lot to see in Tracy Arm, even if you can’t make it to the glacier, we opted to bank the days and fuel for that leg of the trip, for other opportunities down the road. Clearly there are more great places to see in SE Alaska that we’ll have time to this summer, so we view this choice will just give us an opportunity to explore some other great place.

Our trip from Windfall Harbor to Hobart Bay was great fun. We had Dahls purpose bid us good bye as we departed Windfall, staying with out boat for ~45 minutes. We saw quite a few whales while underway, and we were greeted with more dahls purposes as we entered Hobart Bay. In Hobart Bay we tied up on the famous “docks to no where”, off of Entrance Island, which are 100 foot docks that do not link to shore. These docks are located inside of a beautiful cove that is well protected. The weather was quite good so we enjoyed having lunch on the dock, as well as some reading time, while enjoying an outstanding view.

Here is a photo and quick video clip of one of our Dahl's porpoise experiences:

Tues., July lst Hobart to Petersburg (49 nm)

The cruise from Hobart to Petersburg had very flat seas, where we saw a few more whales. When contacting the harbormaster for slip assignment they remembered us and offered to put us back in the same slip we had had previously, or take a slip in North Harbor, as well as advising Brad’s package had arrived via “overnight” FedEx. We opted for the same slip and were soon tied up on the docks. Brad quickly set off to pick up his cell phone and I began to give the boat a good scrub. Doug from Shaman came over for cocktails and pupus and gave us an update on their cruise leg through the Misty Fijords and we shared insight on our cruise leg to Pack Creek. I’m hoping we have time to visit Misty Fijords on our final cruise leg, before leaving Alaska later this summer.

Having fun in Petersburg

2008-06-27T11:34:00.000-07:00

Petersburg definitely gets a lot of rain, but we lucked out with out getting a drop of rain yesterday. And it didn't rain last night either, but it did start raining about noon today and it looks like it will continue thru the night. Hard to tell about tomorrow, but if we had to guess we'd say there is a 70% chance of rain tomorrow - at some point during the day. We may now qualify as a weather forecaster in Petersburg.

Today is our last day in Petersburg, before we go further north. But as Brad's cell phone hasn't arrived, we know we'll be back soon. At this point, it looks like we'll leave in the morning to go to Admiralty Island, which is famous for having a lot of bears. We'll anchor in Snug Bay, inside of Gambier Bay and then move on to Windfall Harbor, where we plan to go explore the bears at Pack Creek. From there we'll move up to Tracy Arm and explore Sawyer Glacier.

Petersburg is on Mitkoff Island and to go north we go thru Frederick Sound, which has an estimated 500++ humpback whales feeding in the area. As we'll be crossing thru this sound as we head north, plus when we come back south to Petersburg to pick up Brad's phone, we hope to see quite a few whales. But during this time we won't have internet access, nor phone access, until we get back to Petersburg in about a week.

As this is our last update for awhile, I wanted to share a few photos of Petersburg.

Many of the walkways are beautifully decorated. Here is one of my favorites:

Many of the homes and shops have delightful flower gardens and baskets. I thought this one, reflecting the hull of a boat, was very cute.

Also, many of the homes and shops have beautiful Norweigian style painting on the outside. Oh, we've also seen them painting the outside of homes, businesses & boats while it is raining.

Here is a link to some info on the Pack Creek Bears: http://www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass/districts/admiralty/packcreek/index.shtml

Here is a link to some info on Tracy Arm: http://www.alaska-cruise-advisor.com/tracy-arm.html

Here is a link to a webcam in Petersburg. It provides a good view of Frederick Sound.

http://kfsk.org/modules/webcam/

Log Update from Petersburg

2008-06-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Petersburg yesterday (Wed). We had rain for a good part of the trip, but good visibility and calm seas. We were amazed to see how many fishing "little" fishing boats were in Wrangell Narrows, but they all looked like they were having as much fun as we are.

Petersburg is known as the "Little Norway" of Alaska and it definitely has a lot of unique history. The average rainfall here is 106 inches. And we've lucked out today without a drop, even though the forecast was 70% chance of rain. But yesterday we had rain all morning and lucked out with blue sky & sunshine in the afternoo, so tomorrow we'll probably have a day full of rain. Afterall, that 106 inches has to come sometime to keep everything so green!

Upon arrival yesterday we checked to see if our replacement cell phone had arrived, but unfortunately it hadn't. We've concluded we'll stay for three nights in Petersburg, to relax and explore the area, with the hope that the phone arrives. But at this point we are planning to head further North on Friday morning, even if the phone doesn't arrive.

We hiked to Eagle's Roost Park, which provides a nice look out to the North part of the narrows and you can see Fredericks Sound in the distance. When we leave Petersburg we'll be going thru Fredericks Sound up to Tracy Arm. Fredericks Sound is an area that attracts whales and there are estimates that ~500+ whales spend the summer feeding here. Needless to say I'm excited about humpback and orca whales.

Wrangell, Alaska is a great place to visit

2008-06-24T16:00:00.000-07:00

We've really enjoyed visiting Wrangell, Alaska. This is definitely a city that represents Alaska, not one that lives to host cruise ships. The view from the harbor and surrounding areas show that the water is changing color, picking up hues from nearby glacier waters.

There are several ferries that stop by a couple of times a week, and Alaska Air also has several flights into the nearby Airport. So, even if you don't have a boat I highly recommend you coming to Wrangell, Alaska for a visit. Quite a bit to do and there are some really cute B&B's, plus a few nice hotels.

This we hiked to a petroglyph park on the beach and explored for quite some time. There were also two old ship wrecks that were interesting to explore. Some pottery looked like dishes from the 1940's.

We visited the Wrangell Museum, which we view is one of the best museums in Alaska. A great collection, plus they have a glass window that allows you to view back into their archives.

Tomorrow morning we'll head off to Petersburg.

Here are some photos from our trip to Wrangell:

Brad pointing out fuel prices at a local gas station.

Here we are having fun at Petroglyph Park.

Here is a photo of the famous Chief Shakes Tribal House, on Chief Shakes Island, in the middle of the Wrangell Harbor.

Log Update from Wrangell, Alaska

2008-06-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Wrangell, Alaska at noon today. Very cloudy with the mountains still having snow on the tops, but we were able to walk around town in jeans and a fleece jacket. Of course, I'm pretty much wearing my fleece hat where ever I go. Thus, I look pretty close to a homeless bag lady. But I must admit I've been pretty warm this past week, possibly because I'm adapting to Alaska's weather.

Looks like we'll be here two nights and then off to Petersburg, where we also hope to pick up a new phone that Brad ordered via the internet.
Here is some insight on what we've been up to since our last posting:

Sat., 6/21 - Ketchikan to Meyer's Chuck (35 nm)
Purchased more fuel in Ketchikan, before heading North (86.5 gallons for $352). As we headed north the Grand Banks Tour was also heading North. Quite fun to watch them cruise, as if in a parade. We arrived in Meyer's Chuck close to noon and tied up on the public docks. We enjoyed a nice walk around the area where a few people live. We met a family from San Diego (Point Loma) and another one from Washington. The couple from Washington actually own a mooring (B26) in Cherry Cove, Catalina (one of our favorite spots in Catalina). Mid-afternoon, a local teenager from Meyer's Chuck visiting all the boats on the docks and trying to sell homemade sugar cookies. She was raising money to help her participate in a Volley Ball Tournament in Reno,Nev where 10,000 women would be playing. We were very impressed with this young lady and bought some cookies from her, which actually were some of the best homemade cookies I've ever had.

Sun., 6/23 - Meyer's Chuck to Santa Anna Inlet (22 nm)
We had very flat seas and stunning views of snow capped mountains. We spotted our first Humpback Whale and slowed the boat to enjoy watching the whale feed. This was definitely our first "sunglass" day as we both had to wear sunglasses all day long. We anchored in Santa Anna Inlet, near a little waterfall which made noise like it was quite large. Possibly there was more to the waterfall than we could see, but the trees were so thick it was difficult to tell. I did catch a very large fish...but unfortunately it was a "Dogfish" which isn't a desired fish to catch.

Our anchorage was: 55 58.68N 131.56 091W

Mon., 6/24 - Santa Anna Inlet to Wrangell (36 nm)
An easy trip with calm seas. Big highlight was dodging all the gill netters catching salmon. We thought dodging lobster pots in So. Cal was difficult.

Still in Ketchikan

2008-06-20T11:48:00.001-07:00

We are still in Ketchikan. Had originally planned to leave this morning, but have decided to stay one more day. Brad's cell phone died and we've ordered a replacement to be sent to us in Petersburg.

We're on our third day of sunshine. It is so delightful to have sun. But I realize up north one can't take sunshine for granted as the weather can change quite quickly.

Tomorrow we'll definitely depart for Meyer's Chuck and then on to Wrangell.

Here is a photo as we enter Foggy Bay:

This is Brad cooking dinner on the BBQ, while we are in Foggy Bay, Alaska:

Fishing Boat & cruise ship in Ketchikan:

We've arrived in Ketchikan, Alaska

2008-06-18T15:49:00.000-07:00

We actually arrived Tuesday morning in Ketchikan, Alaska. Other than very heavy mist, so misty infact you could probably drink it, we had an uneventful cruise. We did see a beautiful Alaska ferry while underway, along with quite a few fisherman. And when we entered the harbor at Ketchikan there were four cruise ships tied up at the docks.

We are staying at the Bar Harbor Marina in Ketchikan. It is an older marina on the north side of town, away from the cruise ship terminals. It is quite close to a Safeway store, which helps for provisioning. The other marinas in the area have a bit longer of a haul for provisioning, or end up buying items are very small grocery stores.

With 3 nights on the docks we've been able to do a pretty thorough cleaning of the boat, replenish our galley and explore the area. But we're ready to head out of here in the morning (Friday).

Our cruise schedule will continue to take us North, but at a more relaxing pace. We now plan to spend more time on anchor, in remote areas, and do some fishing and crabbing. But as we are moving North we'll periodically be hitting some places that we hope will provide WIFI access. No, not the bears, but little communities on various islands.

It looks like we'll anchor in Meyer's Chuck and then move up to Wrangell, which is a good size city for Alaska. So while I didn't get a chance to post any more photos while in Ketchikan, I hope to be able to do so once we get to Wrangell.

Oh, today there were 5 cruise ships in Ketchikan! The town is really hopping. And everyone is really friendly. We've also had two days of glorious sunshine. And we've seen many locals walking around with out a shirt on and/or wearing shorts, all while we are walking around in jeans, long sleeves and frequently wearing a fleece jacket. Pretty obvious we're not local, but everyone smiles & says hello just the same. I highly encourage others to come to Ketchikan for a vacation.

We're heading off to Foggy Bay, Alaska

2008-06-16T05:27:00.000-07:00

Up early this morning as we have 57 nm to Foggy Bay. While enjoying a cup of hot coffee I wanted to post an update. Weather this morning looks like a great day for the PNW: no drizzle, but light grey clouds. Unclear if we'll see the sun today, but it doesn't look like we'll have a problem with wind. Should be a great trip, with calm seas.

Here are a few more photos that I took last night

Gale Winds 30-40 knots - Oh My!

2008-06-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

First, we are safe. We tied up on the docks at Port Rupert Rowing & Yacht Club in BC ~10am this morning. And, they have WIFI. And we haven't had rain all day. The sun actually popped out, from behind the clouds, for a few minutes. We're spending one night here and then we cross over into US waters, where we'll soon begin a more liesurely cruise in Alaska vs focusing on moving north.

While we've lost a few days of cruise time, due to gale winds, we've had a great time. We've met some wonderful people and have actually been cruising with a sailboat (Doug & Jean from WA on Shaman), since we departed Port McNeil. Each day that we cruise further north it appears everything gets greener and more beautiful. We are now cruising the "inside passage" and the islands provide a great barrier to the majority of any storms that hit the PNW, but still we watch the weather reports and take things seriously if we hear of potential strong winds.

We're seeing more and more Bald Eagles, with each day that goes by. We probably saw 30 Bald Eagles today. I actually came within a few feet of one sitting on a pier. They are now almost as abundant as seagulls in San Diego, but definitely more entertaining.

We've also seen quite a few bears, some Black Bears and some Brown (Grizzly) Bears.

And we've caught a few fish, but I must confess they were too small to keep. Baby halibut, so we tossed them back. Still, it was fun to fish. Brad probably caught his first within two seconds of dropping a line, and another 5 fish within 3 minutes of starting to fish. I on the other hand, had fish eat my lures but it took sometime before I landed a fish. To clarify, our to-date fishing experience was a simple play time while on anchorage in a beautiful cove that wasn't really the best spot for fishing. Still, we are hoping to soon be able to spend more time fishing and catch some big halibut & salmon within a few more days.

We'll provide another update, once we get to Ketchikan. For now, here are some details that other boaters might be interested in and at the very bottom of this update are some photos.

Here is some insight on what we've been up to since our last update:

June 7th - departed Port McNeil for Allison Harbor (30 nm)
After 3 days on the docks in Port McNeil, we were really excited about heading further north. But, as gale winds had been blowing 30-40 knots in Queen Charlotte Strait, it was a good time to be tied up on the docks. You see, we needed to cross the strait to get further north. But we didn't really want to cross the strait with 30-40 knot winds.

During our time in Port McNeil we did a bit of boat cleaning, laundry and light shopping. We enjoyed chatting with fellow boaters, many of which were heading North to Alaska. While the local tourist center provides great insight on things to do in the area, we really value the opinions from fellow boaters.

While on the docks, we met many delightful people. One lovely couple, Doug & Jean from Wa., and this is their 2nd year to cruise to cruise north. One day we were all in the Visitor's Center, using their free internet access, and we all took a short walk together to check out the world's largest burl which is 24 tons. It was very interesting, but I kept thinking how I'd love to find someone who would cut it up and make some nice furniture out of it for me.

On our last day in Port McNeil, we took the advice of Doug & Jean to catch the ferry over to Alert Bay, on Cormorant Island, and they also joined us. The four of us hiked on the "Gator trail", which is a great hiking trail built over a bog. Looks like something that should be in Louisiana. We also toured: world's tallest totem pole, an old cemetery with totem poles, a new cemetery with interesting tombstones & crosses all with First Nation style decor, the U'Mista Cultural Center, the Big House, and many other items. The Cultural Center was far beyond my dreams and an insightful experience where we gained more appreciation for the First Nation people. We highly recommend a visit to Alert Bay and definitely to the U'Mista Cultural Center.
And we thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Alert Bay.

When we departed Port McNeill for Allison Harbor, we knew there was a risk if heavy winds in the afternoon, so we made an early departure. It was clear that many boats in the harbor were also heading out at the same time. Unfortunately we couldn't leave until we bought more fuel and the fuel docks didn't open until 8am. But we had great entertainment watching Bald Eagles eat their breakfast on the beach, while we were tied up at the fuel docks & waiting for them to open. As Shaman had a similar destination they set off before us and had set anchor before we arrived in Allison Harbor.

BTW, our top off at the fuel docks was $337.31 CDN for 80 gallons! And everyone expressed that Port McNeill had great fuel prices.

It was a drizzly day, but we loved Allison Harbor. We initially thought we'd stay in Allison one night, but as the forecast reported more gale warnings we decided to stay put for an additional night. Shaman also decided to stay put. Funny, as we didn't end up with any wind either nights. So on the subsequent morning we decided to head out of the Harbor and into the strait, risking weather conditions as the forecast reported. Oddly enough, we had about 30 minutes of 2' windchop and the rest of the trip was pretty flat and uneventful. Oh well, another weatherman was off on their report, but at least we played it safe by staying an additional day in a protected anchorage. And Allison Harbor is a beautiful anchorage that we'd love to come back to again.
51 03.439N 127 30.363W

June 8th - " Allison Harbor for Green Island(47 nm)
We saw several "large" whales while cruising to Green Island. We weren't certain what type, but think they might have ben grey whales. Definitely large. Larger with bigger plumes than I've seen in So. Cal. 51 38.519N 127 50.199W

June 10th - " Green Island for Shearwater (40nm)
We now focused on weather reports for Hecate Strait, which again reported gale forecasts of 35-45 knots. But as we felt we'd get some protection from nearby islands vs worrying about spending too much time directly in Hecate Strait, we decided to go for it. And we started our cruise early, before winds would pick up. Overall, sea conditions were quite calm for this leg of our journey. We were also pleasantly entertained with sightings of more whales and eagles. We tied up on the docks at Shearwater Resort on Denny Island, which is a nice fishing resort.

We've definitely noticed that as we cruise north we are seeing more and more Eagles. But it was quite fun to see a tree overlooking the marina, where a Bald Eagle liked to perch and watch. We were able to get closer to this Eagle than any others (see photos later in this update). The wharfinger (docks' manager) advised all boaters to be careful with onboard pets as this eagle has been known to swoop down and collect a few morsels, even if they were on a leash. Hymm.

Oh, and Shaman is continuing to join us on our cruise north. Jean & Doug are great traveling companions so we have pretty much planned our routes to cruise to Ketchikan together.

June 11th - " Shearwater for Bottleneck (52 nm)
Brad spotted our first Sea Otter today. He was alone and floating on his back. Quite a big one too! Cute guy! We anchored in Bottleneck, a lovely inlet:
54 42.558N 128 24.008 W

June 12th - " Bottleneck to Khutze (29 nm)
Another beautiful cruise, where the highlight was waterfalls. We considered anchoring at the head of the bay in Khutze, but there were three boats there in a raft up and anchorage was ~60', or more, in the open spots. We concluded we'd go back and anchor near the spit, which proved to be a great spot: 53 05.321N 128 30.907W Shaman arrived a few hours after we did and anchored nearby.

June 13th - " Khutze to Hartley Bay (38nm)
Hartley Bay is a really interesting First Nations village with great docks. Upon arriving we purchased fuel ($283 CDN for 190 litres) and took on water. It was mid-day and Mary, the manager of the marina and fuel docks, said we were her first customer. Obviously, this is a quiet place. To top off our fuel tanks the hose from the tanks was dropped down from a pierhead ~25'. It was an interesting experience.

After fueling, Mary told us to take any open spot in the marina. Without starting up the engines, we simply moved our boat up to an available spot. Quite easy. While waiting for Shaman to arrive, we began to explore the townn of Hartley Bay.

There are no roads in Hartley Bay, as we know them. There are wooden walkways that connect all the homes, as well as the docks. These walkways are wide enough for an ATV to cruise around and it seems that all the locals have one. But don't get the wrong impression and think these walkways are congested with traffic. The most traffic on these walkways were dogs running out to greet us.

The residents of Hartley Bay are part of the First Nation. All very friendly people and heartwarming. You may not remember, but in March '06 it was the people of Hartley Bay that rescued a BC ferry that hit a rock. This small community helped to save the lives of ~700 on this ferry, of which only two people were lost at sea. http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20060323/rescue_ferry_060323/20060323/ If we ever have a serious boating problem I hope we are near Hartley Bay, or someone from Hartley Bay is near us, as I'm sure they'd help us out. 53 25.447N 129 35.090W

June 14th - " Hartley Bay to Kermeleon Cove (46 nm)
Another deightful cruise and beautiful anchorage: 53 51.762N 130 01.670W

Oh, for our Southern California friends I should let you know that at 7am the inside cabin temperature was 53 degrees. Yes, that is after we've had the heat on. To clarify, we do use the heater in the morning and we'll turn it on a few times while underway. But I think we are getting used to this cooler weather.

June 15th - " Kermeleon Cove to Prince Rupert (33 nm)

Tomorrow morning we'll depart for Foggy Bay, Alaska. It is a 42 nm journey and will be the first place we anchor in Alaska. The following day (Tuesday) we'll clear customs in Ketchikan. As the US Customs does not have an office in Foggy Bay we actually had to call US Customs today, while in Prince Rupert, to ask permission to anchor in Foggy Bay for a night. To clarify, from Prince Rupert to Foggy Bay is 42 nautical miles (nm) and from Foggy Bay to Ketchikan is 38 nm. While we could technically make the trip in one day, our preference is to do it in two days. Thus, we apprecate the US Customs giving us permission to anchor in Foggy Bay for a night.

Our current plans for when we get to Ketchikan is to stay on the docks for three nights. Brad has ordered a regulator for the boat and we are hoping it will be waiting for us when we arrive in Ketchikan. To clarify, Brad concluded it wasn't the alternator that was giving us problems putting energy back into our batteries, but the regulator. Brad also has a few other minor boat projects, like changing oil, when we are in Ketchikan. And I have a large list too. Thus, we've concluded that three days in Ketchikan will give us time to do boat projects, replenish the boat's galley, and prepare for the next phase of our journey....enjoying the summer in Alaska.

The next update should come from when we are in Ketchikan. Tomorrow we'll anchor in Foggy Bay and then clear customs in Ketchikan. We plan to spend 3 nights in Ketchikan as we have a few boat projects to do, a lot of laundry, and need to do some shopping to provision our galley for cruising in Alaska and being able to stay out on anchorage for extended periods.

Photos:
Here is a photo of the World's largest burl, 24 tons, found in Port McNeil, Vancouver Island, BC. This was one of the fun things we did while waiting out the gale winds, while in Port McNeil.

Here are some photos from our visit to Alert Bay:

Here is a photo of a juvenile Bald Eagle. While waiting for the fuel docks in Port McNeil to open we enjoyed watching two juviniles, along with Mom & Dad, all have their breakfast.

Photos from Green Inlet:

Photos from Shearwater:

Photos from Khutze Bay:

Photos from Hartley Bay:

Photos from Kermelean Cove:

Photos from Prince Rupert:

Wind is a blowing

2008-06-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

We are staying another day in Port McNeill, as the gale winds haven't downgraded enough for us to make the next passage. I'm currently in a local laundry mat doing laundry and they provide free wifi/internet access. We had thought we'd take the BC ferry over to Alert Bay, but we missed the 8:45am ferry and are not sure if we want to take a ferry later in the day yet.

note: mid afternoon update winds are ~25 nm/hr in the marina and much stronger out in the Queen Charlotte Strait. Northwest tip of Vancouver Island there is a report of 50nm/hr. Needless today we're happy to be in a slip today and feeling very safe. There is a sailboat on anchor in the harbor and we've seen it reset their anchor several times today. Weather forecast shows it winds will begin to decline this evening, so we are currently thinking we may have a chance of leaving here early tomorrow morning.

It rained last night, but in Port McNeill the winds were very calm. About dinner time, before the rain began, a bald eagle cruised low to the water in the marina. He/she came very close to our boat. It was a special treat for us, as it was the closest we have probably ever been to one.

This morning we had a nice hot breakfast of pancakes, sausage and coffee. Very tasty and filling.

I'm going to try to upload some photos to past postings of this blog this morning. I have plenty, so not sure how many I'll be able to upload.

This afternoon we plan to check out one of the highlights in Port McNeill. They have a 24 ton burl on a local tree. It is evidently the world's largest, so we have it on our list of "must see" in Port McNeill. They also have a museum, a couple of gardens you could easily spend a day touring, beaches & hiking places to explore, whale & bear tours and many additional fun things to do. The BC Ferry system and local bus transportation system is quite good and can also take you to many other nearby ports of interest, should you not have a boat. Actually, a bit north of hear is Port Hardy where you can also catch the Ferry to Alaska.

Hello from Port McNeill, Vancouver Island, BC

2008-06-04T12:55:00.000-07:00

A weather front has come in, with gale force winds off the Northern part of Vancouver Island. But, we feel very lucky so far to have had good weather so far and we are prepared to sit tight if we need to.

We arrived mid-morning in Port McNeill, which is our last point before we cross Queen Charlotte Strait and pass Cape Caution. This Port is a great place to get fuel, which we need, as well as replenish our boat with a few items.

Here is some insight on what we've been up to since our last blog update. After Shoal Bay we cruised to:

Port Neville, The Broughton Islands, BC: We were excited to see a black bear while cruising thru Wellborne Channel. We also had fun watching the whirlpools at Ringpoint Rapids, as there must have been 100+ whirpools, each with a one foot, or more, indentation.

Port Neville is a beautiful inlet off the Johnstone Strait. There are no public utilities -- no electric lines, no public water, sewer, or garbage collection. Mail is delivered and picked up by airplane on Wednesdays, weather permitting. Lorna (Hansen) Chesluk, is the postmaster at this little outpost, but she was "off island" when we visited. But we were able to peak in the windows to the original Post Office & Store that is now turned into a museum. We also toured the lovely grounds, while we were tied up at the public docks. After our exploring, we cruised further into the inlet and anchored in Baresides Bay (50 31.482N 126 00.413W), which provided very good anchorage.

Lagoon Cove, The Broughton Islands, BC: We very much enjoyed time on the docks at the Lagoon Cove Resort. Anchoring is an option, which we typically prefer to do, but we were really happy to have decided to take a space on the docks. The majority of the boaters on the docks were headed North To Alaska, and the others were planning on spending the summer cruising the lovely Broughton Islands. We enjoyed chatting with all of them, learning about their favorite places to go, and local insights. And at 5pm the Resort hosted a delightful Happy Hour, where they provided fresh prawns and all the boaters brought an appetizer to share, and their own drink. The Happy Hour was definitely a happy one, with more time to chat with other boters as well as hear some great stores from Bob, the owner of Lagoon Cove. Again, we had a wonderful time at the Lagoon Cove Resort and highly recommend it for anyone cruising in the Broughton's.

Before we left we had a special treat by meeting another owner of a Wilbur (same manufacturer as our boat). There boat is 30 years old and in great condition. We both agreed Wilbur makes a great quality boat, perfect for cruising in the PNW.

Here are a few pictures of Port McNeill:

Photos from Lagoon Cove

Shoal Bay, East Thurlow Island

2008-06-01T14:58:00.000-07:00

I feel like our adventure has now truly begun, as we are heading to areas of cruising in the PNW that we have never explored. Coming from San Diego, CA, any place you cruise in the PNW is a definite adventure, but it just gets better the further north you go. And today, we started cruising north of where we have previously cruised in the PNW. While we know we want to cruise North to Alaska, we are flexible where we go and are looking for new and exciting opportunities to explore. Today, I feel we hit the jackpot!

We departed Campbell River, Vancouver Island, this morning. Brad started the engines at 7:55am and by 8:10am we were at the fuel dock. We took on 298 litres for a total of $435.35 cdn (ouch). We were off the fuel dock by 8:30am and headed to Seymour Narrows, trying to pass thru close to slack tide at 10am. We cruised North at a slow pace, also conserving fuel.

For those boaters reading our blog and not familiar with currents, here are some tidbits for Seymour Narrows for this morning:

8:30am 7.7 nm
9:00am 5.2nm
9:15am 3.9nm
9:30am 2.4nm
9:45am .9 nm

We passed thru Seymour Narrows at 9:30am, catching the benefits of a 2.4nm current taking us further north. We cruised by Quadra Island, going into Nodales Channel, passing Sonora Island. Camelon Harbor on Sonora Island is one of our favorite anchorages, but this time we passed this opportunity. We reached Shoal Bay on East Thurlow Island about 12:30pm and were on anchor @12:40pm. LAT: 50 27.486N LONG 125 21.912 W.

While on anchor we decided to move, but first took time to have a cup of soup for lunch. We then decided that prior to moving anchorages and then launching the dinghy, we'd simply tie up on the government dock and walk up to check out the Shoal Bay Lodge and later re-anchor.

Our initial impression of walking up to the Shoal Bay Lodge was that we were approaching someone's home with a fantastic view of the bay. But signs were posted that the "pub" was this way and there was a heartwarming feeling of welcome as we approached the Lodge. We were soon greeted by Mark MacDonald, owner of Shoal Bay Lodge, and found him very friendly. After chatting for a bit, and told that we could walk thru the gardens and area, Mark took us out for a walk and shared insights on the history of Shoal Bay and his dreams for the Lodge and area. He showed us the gardens, his home he is building, a pad for where he is building a home for his father, as well as a laundry building where boaters are welcome to do laundry and take showers.

It is clear to me that Mark as a broad list of talents and an exceptional internal compass for how to travel through life. Shoal Bay is clearly a unique setting for a boater. It offers fishing, crabbing, hiking and much more. As a Southern California boater, it is an experience of a lifetime to visit Shoal Bay. And if you are handy (e.g. framing, electricity, gardening, etc.) this may be a place that you'll find you can apply your talents to help Mark build his dream, where so many can also enjoy!

We feel very fortunate to have stopped by Shoal Bay Lodge, this type of experience is what makes a PNW cruise, for a So. Cal boater, with the cost and effort. We definitely want to encourage others to make a cruise to Shoal bay a priority....but at the same time, we understand that Mark and other boater's also want to keep Shoal Bay a pristine spot to visit and not one that is overcrowded as so many boating resort destination spots have become.

And we hope we get a chance to visit Shoal Bay Lodge again, especially when we cruise South later this summer.

Here are some photos of Shoal Bay:

Update from Campbell River, Vancouver Island, BC

2008-05-31T10:42:00.001-07:00

We woke up this morning to a beautiful blue sky, showing no signs of drizzle in the near future. We are on the docks at the Discovery Harbour in Campbell River, which is a great place to provision, as the shops are quite close to the harbour. They also have laundry services and restrooms right on the docks.

Tomorrow we'll leave Campbell River, continuing to move further north as fast as the weather will permit. Our plans are flexible, but we are looking at nearterm stops in: Shoal Bay, Lagoon Cove, Port McNeil, Port Hardy, and most likely Blunden Harbour. After that, we just know the stops will be further north and timing is weather dependant. But for now the weather looks quite good.

Following is an update on what we've been up to, since our last blog update:

Overall, we've been focused on moving north, but have enjoyed cruising very much. Weather on a typical day has pretty much been half day of grey clouds with on again, off again, drizzle, with the other half of the day quite sunny. Frequently, the best time of the day has been between 3pm-7pm, when the sun comes out. Temperatures have been 45-65...with one day we hit 70.

Sunday, May 25th - departed Anacortes, WA. Before departing we purchased 120 galls of fuel @$4.75/gal. An obvious sign that this adventure was going to be big$$$ Note: In our previous cruise north we departed Anacortes on June 25th. We're finding that so far, the weather has been much nicer than our previous cruise.
Monday, May 26th - Blind Bay, Shaw Island. Anchored: Lat: 48 34.672N Long: 122.56.163W
Tuesday, May 27th - Prevost Harbor, Stuart Island. Anchored: Lat 48 40.67N Long 123.11.685W Enjoyed our hike to Turn Point Light House. Met some young college students from Illinois. They were spending the summer on Stuart Island researching whales, and they were living at the local school house in exchange for some work at the school. They'd been on the island 10 days and had not yet seen a whale. We also met a Park Ranger who lives on the island in the summertime, and winters in Floriday. His wife is a native of Stuart Island. He said everyone on the island is related!
Wednesday, May 28th - Tseshum Harbour, Vancouver Island. Cleared Canadian customs at Van Islae (in the rain) and tied up at a guest slip at Sidney North Saanich Yacht Club (SNSYC). Caugt a bus into Sidney and had fun walking around the town. Bought some tasty pastries at a local bakery, before catching the bus back to SNSYC. While on the docks at SNSYC we met a lovely couple (Cliff &Orma Bowering, on Skylark, a Seabird 37 from Port Moody, BC) that is also sailing north, to Alaska,but will be departing a few weeks after us. They are master mariners, having spent 7 years cruising in Venezuela! We are hoping to see them again this summer, as we both have cruise north.
Thursday, May 29th - Comox, Vancouver Island. Anchored. Enjoyed watching Jr. Sailing (CYC) in the Comox Bay in late afternoon. Sun was shining down and the water replets looked beautiful. The mountain peaks also still had snow too!
Friday, May 31st - Campbell River, Vancouver Island
Saturday, June lst - " " " "

While we could have stayed only one day in Campbell River, with laundry, shopping and a few minor things Brad needs to do on the boat, we felt it would be better to have two days. One of Brad's projects is to debug why we are not getting as many AMP Hours into our batteries, when we run our engines, as we should. Yesterday he tested the alternator, spoke with the manufacturer, as well as took it to a local shop for further testing. All tests have confirmed the alternator is working fine, so he will do more investigation on the boat today to determine what is causing the problem. Other than that issue, the boat and us are all doing quite well. We're anxious to get to Alaska.

Please feel free to email us and we'll respond when we can. Or you can call us on Brad's cell. You'll most likely get VM if we are running the engines. And if you wish to send snail mail, y ou can mail us: General Delivery, Brad & Darlene Simmons, Ketchikan Post Office, 3609 Tongass Avenue, Ketchikan, AK 99901 This general delivery address should work for us thru the end of July, but not certain how much later.

Photos from Prevost Harbor:

Here are some photos of Sidney North Saanich (SNSYC) and Sidney:

Departing Anacortes tomorrow (Sunday) morning

2008-05-24T16:23:00.000-07:00

We have had an absolutely beautiful day today. It was our first day where we didn't have any rain, throughout the entire day, and it was definitely a day to wear shorts! While I've seen the locals wearing shorts in 50 degree weather, this was a shorts day for those coming from sunny Southern California - probably in the mid 70's. And a beautiful blue sky too!

We spent more time again today at the Trawler Fest boat show. We have fallen in love with a Nordic Tug 42' and an American Tug 41'. Brad is currently out on a test run for the Nordic Tug. We had hoped to take a test run on the American Tug this evening, but it looks like we'll have to schedule one in September for when we return to Anacortes. Both are very nice boats, but were trying to understand the differences vs cost to determine the best value for what we'd like.

El Bucanero is polished and fully provisioned, with the exception of fuel. If you hear very loud noise early tomorrow morning it is probably our screams from seeing the first fuel bill for this adventure. We realized everything would be more costly when we started planning this trip, but in reality the fuel price is a killer.....for now we'll try to not look at what this adventure costs, as we do want to encourge others to giving it a try. After all, how often does a boater from Southern California get an opportunity to cruise North to Alaska?

We'll be anchoring in the San Juan Islands and Gulf Islands, over the coming week....our next chance to have internet access will most likely be when we make it to Tseshum Harbour in British Columbia in ~7-10 days. Until then....

Happy Cruising!

Darlene & Brad

The wind is howling!

2008-05-23T09:18:00.000-07:00

Funny how much is dependent on the weather when one is boating. It is certainly difficult to clean and wax a boat when it is raining. And it is difficult to move a boat when it is windy. But when the sun is out and there is calm seas, boating can be very fun. Don't get me wrong, as we are having fun.

Still in anacortes and liesurely preparing the boat to begin cruising. Weather had been ~55 degrees for the high and 45 degrees for a low, with various showers on and off throughout the day. Yesterday afternoon we reached a delightful 70 degrees in the afternoon, making it really nice to finish waxing the hull. While we do see locals in shorts in the ~50 degree weather, we finally started thinking about wearing shorts when it reached 70 degrees.

We woke up this morning to winds with ~35 knot gusts and have are having light sprinkles and the weather is 65 degrees (inside our cabin) and 45 outside! No telling what the weather will be at the end of the day, but for now we are happy to be in a slip.

Brad has arranged for the US Customs to come inspect our boat this coming Saturday at 10am to allow us to get an I-68 pass, which will allow us to call in vs making an actual landing to clear US customs.

We are now planning on departing Anacortes this coming Sunday, heading North. We'll keep you posted on our destinations.

We're now living on our boat in Anacortes

2008-05-20T13:08:00.000-07:00

Our boat arrived via truck transport Monday, May 19th ~1am. We had spent the night at the Anaco Bay Inn and were at the marina early morning. We were able to get El Bucanero (EB) launched at the Cap Santa Marina and by 9am were starting to put her back together.

We spent Monday getting the dingy inflated and back up top, bemini up, and all our clothing is now in the proper place. We also did a quick outside cleanup before it started raining.

Today, Tuesday, May 20th we spent provision EB, trying to fill our freezer with items for our cruise. Later in the week we'll pick up items to stock up the fridge, before we set off on our cruise.

Here are some of our photos while in Anacortes:

El Bucanero has left home port!

2008-05-16T17:51:00.000-07:00

Wave Runner Boat Transport picked up El Bucanero today, with help from Driscoll's Boat Yard. The plan is to launch El Bucanero in Anacortes, Wa on Monday, May 19th with help from Cap Sante Boat Yard. While the boat left San Diego today, we'll be leaving tomorrow (Sat) early.

{above} Jorge at Driscoll's Boat Yard has lifted our boat out (and put back in) so many times it is difficult to count, and always with great care and cheerfulness.

{below} Jimmy Jackson, owner of Wave Runner Boat Transport, is a really nice man. When we met him in March, he had one very cute traveling companion. But he acquired another traveling companion when he found a cute match to his, abandoned in a truck stop. Aren't these two Apricot Poodles cute?

{Below} El Bucanero is loaded on Wave Runner and getting ready for the trip to Anacortes, WA.

We're leaving 80+ degree weather in San Diego. It will be fun to see the change of weather as we go north to Alaska.

While we plan to arrive in Anacortes, WA this coming Monday we are thinking of staying over for the Trawler Fest that will be held in Anacortes this coming TH-FR.

We'll keep you posted when we get to Anacortes, WA.

Why Alaska Bound?

2008-05-15T16:49:00.000-07:00

Why not?

Actually, in our 2005 cruise we met so many cruisers in the PNW that had cruised North to Alaska it sounded like a wonderful cruise. You can also see so much more on your own boat than on a commercial cruise line with 2,000 of your best friends! Plus, in our 2005 PNW cruise we found that everything got better the further North we cruised, which is amazing given every place we went in 2005 was absolutely wonderful.

Personally, I (Darlene) wanted to have a few experiences with nature (e.g. bears, whales, eagles, waterfalls, hotsprings, fishing, etc.).

We knew we'd cover some areas we cruised in '05, but we looked forward to visiting spending most of our time in SE Alaska and visiting some of our favorite places in that we had visited in 2005. To clarify, Sonora Island in BC was probably the most northerly part of our cruise and we simply didn't have sufficient time to go more North.

Here is a summary of our 2005 PNW adventure.:

0603 - departed MBYC
0604 - spent the night at a truck stop in LeBec, CA
0605 - spent night in Grants Pass, Or
0606 - spent night in Anacortes, WA
0607 - boat arrived, spent night in Anacortes (on boat)
0608 - Anacortes, Fidalgo Island
0609 - Anacortes, Fidalgo Island
0610 - Blakely Island, WA
0611 - OIYC, West sound, Orcas Island
0612 - Reid Harbor, Stuart Island
0613 - Garrison Bay, San Juan Island
0614 - Roche Harbor, San Juan Island
0615 - Friday Harbor, San Juan Island
0616 - Fisherman Bay, Lopez Island
0617 - Blind Bay, Shaw Island
0618 - Blind Bay, Shaw Island
0619 - North Cove, Jones Island
0620 - North Cove, Jones Island
0621 – Echo Bay, Sucia Island
0622 - Anacortes, Fidaglo Island
0623 - Anacortes, Fidaglo Island
0624 - Anacortes, Fidaglo Island
0625 - Deer Harbor, Orcas Island
0626 - Sidney, Vancouver Island, BC
0627 - Capital City YC, Tsehum Hbr, Vancouver Island, BC
0628 - Capital City YC, Tsehum Hbr, Vancouver Island, BC
0629 – Tod Inlet (Buchart Gardens), Vancouver Island, BC.
0630 – Tod Inlet (Buchart Gardens), Vancouver Island, BC

0701 – Ganges Harbor, Salt Spring Island, BC
0702 – Montague Harbor, Galiano Island, BC
0703 – Telegraph Harbor, Thetis Island, BC
0704 – Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, BC
0705 – Nanaimo, Vancouver Island, BC
0706 – Newcastle Island, BC
0707 – Pender Harbor, Schelet Inlet, BC
0708 – Egmont, Schelet Inlet, BC
0709 _ Chatterbox Falls, Princess Louisa Inlet, BC
0710 _ Chatterbox Falls, Princess Louisa Inlet, BC
0711 _ Powell River/Westview
0712 _ Grace Harbor, Desolation Sound
0713 _ Tenedos
0714 _ Prideaux Haven, Melonee Cove
0715 _ Prideaux Haven, Melonee Cove
0716 _ Von Donop Inlet, Cortes Island
0717 _ Gorge Harbor, Cortes Island
0718 _ Campbell River, Vancouver Island
0719 _ Campbell River, Vancouver Island
0720 _ Cameleon Bay, Sonora Island
0721 _ Cameleon Bay, Sonora Island
0722 _ Octopus Islands
0723_ Octopus Islands
0724_ Octopus Islands
0725_ Octopus Islands
0726_ Octopus Islands
0727_ Octopus Islands
0728_ Teakerne Arm, Refuge Cove, Squirrel Cove
0729_ Squirrel Cove
0730_ Squirrel Cove
0731_ Roscoe Bay

0801 _ Pender, Sechelt Peninsula
0802_ Silva Bay, Gabriola Island
0803_ Silva Bay, Gabriola Island
0804_ Pirates Cove, De courcy Island
0805_Pirates Cove, De courcy Island
0806_ Ladysmith, Vancouver Island
0807_ Princess Cove, Wallace Island
0808_ Princess Cove, Wallace Island
0809 _Maple Bay, Vancouver Island
0810_ Maple Bay, Vancouver Island
0811 _Tsehum Harbor (Sidney), Vancouver Island
0812 _Tsehum Harbor (Sidney), Vancouver Island
0813 _Tsehum Harbor (Sidney), Vancouver Island
0814_Portland Island, Princess Margaret Marine Park
0815_Portland Island, Princess Margaret Marine Park
0816_ Fulford, Saltspring Island =>Ganges Harbor, Saltspring Island
0817 Ganges Harbor, Saltspring Island
0818_Ganges Harbor, Saltspring Island
0819_James Bay, Prevost Island
0820_Miners Bay, Mayne Island => Lyall Harbor, Saturna Island
0821_ Lyall Harbor, Saturna Island
0822_ Breezy Bay, Saturna Island => Cabbage Island
0823_Bedwell Harbor, South Pender Island
0824_Bedwell Harbor, South Pender Island
0825_ Roche, Reid Harbor/Stuart Island
0826_ Reid Harbor, Stuart Island
0827_ Reid Harbor, Stuart Island
0828_ Prevost Harbor, Stuart Island
0829_Sucia Island, San Juan Islands
0830_ Jones Island, San Juan Islands
0831_ Friday Harbor, San Juan Island

0901_Friday Harbor, San Juan Island
0902_Friday Harbor, San Juan Island
0903_ Blind Bay, Shaw Island
0904_Blind Bay, Shaw Island
0905_Rosario, Orcas Island ;
0906_Spencer Spit, Lopez Island
0907_Spencer Spit, Lopez Island
0908_James Island
0908_Anacortes
0909 _Anacortes
0910 _Anacortes
0911 _ Anacortes
0912 _Anacortes
0913 _ Grants Pass, Oregon
0914 _ LeBec, California
0915 _ MBYC, San Diego, CA …We are home

Dreaming of heading North to Alaska

2008-05-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun cruising the PNW in 2005, we've been dreaming of when we could cruise the PNW again, but this time go further north - North to Alaska! The dream of taking our boat to SE Alaska was on our "bucket list". We didn't want to find ourselves saying, “If we only went to Alaska, when we could have..”

Our boat's home port is Mission Bay Yacht Club (MBYC) in San Diego. It is a great place to be home based and a delightful yacht club. But, our hearts tell us we must cruise north!

We've reviewed our logs from our PNW cruise in 2005, read books & blogs about cruising to SE Alaska, and reviewed appropriate charts. We have new electronics on the boat and added our Mustang Survival Gear, among other items. We feel we are ready to head north and we are anxious for an adventure of a lifetime.

Our boat will be transported by "Wave Maker", boat transporters, from San Diego to Anacortes, Wa, and launched in Anacortes. As our boat is being moved north, we'll drive I-5, and end up leaving our truck Anacortes, while we cruise north.

Updates to this blog are created to keep those concerned aware of where we are, as well as capture insights on cruising the PNW for use by other boaters. For those that are considering cruising the PNW, you may also want to check out our blog which we created during our 2005 cruise:
http://elbucaneropnw.blogspot.com/