Tomorrow, tomorrow ..... always tomorrow

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.