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
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