Cruise North: 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.