Day 5 | Alaska Flotilla Leg 2 | Pelican to Elfin Cove

With only 19nm to travel today, we didn’t rush out of Pelican. We’d hoped to be able to get breakfast at the Lisianski Inlet Cafe, but they’re not open on Sundays until the fishing season really begins and more people arrive in Pelican. Oh well.

The trip from Pelican to Elfin Cove is mostly protected, but a few miles in Cross Sound are exposed to ocean swell. Conditions were calm, but the rugged coastline—complete with sea caves, stacks, and arches—is evidence of the ferocious weather that this coast often sees. 

We arrived in Elfin Cove to find the outer dock deserted.

After tying up, we wandered around the boardwalk. The restaurant (Coho Bar & Grill) was open as usual. The general store wasn’t open at the time, but was scheduled to open later in the afternoon.

Elfin Cove outer dock
Elfin Cove Inner Harbor
Elfin Cove Inner Harbor
Elfin Cove General Store
Boardwalk alongside the inner harbor entrance

Walking around the boardwalk village doesn’t take long, so after we got back to the boats we headed off in the dinghies. We’d been impressed with the rugged scenery of Three Hill Island on our way in and decided to take the dinghies out for a closer look (after exploring the inner harbor by dinghy).

Two of the many “holes in rocks” we found on the outside:

We dinghied around the entirety of Three Hill Island before the rain began to come down a bit more aggressively and we opted to head back to the dock. 

Later in the afternoon we wandered back up to the Coho for a beer, and then stopped at the Elfin Cove General Store to see what they had (plenty, but nothing we really needed). 

By evening the rain had mostly stopped, so we grilled up some burgers and asparagus on Airship, and Sam brought over a side of his famous mac-n-cheese.

Today’s total: 19.6nm, 2 hours 27 minutes underway
Flotilla total: 116.2nm, 16 hours 25 minutes underway