Airship | Anan Wildlife Observatory

Yesterday morning we decided to check on a permit for Anan Wildlife Observatory since we’d be passing right by today. July 5 is the very first day of the high season and the first day each year that you need a permit to visit (read: there’s a good chance to see bears). Prior to July 5 and after August 25 you don’t need a permit. As I mentioned yesterday, we were … Read more

Airship | Sokolof Island, Wrangell 4th of July, and Berg Bay

We left Point Baker and headed toward Wrangell, stopping to fish for halibut around Vank and Sokolof Islands in the afternoon. We didn’t catch anything and thought we’d fish again the next morning, so we anchored for the night in a little bight on the SE corner of Sokolof Island — a decent anchorage with a distant view of Wrangell. In the evening we saw a small brown bear on … Read more

Airship | Chapin Bay, Rocky Pass, Point Baker

We got an early start on Saturday morning from Red Bluff Bay. Conditions were nice and calm on Chatham Strait, barely a swell felt. We cruised the 27nm distance to Chapin Bay, on the southern tip of Admiralty Island, and anchored up at the head of the bay in about 50 feet. It rained off and on, but we went out for a dinghy excursion anyway. We chose the next … Read more

Airship | Hidden Falls Hatchery and Red Bluff Bay

We left Takatz Bay this morning and headed back to Ell Cove so we could give the hatchery visit another shot. Conditions were gray with fog and light rain. We saw a couple of orcas just outside Takatz, which was nice. Here’s a really bad photo of one of them: We anchored in Ell Cove, dinghied over to Hidden Falls, and wandered around the hatchery grounds a little before we … Read more

Airship | Angoon to Takatz Bay

This morning we had intended to walk into the village at Angoon, then take the dinghy back to Mitchell Bay during the afternoon slack. However, when we did a bit more research on the currents, we realized that Bridge Point had a reporting station, and that slack current this morning (turning to flood) was just 15 minutes from the time we were looking it up! So, instead of walking into … Read more

Airship | Juneau to Angoon

We left Auke Bay on Tuesday morning with a plan to cruise all the way down to Pavlof Harbor, (about 49nm) but the conditions were annoyingly snotty in Lynn Canal. The forecast was for 15 knot winds from the south with 3 foot waves, but the waves were more like 4 feet and so close together it made for a very slammy, uncomfortable ride. Why do that for two more … Read more

Airship | Excursion Inlet and Couverden Island Cove

We had just about perfect weather as we left Flynn Cove and cruised across Icy Strait into Excursion Inlet. The wind was about 10 knots out of the west, so we had a 1 foot chop or so on our beam, but nothing to complain about. We anchored in the west arm at Sawmill Bay, where we’ve anchored a few times previously. We definitely did not remember it being so … Read more

Airship | Hoonah and Flynn Cove

Yesterday (Saturday) we cruised from Trap Bay in Tenakee Inlet up into Icy Strait and around to Hoonah. We got in on the later side, so we just hung out and had dinner aboard. Dan cooked up some chicken souvlaki and a greek salad for dinner, and I brought over kimchi pancakes with a spicy gochujang dipping sauce (recipe below). In the morning, we headed up to have breakfast at … Read more