Akeeva | Lynn Canal to Skagway

The flotilla might be over, but our cruising isn’t. The day after the flotilla concluded, friends arrived in Juneau, and the next day we set off for Skagway. Skagway is the first destination of what we hope will be a year of adventure on Akeeva. The plan is to explore Alaska this summer, including (hopefully) Prince William Sound, then work our way south along the Pacific Coast in the fall. … Read more

Airship | A Few Days in Juneau

We spent five nights in Juneau after finishing up the flotilla. We’ve got another guest coming in to join us, and thought we’d get some boat projects, laundry, and provisioning done, while exploring Juneau a little more and revisiting some of our favorite spots. We shared a rental car with friends (and flotilla participants) Julie and David, which made everything quite a bit easier. The Sand Bar & Grill is … Read more

Day 38 | Flotilla to Alaska | Ford’s Terror to Juneau

We had the anchors up by 5:45a.m. this morning to make our way to the rapids for high slack, which we thought would be around 6:30a.m. The rapids cooperated nicely and we had an easy transit. Exiting Ford’s Terror and motoring out of Endicott Arm always feels a little deflating. On the way in, the views get progressively more impressive. On the way out, the sheer cliffs turn into steep, … Read more

Days 35 – 37 | Flotilla to Alaska | Tracy Arm Cove, Endicott Arm, Ford’s Terror

The weather during this flotilla hasn’t all been great, but when it has counted the most (in the most beautiful spots), the weather weather has cooperated unusually well. Few experiences during a summer cruise in Alaska rival visiting a tidewater glacier, and being able to do it on a sunny day is a huge bonus. Somehow, we lucked into wonderful weather for our trip up Endicott Arm and into Ford’s … Read more

Day 34 | Flotilla to Alaska | Taku Harbor to Tracy Arm Cove

We had a short cruise today, just 25nm from Taku Harbor to Tracy Arm Cove. The morning dawned foggy, but with very low tides predicted later in the morning, we had to vacate the dock or risk sitting in the mud. Thankfully, radar, chart plotters, and AIS make navigating in the fog relatively easy, especially when there’s as little traffic as there is here. We only deviated from our course … Read more

Day 33 | Flotilla to Alaska | Couverden Island Cove to Taku Harbor

Although the wind wasn’t quite as gusty as yesterday, we awoke to breezy conditions. The forecast called for 15-20 knot southerlies, and as soon as we left Couverden Island Cove we felt the wind and waves. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. Thankfully, within just a few miles, we crossed a tide line and the conditions improved dramatically! Today’s cruise was uneventful and a bit of a blur. … Read more

Day 31-32 | Appleton Cove to Couverden Island Cove

We got an early start–about 6:00 a.m.–for a longer-than-expected day to Couverden Island Cove. Originally we planned to go to Pavlof Harbor today, about 25 miles south of Couverden Island Cove. The weather forecast called for good traveling weather this morning, but worsening weather beginning in the afternoon and continuing for at least a day, so we decided to go a little further today to a super-secure anchorage and then … Read more

Day 30 | Flotilla to Alaska | Sitka to Appleton Cove

Sitka skies this morning were mostly gray and cloudy, but the wind was light and it wasn’t raining. We left the harbor by about 6:30 a.m., timing our arrival at Sergius Narrows for near slack (9:48a.m.). On the way into Sitka, we’d jockeyed with lots of traffic from Sergius Narrows all the way into town. This time, we enjoyed nearly empty waterways and light traffic. As we continued east in … Read more