After five nights in Sitka, we were ready to move on and the forecast looked good. This leg of the flotilla is new this year, and we have just one boat traveling with us: Jester. Over the next 10 or 11 days, we’ll work our way up to Juneau. Most boats do this via the “inside” route, back through Peril Strait, up Chatham Strait, and around the top of Admiralty … Read more
Thirty-four days after we left the San Juan Islands for our journey up the Inside Passage, we are ready for this last leg of the flotilla into Sitka. It’s been a spectacular trip, and we’re excited and also a little sad to be reaching the end. We’ve had a remarkably smooth transit – with a combination of great luck and good timing on weather windows for the “gates” of the … Read more
Today’s cruise from Takatz Bay to Deep Bay was about 53nm. We had great weather again (getting so spoiled!) and the conditions in Chatham Strait were calm. We saw more traffic today than we’ve seen all summer…fish boats, charter yachts, cruise ships, a tug and tow, as well as a few other pleasure boats. We also saw a large number of Dall’s porpoises! They splashed and jumped and surfed our … Read more
With just nine miles to travel today, we didn’t rush off the dock at Warm Springs Bay. After a relaxed morning—more soaking in the hot springs, warm cinnamon rolls delivered to each boat, and more computer work—we headed north to Takatz Bay around 10:30 a.m. Chatham Strait was smooth once again, with a nice current boosting our speed. On the way into Takatz Bay Salish Spirit spotted a brown bear on shore. … Read more
Red Bluff Bay to Warm Springs Bay is about 21nm, straight up Chatham Strait. As we mentioned yesterday, Chatham Strait can be challenging, and even 10-15 knots of wind can make for a bumpy ride. But we emerged from Red Bluff Bay to find another calm and glassy day on Chatham. Safe Harbour and Airship (and Jester, because he’s an early bird) headed out just before 7:00 a.m. The dock … Read more
We awoke to the sun peeking through the clouds and light wind, perfect for the 40 mile run to Red Bluff Bay. This trip—through Frederick Sound, around Pt. Gardner, and across Chatham Strait—can be bumpy and miserable when the wind is blowing. We had no wind, no chop, calm seas. Often we see many whales in this area, but not today. A few boats saw a few spouts, but nothing … Read more
After several days in Petersburg, we were ready to be anchored again. Originally we’d planned to go to Portage Bay, then Pybus Bay the following day. But since Pybus Bay is so much larger and prettier than Portage, we decided to head directly to Cannery Cove in Pybus Bay and spend two nights. The ~50nm cruise up from Petersburg was beautiful: mostly cloudy, occasional heavy rain squalls, glaciers and mountains … Read more
We decided to spend three nights in Petersburg. Part of the reason was practical: we arrived late in the afternoon, will depart in the morning, and will spend a full day out at Le Conte Glacier. This barely gives enough time to get groceries, fix any boat problems, do laundry, or explore Petersburg. Plus we really like Petersburg; it’s a charming, proud small town. So the day after arriving in … Read more