We entered the ocean through Imperial Channel and immediately got a glimpse of the Fairweather Mountains to the north. The swell was running, but much gentler than a few days before. Maybe five feet instead of eight, less confused, and spread out a little further.
The Chichagof Island shoreline is tall, steep, and beautiful.
After an hour or so, we entered Lisianski Strait and put the ocean behind us. We’d discussed anchoring in Lost Cove, but after making a few loops we didn’t like what we saw. The anchorage is deep, rocky, and has limited swinging room. We pushed on to Stag Bay.
Stag Bay isn’t a common anchorage. It’s not in the Douglass cruising guide, nor is it in Active Captain. The anchorage at the head is a classic fjord-type: steep-to off a large drying flat. We dropped 250 feet of chain in 140 feet of water and backed towards the shore. The anchor set and held us in 40 feet of water a couple of boat lengths from the shoal. Perfect!
Stag Bay turned out to be prettier than expected:
We dinghied around the perimeter, marveling at the scale of the place. From a distance, many of the waterfalls and other features appear small, almost insignificant.
Up close, this “little” waterfall looked a lot bigger!
Today’s total: 25.8nm, 3 hours 42 minutes underway
Flotilla total: 85.6nm, 12 hours 20 minutes underway
