We left Foggy Bay this morning around 7:00 a.m., headed for Ketchikan. We had some light swell at first, and a little more than light swell later in morning (and some fog) but overall it was a pretty smooth cruise.
Arriving in Ketchikan was uneventful compared to past years when it takes all the concentration and focus you have to keep track of the incoming and outgoing boat traffic, float plane traffic, cruise ships, etc. Today, it was so calm and peaceful we were lulled into not taking any pictures at all of our arrival.
Two boats found open moorage at the city floats (Casey Moran Docks) in town, and the other three got space further north in Bar Harbor (more convenient for shopping and laundry and picking up packages from Frontier Shipping). The harbormaster was super helpful helping everyone find a spot.
Originally we’d planned to do errands as we arrived in Ketchikan, but most of us just wanted to get out and walk after a week of being confined to our boats and unable to go on land.
We made a reservation for dinner at the Cape Fox Lodge for 6:00 p.m., then met before that as a group at the Arctic Bar for a beer or one of their famous Bloody Marys. Normally, Arctic Bar has a wonderfully interesting convergence of locals and cruise ship passengers, but this time it was uncrowded, populated by just a few locals (well, and us).
We walked to the funicular that takes you up the side of the hill to the Cape Fox Lodge, but it was not running, so we walked the combination of winding road and steep stairs…all of us pretty happy to be getting some more exercise!
We had a fun, delicious dinner…great view, great service…really a nice evening!
It’s so strange to be here without all the cruise ship tourism (which we hear will be resuming in July). The town north of city floats feels pretty normal, with most businesses operating and people going about their lives. From city floats south, things are a lot quieter. Perhaps half the businesses—trinket shops, art galleries, jewelry shops, restaurants, etc. are closed and foot traffic is light. In Bar Harbor, the familiar buzz of Beavers taking off and landing is hugely reduced, from perhaps 20 an hour when the sightseeing planes are running to 20 a day now. It’s at once refreshing and depressing.
38.6nm today
598.9nm total
