We left Appleton Cove right around sunrise so we could scoot out and up Chatham Strait and into Pavlof Harbor before the weather came in. It’s really tough some days to get up and going so early, but then we’re often rewarded with incredible sunrises and scenery like this along the way:
Out in Chatham just before turning into Freshwater Bay, we spotted three orcas, two adults and one little guy:
Look at that tiny fin!
This sailboat did not transmit AIS and we didn’t catch its name, but couldn’t resist taking this photo of it with the mountains in the background:
At the point just as we were turning into Freshwater Bay, there were a couple humpbacks, and a couple porpoises…and the waters were just boiling with fish!! We’re pretty certain these are Dall’s porpoises, it’s just that we never see them this…calm. Usually their fins are super splashily breaking the surface. But there’s really no mistaking that white tipped fin.
Two’s Out, arriving at Pavlof Harbor:
Free Solo at anchor, and Paul & Kim from Seabear in their dinghy heading up to the waterfall:
The Free Solo team headed out in their dinghy as soon as they’d anchored because there was a pod of orcas inside Freshwater Bay, just across from Pavlof Harbor. They got some amazing shots that they shared with us to post (thanks Ralph and David and Sara!)
We did dinner on our own and sent the plan for Friday over by text, because the plan for Friday was basically that we’re staying put another night here to wait out some very breezy weather. It was rainy and stormy, and we saw gusts last night to 43 knots. The boats all sailed back and forth on anchor, and we had a little wave slap and wind whooshes all night, but other than that this spot is pretty well protected from the direction of these winds (SE).
In the morning, we set out crab pots, and kept an eye out for the sow and tiny cub we were told about by a boating friend we passed yesterday (Hi Tom and Michele on Kismet!), but so far we haven’t seen bear one. However, this morning, announced by a foghorn sounding breath, a large group of humpbacks showed up just outside Pavlof Bay…there were at least 15 of them (including a couple calfs), and they were bubblenet feeding…right there! We didn’t get a photo of that, but this is what we did get:
This is Two’s Out at anchor, so you can get a feel for their proximity to our anchorage. Amazing.
They hung out for a while and then headed back out around the point…but they’ll probably be back.
We took the dinghy up to the waterfall and fish ladder to check for bears. No bears.
Some aerials Kevin took during the 5 minutes it wasn’t raining or gusting to 30 knots:
Tonight we had a super fun and delicious Italian-themed potluck on Airship. In the morning we’ll head up to Coverden Island Cove. There’s still time for us to catch a glimpse of any bears on shore, should they feel like making themselves seen. 🙂