Sam Landsman 
With our time in Southeast Alaska rapidly dwindling and a favorable weather forecast for Dixon Entrance tomorrow, we departed Punchbowl Cove this morning bound for Foggy Bay, a good jumping off point for Dixon Entrance. Along the way we passed New Eddystone Rock, a dramatic spire that rises more than 200 feet from the depths of Behm Canal. NOAA predicted 15 knot winds and 3 foot seas and inReach weather … Read more
Today we headed south from Walker Cove to Punchbowl Cove, about 19 nautical miles. Punchbowl Cove is normally our second preferred anchorage in Misty Fjords, but definitely not for lack of beauty, which it is rolling in! The reason is that normally Punchbowl Cove is very heavily trafficked…float planes and tour boats are in and out of the cove ALL day, making it feel almost as busy as the city … Read more
Misty Fjords National Monument is one of the most scenic places in Southeast Alaska. Waterfalls of all types, from dainty-looking ribbons to furious torrents, plunge into the ocean. Sheer walls rise thousands of feet into the misty skies. In the places sufficiently horizontal for soil to gather, scars from landslides abound, illustrating just how tenuously the soil and vegetation cling to the cliffs. We’ll visit two of the most dramatic … Read more
Several weeks ago we stumbled upon some information about the Margaret Creek Wildlife Viewing Area near Ketchikan. Exploring Southeast Alaska (the most popular cruising guide for the area) had almost no information on the bay or the wildlife viewing area, but the anchorage in adjacent Marguerite Bay looked spacious and well-protected with moderate depths. The description of the wildlife viewing area was tantalizing: a 1.25 mile walk to a platform … Read more
We weren’t in any rush to depart Point Baker, but we all got underway fairly early for the short cruise to Exchange Cove. Right off the bat, strong opposing current slowed our progress. Watching the speed over ground drop into the 5s, then 4s is painful, but thankfully the water was calm and we only had 25nm to travel. Around Point Colpoys the current finally released us from its grip … Read more
Our route today from Devilfish Bay to Point Baker is via El Capitan Passage. El Capitan Passage is a narrow, winding, shallow pass (dredged to 6 feet in some places), but it is well-marked and well-charted. Unfortunately, low tide this morning was at about 7:30 a.m. and is a -1.6ft, so we opted to leave Devilfish Bay around 10:00 a.m. to ensure we would have plenty of water under our … Read more
Originally when we planned this leg of the trip we’d hoped to continue down from Craig around the south end of Prince of Wales Island, then north to Ketchikan. This is slightly shorter than going over the north end of Prince of Wales Island, but it’s also more exposed. Cape Chacon, at the south end of Prince of Wales Island, juts into Dixon Entrance. To go that route, we needed … Read more
Craig is about 50nm from Egg Harbor, and a third of those miles are in the ocean. Today’s forecast is as good as we’ve seen: wind light and seas (combined wind waves and swell) three feet. We departed early from Egg Harbor—around 6:30 a.m.—hoping to beat any unforecast wind. The ocean cooperated nicely, and we enjoyed as smooth a ride as we’d hoped. The only downside of today’s cruise was … Read more