Sam Landsman 
Juneau, like most towns in Alaska, launches 4th of July fireworks as the clock rolls from 11:59 p.m. on July 3rd to 12:00 a.m. July 4th. This is because during summer in Alaska darkness is short-lived. In order for the fireworks to occur on July 4th under maximum darkness they must be launched in the wee hours of the morning. This year, the fireworks show wasn’t a sure thing. Southeast … Read more
We’d planned for today to be short, just a 10nm hop across Chatham Strait to Funter Bay. But as we looked at the forecast for the following day (when we’d be making the ~50nm run to Juneau), we were slightly concerned. The weather didn’t look bad, but it didn’t look great either: 15-20 knots from the south/southeast, right on our nose from Point Retreat to the entrance to Gastineau Channel. … Read more
We left Port Frederick this morning for Swanson Harbor, in the Couverden Islands, at the confluence of Icy Strait and Chatham Strait. The trip over was ideal: light winds, sunshine, calm seas, beautiful scenery. The two public floats (not connected to shore, managed by the city of Haines) were empty when we arrived, so we tied up all three boats to one of the floats. There’s plenty of room to … Read more
After breakfast in town at Fisherman’s Daughter and one more quick trip to the Hoonah Trading Post, we departed Hoonah and headed deeper into Port Frederick toward Neka Bay. The sky was a bit gray but the water was calm, and we anchored and rafted in the North Bight of Neka Bay. Commercial crabbing season opened on June 15, so Neka Bay proper was jammed with crab pots like we’ve … Read more
After a group breakfast on the raft, we departed Excursion Inlet for Hoonah. Kevin had a line in the water, and when he pulled it up prior to departing, discovered that a large octopus had decided to snack on some herring for breakfast had gotten itself hooked. We easily freed the octopus at the surface, and felt lucky to get such a close up view of this cool creature! Crossing … Read more
Sometimes the forecast doesn’t cooperate with the plan. Today we’d intended to go from Elfin Cove to Dundas Bay, a large, scenic bay in Glacier Bay National Park (but outside the permit-required area). The weather today wasn’t the problem, but tomorrow looked a bit worse. Not bad, just a bit rolly when we would be leaving Dundas Bay, where the westerly was predicted to be blowing around 20 knots. Instead … Read more
With only 19nm to travel today, we didn’t rush out of Pelican. We’d hoped to be able to get breakfast at the Lisianski Inlet Cafe, but they’re not open on Sundays until the fishing season really begins and more people arrive in Pelican. Oh well. The trip from Pelican to Elfin Cove is mostly protected, but a few miles in Cross Sound are exposed to ocean swell. Conditions were calm, … Read more
We had a relaxed morning in Stag Bay before departing for Pelican, less than two hours away. In the morning before we left, Sam came up with another fun experiment to try in the waffle iron: Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, and they turned out great! Even with the dreary weather, Lisianski Strait and Lisianski Inlet have beautiful, rugged mountain scenery. The transient dock was empty, so we tied up and wandered … Read more