Kevin Morris 
After weeks of sun, we finally awoke to overcast. With a short run and a good forecast, we weren’t in any rush to leave, and eventually pulled the anchors around 9:00 a.m. Not long after leaving Bay of Pillars, an active humpback surprised Airship as it breached several times about 100 yards from the boat! Explorer Basin is a large bay at the entrance to even-larger Tebenkof Bay. We … Read more
We left Kake early hoping to beat the forecast 15 knot southerlies on Chatham Strait. As we motored out of Frederick Sound, the wind picked up and the seas built for a few minutes, then died entirely. Perfect! We anchored partway into Bay of Pillars, relaxed aboard for awhile (a few people went fishing), then explored by dinghy. A narrow, shallow channel leads back to the inner part of the … Read more
After a lazy morning, we left Klag Bay around 9:00 a.m. The aids to navigation on this section of coast could use some love but we found our way: Our first stop was Radioville. Several years ago we’d heard about this spot from Bill Pierre at the bar in Pelican. He explained that a guy named Joe used to live on an island offshore from Klag Bay. Joe was a … Read more
Thirty-four days after we left the San Juan Islands for our journey up the Inside Passage, we are ready for this last leg of the flotilla into Sitka. It’s been a spectacular trip, and we’re excited and also a little sad to be reaching the end. We’ve had a remarkably smooth transit – with a combination of great luck and good timing on weather windows for the “gates” of the … Read more
Red Bluff Bay to Warm Springs Bay is about 21nm, straight up Chatham Strait. As we mentioned yesterday, Chatham Strait can be challenging, and even 10-15 knots of wind can make for a bumpy ride. But we emerged from Red Bluff Bay to find another calm and glassy day on Chatham. Safe Harbour and Airship (and Jester, because he’s an early bird) headed out just before 7:00 a.m. The dock … Read more
We awoke to the sun peeking through the clouds and light wind, perfect for the 40 mile run to Red Bluff Bay. This trip—through Frederick Sound, around Pt. Gardner, and across Chatham Strait—can be bumpy and miserable when the wind is blowing. We had no wind, no chop, calm seas. Often we see many whales in this area, but not today. A few boats saw a few spouts, but nothing … Read more
We decided to spend three nights in Petersburg. Part of the reason was practical: we arrived late in the afternoon, will depart in the morning, and will spend a full day out at Le Conte Glacier. This barely gives enough time to get groceries, fix any boat problems, do laundry, or explore Petersburg. Plus we really like Petersburg; it’s a charming, proud small town. So the day after arriving in … Read more
Another gorgeous morning! Blue skies and very little wind made the cruise up from Khutze Bay to Lowe Inlet a very pleasant day. Today is another longish cruise (~54nm) through beautiful inside channels. Sunshine improves the view. We spotted a big black bear on shore as we transited Graham Reach. At first it looked like the bear was going to hightail it into the woods before we could get much … Read more