Kevin Morris 
Red Bluff Bay to Warm Springs Bay is a quick run…about 20 nautical miles, straight up Chatham Strait. But Chatham Strait can be a challenging body of water. It’s 130 nautical miles from south to north and eight miles east to west. A big body of water. Even 10-15 knots of wind can make for a bumpy ride. Safe Harbour and Airship got an early start, not because the weather … Read more
We had a mostly smooth, rainy cruise out of Pybus Bay as we headed for Baranof Island. The east side of Baranof Island has some of the best anchorages in Southeast Alaska. They’re dramatic, with peaks towering thousands of feet above, snowfields and hanging glaciers in view, and waterfalls everywhere. Bears—brown bears only, since black bears can’t compete—frequent the shoreline. Red Bluff Bay is one of these near perfect anchorages. … Read more
The cruise up Frederick Sound from Portage Bay to Pybus Bay is about 33 nautical miles. The wind was mostly calm (10 knots or so) with just the slightest chop. The sun was even out for a bit! We were hoping for some humpbacks today. Frederick Sound, especially around the Brothers Islands, is usually rich with whales. Today did not disappoint. We saw about a dozen of them, spread out … Read more
We got up early and left late from Petersburg this morning after a flurry of grocery shopping, laundry, and other miscellaneous chores. We won’t have access to any amenities again until we reach Sitka, so it’s nice to stock up while we can. The weather was quite nice for our cruise up to Portage Bay today (about 22 nautical miles). Very little wind, no rain, and even occasional bits of … Read more
“You made it across the entrance bar??” a fellow cruiser asked incredulously. For some reason, Exploring Southeast Alaska, the most popular cruising guide for this area, makes it sound difficult, even dangerous, to go up Le Conte Bay: “We do not recommend it, except for expeditionary-type excursions…you must favor the north shore to avoid the large drying mud flats that flow out of the Stikine River North Arm, while at … Read more
Today’s route from Wrangell to Petersburg took us through beautiful Wrangell Narrows. Wrangell Narrows is one of the trickier parts of this trip. It’s winding, shallow, and….narrow. Traffic can be heavy, with little space for ferries and barges to pass boats like ours. Currents run swiftly. Fishing boats zoom erratically. In 20 nautical miles, the Coast Guard maintains about 60 aids to navigation. Just north of the mid-point, near a place … Read more
Day 21 began with the delivery of Cassie’s famous cinnamon rolls to the boats in Meyers Chuck. With pastries securely on board consumed, the flotilla cast off lines and headed for Wrangell. Clarence Strait was calm again. As we motored northwest in Ernest Sound the sun briefly appeared and winds remained light. By the time we got to Zimovia Strait the sun was gone, but we still had views of snowcapped … Read more
We left Ketchikan around 9:00 a.m. and had a beautiful, calm cruise up Clarence Strait: Clarence Strait can be a nasty body of water. It’s 100 nm long and four miles wide. Current runs to several knots. When the wind blows, it gets ugly. Any day of calm water is appreciated! Our destination was Meyers Chuck, a community of about 20 people on the northwest corner of Cleveland Peninsula. There’s … Read more