We had just about perfect weather as we left Flynn Cove and cruised across Icy Strait into Excursion Inlet. The wind was about 10 knots out of the west, so we had a 1 foot chop or so on our beam, but nothing to complain about. We anchored in the west arm at Sawmill Bay, where we’ve anchored a few times previously. We definitely did not remember it being so … Read more
Soon after the flotilla arrived in Juneau I had to leave the boat and return to the lower 48 by air. Juneau is a great place to do this since there’s first-come, first-served open moorage available (rather than hot-berthing), reasonable rates (~$230 for a month, with power!), and good airline service (Alaska and Delta fly multiple flights per day to/from Seattle). Leaving the boat in a strange port can be … Read more
Yesterday (Saturday) we cruised from Trap Bay in Tenakee Inlet up into Icy Strait and around to Hoonah. We got in on the later side, so we just hung out and had dinner aboard. Dan cooked up some chicken souvlaki and a greek salad for dinner, and I brought over kimchi pancakes with a spicy gochujang dipping sauce (recipe below). In the morning, we headed up to have breakfast at … Read more
Today our plan was to arrive at Basket Bay a few hours before high tide so we could wait for a good time to enter the Marble Grotto. We’ve known about the Marble Grotto for a few years now but had never gone there. You can only enter when the tide is high enough to join the small river coming from the nearby lake with Basket Bay. The water level … Read more
After a few days in Juneau doing some boat chores, Kevin and I picked up our granddaughter Mijonet at the airport. She’s 10, and flew in from Portland (for her fourth year in a row!) to join us for a couple weeks. We left Juneau and headed out for the first night in Funter Bay. We met up with Dan and Eileen on Fortunate later that afternoon over at the … Read more
Our final cruise of the flotilla was a short, twenty-mile hop up Stephens Passage from Taku Harbor to Juneau. Once again, we felt the slight jar of a return to civilization from the wilderness. Like Ketchikan, Juneau announces its presence early with giant cruise ships visible from miles away, and a sudden increase in all kinds of boat traffic going in and out of Gastineau Channel to Juneau. Arriving at … Read more
We pulled anchor a little after 7:00 a.m. in order to arrive at the entrance (exit) to Ford’s Terror by about 8:00 a.m. We were a little early but knew from our experience coming in that the tidal swing was low and that meant a longer-than-usual window for transiting the rapids. Airship went through first and only noted about a knot and a half of opposing current, so the rest … Read more
Ford’s Terror is probably our favorite anchorage ever. There’s something about the challenge of getting in, the fact that you can only transit the entrance/exit once every twelve hours (knowing that the current at the entrance can run to 12 knots with large overfalls during non-slack) that makes it an accomplishment. This challenge is rewarded heavily by the enormous unspoiled majestic landscape that surrounds you once inside. Everywhere you look, … Read more