Safe Harbour | Sitka to Juneau

After a few days of chores and goodbyes in Sitka, I headed for Juneau. I would have loved to continue cruising with the group, but commitments intervened and I needed to make it Juneau in time for a flight back to Seattle. I departed Sitka at 6:00 a.m. to make slack at Sergius Narrows. The earliest departure in weeks! After cruising in company for the last month, the quietness of … Read more

Airship | Sitka to Hoonah

We left Sitka with all our flotilla boats (minus Safe Harbour, who was headed to Juneau to catch a flight) and anchored for the night in Appleton Cove. Kevin took the drone up for a few aerial shots of Appleton Cove: The next morning, we awoke to a whole lot of fog in Appleton Cove! The fog began to burn off just as one of the commercial crab boats came … Read more

Day 30 | Flotilla to Alaska | Deep Bay to Sitka

Deep Bay to Sitka is a technical 30 nautical miles. The first challenge is Sergius Narrows, where currents run to 9 knots. Slack today was at 7:31 a.m. and it takes about 30 minutes to get from Deep Bay to the narrows. We left at 7:00 a.m. and the timing worked out perfectly. The next challenges are Olga Strait and Neva Strait. Not particularly challenging, really, but narrow, shallow, winding, … Read more

Day 29 | Flotilla to Alaska | Takatz Bay to Deep Bay

We left Takatz Bay, headed up Chatham Strait, then into Peril Strait and on to Deep Bay. Anchorage to anchorage is just over 53 nautical miles, one of the longer days of the trip. The forecast was for sun and light winds, which made it difficult to leave Takatz Bay — such a gorgeous anchorage with so much to explore — but having perfect weather for a long cruise was … Read more

Day 28 | Flotilla to Alaska | Warm Springs Bay to Takatz Bay

Today we had a short hop up to Takatz Bay — about 9 nautical miles. Before departing we invited everyone over to Airship/Safe Harbour for breakfast: Laura’s crab cakes benedict (using the fresh crab we caught the day before), Sam’s breakfast potatoes, and coffee.We managed not to take any photos of our fancy breakfasts, but we’ll put our crab cake recipe down at the bottom of this post for anyone … Read more

Day 27 | Flotilla to Alaska | Red Bluff Bay to Warm Springs Bay

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

Day 26 | Flotilla to Alaska | Pybus Bay to Red Bluff Bay

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

Day 25 | Flotilla to Alaska | Portage Bay to Pybus Bay

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