Craig and Hydaburg | Prince of Wales Island

Airship and Safe Harbour left Coronation Island on Friday morning and cruised all the way to Craig (about 50 nautical miles). The forecast called for south winds to 10 knots and four foot seas—as good as it gets, basically. Even with the mild conditions, putting the swells on the beam made for a somewhat rolly ride. The Craig harbormaster found spots for us both on the dock for two nights, … Read more

Coronation Island

We left Explorer Basin on Kuiu Island early this morning…7:00a.m. It was foggy as we pulled anchor, but as we got out into Chatham Strait, it cleared up and turned into a beautiful day. Why the early departure? Currents run strongly in Chatham Strait. Having adverse current for a short time isn’t a big deal, but losing three knots of speed for 30 miles is a frustrating waste of time … Read more

Kuiu Island

Kake to Halleck Harbor We left Kake mid-day, since Halleck Harbor (in Saginaw Bay) was just 15 miles or so around the corner and we had to wait for the fuel dock…or, the fuel truck. Kake used to have a small fuel dock, but last winter the dock blew away during a storm that brought 80-knot winds for several days, then 70-knot winds from the opposite direction. For now, they’re … Read more

Windham Bay, Endicott Arm, Sandborn Canal, and Kake

After our incredible day at Pack Creek, we headed back down Seymour Canal, joined by a couple of humpbacks. Then, as we were cruising across Stephens Passage toward Windham Bay, we were greeted by about 30 Dall’s porpoises who played in Airship’s bow wake for about a half an hour. We never tire of these guys—they’re so playful!! We anchored in the southern nook just inside the entrance of Windham … Read more

Pack Creek Bears | Admiralty Island

The Pack Creek bear viewing area on Admiralty Island is permit-only between June 1 and September 10, and is located up near the top of Seymour Canal. The island is home to an estimated 1,500 brown bears — more than all the Lower 48 states combined. From Juneau via float plane, it’s probably only half an hour, but by (Slow)boat from Juneau, it’s about 74 nautical miles and takes two … Read more

Airship | Juneau, Taku Harbor, and Tracy Arm

We left Juneau on July 2nd, buddy boating with Carol and Park (on Akeeva), Jan and Stacy (on Ceci Kay) and a new passenger on Airship…Kevin’s mom, Shirley! We all found room on the dock at Taku Harbor and did a little exploring on shore. Dinner was a potluck on Ceci Kay (steaks, roasted potatoes, and more good stuff I can’t remember), and the next morning we all headed out … Read more

Airship | Hoonah to Juneau

After a rainy but fun stay in Hoonah (including a couple pints and some Thai food at Icy Strait Brewing, of course) we left Hoonah close to 11:00 a.m. for our short cruise (~10 nautical miles) around to Flynn Cove. The three of us (Akeeva, Ceci Kay, and Airship) anchored in Flynn Cove, one of our favorite little spots on Icy Strait, and Kevin took the drone up for some … 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