This morning we had intended to walk into the village at Angoon, then take the dinghy back to Mitchell Bay during the afternoon slack. However, when we did a bit more research on the currents, we realized that Bridge Point had a reporting station, and that slack current this morning (turning to flood) was just 15 minutes from the time we were looking it up! So, instead of walking into … Read more
From Petersburg I had two goals: see as many new anchorages as possible, and make it to Ketchikan (only about 110 nautical miles) before a flight out of town in a week. Easy! After a morning of chores in Petersburg, I rode the flood south, to arrive at Papke’s Landing (roughly the mid-point, where the flood current from each side meets) at high water. The timing worked out nicely, but … Read more
We left Auke Bay on Tuesday morning with a plan to cruise all the way down to Pavlof Harbor, (about 49nm) but the conditions were annoyingly snotty in Lynn Canal. The forecast was for 15 knot winds from the south with 3 foot waves, but the waves were more like 4 feet and so close together it made for a very slammy, uncomfortable ride. Why do that for two more … Read more
When I first came to Alaska, I was unprepared for the scale. Even Southeast—the relatively small portion of the state where I’ve cruised—is truly vast. Somewhere around 70,000 people inhabit an area that stretches more than 300 miles south to north and a hundred miles west to east. Even a few miles from the population centers, it’s easy to find solitude. By solitude, I don’t just mean a lack of … Read more
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