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
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
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