After dinner last night (and after I posted yesterday’s post), Kevin went up for some aerial shots of the anchorage at Mosquito Cove. So these are technically from yesterday, but no one cares, right? Surprisingly, when we pulled (all three) of our boats’ anchors this morning, none of us had anything like the giant kelp ball we had on ours a few years back. Here’s a photo of it, for … Read more
A lazy morning at anchor in one of the most gorgeous places we know of. After breakfast, Kevin took the drone up for some aerials: We pulled anchors around 2 and motored to the exit of Ford’s Terror, and then some of us (opting for a long day that will end later this evening by anchoring at Wood Spit), turned left and headed further into Endicott Arm to see if … Read more
Today was an epic day!! First of all, we woke in Petersburg to some sun, which was very welcome. As we left the dock and headed for Frederick Sound, conditions looked very promising. Frederick Sound was downright glassy, and you could even see the mountains! We got a peek in the evening yesterday, but today was even clearer! The cruise down to Thomas Bay was fantastic–calm and wonderfully scenic! Once … Read more
Day 21 – We left Wrangell this morning to time the current at Wrangell Narrows so we could ride the flood in and the ebb out, but we were a little early and we had a pretty good current boost most of the way through (2.8kts at one point!) and we arrived in Petersburg with just under a knot with us. Wrangell Narrows was relatively traffic-free (well, traffic-light at least)…no … Read more
Today was LeConte Glacier field trip day. Scott was kind enough to invite everyone to do the trip aboard Impulse – a beautiful 53 Selene. The water was smooth and we zipped out of Petersburg with a few knots of current boosting us along. After a couple of hours, we saw the first icebergs in the distance along the shore. We crossed the bar into LeConte Bay and enjoyed picking … Read more
We weren’t in any great rush to leave Valdez. We had breakfast out (a rare treat, no dishes!), provisioned at Safeway (the best grocery shopping in Prince William Sound), and eventually headed to the fuel dock, where we jokingly referred to the diesel as “local, craft-refined” since it’s pulled from the earth in Alaska, sent by pipeline to Valdez, and apparently refined here for the local market. Chores complete, we … Read more
The sunshine and warm temperatures couldn’t last forever. As Erika and Josh departed from Whittier, clouds were rolling in. The forecast for the coming days was considerably more Alaskan than what we’d been used to: overcast, heavy rain at times, highs in the 50s. To be honest, our sunburnt skin, bug bites, and general exhaustion from go-go-go indicated that this was a good time for a few rainy days. Thankfully … Read more
First impressions of a cruising destination have a huge impact on my opinion of a place. Years ago, when I first arrived in Red Bluff Bay, for example, half a dozen brown bears were foraging (and mating) on the beach. Ever since, I’ve associated Red Bluff Bay with the spectacle of mating bears. The same thing happens with negative first impressions. One year we arrived in Ketchikan in pouring, soaking … Read more