It’s been a rainy couple of days in Sitka, but that hasn’t stopped this group from getting out and about and seeing town! Everyone is making the most of it…people went to the Raptor Center, Fortress of the Bear, the Sitka National Historic Park, walked all around town, and ate a lot of meals out! On Monday we walked into town for some dumplings at Sitka Pel’meni. There were over … Read more
We continued our cruise out into the Strait of Georgia yesterday (after waiting for the cable ferry across to Denman Island). The red/green lights on shore (letting vessels know when and when not to cross) are much easier to spot on a foggy gray day than they are in bright sunlight. Oh good, back to flat. Whew! The strait was lovely yesterday. Not much traffic, not much wind. Originally we … Read more
Our original plan for the next few days was to cruise to Quait Bay tonight (in Clayoquot Sound), then continue to Ucluelet (in Barkley Sound) tomorrow. We’d stay for two nights so people could take a day trip by bus to Tofino. Tofino is a hugely popular tourist destination, but it’s difficult to visit by boat. Last summer when we visited it was quite tricky due to the swift currents, … Read more
Our final cruise of the flotilla was a short, twenty-mile hop up Stephens Passage from Taku Harbor to Juneau. Once again, we felt the slight jar of a return to civilization from the wilderness. Like Ketchikan, Juneau announces its presence early with giant cruise ships visible from miles away, and a sudden increase in all kinds of boat traffic going in and out of Gastineau Channel to Juneau. Arriving at … Read more
Approaching Tofino is a bit overwhelming after weeks in the wilderness. Boats—tour boats, fishing boats, skiffs, seaplanes—zoom this way and that. Shoals dot the waterfront. Current runs to four or five knots. We tried hailing the harbormaster at the public docks to no avail. When we looked at the largest facility, 4th Street, the place seemed full. Boats, mostly much smaller than ours, rafted two or three deep. We continued … Read more
We originally thought we’d leave town today and head around to Misty Fjords and Behm Canal, but we got focused working for quite a few hours this morning here on the boat and decided we’d wait and leave tomorrow morning instead. Around noon we took a break for lunch and a little exploring, and headed across the street to a very well-liked local spot called Burger Queen. It’s tiny, and … Read more