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
We left Wrangell late last Thursday afternoon and got as far as Thoms Place before dark (about 23nm from Wrangell). We dropped some crab traps on the way in and picked them back up on the way out in the morning (with three keeper crabs inside!) The forecast was showing a pretty big blow on Friday and Saturday (gusts to about 40kts in some places), so we needed a good … Read more
We said goodbye to Kevin’s brother Craig in Petersburg, and after a day or so to provision and do a few projects in Petersburg (and one more breakfast from The Salty Pantry!), we left around 9:30am and headed south through Wrangell Narrows. We thought we’d first visit an anchorage we had not been to before — Red Bay, on Prince of Wales Island. The day started out pretty rainy, but … Read more
We left Red Bluff Bay on Sunday morning and headed across Chatham Strait in beautiful calm conditions. Today’s destination: Pybus Bay on Admiralty Island. We stayed three nights in Pybus Bay (Cannery Cove), primarily to duck out of some weather, but we were also looking forward to relaxing at anchor in the same place for a few days. We spent a lot of time fishing, dinghy exploring, playing music, cooking…the … Read more
After spending a handful of days in Juneau, we left and headed for Sitka, where we docked Airship for two whole weeks! Kevin had a work thing going on that we needed reliable internet for (and an airport for a trip to San Jose) and we’d already been in Juneau for a handful of days, so a change of scenery would be nice. We spent some more time wandering around … Read more
Southeast Alaska is among the finest cruising grounds in the world. Stretching more than 300nm from north to south and more than 100nm west to east, it’s a huge and diverse area. Most of it is protected, too, with calm water, relatively easy access to services, and no overnight cruising required. I’ve spent most summers for the last decade exploring SE Alaska and I haven’t seen it all, but Prince … Read more
A few hours after we got to Auke Bay, two more friends arrived: Erika, who we went to college with, and Josh, her partner. The next day, with six of us aboard Akeeva, we headed to Endicott Arm, Dawes Glacier, and Ford’s Terror. Even after 15-plus visits, this little section of Alaska delights. The combination of moderate travel distances, protected water, magnificent fjord scenery, wildlife, solitude, and a tidewater glacier … Read more
Last week we left Juneau to do some buddy boating with Dog Star for a week or so. (Our grandkid is along with us this week, and has requested lots of bumpy dinghy rides and fresh crab and maybe some fishing.) Our first stop was Swanson Bay/Couverden Islands. There was plenty of room on the public float with only one boat, but we opted to anchor out and raft together. … Read more