We left Cow Bay Marina in Prince Rupert in thick fog, which cleared gradually as we made our way south. We cruised through Ogden Channel around to the west side of Pitt Island, and stopped at Newcombe Harbour for the night. The weather was quite rainy most of the time, so we didn’t do much besides music and dinner and a movie. The next day we were originally aiming for … Read more
Recently, I was reading through John Muir’s notes on his trips to SE Alaska in 1879, 1880, and 1889, and came across the part of his 1880 visit where they went up what is now called Endicott Arm, and into what is now called Ford’s Terror. He didn’t have to call it by name….I knew exactly where they were. “After we had sailed about three miles up this side fiord, … Read more
High tide in Juneau today wasn’t until about 1:00p.m., so we wouldn’t be exiting Ford’s Terror until about 1:30p.m., which gave us some more time to enjoy this incredible place (and the fact that we had it completely to ourselves). In the morning, Kevin took the Mavic up for some aerials: The bear was back on the beach, but took a walk the other direction and gave the folks closest … Read more
We’ve decided to abbreviate our flotilla schedule this summer while Sam keeps Akeeva in Mexico for one more summer. Our 2022 northbound trip departs at the end of May from the San Juan Islands and ends in Juneau. Slowboat flotillas are designed to be inspiring and empowering! Our goal is to visit the best destinations in the area, share our knowledge, and help participants become capable, confident cruisers. We like … 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
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