We left early this morning from Pavlof Harbor…5:30am-early. The NOAA forecast said 20kts and 4ft in Northern Chatham — (originally also had gusting to 35kts in the afternoon, but that was downgraded last night) — but the ECMWF model on Windy (well, and all the other models) did not show it getting over 15kts. The NOAA forecasts for Icy Strait and Southern Lynn Canal also didn’t show anything too dramatic, … Read more
A gorgeous morning in Appleton Cove! Kevin and Andrea pulled our crab pots and we had two nice big keepers. As we were pulling the anchor we spotted a deer walking along the spit on the north side of the cove. As we were heading out of Peril Strait we saw several humpbacks in the distance, and managed to see one close enough to get a decent photo. I pulled … Read more
This morning brought more fog and gray and drizzle, but especially fog. Always good on a day when seiners will be thick along our route, but by the time we left the bay the fog was mostly just a haze, and visibility wasn’t bad at all. There was one packer inside the bay on our way out, and a few seiners in various stages of operation just outside the bay. … Read more
Chatham Strait this morning was a little rolly but not bad at all — some swells from the south opposing a little current from the north caused a bit of surfing, but it was gentle and manageable. We saw a couple of chill humpbacks and managed to snap a few pics before they dove and disappeared. As we entered Peril Strait, conditions were downright glassy, and our long … Read more
We left Warm Springs Bay this morning around 8am…partially sunny (mostly cloudy) but not raining. We’ll take it! An easy 9nm cruise up to Takatz Bay, another favorite stop. We saw some humpbacks north in the distance, but a little too far to go visit…maybe they’ll be there in the morning! There was one boat here when we arrived, Chichagof Dream, a larger passenger cruise boat, but they usually anchor … Read more
Departing Cannery Cove and Pybus Bay we weren’t sure what conditions we’d see out in Frederick Sound…likely some wind waves on the beam, but more importantly, how long would it take for the sporty conditions in Southern Chatham Strait take to flatten out? We had a little bit of roll as we headed west in Frederick Sound, but pretty lazy and not too dramatic, and best of all it wasn’t … Read more
We got an early start–about 6:00 a.m.–for a longer-than-expected day to Couverden Island Cove. Originally we planned to go to Pavlof Harbor today, about 25 miles south of Couverden Island Cove. The weather forecast called for good traveling weather this morning, but worsening weather beginning in the afternoon and continuing for at least a day, so we decided to go a little further today to a super-secure anchorage and then … Read more
After a relaxing, wildlife-rich several days on the east coast of Baranof Island, today we motored eight hours towards Sitka, from Takatz Bay to Deep Bay. Our route leads to progressively smaller bodies of water, from huge Chatham Strait to Peril Strait, and eventually to Sergius Narrows, the bottleneck just west of Deep Bay that can only be transited near slack. Other than a couple photos of the gorgeous light … Read more