Our group left early for the six hour cruise from Appleton to Pavlof Harbor, one of our favorite stops in this part of SE Alaska. We left Appleton and cruised the short distance out Peril Strait, turning into an uncharacteristically calm Chatham Strait for the long run up to Pavlof. Alicia and Gregg aboard Evenstar spotted a sow and an older cub strolling along the beach in Chatham Strait. Pavlof … Read more
Everyone was anchors up by 6am today for the long run up to Red Bluff Bay (60nm). Julie from Dog Star snapped this beautiful pic of the sunrise this morning. Airship was the last one out! The water in the bay was flat, but turned to lazy swells as we got out into the open. A little beamy and rolly, but not too bad. We transited closer to Kuiu Island … Read more
Yesterday underway to Explorer Basin while reviewing the weather for the week, we noticed that conditions looked potentially favorable for a run down to Egg Harbor on Coronation Island. We’ve taken our group down here a couple times, and we’ve had it on the itinerary for a few years…but since getting to the island is very dependent on weather, we’ve had to scrap those plans several years in a row. … Read more
We had a gorgeous, calm cruise from Takatz Bay, across Chatham Strait and over to Honeydew today! Spotted a few whale spouts in the distance, but other than that, just blue skies and puffy clouds. As we were approaching Kuiu Island and Keku Strait, we could see fog ahead. Also, check out this crazy sky! We got into some thick fog and thought our fun was over as we neared … Read more
We pulled out of Hanus Bay late yesterday morning and headed east in Peril Strait, spotting this one humpback along the shore as we cruised past. Chatham Strait was just the slightest bit choppy in about 15kts of wind on the nose, but a beautiful cruise down to Takatz Bay. It started raining soon after we arrived, and when it stopped (for a minute) we got out in the dinghy … Read more
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