Airship | Red Bluff Bay and Pybus Bay

Saturday: We left Takatz Bay with the idea we might stop in at Warm Springs, but it was just completely socked in with fog and we opted to keep going to Red Bluff and spend two nights there instead. We texted with friends Tom and Tish on Alaska Quest who were headed to Warm Springs (and hoping for more of my homemade hot sauce), and after comparing schedules (they had … Read more

Days 25-26 | 2024 Flotilla to Alaska | Cannery Cove in Pybus Bay

Tuesday morning brought sunshine and blue skies, and this amazing view of the mountain bowl. It never looks as big or as grand in photos as it does in real life though. Looking at the conditions, we definitely could have moved to a new spot Tuesday morning to wait for the storm to pass through on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday, but then we wouldn’t be somewhere as beautiful as this … Read more

Day 24 | 2024 Flotilla to Alaska | Petersburg to Pybus Bay

Another 6am departure time…but really only because today was a 52nm day…and conditions out on Frederick Sound were glassy and gorgeous so why NOT be out there as soon as we wake? This view as we head north from Petersburg never gets old. Devil’s Thumb (the tallest point in this mountain range) was obscured by the clouds, but it’s fine…we may see it again next time. We even had some … Read more

Days 25 – 26 | 2023 Flotilla to Alaska | Thomas Bay to Pybus Bay

Day 25 – The group left the Thomas Bay anchorage early this morning and headed north in Frederick Sound toward Pybus Bay at the south end of Admiralty Island. As we neared the Brothers Islands, the wildlife sightings began! Over at West Brother Island — a colony of sea lions (over 100 as reported by Free Solo and Seabear) as well as some orcas. The orcas came to visit Airship … Read more

Airship | Frederick Sound, Humpbacks, Baird Glacier

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

Day 19 | Flotilla to Alaska | Pybus Bay to Bay of Pillars

This morning we woke to bits of blue sky and nice calm waters. We departed Pybus Bay and headed for Bay of Pillars on Kuiu Island. We spotted several humpbacks spouting in the distance in Frederick Sound, but nothing very close. Soon after we turned into Chatham Strait, however, we were treated to a group of humpbacks lunge feeding on herring balls. After watching the whales for a bit, we … Read more

Day 18 | Flotilla to Alaska | Thomas Bay to Pybus Bay

We awoke to patchy fog and low clouds in Thomas Bay and departed about 7:00 a.m. Even without yesterday’s sunshine, Thomas Bay is beautiful. We forgot to mention…yesterday evening in Thomas Bay, Julie and David from Dog Star were out in their dinghy watching the shoreline and came across a group of arctic terns. They shared some photos with us to share on the blog! Arctic Terns are known for … Read more

Day 5 | Alaska Flotilla Leg 3 | Gambier Bay to Pybus Bay

We had a short day today so we slept in, pulled crab traps, and eventually motored out of Snug Cove between 9:00 and 10:00 a.m. With four people aboard Nereus and several days to go before the next spot to fill the water tanks, Safe Harbour rafted and transferred water before departure. The delay turned out to be serendipitous: as we left Gambier Bay, a small group of orcas blocked … Read more