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
After yesterday’s wildlife extravaganza, today’s trip up Chatham Strait was a little boring. We did see a few humpbacks as we left Red Bluff Bay, but after that we struck out. The water was reasonably calm, though, and the Baranof Island shoreline is so mountainous, rugged, and snow-capped that the lack of wildlife didn’t matter. We just focused our attention on the scenery. Usually we can squeeze in somewhere on … Read more
As we exited Explorer Basin this morning, we found Chatham Strait FAR less bumpy than the previous day. Additionally, we were greeted by several groups of humpbacks feeding on the herring that were everywhere!! The herring balls were too prevalent and moved too quickly to be steered around, yet every time we drove through one we worried that a whale might surface and strike the boat. If you’ve been whale … Read more
After the bumpy pre-breakfast ride up Chatham Strait we were hungry, so we used the rest of the fresh crab we’d caught and made a crab eggs benedict brunch on Airship. So delicious! Most of us just relaxed onboard instead of doing any big dinghy excursions since it was so windy out. We did an early easy happy hour on the raft, and everyone returned to their boats for whatever … Read more
Red Bluff Bay to Warm Springs Bay is about 21nm, straight up Chatham Strait. As we mentioned yesterday, Chatham Strait can be challenging, and even 10-15 knots of wind can make for a bumpy ride. But we emerged from Red Bluff Bay to find another calm and glassy day on Chatham. Safe Harbour and Airship (and Jester, because he’s an early bird) headed out just before 7:00 a.m. The dock … Read more
We awoke to the sun peeking through the clouds and light wind, perfect for the 40 mile run to Red Bluff Bay. This trip—through Frederick Sound, around Pt. Gardner, and across Chatham Strait—can be bumpy and miserable when the wind is blowing. We had no wind, no chop, calm seas. Often we see many whales in this area, but not today. A few boats saw a few spouts, but nothing … Read more
We left Takatz Bay this morning and headed back to Ell Cove so we could give the hatchery visit another shot. Conditions were gray with fog and light rain. We saw a couple of orcas just outside Takatz, which was nice. Here’s a really bad photo of one of them: We anchored in Ell Cove, dinghied over to Hidden Falls, and wandered around the hatchery grounds a little before we … Read more