We left Wrangell around 6am this morning for a date with Wrangell Narrows. Yesterday brought some gray skies, cooler weather, and a little rain. We’re not complaining at all though because look how beautiful it still is! The annual photos of Two Tree Island: There’s a little blue sky to the west, but mostly gray where we are headed. The current in Wrangell Narrows ebbs from the middle out, and … Read more
We are all enjoying the slower pace, now that we’re in SE Alaska. With a short cruise from Thoms Place to Wrangell, we had time to sleep in a little, check crab traps, and depart at a more sensible hour. Several of us had some luck with crabbing. Fleming Evenstar left first and sent back this gorgeous photo of the superflat water: There were a few more clouds in the … Read more
Conditions in Clarence Strait this morning were significantly better than they were last night! Two foot chop at most, and about 10kts of wind. We left the dock at Meyers Chuck around 6am. We had a very easy 50nm cruise to Wrangell today! We even had a few minutes or so of Dall’s porpoises on our bow. Several boats fueled up over at the fuel dock in Wrangell’s Etolin Harbor, … Read more
Airship and Free Solo left Quiet Harbor this morning after an early night (which may or may not have included a cocktail after yesterday’s alternator drama) and headed for Wrangell. Earlier in the morning there was a solo humpback hanging out at the entrance to the harbor, but we didn’t get any photos. Conditions were calm and gray along our route around the north end of Etolin Island, through Chichagof … Read more
After two days in Wrangell (picking up the grandkid, reprovisioning, etc.), we decided to check out a place we hadn’t been before — Anita Bay. We recently got a tip from a local fisherman that Anita Bay was great for halibut, so off we went! Anita Bay is south from Wrangell down Zimovia Strait, and the head of Anita Bay is just over 5 miles from the entrance! There were … 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
The shortest navigable route from Wrangell to Petersburg is through Wrangell Narrows, a narrow, winding, rock-laden 22 nautical mile passageway with swift current and lots of traffic. In order to minimize opposing current, we typically time our departure from Wrangell so that we arrive at Papke’s Landing, where the flooding from the north and south meets, at high tide. That way we ride the dying flood into Wrangell Narrows, and … Read more
Thoms Place to Wrangell is a fun, easy, well-protected, 24 nautical mile route through Zimovia Strait. We were not particularly worried about the current through Zimovia, as it is more a nuisance than a hazard, so we opted for a 7AM departure. After all our early mornings, departing at seven felt pretty luxurious, and still allows us plenty of time to explore Wrangell during our one-night stopover. The charming and … Read more