St John's Harbor to June 19

It rained all night and both Barrie and I wondered about our sanity as we got ready to go fishing at 4:00 this morning. We pulled out all of the rain gear, including our yellow Gloucester fisherman rain hats given to us by our friend Dick Sherbondy at Christmas. We also had rain gear from our friends Sue and James that kept us dry. I caught my first fish just after 5 this morning. Another 8 pounder. Then Mel and I both had a fish on the line at the same time. Mine was an itty bitty salmon that escaped the fry pan this year and Mel's was a ling cod that we also let go. As we were putting our lines back in the water, it took only minutes for a fish to connect with Mel's line. I pulled my line in and Mel let me bring in a beautiful 25 pound salmon. Great fun. With two nice fish in the boat, we headed back to Mel's dock to clean fish and then back to our boat. The weather forecast says that we have a limited window to get across Queen Charlotte Sound and we are going to make a dash for it. Pulled up anchor at 7 am and will see how far we can get today. So, a very quick trip to Shearwater and a stop at the store and also to drop off hatchery fish head. In six months they will send us a post card to let us know what hatchery our fish came from.. interesting. All other fish caught were wild. I am trying to squeeze in these posts while we are still in range of Shearwater. We are headed south. More when I have time. Sorry for lack of photos but that takes real wifi access.

St John's Harbor, Milbanke Sound - June 18

I wake up this morning with a pain in my back and spend the first few hours of the day wondering if I will be fit to fish. Barrie and I both work on chores. We have been aboard almost 8 weeks and there is a bit of deep cleaning required. We work until lunchtime and by then my back has loosened up and I am feeling much better. After lunch, Mel comes by with his fish boat and picks us up. We join eight more fish boats and find the fishing slow. Generally the big salmon runs do not arrive until August but Mel says there should be more fish out here. He fished this morning with another friend and they came back empty handed. Finally, we hook a fish and bring in an 8 pound salmon. Forty minutes later we reel in a 13 pounder. We are done for the afternoon and head back to Mel's boat where he kindly guts and filets our catch. Bernice helps us prepare the fish to put in the freezer in a way that will meet Canadian Fish & Game requirements. We agree to try our luck again in the morning. With prized fish in hand, we head back to our boat and rearrange the freezer to make room. I keep out one piece and we have fresh (just 2 hours old) salmon for dinnerr. Mel will be picking us up at 4:30, so we set an alarm and head to bed early.

Coughlan Anchorage, Hartley Bay to St. John's Harbor, Milbanke Sound June 17

This morning the seas were almost magical. The water in Wright Sound was like glass and Barrie and I decided that the day was nice enough and the weather forecast good enough that we would take the outside route to reach Millbanke Sound. From Wright Sound we headed south into Whale Passage. As it turned out, the passage is perfectly named and we saw a group of 4 or 5 humpbacks who were making a real scene. We saw as many as 30 breaches and it all happened just a few yards from the bow of the boat. We put the boat in neutral and both Barrie and I stood on the bow watching the activity. Nearby on the starboard side a large grouping of sea lions were hauled out and making a racket. As we continued on, I pulled out all of our guidebooks trying to get a better understanding of what lay ahead. Clearly, this is the road less traveled. Most guide books had nothing and those that did said to leave this route to the more experienced mariner. Let's hope we are up to the task. The one guide book with any instructions at all tell us that Casanova Passage can had significant current and rip tides. It is possible to go on the outside of Laredo Island but as luck would have it, we have arrived at Casanova Passage at slack tide. We cross several tide lines and find some small rips but easily move through the channel into Laredo Passage. We continue to stay mid-channel and work our way down to Laredo Sound. Out here we have seen two fish boats and two sailboats. Suddenly we see a Hobiecat with a red hull and mast. This a a very small boat in a very large sea and the sailor is clearly alone. A close look through the binoculars shows no motor of any sort. We are amazed to see him here and hope he knows what he is doing! All morning we have studied our options and from the base of Laredo we could head east to Meyer's Passage and find an anchorage or we could continue 40 miles to our destination in Milbanke Sound. The weather continues to be favorable and at 2:30 we decide to press on for another 6 hours. We arrive at St John's Harbor and opt to anchor in the outer cove. The inner cove is where Mel and Bernice and friends have their camp but once we have anchored we will drop the dinghy to try to locate them. This is one of the few times that we have not set the anchor on the first try. Our first attempt turned out to be in a kelp bed and we had some untangling to do before we could try again. Soon we are secure and have the dinghy in the water. We both think we remember where the hidden dock lies and we are both looking to the left when it appears on the right. Mel tells us that this year the had to move the location across the inlet. The effort to move the dock and re-anchor it is astonishing but this gang is ingenious and gets the job done. Mel agrees to take me fishing tomorrow afternoon. We head back to the boat and stow the dinghy for the night.

Lewis Island to Coughlan Anchorage, Hartley Bay June 16

Departed Lewis Island at 7 am with the intention of catching the flood tide into Grenville Channel and the ebb tide out. On our trip north we stayed at Lowe Inlet (in the middle of Grenville Channel) making it much easier to catch to tides. Today it was all a matter of compromise and no matter how we worked it, it seemed that we were pushing our way through the channel - sometimes we were down to 4.5 knots. Because of our slow progress, we were challenged to find an anchorage for the night. We either had to stop in Wright Sound where we could anchor at either Fin Island or in Coughlan Anchorage - or - the next possible anchorage was 45 miles further along. At 5 knots that would be 9 hours and even at 7 knots we were looking at 6 hours. We stopped at Coughlan.

Foggy Bay to Lewis Island, Canada - June 15

A quiet night at Foggy Bay with almost no wind and a near perfect morning to cross Dixon Entrance. The minus 2.6 tide made the thought of exiting Foggy Bay a bit nerve-wracking so we left 2 hours before low tide (4;15 a) and had just over 2 feet of tide. For the first 2 hours we had a 3' swell abeam but by 7:00 we had following seas making for a very pleasant ride. We arrived at the entrance to Venn Passage ahead of schedule and since the current was still running hard we throttled back and waited most of an hour before we entered. Arrived in Prince Rupert Harbor and hailed the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club to discover that since there was a race in town, there was no additional room at the dock that evening. They were kind enough to provide a place to tie up for an hour and I used their internet connections to purchase a fishing license. Now we have to find our way to St John's Harbor where Mel and Bernice spend the summer and hope that they are there! Departed Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club at 3:30 for a 20 mile run to Lewis Island where we anchored for the night. Large anchorage with good protection and just one additional boat at anchor.

Coffman Cove, Clarence Strait to Foggy Bay - June 14

We departed at 4;30 am and headed south weaving our way through a few islands before entering the open strait. Once again the water is calm - in fact so calm that it is almost glassy. As we reached the mid-point between Ketchikan and Meyer's Chuck we passed a group of 6 Grand Banks boats. We assumed it had to be a group from Northwest Explorations and we were correct! We tuned into Channel 1 on the VHF and listened to their naturalist talk about the life cycle of salmon. Since they were headed north and we were headed south, we soon parted company. Apparently the group will stop this evening in Meyer's Chuck. It is a little difficult to imagine that many boats in the chuck but perhaps they will raft at the dock. Also, when were there at the beginning of our trip, we were so early that the post mistress had not yet started to make her famous cinnamon rolls that she delivers to the boats. We hope NW Explorations is lucky enough to get a roll delivery. Arrived at Tongass Narrows just as the Alaskan ferry Columbia was departing to go north. Gave her plenty of berth and began our trip south. Tongass Narrows is a very place with cruise ships, container ships and lots of seaplanes. We considered anchoring in Judd Cove this evening but were concerned that the morning's minus tide could make it quite difficult to exit, so we went back to Foggy Bay. We were the last boat to anchor for the evening and found that 7 boats had already anchored, It was a bit crowded but there was plenty of room for all.

Petersburg to Coffman Cove, Clarence Strait - June 13

We start this morning exiting our slip with more than 3 knots of current. This time we are prepared and all go well. We stop at the fuel dock for a final top-off for the trip home and take on 100 gallons. Getting onto the dock was easy since both tides and wind were pushing us on the dock. Getting off the dock was more difficult and we were glad that the fuel dock had plenty of bumpers! Today we ran the Wrangell Narrows North to South. The process seems much easier and less intimidating since we have done this in the other direction. There are over 60 navigational aids and really all you have to do is pay attention and count. This morning there was very little boat traffic in the narrows and the weather was good. Fog would change everything quickly! When we exit the Wrangell Narrows, we find absolutely calm seas in Clarence Strait and decide to take that route south. This is a long north-south body of water and wind can quickly build the seas but today we have smooth sailing. Our first plan takes us to Exchange Inlet for the night but we arrive in record time and the seas are still favoring us so we opt to continue on to Coffman Cove. This is a good sized cove with quite a few houses on shore. At the opening to the cove there is a ferry dock and at the back of the cove a marina that can hold 100 boats. A large sailboat and a crab pot take the prime anchorage locations but we find a spot and drop our anchor. Soon we are enjoying a "cuppa" on the stern and watching the sun drop in the sky.

A short run from Thomas Bay to Petersburg where we docked at the South Harbor. Weather not quite as sunny and bright as the last time we were here but still very pleasant. Tried to get in touch with Mandy the doormat maker. She was getting ready for the crab opening and did not have a mat for us! She agreed to make one and send it when she returned. Barrie and I walked through town, did a bit of grocery shopping and stopped at Cold Storage to pick up some smoked black cod and smoked salmon then wandered back to the boat and had a relaxing evening. Our next challenge is transiting the Wrangell Narrows from North to South and the tide window is at 10:45 tomorrow morning.

A short run from Thomas Bay to Petersburg where we docked at the South Harbor.  Weather not quite as sunny and bright as the last time we were here but still very pleasant.  Tried to get in touch with Mandy the doormat maker.  She was getting ready for the crab opening and did not have a mat for us!  She agreed to make one and send it when she returned.  Barrie and I walked through town, did a bit of grocery shopping and stopped at Cold Storage to pick up some smoked black cod and smoked salmon then wandered back to the boat and had a relaxing evening.  Our next challenge is transiting the Wrangell Narrows from North to South and the tide window is at 10:45 tomorrow morning.

Taku Harbor to Thomas Bay - June 11

Baird Glacier, Thomas Bay

McDuff and I were up early and so it was not long before was also up and about.  We decided to cast off and head for Tracy Arm before 5 am.  The tides today were also against us.  We must fight the flood for 22 miles to reach the head of Tracy Arm and then 25 into the inlet.  The good news is that the tide will be in our favor when we exit.  We were here a couple of weeks ago and made it most of the way to the head.  Now with our experience at Glacier Bay behind us, we want to try again and hopefully reach the base of North Sawyer Glacier. 

We finally reached the entrance to Tracy Arm about 9:30 and the entire area was socked in.  It just didn’t make sense to run 25 miles in the fog and rain to try to see the head of the glacier, so with a bit of sadness we continued our way south towards Petersburg.  For one brief moment the clouds lifted and we were treated to a glorious view of the Sundum Glacier at the entrance to Endicott Arm.

The whales were very active this morning in Stephen’s Passage with lots of spouting in the distance.  Close by the starboard bow a whale breached. 

The sun came out this afternoon and the seas calmed significantly.  This morning we had seas as high as 4 feet.  This afternoon the seas had calmed to 2-3 feet. 

We anchored in Thomas Bay about 20 miles from Petersburg.  We enter this beautiful bay and travel almost 7 miles to reach our anchorage near Ruth Island.  On the way we pass Baird Glacier.  We are anchored with two other boats this evening – a 50+ foot Ocean Alexander from Seattle and a 43 foot sailboat with British registry.  The location is calm, serene and incredibly beautiful.  If it weren’t so late, I would take my kayak for a paddle. 

Swanson Harbor to Taku Harbor – June 10

We arrived here at sunset last night (10 pm) and tied up to the float.  Throughout Alaska there are Community Floats and Docks, paid for through fishing license fees and taxes, that are available to boaters for free.  There are generally no facilities but the docks are well placed and very solid.  Swanson Harbor has two floats and each float already had one boat moored.  We chose the dock that the light wind was blowing against – making our arrival very easy.  The owner of the other boat on the dock came out to catch our line, making it even easier.

We departed Swanson Harbor into the confluence of Icy and Chatham Straits in seas that were 1-2 feet.  The tides this week are making our voyage a bit more difficult.  We fought the tide all day sometimes doing as little as 4.25 knots (I can walk faster than that but not on water!).  The seas were occasionally lumpy but not uncomfortable. 

Arrived in Taku Harbor in the late afternoon after almost 12 hours of fighting the current.  We were the only boat tied to the main dock.  Since it was raining and the wind was still blowing, we settled in with a glass of wine and a book.  The nearby float was nearly full with a fishing boat, sailing vessel and a small run-about.  While it looked like this float was further out of the wind we decided to stay on the main dock.  Spent a windy night with lots of noise from water lapping at the hull but no concern of pulling an anchor.  When we stayed here with John, we saw a brown bear on shore but not this time.  Any smart bear would be sleeping where it was dry!

North Fingers Inlet, GBNP to Hoonah, Icy Strait – June 9

Hoonah

A slow easy start this morning including, at Barrie’s request, a Larry breakfast.  We watch the shoreline this morning for  bear activity but see nothing more.  Lots of clouds this morning and occasional light rain.  We contemplated heading back into Bartlett Bay to take on water and top off with fuel for our trip home but decided that we would head straight to Hoonah. 

We are anxious to get into range of cell service and catch up on phone messages and email.  Hoonah also provides a chance to pick up a few fresh groceries – I am thinking that a salad would taste pretty good! A quick stop at the grocery store and then to the library to catch up on email.  We have been completely out of touch with the world for a week.  

I call Floyd and Marj to let them know that we are passing through Hoonah on our way south but they already know we are here!  I was fairly certain that Floyd had passed us coming into the harbor and I was right.  Beyond that, Floyd and Marj can see our boat on the dock from their back deck. 

Reid Inlet to North Fingers Inlet Glacier Bay National Park – June 8

Awoke this morning early and had the anchor up by 5 am.  The winds were calm and the cloud cover was breaking up.  From Reid Inlet turned to port and headed north to Johns Hopkins Inlet.  The head of the inlet is closed to protect seal habitat but we are able to enter the first third of the inlet.  We see the tidewater Lamplugh Glacier on our starboard side and are soon joined by a Wilderness Adventure cruise ship.  They anchor in a small cove near the glacier and we continue around the bend to view the Johns Hopkins glacier from a distance.  Snowcapped mountains back the distant end of the inlet and the vista is inspiring.

We next travel up Tarr Inlet to reach Grand Pacific and Margerie glaciers.  This is the ultimate destination of many of the cruise ships (the “big money photo”) but we are here early and have the place to ourselves!  Amazingly the sun is out, the sky is blue and the cloud cover light!  We slowly navigated through the berg and berglets to the head of the glacier.  With Barrie holding the boat in place, I lowered my kayak into the water and took photos of Chug in front on Margerie Glacier.  It was a perfect setting.  With the kayak in the water, I also gathered a chunk of glacial ice before returning to Chug.  I stowed the kayak on the top deck and we picked our way through the ice to a small anchorage in view of the glaciers.  We dropped our anchor and ate lunch while drinking in the beauty and enormity of the wilderness.  With the engine off we also savor the silence. After spending almost 3 hours alone at the end of the inlet we began to work our way south to North Fingers Inlet.  When we entered Glacier Bay we talked to another pleasure boat who said they had seen bears and wolves and this location.  We saw a large black bear walking on the beach and swimming in the bay within a half an hour of our arrival.  A terrific way to end a perfect day.

Berg Bay to Reid Inlet Glacier National Park – June 7

We departed Berg Bay at high slack and had 14’ of water under our keel  Much nicer!  Departing at high slack meant we would be bucking the ebb tide on our northbound route.  We opted to enter South Fingers Bay to view wildlife and wait for the next flood tide.  Again we watched the otters.  At one time Glacier Bay National Park estimated the otter population to be less than 5 but current estimates are over 4,000.  Our experience is that there are a lot of otters in the park.  We also watched seagulls and shore birds feasting on the mussels that were in the intertidal zone.

From Fingers Bay we headed north to Reid Inlet and Reid Glacier.   On our way we idle past Gloomy Knob with binoculars in hand looking for mountain goats.  We have almost given up when suddenly they come into view.  We find one standing high on the knob and soon have spotted a dozen nearby including at least one baby.  The terrain looks inhospitable but the goats seem to get around just fine.  We put the boat back in gear and continue on our trip north.


We first anchored in the NW corner of the inlet with good holding but the winds from the SE were so strong that we decided to change our anchorage location.  We pulled up the anchor around 5:30 pm and found a spot in the SE corner with a depth of 45 feet.  We again dropped the anchor and found good holding.  The tide was due to rise another 10 feet so we set out 200’ of chain and our trusty Delta anchor.  The winds in this location were also strong but we opted to stay put. 

Reid Glacier

Reid Glacier from anchor

Sea Wolf arrived in Reid Inlet around 7 pm and dropped anchor in the NW corner.  We called on the radio and asked if they had a current weather forecast.  We learned that winds were expected to top out at 20 mph and die down in the late evening.  The Captain added that the last time he heard this forecast the winds rose to 40 mph!  Our anchor held firm and the winds finally abated after midnight.  Our anchorage was at the base of Reid Glacier and was simply stunning.

Bartlett Cove to Berg Bay Glacier Bay National Park – June 6

This morning we waited for the flood tide to head north in Glacier Bay.  While we were waiting we went ashore and tried the Internet again.  I sent emails letting folks know we had arrived at Glacier and that we would be out of touch for several days.  We also filled up the water tanks. 

The tides here are very powerful and can swing as much as 25 feet.  The tidal swing results in significant currents that make timing our travel in a 7-knot boat quite important.  We turned into Berg Bay to look for otters .  We were very fortunate (and foolish) since we entered near low tide over a rocky reef.  For one brief moment we had just 4 feet of water under the keel.  We dropped our anchor and watched dozens of otters swimming nearby – many with baby otters in their paws.  Our plans are to depart the cove at 6 pm slack but the scenery is beautiful and we are content to stay here tonight. 

It rained most of the afternoon but by 5 pm the sky was clear and the wind had calmed.  I dropped my kayak in the water and went for a paddle around the bay and into the steam at the head of the bay.  Saw lots of otters, eagles, seals, dolphins and a whale at the far end of the cove.

Elfin Cove – Bartlett Cove, Glacier Bay National Park – June 5

After a leisurely morning we follow Gold Dust out of Elfin Cove and through South Inian Pass.  Jay’s timing was perfect and we reach the pass at slack.  The last two days have been stormy with gale force winds on the coast.  We are surprised to find placid water from Cross Sound through South Inian Pass and into Icy Strait.  Jay radios us to say he has heard there is choppy water ahead and he had decided to pass below Lemsurier Island to take the weather on his quarter.  We continue to follow his lead but don’t find rough waters.  We radio in as we near GBNP and get permission to anchor in Bartlett Cove this afternoon.  Cousin Floyd is in Mud Bay picking up passengers, hears us on the radio and hails us.  Imagine finding someone you know in the middle of nowhere!

There are very few facilities at Glacier Bay – the lodge has 48 rooms and a restaurant.  There is a kayak shed with a dozen kayaks available for guided tours of the bay and bicycles available for rent to use on fewer than 12 miles of roads.  The park can accessed from Gustavus (a small hamlet with an airport that is 10 miles away) or by boat.  Large cruise ships are regular visitors to the park but since there is no cruise ship dock, passengers cannot debark.  Interestingly, National Park Rangers take a small boat out to meet the cruise ships to provide programs.  The rangers must climb a ladder up the side of the ship to gain entry.  Smaller commercial boats come and go from the main dock.

We enter Glacier Bay and find secure anchorage in Bartlett Cove.  We drop the dinghy and make our way to the main dock where we tie up for the remainder of the afternoon and evening.  We attend the mandatory boater orientation course and then head to the lodge.   We discover that there is marginal internet service and NO cell service.  There is one landline in the lobby that can be used with a phone card and we are sorry to see two kayakers trying to make arrangements to fly home for an emergency  There trip to Glacier NP has been cut short and there is no easy way to get from here to Los Angeles.  It really does feel like an altogether separate world.

We read, walk outside to see a porcupine (Barrie’s first in the wild), tour the small museum, watch a movie about the park and have dinner in the restaurant. 
After dinner we listen to a ranger talk before returning to Chug for the night and stowing the dinghy.

The Clan House pictured above will open at Bartlett Cove in 2016.  We saw the Tlingit carvers working on the panels and totems when we were in Hoonah.

Elfin Cove – June 4

Inner Harbor - Elfin Cove

Catching Fish

A quiet, restful day spent on the boat at the dock.  Another spectacle of fishing boats and floatplanes coming and going.  We walk up to the liquor store to replenish our beer supply and meet Jay, the owner of Gold Dust the fishing boat that is ahead of us on the dock.  He is a native Huna Tlingit and is headed to Gustavus in the morning and tells us that the best time to depart Elfin Cove to reach South Inian Pass is 8:30.  We decide we will follow his lead.  He reminds us that his ancestors lived in Glacier Bay which is now a National Park.  Our permit to enter Glacier Bay NP starts on Saturday.  We will ask if we can enter Friday afternoon and spend the night in Bartlett Cove.  If that is not possible we will continue on to Gustavus if the winds are calm or back to Hoonah if weather is an issue.

Waiting out the rain

Hoonah to Elfin Cove, Cross Sound – June 3

Chug in Elfin Cove Outer Harbor

Elfin Cove General Store & Liquor Store

Away from the dock at 5:30 with the sun already up and many of the fishermen already at sea.  There is almost no wind or current in the harbor and we easily glide out of our slip and into Port Frederick.  As we enter Icy Strait, we are pleased to see that the waters outside the harbor are perfectly calm.  The skies are overcast and a light rain falls this morning.  The rain and low ceiling create limited visibility and we rely on AIS and radar to keep track of the boat traffic in the strait.  Our path this morning will take us through South Inian Pass.  Cousin Floyd tells us that it is best to take this pass at slack water as there can be significant tide rips.  He tells us the south pass is quite a bit shorter (and narrower) than the north pass but it is only a problem when strong west winds kick up the seas.  We are late arriving at South Inian Pass (in part because the time on the computer was not set to Alaskan Daylight time affecting CE and in part because we were slow to leave the dock this morning).  There are certainly tide rips but there is no west wind so we take the pass and find ourselves jockeyed about but completely safe.

Main Street

 

Fresh Fish

We arrive at Elfin Cove in the rain and at a minus 2 tide.  The entrance to the inner harbor is a maximum of 7.5 feet at low tide and we draw 4.5 feet.  Likely we could pass through the channel but the outer dock looks much more inviting.  This dock is used primarily by transient fishermen and float planes but when we arrive a 100’ sailboat is already at the dock.  It seems likely that this boat would NEVER be able to cross into the inner harbor.  We tie-up, don our raingear and head to town.  The “main street” is a boardwalk that goes in all directions.  There are no roads and no cars in Elfin Cove.  We also learn that there is no phone service if you are a Verizon customer.  Last year a major earthquake shook the area and while AT&T has restored service to this small community, Verizon has not.  We learn that there is intermittent internet service.  The downlink speed is very slow but at least it exists.  We shop at the small grocery store where I buy the book Graybeards that was written by an author from Hoonah and has a chapter about Cousin Floyd and his wife Marjorie.  We then step on the boardwalk and enter a door that leads to the other side of the counter to “enter” the liquor store.  In Alaska liquor stores are stand-alone entities.

We head back to the boat and settle in for a quiet afternoon of reading but soon find the entertainment outside much too compelling.  We watch as fishing boats pull into dock and unload box after box of fish.  There are so many boats at the dock that the fish boats raft up.  Next comes a stream of run-abouts from the inner harbor carrying passengers who line up next to the fish on the dock.  Within in minutes, we hear the sound of a floatplane that soon drops out of the clouds and pulls up to the dock.  Passengers and mountains of groceries are off-loaded (mostly from Costco in Juneau) and then fish and passengers are loaded.  The plane departs and within an hour the process starts all over again and the rain continues to fall.  We learn that today is the last day of the 3-day opening of salmon fishing.  All that fish is being flown to its final destination.  The wholesale price is $8-10/pound.  Barrie strikes up a conversation with a local fisherman who sells us a white King salmon at the wholesale price and his friend does the filleting for the four cans of beer that are left in our refrigerator.  We eat tonight!  And it may be time for another trip to the liquor store. 

Hoonah - June 2

Barrie and I spent the morning on the boat and met Marj at 11;30 after she had shuttled cruise ship passengers to go whale watching with Floyd.  We took the opportunity to return to the restored cannery and spent time looking through the shops before seeing the cultural show put on by the local Huna Tlingit theater group.
 Dinner with Floyd and Marj at the Icy Strait Lodge.  Marj and I shared a halibut pizza.  Try ordering that on Whidbey Island.
Barrie and I agree that meeting Floyd and Marj has been a highlight of our trip.  We are so pleased that we were able to spend time with them in their hometown of Hoonah.  We hope they will stop and see us on Whidbey.

The Zip Line at Hoonah

THE ZIPLINE   from the Icy Point Web Site –

Welcome to the world’s longest zip line ride! Unlike anything you've seen before, the ZipRider® zip line ride at Icy Strait Point is truly a once in a lifetime experience! The whole experience begins at Icy Strait Point where customers depart in the tour van and drive through the town of Hoonah. Customers are then driven 6 miles up the mountain to the top station of the ZipRider®. From here the cruise ship looks like a toy boat on the water. The view is absolutely spectacular! When the gates open, riders accelerate out and over a cliff and come as close to a pure flying experience as humanly possible. In front of you lies the panoramic view of Port Frederick and surrounding islands, racing 300 feet beneath you is the dense forest canopy, and Icy Strait Point grows larger and larger as you near the bottom. The typical ride takes 1 ½ minutes and concludes on the beach at Icy Strait. The typical comment from each customer when they reach the bottom is “That was the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life.” Icy Strait Point proudly claims that their ZipRider offers “an experience of a lifetime.”

Icy Strait Point is a cruise line port of call, located on the Chichagof Island, 1.5 miles away from the town of Hoonah, Alaska. Chichagof Island is located 50 miles west of Juneau. The Icy Strait Point ZipRider® opened in May of 2007 and has been the anchor attraction for Icy Strait Point ever since. People come from all over the country and world to experience the world renowned Icy Strait Point ZipRider® adventure and adrenaline rush!

Funter Bay, Coot Cove to Hoonah – June 1

Restored Cannery at Hoonah

We are on our own again -- just the three of us – Barrie, Karen and McDuff (aka Cat).  Duffy has grown into a very good boat cat.  He is no longer an “undercover” cat and spends time with us in the pilot house.

The weather appears to be changing and the clouds have moved in.  There is rain in the forecast for later in the week.  We pull up our anchor at 7:30 and the good news for me is that it appears to be clean.  I have been spoiled – for the past two weeks, John has done the anchor wash down work.    We spend a few minutes adjusting the rudder angle indicator before we head into Chatham Strait.  We estimate the seas to be 1-2 feet but the ride remains comfortable.  From Chatham we turn into Icy Strait and shortly head south into Port Frederick and Hoonah.

As we turn the corner into Port Frederick we encounter (per Barrie) a big white obstruction in the channel.  It is a cruise ship that is anchored off the point.  Cruise ships have been coming to Hoonah since 2002 without the use of a dock.  Later this year, the cruise ship dock will be complete.  We check in with the Harbor Master and are assigned slip G-17.  We find ourselves mostly tucked in with fishing boats but also notice that Mosey is across the dock.  The last time we saw Mosey was in Shearwater.  It is interesting the distances in Alaska are vast but the ports of call are few enough that it is not too unusual to run into boats you have seen before.

Floyd and Marjorie Peterson (from Sitka News)

We are met at the dock by Marjorie Peterson.  I always have trouble with family trees but I think her husband Floyd was my mother’s second cousin.  This is the Swedish side of the family and it is all well documented in Aunt Sue’s book of family history.  I will study it when I return home.  Meanwhile, while Floyd taking a group from the cruise ship out whale watching, Marjorie treats us to a tour of Hoonah.  We are amazed, the town of just 760 people appears to be growing and prosperous.  We see the old downtown and also newly built homes in the hills.  The views are amazing.  We also see the airport and the new health center.  Then Marjorie takes us to the restored cannery (only open on days when cruise ships are in town) and arranges for us to ride the world’s longest zip line (see below). 

A real bear story

We fill our waiver forms and line up for the bus that will take us to the top of a 5,000 foot mountain.  The bus ride is 45 minutes long.  From the bus we walk to the top of the zip line.  Amazing.  Six people at a time are strapped into individual harnesses and we will be released together to fly down the mountain.  We will reach speeds as high as 60 miles per hour.  In 90 seconds it is all over.  Barrie and I survived the zip line and have lived to tell the tale!  Marjorie meets us at the end of the ride and we head back to the boat. 

Marjorie spends a few minutes cleaning the whale watching boat while Barrie and I head back to the boat to change clothes and feed the cat.  We are then treated to an evening at Floyd and Marjorie’s home.  We start with drinks on the deck and watch the whales mist in the distance.  Marjorie has cooked dinner including delicious halibut bites and spice cake.  Before heading back to the boat we spend a few minutes looking at Marjorie’s basket collection.  She is a basket weaver and her weaving is extraordinary. 

Funter Bay to Juneau to Funter Bay – May 31

This morning we are headed back to Juneau to drop John off at the dock.  He will fly home from here.  The sky is overcast but throughout the morning we experience lovely sun breaks and by the time we reach Juneau (at 9:30) the sun is out!  Along the way, we see a few humpback whales.  We stop just long enough for John to step ashore.  Barrie and I are both sad to lose John’s company.  It has been a thoroughly enjoyable two weeks.

We reverse our route and head return to Funter Bay for a second night.  Along the way, we see fewer whales but we are treated to watching a seal and an eagle fight over a salmon.  The eagle lost the fight but perhaps the salmon was the biggest loser of all.  

We drop our anchor in Coot Cover at 1:30 and spend the afternoon reading.  The wind dies down in the evening and I put my kayak in the water for a paddle.  I explore an old cannery site and also paddle to the community dock that is still full.  

I return to the boat and stow the kayak.  Tomorrow we are headed to Hoonah.

Juneau to Funter Bay Marine Park – May 30

After spending time on the dock in Auke Bay, we are all ready to escape “city life” and decide to spend John’s last night on board in Funter Bay Marine Park.  The bay is approximately 20 miles away and we depart after another leisurely breakfast at the Gonzo’s. 

We untie from the dock and are out of the harbor before 10 am.  The sun is shining and just beyond the harbor we see our first whales of the day.  It must be a whale convention because in the space of just a few minutes we see at least 2 dozens whale mists and several whale tales.  During the remaining three hours we have several additional whale sightings. 

View from Funter Bay Float

We arrive in Funter Bay and note that the state float near Coot Cove is full.  We assume this must be a popular spot for weekenders from Juneau.  This float is attached to a dock and provides easy access to the beach.  The other float in the bay has plenty of room and this is where we tie up for the night.  Several smaller boats join us and we learn that today is the annual salmon fishing derby.  We watch one boat clean a 15-pound salmon on the end of the dock.

Barrie and John are soon in the prone position enjoying a nap and I take my book to the stern where I enjoy the warmth of the sun.