Berg Bay to Wrangell - May 12

Hard to imagine that we have come over 750 miles and run the engine for 120 hours since leaving home two weeks ago!  In all that time, we have had just two days of rain.  The skies are blue, the sun is out, the temperature is in the 60s -- who could ask for anything more.  The rest of the story is that (knock on wood) all boat systems are doing well.  There is a small oil leak in the engine and Barrie does not have the correct wrench to tighten the nut but beyond that, the engine is working well.  We have made over 200 gallons of water with the water maker that Barrie installed and the water is fabulous.  The best tasting water on the planet!  And I have to say, the best water for washing hair!!  Still plenty of small things to do, but the boat is serving us well.
This morning we had a leisurely start since we wanted to transit The Narrows on the end of the Flood Tide (slack was at 9 am).  We pulled the anchor at about 7:30 and slowly made our way north in Eastern Passage and arrived at The Narrows at 8:30.  There was very little about this body of water in the guide books and now I know why -- really a non event and could be transited in most any tide.  However since the tides meet in the middle of The Narrows we did benefit from the change of tide and the Ebb that has carried us to the top of Wrangell Island.  We will tie-up at the dock in Wrangell late morning and head up to Harbor Master to pay for moorage.  We are on the transient dock and the price for one night is just $19.

Now we have the day to explore the town on Wrangell.  A walk through town says that spring has arrived in Alaska.  The cherry trees rival Washington D.C. and are simply stunning.  At the afternoon low tide we walk to the north end of town to the Petroglyph Beach.  Wrangell's waters are too shallow for the big cruise ships to dock but the smaller ones stop here.  One has arrived since we docked the boat and we find we have lots of company on the beach.  Throughout the afternoon we watch the sea planes come and go at the head of the dock.  With weather this spectacular we spend a bit of time just soaking in the scenery and pinching ourselves that we have come this far.