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.