The Path Less Traveled

We went the less traveled path west of Chichagof

Last evening after we tied up to the transient dock in Pelican the winds began to blow in earnest.  After pulling on my rain gear, I walked up the dock to the local library where I had access the internet for half an hour.  Interesting experience.  On Fridays,  the library is open from 5:30 to 7:30 pm and when I arrived at 7 every chair in the place was filled by an adult glued to an electronic device.  I took the only seat I could find, a child's chair at a small round table, and proceeded to join "the party" with smart phone, iPad and iMac all in my carrying case.  The juxtaposition of new electronic gadgets in a town made up of old boardwalks and houses perched on stilts above the water was interesting to contemplate. 

Alone

We are awake this morning just after 4 am (there is a lot of daylight in Alaska this time of year!).  After listening to the 3:30 am weather forecast we decide that if we were going to transit the outside of Chichagof Island, that it is today or most likely a week from today.  The outside of Chichagof is open to the Pacific and the direction of the wind, the height of the waves and the direction of the ocean swell combine to make transiting this area challenging.  Today was have SE winds at 15 knots with 6 foot seas.  Later in the week, the weather gods are forecasting SE winds at 35 knots with 13 foot seas.

We depart from the dock in Pelican at 5:15.  The wind is calm and the water is flat.  We retrace our steps from yesterday's arrival for 3 miles before turning south into Lisianski Strait.  This area is pristine wilderness and the strait is flanked by steep snow covered mountains.  The entrance to the Strait is narrow with lots of rocks and we are thankful for the GPS that makes navigation through these hazards so simple.  It is almost too easy to rely on GPS but a note on the chart that says "Chart in this area is incorrect" catches my attention. 

We clear the buoy at the west end of Lisianski Strait and set our course for Porcupine Rocks.  The swells are on our starboard bow and while we are completely safe, the rolling motion gets wearisome after an hour or so.  We turn into Imperial Pass and take the longer but certainly calmer and more scenic path behind Hogan and Herbert Graves Islands.  The route requires constant vigil as some of the openings between islands are both narrow and shallow.  We are helped along the way by a 7 foot tide that gives us a bit more room to maneuver.  We exit the area by taking Ogden Passage to Smooth Channel and then into Khaz Bay.  Out here we seem to be on our own.  It is as if we are the first to pass this way.  For much of the journey, there is no sign of human development.  Only in Kimsham Cove, do we see signs, here there are two houses and some ruins.

We are back in the open ocean and the boat once again begins to roll with the swells.  Another hour of travel takes us into the lee of Klokachef Island where we find smooth water that lasts until we turn the corner into Salisbury Sound.  We cross Salisbury Sound to Kalinin Bay where we plan to anchor this evening.  It is a lovely inlet with protection for all winds and it must not be a secret hiding place.  Two boats are already at anchor when we arrive and within the hour another boat arrives.  The last arrival is Discovery from Juneau.  Discovery is a beautiful charter boat that was built in 1931 and is impeccably maintained.

Tomorrow we will arrive in Sitka.  We are pleased to have had the opportunity to take the path less-traveled and to have experienced the west side of Chichagof Island.