Port Hardy

Day 79 – July 28

It was partly sunny when I woke up this morning, but by the time Glen got up it was raining; not hard but raining none the less. We pulled anchor and headed out. We had a long cruise of about 6 miles ahead of us this morning. Not long later we tied to a dock in Port Hardy and met up with the Miner’s. We all walked into town and did the walking tour ending at the local café for some fish and chips. Then we went on to the internet café for a beverage and free high speed internet. Much nicer than the slow connections with the aircard. Oh, and yes the pharmacy had the batteries we needed, so Liz is now ready for more 'non Liz water'.

We plan to stay here overnight to weather out this storm that is still predicted. They keep predicting this storm that has not yet hit. I guess that is a good thing.

There are Eagles all over this place. The dock we are on is right next to a cannery/fish packing plant and there are currently 16-20 Eagles sitting in the trees on shore. They must be waiting for some fish handouts.

Fury Cove and Cape Caution

Day 78 – July 27 Magic in Leaning Tree Cove

We left Fury Cove about 0715 and headed out. One of the nifty things about Fury is that it sits right on the Ocean with an access behind a small island so no swells enter the harbor, on the other hand as you leave and come around the island you know exactly what your in for. In this case we were looking at northwesterly swells of about 6 ft. with minimal wind chop. Glen left me in bed hoping that I might stay asleep, but that didn’t work. Glen brought me my supplies and I suffered through unable to get up with my head, stomach, and boat moving in different directions. We came immediately around Cape Caution and in towards Nakato Rapids and calm water. I could now get up and with any luck I might survive. The bracelet died early this morning. You’d think that planning a 4 month boat trip, one would remember to pack extra batteries. But no, neither of us did. Glen packed tons of camera and flashlight batteries but no Relief Band batteries. There better be batteries in Port Hardy!

Turret Rock

The rapids were only running 3.5 knots so we easily cruised in and out while snapping a few pictures of Turret Rock and the surrounding bays. This is where the current can run up to 16 knots when there is a high spring tide. With the tides today we would have had to be there at 1am just to see a 10 knot tide. Maybe another trip.

Originally we were going to stay overnight in his area but there is rumor of winds rising to 40knots tomorrow afternoon so we will continue on and get close to Port Hardy. We proceeded south through Schooner Channel and down behind the Southgate Island Group past Allison Harbor then back out into Queen Charlotte Strait. The water was much better and we headed across through Shelter Pass in the Walker Island Group and turning slightly north went past Gods Pocket then down along Hurst Island and entered what we called Leaning Tree Cove on Bell Island, 5 miles north of Point Hardy. This is a beautiful spot with a small beach and well protected from all wave action although the wind does make it through. We dinghied around the bay and then around the 2 Islands that protect the bay, It was a beautiful day in the sun.

Bella Bella/Shearwater and onto Fury Cove

Day 77 – July 26

It rained all night, and it’s still raining today.

We pulled into Bella Bella at noon with the idea to get some fuel. But they were out of fuel and would not get any until later in the evening. So we went over to Shearwater and Glen put me off at the dock so I could walk up to the hotel and use the phone in the lobby to make calls to home. While I was doing that he fueled the boat and went out into the bay to anchor. The dock at Shearwater was full. Tom dropped Nancy and Chris off at the dock so go to the grocery store while he went to the fuel dock. After he was fueled up he picked all the girls up off the dock and headed out to Magic. On the way out I spotted the Happy Wanderer heading into the harbor. Dick and Donna Yellam are long time boating friends of the senior Dodge’s having boated with them since Glen was small.

We put Magic’s dinghy down and the Miners and Dodge’s went into Shearwater. The Miners to do a bit of shopping and looking around and we went to visit Dick and Donna. The Miners were done quickly and Glen took them back out to their boat. They headed out while we stayed a bit longer to visit, and so that Glen could make his calls home. Glen helped Dick with unloading three good sized propane tanks and getting them filled and back into position on their fly bridge. Donna and I went up the laundry mat and chatted while their laundry splashed about. Once the guys were done they joined us in the laundry mat. We then all went out to Magic since they had not yet seen her. We gave them a quick tour and then Glen took them back to the dock. We headed out to re-join the Miners somewhere down the way. It was great to have seen Dick and Donna and been able to spend even a short time visiting with them.

Donna told us that they had met up with the Timm’s (Noon Balloon) and Collier’s (Reflections) on last Tuesday 7/22 and had a good visit. It sounded like the Colliers were heading back south, and the Timm’s were still headed north or staying somewhere around here. So who knows we might get lucky and see the Gary and Lenore at some point as we continue south.

Since we stayed a little longer at Shearwater it is 4:45 and we have about 4 hours of travel to meet up with the Miners in Fury Cove. On the way we saw a whale ahead doing circus tricks so we headed that way to see if there might be a photo op but he was done and all we got was a splash and a tail departing. We reached Fury Cove at about 9:30pm as the light was waning and found a spot close to Tom and Chris. There were about a dozen boats anchored, 5 of them being sailboats, seems like the most masts we’ve seen together in 2 months. Tom called over and asked if we wanted some chicken chili and even though we had already eaten we said sure. So since Tom already had his dinghy in the water he provided taxi service and we visited for a while had chili and dessert and then Tom took us back, whew, the swim would have been cold. We want to make an early start tomorrow as it will be the day to cross the ocean reach around Cape Caution which is likely to be ‘non Liz water’. We have a possible disaster; the batteries on Liz’s bracelet are dying.

Myers Passage to Oliver Cove

Day 76 – July 25

The sun is out with a high overcast sky. It was a bit cooler this morning. The big storm predicted for yesterday afternoon has not materialized yet.

We went for a long dinghy ride into Alexander inlet just to see what was there. It is about 5 miles long in a serpentine course. A few eagles watched us from the trees as we swerved trough the islets to the head of the inlet, low and behold 2 cruisers sat enjoying the area. We talked to one couple from Victoria who were exploring an island. They had slowed down and spent more time in each spot which had netted them 28 bear sightings this year.

We parked the dingy near a creek and walked the short distance through the woods to view a small lake.

It was time to head back so off we went weaving our way to the boats. We were surprised to see that kelp went across the narrows from shore to shore but our dingy depth inspection revealed a minimum of 14 feet so we only needed to chop up some kelp on our way through.

Back at the big boats we put all the toys away and pulled anchor. Our course took us past Klemto were the Miners had full phone and internet service and of course we had zero. This again bears a reminder that even though Verizon told us they had limited coverage in Alaska and we would have no internet card coverage, the Miner’s Verizon card has outperformed our AT&T card in every situation and had coverage most every time our AT&T cell phone has worked. The AT&T units have no coverage in Canada except south of Campbell River, at Port Hardy, and Prince Rupert. The Verizon Card had coverage available at the small villages in between and for only a $20 / mo. Fee instead of $ .59 / min. for the AT&T in Canada.

From Klemtu we headed south to Moss pass which included a 5 mile section of ocean water and so a little swell action. Liz made it through that reasonably well by watching a movie on the computer but after going through the pass and around the island we hit another roller section and that almost did her stomach in.

We arrived at Oliver Cove Provincial Park which basically amounts to a pretty cove with a sign, at the same time as it started to rain; our sun had almost lasted 3 days. While Liz rested to try to get her stomach back to where it belonged the Miner crew put a barbecue ribs dinner together but she still wasn’t ready when it arrived.

Myers Passage

Day 75 – July 24

I was up early again today. The sun was out, and the bay reflectively flat. I love mornings like this. It was even fairly warm at 7:30am, so I had juice and read on the back deck while waiting for the others to start moving. Wish we could stay and play more here in the sunny warm weather, but the weather forecast says that the winds are due to pick up (gale force) later this afternoon and we have a longer run today. Pulled the crab pots; skunked again. Pulled anchor and headed out.

I’m on dinner duty tonight so I got an early start by making fresh French bread as we started our travels.

The water easily fits into the ‘Liz Water’ category today. A humpback whale was sighted just in front of Magic, we slowed the engines and it surfaced briefly a bit closer but then went down. Both boats sat waiting for a few minutes to see if they would resurface alongside. Nope, several minutes later it was spotted quite a ways behind Magic. No sunshine and whale photo op today. There are a fair number of logs in the water today. We passed one cruise ship headed north. Other than that, not too many boats out here.

We anchored in Myers Rapids Inlet in Myers Passage. It looked like it was a good place to explore by kayak. So while Magic’s crew prepared dinner the Debt crew went kayaking. Dinner was again served on the back deck of Magic. Dinner consisted of Crab – with Swiss baked onto slices of fresh Baguette, Bisque, and Noodles ala Crab and vegetable medley. Oh almost forgot a loaf of fresh French bread was also devoured.

During our evening slide show and movie we had dessert. Chris made her famous ‘Strawberry Milk Cake’. Everyone got their fill of calories today.

Captain Cove and Monckton Inlet

Day 74 – July 23

We anchored in Captain Cove last night. This is a big bay which is fairly protected. Several streams merge to make a creek at the head of the bay where there is a fairly large grassy meadow area (river delta) which looks like a prime place to see bear or other critters. We took a dinghy ride up the creek but it got too shallow very quickly, so we went out and explored the other side of the bay. It was a sunny warm evening so we had dinner on the back deck of Magic. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to comfortably have dinner fully outside. It is definitely feeling more like summer.

This morning we got up to sunshine and warm weather. After a leisurely morning we pulled anchor. Tom did a bit of fishing and caught another trout which he and Sherm ate for breakfast; 30 minutes from swimming to being swallowed. The guys pulled the pots and todays take included 0 for 2 shrimp, and 10-12 crab in each pot of which there were 5 keepers in each pot. I’ll be crab with cocktails tonight.

About 3:00 pm we attempted to find a place to anchor in the entrance to Markle Inlet for some adventurer play time. This place winds around with several off shooting inlets. Fairly strong current in the main channel and submerged several rocks. The mission was aborted do to not finding a good place to anchor. Oh well, off to the next spot.

Our next stop at 6:30 pm was in Monckton Inlet another narrow entrance. It seems like Glen likes these narrow entrances. We went through a couple narrow places and ended up in a fairly good sized cove with plenty of water for a nice anchorage. Magic’s anchor was set and Tom tied alongside. The sun was still out but there was a bit of a nip to the breeze.

Almost immediately the crab cookers came out and catch of the day were cooked. It’s fresh crab and salads for dinner in the sunshine on Magic. It doesn’t get much better than this.

After dinner we went for our dinghy adventure, out of our little bay and down the way a bit, then back into another bay or two. Found another narrow spot with shallow water, of course went in; yep a small waterfall formed by the lowering tide and rocks. To shore we went to look over the top of the rocks and into the lagoon. The tide was lowering quickly so this excursion had to be fast. Back to the dinghies just in time to make it back out the narrow passage. Okay this did take a bit of maneuvering and the aid of a paddle (motors up and off) to get over and around the barely submerged rocks. But hey it was an adventure.

On to the next inlet and what did we find but …. Warm water! Yep warm water. Hum, where is it coming from? There must be a hot springs around here somewhere. We found the stream which fed water into this bay, of course it was full of rocks and water falling over these rocks. The water was warmer here.

There must be a hot springs or something up that stream somewhere. No time, to go ashore to investigate. Also it would be best to be carrying a gun as this is still bear country. Nearby in the inner bay there was a man made rock wall underwater crossing from one shore to the other. Possibly a fish trap? Who knows. There was just enough time to head back to the mother ship before dark, so back we went.

Sophie looking toward her Auntie and Uncle waiting for her cookie!

Oh and yes, they were underway and she did not have her life jacket on.

Hey Chris, where is your dog?

Leaving Prince Rupert - Headed South

Day 73 – July 22

Afternoon update …..

We left Prince Rupert about 2:00 pm under sunny warm skies, headed south. We are traveling abeam to about 2+ foot wind waves, so it’s a bit of a bumpy ride. There are commercial fishing boats all over the place.

We will likely not have internet or phone service for the next 4-5 days, but we will try to stay in contact when we can get service. Enjoy your cruising, summer vacation, or whatever it is you are doing.

Hang in there Mom.

A guiet morning in Prince Rupert

Day 73 – July 22

We had a great evening relaxing, and visiting with other boaters last night. Some headed south, and some headed north.

I was up and out early this morning. The entire harbor was fogged in. Very errie but pretty. I took a walk (at 6:30 am) on the docks and then up on shore. Not many people up and out this morning. The Eagles were waking up and doing their morning stretching and cleaning. There was a deer in the grass very close to the marina. She was very calm and unafraid as she munched on dew covered grass. She walked to within about 20 feet of me before I decided to leave the area. It was about 9am before the fog really cleared and the marina came to life. The sun is shining today. Glen’s up and out by 9:45am, he is definitely in vacation mode. It’s time for him to start washing the layers of now crusted salt off Magic.

Second try heading south - Annette Bay to Prince Rupert

Day 72 – July 21

Okay we are trying this again, starting out at 6:45am from Annette Bay/Annette Island about 5-7 miles from Ketchikan. Water in the bay looks fine. Went past several fishing boats on the way out, one was the younger brother that we met last night. He waved goodbye as we passed. I’ve got my nest made and am ready to hunker down to ride out whatever might hit us today. I’ve found hibernating through rough water is a good thing.

Woke up from my midsummer nap and the water seems okay, the sun is shining and there isn’t much stuff on the floor that we hadn’t already put there for safe keeping.

The crossing today included 7 foot rollers with wind chop on top and about 15-20 knot winds, but apparently that only lasted for about 3 hours (while I napped), and the rest of the crossing was pretty uneventful.

Glen got a hair brained idea to shave off his beard today. He’s been up on the fly bridge and keeps coming down to show a new look. First it was just the chin shaved. Then one side gone, then the other side went leaving a poorly shaped mustache, which went last. Yes, there are photos of each stage. They may not be published but I needed them for proof of his insanity. He feels better now that he has skin showing again. Frankly I didn’t think the beard looked all that bad. Much better than the one he grew many years ago. That one was much redder than his head hair. This one was more salt and pepper. Oh he did this while cruising so I guess that this proves that at least part of the crossing was in nicer water. Glen’s story is that when we crossed the border into Canada his beard just sucked back in.

Hummm, the weather …. It was cold, rainy, and gray in Alaska and it appears that about the time we crossed the border (or about the time I woke up) the sun was out. It looks like summer again.

We are now milling around the harbor in Prince Rupert waiting for a slip to open up at the Yacht Club. Glen called the Harbormaster and arranged moorage for the Miners, but we have to wait until a large boat leaves. Tenacious, a Seattle boat that we had seen in Hoonah and several other places had come in to clear customs and pick up groceries before heading on south. I hope they shop fast.

Our plan is to clear customs and stay overnight. Pick up a few groceries and relax before heading further south.

This is a crowded and busy place today. Even the fishing boats have to wait their turn.

Heading South from Ketchikan

Day 71 – July 20

We left Ketchikan under a gray wet sky today. Tom is a bit ahead of us as we needed to stay within internet range for a bit longer so I could attempt to get the Yacht clubs July Anchor Watch sent off. Having some technical difficulties with the computer today so who knows it might take another day or two to get it all figured out. If it does not go out today we hope to get it out in Prince Rupert.

Tom just called and said that he is kicking it up a bit. He is about 4 miles ahead of us and says that the water has kicked up and we might have to change plans. Glen is kicking it up a notch or two as well. My bracelet is on and I’m going to go hunker down to try to sleep through this section. Looks like No Liz water today!

It’s sad to be leaving Alaska.

We got about 12 miles out when Tom called and said something like ‘no way, it is too rough out here.’ His crew was stating that they were taking water through the doors. I’d only eaten ½ a sleeve of saltines at that point but had my bucket ready. Glen said that we were in about 7 foot waves. So we both turned around and headed for shelter, first in one bay where Glen set anchor. Before Tom could get clear in and tie on, Glen did a bit more investigation with the charts, and weather forecast. This was not the place to be if the winds kicked up to 30 as predicted.

Who’s idea was it to leave Ketchikan in the first place!

We left that bay and headed for Annette Inlet (Tom following) with the idea that if that did not work we’d go all the way back to Ketchikan. Tom tucked in behind Magic and followed us.

It was a dark and lumpy day...

We ended up in Annette Bay on Annette Island. Nice calm place with a floating dock in the middle which was very nice to be tied to. The eye of the storm...

We spent the afternoon watching a movie and then had dinner. Two fishing boats came in to join us on the dock. They had seen us out there in the muck earlier in the day and thought we were smart for getting into the bay. After they were all tied up they gave each of our boats a freshly caught salmon. We invited them over for dessert of fresh fruit (raspberries, blueberries, etc…) on shortcake with ice cream. The evening was spent chatting with these two brothers about our adventures, and places to go on our next trip north. They are Tsipsean natives and live in New Metlakatla on Annette Island where they were both born. However they spent many winters during their school years in Seattle and graduated from Ballard HS. Both spent some of their adult lives in Washington (one 10 years) but ended up deciding that coming home to Alaska and fishing alongside their dad and little brother was where they belonged and were the happiest. It was great fun to spend an evening talking to them. They said that the winds today were 30-40 with gusts up to 50 knots. And yes, we were out there for a bit in that mess. I’m glad we got into the harbor when we did. We all went back to our own boats at 11pm as we hoped to have an early start in the morning. The fisherman plan to get an early start by leaving the bay and start setting their nets at 3 am. This makes their nets ‘invisible’ in the morning light when the fish start their day. We hope to leave about 6 am to try to beat the wind and water. Time will tell.

It's raining .... It's raining .... It's Really Raining!!!!

Day 70 – July 19 Ketchikan

First to finish off yesterday. We are docked in the Bar Harbor marina at least for the night. We may move to Thomas Basin, which is closer to town tomorrow. The weather is drizzly. After the refrigerator installation was complete and our other chores done, we all went to the Ketchikan Yacht Club where the harbormaster had told us they have a weekly BBQ. Glen had called ahead to check it out and then we went down by taxi. They have a BBQ every Friday evening at their clubhouse on the docks in downtown Ketchikan (Thomas Bay Marina). It is a very small facility, with a warm and friendly group. We ate BBQ hamburgers (with all the trimmings), chips, coleslaw, 3 bean salad, and dessert for a $5.00 donation. The salads and desserts were homemade and very yummy. It is BYOB, and you can bring something (cookies, salad, snack) if you wish; we took a tray of cheese/pepperoni and crackers. We were welcomed with open arms and had a good time visiting with quite a few members. While we were there they held a general meeting at which they voted on new membership for a couple. The couple was there but they were asked to go out on the porch during the meeting. We got to stay. I must say that taking minutes at this clubs meeting would be a snap. The entire meeting lasted less than 3 minutes. No pomp and circumstance just business. The minutes would read something like. The meeting was brought to order by x (unnamed person), he announced that they had a new membership application and stated the names of the couple, then asked for a vote. Yeas were heard, and the announcement was made stating ‘okay we hereby have new members’; followed by the meeting is adjourned. Oh they then invited the new members back inside. The clubhouse has a kitchen, a small storage room, two bathrooms, and a meeting/dining area lined with burgees from clubs all over the country. No RHYC burgee however. The club has one pier with about 2 dozen club boats, and at times can accommodate visiting boats (up to about 40 feet). Their membership numbers about 150. We were told that most of their members rarely use their boats other than the live aboards, and that they do not have any club cruises. One long time member told us that some would refer to them as a drinking club. I said oh a drinking club with a boating problem, and he said ‘no, just a drinking club’. Anyway we had a great time visiting and sharing a meal with them and then headed back through town to our boats. We decided to walk back (about 1 mile +) just to get some exercise and see what we could see. Interesting town, most buildings built on piling or stilts, and right up against or seemingly hanging onto a rock/dirt wall. Lots of signs from the building inspectors stating ‘do not enter’, etc… In down town proper there are tons of shops, and everything seems to be in pretty good repair. With 3-4 cruise ships in town per day (3-4 days a week), and upwards of 2,000 tourists per ship these stores see a lot of business; at least from May thru September. We plan to play tourist before we leave town.

Back to the boats and the wind and rain keep coming on stronger. We watched a movie and listened to the wind and rain as we felt Magic lifting and moving on the water. At one point I told Glen that ‘if this keeps up, I’ll have to wear my bracelet to bed’. The guys kept checking the wind gauge and I believe the top speed that they saw was 34 knots. There are white capped waves inside the marina. Our slip is the second from the end of the dock and near the entrance to the harbor and its rock breakwater. We are very glad to be tied to a dock in a harbor.

I checked the blogs and found that the Reeds are safely at a dock in Sitka. No posting from Jim Waters. I sure hope he has found some warm shelter tonight. I would not want to be in a tent on some rock.

It’s still raining and windy this morning. Wind speeds in the 15-18 knot range noted this morning. Still waves in the marina. Our stern is to the wind so everything on the back deck is soaked. We left a drink glass that we had found on a beach outside on the counter (under cover) by the BBQ last night and guess what it is full of water this morning. So maybe we have finally found the Alaskan weather that people have been talking about. This is definitely raingear and boot weather.

Sherm and Nancy Voiles flew in this morning to join this adventure on the ‘Debt’. The guys have headed up to the hardware store to get some parts to fix the Miner’s back door. It seems that it worked fine before the refrigerator installation but last night they closed the door (from the inside) and then could not get back out. They also could not get it open from the outside. Humm, another guy project. Glen also wants to try to find a magnetic latch to replace one that broke on Magic. ‘Knock on wood’, our repairs are very minimal compared to the Miners. So far we can work around any small inconvenience. Magic has been wonderful to us on this trip.

Chris and Nancy are currently loading up the new refrigerator and making a list for grocery shopping later today. I’m sitting here listening to the rain, typing, and doing laundry. Once all our chores are done we plan to go to town (by taxi) and play tourist. This will be our last chance to shop in Alaska as we will be heading back into Canada in about 3 days.

We went shopping and did the tourist thing in the rain. And I mean rain; the big wet nasty kind. Just like at home. But it was not that cold out, even with the wind blowing. We should have done down town Ketchikan on the way north when it was sunny and hot. Oh well, we’re from Seattle so a little rust on our gills won’t hurt us.

We plan to spend the evening inside staying warm.

Happy Birthday Nicole!

Day 69 – July 18

Happy Birthday Nicole!

6:30 am, I’m up and everything is quite. The water if reflectively flat except for a few ripples from some jumping fish. The sky is full of high light gray clouds with thin spots showing signs of a brighter day here and there.

Tom and Chris pulled out about 8:30 am headed for Ketchikan and the major appliance store. We headed out a bit later after doing some exploring and pulling crab and shrimp pots. Todays haul totals 5 crab (1 keeper), a couple dozen shrimp, and 5 baby halibut in the crab pot. The halibut were sent back to grow up.

Tom called us about 10:30 to say that the water was lumpy and that the forecast is for lumpier water later today. My bracelet is now on, and the saltines are within reach. We are about 12 miles behind Tom so we’re hoping for the best.

We pulled into Ketchikan at 12:20pm having survived the crossing. I snuggled in a blanket in the rear of the salon area, and did not look at the water. I According to Glen there was about a 4 foot chop on the water. My bracelet must still be working. The wind was blowing pretty hard when we were trying to get into our assigned slip. Fortunately Tom came over from the next dock and helped catch and tie up the lines.

We are now safely tied up. I’m working to get the blog caught up and attend to my internet stuff. We’ve have very little internet or phone access this past week. When we’d get a connection it would be lost very quickly. This has been very frustrating to say the least. Glen has gone over to help Tom take the broken refrigerator out of the boat and make preparations for a new one to be purchased and installed later this afternoon.

Snug Anchorage on Kasaan Bay

Day 68 – July 17

Yippee the sun is shining. We went for a long dinghy ride to explore Thorne Bay. There are many fishing camps and lodges in this large bay, which is more like a long inlet. Some of these operations are quite primitive while others appear to be very nice. Not sure any compare to the one we saw at El Capitan, but I’m sure they still catch fish. The town of Thorne like most of the small out of the way places up here is pretty small. One of the locals told us you could walk the entire town and see everything in 20 minutes; she was right. No restaurants, one bar (closed, but they were willing to open if we needed a beer fix), one combination tackle, gift, and sundry store. The marina was in very good shape compared to some others we’ve seen. They are building new harbor facilities (restrooms, showers, laundry etc…) at the top of the dock, and working on a playground and park area just up from the marina.

On the way back we stopped to pick up the shrimp and crab pots. Zero for Two in the crab pots and -1 for Two shrimp pots. Yep Glen has managed to lose another shrimp pot. Just because he doesn’t like shrimp is not any reason to lose the pots. There were about a dozen shrimp in Tom’s pot.

Tom and Chris saw a small black bear on the way back to the boats. It was on the move toward the woods. Evidently we had scared it as we zipped by in our dinghy.

We’ve moved all the save ables from the Miner’s refrigerator to our frig and ice chests; so their good to go until Ketchikan where they will buy a new refrigerator. We’re headed to the Kasaan Pennisula today, the exact harbor/bay has yet to be determined. We will go into Ketchikan tomorrow so that the Miner’s can do their major appliance shopping and installation.

Oh wait a minute, yes, Glen is lucky today. He just spotted the missing shrimp pot off Tolstio Pt. 1.3 miles from where he put it down. Who only knows how far it had traveled since last night. And for the record there was only one small shrimp in there snacking away on the salmon head.

Seeing some other boats fishing off Tolstoi Pt. we decided to stop and get Tom’s gear wet again. Gear got wet but no fish to be had.

We ended up anchoring in Smith Cove. There are rocks just about all the way around us. After dinner we went for a dinghy ride to explore. The area of Kasaan once was the largest logging operation in the world. There is evidence of long ago logging everywhere. First we went to Old Kasaan which has the ruins of an old Indian long house, and a few old Indian graves. All that is really left are large poles which were the support of the long house. There used to be totems here but they were moved to New Kasaan and to Kethickan for more public display. Glen found a very well used bear path leading through the long house to the beach; but luckily no bear this evening.

Next we went back past the boats and into Smith Lagoon. This lagoon is quite large and has lots of twists and turns, some wide passages and some narrow, some deep and some very shallow. All surrounded by a rocky shoreline. Good thing we have a GPS nav system on the dinghy as I’m not sure how one would find their way out of there without a mapping system. Next time I vote to explore this area in broader daylight. It was getting fairly dark by the time we got back to the boats (about 10pm).

Exploring Burnett and Mosman Inlets

Day 67 – July 16

I woke up to a very quiet and still morning. The water around us in the bay was very reflective. There are low clouds clinging to the hills and trees around us, but outside the bay it appears that the clouds are much higher with bits of lighter blue visible. It looks like it will be another nice day. Looking along the shoreline there are sixteen Deer visible grazing in the grasses, including four babies.

Overhead in the trees are 4 Eagle watching over the morning. The Eagles are talking quite a bit so I think that there must be a nest hidden in the trees close by. No bear sightings yet. The guys at the hatchery told us that they’d seen a black bear near the hatchery yesterday morning.

I should probably clarify – a nice day up here means no rain, it does not mean sunshine. Most of the time there is a cloud layer overhead. Hey, we don’t have to worry about too much sunscreen or wearing out our shorts. Okay Glen is often in shorts but if you know Glen that doesn’t mean much. Remember he wears t-shirts in the snow too.

8:30 am, Glen is just starting to stir. The tide is coming in and many of the critters are still grazing along the shoreline. We just hung out until mid morning, then went exploring by dinghy.

We went up the next Inlet over – Mosman Inlet, clear to the end, and several off shoots. We found a waterfall coming off a rock wall about 10 feet tall.

Of course we went ashore to have a look and yep, there was a big lake on the upper side of that rock wall. And a beautiful lake it was. Too bad we didn’t have kayaks with us, it would have been fun to explore up lake. On the way back into Burnett Inlet we checked out what was left (ruins) on Cannery Point. Obviously at one point way back when there was a fairly good sized cannery there. Now only a few piling, a bunch of metal machinery rusting on the beach and what appeared to be a buoy hanging back in the trees. I took a photo of the buoy and when I blew it up, it wasn’t a buoy after all, it was an old rusty cast iron skillet. Likely found and hung by some previous explorer. Before going back to Magic we went up Burnett Inlet to the Fish Hatchery again to take some videos of the fish jumping. Got some good footage but file size is too large to post to the blog.

It was time to head back to Magic, to pull anchor and start out. We were headed to Vixen Harbor and our planned rendezvous with the Miners. We hadn’t gotten too far when Tom called on the radio. There is a change of plan. The Miner’s refrigerator decided to die, right after they filled it with food yesterday. Yep, this means that everything in their refrigerator and adjoining freezer is starting to get warm. They are headed to Ketchikan to buy a new one. We somehow had cell service (no internet – darn it anyway), so Glen got on the phone with several stores in Ketchikan to see what the options were. It appears that there is only one option for a new refrigerator of the right size in Ketchikan; at Bernie’s. They have 6-8 in stock so it’s unlikely that they will sell out before tomorrow or Friday. I cleaned out space in our refrigerator and as soon as the two boats are together will take on whatever we think can be saved. Glen and Tom talked and decide to go to Snug Anchorage for tonight and deal with the refrigerator decision more this evening. They need to pull out the old one to check model numbers, actual measurements, etc… Chris and I will likely spend our evening loading Magic’s refrigerator and cooking thawed food. I think Tom is most upset about losing the stockpile of crab that he had frozen.

Dodge Cove then on to Burnett Inlet. One Amazing Day!!!

Day 66 – July 15

Magic in Dodge Cove.

As planned Tom pulled out early, and quietly, before his girls woke up, headed for a day in Wrangle. They wanted to get to town early so that Debbie could visit the museum, and look around town before she flies home late this afternoon. Chris and Tom also have boat chores (laundry etc..) to do as well. It’s been fun having Debbie with the group.

A Blue Jay or Stellar Jay playing in Dodge Cove

Magic's crew stayed at the cove off Butterworth Island, sleeping in, and then just hanging out for the morning. Pulled the crab pots, no keepers, and took another look at the Eagles nest. Babes quiet this morning, and only one parent around, sitting at the tree top. Most of the morning there was another Eagle sitting atop a snag very close to our boat. Once the dinghy was back aboard the Eagle flew off. Hummm, maybe the other parent Eagle is keeping an eye on those pesky photographers. After all, no ‘releases’ had been signed for the photos of their offspring.

Tom named this unnamed inlet ‘Dodge Cove’. He thought it was only fair since earlier in the trip he had named another unnamed one ‘Miners Cove’. This view is looking out of the cove.

We are headed to McHenry Anchorage today, and the Miners will meet back up with us tomorrow somewhere further down at Vixen Harbor.

Whale Show!!!

Yippee another whale show. About 20 miles west of Wrangle. A couple Humpbacks playing on the surface fairly close to us. Stopped engines and got the camera’s out.

Wow, barely got those photos downloaded to the computer and we had Dall’s Porpoise playing at our bow. Yep, more camera action. There were about a dozen of them. Glen ran them trough ‘speed drills’, they stayed with us at from the 5.5 knot knot clear through 12 knots. They never quit, we slowed back down after about a cazillion photos and getting wet from their splashing. Boy they are fast. They stayed right at our bow for almost 2 miles. What a hoot. Tried to get some video, as well as still photos.

Glen changed plans and decided to stop for the night in a cove of the North Burnett Island Bay; across from Cannery Point in Burnett Inlet. There are crab pots in the bay but that did not hamper our anchoring too much. Further in the Inlet are what appear to be two large fishing camps. This island is quite large and the shoreline looks perfect for seeing bear. Okay about as perfect as most of the other places we’ve stopped, most of which proved to be bare of bear.

After a light dinner we went for a dinghy ride up the channel. There is snow on the tops of the hills along the way. We did a bit of fishing and each caught a Coho Salmon; two lovely 8 lbs fish.

What we had thought to be two large fish camps, turned out to be a fish hatchery. There were fish leaping out of the water everywhere you looked, all trying to find the fish ladder. It was great fun to watch them jump and try to photograph the action. A man came down to the dock and so we went over to chat with him. He invited us ashore for a tour. Wow, what a great facility. They raise Coho and Sockeye here. He showed us many large pens of baby Coho which just today they started to introduce to salt water. They will be released later this summer. The fish ladder had only been opened at 4:30 pm today and by 8:00 pm a few hundred fish had already made their way ‘upstream’ into the large holding tanks. They had several buildings, separate areas for baby Coho and Sockeye, an incubation building for the eggs yet to be gathered this summer, a big area for the large returning fish, and a generator building. Down at the docks there were smaller pens for those being introduced to salt water (they mix salt and fresh water together in these) and larger pens for salt water only. The entire operation was very interesting and very clean.

Glen was particularly interested in the generator room and the chemical distributors. The generator was water powered by water coming down the hill from a lake. It went backwards through a pump system which spun the generator and made power for the entire facility. He asked the gentleman where they bought their chemicals (always doing business) although he already had spotted some company names on drums etc… This guy did not know but he went up and got the manager to come down to chat with us. It turns out that they buy from several places, including Western Chemical in Bellingham which is associated with Cascade Columbia, where Glen works. The two dropped names back and forth and did their business contact bit.

They took us down to their docks and asked us if we’d like to catch a fish. Sure! So they handed Glen a rod and to the end of the dock he went. First cast and bam, he had a fish on. Then it was my turn. Not being a fisherman and not really knowing what to expect, I cast the line out. Not far enough and fouled the lure in the process. Try two also did not go out far enough. I handed the rod to Glen and he cast it out for me, right into the boiling fish, and then handed it back. I started slowly reeling and then bam, I had a fish on. He was a fighter, so it was fun to bring him back across and to the dock. The worker was right there with a net to help land my fish, as he had for Glen. If fishing was always this easy, I’d take it up. They offered us more but we declined. With two fish on board and smiles on our faces we said our thank yous and goodbyes, and started on our original intent – exploring up the channel. This place is beautiful and definitely one to come back to another time.

We got back to Magic just as it was starting to get dark (10:30pm). Cleaned and iced our fish.

What a great day! Great water, weather, whales, eagles, porpoise, and salmon too! I could get used to this.

PS - We don't care what Tom says about where we caught the fish, we actually caught them ourselves. He is just jealous. :) But I bet he won't be complaining when he eats it. :)