Sullivan Bay to Shawl Bay Marina 2 hours 19.6 miles

It is a short trip from Sullivan Bay to Shawl Bay Marina.  We saw no one else at all during the trip.  We figured things quieted down after Labor Day but this is ridiculous.  The fog burned off to a beautiful sunny day.  We were not surprised to see the docks empty at Shawl Bay.  Loren and Shawn are still here but Rob (their son) has moved to Vancouver Island and is about to be married.  We miss him but wish him well.

Allison Harbour to Sullivan Bay 2 ¾ hours 43 miles

Today we enter the Broughtons again.  The fog gradually lifted as we entered Wells Passage.  We were surprised when we arrived at Sullivan Bay that we were the only cruising boat there.  The managers, Debbie & Chris, were still there and the store was open.  http://www.sullivanbay.com/index.htm

Fury Cove to Allison Harbour 4 hours 44 miles

We made the big jump today around Cape Caution.  We had heavy fog the entire trip.  We had about 4-6 foot swells but relatively calm water.  Not comfortable but both Emerald Star & Fred handled the situation beautifully.  This is a big physical as well as psychological step.  We are now in southern British Columbia and nearing the site of home.  The fog was still heavy as we entered Allison Harbour.  We suddenly saw sunlight at the head of the inlet.  There was one other boat here and it is a big anchorage.  Unfortunately as soon as we got settled we were enveloped in fog again.

Shearwater to Fury Cove 5 ¾ hours 59.8 miles FUEL: 366.4 GALLONS @ $5.20/GALLON !!

We filled the fuel tanks, even with these outrageous prices.  It will give us more freedom to pick different anchorages and marinas.  We have really heavy fog today.  At times we couldn’t see the water in front of the boat.  The water was flat calm, the radar worked well and Fred reduced our speed to 7-8 kts.  Fury Cove was empty when we entered and had our choice of places to anchor.  We anchored with a lovely view of the sandy beach and Fitz Hugh Channel beyond.  We are very protected in here and as we completed anchoring the sun came out. While we were enjoying the afternoon sun from the cockpit, we could just see a couple of humpback whales over the protecting rocks. They were heading up north and look very happy. It was actually in the 70’s.  We sat on deck and caught some Vitamin D.  Fred put the crab pots out but no crabs for us.

Shearwater Marina

We hung out today and got chores done on the boat in the sunshine.  We saw Mola Mola come in in the afternoon.  We had a nice visit and planned to have dinner with them and another couple at the restaurant near by.  We had a lovely dinner.  Both other couples are from Newport Beach.  Mick is taking Mola Mola back so California soon.  That’s a trip I wouldn’t take.

Khutze Inlet to Shearwater Marina 7¾ hours 90 miles

We have rain and fog again today but we are heading over to Shearwater.  It is a 5 mile trip back out of Khutze Inlet.  We had heavy rain and wind most of the way today.  We crossed from Finlayson Channel into Mathias Channel via Jackson Passage.  Jackson Passage was just beautiful (would have been better in the sun).  We did not meet anyone in the narrows.  As we entered Seaforth Channel we encountered calm seas with 4 ft. swells.  We were prepared to find a safe anchorage anywhere along the way but continued on because the sea conditions were acceptable.  When we arrived at Shearwater we tried hailing the harbormaster on channel 06, 66 and 16 and never heard back.  So, we saw a place on the dock and took it.  Fred went to check in and found that there was no harbormaster as present due to family illness.  By 6:00 PM the dock was full and folks were moored over on the breakwater.  Sure glad we got here when we did.

Khutze Inlet

We stayed here another day because we love this place.  Unfortunately the weather never cleared.  I was taking a nap when Fred frantically called me to come into the salon.  He saw 2 wolves over by the waterfall.  Of course I didn’t have my glasses on so I missed out. However, we did get 3 large Dungeness crabs in out pots.

Lowe Inlet to Khutze Inlet 5 ½ hours 64.2 miles

It is an ugly, rainy day.  Such a change from yesterday.  As we exit Grenville Channel and enter Wright Sound the sea chop was about 2 feet.  We were heading into the wind (10-25 kts) the whole trip.  As we finally entered Khutz Inlet the wind and chop calmed right down.  We cannot see the mountains around us because of the clouds.  This inlet, like many up here, has a wonderful Yosemite feel.  We anchored in our favorite spot in front of the beautiful ~1000 ft. waterfall. We put the dinghy down and Fred put out our crab pots.  We almost always have good luck here.  A couple who were out in the pouring rain in their dinghy came over to us to say they thought they say a wolf by the waterfall.  They are Pam & Mick off of a 65 foot Fleming, Mola Mola.  Gorgeous boat.

Lowe Inlet, Grenville Channel

I convinced Fred to stay one more day.  The sun came out and we put the kayaks in the water for the first time this year.  Getting in and out of them has been a real concern to me.  Our previous boat, Aquila, had a slatted teak swim platform.  There was plenty to hold on to.  Emerald Star had a solid fiberglass swim platform that is about 6 inches higher than the one on Aquila.  We had an idea that we could launch from the dinghy.  It actually worked pretty well.  We do not get in and out of kayaks with any grace whatsoever.  We had a lovely trip around the anchorage and by the waterfall.

Prince Rupert to Lowe Inlet, Grenville Channel 6 ¾ hours 67.9 miles

It was overcast today but the wind and seas were completely calm.  We left Prince Rupert and headed into Grenville Chanel.  We saw some dolphins who played around the boat for 5 minutes and then disappeared by the time I grabbed my camera and headed out on deck.  We had a very comfortable cruise down to Lowe Inlet.  We have never stopped in this inlet before.  What a pleasant surprise!  It has a large anchorage and a beautiful waterfall at the head of the inlet.  There was Salty Dawg (42’Nordic Tug) was planted in the best spot in front of the waterfall.  This waterfall was putting out large amounts of foam which was not very pretty.  We put the dinghy down and went for a closer inspection of the inlet and the falls.  Verney Falls doubles in height at low tide.  I would guess it goes from 10 feet to 15-20 feet in height.  We saw a beautiful black bear on the rocks by the falls.  He was a rich dark black in color and looked well fed.  We could see salmon jumping up and trying to climb the falls.  I’m sure they are what the bear is after.

Thursday, September 1 Stuck in Prince Rupert

We were planning on heading out this morning. We got up early and took up the trash and headed over to Cowpuccinos for a latte.  Of course Merlin came on our morning walk.  Things looked bad for our leaving dock.  In a matter of minutes the wind was up to 30 kts. and we had 2 foot chop and white caps here in the harbor.  Emerald Star was pushed up against the dock and really doing a job on the fenders. The harbormaster came out with a handful of fenders for the other boats also pushing pushed onto the dock.  Merlin is not sure what is going on.  We are rocking and rolling pretty good here and the occasional boom of a wave hitting the hull.  I may need some Dramamine...

 At 4 PM the Norwegian Star cruise ship showed up.  We got a great look at each other.

Santa Anna Inlet to Meyers Chuck 2 hours 26.5 miles

Fred went out in the pouring rain to get our crab pots.  We only had one “keeper” but he was a good size Dungeness.  We will have fresh crab for dinner tonight.  What a difference a day makes.  The water is calm in the inlet but the wind rapidly increased to 20-34 kts.  We were heading to Ketchikan but as the seas reached 4-5 feet we sneaked into Myers Chuck.  This is a small community in a protected bay.  We anchored because the small dock was full.  Even in here were getting about 1 ft. swells that rocked the boat.  We put the dinghy down so we could go for a walk on shore.  We were able to order sweet rolls the last time were here and Fred wants some for breakfast tomorrow.  Oh no.  The sweet roll lady has packed up and moved.!! Merlin was adorable playing with a little female Rat Terrier (terrible name, cute dog).  We now have a new noise and problem on the boat. The shower sump pump is cycling every couple of minutes.  Fred will deal with it later.

Petersburg to Santa Anna Inlet 6 ¾ hours 81 miles

We went for a latte and then departed Petersburg.  Petersburg is in the northern end of Wrangell Narrows.  We caught the tide right for the first half of our trip in the Narrows.  We were riding the flood with a 3 kt push.  We went as fast as 13.6 kts.  It took us 2 hours to pass through the Narrows.  We never saw a large vessel in there, fortunately.  We usually would stop in Wrangell but the weather is so good we pass it up and head on.  Fred ran the engines up to wide open throttle (WOT) in Sumner Straight.  We reached 2750 RPM and 18.7 speed over ground (SOG).  Zimovia Straight continued to be flat-calm.  We were going to stop in Frosty Bay but since the cruising was so easy we continued to Santa Anna Inlet.  We have never been here before.  The inlet does not offer much protection from westerly winds but we tucked into the head of the inlet and were quite comfortable.  Douglass (cruising manual) says that crabbing is good here so we put the dinghy down and placed the crab pots.  We are near a waterfall but we can’t see it.  We took the dinghy near shore and could see the waterfall hidden in a wooded area.  It is such a nice sound. 

Tracy Arm Cove to Petersburg 6 ¾ hours, 81 miles

It is rainy & foggy but the water is calm as we exit Tracy Arm over the bar.  The cruise ship Volendam is preparing to enter Tracy Arm as we are preparing to exit. Fred talked to the cruise ship and made them aware we were exiting and would be out of their way promptly.  We are just a speck in the water to them and want to be sure they see us.  Stephens Passage was relatively calm but as we entered Frederick Sound the wind picked up to 25-35 kts and the seas built to 3-5 feet. As we cut through the waves, the wind would pick up the water and throw it over the fly bridge. It was a scary site. We were grateful to get a slip in Petersburg South Harbor. The Harbormaster said that the fishing fleet was in and space was tight.  We docked in a line of Seiners.  These are very large and sturdy fishing boats that use a net for catching fish.  We have come to really see the beauty of these vessels.  The owners take great pride in them and they are washed every time they come into port.  Of course we head over to our favorite café and got our afternoon lattes. 
http://alansorum.suite101.com/alaskan-purse-seine-boats-a101462.html

Juneau to Tracy Arm Cove 4 ¼ hours 46 miles

Well, we are finally going to turn around and head south. We were beginning to think we should look at apartments here because we were going to be spending the winter in Juneau.  The wind and water are perfectly flat.  We headed over to Petro Marine to fill up the fuel tanks.  We took 354.8 gallons @ $3.95/gallon.  Our trip back down Gastineau Channel and out to Stephens Passage was so flat we could have used our kayaks out here.  Our destination is Tracy Arm Cove.  The day is mostly sunny and we can see all the mountain tops around us. 

Juneau

Joan is coming home and Fred has done all the laundry and cleaned the boat.   Joan was expected at 9:30 PM but a delay got her in at 10:30 pm.  The flight into Juneau was frightening because it was foggy/rainy/windy and the plane was bouncing about and I knew that we were flying between two mountains to get to the airport.  I was very happy to see my boys (Fred & Merlin) but I was sorrier to say goodbye to my friends and sunny California.

Juneau

Fred has been stuck in the rain and wind in Juneau while Joan has been enjoying the sun in Southern California. The repaired prop showed up Thursday and the diver was available the same day. On it went with no trouble. What a relief to have the boat back together again.

Juneau

Joan has a 6 am flight out of the Juneau Airport.  That means that we have to get to airport before 5 am.  These early flights always seem like a good idea…  The airport is very small and Alaska is the main carrier here.  I am on a flight to Seattle and then Seattle to Long Beach, CA.  Poor Fred is staying on the boat with Merlin while I am meeting girlfriends from high school (8 of us who graduated in 1969) to take a short cruise from Long Beach to Catalina & Ensenada, Mexico. 

Juneau

We went out to Mendenhall Glacier today.  It is overcast but not raining at the moment.  There were a few salmon still heading upstream.  The salmon are bright red in color.  As we walked along the boardwalk along the river one could see half eaten salmon everywhere and the grass was beaten down into bear size paths.  The smell was pretty unpleasant but it was very interesting looking down at the end lifecycle of the salmon.  Apparently the glacier calved last week and caused flooding down the river due to river water released from under the glacier.  No buildings were lost.  I want to compare my photos of the glacier from 2007 and see if there is any change. 

Juneau

The harbor office has a great contact sheet for services in Juneau.  There are several car rental agencies but we called Rent-a Wreck.  It is run by women who couldn’t have been more helpful.  The only car they had was a 4-5 year old Lincoln Continental with 83,000 miles on it.  It was extremely comfortable and they gave it to us at the small car rate!