Ketchikan to Juneau, May 7 - May 26

May 7 – May 26, 2014

Wednesday, May 7, found us in Ketchikan.  We were up bright and early to get a phone call from daughter Joy.  She works at night and gave us a call before she headed for bed.  It was lovely to connect with her before we lose cell coverage again.  This photo was taken in Portland the last time we saw her…first of April, and it's such a good one!  I had to include it.  We enjoyed another day in Ketchikan, catching up on boat chores, helping our boating buddies with electrical problems on their boat, and I even finished up and mailed a sweater for grandaughter Lauren! 

Thursday, May 8, we left Ketchikan, bound for Punchbowl Cove.  On the way out of town, we stopped at the fuel dock to top off the tanks, since we hadn’t yet done this on our way north.  We took on 283 gallons and figure we averaged about 3 gallons an hour!  Really good for us!  Travelling at 7 – 7.5 knots at 1170-1180 RPM certainly paid off.  Of course the fuel dock is just beyond the cruise ship docks so we got a good view of these two big boys.

Although the weather was cloudy/overcast and sprinkley, it wasn’t driving rain and we felt lucky!  Since the cruise ships were in Ketchikan, we knew we were likely to see excursions to Punchbowl Cove, like this high-speed catamaran.

As we passed Rudyerd Island, through the little pass, we saw this little pod of Orcas!  We thought we saw three females and a male, experts that we are!  We kept our eyes peeled for more, but only saw these. 

One of the amazing sights in the east arm of Behm Canal is “New Eddystone Rock”, named by Captain Vancouver, for the lighthouse rock off Plymouth, England.  The rock is made of basalt and was part of volcanic flow millions of years ago.  As the area was scraped by glaciers, this hard substance was left behind.  This is just the beginning of the glacial effects we will see in Alaska.

Punchbowl Cove, tonight’s anchorage is one of our favorite places.  This cove in Rudyerd Bay is part of the Misty Fjords National Monument and the Tongass Rain Forrest.  Lots of fancy names for a very beautiful place!  We made our way to the head of the cove and anchored while Ella Marie grabbed the mooring buoy.  They quickly loaded the dogs in the dinghy and headed to shore.  It had been a ride of more than 7 hours for them!  Once the canine crew was back on board, Dick, Becky and Laurie headed our way for dinner.  This shot shows you the spectacular granite face that looms over Punchbowl Cove.  John Muir called this area the Yosemite of Alaska, and I think he was right!

At the head of the cove is a small stream, coming from a lake up above.  Theoretically there is a trail to the lake, described as a “muddy scramble” but when we were here three years ago with Chuck we could not find it.  What we did find were hints of the trail underneath many fallen trees.  Chuck, Jerry and I tried scrambling over logs and branches but it was just too difficult to find our way.  Consequently, we’ve never seen the beautiful lake that is just above the cove.

Friday, May 9, we continued on our journey through Behm Canal and the circumnav-igation of Revillagigedo Island, on which sits Ketchikan.  As soon as we pointed our nose out into Behm Canal we found the wind…20-25 knots on our bow!  This was quite a contrast to the very quiet night we had just spent!  Offsetting the annoyance of the wind was beautiful sunshine and hints of the gorgeous day to come.  Soon we had Pacific white-sided dolphins playing in our bow wake and we watched these acrobatic swimmers darting about our bow for most of the day’s cruise.

We did not see a single cruiser all day as we made our way to our anchorage at Yes Bay (taken for the Tlingit word “Yas” meaning mussels).  We cruised by the little fish camp and turned into the quiet cove where we had spent several days 2 years ago, waiting on weather to improve.  Imagine our surprise when we found, not the empty pristine cove we remembered, but this float full of fishing skiffs!  Ah, well!  We maneuvered around them and found room for both Ella Marie and us to anchor and swing.  The outside temperature was 68 in the warm sunshine!  Once the four-legged crew of Ella Marie was taken to shore and back, Dick fetched us in his dinghy for dinner at their house…grizzly stew and a rousing game of Mexican Train.  Yep, this boating life is tough!

Dick Walsh snapped this photo of Cosmo Place at anchor in Yes Bay.  You know the water is calm when we have a mirror-like reflection in the water!

Saturday May 10, we pulled the anchor at 0650 to continue on to tonight’s destination:  Meyers Chuck.  The sky was overcast with an outside temp of 53.  Where had our sunshine gone?  The cruise down the west of arm of Behm Canal was uneventful, since SEAFAC was closed for the weekend:

The Southeast Alaska Acoustic Measurement Facility (SEAFAC) is the Navy’s only West Coast asset for making high fidelity passive acoustic signature measurements. SEAFAC includes directive line arrays, data collection and processing systems for real-time data analysis and signature evaluation.

Making our way north toward Meyers Chuck up Clarence Strait we saw one humpback whale having lunch, but got no photos.  Our first whale sighting in Alaska was encouraging, though!  “Chuck" is a geographic term for a saltwater bay that becomes landlocked at low tide.  Meyer's Chuck has a central bay ringed by about 15 cabins. The tides are extreme - 20-foot surges every six hours - and at low tide the central bay essentially becomes a saltwater lake.  It sounds more exciting that it really was, since the little bay has a well-maintained state dock that and was big enough for lots of boats. 

Once settled, we were off to explore.  We visited with one of the seasonal residents who painted a picture of a quiet, tight-knit fishing community.  We found a trail through the forest leading to a rock beach facing Clarence Strait.  We walked over “Redneck Ridge” to the “back chuck” to find more quaint houses and lovely views.  All in all a good afternoon!

Back on the dock, we visited with Barb and Rob (on Harmony Bay, a 32’ Nordic Tug) whom we knew from previous travels.  We’ll see them all summer as we travel the same general route.  We met Dave and Darryl from Tennessee on the sailboat Rebecca T who were making their way to Haines.  Half the fun of these summer cruises is meeting so many new, interesting people.

Sunday, May 11, we departed soon after 7 to make our way to Wrangell, a real, live town with docks, groceries, and places to walk.  Yay! We stay in Reliance Harbor, full of fishing boats.  It certainly wasn't pristine or scenic, but always interesting.

We found these harbor seals sunning themselves, as we made our way north through Ernest Sound.  We are always amazed at how agile these creatures are as they hoist themselves up on the rocky shore. 

The most arduous part of today’s cruise was the passage up Zamovia Strait south of Wrangell.  This narrow passage is well marked with navigational aids, but requires some close attention.  The marker in the photo can be a little confusing.  Basically it means we could pass on either port of starboard, but the preferred route was to pass on starboard.  Like my Uncle Lowell says, “You gotta be thinking every minute!”

The location of the current town of Wrangell has been inhabited for thousands of years.  The native Tlingits migrated down the Stikine River as the glaciers receded.  The Russians established a fort here and later the Hudson Bay Company had a post here.  Quite a rich history for this little town of 2000 people!  As we explored we found this fence, very prettily decorated with Alaska's robust dandelions.    

We stayed in Wrangell on Monday, May 12, to catch up on boat chores, and departed for Petersburg on Tuesday, May 13.  The route to Petersburg takes us through Wrangell Narrows, a partially natural and partially manmade canal that separates Mitkof Island from Kupreanof Island.  This narrow channel has all kinds of traffic:  everything from tugs and tows to small cruise ships like the National Geographic Explorer.  This channel is full of navigational aids and as passed by #40 we spotted these two bald eagles surveying the channel.

We arrived in Petersburg about noon and tied up to C dock in the South Marina but Ella Marie went to the newly renovated docks in North Harbor to park near Dick and Becky’s friend Bob Dalton on his fishing boat.  We were moored between boating friends Knut and Geri Frostad on Salty Dawg and Rick and Barb Fish on Galatea. We planned our arrival in Petersburg so that we could enjoy the Little Norway Festival.  This little town was established by Norwegian fisherman in the early 1900’s and has maintained their interest in all things Norwegian.  The festival included everything from Vikings and Valkyries roaming the streets to a herring toss (similar to an egg toss) to a style show of Norwegian folk costumes called bunader.

The morning after we arrived, Knut and Jerry took off in Knut’s tender to go salmon fishing.  They came back absolutely empty handed (“those dang salmon haven’t arrived yet”) but I’m sure talked a mile a minute the whole time they were out! 

That evening we had dinner with Knut and Gerry on Salty Dawg, their beautiful 48’ Kady Krogen.  Their previous boat was a 42’ Nordic Tug like ours, but once they decided to move to Petersburg they needed a bigger boat.   Salty Dawg was beautiful and we were delighted to have dinner with them!  Knut and Gerry live on their boat in the Petersburg harbor and love being there!  Gerry, as the wife of a Norwegian, has embraced all things Scandinavian.  In the photo she's wearing a bunader. 

The Norwegian Festival pageant included these up and coming Norwegian dancers in the high school gym.  All of the dancers were in traditional Norwegian costumes and performed “authentic” folk dances.  This small town gave us a sense of real community and real commitment to their children. 

The parade was a wonderful snapshot of Petersburg.  It included everything from the representatives of Alaska Airlines, which serves all these little towns, to the “Vikings and Dragon Ship”.  You will notice that grade-schoolers are included on the ship, having won the right to be there in a contest at school.

Sunday, May 18, we went to church at the Petersburg Lutheran Church…always a delight!  Many of the women of the congregation wore their bunader and then served everyone a delightful lunch.  Over lunch we had one more quick visit with Knut and Gerry and then bustled back to Cosmo Place.  Our friends from Texas, Lewis and Bonnie Smith, were due to arrive!  Yippee!!  The next leg of our adventure was soon to begin.

Lewis and Bonnie had cruised with us last fall in Puget Sound and the San Juans and realized that it might be worth their time to clear their calendars for a cruise with us in Alaska.  After they arrived, we spent Sunday afternoon wandering around Petersburg and catching up.  Jerry and Lewis had been Butler plant managers back in the 90’s and Jerry and done some work at Lewis’ San Marcos, TX, plant, so they had a lot in common.  Bonnie, like me, is a nurse, and a grandma…lots of ground to cover there, too!

After a trip to the grocery store and the post office to pick up a box of venison Lewis had shipped to Petersburg, we left C dock on Monday morning, May 19, and were adventure bound!  We had a short week with the Smith’s and needed to make tracks.  As we made our way through Frederick Sound and then north up Stephens Passage we saw lots of humpback whale spouts, but no dramatic photos were to be had!  Monday night we anchored in Cleveland Passage, an unlovely spot with minimal protection on our way to Tracy Arm.  We had a “slappy” night and I got very little sleep.  I did not even take a photo!

May 20, Tuesday morning we continued on to No Name Cove, at the entrance to Tracy Arm.  This anchorage put us in position for a trip up Tracy Arm on Wednesday to see Sawyer Glacier.  This is a pretty anchorage and we had a lovely afternoon to enjoy it.  Smokey was delighted to get out on the bow of the boat and look for a fresh drink of water.

I mentioned that Lewis had shipped a box of venison that he picked up in Petersburg…well, what a treat!  He cooked all week for us and Bonnie cleaned up.  We were thrilled!  You can see that they both look quite at home in our galley.

The view through the “cut” in No Name Cove just beyond our stern was magnificent.  This is one of our favorite anchorages and we were so early that we shared this little cove with only 2 other boats and a flock of scoters.

As we departed No Name Cove up the arm, we saw a humpback whale against the far shore having breakfast.  What a good omen!  This narrow channel is the only outlet for the chunks of ice that calve off the glacier but we saw fewer little icebergs, or bergie bits, in the first miles of the cruise.  We kept an eye out for the cruise ships that enter the arm but do not go all the way up to the glacier.  We learned later that they turn around at Sawyer Island, about 2 miles from the face of the glacier…and miss the most spectacle part!

It’s about 25 miles from No Name Cove to the face of South Sawyer Glacier at the end of Tracy Arm along a deep narrow fjord.  We were surrounded by tall snow-covered granite peaks in glorious sunshine.  We could not have asked for a better day!

I took this photo of our chart but unfortunately did not quite include South Sawyer Glacier. It should be in the lower right hand corner. 

The wind picked up at the face of the glacier and the bergie bits were moving around, so I was on the bow with the boat hook.  As Jerry busily steered around the chunks of ice I pushed the chunks away from the boat.  

Luckily we were able to find a clear pool, free of ice, in front of a waterfall and watched the calving from there.  Because of the wind and current we couldn’t shut the engine off and were constantly maneuvering to stay clear of the ice. Here's a preview of Lewis and Bonnie's Christmas photo!

In the photo a small excursion boat is sitting much closer to the glacier and we watched him bob up and down in the waves created as the ice hit the water.  The black blogs on the ice are harbor seals, mostly moms and pups. 

One of the “cool” things to do near the glacier is to pick up tiny bergie bits…hunks of 10,000-year-old ice…for our afternoon cocktails.  Bonnie and I scored a particularly large piece!  This ice cube was almost more we could lift with our net!

We were back in No Name Cove by 1630, anchor well-set and enjoying gin and tonic with some very old ice.  

Sunset that evening was particularly beautiful.

Thursday, May 22, we pulled the anchor at 1020…yikes, what sleepyheads we were!  Our destination was not far away, a small state dock in Taku Harbor.  As we pulled approached the bar at the entrance to the bay we watched this cruise ship enter.  What surprised us was that a small excursion boat met the ship to offload passengers for some sort of sightseeing event.  We couldn’t imagine what would have been better than a cruise up Tracy Arm!

On our way north we pulled into Port Snettisham for lunch.  This confluence of several fjords gave us a large open body of water in which to turn off the engine and float.  We learned later that up one of the fjords is a great place to catch sockeye salmon in July!  We’ll be back!

Taku Harbor was the sight of an old cannery, a forest service cabin and a dock at which to moor.  There was no town or marina or power or water, but a wonderful place to explore.  The cannery ruins were quite interesting…old pilings, bricks, and rusting equipment.  Libby had a cannery here until the 1940’s and was quite a large employer. 

Sunny skies, calm water, and a quiet morning provided the perfect conditions for one of my better photos of the ruins.

Our alternator had not been working since we were in Tracy Arm and knew we would have to find someone to service it in Juneau.  (It’s never good when a burning electrical smell wafts through the boat!).  On Friday, May 23, we took one more walk down the dock and met Larry, on a classy old Ocean Alexander, Sea Master.  He was a fount of knowledge!  Not only did he tell us whom to call but told us where to fish as we approached Juneau.  What a guy!

Jerry and Lewis trolled for salmon from Point Salisbury up the Gastineau Channel toward Juneau but had absolutely no luck!  It was a veritable boat parade as many large and small boats were doing the same thing in about 100 feet of water…right off the cliff.  Nope, the salmon simply have not yet arrived.  Skunked once again.

Donald and Dorothy Peterson, our next guests, had arrived in Juneau on May 22 and Lewis and Bonnie departed on Saturday, May 23.  We had had a wonderful adventure with the Smith’s and hated to see them leave, but the arrival of the Peterson’s softened the blow. 

Ray from Glacier Electric arrived on the boat about 1300 on Saturday and quickly diagnosed the alternator problem.  Since we were at the beginning of Memorial Day weekend, we knew we would be in Harris Harbor until at least Tuesday, when Ray thought he could return our repaired alternator.  So...more adventures while we waited!

Donald and Dorothy wanted to see Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm…where we had just been!  Cosmo Place wasn’t going there, so we signed up for a sightseeing trip that departed out of Juneau, on Sunday, May 25.  Remember that small excursion boat we saw ahead of us at Sawyer Glacier?  Well, that’s the boat we took.  This was a great idea, particularly for Jerry, who didn’t get to see much of the glacier with Lewis and Bonnie, as piloting around the ice was rather challenging.

A 20-knot boat, a knowledgeable crew and a very skillful captain were the ingredients for an amazing day.  Captain Steve pulled us right up next to the sheer rock wall, at a waterfall about halfway to the glacier!  Yep I’m touching moss-covered granite!

We spent quite awhile at the face of South Sawyer Glacier and then went to North Sawyer Glacier, something we had not done on our boat.  Beautiful, amazing colors, ice calving, wildlife…quite a day!

It was a busman’s holiday for Jerry, since he spent a lot of time in the pilothouse with Captain Steve.

On our way back to Juneau the excursion boat pulled close to the rocks so we could watch these sea lions sunning on the rocks.  A mom trying to corral her pup?

Monday, May 26, 2014, was Memorial Day, so we needed one more tourist event and decided to take the Tramway from the cruise ship docks to the top of Mount Roberts.  Mount Roberts Tramway is about average: 3,087 feet long and rising 1,745 feet in elevation. With its two 60-passenger cabins, the Mount Roberts Tramway can accommodate up to 1,050 passengers per hour.  Once on top we took a hike around the top and had wonderful views of the Juneau Harbor and Gastineau Channel.  

Jerry and Donald very nicely posed for me!

So, that brings me to today, Tuesday, May 26, 2014.  Jerry just talked to Ray, the electrician, who told him that the part for the alternator will not be here until tomorrow, Wednesday, May 27.  So, we’re here for another day.  It’s a good thing Donald and Dorothy have plenty of time to get to Sitka!  Once we depart our destination will be Swanson Harbor and then on to Icy Strait, Dundas and Taylor Bays, Hoonah and eventually Sitka.  Donald and Dorothy fly out of Sitka on June 9.  Surely between here and there we can find a halibut or two with our name on it!