SE Alaska cruise August 12 - August 22

August 12 to August 22, 2014

Ketchikan to LaConner

After a weekend of raining sideways, Monday, August 11 was beautiful in Ketchikan.  We were able to get groceries and get the laundry done without wearing our foul weather gear…always a plus!  We had one last very pretty sunset in the Bar Harbor Marina on Monday evening and were mentally very ready to leave Alaska!

Tuesday, August 12 we headed to the fuel dock to top off the tanks for our cruise south through British Columbia.  By the time we left the fuel dock it was about 0830 and we weren’t sure where we would stop for the night.  Fortunately, the weather was fabulous and we decided to keep running until we got to Prince Rupert, crossing Dixon Entrance on a very calm sea.  Definitely made Captain Jerry happy!  This is a great shot of Jerry and unusual because he doesn’t usually let his whiskers grow!

We made it to Prince Rupert about 2010 (PDT) and called Canadian Customs on our way through Venn Passage.  Since we have Nexus cards, we don’t have the usual customs hassles.  We made the obligatory 10-minute stop at the lightering dock, and then off to our anchorage in Pillsbury Cove.  Usually when we arrive in Prince Rupert we moor at the yacht club, but their docks aren’t great and they are expensive.  Jill and Doug Princehouse had told us about this anchorage a couple of years ago and we thought we would give it a try.  It was great!  We had only 3 other boats around us, including this large yacht, with a nice view of the city behind her.

It was a different story when we left at 0845 August 13, Wednesday morning…fog!  We had less than 1/8-mile visibility when we left and ran with radar until about 1015 in Chatham Sound.  Little did we know what a problem fog would be on this southbound leg.  The radar and the boat’s navigations systems worked well, and we’re experienced travelling in the fog, but it was still creepy!  We both kept watch and listened for extraneous sounds coming through the fog.  The worst problems were the little fishing boats.  They showed up well on radar but tended to dart around in front of us and I don’t think they realized that we were not quite as maneuverable as they were.

We had both the wind and the current on our stern as we ran down Grenville Channel and made really good time.  We usually meet at least one cruise ship in this channel in August, but not this year.  We bypassed Lowe Inlet, a common anchorage, and instead dropped our anchor in Coughlin Passage, just around the corner from Wright Sound and the little Indian village of Hartley Bay.

This was another new anchorage for us and was delightful.  It was 1800 by the time we got the anchor set…an almost 10-hour day.  We were both tired and ready to be done.  We were lying in bed reading when we heard a new weird sound…a scraping on the anchor chain.  We were used to the sound the chain made when it scraped over rocks along the bottom but this was sharper than that noise.  With all the boat problems we’d had, we were rather paranoid about this new noise and were quickly up on deck to take a look.  Another first!  A small tree had gotten caught in the chain and had lodged against the hull.  It took a couple of attempts to get it pushed off and out of our way.  Ugh!  What next?

Thursday, August 14, we pulled the anchor a little before 0700 to have optimal currents through Jackson Passage, at the end of this day’s cruise.  Our transit of Wright Sound was one of the smoothest we had experienced and boded well for the day.  We took a good look at Butedale, the site of a former cannery.  It looked as though someone had been working on cleaning up some of the decrepit buildings.  Several of our boating friends have moored here overnight, but we weren’t brave enough to give it a try.

Our destination anchorage for this night was in Rescue Bay on the east side of Jackson Passage.  This passage was an easy cruise, except for about ½ mile toward the east end of the waterway where we had to negotiate a sharp dogleg to avoid the shallow rocky shoreline.  We had little or no current and no difficulties.  It would have been a little easier if someone had cut down that limb overhanging the waterway, though! 

Friday, August 15, we pulled anchor at 0700 for another day of cruising.  As we travelled through Seaforth Channel we passed this native canoe and support boat.  They were making amazingly good time.  This was the first native canoe we’d seen on the water this summer and had no idea where they were bound.  We by-passed Shearwater, a small town with a convenient marina, and made it all the way to Fury Cove, on the north side of Queen Charlotte Sound.  This is a common anchorage for boaters to use either going north or sound around Cape Caution.  As the name implies, this area can be challenging, since we would be exposed to the Pacific Ocean swells, currents, and waves.  We were the seventh boat to park there for the night.  The weather reports were good for crossing the sound the next morning and we were ready to get this next challenge out of our way.

Saturday, August 16, we were up at 0630 and pulled the anchor in a dense fog.  Again, the radar and navigation systems were indispensible and we cruised all the way around Cape Caution in the fog.  In fact, we ran with the radar on all day…a first.  So, I have no lovely scenery pictures of this portion of the trip to show you.  Our only challenge was a tug and tow that the radar picked up in the fog.  It seemed he was determined to bear down on us, even after we had turned our heading 90 degrees to starboard.  Of course, when we called he was rather defensive, but certainly not apologetic!  Of course we successfully avoided him, but never saw him in the dense fog.

We pulled in to Fife Sound about 1615 and finally broke out of the fog into bright sunshine!  Wonderful!  This night’s destination was Lady Boot Cove on the north side of Eden Island, yep, another new anchorage.  This was an area of the Broughton’s that we had not explored but was highly recommended in our travel guide. 

When we pulled into the cove’s entrance we found two boats already anchored there, and there was room only for those two.  We anchored in the narrow fairway entrance and we intrigued by these gulls perched on a branch overhanging the water.  The photo gives you an idea of how close the shoreline was to us…the same on both sides of the boat!

We had another good night on anchor here.  This was the first time we had anchored and awakened in the morning to find that the boat had not moved or swung with the tide…most unusual. 

Sunday, August 17, the alarm went off at 0615 and we noticed how dark it was.  We had been used to daylight by 0430 in Alaska!  Today’s cruising plan was to make the run down Johnstone Strait and into Sunderland Channel for an anchorage in Douglas Bay in Forward Harbor.  This was another favorite anchorage and would position us to make our way through the five sets of rapids on Monday.  However, we had great weather and calm seas and hated to stop early.  We looked at the currents through Whirlpool and Green Point Rapids, the first two in the series, and decided we had time to make slack.  This turned out to be a good decision for us.  The water on the north side of Whirlpool was actually more turbulent than the designated rapids area itself, but not dangerously so.  The boat was travelling through the water at 8.4 k and our speed over ground was 5.6.  We had a little current against us…got there a little ahead of slack!  Twelve miles further down the waterway we came to Green Point Rapids and had a similar experience.  The boat’s speed through the water was 7.8 but the speed over ground was 5.6.  We had come easily through both sets of rapids without waiting for absolute slack water.  Yay!  Once through we were able to relax a little and enjoy the beautiful scenery in Calm Channel.

Our anchorage on Sunday night was in Bickley Bay, yet another new spot to drop the hook.  We chose this anchorage because it was just around the corner from the last three sets of rapids, so we would be ready to conquer them the next morning.  We were settled by 1600 and had the rest of the sunny afternoon to sit outside and watch the wildlife.  At one point a solo dolphin came in to the bay, looking for his dinner.  He should have been successful…we saw lots of salmon jumping in the shallow water.  This Chinese junk-style sailing vessel anchored in the early evening.  Rather colorful!

Monday, August 18, was another glorious summer day and we enjoyed a leisurely departure, not wanting to arrive at the last sets of rapids too early.  We were in a regular parade of boats as we made our way to the rapids.  The other boaters had consulted their current tables, too and knew it was time to make the passage.  Seeing other boaters who’ve made the same timing decision as we had made was reassuring.  Although we haven’t had a bad experience in these rapids, we have heard lots of horror stories and certainly didn’t want to become an entry in the “Stupid Things Boaters Do” book!

We hailed a boat ahead of us and learned that he’d been through these rapids many, many times and was delighted to lead the way.  Our transit through these rapids was just as smooth as yesterdays but this time we had the current with us.  You can see the minimal turbulence in the photo.

Let me share my notes:

1055     Entering N Marker, Dent.  Speed thru water 6.0     Speed over ground 11.7

1113      Entering Gillard Rapids      Speed thru water  7.0     Speed over ground 11.8

1114      Green marker at Gillard     Speed thru water  6.9     Speed over ground 12.3   (wheeeeee!)

1121      Yaculta Rapids                    Speed thru water  6.2     Speed over ground 9.5

We were through the rapids and it wasn’t yet noon!  Wow!  Where to stay tonight?  We were on the edge of Desolation Sound, a popular cruising area for Canadian and NW US boaters.  We had spent a couple of weeks there last summer.  We didn’t want to repeat an anchorage, and chose to stay in Cortes Bay, a new spot for us!  We were settled in by 1430 and decided we deserved naps!  When we arose, sometime later, we glanced out the back door and there was “NOETA” and our friends Jim and Christie Caldwell anchored just behind us!  We had cruised to Princess Louisa Inlet with them during June, 2013.  NOETA (No ETA) is a 42’ Nordic Tug like ours and we seem to have lot in common. 

We soon caught up with Jim and Christie and spent two nights in Cortes Bay.  We shared all of our boat problems with them and learned that they had had a similar experience.  They have a fly bridge and the captain’s chair fell over with Jim in it!  Same problem!  The chair was mounted only with deck screws, rather than through bolts and a backing plate! 

Seattle Yacht Club has an out station at Cortes Bay.  Friends of the Caldwell’s were at the out station and we were invited for drinks one night.  My photo is from the deck of the yacht club.  Cosmo Place is in the middle of the picture in the distance…take my word for it!

We departed Cortes Bay on Wednesday, August 20, to continue on our way.  Once again the weather was glorious and we decided to cross the Strait of Georgia in the afternoon, rather than waiting until the next day.  That made for another long run…almost 9 hours…and much of it rather boring.  We were glad we made the effort, though, since crossing the strait was a smooth transit.  

We stayed in Silva Bay, our only moorage in Canada, rather than anchor in the bay.  This stop is a favorite one and we always enjoy dinner at the marina restaurant.  Silva Bay has had the unfortunate reputation of having a bay full of derelict boats, but it was looking better.  I took the photo of the bay as we departed.

Thursday, August 21, we knew we would be back in the USA.  We cruised through Boundary Passage and crossed into the US near Turn Point Light about 1210.  We’ve hiked out to this point several times when we have been anchored in one of Stuart Island’s bays. 

One thing we noticed during our cruising on this day was the huge amount of boats on the water.  We had been accustomed to the isolation of Alaska, and not seeing another boat all day long.  South of Silva Bay we felt like we were surrounded.  Let me show you some photos.

Actually we met this gorgeous sailboat just south of the rapids.  He hailed us, in a delightful British accent, asking about the currents we had just passed through.

This tug and tow were probably headed for Powell River and the pulp mill there.  The first barge was enclosed with a large access door in the middle.  Jerry thought that first barge might be carrying processed lumber.  The second barge was open and full of wood chips.

This small BC ferry was carrying passengers and vehicles between the many Gulf Islands.

We kept an eye on this large BC ferry as he came from our rear port quarter.  We definitely needed to stay out of his way!  You can see the sailboat in the foreground looks quite small in comparison

Sailboats were all over the place…and even under sail!  We kept a close eye on these guys, too.  It seemed just when we thought we had passed one, he decided to tack and come right back across our bow!  They were pretty to see but challenging to keep out of their way.  They have the right of way every time and some sailors seem to take advantage of this.

We made it all the way to Anacortes on Wednesday night and moored at Cap Sante Marina.  It was great to be back in the US!  We had phone and Internet service and even had our DirecTV back in operation!  

Thursday, August 22, we waited for the fog to lift to cruise down Swinomish Channel to the LaConner Marina.  Being welcomed home by these harbor seals was great!  We arrived back in our slip in LaConner about 1230.  We had been gone 123 days, travelled 3253 miles, and had put 444 hours on the engine.  We had learned a bunch, marveled at amazing scenery, and had some challenging experiences...and survived it all!

That brings me to the end of this year’s Alaska cruise.  So long until next time!