Ketchikan, Alaska to Prince Rupert, Canada

Hello from Canada! Yes, that's right folks (esp. those we talked to last night and this morning - god, was that THIS morning!?!) Ketchikan to Prince Rupert in one day! 80-90 miles! 15 hours! yikes! But the weather was great! Smooth sailing. Well not actual sailing we averaged a little over 6 knots with the iron genny at 22rpms. Our knot log is STILL not functioning so we're not for sure on the exact miles. But man...BEAUTIFUL! Calm waters, not much rain (per our usual, poured down right as we approached the docks!). We just kept moving. We had to navigate Venn Passage (Wally and Katy - remember that passage with all the marks when we left Prince Rupert?) in the dark after 14 hours underway. Very exciting. Ron and I bit a couple times but made up quick - by the next mark :) Something that took us three days heading north, done in one heading south. Not bad. We're getting pretty good at this cruising thing, I must say. Anyway, it's late, I'm spent and Ron's got brie, olive bread, beer and a fire going! Yeah baby! Goodnight. I'll continue the lower blog tomorrow....

It's been quite the adventure and I'm sad to be saying goodbye to Alaska. But it's all for the best, winter is approaching. Ron and I are hoping someone out there will be sending us to Mexico for Christmas (this is the Internet after all).

We left Craig after a nice little (steady 40 knot winds!) storm passed through and made our way North thru El Capitan Passage. Day 100 was a beautiful day as we wove our way through the islands that fill the north area of Sea Otter Sound. We saw numerous sea otters but they're nervous little buggers and won't let you get very close. However, Ron did get fairly close - almost running it over - to a deer swimming across one of the channels. We set our shrimp pot outside of Devilfish Bay and as we were making our way into the bay, the rain started. It wasn't a very hard rain and the clouds were beautiful. There were a few evening sun breaks and we had a beautiful rainbow. A very pleasant evening all to ourselves in this quiet bay. The next morning started with a hazy 1 mile of visibility. The white noise of the countless light raindrops on the calm waters in the bay was enough to brush over the drone of the engine. We had a nice pull of prawns, 35. Mid morning we pulled onto the USFS dock on the southern flank of 2,500 foot El Capitan Peak. We climbed a steep trail of over 360 stairs to one of the deepest caves in the US. Unfortunately, there were no tours being held and the small entrance was pitch black! No light, no go. But the hike was good for our out of shape bodies and our calfs were sore for at least a week!
We made our way up Sumner Strait on a beautiful afternoon with Mt. Calder out along with a few humpbacks. As we turned into Port Protection the rain started in earnest, trying to make up for the rest of the day. By the time we were tying up to the public float in Wooden Wheel Cove the sun was back out. I don't know what the people made of us suited up and soaked under clear and sunny skies. We ran into Johnny, who we met in Wrangell on the 4th of July and he took us in his motorized skiff :) over to explore the miles of boardwalks winding through Port Protection. Unlike Elfin Cove and Pelican this boardwalk town wound through the woods rather than being confined to waters edge. It was beautiful, with lots of blueberries ready for pickin'. Johnny joined us for dinner and it was fun to have company on the boat.

A couple long days on the water brought us back to Meyers Chuck. The only bit of repeat waters after 2 months in Southeast Alaska. What a treat to see 'Patsy' Steve (remember him?). After our morning coffee, complete with sticky buns!, we answered an invite over to Steve and Cass' place. The day turned out to be beautiful and the visit took up more than a few hours laughing at Steve's stories and ticking off the countless jobs Cass does around The Chuck - from postmistress to weather reporter to NOAA, to her beautiful artwork (woodworking, fish prints and stained glass just to name a few) and helping to run and stock the local art gallery. She stays very busy. We followed her down to the Post Office, just down the path from their house at the top of their boat ramp, while she sold fishing license and deer tags. We met Gregg, another resident of The Chuck, and he offered us some Geo Duc. Neither Ron nor I had ever tried 'em so we took Steve up on his offer to ride us over to the Back Chuck to get our Geo Duc cleaning and cooking lessons. The day kept getting more beautiful and warm by the minute and Ron and I decided it was well worth a day to hang out with the locals of Meyers Chuck. We spent the afternoon chatting with Steve on the dock, with other locals stopping by throughout the afternoon.
.....whooo. past midnight. i'll have to catch you up on the behm tomorrow.....

Still in Alaska

Hi Kids! Sorry to have cut it so short in Sitka, but my free minutes were running out quick at the coffee shop and I had to post before losing my work. Well as you can tell from the title, we're still in Alaska. So much to see, we just keep on exploring. If we had the money I think we'd find a place to hole up for the winter and continue our voyage in the spring. As it stands we're hoping just to make it back to Hadlock. It's 688.6 miles bearing 135' True as the raven flies from Craig - where I'm posting from - to Hadlock - home of the truly missed Valley Burger. We're not a bird and there's still a few winding waterways calling us before we leave Alaska. The Behm Canal is one. The weather will determine how much time we have to explore the Broughtons and Desolation. That may have to be another time. Southeast Alaska was our goal and we are working hard to satisfy our desire to visit every nook and cranny (actually impossible).

We pulled out of Sitka 7 August, planning to take our time among the islets filling the sound up to Peril Strait. The day was nice and Ron and I decided to press on to an anchorage near Sergius Narrows, the entrance to Peril Strait, rather than anchor among the islets. Once we got there, we realized it was high water slack, the perfect time to transit the narrows. So again we pressed on. We anchored in Baby Bear Bay by 5pm and still had enough of the lovely afternoon to enjoy a couple beers on deck. We continued to wind our way through Peril Strait, getting some sailing in Hoonah Sound as humpbacks surfaced all around us. We finally caught a couple crab in Appleton Cove and saw porpoises playing with a humpback as we left Peril Strait. We pulled into Warm Springs Bay and made our way to the soaking tubs. Bliss. We returned to the boat for a dinner of steak, crab, and salad. Bliss. Don and Karen, who we met in Appleton Cove, were at the springs and we enjoyed a lovely breakfast with them on their boat. We had a lovely afternoon at the springs. The next day we were fogged in so we didn't move on. The day after was a bit windy, just enough to blow the fog away. We listened to the chatter on the radio and it didn't sound so bad out in Chatham Strait and it was expected to calm down even more as the tide turned. We buttoned up and headed out into 3-4 foot seas with a 25+ knot wind on our nose. We were getting nowhere. Seas built to 6-8 feet and we buried our bow while standing still. We were getting a beating. I had to belay the anchor chain it case it jumped out of the gypsy and I had to hold my breath and close my eyes through the drops. Luckily I was just on the v-berth working through the chain locker. I don't know that I would have been able to work on deck. We made the decision to turn back. Ron gave it full throttle and turned the wheel hard over. We prayed that the bow would come around before the wave we started up crashed over our beam. The following seas were dangerous but the ride was much smoother and a hell of a lot faster. The rains had swollen the river, clogged the pipes to the soaking tubs and cooled the springs, however there was just enough warmth in the hottest pool to calm our nerves.

Finally on the 13 of August the seas calmed enough for us to move onto breathtakingly, beautiful Red Bluff Bay. It was blowing enough that the cold rain was hurting our faces, but the grand entrance into Red Bluff erased any discomforts. I counted no fewer than 18 waterfalls being blown off the channels of granite on the massif lining our entrance. The number of waterfalls totaled no fewer than a couple dozen by the time we wove our way into the depths of the bay and secured the hook. After a lunch of grilled sandwiches, naps came easy. The next day we took a short hop down to Gut Bay. Another spectacular anchorage surround by stark pinnacles and crisp snowfields. Bears strolled along the shore, in and out of the thick forest at waters edge, to the large grassy meadow. The quick flowing creek sparkled in the sun breaks as the bear joined the eagles and herons feeding on the salmon pressing through to their spawning grounds. Ron and I enjoyed showers in the cockpit and the quiet solitude, having this little cove all to ourselves.

We had a gorgeous day crossing Chatham Strait to Tebenkof Bay! A beautiful summer day, barely a breath of wind (alas, no sailing). The peaks of Baranof Island were out in all their glory. Humpbacks were waiting for us in Tebenkof Bay. We bobbed around (literally - the ocean swells were relentless!) for a couple hours watching and listening to the thousands of birds that surrounded our boat, the big fish chasing the little fish to the surface of the water, and the active whales. We finally mossied on and the sea otters greeted us as we found our path through the islands to our anchorage in Cedar Bight. One more treat awaited us this evening.....the MOONRISE and STARS! Neither Ron nor I can remember the last time we saw the night sky. It certainly has not been on this trip when we've been asleep before the sun even sets. It's getting on fall though now and we're actually enjoying having our evenings as well as our days. The next day was totally socked in, not a glimmer of sun on the water that blended into the sky. But it was calm and we continued out transit down Chatham Strait. 17 August took us down to Coronation Island. We had to fight to get there. A nice stiff breeze picked up by late morning, perfect for sailing had the combination of the ocean swells, tide and wind not meshed into very lumpy, inhospitable seas. We added a lot more miles to our day by steering to what was comfortable rather than where we wanted to go. We got the anchor set in Egg Harbour, Coronation Island and decided to go exploring on the beach's across the way. Rowing over the beaches that shone through the shallow crystal clear waters were mesmerizing. We beached the boat on the grey-white sandy-rocky shores and walked through caves and explored the tide pools. We can't remember the last time we had a beach to walk on and explore. Coronation Island was a beautiful treat.

The weather has been changing as quickly as a little brother playing with a light switch while big sister is in the bathroom getting ready for a date. So as we left Coronation it was a beautiful calm morning and we even put the sails up for a bit while crossing Iphigenia Bay. I laid on the deck half naked soaking up as much sun as I could get! We pulled into Bob's Place on Prince of Wales Island around 4pm and by 10pm we were underway to reset the anchor. The winds had picked up in the opposite direction that we set the hook and we were getting blown into the shallows. As we turned the boat around in the dark we bumped the bottom a little harder than we would have liked. Ron was not to happy with the situation. But the anchor set well out a little deeper and we slept well. We had to work the next 15 miles into Craig into a headwind with chop that would hit the hull just right and sent salt spray over the whole boat to the helm! What happened to our quiet sunshine?!! Well we got into friendly Craig and got on with our chores. Showers and laundry. Ron went back to the boat to reorganize the v-berth locker while I did laundry. Did y'all know the Olympics were on? Wednesday and Thursday were decent days, weather wise, to get some things re-bedded on deck that were leaking. Cut a notch for the boom in our boom gallows (thanks Allen! It's been amazing!), Ron repacked the stuffing box, changed the oil and transmission fluid. I got a little cleaning done on the boat and finally had to say goodbye to my plants that have been trying to hang on through the cold and bumpy rides. They have not been happy. I orphaned them at the laundry mat.

We were planning on leaving Craig today (Friday) and of course as beautiful as it was yesterday it's as nasty today. Rainy, which means low visibility, and windy with up to 40 knot gusts! Yuck. It's hard to get moving in weather like this when your secured and warm dock side. We'll see if it lets up this afternoon. We're thinking a few more weeks in Alaska then shooting down through Canada to the Broughtons. It's a long way but we're told that September is still lovely down in that area. Everybody keep your fingers crossed!

We're hoping to have the Hadlock Crew meet us at Friday Harbour for a long weekend in the San Juans in October. Not sure exactly when and I know a lot of you work weekends. We'll be in touch and try and set a time we can shoot for when we get closer. I think it would be a fun way to wrap up this amazing trip. It's been just Ron and I for a long time on this boat and getting together with a flotilla of friends would be amazing!

Until then, everyone take care. Have fun at the Boat Show, smile when it's sunny and be good or be good at it!
Love you all, Alison, Ron and Juichi

turning south

Hi all! Greetings from Sitka. What a beautiful town. There's sun breaks and I'm wearing a skirt and tank top! The town is surrounded by gorgeous layers of mountains. Even the islets in the harbour are mountainous.



We left Juneau on a very stormy Fri 18 July. We took our time that morning. Taking one last shower, saying goodbye to friends, topping off water tanks and Ron wrapped up the setting on the new bilge switch. We had to cross Gastineau Channel to get to the fuel dock and debated ducking back into the harbour. We were already soaked and decided to press on to what we thought was a protected anchorage. We passed a crazy windsurfer and by the time we ducked into Stephens Passage the seas had calmed down and we were riding a 2 knot current. By the time we pulled into rounded Point Young into Admiralty Cove the winds had picked up again. I was wiped out after having to set and re-set the anchor. The winds were not calming and there was not the protection we thought in this cove. Our leisurely morning in Juneau seemed days ago. We rode out the night, literally. The boat was tossing and turning on the anchor all night. Neither Ron or I slept. Between the two of us we were checking our location every 15min. But our anchor held well. The winds finally started to calm Sat morning and I crawled out of bed and made coffee and blueberry muffins. We secured the anchor in it's cradle on deck with a kiss and got our way. Blue skies began to peek out and by the time we were in Saginaw Channel we were under blue skies and were contemplating raising the sails! That's when Ron noticed the whales.....bubble-net feeding! I threw some fried chicken in the oven to warm up for lunch and grabbed the camera! Such a ballet! Sometimes you could tell where they were going to surface by the frothy whiteness their bubbles made on the surface. Then these colossal bodies would emerge. Huge jaws scooping so much water. They would twist and turn and it was hard to tell what part of the body you were looking at. They would all take another deep breath for their next dive and we'd watch as tail after tail announced their decent. We counted 13 at one point! Once the whale watching boats moved in - much too close! - we moved on. But what a show! We watched for well over an hour and it looked like they would keep it up all day. We rounded Point Retreat and met a cold south wind. We fought current and swells and the rain moved back in. The peaks lining Lynn Canal were beautiful when the clouds would part. We made our way into Funter Bay and scouted for an anchorage before we decided to just tie up at the public float for a guaranteed good nights sleep. The float was back dropped by the majestic Mt. Robert Barron and we had a good view out into the area where Lynn Canal, Chatham Strait and Icy Strait met.





We were granted a 6 day pass into Glacier Bay. Our trip of Muir Inlet would mark our northernmost point of the trip and Tarr Inlet would mark our westernmost. There was no rest from the cold and wet. There were a couple days that I had to use our water bladders full of hot water to rest on my feet to get feeling back. It was cold and miserable (i used that word a lot in my log entries that week) in the land of glaciers. No sign, that I could see, of global warming here. Glacier Bay was amazing and beautiful. Margerie Glacier at the head of Tarr Inlet won our hearts. She gave us a beautiful show of calving ice. Sounds of sharp gunshots and rolling thunder filled our ears. The wind off the glacier was desperately cold, but we couldn't bring ourselves to leave. The life force of these amazing glaciers is slowly depleting ours. It was time to move on.





As we moved across Icy Strait, thru very rough tide rips in Glacier Bay, the visibility increased to more than the 1/4 mile we'd been experiencing in Glacier Bay. As we neared the south shore of Cross Sound we approached a dramatic coastal paradise. Islands of rolling hills, lush with fur and spruce. In just a few hours we left the harsh land of the glaciers and entered the tropical (but still cold and wet). Elfin Cove and Pelican were our next stops. Beautiful (have i been using that word too much?) little boardwalk towns. Very kind people. Too much drinking in Pelican. As we cruised down Lisianski Inlet to Pelican, the clouds cleared and the sun came out. We had fun in Pelican with the crew at Rose's and the Seattle boys of Pierre car dealerships.





Our weather window looked good so we headed out Lisianski (pronounced Lizzie-an-ski) Strait to hop down the west coast of Chichagof Island down to Sitka. We enjoyed everything from the intricate passages and coves with complex entrances that challenged our navigation skills to the freedom of the open water, the Gulf of Alaska, with it's gentle ocean swells and mirror calm that reflects the most delicate clouds. We enjoyed a stop at White Sulphur Hot Springs and enjoyed a rainbow during our dinner in the cockpit in Kalinin Bay. While a few miles offshore before setting our course for Imperial Passage into Portlock Harbour, I was at the helm waiting for an opportunity to turn with the swells and head East. I was also keeping an eye on this damn sport fishing boat getting too close with this much open water. I was finally able to make my turn and take his stern at the same time. Then he cuts his engines right in front of me! I was fuming and slowed down. Ron then stirs from his nap, looks over and notices right away it's our boys from Pelican! Our boys were out fishing, noticed our rig and wanted to know if we wanted some salmon. SWEET! Fresh Alaskan Sockeye delivered right to our boat in the Gulf of Alaska! We wove our way into Portlock Harbour and along the calm passageways to Kimshan Cove and enjoyed salmon 6 different ways for dinner :)

Finally caught up in Juneau, Alaska

I think I left y'all in Khutze Inlet. It seems like that was a year ago! Because I want to catch you up on the here and now, I'm going to paraphrase a little more till I get caught up.
Khutze was beautiful and I'm hoping we'll stop on the way back south. The beautiful bright green grass, wildflowers, deep green of the trees, all coming together to meet the river and mountainous shores that rise to snow capped peaks. We explored in our dinghy in downpours and sunshine. We had an evening rainbow over the savanna that smelled like the south in the winter.
We left Khutze Inlet and continued winding our way through the narrow waterways that make up the inside passage. When we rounded out of McKay Reach and viewed Whale Channel wide open to the SE it was a sight made more beautiful for its irregularity than for it's grandeur. We still had one more major stretch of narrow waterway before the more open waters that would take us to Alaska. Grenville Channel. We're on a push to meet Wally and Katy in Prince Rupert. It's still raining and we're a little nervous about the space working out with 2 more people on board.
I need not have worried. What troupers. We met Wally and Katy and immediately started drinking the delicious Hoppdiggity Wally brought! We decided they would leave their car in Prince Rupert and ride with us to Ketchikan and take the ferry back. We provisioned well and earned our drinks and meals with the weather we put up with during the crossing of Chatham Sound and Dixon Entrance and the navigation into the wrong inlet! What adventures in just the few days we had. I have to mention that Wally forgot his foulies. I happened to have a spare pair. Wally and Katy really got involved in our daily routine and activities. From working the anchor to navigating, taking the helm and providing a few more words in our conversations :)
OK. At least now your in Alaska with us. Wally and Katy must have taken the rain with them because the day after they left was beautiful! It continued to stay beautiful all the way to Wrangell! We had a lovely stay in Meyers Chuck (...we ended up meeting 'Patsy' Steve in Wrangell who has been living in 'the chuck' for most of his 70 yrs. - more on him later). Peggy brings fresh sticky buns down to the dock every morning at 0730. What a treat! We had a lovely sail the day we left Meyers Chuck. We stopped in Santa Anna and had the anchorage all to ourselves. We took advantage of the sunshine and oiled the teak. Ron skinny dipped in the cool waters and we showered in our cockpit with the solar shower that had been warming all day! The next stop was at Anan Bay Bear Observatory. Very cool. It was wonderful to get out for a walk on a nice trail. Eagles were swooping through the trees, taking out branches with their wingspan as they tried to maneuver along the trail. One lone black bear came out to the river. I got enough shots to make it seem like a family of bears came out :)
I don't know why I'm highlighting all the good. When leaving Santa Anna, Ron was hoisting the anchor and the chain slipped in the gypsy, luckily he didn't catch any parts! The entire 100 feet of chain paid back out and he had to re-hoist. In Berg Bay we backed over our 'floating' dinghy painter while setting the anchor and Ron had to swim in some damn cold water to free the prop! Ron and I don't always agree on techniques, routes or meals and it can get pretty quiet around here. Here being our 200 - at the most - square feet of living space. But things work out quickly, as they have to.
We spent the 4th of July in Wrangell. We had just pulled in to top off on water and grab showers, but everyone was so friendly and adamant that we hang in their town for the best 4th in the Southeast! For 30cents a foot, we couldn't argue. It was great fun. We watched men compete in logging drills and the women kick ass in log rolling! They did it in the very cold harbour, double elimination. Even the winners got wet! There were some cold girls by the end of that event. As the afternoon quieted down, Ron and I grabbed showers and did some laundry. As we were waiting for the laundry, some guys walked by pulling a red flyer wagon full of ice and beer. They offered us a cold one and Ron and I shared while folding clothes. Then we joined 'Patsy' (the name of his boat) Steve on his troller for red rose tea, fun conversation and fireworks. His wife is the postmistress in Meyers Chuck and he built the current post office. He was full of stories and had both Ron and I laughing with his tails, we almost missed the show. We're now almost to Juneau and it turns out that 'Patsy' Steve is well known around these parts. We hope to catch up with he and Cass when we head back south.
We left Wrangell and headed to Petersburg through Wrangell Narrows. Wally and Katy will remember Venn Passage, multiply that by 10 and you have Wrangell Narrows. Riding a current that switches halfway through the the channel with over 70 marks to keep you in line. We timed it well and had a perfect run with the tides. In between rain showers we caught peeks of a majestic backdrop of mountains, only to disappear behind the next curtain of rain.
At this point we have gotten to know 'Black Bear' Steve (now you see the reason for the boat name getting involved). He's a fellow sailing cruiser that left Anacortes over a year ago! We caught up with him in Wrangell and he followed us to Petersburg. The next morning, lying in bed, looking forward to our lazy day with a short 10 mile jump over to Thomas Bay, snuggling with Ron, just about to.....and there's 'Black Bear' Steve yelling our names. We jumped out of bed and he's in his boat turning around in the fairway. As the tide is pulling him out of the marina, he says we have to get moving with the end of this ebb! We ask the guy, a longliner by the looks of his gear, on the boat next to us. We tell him the time of the tides and he casually says that, yes, we should get moving. Without starting coffee or getting properly dressed, we untie our dock lines and follow 'B.B.' Steve out into Frederick Sound. It's cold and rainy but I finally have passed coffee and foulies up to Ron at the helm. We're with the flood as we pull into Thomas Bay and enjoy watching the glacier water fight to hold back the incoming tide. Just around the corner...Baird Glacier. It's pretty set back in its mudflats - but to see a glacier from our boat is pretty damn exciting. And cold! It's almost funny how tropical the waters look. But we've crossed into the 57th parallel today and the water is dropping down to the low 30's. Remember now, this is the same morning we were shaken out of bed. We finally find our anchorage and eat breakfast and settle in for a long nap. We wake and have popcorn for dinner. The next day is rainy and we didn't go anywhere or leave the boat. It's a little too far to row anywhere in these glacier waters. But 'B.B.' Steve rowed over for a visit. We were parting ways the next day so said our goodbyes and wished him luck in finding a harbour here in the Southeast for the Winter.
The next day as soon as we round out of our cove we see humpbacks in Thomas Bay! We turn off the engine and sip our coffee as we listen and watch. We finally head out and just outside the bay are bergie bits! Some washed up on the beach and one floating nearby. We round it and watch the birds flitting about. I take enough pictures, I hope, to capture the mesmerizing blue essence. We put our drifter up and sail out of Frederick Sound making an average 7 knots over ground. We pulled our sail down as we rounded Cape Fanshaw and just as the rain really started. The second time was a charm in setting the hook in pretty Fanshaw Bay. It was 1700 by the time we had the hook set, sail stowed and were down below, dripping in the galley. Hot coco drinks were a must while Ron fired up the heater.
The next day we have a lazy morning in bed listening to the williwaws finally die down. We're waiting for the tide to turn in our favor to head up Stephens Passage. By 1111 the anchor is up and we're heading towards nicer weather. We have sun breaks but a cold Alaskan headwind. At noon Ron spotted a humpback show about 12 miles off our stern along the north coast of Kupreanof Island. We turned off the motor and watched thru binoculars. What a show! Breath after breath, tail after tail and I'm sure I saw some bodies emerge! After motoring a bit more, we spot more whales. The day continued....starting and stopping. Watching and waiting. We were mesmerized! We had a couple come really close to the boat. it was more than amazing. We continued north along Stephens Passage rounding Pt. Lookout into Holkham Bay. There we saw Sumdum Glacier. As we're gazing at the glacier and looking for our entrance into Tracy Arm, a humpback sneaks up on us and sounds not 30 feet off our beam! He/She is huge and its breath out and in is so deep, you can feel it. Neither one of us can speak. We find our entrance surrounded by berg bits. We have to weave through the ice to get into our cove. We are in big country now. We are in Alaska. I'm on sensory overload. Ron cooked steaks on the grill (yet another great cut. we've been lucky on our choices of meat thus far) and got the heater going. Warm and toasty with full bellies. I'm using the berg bit Ron picked off during our short dinghy row earlier to make cocktails and melting to make coffee in the morning :)
Thurs. 10 July is a long day. We had a lazy morning (surprise, surprise) waiting on the tides - which turned out not to make a difference. We had our coffee, made with iceberg water, and Ron made biscuits and gravy. Yum! We are NOT loosing weight on this trip. The plan had been to head up Tracy Arm and see Sawyer Glaciers but after watching all the boat traffic heading that way all morning, we decided to explore Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier. Just outside of Tracy Arm we saw a huge, beautiful berg aground near our mark. (see the picture on flickr.com/photos/alisonewood/) Then just outside the entrance mark to Endicott, we encountered humpbacks. One was just lazing on the surface! It was stop and go while the whales surfaced and dove. Ron saw one jumping! I caught the splash. AMAZING! We started encountering more bergie bits just around Sumdum Islands. We continued our journey down Endicott, the waters beautiful. The surrounding mountains, so long ago cut by the glacier we were to see, provided waterfalls and beautifully textured granite. As we neared the last bend the ice really started to choke up. We poked around for a bit, nosing our way closer to the mouth of Dawes. I tried to help by pushing the larger bits with the boat hook, but Ron did a nice job of finding paths and openings in the ice. At one point the ice started shifting, closing in closer to the glacier. The ice, for the moment at least, was opening up behind us. We watched pretty seals on the bergie bits and then decided it was time to head back. Fords Terror anchorage was on the way out but it was 2 more hours until the tides allowed us in. We decided to head back to Tracy Arm Cove. On the way out Ron spotted a couple mountain goats and we putted by watching them drink the water and pick their way along the steep to shore. We made much better time out, having a little current in our favor, until we reached Sumdum Islands. Instead of slowing down for whales, we had to slow down for fog. Without any land to dead reckon with, Ron pulled out the parallel rules to plot a compass course. We had our GPS track from heading in earlier and used it to double check our compass heading. We finally made it past the entrance to Endicott and promptly got into some shallows according to our depth sounder. Just then a whale surfaced to port! and we knew we couldn't be in 20 feet of water. We followed it anyway till we got to deeper water. It's sounds being almost eerie in the fog. As it rolled over we turned back to our northwest course and watched it disappear behind us with it's fins flapping as if saying 'there ya go. just keep heading that-a-way.' Very strange experience. We slowly picked our way to the entrance markers for Tracy Arm. As soon as we found them, we lost them in the heavier fog bank that rolled in. We stopped the boat, got our bearings and ever so slowly picked our way along the darker part of the fog that we calculated to be the land mass to lead us to our cove. Just when we were second guessing our entrance between the rocks and shoals, I spotted a light. Then three, then six. Anchor lights. Never did a cove look so cozy and welcoming! The fog started to lift slightly as we entered the cove and we were able to find our way to the anchor site we left almost 12 hours and almost 60 miles ago! I stayed at the helm while Ron dropped the hook and I then backed us into some shallows. Ron took over at the helm while I hoisted the anchor and he stayed at the helm to nail the setting. Needless to say it was a tense evening after a long day and we sipped our stiff cocktails, warming by the fire, in silence. We slept soundly after our longest day yet right back where we started.
We slept in till almost 1100! Coffee was made and poured by the time Ron rolled sleepily out of bed. He looked like he could use more sleep. We decided to get moving after coffee because of all the rolling we were doing from the wakes of boats pouring into Tracy Arm and stacking up on the 4 fathom shelf at the entrance to the cove. It's an overcast morning but high ceiling. We're alone in the anchorage. Last nights navigating thru the thick, gray soup seems like a dream. We headed out and right away the humpbacks graced us with their presence. Hearing their deep breaths out and in is very otherworldly. Which I guess they are. We headed into Taku Harbour.
It was a short day up to Taku and we tied up at the public floats there. It turns out that Taku is the getaway spot for the locals in Juneau. We met one family - really two, the Johnstons and the Browns, but they're like one big happy family - that welcomed us into their clan for the weekend. They shared their stories, laughter, crab, kids, moose, card games and crab. Did I mention we ate crab. Bushel after bushel of delicious dunginess crab. Didn't even need butter. And they packed us off with enough meat for Ron and I to enjoy more than a few more meals. We really had a good time with them and followed them out this morning. That's right this morning....I'm officially caught up! Whew. Followed them out to Juneau. So here we are. Freshly showered and laundry done. We're looking forward to pizza this evening at Douglas Island Pub, a short walk from the marina, which all the locals in Taku raved about. Oh, there I go leaving out the bad and the ugly again. The bugs in Taku were awful. While we were feasting on crab they were feasting on us. Not enough deet to go around. That's it.
Everything is fine and good. We've been playing phone tag with Brian and Marti. Sailors from PT who have been just behind us for weeks. We keep hoping we'll meet up. We just heard from them and they're in Petersburg earning some traveling money. Oh well, maybe well catch them on the way back. We hope everyone is well.
Seth and Ariel, good luck and have fun Tuesday night! Hopefully I'll still be in cell phone range and will be able to chat on Wednesday! Love you.
Happy summer. Enjoy the pictures. Love Alison, Ron and Juichi

Trying to catch up....

Hello all! Sorry it's taken me so long to update my blog. Internet has not been so premium. So i'm typing this in wordpad and will cut and paste to internet when it becomes available. Then I don't have Ron tapping his fingers at me while waiting for me to figure out what to say. He's currently fixing the water pump on this rainy day in Wrangell, Alaska. Oh yes, I said ALASKA! We made it. We crossed the border in the middle of Dixon Entrance on 25 June. We had Wally and Katy along for the ride from Prince Rupert to Ketchikan. What a fun time! I haven't seen my blog for awhile so I don't even know where I left off. We'll try here....

I think I left y'all in Port McNeill...GOODNESS! Has it been THAT long? I'm so very sorry. I'll try and catch you up on what seems like a year without having my fingers fall off. I have been able to do some picture uploads since then so at least y'all can sort of follow where we've been. I'll try and fill in some gaps using my log. So we left Port McNeill around 0530 on 8 June (wow! almost a month ago!) for a calm crossing of Queen Charlotte Strait. As we started encountering the Pacific Ocean swells, a gale wind warning came across the radio. We decided not to push Cape Caution and pulled into Miles Inlet. Four, 4, days later we had a weather window to leave. It wasn't that bad. During our layover we doned our foulies and went exploring in the lagoons that seemed endless. We met the other crusiers (Del and Inez) that were waiting out the weather and shared information and stories. We read and drank tea. Ok, by day three we were crossing our fingers that we would be able to leave. We were getting stir crazy. The other sailboat and crew were gone before we got out of bed and Del called us on the radio while we were still making coffee. Time to get a move on. We still had to get the dink aboard and tidy up before getting underway. I almost took a swim while maneuvering the dink aboard and got some brusies from the lifelines (nothing new there). We should have taken the time to eat because once we rounded Cape Caution and approached Egg Island Lighthouse, the seas got a little choppy and confused. This combined with the sea swell did not make for the smoothest ride. Not very condusive for cooking or for eating. We decided to detour into Duncanby for advertised showers and laundry before dropping the hook for the night. Needless to say, our 'guidebook' is a little out of date. Duncanby is now an all inclusive resort. Great spot if anyone is looking to get away and do some fishing! However, our luck held out and they weren't open for the season yet and the winter caretaker, satellite Rick, allowed us into his personal cabin for showers and laundry! Very sweet. So fresh and so clean clean, sheets included! We headed across Rivers Inlet to Fury Cove for a beautiful evening. Cocktails in the cockpit and watching whale breaths across the way in Fitz Hugh Sound.

The next morning brought rain. I mean RAINING. Misty, continuous, low visibility. We couldn't stand to be stuck another day after Miles Inlet and the wind wasn't blowing. It was calm, but wet. I took the helm most of the day while Ron kept our inner fires going with tea and ramen (Ali noodles to Logan). I rotated through three pairs of gloves, Ron two. I think there's a picture of me on Flickr at the helm in Fitz Hugh Sound. That's how that day went. We pulled into Codville Lagoon and dropped our shrimp trap! I know you can see the results on Flickr :) We had a lovely, muddy hike to Sagar Lake. It was nice to stretch our legs.

Week 5 brought us some welcomed nice weather and sailing! We topped off on fuel, water and propane in Bella Bella and Shearwater. The eagles around there were Amazing! If there can be flocks of eagles, they were there. We met up with the sailboat that was in Miles Inlet with us in Shearwater. They invited us over for Hazelnut crusted Halibut for dinner. We couldn't resist. Very nice evening of conversation and food with Annette, her daughter Rachael, father David and sister Ann. I had no luck with internet here or phone service here. It worked fine for Ron. He touched base with Wally and we gave ourselves a week to get up to Prince Rupert to meet him. Ron then tried to start a phone call to my family for me and after many failed attempts he finally called and talked to my Mom and Dad for me. True love. The next day brought the lovely weather and we sailed Seaforth channel. By 1050 on 15 June Ron and I are enjoying Juichi's beautiful helm and are both tweaking and making notes. We sailed through Perceval Narrows, which brought us into Mathieson Channel, under main. A beautiful tranquil peace. the sound of rigging sighing and the gentle rush of ocean swells breaking on the rocky shores behind us. the slight lapping of water as it tickles Juichi's belly. It's overcast but nice. A few sunbreaks to feed our solar panel. By 1316 we add our drifter to the main and officially have had up our entire sail inventory today! We sailed the next day as well out of Mathieson Channel and into Sheep Passage. We stayed in Windy Bay for a couple days. It rained the whole night we got there and the insomnia angel came to visit Ron. As I was getting up he was finally ready to sleep. It made for a short day in Windy Bay. We left the next morning, in the rain. A short trek took us out of Sheep Passage, which we left with fondness for the short sunshine we experienced. Very heavy, low clouds meandering through the green forests. The mist so thick it coats you rather than falling. There's brief periods of visibility that give you glimpses of the mountainous landscape. The heights still cloaked in this almost blinding white. Ron and I are both antsy. He got the speakers hooked up last night. We both grew weary of the soothing pitter patter of rain on the deck.
I'm going to leave y'all with this installment with us anchored in sublime Khutze Inlet. You can check out the pics on Flickr.
We're currently in Wrangell for the 4th of July. An absolutely fun, friendly town. Hopefully I'll get on the ball and finish more writing before we leave tomorrow. If not I'll catch up with y'all in Petersberg, our jumping off point to see the glaciers!

First Sightings - Bears and Whales :)

Hi all! I'm sitting in the Laundromat (they have free Internet) in port McNeill, BC. Getting our foul weather gear livened up after so much use. Ron ran to the liquor store to get some beer (you could make money running beer up to Canada - sooo expensive up here!). We made the short trek from Alert Bay early this afternoon so that we could have access to more choices for provisioning before our last big push up to southeast Alaska. We must have picked the right time because we saw minke whales along the way! We saw them a couple times and then i got the camera. Waiting for the right shot, I wasn't expecting him/her to surface less than 40 feet away! I could have gotten the blowhole and everything! I'm lucky I didn't drop the camera in the water. Well, there's a further away shot on flickr (by the way Wally, thanks for the upgrade. I'll let you know how it works out.) The weather was fair coming up Johnstone and Broughton Straits after waiting out a couple fronts in Cordero Cove. Which was where we sighted our first bear. When we pulled in the cove, oh story there.
It was a confusing coastline, with islands and lovely little peninsulas and we were looking for a specific three before we got to green point rapids. Juichi had been moving at a good clip, almost 9 knots, over land and we didn't want to pass our entrance. We were checking our numbers on the GPS and decided to was time. I was at the helm and Ron was the lookout. We spotted some heavy kelp (check out our anchor pull up in Alert Bay on filckr. it shows how much kelp is around these parts) and Ron was smart enough to have me pull back out and approach again. Once we weaved our way through the rocks and kelp, we realized we entered an island too soon. We were lucky.
Anyway, we pulled in and while setting the anchor and scoping out a stern tie set up I spotted the black bear. What a treat! He didn't come around on Thurday. That was the day we had non-stop rain.
Things are going well. Not as much nice weather as we would like but hot springs are just around the corner! We're a little nervous about our rounding of Cape Caution, which should be in the next few days. However, we have full confidance in Juichi and each other. We'll wait for the right weather window and it will be as an invigorating day as it was coming up the straits.
Till the next stop. Hope everyone is well.

Underway - Lund BC

Ok, Ok, I'm blogging, I'm blogging! Sorry, this is only the second time we've had access to internet since starting out on our summer cruise to Alaska. However, we are only in week two, so once a week isn't bad. Considering I suck at this kind of thing. My last internet workout was trying to post some pictures. It took eons longer than expected. I wasn't at all organized enough to post at a regular pace. Anyway, things are amazing. We are finally getting into the groove of crusing. We are getting projects done along the way at different anchorages. Needless to say, we didn't wait to finish everything before we left. Sarah needed a ride to Friday Harbour. As you'll see from the pictures we've prioritized projects by what needs to be done (ie. pressurized deck hose washdown). The boat is really getting diled in. Get ready Hadlock Crew, Juichi is always going to be up for a sail when we return! It's been a hodge-podge of weather but Ron and I are both getting tan. Hey, we are just leaving the sunshine coast. Actually, I'm tanning, Ron is turning into a bronze god. Well, bronze at least :) We haven't got as much sailing in as we would like, but that was to be expected. Juichi is doing wonderful, especially since she just got all her teak oiled while up in Princess Lousia Inlet. AMAZING waterfall paradise! Which is where we just left yesterday. We're in Lund, BC making a special pit stop to Blog and top off our water before continuing on to Prideaux Haven in Desolation sound this evening. We'll I know y'all want more details but I don't know what else to say and I want to get some pictures posted before I run out of steam. Please send us emails at sailingjuichi@gmail.com with questions or just to say hello. I'll take more time next internet stop to give some more log details and stories. We love you, miss you all (a little bit),
Alison, Ron and Juichi