Meyers Chuck and on to Ketchikan, June 30

Once out of Santa Anna Inlet we headed to Point Peters on the south end of Deer Island to retrieve our prawn trap, on the way across Sunny Bay we saw a large pod of Orcas and a very large Hump Back near our trap. Our trap came up empty and we headed for Meyers Chuck.













Meyers Chuck is a little pocket surrounded by islands creating a very secure hideaway anchorage in a storm. Click on chart to see enlargement and the hole in the wall entrance.




Once inside there is a public dock and an anchorage.
55° 44.390’ N / 132° 15.462’ W







The quirky little community of cabins, a few homes, an art & crafts gallery, (where Jo found her fish bone earrings) even has a part time post office. One of the residents brings hot sticky buns down to the dock in the morning.

This is a shot of the head of the dock; bulletin board, phone booth that only takes credit card calls (no coins), and an official mail box with a sign affixed that says "Mail Pick up - 10 am Tuesday".

Several boats came in while we were there and we had a good time visiting. Met a gal who's husband bought a town in Washington, on ebay. She said when he saw it had hydro-electric power, he had to have it. So he's the mayor, his partner who bought in with him is the town planner, and they have a full time caretaker. We looked on the internet and it's there. Also a young couple from Homer, Alaska, heading to New Zealand with their 7 year old daughter to start a new life there. Also a full-white-bearded salty sailor who spent his winter in the Broughtons on Vancouver Island at Pierres. He caught us up on the local doin's of our acquaintances from that part of the world whom we visited in summers past.

Sunset at Meyers Chuck.








The next day we headed for Ketchikan along the west side of Cleveland Peninsula on the mainland into Tongass Narrows.










Ship Island just off the shore along the way. We had a spell of beautiful weather after leaving Santa Anna Inlet that lasted for several days







Guard Island Light, at the north end of Tongass Narrows off of Point Vallenar







One of the several cruise ships that leave Tongass Narrows daily. One of these ships left a pretty good-sized wake, that we took part of over the bow, and unfortunately into the open hatch. Most of the stuff dried pretty fast once we got in. But the salt water needs to be washed out of clothes, cause otherwise they will never dry.








July 1, back in Ketchikan at low tide and a steep climb out of the harbor.



More later,

George and JoAnne

Santa Anna Inlet, June 29

When we left Wrangell we planed on fishing our way to Ernest sound. We were told of a good halibut spot in Circle Bay at the south end of Woronkofski Island. We stopped, we fished, we saw no indication of good halibut habitat. So much for local information, we headed down Zimovia Strait.




Zimovia Strait is another beautiful passage with spectacular vistas, where the tide meets in the narrow part.










The flood tide from Wrangell flows south and the flood tide from Ernest sound flows north. The tide meets at Village Islands just north of the narrows.







We met a couple of boats going north at the narrows. As I have pointed out before, in the Pacific Northwest when there are tide or current considerations boats seem to appear out of nowhere at the critical point of the passage.
After we got through the narrows we trolled for salmon until we got to Ernest Sound with out success. Along the way we met and visited with a young lad from Thoms Place out in his rowing shell and making enough speed to catch up with us.

After giving up on the fishing we went across Ernest Sound and down Seward Passage passed a couple of sailboats anchored in Frosty bay and set our prawn trap before being led by a pod of dolphins into Santa Anna Inlet to Anchor, 55° 58.556’ N / 131° 56.056’ W, for the night, along with a group of kayaker's and another sailboat that came in after us.

Tomorrow we head for Meyers Chuck on Clarence Strait.

Stay Tuned,

George and joAnne