Our cruise north has come to an end.

We have been in Ketchikan since getting back from our circumnavigation of Revillagigedo Island making ready to head south to the lower 48. We are leaving this morning for a two day passage to Prince Rupert, making one more overnight stop in Alaska at Foggy Bay, then south from there. We will bring the blog up to date somewhere along the way, access to the web providing.

Stay tuned,

George and JoAnne

Walker Cove, July 24.

After lifting 50 pounds of ground tackle 110 feet back on board, and after a short rest for me to recuperate, we headed for Walker Cove.










When we turned into Walker Cove a float plane was just leaving. When we got to the mooring, 55°34.865’ N / 130°57.600’ W, I spotted a bear and a cub on the beach.





It was a female Alaska Brown Bear and her cub. We tied to the mooring in the cove near the beach where the bears were foraging.







Our scent presence and noise we were making didn't effect the bears a bit. The female was content grazing on beach asparagus,







while the cub some distance away on the tidal beach entertained itself digging clams.

We basked in the warm sun after lunch just watching the bears gorge themselves in between trips to the water to bath.




They seemed oblivious to all else, until a float plane came from up the valley at low altitude and buzzed the beach. That got her attention,






and the cub came running to mom.

Occasionally the cub would follow mom around bleating ceaselessly until she would rollover and nurse it.

About 3:30 after working the length of the visible beach they finally disappeared into the trees.


About an hour later four males came around the point and started grazing along the same shore where the female and her cub had spent the day. One of males was huge I had a hard time believing what I was seeing. The four males worked the beach until evening then they also disappeared into the trees.

The next morning two float planes landed and taxied into the stream looking for bears. They allowed the current in the stream to push them back into the cove, then paddled the length of the beach without seeing any bears.





During the float plane show, I rowed the skiff out and retrieved our crab trap and ten large crabs. I cleaned five good sized males and released the rest, as the float planes took off. We were making ready to leave the cove and the female and her cub reappeared on the beach.




After we left the mooring I was able to get very close to shore before I ran out of enough depth for Teal. JoAnne was able to get very good pictures, which she refers to as her "National Geographic photos."






We went up the head, where there are actually two heads, where two separate glaciers met leaving two glacier cut valleys. We went in close to the west head and saw no signs of bear.

The east head however had three large males working the high tide line.







When I gassed the motor to leave, one big male stood up for this photo.







When we left Walker Cove and headed north up Behm Canal the weather was changing for the worse.

Stay tuned for the rest of the story,

George and JoAnne

Rudyard Bay, July 23.

After leaving Shoalwater Pass we headed for Punchbowl Cove in Rudyard Bay.










New Eddystone Rock is a prominent sight in Behm Canal and can be seen for miles.







Rudyard Bay is the heart of Misty Fiord's National Monument.








When turning into the entrance to Rudyard Bay you get a hint of the spectacular vistas to be seen.







Punchbowl Cove takes your breath away. The summit of the glacial cut ridge is over 3000 feet.

There was a boat moored at the only mooring in Rudyard Bay, 55° 31.750’ N / 130°47.085’ W. The crew had apparently rowed ashore and hiked up to Punchbowl Lake, leaving their boat at the mooring. There was no other suitable anchorage.


As we headed up the Bay we discovered each cove and glacial valley was equally breathtaking.







Our little camera was totally inadequate to capture the majesty of the vistas.








As we worked our way further up the bay we saw several waterfalls. During rainy periods there are hundreds all gushing into the sea.









The end of the road. These glacial-cut inlets are all spectacular with beautiful meadows at their ends, where Alaska Brown Bears forage.






While we were at the end of the bay a float plane landed, beached, and let passengers out on the beach to get the feel of the wilderness, I guess.






Float planes in the Fiord's are thick as flies.








Not finding suitable anchorage in Rudyard Bay, we headed across Behm Canal to Manzanita Bay.

A south wind found its way into Behm Canal and by the time it fetched to Rudyard Bay it made a lumpy crossing over to Manzanita Bay.


The mooring shown on the chart was not present in the cove and we had to anchor in 110 feet. 55°34.865’ N / 130°57.600’ W
That was going to make it a long haul to get our ground tackle back on board in the morning, before going to Walker Cove.

Stay tuned,

George and JoAnne

Around Revillagigedo Island, July 21.

About the time we squared away Teal after out trip to Moira Sound the weather looked like we were going to have a Sun break for our trip around Revillagigedo island, and through Misty Fiord's.

We got away from our berth at the club mid afternoon and layed over in a nice little cove behind Carroll Point.


The cove is well sheltered, and we tied to the mooring placed in the center of the cove. 55° 17.915’ N / 131° 28.305’ W.










Secured to the mooring in Carroll Point Cove, we settled in for the night.







The next morning we continued on our route to Behm Canal and Misty Fiord's.




We went into Smeaton Bay to check out the Fjord and the anchorage at the head end of Bakewell Arm








After looking over both scenic arms of Smeaton Bay, and not finding suitable anchorage we continued on to the anchorage in Shoalwater Pass at Winstanley Island.
55° 24.830’ N / 130° 010’ W








We anchored in the tranquil cove and settled in for the night.








Like so many of the coves where we have anchored, the reflections on the mirror like surface are stunning.

Tomorrow we will continue our cruise to Punchbowl Cove in Rudyard Bay.

Stay tuned,
George and JoAnne.