Baranof Warm Spring Bay, June 20

It was just a 12.5 mail run to Baranof Warm Spring Bay, so we didn't leave Ell Cove until late morning, and fished, without success, our way to the bay.






When we got to the public dock fishing boats were rafted
all along both sides of the dock, and there was no room for us.







We went into the lovely little inlet across the bay and anchored at the head end, 57° 04.440’ N / 134°49.657’ W, for the night. We weren't there very long before the resident Hump Back Whale came in to check us out.





The next morning we hauled the crab trap we had set the day before and found nothing but star-fish.







We were all set to head out for Pybus Bay, but decided to go over to the public dock and take on water. There were fishing boats still rafted two deep, but we were able to find a spot in front of Dream Merchant a 45 foot ketch that was commercial fishing. Ken and Val had just come back in after an attempt to cross Chatham Strait to Frederick Sound. They could not make satisfactory way against the big head seas and turned back. There wasn't much sense in Teal going through that, so we decided to hold over until the next day.

We hiked up to the warm spring pools and lake above, along part-trail part-boardwalk. Something we could not do when we were here at the end of May on our way to Sitka, because of snow banks blocking the trail.

There are two pools next to the roaring rapids just above the falls- the upper warmer than the lower pool. Its very picturesque.







We opted to go back to the village and take a soak in the bath house in the same wooden tub, with the view of the mountains, we used the last time.










While at the village we hiked up the new stairs to the cabins in the sky. Ted, husband to Bridgette who works for Skookum Canvas, and did a lot of stitching on our new upholstery, was just getting started on the stairs at the bottom of the hill where we had an interesting conversation with him when we were here last month.




Where in the world can you see a Hump Back Whale swim right up to a dock and do a classic hump back tail up dive. It happens here often.



Tomorrow we head for Pybus Bay on Admiralty Island.

Stay tuned.

George and JoAnne

Ell Cove, June 19

After retrieving our prawn trap off Pt. Benham, and collecting our meager 13, yet good-sized prawn haul, we headed out Hoonah Sound and into Chatham Strait for a very pleasant sunny 38 mile passage down the coast of Baranof Island.







Tide lands are far more scenic in this part of the world than the mud flats of the lower-48.







By the time we made Chatham Strait we had seen numerous Hump Back and Orca Whales. There is certainly no shortage of whales here in South East Alaska.

We saw a couple of commercial fisherman working the area near Kasnyku Bay, so we opted to do some fishing and trolled the afternoon away without any luck.







With scenery like Kasnyku Falls it is easy to while the time away.








We went into the very scenic and tranquil Ell Cove, 57° 11.986’ N / 134° 51.002’ W, named for its shape, and anchored for the night.







We went to pump out our holding tank when we got into Hoonah Sound after leaving Rodman bay. We discovered the diaphragm in the pump had cracked and was leaking during the pumping. I took the opportunity of this anchorage to re-plumb the head so it flushed directly overboard until we could get replacement parts to repair the pump-out pump.

It seems we have head issues every year, regardless how well prepared for repairs we think we are. And it's usually while out in remote areas.

The next morning we headed for Baranof Warm Spring Bay.

More to come. Stay tuned.

George and JoAnne

Rodman Bay, June 18

We left our anchorage in Magoun Cove at 07:30, after stopping to collect our empty prawn trap, we headed out on our 48 mile trip to Rodman Bay with a 11:45 appointment with slack tide at Sergius Narrows. There was some commercial salmon trolling activity in Salisbury sound when we passed. maybe fishing is improving.







As we passed Point Kakul we reached the westernmost point of Baranof Island and this years cruise. 57° 21.765’ N / 135° 42’ W





We arrived at Sergius Narrows, 57° 24.400’ N / 135° 36.651’ W, about 45 minuets early with about 2 knots of current pushing us through.







Good thing, as we were approaching the channel we heard an announcement on the VHF radio that a tug with barge in tow was approaching from the other direction, and the resulting conversation with the high-speed ferry coming up behind the tug.





We were able to get through the narrows just in time to pass the tug towing barge, and ferry in the wide spot just east of the narrow channel.






A short time latter we passed a big hump back whale that had gone through the narrows before we did. They probably are not effected to much by the 6-8 knot current, but I bet they don't like going through there with tugs, barges and big ferry boats.





As we rounded Nismeni Point at the top of Baranof Island and entered Hoonah sound we reached the northernmost point of this years cruise 57° 34’ N / 135° 25’ W





We set the prawn trap before going to the head of Rodman Bay. I had reckoned from the chart that the crabbing would be good there.







We were surprised to see the entire end of the bay loaded with hundreds of commercial crab pots set to follow the contour of the shoal. Set by the same fisherman preparing their gear for the opening of their season at the same docks we moored at while in Sitka.





We, after a frustrating time sounding for a suitable anchorage,
57° 26.814’ N / 135°23.689’ W, on the tricky bottom, set the anchor in about 80 feet on a reasonably flat bottom . I rowed the skiff out to set our crab trap, before settling in for the night in the beautiful scenery at the end of the bay.




Early the next morning the first of four crab boats we saw heading for their pots, came into the cove and started to tend their pots. They were collecting fair numbers of crab.




Before we left for Baranof Warm Spring Bay on Chatham Strait, we hauled our trap and found three crabs and one flounder, that we kept for bait. We kept two good sized male crabs and returned one that was just legal size, 6-1/2 inches.

More to come, stay tuned.

George and JoAnne

The Magoun Islands, June 17,

We spent over three weeks in Sitka getting our Upholstery for the cabin and the canvas work for the cockpit made and installed. We will now have some protection during rainy periods.




Making a short run, just 13 miles to visit the Magoun Islands for the afternoon and night, cut some time off of the long trip to the Rodman Bay anchorage near the top end of Peril Strait.




The fishing around Sitka had been slow during our stay but some fish were finding there way to the cleaning tables at the harbors.
We invested an hour or so trolling from Middle Island through Hayward Strait and East Channel, without any luck.

We set the prawn trap before going through the narrow passage into the interesting cove cut into the islands.










The little red floating ball with Mt Edgecumbe in the background is what marks the location of our prawn trap.







The view from our anchorage, 57° 09.722’ N / 134° 34.566’ W,
through one of the gaps in the islands surrounding the cove.







Tomorrow we will keep our appointment with Sergius Narrows in Peril Strait.

Stay tuned,
George and JoAnne

We are in Petersburg

We are now in Petersburg and will be going through Wrangell Narrows tomorrow, en route to Wrangell. I have not been able to post our normal post of our trip from Sitka to Petersburg. I will do so as soon as I can.
In the mean time check out JoAnne's blog at jobeeart.blogspot.com.

George and JoAnne.

Baranof Warm Spring to Sitka

The next morning we took our AM bash until we made it nearly to Peril Strait before things smoothed out. I had gotten really cold being under dressed in the cold air. Even when the sunshines warm in this part of the world the wind blows cold.






It was good to get to Appleton Cove and get anchored after our cold 39-mile passage. Once we drank hot chocolate and fired up the oven, we started to thaw out.







We had a good night, anchored at 57° 28.319’ N / 135° 17.363’ W, with a large power yacht in the tranquil anchorage.


The next morning we headed for our appointment with high slack tide at Sergius Narrows and onto Sitka.










We stopped at Bear Bay 57° 25.279’ N / 135° 34.258’ W for lunch and to wait for high slack tide to go through Sergius Narrows.





After we got through Sergius Narrows we went through Kakul Narrows and into Salisbury Sound to Veva Strait, through Whitestone Narrows to Olga Strait to Sitka.








When we went into Salisbury Sound we picked up a NW breeze and set a reefed main sail and had a brisk dead downwind sail all the way through Olga Strait before the wind dropped to the point where we had to restart the motor and motor sail the rest of the way to Sitka.

May 23, 7 PM we hailed the harbor master and were directed to the transient dock near the loading dock 57° 03.436’ N / 135° 21.188’ W. We tied her down for our stay in Sitka, and were greeted by Earl the resident Sea Lion.

The view from our berth looking west, the snow capped Mt. Edgecumbe, a dormant volcano.

The next morning Donna from Skookum Canvas came by and started taking patterns for our new bimini top.

Our plan is to stay in Sitka until Donna finishes all the canvas and upholstery work. As of this post she has the Bimini top, V berth and dinete cushions done.

More to come in a few days.

George nad JoAnne.

Port Protection to Baranof Warm Spring

The next morning we timed our departure from Port Protection to arrive at Devils elbow 56° 38.190’ N / 133° 41.219’ W in Rocky Pass an hour before high tide, this would put us right to go through the channel at the Summit with water depth to spare.

All went as advertised and we didn’t see anything much less than 16 feet. We met one other boat coming the other way; the 55-foot MV/ Dustin who announced his arrival at the Summit and asked for north bound traffic to advise.

We kept in touch by VHF radio until we saw each other just north of Devils Elbow.

When we got on the other side of the Summit and back into deeper water, we stopped by a little island near Day Marker Red “32”and anchored for lunch 56° 41.816’ N / 133° 43.845’ W.

We then headed for a little Cove near Point Camden to anchor for the night.

The little cove provided excellent anchorage,

and we enjoyed our stay at the very scenic spot 35 miles from Port Protection 56° 47.623’ N / 133° 49.270’ W.

Tomorrow we head for Baranof Warm Springs across Frederick Sound and into Chatham Strait.

The next morning we headed for Baranof Warm Spring through the scenic islands as we went by Kake.

The 40-mile passage from Point Camden to Baranof Warm Spring was smooth but the air from the heavy snow packed mountains on Baranof Island made it a little on the cool side.

It was a relief to get to the little inlet.

Entering Baranof Warm Spring is spectacular with the snow packed mountains all around the inlet with a spectacular cascading waterfall at the end of the inlet, reminiscent of chatterbox falls in Princes Louisa inlet on the sunshine coast of B.C.








We tied Teal to the dock at the Borough of Baranof Warm Spring 57° 05.343’ N / 137°49.978’ W. We learned from Ted a property owner there, building an impressive stairway up the side of the mountain to his cabin, that The Borough has a small population of summer residents and one or two all year.




The warm spring pools, a half a mile or so up the river at the end of the inlet, were still snowed in when we hiked up the trail. But the Borough has built a free bathhouse by the dock with hot water piped into three tubs from the spring. JoAnne and I took a soak in the one Japanese wooden tub there; it was a beautiful piece of work.

It is quite unique to be soaking in warm water in a piece of artwork while taking in the view of snow capped mountains and the spectacular waterfall at the end of the inlet.

Back on the boat we dined and turned in for the night. Tomorrow we head for Peril Strait.



Stay Tuned,

George and JoAnne