Tuesday morning we left DeGroff Bay for Kalinin Bay and our decision over whether to go up the outside or through Peril Strait back tracing our route to Sitka.  As we exited the inner bay we got a great look at the rocks in the entrance.

When we got up to Salisbury Sound we determined that the weather was not good enough to go up the outside, we’ll save that for another time.  Since that decision was made and we were going up Peril Strait we also decided to skip Kalinin Bay, go through Sergius Narrows and see how far we could get towards home.  We were a little early to get through the narrows safely so we went into Schulze Cove to hang out and have some lunch.  When we got to the cove we saw this mooring buoy which meant we didn’t have to set the anchor.  We tied off to the buoy and had a lovely little break.

There was a Forest Service cabin on the shore, which was the reason for the mooring buoy.  It looked like it would be a nice place to stay sometime.

Once we got through the narrows, we had a long day ahead of us in Peril Strait.  As we were cruising, the ferry came out of the fog behind us.

And then passed us up.

We finally stopped at about 7:30pm at Moses Point Cove where we had a good couple of days just a few weeks earlier.  It got pretty windy when we arrived so we decided to move over a bit in Hannus Bay and anchor behind Catherine Island where it looked a little more protected.  When we got over there it was still pretty windy but we went ahead and anchored anyway.  Not very long afterwards, we decided we didn’t want to be there and moved back over to Moses Point Cove.  It was a little rolly and noisy when we first anchored but things settled down nicely during the night and we woke up to a totally calm morning.

We got a really early start Wednesday morning (7:30am!) and were planning on cruising to Tenakee Springs where we were most likely going to stay for a couple of days because the wind was forecast to blow up on Thursday.  When we got out into Chatham Strait it was really foggy but the water was calm, we had radar and our track from our outward journey so it wasn’t a problem.

When we got to Tenakee Inlet and it was time to make the turn to go to Tenakee Springs, we changed our minds.  The water was so calm and it was still relatively early so we decided to push on and head for home.  Just past the inlet we came out of the fog and had a pleasant although rather long trip back to Auke Bay.

We got home around 5:00pm, found a spot and tied up.

Then we headed home.

Although we had a great time on the boat, it was really nice to sleep in our own bed in our own house.  We can even keep an eye on Madeline from home.

Although this adventure is over, I’m going to be on jury duty for the next three months so I’ll have lots of time to plan for more….

Friday evening we went back to the house with Ann after dinner to do some laundry. There was a beautiful sunset and Billy got this picture from the deck off their house!

Saturday morning was really nice again, too bad we had to spend much of the day fixing the toilet!  Billy spent about 6 hours crawling around below decks taking things apart and cleaning things up.  Nothing was obviously clogged or broken but when he put it all back together, it worked. 🙂  Happy day!

While we were working on the boat I saw this ‘boat cat’ on the sail of one of the sailboats in the harbor.

Later that afternoon, I went with Ann to the local artesian well to get water.  This well is in the Starrigavan Campground and lot of people from Sitka go there to get their drinking water.  I gathered up some jugs from the boat and now we have a few gallons of artesian well water.

We spent the rest of the day going for a walk, doing laundry, going to dinner and watching some Olympics.  A pretty good day for me, Billy was just glad it was over.

Sunday we just took things pretty easy.  We went for a hike with Ann and Andrew back at Starrigavan.  There is both muskeg,

And coastal wetlands in the park along the trail.

Here are Ann and Andrew on the boardwalk.

When we returned to the Vallions, we finished up our laundry and Ann made us another really good dinner.  She is an amazing cook!  After watching some of the closing ceremony of the Olympics, Andrew gave us a ride back to the boat.  The plan is to leave tomorrow mid-day to start our journey back home.  It will probably take a week or so, I’ll keep you posted.

Monday started out as another nice day, we have really lucked out with the weather so far.  We tidied up the boat in the morning and then went to lunch with Andrew before taking off from the Sitka harbor.  We had a really good time in Sitka, it is a beautiful place and we will definitely be back.

We had a fairly short trip up to DeGroff Bay, just a little north of Sitka.  Here is the entrance channel which was pretty narrow.

The entrance to the inner bay was even worse and there were a bunch of big rocks out in the middle!  I was too busy watching to take a picture.  We made it safe and sound and now we’re anchored up in the bay which should be a really protected place but it’s kind of windy so Billy’s not very happy.  Oh well, it should be fine and it seems to be settling down a bit.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  We do have some cell signal so I’m going to get caught up on the blog.

We have been asked how we navigate into some of these really tight spots.  We use some amazing electronic charts that are connected to our position using gps and a depth sounder along with a radar system for back up.  It looks kind of complicated but once you get the hang of it, it’s really pretty easy and totally indispensable.  You just follow the green line!  Billy works diligently to put the routes, which show up as green lines, into the system before we ever take off. I don’t know how it was done before all these electronics were available.

Now it’s raining and it’s supposed to get pretty nasty tonight.  Luckily we’re tucked back in this bay and should be just fine.  Next stop is Kalinin Bay and then we’ll have to decide whether to retrace our steps back to Juneau through Peril Strait or go up the outside coast which we’ll need really good weather to even try.

We woke up Thursday morning to FOG!  We decided to change our next stop from Shamrock Bay, six miles up West Crawfish Inlet to Big Bay which was a real easy and fairly close anchorage.  There was not much to see along the way.

Once we got to Big Bay and anchored there seemed to be a lot of wind in what was supposed to be a fairly protected area.  After about three hours, we decided we should move and try to find a better, less windy place to spend the night.  Of course, about this time it decided to start pouring rain but we decided to move anyway.  At least the seas were calm since it was very foggy and rainy.

Once we got into Seven Fathoms Bay we knew we had made the right decision.  It just felt more snug and there was much less wind.  It was a fine place to spend the night.  And what a difference a day makes!  Friday morning was beautiful.

This deer was climbing around on the rocks looking for grass to eat.

There were also lots of bald eagles in the trees.  This isn’t a great picture, but it gives you an idea of what we were seeing.

Unfortunately, around mid-morning the toilet broke!  We could have forged ahead with a five gallon bucket but we decided to wimp out and head back to Sitka to make repairs.

On the way, we had to go through Dorothy Narrows once again but since I had the track from our previous transit, it wasn’t a problem.  It was still awfully narrow.

Just before we got back to Sitka we saw these cormorants.  They looked like spikes on the top of the rocks.

And, for the first time on this trip we saw Mount Edgecumbe.

It was a very pleasant trip back to town and turned into a beautiful, sunny day.

Now that we’re on the dock we’re hoping to fix the toilet in the next couple of days and then start to make our way back to Juneau.  Tonight we’re going to dinner with Ann and will forget all about our toilet woes before starting to work on it tomorrow morning.  Wish us luck!

From Scow Bay to First Narrows Cove we retraced our route from the day before except instead of going through First Narrows we took a left (headed west) and were in the cove where we planned to spend the night.  We got the tender down and went for a ride around the area but there was nowhere to get out and go for a walk so we went back to the boat where we spent a very leisurely day.  It was mostly sunny until late in the evening so it was a beautiful place to spend a beautiful day.  We could see the South end of First Narrows from our anchorage.

This is the group of islands that was protecting us from the ocean.

The route from the hot springs to Scow Bay included three sets of narrows.  The first, Dorothy Narrows, was the trickiest by far and was best traversed at or near high tide.  We happened upon a fishing boat, Elizabeth Grace, who we let go past us so that we could follow her through.

The other two narrows, cleverly named First Narrows and Second Narrows were very narrow but not all that tricky or shallow so we didn’t have any trouble negotiating them on our own.

It was a really twisty turny route into Scow Bay and the last part to the head of the bay was full of rocks which caused some excitement.

Here we’re looking back at the rocks that we had to pass to get into the inner basin where we anchored.  In order to make it we had to hug the South shore right off the trees at the narrow part.  Thank goodness for the Douglass books that give us good tips on tricky anchorages!

Later, we got the tender down and went for a little ride to explore the bay.  We went out as far as the entrance to the bay where we could see the Pacific Ocean and feel the swell.

On the way back we stopped at a little beach and hiked up into a muskeg meadow.  It was really pretty up there.

Billy hiked up higher than me and got a picture of Madeline.

Here he is hiking back to where I was.

After getting back to the boat we had a very calm, quiet evening and a good nights’ sleep.

At 6:40am on Wednesday a kingfisher started chittering right outside my open window.  Billy got up and was able to see the guilty bird sitting on the railing of the boat a couple of times during the morning.  Here it is on a branch overhanging the shore.

It was super calm in the morning, not even a ripple on the water!

As soon as the tide got high enough we got started back through the rocks and out of Scow Bay on our way to First Narrows Cove.

We woke up Monday morning and had a little friend come by.

Around 8:30am Andrew came by with coffee for Billy and a bagel for me – Thanks, Andrew! After we said our farewells, we took off for Goddard Hot Springs.  We were leaving Sitka behind.

Heading south under the bridge.

We got a much better view of the lighthouse on our way out of Sitka and I got a much better picture.

As we got out into Sitka Sound, all these boats were fishing right on our planned route.  Since we weren’t sure if we could get through them safely, we adjusted our route and went around.

We got up to the hot springs with no trouble and right after we anchored decided to go take a soak.  The tub is in this little cabin on the beach.

The water was nice and hot, in fact, it took a little time to get in all the way.

The view was amazing.

We could even see Madeline from the tub.

When we got back from the hot springs we debated on moving to a different anchorage for the night but decided we’d stay put.  It was a little choppy, but overall a fine place to stay for the night.

Tuesday dawned almost sunny and we went back to the hot springs first thing for a quick soak.  After leaving the springs, we went over to check out a cabin that the City of Sitka has just across the way from the hot springs.  It’s called the Tom Young Memorial Cabin and it was really nice!

When we returned from the cabin it was time to get ready to take off for Scow Bay.

Friday dawned nice and dry.  The forecast wasn’t great but it wasn’t supposed to get really bad until Saturday.

There have been sea lions cruising around the harbor looking for fish scraps and this one was hanging around the boat this morning.  We’d rather he found somewhere else to go.

Since it was nice out, we decided to go to Totem Park, the Sitka National Historical Park and check it out.  Here are a few of the beautiful totems in the park.

We took a nice walk on the trails in the park.  While we were on the beach trail we saw our old friend the Handler anchored out, apparently ready to buy fish.  I happened to get this picture with a fishing boat and a jet ski in the background all at the same time.  I told you this was a really boaty place.

As we walked up Indian River you could see a bunch of spawning salmon headed upstream.  The river was full of them.  All the dark spots in the water are fish.

These ones were in a little side pool escaping the current for a moment before heading further up the river.

Down  the trail a bit we saw this tree with a vine and a berry.  It looked like a picture waiting to happen.

Then, of course, at the very end of the trail there were some stone steps.

It was a great little walk and we didn’t even get very wet.  After we were back on the boat, we saw the Coast Guard buoy tender Maple leaving the harbor.  There is a very large Coast Guard presence in Sitka and this very large boat to go with it.

After dinner, we went over to the Mean Queen, a local restaurant and bar and watched some Olympics.  All in all it was a very good day.

Saturday morning was very rainy and soggy, just like the forecasters had predicted.  I was feeling better about staying put in Sitka but that didn’t last long.  By early afternoon the rain quit and it was really quite nice outside.  I was getting a little upset with the forecasters by this time, we could have been two days into our trip south by now.  I kept telling myself it’s better to be safe than sorry and just because it was nice in town didn’t mean it was nice outside the harbor.

We went to town for coffee and since it was nice out we decided to go for a walk across the bridge.  I’d never walked across the bridge before so it seemed like an adventure. Here is a picture from the top of the bridge looking back towards Thomsen Harbor and Madeline.

When we got to the other side of the bridge, we were on Japonski Island where the airport, University, Coast Guard Station and Mount Edgecumbe High School and Hospital are located. We walked over to Sealing Cove Harbor where our friend Rich MacIntyre keeps his boat the Bear Bones to take a look.

From the harbor entrance you could see the local lighthouse.  It’s not currently operational but it looks good.  I didn’t have Billy’s good camera so the picture’s a little fuzzy.

On the way back, Billy took this picture of the bridge.

We took this panoramic of the Sitka harbor area from the Japonski end of the bridge.

When we got back to town, I looked up and what did I see?  Blue sky.  Darn those forecasters.

Since it was still nice, we decided to take a drive out to Whale Park.  We didn’t see any whales but there were some sea lions.  These are the whale statues at the park.

After the park, we went back to the boat and had some dinner.  Just after dinner it started to rain and get really windy.  The forecasters must have heard me cursing them.  The really nasty weather only lasted about half an hour although it was still pretty windy as I got ready for bed.  It’s very nice to be tied to a dock when the wind starts blowing!

Sunday morning was still pretty soggy and a bit breezy.  By late morning the rain had stopped so we decided to go for a walk to the harbor next door and check on their pump out station to see if it was any nicer than the one near us.  It wasn’t.  We looked around at some of the boats, including some really fancy ones, and from the end of one of their docks, we got a good shot of Madeline.

After we were done in the harbor, we decided to take a chance on the weather and walk to town for coffee.  On our way we passed the Pioneer Home and they had a hedge of Sitka roses and it seemed appropriate to get a picture of them into the blog.

The first coffee shop we stopped at was closed so we went to another that was open and really busy!  We lost our bet on the weather and by the time we left for the boat it was raining pretty steadily.  We made it back to the boat without too much trouble and were ready for lunch.  After lunch I went to the store while Billy filled the water tank in anticipation of leaving in the morning.  We also went through the charts and planned out a route to take for the next week or so.  It should be a lot of fun as long as the weather cooperates.  We’ll check the forecast again in the morning and as long as nothing changes, we’ll be off.  Keep your fingers crossed!

 

Tuesday morning it wasn’t raining!  Actually, it was pretty nice.  After breakfast we went for a walk to Murray Pacific, the marine supply store in Sitka.  It’s one of Billy’s favorite stores.  On the way we passed a few of the local processing plants and we saw these.  Hmm…

After a little shopping we headed to town to meet Ann for lunch.  On the way I got a picture of the St. Michael’s Cathedral (Russian Orthodox Church).  At noon there was an actual person up in the bell tower ringing the bells.

A little further along the street, I saw this cool bike rack. Sitka is definitely an artsy place.

The Sitka Public Library was recently renovated and the new building is really nice, definitely worth a visit.

I’m sure it has one of the  best views of any library anywhere!

There was even a heron fishing out front.

After lunch we walked around in the downtown harbor (I think there are at least 5 harbors in Sitka, it’s a really boaty place).  I took this panorama from the end of the breakwater.

On the way back towards the boat there was a very colorful flower bed.

Later in the evening, after dinner, we hiked up to Ann and Roger’s so I could get my Olympics fix. They were leaving Wednesday morning to go to Utah to see their daughter Jennifer and grandson Brady so we tried to stay out of the way and let them get packed.

Wednesday morning was very rainy.  In fact, it rained all day and we didn’t do much.  We had a little event with our marine toilet which is always a scary prospect but we pumped out and everything seems to be fine now.  This day didn’t even rate any pictures, just a lazy, rainy day.

Thursday dawned nice and dry, which wasn’t supposed to happen but we’ll take it.  Our tentative plans were to take off and explore south of Sitka on Friday, so we needed to do laundry.  We went up to Ann and Roger’s to use their laundry facilities and as the wash was washing we took off for a lap swim at the local swimming pool.  We were starving after swimming so we had a quick lunch at McDonalds.  Like the library, I think this McDonalds must have one of the best views of any McDonalds.  This is the view from the window seat where we had lunch.  You can almost see Madeline from here.

After lunch we went back up to finish the laundry and watch some more Olympics.

By the time we finished with laundry, it was time for dinner.  We went to dinner with our friend Rose MacIntyre at the Channel Club.  The food was good and the company even better.  It’s always fun to catch up with friends.

After dinner, it was raining once again so we opted for a DVD and bed.  Our original plans to leave tomorrow (Friday) morning probably aren’t going to happen since the weather isn’t cooperating. There’s lots of wind and rain in the forecast for the weekend.  So, it looks like we’ll be spending a few more days in Sitka, a very nice place to get stuck!

 

 

We had a very leisurely Sunday morning in Sitka’s Thomsen Harbor.  Since we’re tied up near the fuel dock we always have some kind of activity going on around us.  Here is the Handler coming into the fuel dock.  We were a little worried for the fuel dock.

It’s a fish processor with a lot of colorful bumpers!

Shortly after the Handler tied up, this big red boat came by and decided it needed to get in to one of the many docks around here.  It looked like a tight fit!

Not long after that, an even bigger blue boat decided it needed to be in the same place as the red boat…

Amazingly, it made it and tied onto the side of the red boat. I guess there was a lot more room than it looked like!

After lunch, Ann and Roger picked us up and we went up Harbor Mountain to pick blueberries.

Not very far up the trail we found some great berries and everyone got in to picking.

Even Rio got into the mix.  He really liked picking blueberries but they never got into a bucket.

We got lots of  beautiful blueberries.

Even after we filled all of our containers it was really hard to stop since there were still so many more blueberries left to pick.

After we finished picking, we headed up the hill to a scenic overlook.  As soon as we sat for a rest, look what happened…

It’s not just kids, we are a connected bunch!  We had a nice little break before heading up the trail a little further.

And a little further up we found my favorite, steps.

They were nice, people sized steps and at the top there was a great view but it was a little too cloudy to see it.  I did see these beautiful blue flowers.

When we got back to town, Roger grilled some scrumptious ribs for dinner.  It was a tasty way to end the day.

Monday morning we woke to rain! 😦  It has been nice and dry for so long we were beginning to take it for granted.  Monday fixed that.  Roger came by the boat in the late morning and gave us ride to town which was perfect.  After lunch with Andrew, we walked to the Sitka Sound Science Center where Roger works.  It’s in this cool, old building from 1929.

He took us on a tour of the center.  We got to see an octopus trying to get a crab out of a plastic ball where the two halves were twisted together. By the time we left, he had the two halves of the ball apart and was moving in to catch (and eat) the crab.  It was fascinating.  I think I could have stayed there all day long, but we had more to see.

Outside the Center they had a fish ladder and some pinks and chums (salmon) were heading up the ladder where they end up in a holding pool.  From there, the center takes the eggs and milt from the fish and incubates the fertilized eggs and raises the baby fish (fry/smolt) until they can be let loose into the ocean.  If you’re ever in Sitka, you should definitely go to the Sitka Sound Science Center.

After the Science Center, we were pretty soggy and Roger let us use his truck to go back to the boat for a rest.  We were also invited up to their house after dinner for blueberry pie!  Ann made a pie from the blueberries that we picked on Sunday afternoon and it was fantastic!

We ate pie, watched some Olympics and then it was time for bed.  Since it was still raining, Roger let us take his truck back to the harbor (thank you Roger!) where we collapsed into bed.

Sitka is really fun!

 

After a surprisingly good nights sleep in the Sitka harbor Billy got up and went to breakfast with his nephew Andrew.  I was up and moving by the time they got back and we all walked to a farmers market up the street and bought a bunch of fruit.  We took Rio, Ann and Roger’s dog, with us and on our way back to the boat he had to go back to the truck.  He doesn’t like boats much so was happier in the truck.

Later in the afternoon we hiked the Mosquito Cove trail with Ann and Andrew.

We wanted to check out the benches that Andrew had made and installed on the trail for his Eagle Scout project a few years back.  Here are Billy and Andrew sitting on one of the benches.

On the way back around to the car we got into a discussion on the medicinal qualities of devil’s club.  The native people have used it as a healing salve for generations.  It has pretty berries for such a nasty plant.

As is generally true in Southeast Alaska, the woods were a beautiful green and the hike was really pleasant.

After a little rest and cleaning up we all met for dinner at Ludwig’s, the best restaurant in town, and had a really fantastic meal.   Billy and I walked the short distance back to the harbor and since I was so full of good food I decided to stay up and finally get caught up on this blog while I digested a bit.  Now it’s time for bed, so goodnight to all.