Foggy Bay, Alaska to Prince Rupert, BC

Today's cruise across the often dreaded waters of  the Dixon Entrance couldn't have been easier.   Leaving at 4:45 AM, we were blessed with calm seas and long, rolling ocean swells which made the day so much better than our northbound  transit.  We cleared BC customs--Main Attraction by phone 2 hours out and Bowhaus by phone but they were asked to appear at the Lightering Dock for customs to check them out.  Go figure.  It is  always inconsistent and just depends on who you get on the phone.  The agent who spoke with Doug asked if they were just arriving from Washington State.  Huh?  And she asked him to spell Cow Bay.  But we are here and it's good to be back in Prince Rupert and, specifically, Cow Bay Marina which is one of the friendliest in BC.  Plus, PR has two great restaurants.   We are going to stay and extra day, in fact.  

Leaving our anchorage in Foggy Bay early this morning. Bye-bye, Alaska.    

 

This shot double exposed Bowhaus but wanted to include it because the approach to the Dixon Entrance seemed surreal this AM  

On Saturday, we will head south again and for 3 successive anchorage so the likelihood of an Internet connection in any of those spots is, well, quite unlikely.   

We Made Real Progress this Week

We were able to leave rainy/windy Petersburg Monday morning and headed to Wrangell with an easy transit through the Wrangell Narrows.  On Tuesday, we left Wrangell and cruised 10 hours and made it all the way to Meyers Chuck, one of our favorite spots from our trip northbound.  Doing that, we passed Ketchikan altogether and avoided the large numbers of people from the cruise ships.       

            

 

Above 3--passing by Ketchikan during our cruise to Meyers Chuck.  Main Attraction shown above (taken from Bowhaus). 

After Meyers Chuck, we spent our last night in Alaska in a fantastic anchorage, Foggy Bay, which  was new to us.   

It was raining a bit when we arrived but soon cleared enough for us to sit outside and enjoy our final night in Alaska on the aft deck.   The setting provided a perfect spot to reminisce about how much we had seen and done during our time in the "Great Land."  

Doug and Margi relax on Bowhaus (rafted alongside Main Attraction) in Foggy Bay last night.  

In the background, is the view looking out to the Dixon Entrance.    

 It became very still and cleared considerably in the late afternoon. 

 Above:  sunset looking out to the Dixon Entrance. 

   

A dramatic evening sky reflected beautifully in the waters of Foggy Bay. 
 

Weathered in

20 knot winds and 3 to 4 foot seas in the Wrangell Narrows this morning kept us on the dock in Petersburg another day.  It's dreary and raining here (still) and it looks calm in this photo but, just a short distance from port, it's another story.  Tomorrow through Thursday are looking much better so we hope to be in Wrangell, Meyers Chuck, Ketchikan, and Foggy Bay on those days.  Foggy Bay is the point from which we must cross the Dixon Entrance to reach Prince Rupurt.  That's the longest open water crossing on our journey so it's a very weather dependent decision.  Today, we put on our rain gear and walk about town.  Tomorrow, we head south through what we hope to be a much calmer Wrangell Narrows. 

So long, Sitka. Hello, Petersburg

With Bauhaus' port engine fully repaired, we were up and running Wednesday AM, exactly 3 weeks after arriving in Sitka.  Our stop for the night was Appleton Cove on the Northeast side of Baranof Island.  This time, no horseflies. Yay. It was so good to be out on the water again.            



  

Leaving Appleton Cove on a grey, but calm Thursday AM

Hoping for a full afternoon at Baranof Warm Springs, we were up early Thursday and headed south down Chatham Strait.  Unfortunately, we were only able to cruise through Warm Springs Bay and snap a shot of the waterfall.  The small dock was full and so were all of the anchorages.  BWS has become very popular as it offers a natural hot springs at the top of the waterfall and a nice bath house with soaking tubs.  Everyone raves about it.  Another time for us.  



This picture. Is the full extent of our Baranof Warm Springs experience 

With no place to stay and a weather system predicted for Friday, we decided to make it a long day and get across Chatham Strait while it was calm.  This turned out to be a very good decision.  We found dock space in the Native community of Kake on the northwest side of Kupreanof Island.  The handful of people we met there explained that Kake is mainly comprised of subsistence fishermen.  While many boats were obviously being used for fishing,  we found the docks were in better shape than some of the vessels moored there.  Many, it appeared, were abandoned and hadn't moved for years.  But we were safe and secure for the night.

Bauhaus (with the blue canvass) is tied up at Kake 

This boat was right across from Main Attraction at Kake.  We're sure it hasn't moved for years. 

We monitored the weather carefully Thursday night and, at 5 AM Friday, we decided to make the run to Petersburg.  The winds were predicted to  worsen late in the day with  a couple of rough weather days ahead and we'd sure prefer to be stuck in Petersburg rather than Kake.  We arrived yesterday afternoon after smooth cruise that included rain (but no wind) and dozens of humpback whales.  Now it's raining steadily and we'll stay another night with the hope that we can leave Sunday and continue our journey south through the Wrangel Narrows.     

Margi Explains What's Been Going on in Sitka

Bowhaus is still in repair mode but we are almost finished. Doug and our mechanic, Ken Melville, have been totally focused on the engine room for the past 20 days.  Finally, the port engine was started last night and we have our sea trial today (Tuesday).  If all goes well, we will be underway tomorrow morning.

Given our long stay, the Sitka City Council may soon offer us honorary resident status. 

In the meantime Ginnie, Torben and Margi continue to explore Sitka’s hidden treasures. While yesterday's sites were on the somber side, they offered some good local history.  First was the memorial to St. Yakov Netsvetov. In 1828, he was the first Russian Orthodox priest of Alaskan Native heritage. A short walk from there are sacred Alaskan Native burial grounds. From what was still visible, the site goes back to the 1850s.     

Yesterday was sunny, warm and beautiful.  The last photo shows a perfect ending to very good day.  

Doug and Ken focused on the engine room yesterday (and the day before and...)

Memorial to Saint Yakov Netsvetov

Above 2 photos--The Alaska Native Burial Grounds

Full moon rising over Eliason Harbor 

Saturday Market and then..... (You can't make this stuff up)

Didn't think we'd be here for another Saturday Market but we were wrong.       

 

And then, when we returned to the marina:  

Poor Mr.  Clark Kent was complaining that, even though he is Superman, his wife still makes him take out the  garbage.   

Saying good-bye to new friends who seem like old friends

We've mentioned Allie and Brian Peterman a few times.  We first met them in Anacortes at the Wagonner seminar about cruising SE Alaska.  Then we met again in Blind Channel, Juneau, a couple of anchorages and, finally, here in Sitka. In each of those places, we got together and had great fun.  Brian is a retired Coast Guard Admiral who spent much of his career in Southeast.  Before they left Sitka yesterday afternoon, we spent a beautiful evening together on base at the Coast Guard lounge known as the Crow's Nest.  It was a very special experience that we also enjoyed in Juneau.    We are grateful for their friendship and will miss them!       

 

Allie (Peterman), Ginnie, Wendy (Robinson) and Margi on the Crow's Nest deck 

The whole group from left:  Brian, Allie, Ginnie,  Torben, Wendy, Jeff, Margi and Doug.  

Good thing we like Sitka.

We've been in Sitka for 15 days now and it looks like we'll be able to leave (possibly?) on Monday or Tuesday assuming Bowhaus is all patched together and passes its test runs.  We've filled our days with virtually everything Sitka has to offer and, by now, we know  every shop, restaurant, and attraction there is.  We've covered all 16 miles of roads many times and we've also learned a lot about commercial fishing from the many    fishermen (and women)  who are working from this busy marina.  Pleasure  boats are clearly in the  minority and fishing boats come and go at all times of day and night.       

Below is a shot of Eliason Harbor where we  are moored followed by examples of the various fishing boats that have become so familiar to us.    

 

  

A small charter boat takes visitors on day trips.  This is similar to the boat that Doug and Torben chartered last weekend.  You can see the rigging on the larger fishing vessels in the background.  

 A good example of a large fishing vessel (purse seiner) next to a large pleasure craft

  Trollers use multiple lines at various depths.  They don't use nets like purse seiners and gill netters do. They must keep their catch alive in holds up to the point of transfer to the processor.  They do so using generator operated units which keep fresh sea water pumping through the holds.   Often, those units run throughout the night.   Trolling vessels catch mainly salmon and receive the highest price for their catch

 Anita is a gill netter and crabber They fish Southeast Alaska and off the Washington Coast and, unlike most boats in this harbor, they take July and August off.

Summer Girl also crabs and fishes

This purse seiner has its seining craft out of the water and secured on its aft deck. 

Sunrise arrived in port yesterday and is one of the best looking boats we've seen.  It's larger than most (about 70 feet) and features a crow's nest for spotting fish the old fashioned way and also has its own processor in the aft section.  

Sitka Sunset.

Sunsets here have been so beautiful. 

Tonight's is possibly the very best.  

Still in Sitka. It will be 2 weeks tomorrow but the end is in sight.

Repairs on Bowhaus' port engine continue with some real progress over the past few days. Parts were flown in from the Lower 48 and parts were flown out for specialty work in Juneau.  We hope it is possible to get underway again by the weekend.  

In the meantime, we have continued to enjoy Sitka which remains our favorite port in Southeast Alaska.   

We visited the Alaska Raptor Center, one of only two such spots in Alaska that cares for injured Eagles and other large raptors, eventually releasing them back into the wild when possible.  The Center also remains home to some birds with permanent  disabilities.         

            

           

 These Bald Eagles are learning to fly again and will be released in July and August when salmon is most plentiful, giving them the best chance of survival

This is one of the birds that is not able to fly well enough to be released so has become a permanent resident

Moving on from raptors to bears, the Fortress of the Bear was another Sitka experience we enjoyed. This bear sanctuary is home to bears that have become nuisances to the community.  

These black bears are anxious for some food (lettuce, apples and salmon belly are their current favorites).  Blacks eat about 15 pounds of food each day.  Grizzlies eat closer to 25 pounds.  Donations from grocery stores, restaurants and the fishing industry make it possible for the bears to thrive. 

 This grizzly is enjoying some iceberg lettuce.  

Grizzlies spend a lot of their time in the water.  

Sitka has beautiful parks.  We especially enjoyed the Totem Trail through the National Historical Park which commemorates the Tlinktet and Russian experience of the area.  

 

 

Doug and Margi on the Totem Trail

Doug and Torben went fishing one day.  It was quite successful.  

 

We kept one salmon and 2 black bass for eating on the boat and took the chum salmon to the Raptor Center. The rest was professionally processed, divided into two batches, frozen and is being shipped home.  

Meanwhile, back at the boat...  

 The great weather has allowed us to enjoy dinner on the aft deck.  

We don't have to look far for great views. 

Above:  from our foredeck 

 

Below: sunset from our aft deck