SE Alaska 2013

[Casey]

Yep, Katmai is in Pelican!

After departing Hoonah and beginning the National Park Service (NPS) process for getting a permit into Glacier Bay we meandered down to Elfin Cove for a night. EC was as good as I remembered it. Fortunately the NPS called us the next day with a one day permit, but also advised us that once in the Park we could only stay in two coves (27 & 32 miles from Bartlett Cove), and that our permit expired at midnight. Swell. Moreover, we "could not start our motor the next morning" without another permit. Aside from the fact that only one of the coves had VHF reception (and no cellphone coverage) we actually envisioning having to contact the USCG to advise that we were trapped in Glacier Bay and might need some provisions dropped if a permit extensin wasn't granted. (...Joking)

We were fortunate to get a one-day extension to our original permit, so we were able to visit a couple more areas in this beautiful Park before departing this morning.

I appreciate that NPS 'science is driving these policies, and they mean well. At the same time, only permitting 25 private vessels per day into a 3.3M acre Park ... seems a bit ...aah, Strict. Frankly these are difficult things to admit, coming from a (retired) Chief Park Ranger from the NPS. ...but it seems a tad overregulated. For the unabridged version of this report we will need to be face-to-face; and you buy the beer.

We had a good crossing from Bartlett Cove to Pelican this afternoon. Delightfull ... And we expect to be here another night to soak-up the flavor. It's a fun little place!

Best,
Casey&Mary

[Hunkydory]

Casey & Mary

Your explanation of Glacier National Park permit rules explain what I thought to be the rather strange cruising you were doing from your SPOT tracks since leaving Hoonah. Similar stories from others who also have had to deal with these rules is the reason why in all our time spent in that general area we have not crossed into the managed part of the Park. The good part for you guys is with favorable weather in that area it still sounds like some wonderful days of cruising were had.

From weather check here it appears there is continuing favorable conditions even on the outside between Pelican & Sitka for the next week. In our three different years of cruising in that outside area I have never seen the forecast conditions that favorable for a week period, though no doubt its not all that rare, but just seemed so for us with so many waiting days at the Forest Service hut on Lisianski Strait when seas were running 12 to 20 feet plus there & now only 2 to 3 feet forecast. I believe that route now to be well worth your consideration. I sure wished we were there in Pelican & could discuss the benefits & drawbacks with you of all the route options available from there in Pelican to Sitka & then enjoy the cruise again whatever the route choice made.

Looking forward to further updates, photos & following your SPOT, as your this year adventure continues.

Jay

[Casey]

It's Saturday morning in Pelican and the first (four) planeloads of visiting fishermen and cargo have come and gone already. This is a busy little place! There will be another flight (don't know how many planes) around noon, and yet another flight about 4PM. ...as I said - it's Busy!

Mary and I are currently enjoying coffee (and Wifi) at the Lisianski Cafe, and Victo is cooking our cafe-breakfast ... Yumm! A light rain is falling and Pelican is just what you might expect of a remote fishing village in Southeast. We Both love this place! ...and the remaining days activities include breakfast, the fly-in around noon, the library will be open from 3PM-6PM, the afternoon fly-in, more coffee, lunch, book reading, and maybe a nap.

Life isn't Good; it's GREAT!

Best,
Casey&Mary

[Two Bears]

Well,Casey, being a retired Forest Service guy who always felt our neighbors had regulations on the brain, I won't argue too strongly about the need for those tight controls.

I will ask though, about Active Captain. Are you filling out the reviews? SE Alaska seems to have a lot of places without any reviews. In the winter when the snows are deep it's nice to do some planning and I find the Active Captain reviews a good tool.

Chuck

[Casey]

Chuck,

We have used Active Captain a lot. There is a fellow named "Kayley" from Seattle who seems to have visited (and posted) on virtually EVERY location in Southeast! A lot of what he posts seems to have been copied directly from the Coast Pilot (or Douglass), but still there are a number of his own(?) observations as well.

We haven't made any Active Captain postings lately, but that's more about a lack of wifi than anything else. Overall we find Active Captain extremely useful, and as a "free" app, it's amazing.

Best,
Casey&Mary

[Casey]

After Pelican we traveled back to Hoonah for a night then onward to Tenakee Hot Springs (the hot spring is about 106degrees. Yikes!) where we enjoyed a good hamburger, soak, a beautiful hike (complete with swinging bridge) and several interesting/friendly locals, then on to Sitka (via "Baby Bear Bay"). We've been in Sitka for the past three nights, and enjoyed longish walks through the picturesque town.

In addition to the Sitka National Historic Site (NPS), we toured the Russian Bishop's House and the Sheldon Jackson Museum which were Really interesting, and very well done. Between the various restaurants and the USCG 'Galley (USCG Airstation Sitka) we feel we'd better leave or we'll eat ourselves to death!

Sitka has all the cruising amenities one might want. The moorage (24' overall) was $28.55/night with electricity, and although pricey by AK standards, the whole town seems to have Wifi which is very nice. I think they provide Wifi through a special tax on the visiting cruise ships. The only moorage we found that was more expensive was in tiny Thorne Bay at $33.60/night with electricity.

From here, plan is to proceed on to Angoon and refuel and stay overnight then head south to Baranoff Warm Springs for a night or two, then a little farther south to Red Bluff Bay. From Red Bluff we'll head over to Kake and probably go south through "Rocky Pass/Keku Strait" to Port Protection. At that point we'll have to make a decision on whether or not to make a round trip to Craig or head back toward Wrangell and the Anan Bear Observatory. Decision, decisions!

For folks who are planning on a "Southeast Alaska" cruise someday, I urge you to become familiar with the NWS Forecast protocol. NWS issues daily forecasts at 4AM and 4PM. Although you can get the same forecast via Marine VHF, being able to retrieve it online seems more convenient. NWS uses the same sequence for both it's radio broadcast and the online version of the forecast, so if you know the area(s) you're interested-in it simplifies notetaking to be listening for the part that's relevant to your current location. I've found that having a sort of shorthand helps a great deal when taking notes. (For any pilots out there - it's very similar to writing-out an IFR clearance.) Example: "North Chatham: Winds south at 15 decreasing to south at 10 in afternoon w/ fog and/or drizzle". Notes might look like: NChat S15>S10PM +f/d.

I don't mean to bore you with weather minutia, but we've found that being able to quickly jot-down the weather sequence and forecast can be very helpful.

In any case - the trip is going very well and we're having a ball!

Best,
Casey&Mary

[El and Bill]

Thanks for the updates folks. We enjoy cruising "with you" - even though we're in a Rocky Mountain cabin in Colorado. So glad all goes well with you in Southeast.

[ghone]

So glad to hear all is well Mary and Casey. Following along. We are running a somewhat more arduous cruise than you guys though. We have been 3 weeks making the run from Nanaimo to Powell River. About 60 miles although we have about 140 on the clock. We spent 5 nights in Pender Harbour trying various an anchorages. Marine parks galore. Squitty Bay and Texada Island Ours could be dscribed as a dodge strong winds and try the pub burger type cruise. Lots of little hidey holes to poke into along the way. We're anchored a mile west of Powell Rivers docks in 2ft with a rising tide. Nice beach, lunch and nap coming. Ron and Ann of Meander cd25 here in PR are meeting us later to pull Kerri On and take home for a week as we ferry/bus to Nanaimo for dentist etc visits C Brats are great people!! Agree life is Great! Best to both. Carolyn and George

[El and Bill]

Sounds like a great cruise for you folks, George. And now a little time out to catch up on things - good on ya. Have a great cruise onward. Best to you folks -- El and Bill

[bridma]

Bummer I'm gonna miss you George. We are heading for Lasqueti Island tomorrow. Just down from you a bit.

Love the updates Casey & Mary, enjoying the pics too.

Martin.

[Casey]

Katmai is in Wrangell.

After Baranof Warm Springs (Mary's ready to move there...) we proceeded down to Red Bluff Bay and (re)met some sailboater's we'd seen off and on since Elfin Cove. They had been having some intermittent fuel problems and were concerned about the crossing to Kake and beyond. After a night in Red Bluff (Mary finally got to see her Brown Bear ... up close) we followed them to Kake in the fog. As it turned out their engine ran fine, and since they had radar, we were both happy to be buddy-boating.

The next day we wanted to go down Rocky Pass but needed to wait for the high tide at "Devils Elbow" so we didn't depart until near noon. We spent the morning watching black bears on Gunnak Creek, which runs right through Kake. ...then over to the nearby hatchery where we got the blow-by-blow on hatchery operations. The young guy who was giving us the hatchery story was so enthusiastic about his job, we were enthralled as well. It was fun to see a young person so stoked on his chosen profession.

Then on to Rocky Pass. The kelp was better than I was expecting, but it still wrapped around the water intakes a few times. Mary is the primary Captain now days (but she still permits me a little stick-time here and there...) and she's become very adept at stopping/reversing/clearing kelp from the lower unit. We'd planned to anchor-out somewhere south of Devil's Elbow, but the forecast was calling for morning fog so we opted to cruise on across Sumner Strait to metropolitan Point Baker (pop: 26). We arrived and found a good space on the dock, and enjoyed a quite evening aboard. We met a few of the local 'folk, and the following day was Mary's birthday so we decided to just 'chill and stay in Pt. Baker for a second night. Regrettably, the floating bar and the cafe are closed so things were very quiet. We met several of the local folks and the following day we were both surprised when they brought cupcakes/balloons/flowers/salmon and a split of champagne over for Mary's birthday. To say she was surprised/thrilled doesn't begin to express it.... Amazingly Friendly folks, these Alaskan's!

After the second night we proceeded across Sumner Strait to Wrangell, and were able to contact friends here and enjoy "steak night" at the Elk's Club. Yum. Tomorrow (Monday) we'll visit the USForest Service office and see if we can get a permit to visit the Anan Bear Observatory. It's their busy time of the year, so it's anyone's guess. Stay tuned.

After Anan we'll proceed on southward toward Ketchikan and hopefully the Behm Canal before heading across Dixon Entrance and back to Prince Rupert.

The trip Certainly isn't over yet, but the pangs of returning are being felt. This has been a Wonderful trip and we've seen so many great sights and met a BUNCH of great cruisers and locals; it's kind of sad to be headed south.

It's happy hour, and we're sitting on the deck of some friends house overlooking Wrangell and south along the Zimovia Straits. It's sunny/warm (we're both wearing shorts...), the water is FLAT, and we can almost see Seattle. Lordy, this is Nice!

Best,
Casey&Mary

[Casey]

Katmai is back in Ketchikan.

After Wrangell we returned to Ketchikan for a couple of nights, and prepared to circumnavigate Revillagigedo Island (the island on which Ketchikan is located). The route around the island is known as the "Behm Canal," and is quite scenic. Overall, we travelled 195 miles during the course of the six day loop.

There were no fuel stops (we were told that "Yes Bay Lodge" might have fuel, but as it turned out, we didn't need it). This was a good opportunity to check our mileage and tankage. As it turned-out we averaged 5.8smpg. We did virtually the entire loop at 1500-1800rpm which yielded speeds from 5.2 - 8.3mph depending on the currents. ...Very nice to have autopilot!

Another bit of trivia - we purposefully drained one fuel tank (ran it empty...) just to see how much "useable" fuel was available. The CC23 has two 30-gallon tanks, and we used 26.6gallons before it went dry. I suspect the tank may have been a bit shy of Full at the last fill-up (the boat tends to lean over a bit when fueling, but if kept more level, it would probably hold another 1-2 gallons). In any case - I will continue to use 25gallons per tank for planning purposes. Another item we were very pleased with is the Honda digital/metered fuel gauge. The gauge is usually w/in < .3 gallons when filling. All this goes to suggest that if you're out there cruising, and fuel usage/range is a major consideration; know what your voyage requires. (Beats running out of gas!)

Now it's time for us to return to earth and get some chores (ie groceries, laundry, etc) done before continuing south to Prince Rupert. We expect to be in Ketchikan for another couple of days, but will begin watching the Dixon Entrance weather tomorrow.

Best,
Casey&Mary

[Casey]

Katmai is back in Prince Rupert.

We arrived in PR about noon yesterday (8/11) after a foggy crossing of Dixon Entrance. The previous night we spent in Foggy Bay with a total of six vessels, five of which we had met previously during the summer. Since we don't have radar, one of our concerns had been the potential for a foggy crossing, and it seemed to have been well founded. (We've noticed more fog during the past week....) Our original fog-plan had been to simply wait for a radar equipped vessel, and tag-along, for the trip south, and that worked fine. ...we had our choice from among several boats. In some respects having one's own radar might be convenient, but all things considered, it was unnecessary. This time of year there are Many southbound vessels, and Foggy Bay seems a great place to "hitch a ride." That may not be an alternative for some folks; but it worked well for us. As it work out there were five vessels, all southbound, within easy hailing range and since we knew one another, it became a bit of a fog-flotilla on the radio. ...kind of fun actually, but six hours of solid IFR gets old; we were all happy to break into the clear about mid way through Venn Passage.

So, here we are in PR (in thick fog). Later this morning we'll retrieve the truck and trailer, get the boat loaded and road ready, and probably depart for Florida via central Washington, Michigan, and Maryland. We don't know when we'll actually get to FL, but the next phase of Glorious Summer 2013 is about to begin. Mary tells me that our road mileage to date is 8421 (not a typo...), and our boat mileage is 1975. Our route back to FL will add about 4700 more miles. ...gee, I don't think we want to add-up the fuel costs.

This has been a great trip with many (MANY...) wonderful experiences, great friends (both new and old). It would be difficult to say which area was our favorite ... it was All Good (...well, maybe not the dock privy at Angoon). We saw vessels as small as an 8' kayak (Creek Street, Ketchikan), and as large as the 435' yacht "Serene" (at Anan Bear Observatory). We had a whale come shooting-up while feeding about 40' from us while tied to the dock at Baranoff Warm Springs, and 20-30 whales in sight at once, while in South Inian Passage. ...and not to be forgotten, was Fourth of July in Haines. As one local told us "...the parade is pretty small, so they may go around Twice". (And they did ... go around twice!

It has been a spectacular summer. (Somewhat understated.)

Best,
Casey&Mary

[El and Bill]

Congrats on a marvelous trip and thanks for the great sharing with all. So glad you are in PR hale and hearty!! Cheers.

[Sunbeam]

It has been really great reading along as you travel. Thanks for the effort put into all the updates! Next... Glorious Summer II segues into Glorious Fall II