SE Alaska group cruise 2022

[JamesTXSD]

[thataway]

Great photos. I used our 13" Rib to surf some of those calving events. That is a real blast.

[jkidd]

Just entering Alaska.


At the docks


Mirror Harbor


Looking out of Mirror Harbor the fog is out there.


Mirror Harbor another direction

[Hunkydory]

Jody

Photos like these make me appreciate you bringing the drone. I like seeing your photos in this thread as it’s to difficult to do on a iPad on this site, when posting narrative on the go.

Jay

[jkidd]

Warm Springs Bay with baranof Lake in the backround.


Looking out of Warm Springs bay.

[Pat Anderson]

Wonderful photos, Jody!

[jkidd]

[Hunkydory]

Jody, especially neat to see as I’m presently back in Warm Springs bay Leaving once again in the morning

[jkidd]

I Noticed that you were there last night.

[Hunkydory]

7-18/2022. Days 60-62

The lingering storm with continued higher than I wanted to pound into waves from the south, the direction, I wanted to go, kept me at Auke Bay until this morning. Not a bad place to hold up. Lots of eagles around the docks along with all the different kinds of boats. I got more reacquainted with the Juneau bus system than I cared to & though even with the continuing rain, a pleasant stay. I saw Chris & his family again of the CD22 “Teal” & met & had good conversations with two other out of state CD22 owners. I have had long conversations on the phone with Dan from Milwaukee & got to meet him & his wife who like me, really enjoy the bears & whales & had purchased a CD 22 & shipped it to Juneau & fly out from Illinois to experience SE Alaska. Devin on his C-Ration from Oregon came up the Inland Passage & now is ready to return. We had met before at a Friday Harbor gathering. His lack of space for extra fuel has kept him pretty much on the regular route up, not that he hasn’t had a good trip, but If one wants to explore much away from the more straight routes between fuel stops, then going slow & having enough fuel for 350 miles, plus reserve is a necessity. I carry 81 gallons now & have three times on this trip exceeded 365 miles between fueling & even with going some of the time on plane on the last fuel stop had 17 gal reserve after 380 miles.

7-21-2022 Day 63

I left Auke Bay at 5 am in a foggy drizzling ran to make way for Pavlov Harbor, which is south after passing Point Retreat & on the east side of Chatham Strait. I had been told by Richard Cook, the falls there was a great place for bear viewing. When I arrived, the fish were jumping in the harbor, but not enough trying to make it upstream to attract the bears. I did have one very young bear come close by the anchorage & another at the falls. I was planning on staying here several days if the bears were here in numbers, but now will head early in the morning, the 58 miles, back one more time to relax & soak at Warm Springs Bay, before heading to the outside Gulf-of Alaska, then Pelican, Elfin Cove & Hoonah again & maybe one more stop at Pavlov Harbor before that last run back to Skagway.

58 miles today & 1733 total

7-22-2022 Day 64

Headed back to Warm Springs Bay for one final time of soaking & relaxing on this trip. Again, I was faced with higher than I cared to pound into waves by afternoon, anyway that was the forecast, so up at 3 am & on plane for the first 35 miles. The last 23 miles, I slowed down to displacement speed. & arrived back at Warm Springs Bay before the forecast winds picked up. Again many whales with several groups bubble feeding along the way. I have seen many more humpback whales this trip than any in the past. Shortly after arriving back in Warming Springs Bay, I was soaking in the hot water, which was every bit as wonderful as I was anticipating it to be.

7-23/24-2022 Days 65 & 66

Relaxing, soaking in the hot water & enjoying the company of the other cruising boater’s here.

[C-Wolfe]

[Hunkydory]

[Hunkydory]

7-25-2022 Day 67

Another typical SE Alaska day with light misty rain, low clouds & fog moving & hanging on the sides of the surrounding mountains. Light winds from the south & future forecast just the opposite made leaving Warm Springs bay a little easier, as I would have been happy to stay a while longer. The tide timing was right to leave at 6 AM & I had smooth water up Chatham Strait & out Peril Strait with the timing again just right to end the flood & catch the ebb before going out Sergus Narrows to Salisbury Sound & across it & the 7 foot swells to Kalinin Bay on the north edge of Krusof Island. This is the same large Island, where Mt Edgecumbe’s volcano rises above Sitka. This is a extremely well protected anchorage, so well relaxed here tonight with only the slight anxiety of tomarrow’s run on the outside Alaska Gulf in most likely fog & larger than cared for swells to eventually make Lisianski Strait & Pelican the only concern.

I marveled again today at the continuing large number of whales with some breaching along the way.

75 miles today & 1866 total.

7-26-2022 Day 68

I dislike thick fog, big rough waves & today had plenty of both. After making a route to avoid all the more shallow areas & of course the rocks off shore, I left Kalinin Cove at 5am, then crossed & headed out of Salisbury Sound with the further I went, the bigger the waves & thicker the fog. I was getting weather reports of 5 to 7 foot seas with 15 to 20 mph wind & in the fog, they appeared much larger to me. After exiting Salisbury Sound, I went North about 10 miles along the coast before making the entry of Piehle Passage. To my surprise, some waves were breaking across the passage entry possibly due to the more shallow water from a -half foot tide & it was choked with kelp, which I’ve not seen in this passage before. The kelp cut off the cooling water on one motor & tangled in the prop, the other. With some very quick prop reverses, the kelp was dislodged & I was then able to get on the back side of a wave & make it to calm water. I was at this point very glad to have twin motors as a kicker would have been pretty much useless in this instance. I was hoping the fog & rain would quit upon going up the protected channels, as I was planning on staying a few days there, but after checking into Black Bay, where I couldn’t see the meadows for bears & weather report predicting more fog, I gave up my plan of staying in Goulding Harbor & instead headed out Imperial Passage in the fog & waves again to Lisianski Strait. I was much relieved to see three knob rocks appear out of the fog knowing, I was then entering a more calm water channel for a couple miles to the Strait. The fog stayed with me all the way to the 3 sided shelter & forest service dock about 6 miles from Pelican, where i’m spending the night. When the group was here there was also fog, but the seas were calm & the fog dissipated, when in a very short distance from the coast, leaving the anchorages clear. Coming into the narrow, but wave protected channel from Esther Island just before reaching Lisianski Strait, I was again blocked by thick kelp, where I’ve not seen it before & had to detour around Esther Island on the rough water side.

63 miles today & 1931 total.

[Dora~Jean]

Great writeup Jay and Jolie, I'm following it closely. I want to do SE Alaska as well (it's on my bucket list). Have a question on the drive to Skagway. Do you still need hull protection from rocks kicking up from the highways or are they somewhat improved since 20 yrs ago?

[Hunkydory]

Steve, thanks for the nice comments & yes the Highway is much improved. Overal all it’s as good or better than our paved roads in Wyoming. There are sections always being worked on that need slowing down for, but if I didn’t already have boat highway protection, I wouldn’t buy it just for a trip to Skagway.