Cruising SE Alaska out of Skagway, 2018.
- Thread starter Hunkydory
- Start date
colbysmith
Active member
Wow! lol. Thanks for the view of your location. I'll have to try and plot it out later on my charts when I get back home. Colby
Jack in Alaska
New member
Thanks Jay for the travelog of your journey. I am way north of you in the Cook Inlet but enjoy your descriptions of your trip.
Keep sending them and safe travels.
Jack in Alaska
Keep sending them and safe travels.
Jack in Alaska
journey on
New member
Wow, if boat such as Daedalus are up there, summer has started.
Boris
Boris
Yes Boris, it was well underway when we arrived in Skagway 5-22 with 4 cruise ships there docked. They were leaving Skagway that afternoon as we were headed to Haines. The next morning shortly after leaving Haines at 3:30 am, we passed their replacement of 4 more. These gave us some substantial wakes along with a stiff morning breeze. Luckily not much after the wakes died off the breeze did to, so a nice cruise all the way to Hoonah.
5-28. We spent most of the day at the refurbished Icy Point cruise ship attraction & most there by a wood fire looking out at the feeding whales with some less then a hundred yards off shore. By the fire we talked to a nurse from South Africa, that works full time on the cruise ships traveling around the world. She says of all their port stops, Icy Point here by Hoonah is her favorite.
Tomorrow the weather is finally changing for the better with a forecast of up to a week of more sun then not & for the most part light winds, so early in the morning we're out to Icy Strait & then down Chatham for Little Biscuit Bay, Targatz Bay, Warm Springs bay, Red Bluff Bay, Angoon & Kootznahoo Inlet, then Hoonah Sound & then finally on this leg, Sitka, before heading on the outside waters to Pelican. Of course the good weather won't last that long, but we will make the best of the good while it last.
Jack, I appreciate your comments & someday hope to make it up your way
Jay
5-28. We spent most of the day at the refurbished Icy Point cruise ship attraction & most there by a wood fire looking out at the feeding whales with some less then a hundred yards off shore. By the fire we talked to a nurse from South Africa, that works full time on the cruise ships traveling around the world. She says of all their port stops, Icy Point here by Hoonah is her favorite.
Tomorrow the weather is finally changing for the better with a forecast of up to a week of more sun then not & for the most part light winds, so early in the morning we're out to Icy Strait & then down Chatham for Little Biscuit Bay, Targatz Bay, Warm Springs bay, Red Bluff Bay, Angoon & Kootznahoo Inlet, then Hoonah Sound & then finally on this leg, Sitka, before heading on the outside waters to Pelican. Of course the good weather won't last that long, but we will make the best of the good while it last.
Jack, I appreciate your comments & someday hope to make it up your way
Jay
J, no I don't do a blog, but I have written up all of our cruises in SE Alaska & posted them in this Grand Adventure Forum along with many videos. Also many photos in my album here. You'll find perhaps more detail in some of my past write ups. With covering so much of the same waters over the last 16 years here in SE Alaska, I'm somewhat burnt out on the writing, but definitely not the cruising. I continue to do the writing, because I know it's appreciated by many here on the C-Brat site & I share much the same with my Facebook friends.jasonxxx":3t16ihh4 said:
Jay
5-29. Up at 4 am & off the dock & on our way by 4::30 am to get the most out of this blue sky & light wind day. Just as forecast we slipped along on smooth waters down Icy Strait as the sun slowly made it's self known. After 20 miles we met Chatham Strait & turned south along its east shore for 30 miles where we stopped in the tiny nook of Little Basket Bay & dropped the hook in 15 feet of water. I had been told there is a tunnel like place between where we were anchored & Little Basket Lake, so unloaded the dingy to investigate. It was high tide & I went up as far as possible, but after leaving tidal waters, only found a shallow fairly wide fast running creek with steep tree lined edges. Bottom line, no tunnel to explore, but a beautiful place to anchor for a short time.
We are now towing the dingy with about 14 miles to go before reaching one of our favorite anchorages, Takatz Bay, where we plan to stay tonight. This evening the Baranof Island shoreline with the snow capped rugged mountains above are even more beautiful then usual. 90 miles today all at between 5 & 7 mph depending on going with or against the tide. This is while running only one of the twin 40 hp motors & both down. 298 trip total miles.
We are now towing the dingy with about 14 miles to go before reaching one of our favorite anchorages, Takatz Bay, where we plan to stay tonight. This evening the Baranof Island shoreline with the snow capped rugged mountains above are even more beautiful then usual. 90 miles today all at between 5 & 7 mph depending on going with or against the tide. This is while running only one of the twin 40 hp motors & both down. 298 trip total miles.
5-30 Only a one hour run from Takatz Bay to the new dock in Warm Springs Bay. The new dock is very well done, but for a boat our size they now charge $20 a night. Still a cheap price for the hot spring, beautiful trails & wonderviews. We spent a couple hours in the hot spring water, walked the trail to Baranof Lake & went for a ride in the dingy up a narrow tidal entrance stream to another beautiful inner salt water bay.
One of the many things to do here is have conversations with the varying boat people who make this a destination or stop along the way. The whale researchers are still here, but the whale we enjoyed so much in 2016 hasn't shown up. In talking to the head researcher, I learned what We did by Hoonah to try to avoid the whales who made a bubble circle around us was not the best action. He said the whales knew where we were & would have avoided us & by moving quickly away we could have easily ended up where they moved to. We talked to a man in his thirties with his family here in a sail boat who immigrated to the US at 18 from Russia. He loves his home country, but few who are born here in the US appreciate our way of life like he does or worked so hard to achieve it. Another large trawler with over 20 native Alaskans stopped by to use the springs on there way to a ceremonial in Juneau. I could go on with many more all interesting & enjoyable. 6 miles today & 304 total.
We are now on our way to Red Bluff Bay. A favorite of us both & me 70 years old today. A life time or more for many & me still out doing what I love. I feel very fortunate.
One of the many things to do here is have conversations with the varying boat people who make this a destination or stop along the way. The whale researchers are still here, but the whale we enjoyed so much in 2016 hasn't shown up. In talking to the head researcher, I learned what We did by Hoonah to try to avoid the whales who made a bubble circle around us was not the best action. He said the whales knew where we were & would have avoided us & by moving quickly away we could have easily ended up where they moved to. We talked to a man in his thirties with his family here in a sail boat who immigrated to the US at 18 from Russia. He loves his home country, but few who are born here in the US appreciate our way of life like he does or worked so hard to achieve it. Another large trawler with over 20 native Alaskans stopped by to use the springs on there way to a ceremonial in Juneau. I could go on with many more all interesting & enjoyable. 6 miles today & 304 total.
We are now on our way to Red Bluff Bay. A favorite of us both & me 70 years old today. A life time or more for many & me still out doing what I love. I feel very fortunate.
Wandering Sagebrush
Free Range Human
Jay, a belated happy birthday! I hope you had a great day!
Larry, Mark, Bob & Steve, thanks for the HB wishes.
5-31-18. 70 years old today. I definitely feel older than when making our first cruise here in SE Alaska with our little 22 foot boat in 2003, but in no way have lost my zest for adventure. We just don't try to pack as much into each day as we used to.
We made our way on smooth waters & sunny skies from Warm Springs Bay to Red Bluff Bay. This is one of our favorite places & over the years have spent at least a accumulate month anchored here. On some years like 2012, the bear watching was incredible with over 18 bears seen in a relatively small area, but if the bears are not about, the views with huge waterfall, sedge grass meadows, a large stream at the head, all surrounded by cliffs with snow covered peaks & numerous small waterfalls added to this, the eagles, otters, deer & many shore birds & it creates a visual feast that never tires the senses. The halibut fishing just outside the bay entrance is very good & during different fish runs inside the bay, salmon & trout fishing can be fantastic. With our CD 22 foot boat being so small, we gave up the fishing several cruises back, but still have had on occasion some wonderful gifted fish dinners.
During the higher tide in the afternoon I took the dingy out, bear & other wildlife looking. No bears & while walking in the meadows & sand bars up river found very little sign of them. There is now another huge tree down across the river blocking access to where in past trips, I would go upstream in the motorized kayak "Mokai", which was probably a good thing as it stopped me from trying it with our present dingy a 13 foot PVC Kaboat with 6 hp Suzuki outboard.
At the entrance on the way in we met, as they were leaving & spoke to on the VHF radio, a couple on the Yacht, Maxamo, who we first met here in 2007. It has a couple of Mokai's aboard & a 14 foot C-Dory as a dingy. The yacht had a different color coat of paint & we didn't at first recognize it, even with its unique shape.
24 miles today 328 total
6-1-18
It started raining this morning & it continued all day, making for a relaxed lazy just watching from the HunkyDory day. We did do a short run out to the bay entrance & back & then re anchored in a spot with a better all round view. 15 miles today & 333 total
5-31-18. 70 years old today. I definitely feel older than when making our first cruise here in SE Alaska with our little 22 foot boat in 2003, but in no way have lost my zest for adventure. We just don't try to pack as much into each day as we used to.
We made our way on smooth waters & sunny skies from Warm Springs Bay to Red Bluff Bay. This is one of our favorite places & over the years have spent at least a accumulate month anchored here. On some years like 2012, the bear watching was incredible with over 18 bears seen in a relatively small area, but if the bears are not about, the views with huge waterfall, sedge grass meadows, a large stream at the head, all surrounded by cliffs with snow covered peaks & numerous small waterfalls added to this, the eagles, otters, deer & many shore birds & it creates a visual feast that never tires the senses. The halibut fishing just outside the bay entrance is very good & during different fish runs inside the bay, salmon & trout fishing can be fantastic. With our CD 22 foot boat being so small, we gave up the fishing several cruises back, but still have had on occasion some wonderful gifted fish dinners.
During the higher tide in the afternoon I took the dingy out, bear & other wildlife looking. No bears & while walking in the meadows & sand bars up river found very little sign of them. There is now another huge tree down across the river blocking access to where in past trips, I would go upstream in the motorized kayak "Mokai", which was probably a good thing as it stopped me from trying it with our present dingy a 13 foot PVC Kaboat with 6 hp Suzuki outboard.
At the entrance on the way in we met, as they were leaving & spoke to on the VHF radio, a couple on the Yacht, Maxamo, who we first met here in 2007. It has a couple of Mokai's aboard & a 14 foot C-Dory as a dingy. The yacht had a different color coat of paint & we didn't at first recognize it, even with its unique shape.
24 miles today 328 total
6-1-18
It started raining this morning & it continued all day, making for a relaxed lazy just watching from the HunkyDory day. We did do a short run out to the bay entrance & back & then re anchored in a spot with a better all round view. 15 miles today & 333 total
Hi Bob, no unfortunately no scrimp pots aboard. It seems just not enough room for all we would like to have on the CD 22, especially with all the extra fuel we take to get to the out of the way places we enjoy seeing. For the 1st time others have told us about the good scrimping to be had in RB Bay this year too. To bad we didn't know about it in 2015, when Brent & Dixie accompanied us there & they did have the pots with little luck elsewhere tried & there untried.thataway":1extkd5b said: