7-6-22 Day Day 47
Left Auke Bay, Juneau with plans of staying a few days in the Hoonah area, then head back down Chatham Strait to Warm Springs Bay for some days of just soaking in the hot spring water & relaxing. On the way found weather changes were coming faster than forecast, so after doing a bit of laundry at the Marina, buying some groceries & topping off on fuel it was getting late & weather from the south picking up in the morning, so decided Whitestone Harbor was best for the nights anchorage.
67 miles today 1313 miles total
7-7-2022 Day 48
Up at 3:15 am with plan of high speed run to Warm Springs Bay to beat the more than 15 knot wind on the bow coming later in the morning. Started getting rough after about 55 miles, so then slowed, but still running both motors with heavy fuel usage to get best speed for conditions, which called for sig sagging to keep from pounding as the waves were coming directly from my needed course. I arrived early enough to get a opened spot on the dock, so I didn’t have to anchor out & use the dingy to reach the hot springs. With strong south winds forecast every day, then Sunday/Monday a storm, I’m set to soak & relax for a while.
75 miles today & 1388 miles total.
7-7 to 7-12 2022
In my stay, I shared the dock at Warm Springs Bay with an interesting menagerie of people & boats during the storm, which kept us all there for several days.
There were six transient cruisers. A 50+ foot ocean capable catamaran with a retired couple aboard from the Seattle area, a brand new on their 1st trip, 31 foot Ranger Tug with fly bridge with a older guy & his young Russian girl friend, a forty some foot Nordic Tug with 2 ex airline pilots aboard, a 47 foot sailboat with a retired couple aboard who had sailed to Sitka from Hawaii & stayed there the last 2 years & now on a cruise of SE Alaska, a 28 foot 1980 sailboat with very minimal rigging & other standard fare, including no heat with a young guy aboard, operating on a shoe string budget & I amazed, he had made it this far from the Seattle area & he with continuing on to Juneau & then south to LA & me & the CD22 as usual the smallest of all. Also at the dock a couple of unique fisherman from Sitka on on a well set up 40 foot ceder hulled fishing boat. The owner, a retired electrician had made out very well on property & didn’t need to make money fishing, only break even, so is just fishing for the enjoyment of it. Then a couple of the home owners here also have very unique boats. One a 40 year old Grand Banks 32 footer with beautiful wood & the other a similar sized sailboat with also all the wood trimming. Last of all was the Whale Foundation’s three boats used for whale research & the researchers living in a rented home. These researchers, I’ve met on several different trip years here. All the people met were friendly, interesting & enjoyable. The salmon berries are ripe, huge this year, sweet & delicious & the walks to Baranof Lake & outside hot springs wonderful. The outside hot springs doesn’t compare well to White Sulfur Springs, but soaking in the hot water horse troughs with their adjustable water temperature & magical view, an incomparable experience. I’m in the little boat that has seen much more of SE Alaska, than any of them, so enjoy them all, but not intimidated by any. The mini cruise ships are now coming several at a time, so don’t know how long the wonderful uniqueness of this place will continue, but it was & is on this cruise a top highlight & I’m very happy to have returned here this year before heading home.
7-13-2022 Day 54
This morning I had just planned on leaving the Warm Springs Bay dock to get internet for weather out in Chatham Strait, but when I did it showed the forecast had changed & today was best for rounding Cape Gardner, the southern tip of Admiralty Island to make way again for Pleasant Bay off the Seymour Canal. The water was smooth & the breeze on the stern, so a very pleasant ride to Pleasant Bay. Many Many whales along the way. Perhaps 50 or more with seldom a time lapse between spouts, tails & the tops of huge black bodies to be seen.
71 miles today & 1459 total
7-14-2022 Day 55
I haven’t been past Pleasant Bay on the Seymour Canal since 2004, when JoLee & I checked out Pack Creek, the Grizzly Bear observation & preserve, so today decided to see if I could make it all the way to the land portage to Oliver Inlet. Several pods of porpoises came & rode the bow wave on the way. The inlet into Fools Bay is a real challenge & the bay aptly named. Charts were worthless & I proceeded very slow & carefully, using my years of experience navigating without charts to not become the fool. As I carefully zigg sagged through the entry, I several times got down to shallow water with a 15+ foot high slack tide.
The weather since leaving Juneau & the group has become much more SE Alaska normal. Highs in the mid 50’s, some rain most everyday & a storm, though not a gale. I much prefer this to the overly hot days even with their blue sky’s.
Tonight, I’m anchored in a small open to the north bay among the islands east of the Admiralty island, Pack Creek bear observation & preserve. I only anchor in these open bays, when I’m fairly sure of the weather/wind directions & have a back up place near, for opposite wind directions then predicted.
By using the tidal currents, one of the two motors, wind on the stern & going slow, I averaged 9.4 mpg today for 48 miles. The main reason, I decided to see the the far end of Seymour Canal this trip is the weather report, showed the possibility of having the wind on the stern, going both directions with the chance of also using the tidal currents to my advantage at the same time if patient.
48 miles today & 1507 miles total
7-14-2022 Day 56
Granddaughter Ivy’s Birthday. Sent here good wishes on In Reach & hope they went through.
Back to Pleasant Bay & even without the fish to attract the bears was surprised to have a Mama & cub picking berries along the shore by my anchorage, which hung around for an hour or so. Good entertainment, the bears, eagles, loud sounds of the whales breathing just outside the bay & the huge tide swings of 23 feet, making the shoreline ever changing.
21 miles today 1528 total.
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