Harvey, all of us do fine single handling the boats & yes, we do all have auto pilots. Bill, Jody & Mike don’t know this area, but they they are learning it & very resourceful & skilled in handling their boats.
I’m carrying 36 gal of extra fuel in 6, 6 gal containers. Motors & electronics are shut off when transferring fuel, which is done most of the time at a remote dock or at anchor. I have just stopped in route & transferred fuel using a funnel & gravity. All the others are carrying extra fuel too & have different methods to do so. Mike similar to me & Bill & Jody use a electric transfer pump & their spare fuel tanks are either 7.5 gal or 15 gal.
5-28-22 Day 8
Left Pelican at 6:30 am with the sun already shining brightly, though still a bit cool, so the diesel Wallas heater/cooker was running. Somewhat surprising to encounter fog, just as we started the intricate course though the shallow rocky area out to the open Gulf of Alaska. We bunched up pretty tight as we made our way to the Mirror Harbor entrance with the fog dissipating just when needed to make it through the kelp choked waters & the tight abundant rocky area into the dog leg entrance of East Mirror Harbor bay. Once anchored we all set out on the inflatables to explore the complex tidal bays & channels off the main two bays, finally ending up at the trail head to the White Sulfur Hot springs pools & cabin. The walk to the hot spring was just as beautiful as remembered & the recent very abundant bear sign kept us very alert. Following a relaxing soak in the hot water springs & some small talk with a family there on a fishing boat from Gustavus, we made our way back to the the inflatables. We had left them tied & floating, but the dropping tide water left them deposited high in the rocks, all at some crazy angles. Fortunately none were tipped over.
29 miles today. 344 total
5-29-22 Day 9
A leisurely wake up for all, then we got together & headed out of Mirror Harbor in the inflatable Kaboats. Had a a great time watching whales, some very close, but hard to get a photo, due to their quick risings & disappearing. Did some exploring around the islands & shoreline, which is fun to do in the calmer than usual waters, then headed back to the bigger boats to gear up for the water crossing, through Caution Pass to the Hot Springs. Fun ride over, dodging kelp, then another great soak in the hot water. Fog came in just as we started back, but not thick enough to not find our way. We did have nav apps on our iPhones just in case. Arrived back at the boats & decided to head out of Mirror Harbor for Goulding Harbor, which was through another outside unprotected water stretch with many rocky shallow areas & kelp beds. Just as we left Mirror Harbor the fog closed back in. Mike had gone out ahead & was waiting for us at the entrance. Bill & I had a good route to follow on the charts & Jody & Mike were to follow us. As we passed Mike, he lost us in the fog & then didn’t know quite where he was at, due to chart problems. I got somewhat upset with him for not paying close enough attention, while in these kind of conditions, but all went well after he changed to another app on his iPad & radio communications, which solved, where we were for him & where he needed to go. All here have good boating skills even in these conditions. Upon passing through Imperial Passage the fog lifted & we went past a a good sized trawler on our port. Shortly after, I received a radio call, asking where we were headed. They were big bear hunters & had been trying to take a large male in the Goulding Harbor area, where we were headed. They pleaded with us not to go in there & ruin their hunt. Being as they were not demanding it, I relented after first saying that’s where we were going & even though it’s messing up the planning for tomarrow & it being a favorite place of mine, as I too know it has good bear viewing, we are anchored in Baker Cove, a mile or so away instead.
Hopefully, before leaving this area completely, we will make it back to Goulding Harbor. The bear hunting season is over on May 31 & I’m glad it is. I understand the hunting process & desire, but personally, I’ve hunted & killed enough, even for food, unless we really needed it. Now, I just like to watch & enjoy the live animals.
14 miles today & a bunch more on the inflatables. 357 miles total.
5-30-22, day 10
The calm weather is continuing unfortunately it was again accompanied by fog this morning. Even with the fog, we decided to check out Dry Pass in the inflatable Kaboats. Jody’s motor was acting up & Maggie was shivering from the wet cold, so he decided to return to his boat. The rest of us continued on & were all glad we did. With the low tide & eel grass, we had to get out & pull the boats through some very shallow areas & clean grass from the props, but great to see the pass, which can dry completely, as it’s name indicates. In the very low water, every rock could be seen. We made it all the way out through the kelp to the open ocean & got some good photos & video. I’ve brought the C-Dory through this pass three different times, but always with some trepidation doing so. Now as long as the seas were 6 feet or less, I wouldn’t hesitate & feel relatively comfortable doing so. The capability of these small Kaboat inflatables are amazing in the right hands. The fog cleared completely on our way back to the boat into another beautiful blue sky day. Shortly after returning we started the slow speed 23 mile run to the old Chichagof gold mine site where 5000 people once lived & now is just ruins of big equipment & collapsed houses with only a few buildings remaining. On the way there stopped off at Black Bay, where in all the past cruises through here, have always seen bears. This time the only bear there was dead & being eaten on by many eagles. The area including the mine site is now all part of the official Yacobi/Chichagof islands wilderness. I’ve toured the mine ruins many times before by myself & with JoLee. Today it was fun doing so with Bill & Mike. Many big bear tracks around the ruins. The waters here at our anchorage tonight are mirror smooth & the setting sun is now shining on snow covered rocky peaks rising above the tree lined & sedge grass meadow’s. I feel very fortunate to be in such a place in good company on this cruise with me turning 74 tomarrow.
23 miles today with again many more in the inflatables. 380 total in the bigger boats.
5-31-2022 Day 11
Woke up at 5am with warm sunshine coming through the boat windows. In a couple hours I was wearing the same shirt, as I would at Lake Powell. Don’t know how long these extreme for here good weather is going to last, but we’ll happily take it for ever how long it last.
Todays plans were to head into Sister Lake by the narrow entrance at slack tide, which in the past has not been more than two hrs after nearby Elbow Passage turns slack. We arrived and hour early, because this tidal entrance has a wide time variation. It didn’t go slack until about 3 hrs 15 min after Elbow Passage, which was close to 1 1/2 hours later than normal, probably due to it being a very low tide. I ran, the channel a couple times after it slowed a bit, but still ebbing fast. Pretty exciting doing so. Then, later, Bill followed me up , but midway the towed Kaboat flipped & he had to tow it up through the fast moving water upside down. Fortunately the motor didn’t come off & he had it running a couple hrs later. Jody & Mike waited for a more prudent almost slack water before coming through. This is a very remote place & normally only skiffs & inflatables come here & they very rarely. The fast running currents through the three passages to get here, especially the narrow last one & the poorly charted waters keep most at bay. I’ve been here many times since 2007 & Brent & Dixie came here with JoLee & I in 2015. I don’t know of any others who have come in to anchor for the night & only one other who came in & then right back out. Also normally this has great bear viewing with us seeing several every time in, but not today, I think the warm dry weather has the bears back in the alders & trees. As I write this at 7:30 pm, the fog is drifting in & so now, I can’t see the distant big mountains. Maybe with with the fog, the bears will be out tomarrow.
21 miles today & 402 total.
6-1-22 Day 12
Other than the morning fog, the unbelievable sunny warm days continue. 78 degrees F today. After the fog cleared, we finished circling Sister Lake then dropped anchor in the west bay to wait for slack waters in the channel to Anna Lake. While waiting went to shore & started a fire. Sure didn’t need it for warmth, but it was paper garbage burning time. A great place to do so is in the tidal zone. Then a slow cruise out the narrow channels to the open to the Gulf Khaz Bay, followed by cruising the shores of Ford Arm & then into tonight’s anchorage at Falcon Arm, which runs west off the Slocum Arm of khaz Bay. With the bright sunshine, shining off the big snow topped mountains & the clear waters near shore easy to see into, it was a very relaxing beautiful day. The normal eagles, whales, seals & sea otters all to see, In abundance. No bears since our time in Dundas Bay & that’s a first time ever in the 15 years we’ve been cruising this areas outside waters. The warm beautiful weather is great for everything, but bear viewing. The last time, the bears, were this scares was in 2004, when we cruised out of Prince Rupert, BC in Canada north into South East Alaska. The whole month of June was similar to this now. We stopped then at the Pack Creek bear viewing area on Admiralty Island & even in that place they were not to be seen. Bill & Mike decided to Anchor for the night in Elf Cove, Ford Arm.& Jody & I here in Falcon Arm. We can still all communicate easily on VHF radio.
My depth finder seems to be down for the count. The problem is in the transducer or at least the wiring to it. It did work for one day. I’ve cruised this area so much that it is only a inconvenience & I’m doing fine just using my eyes & charts for depth & obstacles, though in anchorages like here tonight where the charts don’t match reality it would be nice to have. I will try to replace it in Sitka if available.
Well, after not seeing a bear for days, one shows up just off shore from where we are anchored & where Jody took his dog to shore earlier this evening.
33 miles today & 435 total.
6-2-2022 Day 13
Found myself in very shallow water & close to shore in the morning low tide, while waiting for Bill & Mike to show, so we could all head up to Slocum Arm together. Pulled the anchor rode in a little, so the boat wouldn’t ground. I do miss the depth sounder.
We saw another bear up the arm a ways at Double Cove & Jody & I left our C-Dorys drift in the calm water, while we went to shore in the inflatables to try & get a closer photo of the bear & check out the remains of an old cabin that was collapsing & the alders covering. Each time, I return here, more of it has become overtaken by the vegetation. Soon it will be gone from view, but at least not from my memory. The bear didn’t cooperate, so no photos.
We had planned on anchoring in Piehle Passage tonight & head to Sitka tomarrow, but thick fog had moved into the passage, so back to Falcon Arm to anchor tonight. Have routes made for navigating the passage in the fog tomarrow out to the open Gulf of Alaska waters again & shared with the others, but it still will be a challenge. After the passage, it’s 13 miles of open ocean to reach Salisbury Sound & the protected inner channels to Sitka. Our radar & good charts will get a work out tomorrow, at least the ocean is projected to be calm with only 10 knots wind & 5 to 6 feet combined swell & wind waves.
26 miles today & 461 total.
