Southeast Alaska 2012 with Jay, Jo-Lee & the Hunkydory

Jay & Jo-Lee

Helen & I hope you have a great time cruising SE Alaska. Let us know if we can be of service while in Juneau. We're berthed at Harris Harbor for the season.
 
Just passed Eldrege Rock light house on the Lynn Canal headed south to either Hoonah or Couverden Anchorage if winds to high for crossing Icy Straight.   Have not been above displacement speed since leaving Skagway.  Light winds & calm water at present.  20 knot winds are forecast today on the Lynn Canal.  Now past St James Bay & still calm waters.  Saw a mother Orca & calf.  Only others ones we have seen in many miles of cruising these waters was a big male in Port Fredrick near Hoonah in 2010.

We made two trips from Skagway to Haines yesterday.  The 2nd one due to leaving my good sunglasses in the pickup.  No wind & beautiful sky's made the runs very enjoyable.  Visited the Haines Library & some long walks around town & the dock, so yes Jeff & Julia we are enjoying the great weather.

We haven't seen another  boat on the water out of the harbors since first leaving Skagway  other than the Alaska Ferry "LaConte" yesterday between Skagway & Haines. 

Brian & Helen, thanks for the service offer.  Hopefully none will be needed, but great to know your there if needed.  Will be good to meet up sometime if it works out.

Ken, we will work on that parleying thing in Elfin Cove.  

Jay 
 
4-19-12
Left Haines early morning for run down Lynn Canal a notoriously windy stretch of water.  Forecasting 20 knot winds, but morning generally calm so off we went at displacement speed.  Found the water smooth & winds calm all the way to Icy Straight & there 15 knots from the east so on to the Hoonah area of Port Fredrick.  Saw a mom  & baby killer whale near St James Bay, had dall porpoises all about crossing Icy Straight & many Humpback whales in Port Fredrick.  Night tied to a Forest Service Dock near the head of Port Fredrick, which we had located on our 2010 cruise through here.
120 miles today.  160 total this cruise.

4-20 -12

We were awakened by a whale blowing just off the dock then breaching out of the water.  Fantastic way to start a day.  Slow cruised to the very head of Port Fredrick then to South Neka Bay & finally to Hoonah Harbor.  During the day walked several miles on a old logging road.  Saw several deer & old bear sign, but no bears.  Most north facing slopes still have snow down to the water edge & the sedge grass, the bears favorite early food has little to no growth, so bears are scares, but to make up for the lack of bears are many whales, porpoises, sea lions & birds.  Had black porpoises riding the bow wave for the first time today.  Late afternoon into Hoonah Harbor just in time to shower before they were closed.   Wind now blowing rain falling & we are dry, clean, warm & full after a good meal in our comfy boat cabin.  Fortunately the Wallas stove is working perfectly so far.
36 miles today.   196 total this cruise. 

Jay
 
I was looking at the pictures of the rock protection cover you have for the hull and was wondering how well it worked on the Alaska Hwy especially through the gravel sections. What type of material is it and how does it attach to the hull. In the pictures it looks like there are just snaps on the hull.
 
AJF

The material is a vynal sp? coated cloth that is a whole lot better than nothing for protection & the best I found for the price & yes it is attached to the boat with snaps. In several Alaska Highway trips have only two very small cuts in the cloth that repaired easily with GOOP. On one trip without it did sustain minor gel coat chips even with going very slow through gravel & chip seal areas.

This trip up even with sand containing small rocks used for ice & snow the road seemed to us in the best shape ever.

Jay
 
4-21-12

Fueled at new Hoonah fuel dock.  $439 for 81.2 gal of gas & 9.6 gal og diesel.  Diesel is for the Wallas.   Then to well stocked grocery & hardware store that has there own access dock for boats.  Making it easy to get to with good prices to boot.

Slow cruised at 5 mph  back up Port Fredrick to spend night in light rain.  By Midway Island had a remarkable whale experience.  Had in the distance noticed a group of whales occasionally blowing as they went through their normal feeding routine in a localized area.  Noticed at least one female with mid sized calf in the group.  We were passing by them at maybe a little less than a quarter mile away when they did a routine sounding.  About 10 minutes later one rises directly in front of the boat sideways to us about 20 feet away.  Even at 5 mph had to stop & go into emergency reverse or we would have collided.  Always thought they were aware of our boats location--now not so sure.  Only other explanation, being as it was a mother with calf,  perhaps she was trying to protect it, but if that, why allow the calf to get so close in the first place.  As said we were going slow & on a straight course.  One thing for sure in this small boat I'm more leery than ever around whales.  

Heavy rain here at the Forest Service dock tonight.

20 miles today & 196 total

4-22-12

In morning slow cruised over to Neka Bay & saw on the way 2 whales breaching all the way out of the water like a salmon jumping.  What a sight!!  Anchored in north Neka bay & went for ride in the Mokai up the Neka river for a total of about 14 miles.    
No bears, but lots of other wildlife.  We'er now drifting out in Port Fredrick so I can write & post this where the IPad has AT&T coverage.  Can see several whales spouting around us as we are drifting.  Two more have breached & flipper slapping going on.  Spending tonight back up to the head of Port Fredrick.

Weather supposed to improve to tomorrow & if so will probable head down Icy Straight to the Elfin Cove area.  From there will be out of IPad range a few weeks if all goes well.

Jay
 
4-23-12

Surprise! Surprise!  Arrived Elfin Cove where we are presently docked at the outer dock & found the IPad has AT&T coverage here.   It is very slow but can   at least post.

Early morning back into Hoonah with a stop for some more groceries & then out Icy Straight to Dundas Bay, Dundas River outlet a part of Glacier Bay National Park that isn't regulated with permits, ect.  Had hoped to take the Mokai up the river, but wind & chop from the south west made anchoring there not a pleasant thought.  Also no animals on the shore & shoreline & river edge looking pretty bleak with all the snow, so decided to continue on to Elfin Cove.  South & North Inian Passage running fairly fast on the ebb tide,  but with light wind & swell coming in from Cross Sound was not bad making the Passages.  Could see a section line of pretty steep waves even with light swell, which we slipped around close to the south shore of South Inian Passage to avoid, so can imagine it would be a very rough go during higher winds & big swells.

All but about 5 miles at displacement speed today.

75 miles today & 291 total
 
Sounds like you guys are doing well out there. We have not seen any bears yet this year either. They are slowly making appearances. I think with the rain we are finally getting the grasses will grow up quickly and then we will see them.
Take care and I am enjoying your posts!
Julie
 
Wow Jay,
Hoonah to Elfin Cove at five mph/knots you must have at it for fifteen hours or more. I hope your packing plenty of batteries for you remote control autopilot. I wondered if you had a chance to blow your horn at Mrs. Whale before the emergency reverse move? That would have made my heart jump out of my chest...What is the price of gas up there if I maybe so bold to ask? Done any fishing yet? Hope you two are enjoying yourselves. I'm still down here pulling the plow trying to make the employment figures look for the gumint. Better find a hot spring and relax a while.
D.D.
 
Left Elfin Cove about 8:30 am out Cross Sound to Lisianski  Inlet, then up Lisianski Inlet to Lisianski  Straight where we stopped at the Tongas Forest Service dock with its open face cabin with stove & fire pit by the narrows.  

Many whales in Cross Sound with several very active.  They were breaching & one all by its self doing tale slapping for the entire time we passed at 5 mph.  First noticed that  kind of Humpback whale activity on our 2010 cruise.  

Think we may have figured out why we had a whale rise directly in front of the boat a few days ago while cruising in Port Fredrick waters from what happened today while cruising up  Lisianski  Inlet.   Any whale will look big when suddenly appearing with in feet of the bow of the boat while underway & the reason why I  may had mistook  the mother for the calf.  In today's instance we met a mother & calf  surface swimming towards us.  Shortly after they passed about a 100 yards  off our port side,  out of the blue  sails the calf in a full breach along side &  parallel with us not more then 50 feet from the boat & yes that was dramatic!!,  the calf looking as huge as any big male in the short couple seconds it was in the air &  just as unexpected as the other occasion & we believe both due to youthful exuberance with its lack of caution where as its having  just the opposite effect on us.    

I'm writing this while sitting next to the warm wood stove with a delicious cup of coffee at hand surrounded on three  sides by unique cabin walls & facing out the open front to the tidal waters of Lisianski straight passing by with sounds of light wind in the trees & a fast running  creek nearby.   

Earlier I took a walk on the trail from here by myself, that goes to a long  abandoned mine.  Didn't get to far before stopped by the snow & even sooner put on full alert by the huge fresh grizzly bear tracks in the snow.   Hadn't seen any bears yet along shore, so didn't know if they were out & about yet.   Now I do!!!

20 miles today & 331 total

4-25-12

Woke up in the middle of the night by a mink bouncing about the boat.  At first we thought it might be a bear, but there was enough light to see the mink jumping onto the bow & coming right up to the front windows looking at us just a few inches away, then went to the cockpit which is enclosed & tried to get in under the snaps.  I slapped the plastic windows right in its face & it would back up then rise up on its back legs & come right back to me trying to get in.  I yelled & slapped some more which sent it back to the bow & around the roof top alternately bouncing back & forth from the dock to boat & then back to the cockpit trying some more to get in there.  I was thinking seriously of giving it a shot of bear spray when it abruptly on its own takes off down the dock to land & us back to sleep.  Another unique & interesting experience to add to the seemingly never ending list.

Come morning, which came a little later for us then usual due to the mink experience, we headed the six or so miles to Pelican.  The town was going strong when we were here in 2007, but when back in 2010 the Cannery had closed & it was in dire states .  This year,  though still can not buy groceries there is fuel, showers, laundry , a couple pubs & a small restaurant.  The town is back on the upswing, but not by much.

From Pelican went up to the head of Lisianski Inlet & by Mokai  (our small  jet drive kayak) up the Lisianski River.  In 2007 when there in late May there were many bears in this area.  No bears today, still to early for the sedge grass & their finding food elsewhere.  In the evening headed back to Pelican for the night.  $10 transient moorage fee per night. 

Many humpback whales in Lisianski Inlet.  Six,  just in the waters off Pelican & many others up & down the Inlet from there.   The Pelican Harbormaster said the herring were back, thus the whales & fishing boats, which we hadn't seen in abundance before Cross Sound.   Also many sea otters in the upper inlet.

31 miles today & 362 total
 
4-26-12

Writing this from the library in Pelican.  So far it's the only one that will give a password for the IPad to use wifi.

Heavy rain up to late afternoon here at the Pelican dock, then the sun broke out & the of the day was & is beautiful.  During the rain got caught up on laundry  & showers for us.

With the sun saw a whale about a half mile out in the strait from Pelican, so hopped in the Mokai & enjoyed it up pretty close between soundings till my hands got to cold.  On the way in & out from the whale saw up close several sea lions & otters.   Around the dock the water is boiling with herring & a reddish shine on the surface from the knell,  the low one on the food chain that's bringing on all the others & intern letting us enjoy them all.

In 2010 spent six days between here & the forest service dock waiting for good seas on the outside.  Will do the same now.  Want no part of the 10 footers we encountered  out there in 2007.

0 miles today & still 362 total
 
Great posts, Jay! We're enjoying the narrative. No doubt that mink got your attention! (We had that happen once with otters.) Seems they have no fear when they think there's food to be had.

Fresh bear tracks? OK, that would get my attention even more!

It's 75º at 7:00 this morning; going to be hot, humid, and windy here - your posts are refreshing. Hope the weather cooperates with you.

Best wishes,
Jim & Joan
 
Jay,
We just saw our first bear of the season last night. He was a chubby looking black bear and he was eating grass by the side of the road. You should be seeing them soon!
Take care,
Julie
 
Jim & Joan,  a temp mix right in between the Texas gulf & here now would be quite welcome.  Just a bit to refreshed here so far.  Haven't seen another cruise boat yet,  just maybe that's why.

Jeff & Julie,  good news on the bear sightings & do think we will be seeing them here soon too.

D.D.,  Yes at displacement speed it does take awhile to make 120 miles.  That day we did bump it up to two motors for the Icy Strait crossing.  We are having a wonderful time & think maybe about time for you to let the government job numbers to decrease by one.

Thanks to all for the comments.

Writing  this from the little Pelican restaurant where they are set up for wifi.  They have delicious fresh roasted coffee & serve a good breakfast, however quite expensive.
 
Fired up the Wallas heater & cook stove after the good breakfast at the Pelican restaurant & all was well for about 20 minutes when it abruptly quit.  Trouble shooting determined the combustion blower fan & fuel pump wouldn't work.  Had to go the 14 miles out to Cross Sound to get reception for the phone.  Called Scan Marine in Seattle & caught them just before leaving for the weekend.  Bottom line is need to send this one which has failed the last three cruises up here in for repairs which could cost $1000 or have them send the supposedly new more reliable model here for a known $2500.  To short of time to make a decision for now,  but set off for Hoonah where we are now docked for the night & can ship off or receive freight & make phone calls.  No good choices to make, but must have a dry source of heat for our planned three month stay here.   Can't order until Monday morning 8:30 am.  Also thinking about a run to Juneau tomorrow,  while we have a good weather window to shorten the shipping time either way.   Gotta roll with the punches, so back to our back up propane buddy heater for cabin heat & butane camp stove for cooking.  They both work great, just create constant fog inside the cabin in this environment.  When the Wallas went out in 2010 we went for over a month with back ups, but swore never again if any other viable option.

On the up side it was a flat water beautiful blue sky run from Pelican to Hoonah & within minutes of tying up at the dock we had another mink bouncing down the dock beside us.  Quite happy to see this one didn't show any intentions of wanting to come aboard.   

A Nordic Tug cruise boat passed us going in the opposite  direction near Elfin Cove.  It was the first cruise boat we have seen on the trip.

72 miles today  434 total
 
Sorry to hear about the Wallas issues...again. I'm continually shocked at how such an expensive piece of equipment can cause so many problems for owners.

Have you considered having an Espar or Webasto heater installed and getting rid of the Wallas entirely? You could probably order the parts and have them up to Alaska as quickly as a replacement Wallas and I'm sure a shop could get it installed fairly quickly. I looked into this option and figured if I bought the truck version of either an Espar or Webasto, the parts needed for a marine installation, and an Origo two burner alcohol stove, and got it all professionally installed, the total cost would be about the same as a new Wallas.

Good luck!
 
Years ago I had my Volvo 1800ES in for repair with a guy who worked on specialty cars. He had an very pretty older Jaguar for sale. I commented, "it sure is pretty, is it dependable?" The mechanic responded,"well, if it's dependable transport you're looking for, don't buy a Jaguar". Sorry to hear about the Wallas Jay. Glad you've got the Mr Heater Buddy and the propane cooker. Wishing you all the best and a trouble free rest of the trip.
As Yogi Berra said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”
MartyP
 
Sorry to hear about the wallas, just wondering if it's something that can be repaired onroute. With all the experience on this site with wallas failures and repairs it may be possible for us to help from here. What do you have for spare parts and troubleshooting tools? Did you let the smoke out of one of the boards? Did the unit just shut down? With my 95 model wallas I had a hood fan failure( or so I thought ) but it turned out to be a tip32a transistor on the main board that was burned. Scan said 600$ for a new board but for less than 2 bucks and a small soldering iron I was on my way again. On my close inspection of the board it was fairly obvious which unit was burned. Hope this helps. I know how much it sucks when the wallas quits. Good luck!
 
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