After waiting in Shearwater for three days for a weather front to pass, we took advantage of the boat's speed and covered 132 miles in one day! We journeyed out Seaforth Channel, up Oscar Passage, Mathieson, Finlayson & Tolmie channels past the Indian village of Klemtu and the almost deserted (falling into the water) community of Butedale to the day's final destination of Bishop Bay Hot Springs. Interestingly, the wharf and bathhouse were built 25 years ago at Bishop Cove by the Kitimat Yacht Club.

Barnard Harbor

As Bishop Bay was full of boats, we decided to press on to one of our favorite anchorages at Barnard Harbor in Whale Channel. This remote location has become quite well known for salmon & halibut fishing and; now, three luxury "fly-in" fishing lodges (on floats) are anchored in the adjoining bay.

The next day we traveled back up Whale Channel to Hartley Bay for fuel. We continue to be impressed with the culture and attitude of the people of Hartley Bay. It is the only "dry" Indian community that we are aware of and several new community buildings have been built or remodeled since our last visit in 2000. The Hartley Bay community has operated a Coho hatchery for 23 years and it is planning a hydro-electric project to replace its diesel generator system.

Klewnuggit Inlet

While taking on fuel, the wharfinger shared photos he had taken of one of the several white, "Spirit" bears. A sub-species of the Black bear, these small Kermode bears are quite rare and reside on nearby Princess Royal Island.

Leaving Hartley Bay, we proceeded up the Grenville Channel, a very straight, beautiful, 35 mile-long channel to Prince Rupert and Dixon Entrance (AKA: "The Ditch"). Mid way up the channel we shared a quiet anchorage with John & Linda Swanson-Seely and their parents (M/Y VOYAGEUR 42 Grand Banks Classic) in Klewnuggit Inlet.

Dixon Entrance to Ketchikan was the fourth and last "large" body of water to be crossed on the voyage to Alaska. During our stay in "Rupert," we dropped the hook in Pillsbury Cove, a delightful anchorage across the harbor from the city. Departing at 6:30 a.m. in brilliant sunshine and calm winds, we transited Venn Passage. (This is a short cut developed by the local fishing trade with seven sets of range markers in three miles (minimum depth: 3 meters!). We crossed this last challenge at 16 knots and were tied up at the City Float in Ketchikan at 12:30 p.m.! What a change from 18 years of transiting these obstacles at 9 knots!

Bailey Bay buoy

We spent the next two weeks cruising the area between Ketchikan and Wrangell and have had light rain one day! Overall, the winds have been very calm. With the weather being so good, we decided to spend a few days in the western half of "Misty Fiords National Monument." Here we explored several anchorages in the Behm Canal; Smuggler's Cove, where we spotted a baby moose on the beach, Helm Bay, Bailey Bay, Anchor Pass and Traitor's Cove (we learned that boaters must believe the charts - the water depth is only 10 feet at low tide!).

We have had these beautiful, remote anchorages, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, mainly to ourselves. All these magnificent bays and coves are surrounded by alpine forests and meadows.

Traitor's Cove

Throughout Alaska the USFS maintains an extensive network of cabins, mooring buoys, floats and docks for boaters' use. We have found these to be invaluable as great places to tie for the night.

Cruising Note: As usual on these trips, we have dined exquisitely from the sea: cracked crab dinners, crab cocktails, crab omelets, barbecued steak with crab sautéed in brandy, crab bagels for breakfast, crab salad, BBQ & blackened salmon dinners, salmon dip, bagels with salmon & cream cheese, boiled prawns, sautéed prawns, chilled prawns, "Seahorses" (jumbo prawns stuffed with crab), "Angels on Horseback" (oysters broiled with bacon strips) - And, yet, we are lusting to catch our first halibut!

Taku!!

We arrived in Petersburg, Alaska yesterday after traversing the infamous "Wrangell Narrows. It is a 21 mile-long and quite narrow (150' wide in places) waterway with 63 channel buoys and several range markers to help with navigation. The Narrows is the principle waterway between Juneau and Ketchikan, so you will meet many fishing boats, tugs & barges, the Alaska Ferry and the occasional cruise ship!

AT Note: The versatility of the boat is amazing! We find ourselves leaving an anchorage at 10 or 11 a.m., stopping to fish or crab, visiting different bays and nooks, and, still, arriving at the next anchorage by 2 or 3 p.m. in time to enjoy the afternoon and evening. Typically, we motor along at a relaxing 10 knots. But when it is time to beat the weather or tide, we power up to 16 knots.