Leaving Petersburg, we traveled west out of Fredrick Sound where we saw several small icebergs. These small bergs calved off Le Conte Glacier due to major (18'-20') tide swings. We stopped at Portage Bay for some good crabbing and then we visited Kake, an Indian village where we had our first bear encounter. On our walk to town we met a black bear clambering onto the road. Needless to say, we waited until Sitka to shop! We then continued around the bottom of Admiralty Island into Chatham Strait.

Red Bluff Bay

Now, we are in the domain of "large mammals!" When we stopped off Kuiu Island to fish for salmon, we saw several large humpback whales feeding. The whales are a daily occurrence. Swimming not more than two boat-lengths away, one escorted us into Hoonah.

Later on that day, as we pulled into Red Bluff Bay for the night, we spotted a large grizzly on the shore. A little further into the bay we sighted a mother and cub! Admiralty, Baranof & Chichagof islands all have large grizzly populations. We were warned that grizzlies often frequent anchorages and can be seen utilizing the boardwalks at Baranof Warm Springs, Tenakee & Pelican.

Bear Country Dog Training

We are really enjoying the waters surrounding Chichagof, located on the western side of Admiralty and the eastern side of Baranof Islands. The distances are not great between anchorages or the small communities. The waters are normally calm, sea life (prawns, crab, salmon & halibut) are abundant and the views, whether of wildlife, mountain ranges or glaciers, are magnificent!

Leaving Chatham Strait, we traveled down Peril Strait to one of our favorite anchorages, Appleton Cove. This is a well-protected cove with a small sand island; therefore, eliminating "BEAR" worries! (Being on a small gravel pile with no trees and at least a mile of water to the nearest shore provides great comfort) Cassie, our puppy, can run, swim and chase tennis balls which are very rewarding for all boat puppies!

Icy Straits-Halibut Fishing

Crabbing is good here in Appleton Cove and shrimp (prawns) can be found in Rodman Bay (the bay adjacent to Appleton Cove). We then traveled down Deadman Reach; past Poison & Murderer's Cove (is there a theme here?) on through Sergious and Kakul narrows. After motoring down Olga and Neva straits to Sitka Sound, we arrived at the quaint Russian town of Sitka.

With its new and very friendly harbor, shopping, cell phone coverage and easy access to Seattle (non-stop flights) and central location, Sitka has become a favorite stopping place. We like it so much that American Tug Sales has applied for a permanent moorage slip for ours and our client's use!

Elfin Cove-Inner Harbor

From Sitka, we ventured back thorough Peril and Chatham straits to Icy Straits and Lynn Canal where we explored some new and interesting destinations. Tenakee Springs, Baranof Warm Springs, Elfin Cove & Pelican are all "boardwalk communities," each with a personality of its own. The summer population of each one of these small towns is approximately 50 t0 200 individuals. However, in the winter the population shrinks by about 80 percent. We enjoyed these communities, finding them all very friendly. We will definitely plan on visiting them again next year! We were intrigued that so many of the permanent summer residents were from the lower West Coast!

Honeys Halibut-Pelican

The versatility of the boat continues to impress us! Leaving Hoonah for Pelican, we stopped to fish in Icy Straits. Following up on a tip from Richard Friedman, owner and captain of the Explorer, a boutique "crewed & guided" charter boat, we caught two halibut: a 30-pounder and a 70-pounder! Two hours later, we continued on to Pelican. After two days in Pelican, we decided to go back to Hoonah, where we stopped in pretty Elfin Cove for lunch. Then we proceeded on to Auke Bay (West Juneau) . Here, on the following day, we mounted a provisioning foray to COSTCO. We are so pleased that our boat lends itself to our "spontaneity" (i.e.: We are always changing our minds and destinations!!!)

Funter Bay Fish

The next day was "AT 34 Rendezvous Day!" In Funter Bay on Admiralty Island we met up with three other American Tugs: Don & Ann Gordon ("Annie" #28), Greg & Monica Clark ("Brown Eyes" #27) and Chris & Judy Boyle (Alyssa #29). That evening seven of us went out in "Prime Time" to fish for salmon. We caught four Coho! Each of these couples is from the East Coast. These intrepid tug-trawlers (AKA "The Rainbow Fleet") will continue their journey down the West Coast, on to Mexico and then through the Panama Canal. Later, you will here more about them and their exploits!

We often suggest new owners take delivery of their boats in La Conner at the factory in order to take advantage of our prime location. This way, they can cruise the San Juan Islands or live the dream and "experience" Alaska.

We are back in Sitka for the second time to re-supply and pick up some friends who are flying up from Seattle to join us for a week.

As they say in Alaska: "Be safe, catch fish"!