After spending 2 days in Sitka playing tourist with Jim & Laurie Bales (our good friends from Yakima, WA), including a visit to the world famous "Alaska Raptor Center," we retraced our course back thorough Salsbury Sound and Peril Straits to Cosmos Cove in Chatham Strait.

Heeding weather reports of "afternoon small craft warnings" and Laurie's tendency towards seasickness, we departed at daybreak (after picking up 3 crabs!) in calm winds down Chatham Straits. Rounding the bottom of Admiralty Island we encountered 25-30 knots of wind and 6-8 feet beam seas as we headed east into Fredrick Sound towards Petersburg.

Bale's first salmon

AT Note: The speed and stability of the Tug is sensational! The hard chine really reduces rolling tendencies. Adding power and accelerating to 16 knots allowed us to get out of the weather in almost no time. Laurie was so occupied with driving she had no time to think about getting sick (Was it the Tug or was it the "Bonine"?)!

After a 30 minute stop in Petersburg to water the puppy and fuel, we continued thorough the Wrangell Narrows to a beautiful anchorage in St. John's Harbor on Zarembo Island.

The next day we traveled west on Sumner Strait in sunshine and calm winds to Point Baker where Jim caught his first salmon of the trip! After catching 3 more we went on in to Pt Baker Trading Post to clean our fish and have "Better Baker Burgers"!

Devilfish Bay

After lunch we continued out Sumner Straight to "EL Capitan Passage" to another of our favorite anchorages: Devilfish Bay. Departing the next morning for Craig we stopped at the entrance to watch a black bear cub frolic on the beach (Low tides and bears go together!) and harvested three dozen large prawns.

AT Note: The power of the 6 hp. Dual Propeller Bow thruster was aptly demonstrated when it ingested 25 feet of "poly" shrimp pot line in less than twenty seconds!

We continued on thorough Tuxekan Passage, Tonewek Narrows and the Gulf of Esquibel encountering many Humpback whales on the way. Arriving at North Harbor in Craig we were greeted by our good friend and fishing guide Bob Grey. We stayed and fished with Bob for 3 days, fishing was fantastic!

Craig Catch

After the Bales departed via Float plane to Ketchikan (then Alaska Air to Seattle and Horizon to Yakima; arriving home 7 hours after leaving Craig!), we departed for Devilfish Bay or further depending on how rapidly an approaching storm traveled. Stopping at a Forest Service dock in El Capitan Passage at 10:30 AM to walk the dog, we decided to out run the storm arriving early afternoon at Red Bay (Prince of Wales Island).

After a 2 day stay, crabbing, reading and cooking, we departed in strong winds down Clarence Strait to Coffman Cove. The next day we left early, before the winds picked up, for Ketchikan where we stopped for fuel and have lunch with our good friend, Lynn Strauss, before continuing on down Revillagigedo Channel to Foggy Bay.

Red Bay storm anchorage

AT Note: Another day where the speed, which we were not used to, made the day enjoyable and allowed us to stay ahead of inclement weather!

Arriving at the Prince Rupert Yacht Club, we cleared customs (a long ordeal due to our gun on board), shopped and deposited our clothes at the Laundromat. The next day, we changed the main engine oil and filters at the fuel dock prior to anchoring at Pillsbury Cove.

AT Note: The Tug's automatic oil changing system makes this an easy 20 minute evolution which leaves no mess!

The next morning we took the "scenic" route: Chatham Sound to Ogden and Petril Channels, past Storm Islands and Despair Point, thorough Squally and Whale Channels, arriving at our anchorage at 3:15 PM in Barnard Harbor.

After a lazy morning we stopped at our favorite "hole" for crab bait and Coho and then proceeded towards Altenhatch Inlet for the night. Approaching Butedale in Fraser Reach we ran into a wall of fog which reduced our viability to less than 20-30 feet. We slowed to 5 knots and were talking to a fish boat with a tow approaching us from 3 miles away when we heard the "Prime Time # 1" (a 50' Nordhaven from Bellingham who we had first met in Hoonah) calling us as they were approaching Khutze Inlet reporting that they were still in "0" visibility. Without any hesitation, we decided to reverse course, crept out of the fog and spent a very pleasant evening at the Hartley Bay dock!

AT Note: We cannot say enough about the Tug's Pilot House design and layout. Being able to scan the integrated GPS / Charting system and watching the radar while maintaining an exterior watch is far less stressful than our experiences with other boats.