Sea Star 7

We departed the next day only after listening to a mayday on the radio. A tourboat (that was docked next to us previously) was taking on water with 33 guests on board. He intentionally beached it on Annette Island to keep it from sinking. It was amazing how quickly other tourboats responded to help. Everybody got off safely and they towed the boat back to Ketchikan. 

We pointed the bow north heading for Yes Bay arriving at the anchorage about 4PM. The next day we tried our luck off of Bell Island catching nothing. We went back to our anchorage in Yes Bay. We were told there was good shrimping in the main bay so Dave and Kelly loaded up the dinghy. Unfortunately, the shrimp pot decided to part ways and jump into the water. 

There were a couple grumpy, crazy dudes in a little boat also anchored for the night. Apparently, they don’t know the difference a noise an outboard boat makes a half mile away versus our generator (which wasn’t running, by the way). One guy came on deck yelling at us about running that f***ing generator all night. Doubtless, they either figured they won because we never did run the generator or realized their mistake. Either way, we figured they would leave us alone. They departed the next morning at 4AM. 

We departed Yes Bay and made our way to Walker Cove. Like the Punchbowl, we were surrounded by 3000 foot cliffs. We had the bay to ourselves. Kelly tried fishing off of the boat at anchor. Something was eating his bait which we decided might be crabs. So we decided to set the crab trap. After putting it down, Kelly and Dave floated around watching a grizzly dig for clams on the beach. It did not seem bothered by us while munching on his clams. We ended up pulling up two big crabs. 

Somewhere along the way, we were at anchor running the generator to charge the batteries. Dave noticed a sudden change in note commenting that the generator sounded very dry (not combining the exhaust with cooling water). Sure enough, the generator started to run hot (didn't overheat, though) and Dave shut it down. Upon inspecting the strainer, Dave found that we had sucked in a giant jellyfish that clogged the cooling system. He had to not only clean the strainer but remove the hose and blow out the thru hull with compressed air to get water flowing again. Kelly donned gloves to help Dave remove all the jelly fish tentacles.

The next day we tried our luck at another spot identified on the map as good halibut fishing. Sure enough, Kelly barely got his line out and brought up a yelloweyed rockfish. We each ended up catching one (our yearly limit) before moving to a different spot where Dave caught a halibut. The rockfish are really good eating - Dave later commented that he liked it better than the halibut. We went back to the anchorage by the cabin we stayed at earlier. We hung out on the mooring ball for a couple of nights before heading up to the Punchbowl. 

Happy with the success of the day, the boys decided to enjoy a cigar on the Stardeck with their new friend that came aboard for a visit. Apparently, he heard there was fish aboard.

The Punchbowl was busy. A sailboat was on the mooring so we anchored between two other boats. While at anchor, we discussed how Platypus caught rockfish right off their boat the previous time we were there. So Kelly put his line down off the back of our anchored boat in search of a snack. A little while later, he got a massive hit. The line ran out as something big took off. Dave was kidding that he must have caught a seal. When Kelly finally got the fish up to the surface, we saw that he caught a giant halibut. It turns out Dave is not a very good spearman and ended up just pissing off the halibut and it started running again. Finally, after bringing the fish up four times, Kelly successfully speared it. It was 57 pounds! Kelly got over 30 pounds of meat off of it. 

We ended up making room in the freezer by moving stuff upstairs to the icemaker and little fridge. Melissa and Kelly then packaged up all the meat and successfully filled the freezer. 

We hung out at the Punchbowl for another night just chilling before heading back to Ketchikan. We stopped at Ham Island but decided the anchorage was just too small. Ketchikan Harbor did not have room for us so we ended up staying at Ketchikan Moorage - a private and relatively expensive alternative. Also, quite exposed being directly open to the narrows. For a while, we thought we were going to be anchored with the fishboats. 

The next day, Dave called the harbor but they were still full up. Not long after, Dave heard a fishboat announce they were leaving and called the harbormaster to see if we could snag that spot. Sure enough, that is apparently the way to do it and we got tied up at the main marina. 

We had a lay day before Kelly was to depart. Melissa and Kelly scouted the marine store for a replacement reel and shrimp pot and figured out how to pack the fish so Kelly could take some home. 

We decided to leave Ketchikan and check out part of Misty Fjord. We stopped for some fuel and then headed for Shoalwater Pass. We anchored in the bay in front of the National Forest Service cabin on Winstanley Island. You can rent the cabin for $75 a night.

The next day we did the short hop up to Punchbowl Cove passing by New Eddystone Rock.

The scenery reminds us of Princess Louisa where snowcapped mountains rise straight up from the water's edge. The Punchbowl is aptly named as the bay is nearly surrounded by 3000 foot cliffs. Waterfalls descend down the face from snowfields above. We anchored in 70 feet of water and waited for Platypus to arrive from Canada. They, like us, cleared into the US on the ROAM app without having to speak to a human. They arrived early in the evening and rafted up alongside. 

We hung out for 3-nights, not doing much other than trying our luck fishing. It is a salmon reserve so no salmon for us but we did get some rockfish. We also saw a couple of grizzly bears foraging on the shore. 

Platypus did get to do some sailing on the way back.

The alarm went off early to get us going on the crossing to Ketchikan. The morning came early because we stayed up and watched the Canada Days fireworks last night. That means waiting until 11:15 PM because it stays light so late. We had the best seat in the house, though. The fireworks barge was directly in front of where we were tied up. 

Dave figured Thursday was the best day for the crossing hence why we stayed in Prince Rupert for 3 days. Indeed, PredictWinds did a great job. We started off with a little rain while negotiating the super narrow shortcut. Once out in the Sound, it was a little rough initially with white caps sending spray directly onto the lower windshields and a bit of overspray onto the upper. Soon it died down and rest of the crossing was smooth and waterski-able. 

Conundrum and Adventura followed us until they turned right into Misty Fjords. Dave cleared us on ROAM and did not even have to talk to a human. Melissa's herbs and flowers are safe. A few miles later, we met a cruise ship in the narrowest part of the channel leading to Ketchikan. We only had a few tens of feet of separation while avoiding the rocks on the right. We turned into the first marina hoping to find first-come first-served moorage and were pleasantly surprised. We are in the middle of all the 4th of July activities here so it should be a good spot to hang out. 

Chris and Virginia came on board to greet us and again later for dinner. We will be tourists with them for the next few days executing Melissa’s detailed project plan. 

There are three crossings where you are subject to ocean conditions in the Inside Passage. Cape Caution is the first when going north and was a piece of cake. Today, the crossing across Milbanke Sound was a little rough. We went the open route which saves an hour overall at the expense of being exposed for an hour longer. The forecast was for 2.5 foot seas so why not take the short cut? Well, how about 5–6-foot swells with 2-foot wind waves, instead? Yuck. Don't get tricked by PredictWind's forecast that the swell dies when there is no good reason (such as land mass). It doesn't. Last time, we took the protected route ducking in at Ivory Island like the 68 footer following us did this time. I highly recommend doing that and pay the price of a slightly longer cruise. Plus, it has nicer scenery. 

There is very little traffic. This old Navy tug followed us most of the way finally passing us near our destination.

The crossing is all behind us now and we are at the second most beautiful anchorage in British Columbia. Princess Louisa gets first prize but this is a close second. We are in Khutze Inlet where a magical waterfall comes down from snowcapped peaks. The waterfall is often estimated to drop between 1,000 and 3,200 feet. Because it originates from a high-alpine lake and cascades down steep mountain faces, exact measurements vary

Melissa remembered that she could see crabs crawling around on the bottom the last time we were here. So, out goes the dinghy and crab trap. Dave caught two giant Dungeness crabs in a matter of minutes. Last time we were here, we saw a brown bear. Nothing this time, yet. 

Dave is fretting a bit about the depths. While we are anchored in 50 feet of water, it gets shallow REAL quick. So, he set his anchor alarm pretty tight. Sure enough, the wind came up a little, swung us into shore and the alarm went off. It was still 35 feet where we were but Dave slept in the main salon anyway. The alarm went off again when we swung back out. OK, maybe the alarm was set a little too tight.