Before we went out with Kelly, the left navigation screen at the helm died. It just would not turn on. Dave tried swapping it with the right screen - problem followed the screen. Raymarine does not make it anymore so Dave went to EBay to see what he could find. Sure enough, there were a couple so he bought one from the vendor with the best ratings. It took over two weeks to arrive (USPS is horrible to Ketchikan) but it powered right up. The software version was different and it appeared the displays did not like each other so Dave updated the software. The displays are happy after that.
Richard arrived on Dave’s birthday. Melissa made lasagne and totally blew Richard away that it is dairy and gluten free. The next day, we head up to Hump Island Oysters for a dock and dine. The oyster bar is on a barge with a large dock normally used for the tour boat. We tied up on the other side so the tour boat could come and go. Despite Dave feeling a bit under the weather, we enjoyed super fresh oysters and a shrimp kabob. Yum.
The destination for the night was Meyers Chuck. Along coastal British Columbia, Washington, and Southeast Alaska, chuck describes a saltwater arm, inlet, or tidal lagoon that fills and empties with the ocean tide hence the odd name of this tiny community. This is a cute little bay with a free dock courtesy of the city of Wrangell. It was rebuilt last year and is a great tie-up. There is no power or water but the price is right and the locals are super friendly.
The next day we continue north to meet up with Jerry and Carol on Angelina. They keep their boat in Petersburg. Recently, they have bought property there making Petersburg their summer home. Jerry heard from a neighbor that Whale Pass was a cool destination.
There is not much written up about Whale Pass in the books but the neighbor said that all the good places aren’t in the books - that is what makes them nice. The entry is either from the north or south around Thorne Island. Although unmarked and with lots of turns around rocks, the south entry appeared to be wider and deeper than the north approach. Once in, there is a large, well protected bay with perfect anchoring depths. Here is a map of our route into the anchorage.
All day the Coast Guard was relaying reports of a mayday call that occurred around 11 in the morning. Jerry actually heard it as they were coming down from the north. We did not hear it coming up from the south. He called the Coast Guard and reported he heard a very scratchy mayday but no specific information. They wanted to know Jerry’s position and antenna height to match up with other reports to pinpoint the call. The Coast Guard continued all day asking all mariners for any information but we never heard what happened.
After discussing other destinations, we decide to work our way back up towards Petersburg where the real Alaska really begins. Once through the narrows, glaciers and snow capped peaks are everywhere. So we decided to head up to one of Carol’s favorite spots that is on the way: Totem Bay. So named because there are a series of 50 foot or so rock columns on the beach that look like totems. As we approached, the winds picked up into the 20’s and the water was choppy. The bay did not look all that protected but as we poked our way back, it smoothed out and was quite pleasant. The next morning, Dave and Richard explored the “totems” and hung out on the beach for a bit before heading out for Petersburg.
Angelina got a head start so Sea Star 7 did not catch them until mid way up Wrangell Narrows - right about where their “little house” is. We continued on and tied up in the marina near where Angelina moors. We had a lovely dinner and evening at Jerry and Carol’s super nice condo in town.
The next day, Jerry drove the three of us around to see the sights and visit their little house down south before we headed out for Thomas Bay. Thomas Bay is a large complex of many anchorages where two glaciers empty their silty water. The Baird Glacier is visible from the water so we decided to visit it while waiting for Angelina to arrive. While no longer a calving glacier, there are ice burgs floating around in a lake just behind a mud wall that formed recently. Some little burgs, big enough for a sea gull, make their way out into Thomas Bay. Angelina arrived after SS7 anchored and we had dinner together.
Angelina left early to search for the missing purse. Richard and Dave explored the Cascades and a little Forest Service cabin before returning to Petersburg. It is noticeably colder up here. The water temperature is 42 degrees - probably due to the glacier melt. Add that to the days being shorter and the cloudy weather, there is a feel of fall in the air. After docking, we joined Jerry and Carol at the fabulous condo and had burgers - Dave’s favorite.
We debated about hanging out up north and sending Richard home from Petersburg. We concluded that we needed to get moving south in order to make our journey back to Canada less hurried than our way up. So SS7 departed Petersburg the next day for Coffman Cove where lemon drop martinis were on the agenda. The docks were full and the anchorage looked awfully small so we skipped Coffman Cove for Thorne Bay. There we found plenty of room on the transient dock and decided to stay an extra day.
We got back to Ketchikan on Sunday - the day before Richard is scheduled to depart. Along the way, we hear our third mayday relay from the Coast Guard. A forty something foot boat was on the rocks and listing. The Coast Guard dispatched their small boat which went racing past us as we approached Bar Harbor. After docking next to Kya - a big Nordhavn that used to be at Cap Sante - Richard treated us to dinner. Afterwards, we had a great tour of Ketchikan from one of the locals that drives for Sourdough Cabs.
