Sea & Ski - Making Waves & Tracks: June 16, 2018 - Day 15: Wrangell to Petersburg

Short day: just 24 miles; 3.5 hours cruising time

Heading up Wrangell Narrows toward Petersburg serves as a great example of how crazy-complicated the waterways are throughout the Inside Passage. At this latitude, the ebb tide flows north; and the flood tide flows south. But with the maze of inlets coupled with exceptionally strong tides, sometimes the currents do not run as expected. Below, as indicated on the Garmin Chartplotter, the red arrows indicate currents (tidal flow). Notice at the very same time, the currents are running in opposite directions at the two ends of this channel. In this case, the currents are running away from each other; but in other channels we have found the currents running toward each other as well. Very odd, and adds a level of complexity I've not experienced anywhere else.

Another beautiful morning for cruising. The clouds opened up and we had nice sunny weather as we boated northward...

The further north we go, the mountains get increasingly spectacular and their slopes are flanked with more snow. The contrast between green-blue seas and white-capped mountains is stunning...

Some of the pleasure boats, as well as working boats, that we come across are also stunning:

Sometimes getting good pictures has less to do with F-Stops and Shutter Speeds and more to do with having the right lens at the right time. The ideal angle for a picture changes quickly on a moving boat, so even fixtures like mountains and channel markers become "moving targets" as well as wildlife that suddenly reveals itself. To tilt the odds my way, the helm of Seaquel is a bit cluttered with my camera (Canon EOS Rebel T6S) and 3 or more lenses crowding for prominence with navigation electronics. I changes lenses on my camera dozens if not hundreds of times a day trying to frame the right shot, often while simultaneously navigating the boat if Peggy is not handy to take the helm.

The last 10 or 15 miles of Wrangell Narrows approaching Petersburg is a busy with fishing activity

And where there are fish, there are Bald Eagles...

Lots of remote homesteads along the route to Petersburg as well...

With more proximity to a "fishing capital" like Petersburg come more views of shipwrecks...

The final turn in toward Petersburg shows our most spectacular views of the mountains yet...

Petersburg reflects the twin ambitions of naming this blog "Sea & Ski" focusing on our passion for the sea and boating as well as a passion for the mountains and skiing. In fact, Petersburg serves as a vital fishing town as reportedly the 15th-most lucrative fisheries port in the U.S. based on annual volume of over 100 million pounds of fish and shellfish with a dockside value of $65 million. Petersburg also provides access to some of the world's greatest heli-skiing in the world. If you like water of the liquid kind as well as the frozen type, Petersburg is a special place.

Remarkably, our three Ranger Tugs were able to grab dock space all together once again...

Peggy and Pam posing as we get fuel in Petersburg...

In addition to the shipwrecks, there are sad reminders of the tragedies that are an ever-present danger for these local communities...

Nicole is ready to hit the town of Petersburg. We were fortunate arriving on a Saturday, so we could attend Catholic Mass at Saint Catherine of Sienna church...

Father Steve Gallagher, Pastor of St. Catherine of Siena, immediately felt drawn to Nicole. Nicole's smile and laugh has a way of doing this wherever she goes.

Such a beautiful church, and very warm and inviting community of faithful...

The huge marina dominates the city of Petersburg with working fishing boats of all sizes and shapes...

Petersburg is proud of its Norwegian roots...

We found a tug smaller than Seaquel, but this one would be tough to spend 2.5 months aboard!

Moxie poses in front of a Bayliner 38' Motoryacht, which was the "prequel" to "Seaquel", a wonderful and spacious yacht that first allowed us to take Nicole with her 4 siblings (hence named "Take Five") and allowed us to fall in love with this type of lifestyle. This model boasted two different staterooms, each with Queen-size bed and each with a bathroom, and even one bathtub. The dinette also converted to an even larger bed, so our crew of 8 on Take Five (5 kids, 2 adults, plus a dog) enjoyed generous accommodations. This was a very popular boat, and it is fun to see them wherever our voyages take us. Our own 38' that we sold over two decades ago is now in Vladivostok, Russia, but that is another story...

Boats are always being bought and sold. But here, we actually have "Romance" for sale...

Ollie and Pam adore Nicole, and the feeling is mutual. You would be hard-pressed to find three people more happy anywhere on the high seas!

True to its fishing roots, a short walk off the dock one comes across cold storage. Not what you typically see near the docks for recreational boaters like Friday Harbor or Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands, but here everyone is a fisherman. And fishermen need cold storage to preserve their catch...