Highlights: lazy morning but rough seas making the crossing of the convergence between Clarence Strait, Chatham Strait, and Lynn Canal change of venue shows how much crabbing conditions change from one location to another...
No Dungeness Crab to be found at Swanson Harbor, just one small Spider Crab. But something (prawns?) feasted on my bait trap like piranha, leaving nothing but the cleaned-off skeleton of the fish that was my bait...
Peggy is a superb 1st Mate/Deckhand, as well as exceling in the galley. Here, she steadies Seaquel as we ready to depart the nice floating dock that was home for one night...
With rougher seas, we donned Nicole's life jacket. Conditions weren't that bad, but good practice, especially with Nicole as dressing her is always a bit of a chore.
Peggy showing off her inflatable PFD; and Moxie does not want to be left out of any precautions with rough water so decides it is time to ride "shotgun" instead of her normal position beneath the dining table...
Movin' up in the world! Moxie decides she prefers the view from the Admiral's perch. Peggy may have to fight for her seat...
The beach at Funter Bay is very unique: all of the stones, large and small, are like flat shale. The "beach" is almost a flat, stone floor...and unlimited skipping stones as well!
Neither rain nor wind nor sleet will deter Glen and Ollie from checking crab pots...
A nice catch is made by the flotilla!
Ollie inspects the catch...
Moxie gets in on the action: there are crab everywhere! We were chasing them in the kayak in about two feet of very clear water over a sandy bottom. It is amazing how fast crab can scoot in the water, and equally amazing how they sense your presence. Even the tip of kayak blade will send them running for cover...
The calm after the storm: Mark and Moxie enjoy a peaceful kayak ride around Funter Bay. Again, note how tall the dock pilings are at low tide. We have been experiencing 20' to 25' tides in Alaska, which creates a full array of nautical challenges from anchoring depths to stronger currents...
The dilapidated remains of a settlement in Funter Bay that had seen better days...
Tomorrow we head for the very unique anchorage of Oliver Inlet, which sets us up for a short cruise into Juneau where we will change our pace a bit with some commercial tours and mark the mid-point of our Alaska odyssey before making further progress southbound.
~Mark
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ReplyDeleteI'm really enjoying this blog. As an undergrad history major I wrote a paper about Funter Bay and the Aleut Internment during WWII. It's a really dark page of American history.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/02/21/516277507/the-other-wwii-american-internment-atrocity