Highlights: Returning to Petersburg and seeing the majestic peaks surrounding this Scandinavian town, and re-immersing into civilization after nearly a week of exploration into some of the wilder inlets of SE Alaska.
Finding Dungeness Crab "keepers" in the pot left overnight is always a good way to start the day...
Another big tidal day: range from 18.9' high tide to -4.9' low tide, a total range of nearly 24'. And a nearly 5-foot minus tide reveals a lot of sea life at low tide...
Morning excursion with Moxie, finding all sorts of colorful jelly fish at low tide...
Huge Alaska-sized clams!
Weather reports indicate a worsening trend for the next few days, with increasing winds. We'd like to stay and explore Sanborn Canal longer, but we have a significant body of water to cross, Frederick Sound, to reach Petersburg where we need to re-fuel. So as is our protocol to err on the side of caution, we pull anchors and chart our course for Petersburg...
At home, Nicole never takes naps and sleeps lightly, as she constantly battles muscle contractions and tightness despite her meds to combat her condition. Amazingly, Nicole naps regularly on Seaquel, as the gentle (or sometimes not so gentle) motion of the boat, along with the rumbling sound of the diesel engine seem to relax her muscles. She seems more relaxed on the boat than at home!
Departing Sanborn Canal at first light...
Two Bald Eagles are scavenging for food along this rocky shoal...
An eagle flies past Seaquel's helm...
The snow-capped mountains approaching Petersburg are among the most majestic within SE Alaska...
One of the biggest surprises in cruising the Inside Passage was how few pleasure boats we saw. In certain areas, we encountered many fishing vessels, but very seldom did we come across other cruising boats. The vastness and multiple ways to navigate the nearly-endless waterways seems to spread out the traffic. We often would be underway all day without seeing another boat, and often our flotilla of three boats enjoyed complete solitude in a remote cove. Until today, we did not come across any other flotillas such as ours, just the occasional single motorboat or sailboat. However today we came across a flotilla of four large trawlers...
Moxie waits patiently for the next opportunity to go exploring on shore...
The few pleasure boats that we saw were often truly stunning and looked like they were built for and belonged in this rugged ocean wilderness with the mountainous backdrops...
Purse Seiner fishing boats are very common in Alaska. The heavy skiff that rides on the stern is used to deploy the nets vertically to catch the fish...
Beyond is dwarfed by the Alaska State Ferry as we approach Petersburg...
A first: refueling at the same fuel station where we took on diesel previously. The crew at Petro Marine Services recognized us (our 3-tug flotilla is pretty distinct) and welcomed us back - it had been exactly one month since we passed through going north!
Back to Petersburg: in fact, to the exact identical three slips where we stayed over a month ago on our Northward push. We have been out a full week since departing Juneau and exploring glaciers and icebergs, and in addition to fuel, Petersburg was an opportunity to re-provision food and water, and grab an internet connection!
Stoic reminders of the perils of the fishing industry, again reminding us to be prudent as the Alaska sea is a very unforgiving place...
Next stop: another familiar Alaskan town, Wrangell. But before we reach Wrangell our flotilla will encounter our first significant mechanical issue of the trip, and the three boats will raft up together to remedy the issue. This incident further reinforced the wisdom of taking on the challenge of Alaska's Inside Passage as a flotilla where we can help each other out as needed...
~Mark
No comments:
Post a Comment