Highlights: Decision to forgo circumnavigating all of Behm Canal and focus on highlights of Misty Fjord, so set course directly to Ketchikan for fuel and provisioning. Morning exploration on shore with Moxie to view the river, we see evidence of very recent bear activity.
Anchor light in early morning calm of Santa Ana Cove is almost like a water color painting...
Fascinating "tracks" on the Garmin chartplotter reflecting how Seaquel has "swung" on anchor during the night. Typically we see the boat swing in two directions, reflecting prevailing direction of the tide in and out. But the multiple currents in Santa Ana with nearby waterfalls and a river, Seaquel has made a nearly complete 360 degree swing. The "0203" is an arbitrary # that the Garmin assigns when we anchored as we marked a waypoint to establish our point when we dropped anchor. This allows us to see how we swing, and most importantly if we "drag" which would indicate the anchor is not holding.
The light color indicates deep water, in this case marked at 37 feet (at low tide). The blue section indicates shallow water that may/may not be deep enough depending on how much a particular boat drafts; and the dark green section is considered "intertidal" indicating that it could be exposed at low tide even if covered at high tide. In this example, you can see that we anchored nearly exactly where we needed to be, given the amount of rode (length) we put out as we swung nearly equidistant to each shore. Note: more rode is more secure for a shallower angle of pull on the anchor, but often too much rode would result in swinging onto hazards in tighter anchorages like this.
Shore duty with Moxie - my excuse to take pictures (and Moxie usually cooperates by posing with the boats)…
You can see bottom very clearly in the crystal-pure water near the river inlet...
Lots of moss and overgrowth suggests this area sees a LOT of rain during the year...
Seaquel on anchor, with the morning mist shifting through the adjacent mountains...
These early morning pictures with the early sun are why I enjoy getting to shore with Moxie before anyone else in the cove has even stirred...
Fresh signs of bear! The shore surrounding the edges of the river had many large rock imbedded into the soft dirt. This morning, I found dozens of such rocks turned over or moved. The soil was undisturbed from last night's rain, so the rocks must have been turned over this morning, probably by a hungry bear searching for grubs for breakfast...
Such a spectacularly picturesque setting. Perfect for fly fishing, or waiting to shoot pictures of bear who would gravitate to the mouth of the river to feed on fish...
The last of the morning mist dissipates as Moxie looks on...
Back from shore duties with Moxie, Peggy has a wonderful homemade Blueberry Pancake breakfast ready as we go "anchors up" for departure to Ketchikan. Eating from the helm is the best kind of "waterfront dinging" with ever-changing views...
Heading to south Ketchikan...
Beyond passing "starboard to starboard" with a commercial fishing boat...
Seiners with their heavy skiffs, shown deployed (foreground) and being carried (background)…
Dolphin! We have all enjoyed watching dolphin play in the bow-wake of our boats throughout SE Alaska. These are Pacific White-Sided Dolphin and only flash momentarily above the surface in between dives, and they are within inches of the boat so it is difficult to capture with still pictures...
Approaching Ketchikan, we see more float planes as well as ship traffic...
Alaska State Ferries are huge, so the dry-dock facilities to work on them are also really big...
And of course, the cruise ships dwarf our small tugs...
Homes and shops crowd the valuable water's edge in Ketchikan, and go up the steep terrain from there...
The scale of these mega-cruise ships compared to local buildings is kinda crazy...
Salmon continues to be a dominant commercial enterprise within SE Alaska, although the cruise ship industry has changed the face of commerce in these larger ports...
Here is where old Nordic Tugs come to die - and get reborn! Below, two pictures of a small Nordic Tug 26' that has been re-fitted as a fishing boat...
Beyond and Seaquel, neighbors again on the docks in Ketchikan...
Sunset at the marina in Ketchikan. This will mark our last night at a dock in one of Alaska's historic towns, as we head into the wilderness, fully provisioned, going south from here...
We are close to leaving Alaska. Strange to have passed through Petersburg, Wrangell, and now Ketchikan well over a month since we were northbound, seeing these historic towns for the first time. But we are eager to explore the sights of Misty Fjord, especially since the updated forecast looks like we may get lucky and see more sun than mist in the days ahead...
~Mark
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