Highlights: Lots of fishing boat congestion in Behm Canal, and also relatively crowded anchorage at Foggy Bay as the jumping off point for departing to/from Dixon Entrance for those entering or leaving Alaska. Fascinating to observe the fishing fleet at work. Observations of anchoring in a variety of conditions in these more crowded locations. Exploring numerous inlets and indentations of Foggy Bay by kayak.
Shoalwater Passage had served as a convenient jumping-off point for exploration of Misty Fjord. Fog and low clouds have returned, underscoring how fortunate we were to have enjoyed bright sunshine and blue skies these past couple of days...
Moss-covered trees are further indication of the rain forest-like climate typical of Misty Fjord...
Morning shore duty with Moxie, typical calm in the day's early hours after yesterday's later afternoon winds...
Using the chartplotter, waypoints, and radar together to maximize safety when anchoring: the "breadcrumbs" show our repeated tracks coming and going the past two days to/from Shoalwater Passage. Our first time into the passage, looking for the right combination of depth, distance to shoreline, protection from wind, etc., brought us further into the cove and then back along the far shore where we dropped anchor the previous night (#0219). Knowing we would return for a 2nd night, we used this first reference point to determine where to anchor the next night (#0216). With winds coming from the exposed south, we chose to anchor slightly south from the previous night to minimize this exposure. Subsequently, three more boats anchored near us which we marked with waypoints (#0227, 0228, 0229) based on our radar showing us their exact location. This allowed us to track not only if we dragged on our anchor but how close these other boats anchored relative to our position to check if their swing radius would conflict with our position...
The morning after: again, #0226 indicates where our anchor hit bottom; and the multitude of "breadcrumbs" forming an arc to the north indicates the boat's repeated swinging motion back and forth under yesterday afternoon's windy conditions. The more lackadaisical meandering of the boat toward the anchor drop (lower portion of picture) reflects where we were in the morning, absent strong wind and affected more by modest tidal action...
Departing Shoalwater, these 7 seagulls were lined up to watch our mini-parade of three Ranger Tugs heading out...
Journey passes "New Eddystone Rock" for the last time, but heading south instead of north...
Glen is that "shadowy figure" running Journey. The custom of flying the blue Alaska State flag will soon be replaced by the Canadian flag as we progress south...
The first of many fishing boats we would encounter over the next couple of days that made passage a bit challenging, especially when the fog got thicker...
Sometimes the nets are brought all the way to shore. It is critical to know which direction the nets are being pulled so that we set a course to avoid these hard-to-see obstacles that are not picked up by radar. Not as difficult in bright daylight: but very challenging when visibility degrades...
Observing the fisherman was fascinating. And we all could appreciate the hard work while battling the wild elements in constantly changing conditions necessary to do their job. Much respect!
Some open water with good visibility and no fishing boats to avoid. These conditions would be increasingly rare over the course of the next couple of days...
We are heading south: homeward bound...
Moxie realizes she likes the cozy navigator step, especially with a pillow. Yes, she is spoiled...
Finding the entrance to Foggy Bay...
Here is what the "breadcrumbs" look like when we stern-tie: after checking depths around the entire anchorage area, we chose to drop anchor (#0233) right on the ledge bordering deeper water (noted by the chart as 32 feet) and shallower shoal (indicated as 12 feet). These depths are indicative of typical "low tide", so one must then check to see the status of the tides, check for potential for a minus-tide, etc. When we get the stern-tie attached, we again create a waypoint (#0234) where the boat should not move much because the stern-tie will inhibit "swing"...
This close-up view shows how the stern-tie pulled the boat toward shore, and once fixed in position, movement was largely limited (tidal changes that loosen or tighten the stern-tie line account for why there is any movement, assuming that the anchor is set properly and does not drag. Note that with a stern-tie we can be very precise with where we place the boat. In this case, we took advantage of a small indentation to keep close to shore but away from the shallows (indicated on the chart in yellow)…
Remember "New Eddystone Rock" and how Glen commented of his nightmare that such a protruding rock is an ever-present threat whenever anchored? Well, this large rock was very close to where we anchored Seaquel. Although more exposed now, we could see the rock lurking below the surface and new that it would "dry" at low tide. Since the tree we select will determine the direction the boat is pulled under a stern-tie, we chose a tree that kept us pulled away from this rock...
Here is a good overview picture showing everything noted in the above pictures and commentary. Since Foggy Bay is typically a busy anchorage (numerous boats can be seen in the background below, and in the next picture), using a stern-tie is a courtesy that allows more boats to utilize the protection of a good anchorage...
We counted 9 boats in this anchorage, making this one of the busiest remote locations on our trip...
Afternoon shore duty is always an opportunity to explore, which makes Moxie very happy...
Such rare, extended sunny weather comes with a price: numerous streams and rivers that normally feed into this anchorage were dried up...
Some water still was flowing from this larger stream...
Beyond and Journey on their stern-ties...
Shoalwater Passage had served as a convenient jumping-off point for exploration of Misty Fjord. Fog and low clouds have returned, underscoring how fortunate we were to have enjoyed bright sunshine and blue skies these past couple of days...
Moss-covered trees are further indication of the rain forest-like climate typical of Misty Fjord...
Morning shore duty with Moxie, typical calm in the day's early hours after yesterday's later afternoon winds...
Using the chartplotter, waypoints, and radar together to maximize safety when anchoring: the "breadcrumbs" show our repeated tracks coming and going the past two days to/from Shoalwater Passage. Our first time into the passage, looking for the right combination of depth, distance to shoreline, protection from wind, etc., brought us further into the cove and then back along the far shore where we dropped anchor the previous night (#0219). Knowing we would return for a 2nd night, we used this first reference point to determine where to anchor the next night (#0216). With winds coming from the exposed south, we chose to anchor slightly south from the previous night to minimize this exposure. Subsequently, three more boats anchored near us which we marked with waypoints (#0227, 0228, 0229) based on our radar showing us their exact location. This allowed us to track not only if we dragged on our anchor but how close these other boats anchored relative to our position to check if their swing radius would conflict with our position...
The morning after: again, #0226 indicates where our anchor hit bottom; and the multitude of "breadcrumbs" forming an arc to the north indicates the boat's repeated swinging motion back and forth under yesterday afternoon's windy conditions. The more lackadaisical meandering of the boat toward the anchor drop (lower portion of picture) reflects where we were in the morning, absent strong wind and affected more by modest tidal action...
Departing Shoalwater, these 7 seagulls were lined up to watch our mini-parade of three Ranger Tugs heading out...
Journey passes "New Eddystone Rock" for the last time, but heading south instead of north...
Glen is that "shadowy figure" running Journey. The custom of flying the blue Alaska State flag will soon be replaced by the Canadian flag as we progress south...
The first of many fishing boats we would encounter over the next couple of days that made passage a bit challenging, especially when the fog got thicker...
Sometimes the nets are brought all the way to shore. It is critical to know which direction the nets are being pulled so that we set a course to avoid these hard-to-see obstacles that are not picked up by radar. Not as difficult in bright daylight: but very challenging when visibility degrades...
Observing the fisherman was fascinating. And we all could appreciate the hard work while battling the wild elements in constantly changing conditions necessary to do their job. Much respect!
Some open water with good visibility and no fishing boats to avoid. These conditions would be increasingly rare over the course of the next couple of days...
We are heading south: homeward bound...
Moxie realizes she likes the cozy navigator step, especially with a pillow. Yes, she is spoiled...
Finding the entrance to Foggy Bay...
Here is what the "breadcrumbs" look like when we stern-tie: after checking depths around the entire anchorage area, we chose to drop anchor (#0233) right on the ledge bordering deeper water (noted by the chart as 32 feet) and shallower shoal (indicated as 12 feet). These depths are indicative of typical "low tide", so one must then check to see the status of the tides, check for potential for a minus-tide, etc. When we get the stern-tie attached, we again create a waypoint (#0234) where the boat should not move much because the stern-tie will inhibit "swing"...
This close-up view shows how the stern-tie pulled the boat toward shore, and once fixed in position, movement was largely limited (tidal changes that loosen or tighten the stern-tie line account for why there is any movement, assuming that the anchor is set properly and does not drag. Note that with a stern-tie we can be very precise with where we place the boat. In this case, we took advantage of a small indentation to keep close to shore but away from the shallows (indicated on the chart in yellow)…
Remember "New Eddystone Rock" and how Glen commented of his nightmare that such a protruding rock is an ever-present threat whenever anchored? Well, this large rock was very close to where we anchored Seaquel. Although more exposed now, we could see the rock lurking below the surface and new that it would "dry" at low tide. Since the tree we select will determine the direction the boat is pulled under a stern-tie, we chose a tree that kept us pulled away from this rock...
Here is a good overview picture showing everything noted in the above pictures and commentary. Since Foggy Bay is typically a busy anchorage (numerous boats can be seen in the background below, and in the next picture), using a stern-tie is a courtesy that allows more boats to utilize the protection of a good anchorage...
We counted 9 boats in this anchorage, making this one of the busiest remote locations on our trip...
Afternoon shore duty is always an opportunity to explore, which makes Moxie very happy...
Such rare, extended sunny weather comes with a price: numerous streams and rivers that normally feed into this anchorage were dried up...
Some water still was flowing from this larger stream...
Beyond and Journey on their stern-ties...
Taking Moxie exploring in the kayak to see the many inlets and indentations of Foggy Bay...
Yes, a very spoiled and happy member of the Seaquel crew...
Our kayak gets a lot of use. After paddling with Moxie, I return aboard Seaquel to spend time with Nicole while Peggy takes a turn to go kayaking with Pam...
Weather permitting, we will cross Dixon Entrance tomorrow, leaving Alaska behind. Our crossing northbound across Dixon Entrance got pretty wild with waves breaking over our helms. We will have a restless night wondering how conditions will be for this next crossing...
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