Distance: 82 miles covered in 12 hours of cruising
Highlights: We round Cape Caution and the wide open exposure to Queen Charlotte Sound. A very long, arduous day with vast distances, open water, and lots of dense fog adding to the challenge of crossing this 2nd of three major "gates" to return south from Alaska. Miles Inlet brings great relief with the end of fog and open water, like entering a different world - a protected cocoon of very narrow, maze-like waterways. Also like leaving a province of shades of gray for a domain of vibrant greens and blues.
This was to be a very long day, and once again to maximize our weather window we departed early with the "anchors up" call at 6am. This meant shore duty with Moxie at 5am, and catching first light as Kakushdish Inlet greeted the rising sun...
Anchor lights still on, and a cabin light on in Seaquel meant that Peggy was getting the cabin ready for departure, perhaps preparing a light breakfast we would eat while underway...
As we proceed south and closer to home, here won't be too many more opportunities for a "Flotilla @ Anchor" picture...
Our neighboring sailboat looks surreal in the early morning light with some lingering fog...
Seaquel (left) and Journey (right) with anchor lights reflecting on the early morning glassy water...
It will be nearly 12 hours and a setting sun before we see bright sunlight again today...
It seems symbolic that our last glimpse of the sun today will be from Seaquel's rear-view mirror as we have hours and hours of dense fog in front of us on this day...
Underway, but fog still lifting even in the innermost inlet of Kakushdish. This portends that we will face extensive fog in the open water we must cross today...
Fog laying against distance hills it is very pretty. It is when the fog hugs the water and chokes off all sunlight that it becomes a nautical hazard...
Anchor lights still on, and a cabin light on in Seaquel meant that Peggy was getting the cabin ready for departure, perhaps preparing a light breakfast we would eat while underway...
As we proceed south and closer to home, here won't be too many more opportunities for a "Flotilla @ Anchor" picture...
Our neighboring sailboat looks surreal in the early morning light with some lingering fog...
Seaquel (left) and Journey (right) with anchor lights reflecting on the early morning glassy water...
It will be nearly 12 hours and a setting sun before we see bright sunlight again today...
It seems symbolic that our last glimpse of the sun today will be from Seaquel's rear-view mirror as we have hours and hours of dense fog in front of us on this day...
Underway, but fog still lifting even in the innermost inlet of Kakushdish. This portends that we will face extensive fog in the open water we must cross today...
Fog laying against distance hills it is very pretty. It is when the fog hugs the water and chokes off all sunlight that it becomes a nautical hazard...
Into the fog we go...
Peggy takes a turn at the helm before the fog sets in thick. Mark prefers to run the Seaquel when relying exclusively on instruments (radar, GPS) since he is more experienced interpreting the read-outs, although Peggy has added significantly to her expertise on this adventure...
Visual identification such as the oncoming vessel (between Beyond and Journey on the water's horizon, below) or the channel marker (to port of Journey, lower right) will be completely lost when the fog envelopes our route. We become dependent on our vessel's navigation electronics to serve as our eyes to detect such hazards...
A brief respite from fog - nothing but open water as we approach Cape Caution...
Especially on foggy days, it is critical to keep our distance from the large BC or Alaska ferries such as the M/V Columbia, which we've come across a number of times further north in Alaska. This vessel has been in service of the Alaska Marine Highway System for over 40 years. She was built by Lockheed Shipbuilding in Seattle, is 418' in length, 85 foot beam, and drafts 24 feet with a displacement of 7,745 tons. Its twin V12 9,000 hp engines (total 18,000 hp) generates a cruising speed of over 17 knots (around 20mph). She can carry 499 passengers and 134 automobiles. Just the wake alone can pose a hazard to smaller craft if the waves were to hit broadside rather than quartering to minimize the impact.
By comparison, Seaquel is 30 feet LOA, a beam of 8.5 feet, and drafts 26 inches with a displacement of around 7,000 lbs. (3.5 tons). Seaquel's 200hp diesel engine generates a similar cruising speed (although we have typically been cruising about half this speed) so if one of these behemoths is crossing your path it is time to change course...
Entering the domain of grays, where colors and contrast seem to disappear - and even vessels as large as M/V Columbia become "ghost ships" seen only as a moving "blip" on the radar screen...
Nicole has done exceptionally well on long days like this. She is so patient and offers a reassuring smile whenever we check on her, cozy in her cabin space....
Ghost ship...
These are the longest days. Very wearisome to constantly check positioning of what radar and GPS are showing compared to any visual cues. Hour, after hour, after hour, nothing but shades of gray...
Doing 11-12 knots we finally cross Cape Caution. This is faster than we would normally cruise, especially with limited visibility due to fog. But the water, while not exactly calm, could be much worse and we choose to push to cross sooner than later and avoid worsening conditions. The semi-displacement hulls of these Ranger Tug Inboard Diesels handle the conditions quite well, and the capability to cruise 50% faster than most full-displacement trawlers affords two key advantages: 1) get across a couple of hours sooner to avoid heavier seas that typically build later in the afternoon; 2) option to push further and put more miles behind us if conditions are good. As it turns out, we passed two earlier potential anchorages just prior to crossing Cape Caution to take advantage of relative calm water, which would not have been an option had we stayed cruising 6-8 knots...
Beyond labors in some large swells off Cape Caution...
A short video showing sea conditions rounding Cape Caution with fog, waves, and sea spray...
The fog begins to clear as we steer southeast toward land...
Finally...…….approaching Miles Inlet the fog thins and visibility returns...
And just like, almost instantaneously, we exit the realm of grays and enter the domain of bright blues and greens...
The entrance to Miles Inlet is very narrow and easy to miss if not paying close attention to the GPS chartplotter…
We pass a solitary sailboat on anchor as we head for the far reaches of the inlet...
Seaquel on anchor in Miles Inlet
Mark is already to shore with Moxie (that 12 hour cruise is a long day for her to wait for shore duty!) while Ollie & Pam prepare to set a stern-tie on Beyond...
Journey (right) with a long stern-tie at the far end of this channel, with Beyond (left) and Seaquel (middle) on anchor in the distance...
Osprey nest on a tall tree just past where Glen set a stern-tie for Journey...
With late, lingering sunshine, Mark & Peggy explore some of the many indentations and inlets within Miles Inlet...
Low tide has passed, and with a rising tide some of the narrow channels within Miles Inlet have turned into gushing saltwater streams...
Seaquel can be seen at the far end of one of the channels within Miles Inlet...
This small inlet reaches out toward open water. Look close: despite bright sunshine within the confines of the channels within Miles Inlet, dense fog is just a few hundred feet away toward the coastline...
We stayed at Miles Inlet on our northbound journey, but it was quite rainy and wet so our explorations then were limited to just Mark taking Moxie for shore duty. It was a joy to share the intricacies of these criss crossing waterways with Peggy this time, and linger to marvel at the tidal change when the smaller channels become small, swift rivers...
A short video showing the rushing tidewater flowing into the multi-directional channels of Miles Inlet...
The flotilla at anchor in Miles Inlet: Seaquel (left), Journey (middle), and Beyond (right)…
By late afternoon, and closer to the main outlet, fog was already beginning to roll into of Miles Inlet...
With incoming fog and receding sun, the temperature drops significantly so it is time to return to Seaquel for a hot meal...
We began the day in fog, spent most of the day cruising in fog, and after a brief respite of sunshine in Miles Inlet, we ended the day again in fog. No relief for the wary: tomorrow we tackle the 3rd of three "gates" to return from Alaska: we cross Queen Charlotte Strait, another big body of water that is quite exposed for what promises to be another long day underway.
~Mark
Wow! That’s quite a bit of fog. Certainly must be tiring navigating in those conditions. Safe travels. Mike
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