Driving in the interior of Prince of Wales Island

Cool sign - shows that logging was their main industry

Thorne Bay Marina - east side of POW Island

Leaving Craig on a BEAUTIFUL day

Nice Sail!

Craig to Ketchikan

I'm sitting in the main cabin of Blue Bossa, which is docked with all of the other countless boats in Bar Harbor marina in Ketchikan, listening to the staccato pinging of rain falling on the cabin top, and the hum of the heater warming my feet.

This past week there has been a series of storms coming through the Pan Handle, at times winds piping up to 40 knots from the south. I've been hanging out waiting for the fronts to ease off a bit before heading south to Canada, and to check in at customs at Prince Rupert.  I was hoping to check in directly at Masset, in Haida Guia, but evidently they have closed it down.  That adds about 100 miles to my trip. Ah well…

Despite the rain, I've managed to get a lot done here in Ketchikan, picking up some stuff that I've ordered from West Marine that I needed - a new VHF radio, as the one I have is not working right - and installing a new clock and barometer, installing a 12V plug so I can keep my anchor watch alarm going without batteries, etc. etc.  As well, I've indulged in being in civilization by going out to the movie theater and watching some just released summer escapism movies ("The Avengers" and "Men in Black 3").  All this time I'm wondering when summer is gonna come.

I left at noon from Craig on May 24rth on an absolutely clear and beautiful day, with a slight westerly, which increased enough to put out the sails and go sailing close-haul up Bucareli Bay, and then head down Ulloa Channel to Port




















Refugio.

BB in Port Refugio

Port Refugio log ramp - clear cuts

Port Refugio is a big bay, with an island in the middle of it where I anchored behind it.  I had a chance to kayak around the bay a bit and found what looked like two iron skids on shore leading into the water for logs to splash from the clear cut above. Except for the clear cuts that scarred up the upper landscape, the bay was quite beautiful and the water clear.

Because of the series of storms predicted by the weather radio, I opted that night not to go the west side of Dall Island as previously planned as I didn't want to undergo the same thing that happen to me at Still Cove on Baranof Island last year.  Instead I took the boat through the Tlevak Narrows (which had to be timed right for slack water - I knew I timed it right as I ended up following a tug boat towing a large barge) and head into Tlevak Strait, east of Dall Island.

I ended up at a safe anchorage in Mabel Cove, before the south winds started to pipe up.  I had a quiet night, and in the morning I heard blowing noises, and looking around the cove I noticed that there were small whales going around my boat. The could have been small humpbacks (I saw signs of them in the straits), and I tried my best to take some pics, with not too much success.

In the meantime, the weather forecast predicted storm warnings to come within a few days, so I left that day to Kassa Island Bay, just to the south of Mabel, and from there to Ketchikan before the main force of the storm would hit. So I spent the night in Kassa Island, sharing it with two other yachts (the first time for a very long time that I shared an anchorage with other boats) and left at 5am the next day to head to Ketchikan.
It turned out to be a long motorsail to Chacon Cape, banging against 15-20knot SE winds and finally rounding the cape into Clarence Strait, where I eased off the main and rolled out the jib and enjoyed a nice 6-7 knot sail to Ketchikan.  It was very pleasant and I was pleased to save some fuel.

Mabel Bay Visitors

So now I'm going to send this bog out, do some laundry and get the boat ready for the next leg. The way the weather pattern is shaping up, I think I will have a clear weather window to head south this Sunday, stop at Foggy Cove and then onto Prince Rupert to check in, maybe get a bit more food, then find the opportunity to head west to north Haida Guai. I have no idea where the next internet stop will be - it's unlikely I will find anything until I reach Queen Charlotte City, which will be at least a couple of weeks away.  So…stay tuned.