Sunset on August 18th from our boat at the dock

August 19, 2014

Waterfront pictures from Ketchikan, Ak.

 Cruise Ship

 Sometimes 5 cruise ships, 10,000 people a day

 10,000 cruise ship passengers doubles our population for the day

 Seiner Fishing Boats

 Center of town, Welcome sign

 Rain gauge 100" so far in 2014, 140" last year

Thomas Basin Marina where we keep our boat

August 16, 2014

We spent over a week in the delightful community of Sitka. One of the fun things we did was go to the "Raptor Center" where they rehabilitate, if possible, injured birds of prey. Many are released back  into the wild, but sometimes they can't ever go back, so they are then used for educational programs so people can learn about these wonderful birds. The American bald eagle are extremely plentiful in Alaska. Sometimes they are called "glorified vultures" there are so many.

Bald Eagle wing

On June 24th we departed Sitka, heading back the same way we came, to Ketchikan. Our short term goal was to be in Sitka for the July 4th parade and celebrations. These small communities go all out, and it is quite a family affair. The parade is so small, they in some years, actually have it go around the block and come back thru a second time. If it rain, which it did, no one let's that stop them. As a matter a fact, if you let rain stop you from going out, then S.E. Alaska is not for you. For example, Ketchikan has approximate 250 days of rain yearly with an accumulation of over 140 inches per year!! We went back thru the anchorage where we got the crab, intending to catch more. But, the commercial crabbing season had opened, and the crabs of legal size were totally gone, caught by the commercial boats. No crab for us pleasure boaters. Also, we were going to anchor in various anchorages on Baranoff Island, but there were so many commercial fishing boats, we ended back up in Baranoff Hot Springs, Warm Springs. When we first went in there were no commercial boats. That evening the harbor filled with boats!

Purse Seiner Commercial Fishing Boat

 Dock at Warm Springs, we are lost in there somewhere

Purse Seiner boats rafted 3 deep at dock

From here we transited back to Petersburg where we had a great time. We met up with 5 other boats and we had a great party on our boat with food and drink. Part of the fun of boating is all the nice people you meet on boats. Most often you meet people you really like and we exchange "boat cards". These are retired boaters business cards with the name, pictures etc. since most of us are no longer working. What is sad is most often you may not see these wonderful folks again. Friendships are short lived.

 Our boat at the dock in Petersburg

 Petersburg main street

 Tired out by the parade

Even have a Rexall Drug store here!

Outside of Petersburg Chuck finally did some fishing and he brought home two Halibut, in the 25-30 lb range. These are small for halibut but they provide a tremendous amount of meat. We vacuum pack the fish filets and put them in our freezer. We must have had about 25-30 meal size packets. They are a very exciting fish to catch, as they fight very hard. Some grow up to well over 200 pounds. Some interesting facts. At a young age they have two eyes, one on each side. One eye migrates over to the other side so they are both on the same side. One side of the fish is black colored and the other side white. After they get very large the males transition and change sex to female!

The successful hunter/gatherer

 A nice about 20lb King Salmon

One side of the King Salmon

After enjoying our time in Petersburg and cruising back towards Ketchikan, we arrived back at our slip at the Ketchikan Yacht Club. We flew back to San Diego to visit family for about ten days, then back to Ketchikan. We have been doing boat chores, getting the boat ready for the journey south back to Washington State. In one three day stretch we had about 8 inches of rain. Good thing our home floats!!

August 16, 2014

I can't believe I have two months ago without posting. So here we go.

I left off in the previous post where we were tied to a dock in Prince Rupert British Columbia Canada, and weather of high wind etc headed our way. Normally tied to a dock is a good thing when the wind, in this case, blows over 40mph. Actually hit about 48 at times. Unfortunately the dock actually starting coming apart at the joints and separating from the shore. A very scary time, but we did survive. This piece in the picture was swinging wildly, at least 60 degrees from what you see here. We thought for sure it was going to break off. We were tied to the piece in the right of the photo!

Prince Rupert Dock

Finally after 5 days at this dock we crossed into Alaska. What a relief to arrive at our boat slip in Ketchikan, Alaska's "first city" since it is the first place to arrive when transiting north from Canada.

Ketchikan Waterfront 

On June 1st my brother and sister and spouses arrived to help Chuck celebrate his 70th! Hard to believe I am 70!!! We had a nice dinner celebration at a local hotel. Besides the six of us we had 4 other friends attend from the local area. It was great fun!

My brother and sister stayed in a local hotel, and after a day or so of sight seeing, my brother and wife left and my sister Annette and her husband Lee moved onto our boat. We left Ketchikan heading ultimately to Sitka over a period of about two weeks or so. The next three pictures are from before we left Ketchikan and did local sight seeing. 

 Local Park in Ketchikan

 Misty Fiords National Park

Misty Fiords National Park

When we left Ketchikan we traveled about 5 hours to an anchorage where we were the only boat, no other civilization, and extremely remote. The following day we went to the community of Wrangell, Ak. The population is in the low 2,000 count. A very small, but nice community. We went to the library in order to find an internet connection. Sometimes we have cell phone and no internet and other times, strangely enough, no cell service but good internet. After one night here we then went to Petersburg, Ak. Again a population in the mid 2,000 range. Petersburg and Wrangell are very large commercial fishing ports. Petersburg was originally settled by Norwegian people, and it still retains this heritage. I've been told there are also more millionaires per capita then anywhere else in Alaska. The millionaires are the fisherman. It is really BIG business. The previous year I was told deckhands working on the boats, made in excess of $100,000 for basically about 4 months work. Mostly college students. The salmon canneries work round the clock and there is the smell of fish in the air! The locals say it is the "smell of money", and based on what we learned, I'd say they are correct! After replenishing groceries and getting in some walks, in the rain, we left and headed to Admiralty Island and the Pybus Bay area and a beautiful anchorage called Cannery Cove, where a salmon cannery used to be. Now there is a remote fishing lodge in this location.

 Traveling across Frederick Sound to Pybus Bay

Cannery Cove in Pybus Bay

After a night we went to Red Bluff Bay on Baranoff Island about a 4 hour trip. Again we were all alone in a beautiful place. At the entrance off the main channel the bluff is a red color. Back inside, about 4 miles up a narrow channel, lies a beautiful bowl shaped bay. We had the fun of watching a large brown or grizzly bear feeding on the shore. We then headed to Warm Springs, Baranoff Island.

There is a natural bubbling hot springs about 7/10 of a mile back thru the woods. Someone piled up some rocks and this collected the sulphur smelling hot water. Someone said the temperature was 110 degrees. All I know is you could hardly stand being in the water due to it being so hot. There was also bear scat (poop) along the trail. A little concerning, as these are brown of grizzly bears on this island.

The local vacationers have piped the water down to some tubs within a private 3 stall shed for taking a bath. The one wall looks out over the bay as you sit in the tub. There is a large lake, fed by snow runoff, that then feeds a beautiful waterfall. 

Waterfall from lake above at Warm Springs

Warm Springs dock

"DOCKTAIL" party, Warm Springs

Warm Springs Baths

After three nights at Warm Springs we then transited to an anchorage where Dungeness crab are known to exist. We put down our crab trap and over two days had at least 10 wonderful sized crabs! After cleaning them and breaking them apart, we boil them using a propane burner and a large bucket over the flame. Then comes the real work, 'PICKING CRAB"! 

 Crab trap on back deck with crabs

Crabs on back deck. Females are not kept!!

Cooked Crab ready for "picking"

 Sister and husband "picking crab"

Each bowl holds crab meat!!!

After two days at the anchorage we then moved on to the community of Sitka, Ak. where Annette and Lee returned home to North Carolina.