July 6 – July 12
Hi All,
It seems the last few days we are in a pattern of thick fog late at night to sometime the next day….maybe clearing from 10am to noonish to late afternoon. We waited in Kritoi anchorage until about 9:30am to head the 14nm to Sandy Bay. It was clear in the anchorage but once outside we were in thick fog….maybe 1/4-1/2 mile visibility…yikes, running lights, radar and fog horn all on!!! We made it to Sandy Bay around noon…..Koinonia proceeded to the anchorage in the book by the waterfall but…..hmmmmmm, we saw the waterfall down at the NE shore where Nobeltec indicated….Mark reported no waterfall at the book’s anchorage….not the first time Douglass’ cruising book has been wrong we are finding out….ugh!!!
The waterfall is nice…..pretty skinny but maybe 150′ high…..we anchored off about 250 yards in ~90′ of water…..it was nice sitting out and listening to it for sure!! We were both pretty tired…..4 days of fishing/moving and it was time for a day off…..nap, read, a few chores, read….Kathy made her crab bisque with grilled cheese for dinner…this time she threw in a few leftover prawns…yummers!!!!
Bears: The morning we left Kritoi there was a very large Brown bear maybe 300 yards munching on grass in a small meadow…gave us a good 1 hour show. Then in Sandy Bay there was another big Brown munching on some grass as we anchored….nice…..once we leave Baranof Island in a few days for Prince of Wales we likely won’t see anymore Browns!!
We stayed 2 nights in Sandy Bay…..Mark set crab pots with no joy…..we just mainly relaxed….read, nap, emails, read et al. I did start developing our various boat work list for the 6 months or so we will have work done in the Seattle area!! Kathy cleaned the inside!!
July 8-9: we left around 9am for the 23nm to Forevergreen in Puffin Bay….again pretty foggy…radar, running lights and fog horn…ok conditions, sort of a washtub sea….ugh…..not much viewing of the mountains on Baranof:((( We came in at low tide and found it was really a one boat anchorage cove. It was Mark & Roseanne’s 41st wedding anniversary so we left it to them, and checked out two other potential anchorages. It turned out that they were not ideal either, too deep or steep-to…but, in one small cove we did see a big Brown bear overturning rocks…cool!!! We ended up rafting to Koinonia in this small but beautiful cove….we could see large mountains in the south somewhat obscured by low clouds and fog. Let the games begin…..we celebrated their anniversary with champagne, a steak Oscar dinner and lots of stories recalling our weddings, honeymoons and various anniversaries….well, several bottles of wine helped the memories come to life:))))
The next day was again very relaxing….coffee, emails, read, waffle and egg breakfast on Koinonia with Kathy’s fruit salad….read, nap, read et al:)))) We did set prawn traps but nada….yikes….still very disappointing on the lack of wildlife…..this is not good….where have they all gone…..maybe north to seek cooler/colder climates???? And, the 2 days in Puffin Bay we had fog and low clouds and a little drizzle and a bit on the coolish side….where is the sun:(((((
June 10-11: Up and out by 8:30amish for the 30nm run to Egg Harbor on Coronation Island, near Prince of Wales. We are leaving the ABC’s…..Admiralty, Chichagof, and Baranof Islands…..wow….we left Sitka on March 25and have been cruising around these islands et al now for ~3.5 months….whoa, and a bit sad to leave such beautiful areas….but, I’m sure we will be back!!!
The run to Egg Harbor was in trawler weenie weather….sweet as…..but somewhat foggy again….even turned off the stabilizers in the open ocean….pretty much unheard of but nice!!! 29nm….anchor down, passage beers opened by 1:00ish!!! Really liked Egg Harbor….it was named by George Vancouver in honor of King George III’s coronation….yep, the King the Americans rebelled against:))) There were several white sand beaches, 1000-1600′ pointed peaks, old growth forests never logged…very picturesque….but a slight swell did come in the 1st evening and it got a bit rolly….but not enough to put out the flopper stopper. Mark and I fished for salmon the 1st afternoon and then took his dinghy with 2 electric downriggers the next day…..no joy….but, wow, I’m sold now on electric downriggers….mine are manual….I was a lot younger 14 years ago when I bought them:)))) And, we did see 4 Humpback whales while fishing….one surfaced about 30 yards off the dinghy….whoa!!!
We had a spaghetti dinner on Koinonia the 2nd night….yummers!!!! Right before we came over they saw Sandhill Cranes on the beach….2 adults and a juvenile….these were the cranes we wanted to see in Hokkaido Japan but ran out of time before we left for Russia!!! Very cool!!
July 12: Up early and out by 7am…..went 40nm to the Ranger station at El Capitan Caves. We needed to time the run close to high tide through El Capitan Passage….about 6nm long…..very narrow and shallow….saw 9′ total water (we draw 6′, so 3′ under the keel…yikes) but that was due to me getting too close to the buoys and not in the center….Kathy quickly yelled out the depth and I scooted over so no worries:)))) We mainly had 15-20′ water…still very shallow.
The Plan: Mark, Roseanne and John are going to tour the caves on Saturday…..have reservations for 9am for 2+ hour tour…..have to climb and descend 370 steps….hope the knee stands up to it:))) After the caves we will stop in 2-3 anchorages before arriving in Craig on Tuesday the 16th!!
Critter Stats:
Dungeness Crab: 73 total; still not crabbing
Prawns: 95: 81 Spotted, 14 Coon Stripe; 27 in Necker Bay
Whales: 167 total; 148 Humpbacks; 11 Orcas; 8 Minke: 1 Minke in Whale Bay; 4 off Coronation Island while fishing
Salmon: 1: 20-lb King in Whale Bay
Bears: 57 Browns; 1 in Krtoi, 1 in Sandy, 1 in Puffin Bay
Wolves: 5
Otters: 900; 10 around Biorka Island, 5 around entrance to Still Harbor; ~30 in Sandy Bay entrance; 10 around Puffin Bay, 20 around Egg Harbor, 30 in el Capitan Passage
Mountain Goats: 42 total
Dall’s Sheep: 3
Moose: 3
Alaskan Husky sled dogs: 60
Stellar Sea Lions: 900; ~60 on Sea Lion rock near Puffin Bay
Hope all is well!
John
Mystic Moon
El Capitan Caves, Prince of Wales
Position: 56 09’25.51 N, 133 19’45.68 W
Course: Stopped.
Position: 19-07-13 07:17:05 -0800
http://maps.google.com/maps?&ll=56.15709,-133.3294&q=56.15709,-133.3294&z=16
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