Captain’s Log: Anniversary, Santa Anna, then Wrangell

May 20 – 24

Hi All,

May 20: HAPPY ANNIVERSARY John & Kathy….how many years….drum roll….45….FORTY FIVE!!!!! ODG, it does not seem we are old enough to be married that long, but yep, we are on Medicare so I guess we are:))) We woke up when we woke up, and were off the dock at Meyer’s Chuck by 8am for the 22nm run to Santa Anna…another cute, but rather long and narrow anchorage. And, along the way, 2 big humpback whales gave us a bit of a show….one even said HAPPY ANNIVERSARY as he gave us a tail flip….that was spoken in Dori whale speak:))) We were also here in 2006 with Kathy’s parents and it’s supposed to be good prawning and crabbing. We had anhcor down, dinghy down, and crab pots set by 11:30am!! I then went out to set the prawn pots and ODG, here comes the Grand Banks flotilla….like in formation….so much for our quiet, romantic anniversary…..hmmmmm.

As I got back to Mystic, the leader, Jordan, of the flotilla comes by and basically apologizes for showing up, says they will be careful but if we get nervous just hail him on vhf 80….ODG, how close are you going to anchor….oh, not that close but as you will see, not many people are that experienced….just let us know if you get nervous and we’ll sort it out….ok, thanks. I did meet up with the leader later on as I was resetting the crab pots. Nice guy….he is with Northwest Exploration and these are bareboat charters. The owners of the boats helped bring them up from Bellingham for the BC transit and then the charters started in Ketchikan. They will be going to Wrangell, Petersburg and then onto Sitka and the charters typically last about 10 days. He said when you get to Wrangell and internet go on our website and our itinerary is posted and then you can avoid us in the future:))))

Well, we have a soft spot for bareboaters….I mean, that is how we started in the BVI’s….just people enjoying the cruising experience and learning about boats et al. Had we not had all those good times in the BVI’s we wouldn’t be here right now. They actually did a nice job anchoring….most were out in the channel and only one came into the cove but anchored on the side so not to block our view!!! And, they did leave the next day!!!!

Anniversary: we started with cocktails on the FB enclosure…it was sunny and warm….back to my 18-year single malt Glenlivet…..and some good tunes!!! We played ‘name all your anniversaries’….actually for the sake of dinner we just tried to name each 5th year. We remembered most of them….a few a bit vague:))) After cocktails Kathy made her famous crab and prawn risotto….ate on the FB as still warm and sunny….she added in prawns this time….coupled with a 2010 Silverado Mt George Merlot….another culinary orgasm!!!

Crabbing: first pull and second one the next morning yielded nothing….but bait was gone…same old story….this area has been crabbed out as well…ugh, ugh!!

May 21: Well….weather is a coming….cloudy this am w/dark clouds down the channel….yep, rain later today with some winds….staying put today. Checked the prawn pots….15 in one and 12 in the other, and as a bonus…..12 crayfish….we had caught a few before and threw them back but this time we decided to keep and try them out….at least we think they are crayfish….we will have to google when we get internet as none of our books show these guys. While setting the crab pots all the Grand Banks were leaving…..heard them on the radio say watch out for the Selene guy fishing….I was watching as well and all waved good-bye.

I did try salmon fishing out of the dinghy today. I figured with whales around the herring were here so just maybe a King salmon would be around as well. Of course, no retention until 6/14 but it was low odds I would catch one anyway. First time with new dinghy and new downriggers so I knew it would be a lot of learning and setting up. And it was, took an hour or so to setup, then off to the point….what I didn’t figure on was the area I fished would be so hilly….like 200-300’ to 50’….yep, got hung twice….got off the 1st time but no go on the 2nd…lost the canon ball as had to cut the downrigger cable….yep, my price for a pound of salmon keeps going up and up:)))

The Plan: We have decided to go into Wrangell on Saturday, 5/22. We just have too many internet items and phone calls to make and we are just getting too anxious and not able to relax until we get these things done. We’ve been gone from Ketchikan for 2 weeks and too many things have popped up…and of course, there is Kathy’s saga with Medicare to resume!!

So, with that decided, I picked up all the traps in the evening as well as raised the dinghy so we can start early in the am. Crabs = 0…ouch, Prawns = 21, Santa Anna total: crab: big fat goose egg…yuck , prawns: 48, 2 pulls, 2 traps so a 12/trap avg….my best yet…getting better but by prawning standards it sucks…still in the bush leagues!!!

May 22: We left at 7:45am for the 36nm run to Wrangell….hmmmm, not so early as we wanted, someone had a glorious sleep-in:)))) But, we did beat the Grand Banks flotilla by about 10 minutes, they went to Berg Bay the night before and had a great time, so we had plenty of room at the new Heritage Harbor transient dock. Dock lines set, passage beers opened and internet plugged in all by 12:30pm!!!! So what did you do the rest of the day….Kathy had 285 emails and I had close to 150….yep, we got dizzy-eyed trying to catch up….and it had only been 2 weeks!!! Made a few phone calls…..our good friend is doing better but still in the hospital…ugh!!! But, we did start to walk to dinner….wait it’s raining hard…no Uber, but there is a Johnny Cab, gotta love the name!!!….picked us up 3 minutes later…took us the mile or so to the Stikine Inn restaurant….famous for their burgers and coldies….Alaska Amber for John-boy and a glass of wine for Kathy…..ODG…yummers!!! Then it was back to Mystic for more internet stuff until we both fell asleep staring at our displays!!!

May 23: Yep….still raining…what is that….3 days now…ugh!!! More online stuff….Africa safari stuff, tickets out of Sitka to SFO in July….ODG, I think we got the last seats…..I’d say Sitka tourism sans cruise ships is back in business…of course we got the worst flight out…gets into SFO at 11:30pm…..hmmmm….yuck!!! Kathy stayed on Mystic and did some cleaning/emails….John-boy walked to town….more fishing stuff….do you have any of the prawn bait pellets….ODG man, are you joking…we have been sold out for a while….but, why are you using that expensive commercial stuff…my grandad swore by cat or dog food….don’t buy that fancy stuff….the prawns like Little Friskies!!

May 24: Busy day, but wait, what is that….warm, beautiful sun and it was a DDG day. We had several phone calls for issues….like iFax, the APP we used to send Kathy’s passport to Social Security in Ketchikan…..had a free 7-day trial which we canceled after the fax was verified. They charged us twice now, once for a monthly subscription, then again for an annual subscription. What a scam….and no customer service #…took me an hour this am to figure out it billed through Apple….a quick call to Apple billing, the woman said oh gosh, I’ll put in a refund for you right away….hmmmm, we shall see how it turns out….arghhhhhh1!!! But, we did find out Kathy has been approved for Medicare….get this, the woman who was her Rep is no longer there, her file just sat until Kathy called this am. The woman today evidently had the authority to Approve and she would push it through Billing and get Kathy her Medicare #….good grief….of course, we will not have internet after tomorrow so it will be interesting. We will try the GO but who knows if it can stay connected long enough in the wait queue…like 30+min…..arghhhhhh!!!

We did get dinghy gas, lots of cat food, more provisions and fresh produce so got all the errands done!!! Oh and checked out the boatyard….wow, impressive and should meet all our needs. I don’t know about prices but could save a long trip to Seattle and back!!

The Plan: We will leave Wrangell tomorrow, 5/25 for the 40nm to Petersburg to check out the Cedar Box (otter pillows) et al. We have to go through the Wrangell Narrows, a 20nm stretch of well marked buoys, but nevertheless pretty shallow in places and narrow….hope we don’t meet any big ships/barges!!!! We will spend just the one night then move on for more prawns, crab and critter viewing….to Farragut Bay and then over to Pybus and Cannery Cove, one of our all time favorites anchorages!!

Critter Stats:
Whales: 21, 12 Killer, 9 Humpback
– Saw 2 humpbacks in Ernest Sound just as we entered Seward Passage, one gave us good tail action!!
– Saw 4 Humpbacks in Seward Passage leaving Santa Anna, one set of 3, 2 adults and 1 juvenile and 1 larger male alone further down
Bears: 13 (4 Brown, 9 Black)
– 1 large Brown male, eating grass in Klu, good 20 min showing
– 8 fairly large Black bears in Marguerite
– no sightings in Santa Anna:(((
Wolves: 1 (big male Grey on the mud flat in Klu Bay)
Dungeness Crabs: 29 (5 in Manzanita, 0 Punchbowl, 8 Fitzgibbon, 11 in Yes Bay, limited 1st day, 2 in Klu, 3 in Marguerite, 0 in Santa Anna)
Prawns: 201, 197 Spotted (7 Punchbowl, 36 Fitzgibbon, 50 Shrimp Bay, 56 Marguerite, 48 Santa Anna), 4 Reds, small size (Fitzgibbon)
Marten: 1 (1 Punchbowl)
Stellar Sea Lions: ~20, Sucia Bay

Position: 55 59’41.78 N, 131 57’30.74 W
Course: Stopped.
Position: 21-05-22 07:41:43 -0800
http://maps.google.com/maps?&ll=55.99494,-131.9585&q=55.99494,-131.9585&z=16

Hope all is well!!

John
Mystic Moon

PS: A lot of pictures on the website: http://mysticmoonvoyages.com/photo-gallery/nggallery/main-album/ketchikan-to-wrangell-2021