Aug 13 – 19
Hi All,
8/13: Woke up to what else…same weather channel….dark, gray, misty, foggy, rain, low clouds….ok, put on the happy face:)))
We left ~ 9:45am after I did the prawn trap thing….got 75 mainly whopper size…sweet as…but the rain gear was soaked, face all wet….yep, livin’ the dream:))) It was 25nm to Port Althorp from Stag Bay, very easy and calm Inside water conditions….yep, trawler weenie seas except for about 2-3 miles at the mouth of Lisianski Strait as it enters Cross Sound…maybe 2-3′ ocean swell….arrived ~1pm, anchor down, passage beers open by 1:15pm!!! From what we can see….another DDG anchorage….visibility has gone from 1/4 mile then the fog lifts and we can see 2-3 miles. But, only 100′ up so we are missing the gorgeous coastal mountains that surround us and are across Cross Sound maybe 10 miles north.
This large cove is full of otters….many with young pups….must be an otter family training ground….probably seen 10-15 families with pups….and at cocktail time, several eating small crabs….the mama would tear off a leg and offer to the pup….I am just amazed they can still find crabs, but now we know there are only small ones left!!!
8/14: Yep, same weather channel….foggy and rainy….it pretty much rained all day…5-17kts wind from SE so no fetch in this cove….took a long look at weather….today is iffy, tomorrow better, then the next few days stormy….so we have decided to leave this area tomorrow, Monday, 8/15….we will go 75nm to Pavlof Harbor, ~9-10 hours, thru Cross Sound, Icy Strait and Northern Chatham Strait….stay tuned!!
Still no bears….well, we did see one….but maybe ~20+ Eagles all lined up on the mudflat along the stream….must be some shallow water we can’t see that strands a few salmon at low tide…we have seen a few salmon jumping in this large cove. We have decided that this meadow might be too close to Elfin Cove or maybe is bear hunting grounds so thus the bears stay away???
8/15: We left at 7am for Pavlof Harbor in Freshwater Cove off Northern Chatham Strait….calm waters….but at the beginning for ~2-3 hours pea soup fog….navigation lights on, radar on, fog horn on….we did pass 2 go fast boats maybe 1/8 mile apart and never saw them….we had moved off course to avoid them….yikes!!! In all we saw 6 whales….no great or up close views…darn:(((
Pavlof Harbor is one of our favorites….arrived around 5:15pm….10+ hours….long day for us….73nm. Pavlof has a small waterfall/stream that is very picturesque. We were here in May and the waterfall was running hard…..now about half as before, but there are salmon in the area and bears hunting/catching….oh what a sight….the bears got so full they were literally just eating the bellies….take several bites of the belly, eggs, and intestines then go find another one….but a jerk in a Nordic Tug had anchored right in front of the stream/waterfall blocking everyone’s view…there were 3 other boats in the anchorage….why-o-why are some people so dang rude/selfish….occasionally Mystic would swing one way and the Nordic (I’ll refer to him as AH) the other and we would have a great view…..in all between that evening and early the next morning we saw 11 bears….one was a mama and 2 1st year small cubs….we watched one cub hunt for a few minutes, missing many fish,
then catching one….but the fish was longer than the cub tall and kept wiggling out of the little guy’s grasp….it tried several times to take the fish to his mama who was intently hunting maybe 30′ away….finally the cub lost the fish and mama looked at him like, really…you are not going to survive unless you figure it out….oweeeeeeee!!! We also saw one adult bear climb the waterfall….it’s on a 50-70* slope and 20-30′ long…just walked right up the rocks like spider-bear:))))
Unfortunately Mr Weather said that’s all folks….you need to leave to find a more protected spot as I’m bringing another atmospheric river storm full of rain and wind….yikes….so we left ~9am for the 21nm run to Crab Cove in Tenakee Inlet…..anchor down, dinghy down, 2 crab pots set by noonish….good to be crabbing again!!!
And did it rain….the dinghy had a foot of water in it the next day…rained for 36 hours…..probably a good 4-5″…..yikers….but Crab Cove was well protected….no waves but we did see briefly ~20kts of wind at one point but it was supposedly 30-45 kts outside…but most of the time we had <10kts of wind. However, the water turned an ugly brown color from the large mudflat we are anchored nearby and from all the runoff from the numerous streams nearby.
Crabbing: after a 26 hour soak 1st pull: 5 pregnant females, 2 smaller males, 2 keepers….reset pots, 2nd pull after 18 hour soak: 4 pregnant females, 1 undersized male: total: 2 keepers, better than nothing but expecting a lot more….good though to see all the females w/eggs!!!
8/18: Woke this am to a huge Blue Heron sitting on stanchion on bow sprit….awesome & impressive!!! In fact a 2nd one was on the Bimini….he pooped everywhere…thanks buddy:((( Fog again…..I’ve lost track of many days in a row, but this is getting tiresome…but maybe MR Weather is saying ok, time to give you pruney people a break. NOAA’s forecast: “Drier and warmer weather are in store for much of the panhandle in the wake of the atmospheric river.”
We left around 8am for the 50nm run to Saook Bay….saw 9 whales along the way, 7 in Peril Strait….none too close but still, good to see the whales around!! Trawler weenie conditions….flat calm….except for about 2 hours we had another round of pea soup fog, 100-200 yard visibility…passed several boats 1/8 mile away and never saw….ugh!!!….Anchor down, passage beers open, 2 crab pots set by 3pm!!!!
And as we passed 10-15nm from Angoon….both cell phones lit up…..>1200 emails for John-boy, >1600 for Kathy….yeppa, mostly news and junk….it has been ~ 4 weeks since our last internet service….saw the stock market is up…yippee!!!!
8/19: Saook is another DDG anchorage….one of our favorites….large meadow, stream and mudflat surrounded by 2-3k’ mountains….gorgeous. But just like Crab Bay, no salmon jumping and no bears….don’t know if we are too late or early for the salmon or if these are not salmon streams….hmmmmm??
But, we have sun….yes, yes, yes….now to dry things out:)))
The Plan: We have about 7-8 days left of this summer cruise. We will stay in Peril Strait and Salisbury Sound, do some more salmon fishing and crabbing and critter viewing!!
Critter Stat
Salmon: 18 (6 Kings, 3 Coho, 9 Pink)
– 12 & 16-lb caught in Fortuna Strait on green/white hoochie
– Fishing w/Dave: 5 kings, 1 Coho, and 1 Pink and 1 which we think was a Coho got away at the swim transom
– Slocum Arm: 1 Coho, 8 Pinks, from Piehle passage to Deuce Island
Whales: 51 Total (45 Humpback, 5 Minke, 1 Stejneger’s)
– 6 in Icy Straits
– 2 in Chatham Strait
– 7 in Peril Strait
Bears: 143: (129 Brown, 14 Blacks)
– 129 Brown; 2 Brown Snug Cove; 3 Coots Cove in Funter Bay; 1 in Salt Lake Bay, 2 in Bells Island/port Frederick; 3 Russell Is; 4 Browns as entered Dundas; 1 in Upper Middle Arm Dundas; 2 Browns N. Chatham before Freshwater; 1 Brown along Tenakee inlet, sitting in front of a remote house; 13 in Crab Bay, 4 along Tenakee inlet, 6 Upper inlet anchorage; 1 on the way out of Upper Inlet, 6 in Long Bay; 7 Rodman; 8 Deep Bay; 1 Kalinin; With Dave: 1 in SJTB, 4 in Ushk; 4 in Falcon Arm/Slocum Arm; 1 Waterfall Cove/Slocum; 1 Flat Cove; 25+ Head of Slocum; 0 in Klag Bay; 0 in Kimshan; 7 in Pinta Bay; 6 in Baker Cove; 2 in Stag Cove; 1 in Port Althorp, 11 in Pavlof Harbor; 0 in Crab Bay and Saook
– 14 Blacks: 2 on north side Geikie Inlet as entered and 3 at Shag Cove, 1 as entered Dundas, 8 at Dundas anchorage
Dungeness Crab: 32
– Red Bluff 2, Cannery Cove 2, Upper basin Good Island Inlet 3; Snug Cove 1; Crab Cove/Funter 2 (given to us by locals:))), 1 in Eight Fathom Port Frederick; 0 Swanson Harbor; 1 Pavlof; 0 Crab Bay; 9 in Upper Inlet Tenakee; 0 Long Bay, 6 Rodman, 2 Deep Bay; 0 St John the Baptist, 3 Ushk Bay, 1 Deep Bay, 0 Falcon Arm, 0 Waterfall Cove; 0 Flat Cove; 0 Head of Slocum; 2 in Crab Bay; 2 in Saook
Prawns: 280 Spotted:
– 80 Red Bluff, 31 Pybus Bay; 19 Gambier Bay; 5 in Port Frederick; 0 Pavlof; 13 Upper Tenakee Inlet, near Long Bay; 12 in Falcon Arm/Slocum; 36 Waterfall Cove/Slocum; 9 Flat Cove; 0 Island Cove; 6 in Port Hadlock (but didn’t keep them, too small); 75 in Stag Bay!!!!
Otters: 440
-75 in Rocky Pass, 75 outside Pybus Bay; 20 coming into Bartlett Cove; 5 South Sandy cove; 5 Russell; 75+ Geikie Inlet; 50+ as left Glacier Bay; 25+ in Dundas Bay; 10+ Icy Strait; 5+ Swanson Harbor; 3 Salisbury Sound; 15 in Flacon Arm; 5 Waterfall; 1 Flat Cove; 5+ Ford Arm; 20+Klag Bay; 20+ Elbow and Ogden Passage; 1 in Kimshan; 10+ through Surveyor Passage into Didrickson Bay; 10+ on passage to Pinta Bay; 5 otters in Baker Cove; 5 in Stag Bay; 30+ in Port Althorp
Mountain Goats: 20+
Hope all is well!!
John
Mystic Moon
Position: 57 25’33.01 N, 135 12’54.32 W
Course: Stopped.
Position: 22-08-19 11:32:12 -0800
http://maps.google.com/maps?&ll=57.42583,-135.2151&q=57.42583,-135.2151&z=16
