Alaska Trip Day 65

7/20/11

Echo Cove, Catherine  Island, AK

Miles Travelled:  43

(Tor reporting)

Sometimes, uneventful days can be really good.  Today was calm and Sunny.  We woke up about 0700 and fed the boys before departing from Baby Bear anchorage eastbound.  The currents were flooding through Sergius Narrows and as soon as we got out into the channel we were getting a healthy 1-2 knot push.   About halfway through the day we were passed by the motor vessel “Hey You” whom we met earlier in Taku Harbor and Juneau.  Katy, Rory and Madison had by this time already disembarked for home, but we chatted on the radio and said hello.  Kinda fun seeing familiar boats (and crews) on a 3000 mile journey!

Once again the afternoon nap and currents changed our plans and when late afternoon rolled around we decided to pass up our intended anchorage and keep on trucking.  Nothing like 150 feet of galvanized 5/16” anchor chain running out the haws pipe to wake up sleeping boys!  We decided to let them sleep and exited Peril Strait and hung a right, heading south down Chatham Strait. 

The guidebooks for this area are very good, but they are also very good at directing most of the boats to a few of the possible anchorages.  Last night at Baby Bear anchorage was a prime example, I am fairly certain that all of the small boats transiting through Sergius Narrows who anchored for the night stopped where we did.  Today, we had gorgeous weather and a prediction over the VHF for fair NW winds overnight so we tucked into Echo Cove, at the Southern tip of Catherine Island.  It is open to the South and as such most folks opt to keep going another 7-10 miles to Cosmos or Ell coves that are oriented east/west (which is perpendicular to the local winds).  We lucked out with the weather and were the only boat in a pretty magical spot.  We anchored in a calm spot only 30 feet deep at the head of the inlet and soaked up the glorious late afternoon Alaskan sun.

One neat thing that helped make this spot magical was the abundance of THOUSANDS of small, ½”-3/4” diameter jellyfish in the water.  Actually there must have been millions as they were all within a few inches of each other and did not seem to be spotty, but were throughout the bay.  Very pretty.

They both fell asleep playing...aren't they sweet?

Yum! Pork braised in milk, red cabbage with apples and yukon gold potatoes

Two little boys liked dinner!

Millions of Jellies!

Alaska Trip Day 64

7/19/11

Baby Bear Cove, Baranof Island, AK

Miles Travelled:  33

(Tor reporting)

Yare and crew departed the dock (Thompsen harbor) shortly after 0700 to head north to Peril Strait.  We decided to opt for the more protected “inside route” instead of heading out into the Pacific Ocean (if we were to have gone south down the coast from Sitka).  We have our hands full with the boys on this trip and protected waters through Peril Strait worked to get to Sitka – they ought to work to get us home…

The day was overcast and rainy but calm, and turned out to be an uneventful motor.  Tidal currents are still a factor in this area of Southeast AK but not nearly as severe as other places.  This is due to being on the ocean and not up a sound or channel.  We were able to time the currents through Olga and Neva straits, north of Sitka to have somewhat of a push through.  Jess was at the helm most of the day and even had the opportunity to maneuver around both a large Alaska state ferry AND a tug with tow in the most constricted portion of Olga strait.  I will say that the channel seems pretty slender when the other vessel is so big!

Our original plan was to anchor south/west of Sergius Narrows.  However, as often happens the boys were in the midst of their afternoon nap so we reduced our speed and motored around Fish Bay for about an hour waiting for the tidal currents to allow us to pass safely through Sergius Narrows.  We ended up challenging the high water slack by close to an hour but we cheated a bit by taking a shallower route called Canoe Pass.  It is only about 100 yards away from Sergius, but is much shallower, the currents are lower and only small boats can do it so you don’t have to worry about large, fast commercial traffic (Sweet!).  It worked beautifully and we snuck back into a nearly landlocked anchorage called Baby Bear Cove and anchored with three other vessels in a very protected location. The hillsides were covered with silver colored dead cedar trees interspersed in the forest.  Note: we learned later from a forestry employee we met at Baranof Warm Springs that the cedar trees are not able to come out of dormancy fast enough in their growing season as a result of the increasing air temperatures over the last 40-50 years  (Climate Change again…).  Because the Cedar wood is fairly rot resistant, the upright silvered “ghost trees” remain.

Yum!  King salmon, roasted sweet potato and steamed broccoli for dinner

Alaska Trip Day 63

7/18/11

Sitka, AK

Miles Travelled:  1/4?

Today started with a bath for my fish headed boys…thank goodness, they stank!  Too soon we had to say good bye to Mom and Ralph since their airport shuttle left at 8:00am.  The four of us went out for breakfast at the restaurant hotel, and I have to admit that it felt really quiet just being a family of four again.  We had a wonderful visit with Mom and Ralph and were so glad they were able to come.

The rest of the day was pretty much filled with errands and chores.  We were originally planning on leaving Sitka today but decided we had far too many things to get done, besides that if we leave tomorrow morning at a very reasonable time of 9:00am or so, the tides definitely work in our favor.  We did decide to move to the normal transient marina since it was closer to the grocery store, so we did do some travelling today!

The folks on the Nordhaven behind us at Thomsen Harbor (the marina we moved to) caught a king salmon and had too much for the two of them, so they gave us a nice big hunk all vacuum packed and everything.  Wow are we excited for dinner tomorrow night!

Tomorrow we will leave at a reasonable time and hopefully make it through Sergius Narrows at slack water around 3pm tomorrow.  We had a wonderful time in Sitka and will definitely be coming back!

Playing in Grandma and Grandpa's hotel room one last time

Alaska Trip Day 62

7/17/11

Sitka, AK

Miles Travelled:  0

Another glorious day in Sitka!  The company, the weather and the city itself have all made for a wonderful time!  We started the day with breakfast on the boat with Mom and Ralph then we went back out to the totem park since we missed what we wanted to see yesterday.  On our walk out to the totem park, we passed St. Michael’s (the historic Russian cathedral), just as they did the carillon for Sunday services.  The cool thing is that the carillon is actually rung by people!  We were able to see faces in the bell tower, pretty darn cool.

The totem park was really neat, though we still didn’t see everything we wanted before we needed to head back to the boat for lunch and naps, oh darn, I guess we will just have to come back!  Odin fell asleep in the carrier so nap time was a bit messed up…especially when I heard a funny sound when they were supposed to be going to sleep and went down below to discover Odin had escaped from his enclosure and playing with an empty tin can.  What a shock!  He was standing up on the bench (hello fall hazard!), playing with an empty steel can (hello cutting hazard!), I was pretty freaked out.  We quickly got him back in the enclosure with no harm done and got the breach fixed up.  He wasn’t terribly sleepy since he fell asleep on the walk, and he was mad about his fun being taken away so there was some screaming.  I ended up going to the grocery store with Mom while Tor stayed with napping boys.  Fortunately they ended up having a good nap after all.

When they were still napping, Tor and I snuck away to go get an ice cream treat and Grandma got to be there when they woke up from their nap.  All three of them had a good time playing.  Meanwhile Ralph went on a long walk to find the Baranof brewing company tasting room.  He was successful and brought a couple of beers back for us to try.

After nap we took the boys up to Mom and Ralph’s hotel room for a bath.  Bathing the boys in a bathtub is SO much easier than in the shower!  Tor changed the oil in the boat while we had all sorts of splashing fun.

We all reconnected at the boat when it was time to start cooking dinner.  I got some black cod and spot prawns at the farmer’s market yesterday and we had a feast in the cockpit!  We had simple boiled prawns with cocktail sauce for an appetizer and then for a main course we had Asian style poached black cod with broccoli and bread which was also from the farmer’s market.  It was a very enjoyable feast and the boys loved it all too.  The only problem was that the boys decided to rub their fishy hands all over their clean hair.  Black cod is a very oily fish and they were TOTALLY stinky and there wasn’t time to bathe them again before bed.  We should have a chance to bathe them again quickly before Mom and Ralph check out of their hotel in the morning, thank goodness!

Tor and Lars looking for totem poles

Beautiful day, Low tide

At the totem park

At the totem park

Alaska Trip Day 61

Day 61

7/16/11

Sitka, AK

Miles Travelled:  0

What a wonderful day!  Mom and Ralph joined us for breakfast on the boat, then we all walked over to the Sheldon Jackson Museum.  SUPER cool museum.  The artifacts on display are representative of all the Native groups in Alaska and most of the things we saw were amazing.  The items that stuck out in my mind were the baskets, the argillite carvings, weavings, the clothing made of all sorts of different skins including loon mittens and a fish skin parka and totem poles including a mortuary pole.  The boys did great in their carriers and enjoyed ‘talking’ and hearing their voices echo in the octagonal room…good thing we were the only visitors for the majority of our stay!

We left Mom and Ralph to finish viewing what they wanted to see at the museum because it was time to get back to the boat and get the boys lunch and down for their nap.  Once they boys were down I reconnected with Mom and Ralph while Tor stayed at the boat to go watch a Tlingit dance performance.  We were so glad we went.  The dancers were mostly youth with a few adults and older teens and even a two year old.  The dancing and singing were energetic and powerful and the stories they told and explanations for the dances were very informative.  It was a very worthwhile experience.  The two year old was a real highlight for me, I’m a sappy emotional mom now, but every time I would catch sight of him held by another dancer, or watching the fringe on his fur headband as he moved, or standing still staring at the crowd I would get a little misty eyed.  It was so sweet to see him as an integral part of this important cultural event.

After the dance we checked out the farmers market being held right next to our marina and were able to get some barbequed black cod tips and rice.  Yum! 

When we got back to the boat the boys were still sleeping.  They had a good nap and Tor had a nice quiet time reading in the cockpit.  After they woke up we walked over to the totem park with Mom and Ralph each wearing a boy, sweet!  I felt so unencumbered!  We didn’t get too far before it was apparent that they boys had had enough time in the carriers and it was time to play in the grass.  We had fun playing with them and fortunately we still have time in Sitka so we plan to head back to the totem park tomorrow so we can really see it.

We had bratwurst and sauerkraut for dinner on the boat and ate in the cockpit thanks to the glorious weather we are having.  We feel so fortunate and are REALLY enjoying our time in Sitka!

Happy Odin playing in the grass

Happy Lars playing in the grass

Lars is trying any angle to get that rock!

Pack mules Grandparents and Grandsons

The end of a beautiful day in Sitka

Alaska Trip Day 60

Day 60

Sitka, AK

Miles Travelled:  0

The misty weather we had yesterday was gone when we got up today.  We had errands to run before Mom and Ralph got here, so after breakfast we loaded the boys into carriers and walked to the grocery store.  We got all our shopping done and back to the boat by 10am, so Tor was able to go run some boat errands before lunch and nap time. 

Mom and Ralph arrived around noon and were able to just walk down the dock and find us at the boat.  It is SO GREAT to see them!  The boys had a nice long 2 hour nap and the four of us sat on the dock and visited.  The weather was wonderful and we were sitting in the sun…glorious.

After the boys woke up and Grandma and Grandpa got their first round of snuggles, we all took off to do some exploring.  We walked to the middle of the bridge to Japonski Island and really got a great view of the area.  There are so many different little islands around, it is so beautiful.  All of SE Alaska has been beautiful, but this area is exceptional.  We kept hearing about how beautiful Sitka was, and I have to agree!

We walked to the top of the hill where Baranof’s castle once stood and were able to see more of the beautiful view, but the best part was letting the boys play in the grass.  They had so much fun and the four adults had even more fun watching them.

We tried to find a place for dinner but given the boy’s early dinner time (around 5pm), the two places we really wanted to try weren’t going to work.  We ended up at the restaurant at Mom and Ralph’s hotel, a new place called the Dock Shack, and it worked out just great.  The food was good, yummy halibut tacos, and it was a child friendly place.  It is so nice when you walk into a restaurant and they have two or more high chairs!

It was a magnificent day in Sitka.  Mom and Ralph being here has absolutely made the visit, but everything else has worked out so beautifully to make the stay comfortable and convenient…including the beautiful weather!  Tomorrow we plan to go to the Sheldon Jackson museum and I’m looking forward to seeing the collection of Native artifacts.  We’ve heard it’s not to be missed.

The happy sightseers

View of Yare from midspan of the bridge, can you find her?

Odin looks an awful lot like his Auntie Jenn in this photo

Grandma, would you like some grass?

Grandpa and Odin

Lars, where are we going next?

Alaska Trip Day 59

Day 59

7/14/11

Sitka, AK

Miles Travelled:  33

A nice short day in comparison to yesterday, whew!  We all woke up at the normal time and had a leisurely morning.  It was a beautiful trip into Sitka from Shulze Cove once the fog lifted as we got closer to town.  Sitka is essentially on the Pacific Ocean, but given the number of protecting smaller islands around it, we only had to deal with about 30 minutes of ocean swell getting here.  Pretty neat to have an inside route that would allow that.  We decided to take the longer inside route for a couple of reasons:  1. we are taking things conservatively with the boys for this trip and this seemed like a more comfortable and conservative choice, 2. we had a set arrival date for Sitka, and we felt that doing the outside route, even though it is a shorter distance, would have potentially added the complication of weather days and missing our scheduled arrival date.  Regardless of how we got here, we are very glad to be here and are so excited to see Mom and Ralph tomorrow!

We arrived in Sitka around 2pm after slowing down en route to ensure the boys had a good nap.  We wanted to tie up at the commercial boat marina, ANB, because it was the closest option to the hotel Mom and Ralph were staying in.  We were very fortunate and actually found a spot on the one dock with transient moorage at ANB despite the marina being quite full since there was a trolling closure and the trolling fleet was in.  Mom and Ralph’s hotel is basically at the head of the dock so this will be very convenient!

We walked down to the harbormaster’s office to pay our moorage and it misted on us the whole time.  By the time we got back to the boat we were fairly wet, but it wasn’t unpleasant.  We kicked around the idea of going out to dinner but eventually decided to just cook what I had originally planned for dinner (Hoppin’ John) because it would just be easier…even though I still had to cook the pre-soaked dry beans and we had turned off the diesel stove earlier in the day so it would need to heat back up.  It did turn out to be a good choice, going out can just add so much complication, and it tasted good.