Update

We have just finished having family on the boat for almost 4 weeks now, and we are now ready to leave Juneau to continue on our travels. Unfortunately, our WiFi has proven to be unreliable, even when in decent sized cities. Due to this, I may not have the opportunity to add many more posts this summer, if at all.

Enjoy your summer.

Tuesday, June 3 Foggy Bay to Ketchikan 43 miles 4 hours

We have a glorious run of sunny, warm weather.  We had a smooth ride into Ketchikan.  Again we were surprised that we did not see any cruise ships or ferries pass us.  In Revillagigedo Channel we had 3 foot rollers coming up from Dixon Entrance but the ride was comfortable.  Tongass Narrows was smooth and easy.  We are running on fumes and stopped at Petro Marine to fill up before going to a marina.  US Customs likes to meet the boat at it's first stop so we had a customs officer waiting for us when we got there.  They were very nice when they said it was OK to leave the boat briefly to walk the dog.  Merlin really appreciated it.  The customs officer was polite and we were approved for entry after reviewing our documentation.  Amount of fuel was startling.  We hold 600 gallons of diesel and we took 535 gallons!  We really didn't want to fill up in Prince Rupert because fuel costs more in Canada.  We were hoping to get into City Floats dock by the cruise ship docks but it was full.  We got a nice slip assignment in Bar Harbor South on dock 9, berth 9.  The wind and current are favorable and Fred did a great job getting us docked. 

Bar Harbor South
 

Monday, June 2 Foggy Bay

It is a beautiful sunny day and we are going to spend it here in Foggy Bay.

 

Merlin in his life jacket ready to go kayaking

 We saw a dozen mature and immature bald eagles circling the cove.  We never found the nest.

A juvenile bald eagle.  Same size as the parents but brown and gold in color for now.
 

 

 

 

Sunday, June 1 Prince Rupert, BC to Foggy Bay, AK 58 miles 5 3/4 hours

We took Fred's favorite (not!) out of Prince Rupert.  Venn Passage is narrow and twisting, with shoals on either side.  Buoys and range markers help with navigation.  This route saves about 12 miles compared with leaving Prince Rupert and rounding Digby Island. 

We have to travel through Dixon Entrance which is pretty much open top Japan.  We encountered 3 ft. rollers but not too bad.  Foggy Bay is about halfway between Prince Rupert and Ketchikan.  It is a spectacular anchorage with a small opening looking out to Revillagigedo Channel.  When we crossed the border (in the middle of Dixon Entrance) between Canada and Alaska Fred called US Customs.  We are cleared to spend a night or two in Foggy Bay before we get to Ketchikan.  Welcome Alaska!

 

Alaska Flag

 

 

 

 

Saturday, May 30 Prince Rupert

We are planning to leave in the morning but we have been asked to move Emerald Star to the inside of the breakwater because the owner of this slip is returning.   Normally this would not be a big deal however, the wind is blowing 20 knots pushing us away from our specified destination.  Fred did an amazing job but not until we had rubbing the port side of the boat up against the huge metal, floating breakwater.  Of course it was rusty too.  Needless to say we weren't very happy.  We now have a scrape down the side.  At least there are no holes. 

Thursday, May 29 Klewnuggit to Prince Rupert 50 miles 5 hours

What a difference a day makes.  Grenville Channel is like a pond today.  We didn't see any ships, ferries or fishing vessels.  That is a little weird.  We encountered 2' swells and a 4 knot push in Chatham Sound but still smooth sailing.  We received a call from Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club that they have a slip fort us.  Our slip is on the outside of the breakwater but  that is ok with us.  http://prryc.com/

Wednesday, May 28 Khutze to Klewnuggit, Grenville Channel 73 miles 7 hours

Gosh we hate to leave Khutze but we must continue moving north.  The fog was thick when we got up but burned off to be a beautiful sunny day.  We continued our search for bears, dolphins or whales without success.   The wind is up to 35 mph and the seas up to 3' in Grenville Channel.  We had the wind to our bow so cruising wasn't too bad.  It was heavenly when we reached the protected waters of Klewnuggit.  Poor Merlin doesn't care for much boat movement at all and I finally remembered we had a Thundershirt for him.  http://www.calmingvests.com/thfordo1.html#.U5zpNzwU9jo
It really helped, if you don't count the "what did I do to you?" look from him.