Wrangell, AK - Round One
We sailed and motored from Thorne Bay for two days to arrive in Wrangell on a Saturday. Winding through the sounds and narrows, we were flanked on both sides by the highest mountains we had seen since the BC coast. Luckily the sky was clear and blue. Wrangell is just 60 miles from Thorne Bay but it feels very different. About 2300 hardy Alaskans make their home here. It is one SE Alaska's largest yards and they can haul massive fishing and research vessels out of the water on a 300 ton lift. To put that in perspective, Iolair does just fine on the 60 ton lift, and we have been hauled on a 40 ton lift before. Iolair comes in around 17 tons, but the 7 foot keel and 62 foot mast and the stays make the bigger lift easier all around. On the hard we had the bottom painted, we cleaned and waxed the hull, and being close to town we loaded up on supplies - from groceries to wood to peat moss to wine, of course! From our slip in Heritage Harbor it's about 1.5 miles to town, but withou...
