Southward

The journey southward began a few days after Scott and Jenn flew home from Petersburg. We were able to secure a slip in Blaine, WA. - actually the same slip we had back when Iolair first arrived in Washington. We had named a breeding pair of seagulls who had set up camp on the boat next to us. Fred and Ethel. It will be good to squawk at them again, and introduce them to Jay. Bet they move out.

We leave Alaska full of new experiences.  For example, we just instantly went from light winds to 20 knots on the nose blowing like a stinky humpback. We have learned a lot about our tolerances for wet, cold weather, but our trip down has started out nicely. Several high pressure systems have set up in the Gulf of Alaska, and that is perfect for southbound travel along this coast. We just had our first 70 degree day of the year. I will update this blog page with day by day accounts of the wildlife we encounter along this 3 week journey. The scenery up here is remarkably rugged, dramatic, and stunning, but the wildlife is what we will miss the most. Kelly and I both agree we've never seen anything like it, and these encounters will forever be burned into our hearts. We will be back in some way for that reason alone. 

Day 1: Petersburg, Mitkof Island to Coffman Cove, Prince of Wales, ~50 miles, partly cloudy

12:30 PM: Mother Orca with a calf - the youngster was breaching, slapping it's tail, and basically acting up as mom swam along the sound.

2:00 PM: Humpbacks feeding on the currents around an island

5:00 PM:  Large humpback breaching between the islands off Coffman Cove

5:25 PM:  Group of humpbacks surface a quarter mile behind us, bubble feeding

Day 2: Coffman Cove to Kasaan Inlet, ~50 miles, partly cloudy

8:00 AM: Surrounded by a smack of jellyfish

12:00 PM: Siene fishing boats working the steep banks of shore. They circle a net that must be 100 yards long around schools of salmon, The big tender boats pick up the catch and return them to Ketchikan for processing. 

Day 3: Kassan to Judd Cove, ~50 miles, partly cloudy

12:00 PM: Humpacks fishing the shoals along the north coast of the Dixon Entrance.

3:00 PM: Rocky white islands covered in bird and seal poop. Jay could smell them half a mile away. 

5:00 PM: Kids and Dads from Ketchikan swimming in the 60 degree water.

Day 4: Judd Cove, AK to Prince Rupert, Canada, ~55 miles, overcast

6:30 AM:  Seals stared at us as we left the anchorage. They knew something was not right. I had not tied our dinghy "STASH" to the stern. It slipped off and stayed in the cove. Luckily, we realized it after a few miles...when the coffee kicked in. STASH was rescued. 

12:00 PM Crossed into Canadian waters

3:00 PM: Canadian Humpbacks feeding at the entrance to Behm Channel.

This completes what we are calling Leg 1 of 4. Clearing into Canada was a breeze this time. We are in their system and as long as it is just the 3 of us aboard they seem to wave us through. We know better than have any mamajuana, unopened liquor bottles, uncooked chicken, or fruits with cores. We enjoyed Prince Rupert last year in the rain. This time we enjoyed it even more in the sunshine. Evidently they saved 2 of their 83 days of sun a year just for us. 

Day 5: Prince Rupert to Klewnuggit Inlet, Grenville Channel, ~50 miles, partly cloudy

1:00 PM: Cruise Ships, Tankers, Cargo ships, oh my. 

3:00 PM: Dense fogbank approaching us quickly from the Gulf of Alaska, never caught us though. The wind coming down a large river stopped the fog as we continued south. 

8:00 PM: A lone wolf was howling at the head of the bay we were anchored in. We saw a wolf in Glacier Bay, but this was first time we heard one. It howled for about 10 seconds. Sometimes the sweetest natural moments are so short, but they burn into your memory forever. 

Day 6: Klewnuggit Inlet to Coghlan Anchorage, ~30 miles, partly sunny

11:00 AM: 10 or more humpbacks feeding and cavorting around at the south exit of Grenville Channel. We were treated to the most beautiful whale tail of our whole adventure. The whale's tail was perfectly white trimmed with black all the way around. 

Day 7: Coghlan to Bottleneck Inlet, ~58 miles, full sun!

9:00 AM: 28 knots of wind funneling down the sound. Too many humpbacks to count. Slapping their tales on the surface, breaching, and just showing up out of nowhere. We were sailing at 8 knots with a full main. Turned the engine on so the whales could hear us coming. Mothers keep almost constant physical contact with a calf for the first year of its life. Kelly thinks we sailed right through a family pod.