Behm Canal and Misty Fjords - May 31 to June 4: The weather for the next few days will be especially nice – in the low 70s and sunny in a place that gets 200 inches of rain a year. So, since we got here early and don’t have to go to Seattle until the 10th we decided to take advantage of the rare good weather and circumnavigate the island. This will include the Misty Fjords National Monument. Ketchikan is on the West Side of Revillagigedeo Island. Behm Canal encompasses the north, east and south sides. Misty Fjords is the area in the southeast portion of the canal. We left

Leaving Ketchikan

Ketchikan at 08:30 after getting our satelite phone sorted out. It seems that the company that owns the satellite decided to move them. So, the various companies that rent the bird, including our service provider, have to change the frequencies, etc of all its customers. This involves a complicated process called “recommissioning” which must be carried out over the phone. But, you ask, your satellite phone is not working. True. Which means I have to have cell phone service. So, I we had to wait to get to Ketchikan to take care of it. After a half hour on the phone it is all in good order.

Anyway, after five hours underway in warm, sunny skies and flat water we are anchored in Yes Bay. “Yes” comes from the Tlingit word “Yas” meaning mussel. It is a very pretty spot and very well protected from all winds.

Tomorrow we will move on into the actual fjord territory. There the mountains rise high over head, directly out of the narrow channels and inlets.

June 1 – Misty Fjords, Day 1: Cruised 3.5 hours to Fitzgibbon Cove, the northern boundary of the monument. It was a bitch. 78o under a cloudless sky the whole way. We even had to open the pilothouse doors to cool off. Bummer. Fitzgibbon Cove is nice. A good bottom (ie mud) with spectacular views out to the mountains above Behm Canal.





Behm Canal from Fitzgibbon Cove

June 2 - Misty Fjords, Day 2: Spent a rocky night in Fitzgibbon Cove. Not a lot of wind but the small swells kept rolling in from the canal catching us on our beam. By morning it was calmer so we pulled up at 08:30 for a three hour run to Walker Cove.


Entering Walker Cove


This is a spectacular place. Only 50’ deep at the entrance then 400-600’ through out. Very “steep to” – cliffs straight down from 4000’ snow capped mountains. You can reach out and touch a cliff 3000 feet high and the depth sounder reads 500’. Water falls everywhere. We grabbed the single mooring buoy and settled in around 04:00 for a nice afternoon. Later we watched a big brown bear patrol the beach at low tide.












June 3 – Misty Fjords, Day 3: Now we know why its called “Misty”. We awoke to a low, wet mist that soaked the whole boat, but no rain. We made a 10:30 departure for “The Punchbowl” in Rudyerd Bay, only 2 hours away. Entering Rudyerd is like cruising in the Yosemite Valley. A spectacular place! We cruised up to the end of the north arm then returned to “The Punchbowl” not far from the entrance. We found bottom at the end in about 75’ and spent a nice afternoon and evening. There was a high overcast but we could see the tops of the cliffs. No rain.








Punchbowl Anchorage














Punchbowl

June 4 – Back to Ketchikan: We left Punchbowl at 06:30. Just as we pulled up an eagle misjudged his prey and ended up in the drink. He couldn’t get air born again so he had to swim to shore. He used the breast stroke. The sea gulls laughed. We fly back to Seattle on Friday and return here on Sunday. We enjoyed summer here in Ketchikan, both days. We will be in harbor all week but Rolynn’s book is being released at the end of the week and she needs internet access in order to do a bunch of publicity and marketing. While she is doing that I will take care of a number of small boat jobs. From here it will be on to Meyers Chuck, Wrangle, Petersburg the Tracy Arm glaciers then Juneau.
















New Edystone Rock (230 ft) - Behm Canal (Named by George Vancouver because it reminded him of Edystone Rock in Plymoth England)