Ketchikan to Juneau

May 26-29:  We arrived in K'kan in the 28th, our 15th day out of Anacortes and that's with spending 5 days in Shearwater.   We decided that, if we pushed hard with good weather and currents we could make K'kan in 10 days.  We hung out here for four days not doing a whole lot of anything.  Just a few boat projects and meeting up with boating friends.

Ketchikan to Meyers Chuck

Friday, May 30 - We departed for the six hr run to Meyers Chuck, the half way point between K'kan and Wrangell.  Meyers Chuck is a little cove on the western tip of the Clevleland Peninsula.
It is home to about a dozen permanent residents and another 20 or so summer houses.  The story is that when the government came through here looking for post office sites they asked a local fisherman the name of the place.  "Chuck" he replied, giving the native term for a small bay or cove.  "What's your name", they asked?  "Meyers" he said.  Among the residents is a commercial fisherman who came here at 7 years of age and has lived here continuously since.  He is now 77 and has never driven a car. 

As we were rounding Cape Caution we were passed by the Alaska Ferry "Malispinia".  Shortly after we received a text message from a passenger who is the former owner of "Pico Blanco", another Krogen.  He recognized "Intrepid" and wanted so say hello.  Well, shortly after we anchored in Meyers Chuck, who should motor up in his skiff but the same "Krogenite".  He owns a summer house in Meyers Chuck.  So we chatted for a while and he invited us to use his dock but we were comfortable in our spot and Rolynn wanted to get some writing done.  The following morning a woman in a skiff appeared as we were preparing to get under way.  She is the post mistress and was offering cinnamon roles for sale!  We took four and started to get underway.  But, we caught a long chunk of old logging cable on our anchor and t took a few minutes of wrestling with it to disengage.

Meyers Chuck to Wrangle

Saturday, May 31 - Today's destination is Wrangell via Zamovia Straits - about 6 hrs.  The weather and currents were fine and we settled in to the downtown docks by mid afternoon.  We stayed on the boat even though there is a decent pizza place nearby.

Wrangell Narrows

Sunday, June 1 - Today we must transit Wrangell Narrows, the waterway leading to Petersburg.  There are more than 60 buoys, day marks and ranges along its serpentine path.  But as long as we keep track of exactly were we are there is no problem.  We calculated the currents well and got a good push most of the way.  As we entered the busy Petersburg harbor we were greeted by our friends from "Adventures" who will be wintering here.  It will be different than their former home in the Florida Keys.  Also there were Mik and Barb Endrody, former Krogenites, who were delivering a "Choisi" a new Krogen 55 to its new owners in Juneau as well as "Kama Hele Kai", another 55.  Later, we went out to find dinner but only one of the four places in town was open this Sunday evening.  So, we hiked about a mile south to a Chinese restaurant.  Staying on the boat would have been better.  Oh well.

Monday - Larry and Kathy Claiborne aboard their Krogen "Contender" arrived today with generator troubles.  Larry and his brother, Bruce and I went to high school together.  I grew up just down the road from the Claiborne farm where they raised string beans.  In those years, working on the farm was my summer job.  Kathy provided dinner on "Intrepid" since "Contender's" floor was open to provide access to the generator.  It was a nice evening.

Tuesday - I had ordered a LinkPro tm battery system monitor to replace the LinkLite tm which was to small for my battery bank.  It arrived today so I spent an hour or so installing it.  Seems to be working fine.  I can return the LinkLite tm to West Marine when we return to Anacortes.  Rolynn was busy preparing for her book signing on Thursday.  We found Coast Cold Storage to be a good place for WiFi and breakfast.

Wednesday - More prep for book signing and a gathering of Krogenites, plus a few SOBs (Some Other Boat) on "Salty Dawg" for drinks.  She is a new 48' Krogen owned by Knut and Gerry Frostad who live aboard here.  He is a commercial fisherman who will soon be heading to Bristol Bay, on his fishing boat, for the six week season there.

Thursday - Book Signing Day at the Sing Lee Book Store.  The store is located across the street from the tavern (then a store) in which Sing Lee was murdered in 1932.  In "Lie Catchers" Rolynn solves the murder along with another, present day killing.  Rolynn has been on TV, the radio and in the newspaper!  She can't go ten feet in town without someone stopping her to chat.  There were lots of folks and she sold out!  That evening we had a Krog-In dinner at the Elks Club which Rolynn organized.  It was a very successful and well deserved day for Rolynn.  

Guest Bloggers:  Rich and Sandy Diehl, our good friends from Arroyo Grande, CA and Ouray, CO, have joined us in Petersburg and will be with us until Juneau.  Please put your hands together for RICH AND SANDY!

Monday June 2 - Sandy and I flew into Ketchikan several days prior to meeting up with Steve and Rolynn.  We checked into a small hotel on the famous Creek St., location of Ketchikan's many brothels in the early 20th century.  Our 1st observation was of the several large cruise ships parked at dockside which were visible from anywhere in town.  That evening we went to Annabelle's for dinner where we both enjoyed a great meal. As we exited the restaurant we were delighted to discover that the cruise ships had departed, only to be replaced the next morning by several new ones.

The next morning we bounded out of bed at 1st light ready for a cup of coffee only to discover that it was 3:45 AM so back to bed for a couple hours of restless sleep in what seemed like the middle of the day.  At 6:30 we headed out for Sweet Mermaids, a coffee shop that S and R had recommended, we waited at their front door till they opened at 7.

Misty Fjords

Rich and Sandy in Misty Fjords

At 10 AM we met Michelle at Island Wings Air for a float plane trip to Misty Fjord National Monument, not to be missed when visiting Ketchikan.  Michelle has been a bush pilot in Alaska for over  20 years. Her plane is a rebuilt DeHavilland Beaver, the most famous of all the float planes used in Alaska; their production was discontinued years ago.  We had a great scenic flight over the monument often flying close to mountain peaks then swooping down to water level and  landing on a lake in a narrow valley where she motored to the shore.  We hopped out onto the pontoon and then ashore to walk around.  Overall it was a fantastic experience and the highlight of our stay in Ketchikan.


On the morning of June 5 we headed to the airport to catch a plane for the short flight to Petersburg to meet up with Steve & Rolynn.  On the plane we sat beside a young man who was going to Petersburg to crew on a salmon seining boat for the next two months.  We peppered him with questions about commercial fishing in Alaska. At 23, he already had almost 10 years of crewing experience on fishing boats after dropping out of school at an early age.  His was a common story in the industry, work hard for 2-3 months, make lots of money then blow it all over the winter and start all over again in the next fishing season.

Salmon Seining

We arrived in Petersburg, took a cab to the North Marina and immediately ran into Steve on the dock as he was returning from an errand in town.  We proceeded to the "Intrepid" where Rolynn was in manic mode preparing for her book signing to take place that afternoon at the local book store.  Roly had spent the previous few days canvassing the town promoting her book; Steve had been smart enough to stay out of her way.  Hopefully, our arrival was a calming experience as we sat down and chatted for an hour before heading to the bookstore at noon to prepare for the 1:00 book signing. The event was a rousing success and it was fun to watch her work the room.  People were generally enthused to meet her and buy her book(s).  The signing concluded, we retreated to the boat for an early cocktail hour and prepare for that evening's mini reunion of Krogen boat owners.  Roly had put this reunion together and we had a great time at the local Elks lodge having drinks and dinner with the other boat owners.

The next day we walked all over town particularly enjoying the small museum. Petersburg is a small (approx. 3500 pop.) town with a commercial fishing economy.  There are 3 marinas mostly filled with local fishing boats and, best of all, no cruise ships. S and ;R invited Larry and; Kathy, fellow Krogen owners to dinner.  Steve went to high school with Larry but had lost touch for many years until they hooked up again while boating.  We enjoyed a great dinner, the evening was sunny and quite warm.  The next morning we woke to cool, cloudy, and rainy weather and prepared to take off and head to Gambier Bay approximately 60 miles north, a run of about 7-8 hours.  Before leaving Roly got a phone call from Krogen friends Knut and Gerry on the "Salty Dawg". They were moored in the South Marina and offered us fresh halibut. I headed out to get the halibut, Roly went to the Coastal cafe to use the wifi and Steve stayed back to prepare for the departure. An hour later we departed Petersburg. It was cloudy and cool with calm water and very light winds and a few showers.  The trip was uneventful until about 20 miles from our destination when we spotted our 1st whale. Then for the next hour we watched numerous whales with many tails flying as they started their deep dives. We continued north up Stephens Passage and entered Gambier Bay on Admiralty Island.  Steve intended to anchor at Snug Cove but while motoring toward the cove Roly read about another anchorage just north of  small Good Island. We checked it out and it was perfect, a small protected bay.  As we anchored it started to rain steadily, Roly prepared dinner and the baked halibut was outstanding, without a doubt the best we had ever had.

Bubble Feeding

We woke up on Sunday, the 8th, to clouds and wind, approximately 15 knots with gusts to about 20-25. We delayed our departure to watch the weather. About 10 AM Roly noticed a whale off the stern coming our direction.  For the next 2 hours we were entertained by the whale(s) circling the boat and bubble feeding, an amazing sight. The whale blows bubbles while swimming in a circle capturing the small fish in it's bubbles and drives them toward the surface. He then lunges thru the fish with his huge mouth open coming out of the water. We had only learned of bubble feeding from Larry & Kathy the night before so to witness it was pretty special. The wind and the water began to calm down about 1:00 and we left to head north at 2.  The plan was to motor to Taku Harbor a run of approximately 7 hours but once underway S & R suggested anchoring at Holkham Bay at the entrance to Tracy Arm. As we approached we started spotting small icebergs floating in the water that had detached from the glaciers within Tracy Arm.  The weather was still cloudy with a light rain but the water in the bay was calm.

Tracy Arm

Gambier Island to Auke Bay (Juneau)

Monday, June 9th - We realized that we had a long run to Auke Bay just north of Juneau, approximately 7.5 hours, so we were up early.  The weather was cloudy with a low ceiling and light rain but, more importantly, the water and winds were calm. We headed out of Holkam Bay spotting numerous icebergs several with eagles and small birds perched on them. We headed out into the main channel, Stephens Passage, and headed north. Along the way we spotted several large cruise ships, several fishing boats and a tugboat pulling a large barge filled with shipping containers.  We also spotted several whales, some not far from the boat. The weather was cloudy the entire way but we loved it as often stormy weather is much more interesting to watch than clear blue skies with no clouds.  We arrived at Auke Bay shortly after 2:00. On the way into the marina the Mendenhall glacier dominates the skyline. We were fortunate that the low ceiling had lifted to a point that we were able to view the glacier.  You can not make reservations at the marina so we hoped that a space was available at the transient docks. We found one, tied up, and then realized that there was no power. We spotted one not far away that appeared to be the last remaining space available but it meant parallel parking the "Intrepid" in a very tight space which

Mendenhall Glacier - Auke Bay

Steve did masterfully (with one able and two willing but inexperienced deckhands). Once settled the best decision of the day was made, early G&T's.

Thanks to Steve and Rolynn for a most memorable experience on the "Intrepid" boating the inside passage of Alaska, we enjoyed it all and look forward to the next adventure together.

Tuesday, June 10 - Today is change over day.  Rich and Sandy decamp for their B and B while other good CA friends, Barri Dymontt and Bonnie Lauer come aboard. So, there is a flurry of activity:  washing clothes, getting propane, going to airport and Costco, etc, etc.  We all know one another well so we will have dinner together tonight and probable kick around Juneau tomorrow, as well.  Thursday, we will depart for Glacier Bay National Park for a week of cruising with Barri and Bonnie.