July 29th - 31st, Taku Harbor & Return to Juneau

Sun Aug 28 2022

Friday morning at Gilbert Bay we arose to mizzle rather than heavy rain, with a good dose of fog thrown in. By the time we hoisted the dinghy aboard the mizzle had let up and soon we were underway for our last planned stop, Taku Harbor. Taku Harbor is a lovely sheltered bay with a large state park float - no charge to tie up. There was once a salmon cannery there and now one can wander around in the woods and inspect the ruins - lots of rusty machinery and crumbling, rotting foundations where the buildings were. The state park facility includes a bunk house complete with wood stove and firewood, along with an outhouse. A bit further up the cove are a couple of large buildings which must be some sort of guest house. I saw folks scraping and painting there. Not my idea of a good time.

I got talking with a lovely young couple who had motored in on a nice little aluminum landing craft. Turned out the fellow was a tug boat captain who had to chug up Lynn Canal to push ships and barges around during all times of the year. I commented about our own luck going up there with flat water in both directions, and he replied that he’d been up there at times when the waves were washing over the wheel house. Not my idea of a good time.

Anyway, I got talking with them about crabbing and how we’d had good luck, but that we didn’t do any shrimping because we didn’t have a pot puller (an electric hoist for the shrimping trap line). Shrimp seem to like hanging out around 250’ to 500’ deep. I’m too lazy to pull that much weighted line up by hand. His wife tells me that they have several shrimp traps set, and next thing I know he’s gone and filled up a gallon ziploc bag and given them to me. I tell you, these Alaskans are the nicest people!

We had just baked a batch of brownies so I brought them a bunch for their dessert that night and planned on bringing them freshly baked bread in the morning, but they buggered off first thing early. Somehow I figured if they came all the way from Juneau that they would hang all weekend. Maybe work called. Shucks. Would like to have spent some more time with them and their puppy named Endicott. She was a rambunctious little bugger.

Later on that afternoon we had another sort of encounter. The nice NOAA Fisheries Enforcement fellows decided to come into the harbor and inspect all the boats for any halibut they might have onboard. Turns out they were very interested in our poxy amount of halibut, and ultimately took it away from us. The rules are that when one catches a halibut, as long as the fish is still onboard it cannot be cut into small pieces, AND the skin has to remain attached. Essentially they want to know that the halibut is of proper size. We were aware of this rule, but our freezer is too small to hold a large halibut fillet. Instead we had portioned up the halibut into chunks that Isabel could vacuum pack and fit in the freezer. This all has to do with international fishing conventions and is heavily enforced in coastal Alaska and Canadian waters. Our bad. Ultimately they took our fish as evidence and gave us a receipt, then advised us on the regulation we had broken and the likely fine. I have to give the officer credit though, as he ignored the package of halibut Isabel was thawing in the sink for our dinner. When he asked her what that was, she squeaked in a tiny voice “that’s our dinner”, and he even said out loud “I didn’t see that”.

The next day, Sunday, we chugged on up to Juneau so we could nail a mooring while the gill net fishermen and women were all out working. When those folks are in town there’s no space at the inn, so it’s critical to take a mooring when they’re off at work. We got in just fine and were tied up by around 10 am, then contacted Mike McVey the boat broker who we were working with. Mike had a few hours of work to do on a boat in Aurora Marina next door, so he offered to loan us his truck so we could all go visit the Salmon hatchery. What a guy! Anyway we all piled in and off we went. The sockeye were running so the mature fish were returning to the hatchery where they were born, and we got to watch heaps of them swimming their asses off to get to the fish ladder and begin their ascent towards their demise. We watched a movie to learn how the fish are processed to remove eggs from the females then fertilize them by squeezing the males over a bucket of eggs. The dead fish are processed in various ways but nothing is wasted and the process of making baby salmon proceeds. The salmon hatchery turned out to be an awesome stop, educational and entertaining.

We dropped Nicola and Charlotte downtown for a final shopping spree, and pondered our dinner options. Ian wanted to take the lot of us out for dinner and since our favorite curry house Spice was closed on Sundays, we elected to try the Hangar Cafe. I’ll say this for the Hangar Cafe, which occupies the old downtown seaplane base, the food is good and the draft beer choices are plentiful, but the service lacks a bit. Nevertheless, we enjoyed a fun evening there and then had a final walk home by the humpback whale statue.

July 28th - 29th 2022 - Sweetwater Creek!

Sat Jul 30 2022

On Thursday the 28th we arose to a rainy morning with a forecast of more to come. After hoisting the dinghy on deck and a nice breakfast we began our chug to our next destination, Gilbert Bay where Sweetwater Creek dumps out. A couple of local folks had advised us that the salmon run up the creek and get slowed down by a waterfall where they are an easy catch for bears and people alike. As we made our way North on Stephens Passage we were hailed by a boat heading South towards Ford’s Terror. They had left Gilbert Bay that morning and told us about a close encounter with a sow and her cubs as they went to observe locals netting salmon below the waterfall. That intel excited us to proceed with our plan, and we advised them about our recent experience at Ford’s Terror and the timing for transitioning the narrows. Actionable intelligence for all!

In about 3 hours time we were dropping the hook in Gilbert Bay, finding a spot between several boats and outside swinging range to crab pots that lined the bay. The bay shoals up rapidly near the shoreline and the pots were set in about 40’ of water. We ended up anchored in about 130’ with a scope of 2:1 and good holding. We decided the steady rain would not deter our adventure and we all piled into the dinghy for a trip ashore, with the hopes of snagging at least 1 sockeye salmon. Because the tide was going out we couldn’t risk letting the dinghy dry out - darn thing is too heavy to drag across a mud flat - so Isabel had volunteered to drive us in then collect us later when we hailed her over VHF. As we made our way towards the shore we spotted a pair of bear cubs with their mom, and Ian made a command decision to not risk mixing it up with the bears. Instead we observed them from the water then as the rain increased we ultimately abandoned our explorations and returned to Sunset and with her diesel furnace and lovely dry, warm interior.

The fish finder on the dinghy had been pretty active, so as everyone else hibernated aboard Sunset I elected to rig up for salmon fishing and see what would happen. Why not, I was already suited up in all my wet weather gear? After collecting up the down rigger weight and setting up the correct lure on the fishing rod off I went, trolling around the bay for about an hour until it became apparent that my wet weather gear simply wasn’t up to the task. A group of folks who had been netting salmon in the creek had returned to their boat and I tooled on over to say hello and see their catch. Four people, 23 large sockeye salmon, only about 25% of their daily quota for household sustenance. Two of them were wearing dry suits and they looked content, the others looked pretty wet. We discussed their experience and apparently on a previous excursion one of the fellows had caught 44 sockeye in an hour, so for all the work they had put in this day the results weren’t terribly satisfying. As they noted, it’s a lot of work and expense to run a boat down from Juneau, fish all day and return with only a few fish to split among them.

They also told me about their bear encounters while ashore. Apparently there was a sow with 2 cubs, and another sow with a single cub, all taking a big interest in the fish the folks had bagged. The bears got within about 7 meters of them, but blasting air horns and yelling kept them at bay. That’s the difference between people who have grown up around bears and the rest of us. They respect the bears and the danger they represent, but they just equip themselves with horns, bear spray, flare guns and pistols and get on with their activities. We on the other hand are quite a bit less comfortable with the idea of a close encounter with a bear, and behave more cautiously. Not entirely inappropriate.

I returned to Sunset to find Isabel and Nicola had prepared a cottage pie with the ground moose we had been given by our pal Craig just a few days earlier. The sundeck looked like a giant laundry with wet gear hanging everywhere and my own gear simply added to the clutter. One of the things we’ve realized about Sunset is that a sheltered outdoor space that serves as a mud room like one might have in a house is a great thing indeed, as it helps keep all the dirty wet gear out of the boat interior. We’ve a little propane heater we can run on the sundeck or the fly bridge which keeps the place toasty warm and also helps dry the wet gear, an essential piece of kit in this environment.

The moose cottage pie was absolutely wonderful! Even Charlotte with her slightly picky young palette thought it tasted just like the stuff Nicola makes with beef, and we all made pigs of ourselves. It’ll be interesting to see if the leftovers heated up taste a little gamey as we’ve noted in the past when eating something made from elk.

26th - 27th Jul 22 - Ford’s Terror!

Fri Jul 29 2022

Tuesday morning we awoke to calm conditions and the promise of fairer weather to come. We killed a bit of time poking around in the dinghy then launched out up Endicott Arm to reach the narrows at Ford’s Terror around 1330, high slack tide time in Juneau. We hadn’t been underway long when the VHF crackled and it was a deck watch officer on the Royal Caribbean Ovation of the Seas hailing us. We all switched to channel 12 and after a friendly greeting he briefed us on the conditions the cruise ship had encountered as they had cruised up to mile 25 of Endicott Arm. He assured us that it was passable with limited ice in the path. As we were going to turn off at Ford’s Terror we didn’t see the upper part of the arm that might yield a view of a tidal glacier, however we did appreciate the information exchange, and I noted that Isabel and I had enjoyed time aboard one of his sister ships to celebrate my mom and dad’s 50th wedding anniversary. It’s fair to say that he implied he’d rather be enjoying the scenery our way than as part of a job, but still, what a way to see the world.

Despite our best intentions we arrived a the lower side of the Ford’s Terror narrows a little early so we sat at idle reviewing the blog post from the Slow Boat website and familiarized ourselves with the various landmarks that would help us avoid grounding on a shoal during the narrows transition. When we saw the ripples in the water at the narrows entrance had flattened indicating a near end to the flood tide we readied ourselves for the short transit through the hazardous area. Ian and I once again donned our bluetooth headsets and as he peered into the water for shoals and helped me keep the waterfall on the stern we made our way into the channel and around a hard bend. The depths were less than the write-up had suggested so I eased more to the outside of the bend where a sheer rock face and the typical erosion should have provided deeper water. Nicola was watching the depth and speed over ground as I maneuvered Sunset and she noted about 3 knots still running into the waterway ahead. The action of the current against the cliff sucked the stern of Sunset in and I had to throttle up briefly to maintain a safe distance from the cliff. In about 60 seconds we were through the narrows with its whirlpools and shallow depths and everyone was able to relax. As we continued up the waterway Ian and I discussed the boat handling and the suction action of the current against that sheer rock face. Another learning experience for me, another disaster avoided. Typical life - lots of calm, boring bits punctuated by brief moments of high gain activity and a bit of terror. Guess Ford was right when he named the place.

We arrived in a heavy overcast and low clouds, the tops of the surrounding mountains obscured. There were numerous roaring waterfalls cascading from the high cliffs above, and before long we saw a bear wandering the grassy meadow near the water. Ian, Nicola and Charlotte launched in the dinghy to “get closer”, then Isabel and I took our own turn. The bear didn’t pay any attention to us even when we got within 20 meters of him/her. No threat, no harm, no foul, no cranky bear.

We awakened Wednesday morning to low fog and wispy clouds aloft, but by mid-morning we had stunningly clear and brilliant sunshine with all the terrain revealed. A second bear had appeared and the pair of them seemed to get along just fine, so we decided they must be around 2 years of age and juveniles from the same sow. Again we approached in the dinghy and they took no notice, and by then Charlotte was pretty darn sure she had a topic for “what I did during my summer vacation” upon return to school in September.

As we had enjoyed more than our share of liquid sunshine since our guest’s arrival, it was really wonderful to have a crystal clear blue sky simply to prove it could happen. We enjoyed exploring the area by dinghy and the occasional visit by a harbor seal or bald eagle before finally readying ourselves for the downstream passage back through the narrows. This time we were targeting an arrival of 30 minutes after high water at Juneau, and for extra safety we towed the dinghy the 4 miles down to the upper end of the narrows whereupon Ian launched out to reconnoiter the narrows and report back his findings. We delayed our transition about 10 more minutes before he reported that high slack water must be upon us and I guided Sunset on through the narrows without worry or controllability concerns. Once in the lagoon near the waterfall Isabel kept Sunset on station while Ian and I hoisted the dinghy onto the sundeck rooftop. With everything now in passage mode we made our way back down the channel then turned right and continued down Endicott Arm. We had intended to anchor at Wood Spit but as we approached the area we noted numerous boats fishing the area just by Harbor Island and the Superyacht Serenity anchored on the South side in a nice cove. There was plenty of room and it was closer so we wandered in and dropped the hook a respectable distance away, then launched the dinghy for more exploration and a little fishing. The fish weren’t cooperating but the weather did, and after a great evening meal we enjoyed a restful night in a quiet anchorage.

22nd Jul - 25th Jul 22 - Guests!

Fri Jul 29 2022

Harris Harbor was an ideal location for taking care of business, and it had the added advantage of not having an upgraded electrical power system on the docks. Aurora Harbor just adjacent had the latest marine electrical power terminals on the dock, and word was that unless a boat was equipped with an isolation transformer the power might not be compatible. We like plugging in and avoiding using the generator and diesel furnace, so we were highly motivated to remain in Harris, but our original slip was only good for 3 days until the owner returned, so we were pleased to identify a space on the transient dock only 1 day after we had arrived. We discussed our options with the harbor master’s office then when the space opened up we cast off the lines and scooted on around. Bada boom, bada bing! Now we were good for 14 days. Turned out we also were going to be on the pontoon more than 7 days total, so a monthly rate would be cheaper. Anyway, we got settled in and continued exploring Juneau and preparing for the arrival of Ian and Nicola along with their daughter Charlotte. Ian is a professional yacht captain who we’ve crewed for on several occasions, and Nicola is Isabel’s best friend and former roommate from university. We all get on like a house afire, and we’ve sailed together on numerous occasions. Can’t say that about many of our other friends, who might become difficult company after a couple days cooped up on a small boat.

Anyway, as we prepared for their arrival I kept doing boat projects, key among them resurrecting the guest head. We had purchased parts from a place in Seattle but once they arrived I realized I might have discarded an old but serviceable part that wasn’t included in the new kit. Panic ensued until I found a vendor that had and would ship the key item immediately. Once it arrived I completed rebuilding the forward head vacuflush pump and then we needed to taxi to the pump out to thoroughly flush out both holding tanks and verify both heads were fully functional. To top that off I also was troubleshooting the shower in the master head because replacing the failed sump pump float switch had resulted in an unreliable system.

Have I mentioned I hate plumbing, especially that which involves excrement?

Anyway, our worry was that if we left our transient slip space a boat might sneak in while we were at the pump out, so we elected to get up extra early and taxi over, do our thing, and return to the transient spot before any other boats were moving about. It worked out well and soon we were back in our slip, fully functional heads and showers and ready for our guest’s arrival.

They turned up about 10 pm on Friday the 22nd looking completely jet lagged and haggard, but we did manage to sit up a bit and yak until fatigue overtook all of us. Saturday we had light rain as we poked around Juneau, taking in the local environs. Sunday morning a couple arrived to view our boat - somehow they had decided they might want to purchase her so we promised to remain aboard for their visit. We had originally intended to depart for our voyage Sunday morning but the weather was lousy with high winds down in Stephens Passage so instead we decided we would visit Mendenhall Glacier National Park, a short bus ride away. When we mentioned this to Craig and his wife Jenn, they immediately volunteered to drive us all up there, so we squeezed into their Honda Pilot and off we went. Along the way they took a lap around a big field to try for a bear sighting but that didn’t work out so on we went to the national park visitor’s center.

Mendenhall glacier was good! The visitor’s center had some great exhibits that explained how glaciers are formed and flow, and there was also a short educational movie. By the time we headed out to walk the trail down to the best viewing spot we were glacier experts. Afterwards we wandered on out a separate trail to Chester falls, a rather impressive waterfall that tumbled down a steep cliff. Charlotte was quite impressed with the waterfall, but she was most excited by the small chunk of ice Ian and I collected for her, as it was her first taste of a “bergie bit”.
When we were ready to depart the glacier we inquired about a bus or taxi or Uber, and the park official informed us that the bus was $20 each for the approximately 6 mile trip, and that Uber and taxis were not allowed to collect patrons inside the park. Stunned by the bus fare, we decided to walk towards the local bus stop about 1.5 miles distant while we attempted to flag down taxis that had dropped people at the glacier park. Apparently they weren’t allowed to stop for us as they whizzed on by, and soon we became a bit despondent, not knowing what the local bus schedule was and all. I elected to text Craig and let him know we were searching for a solution and he immediately texted back that he’d happily collect us in about 10 minutes. We continued ambling along and soon enough he arrived and transported us back to the marina, commenting along the way that we really should visit the salmon hatchery as we passed it.

We had planned to toss the lines and taxi across the inlet to the fuel dock so that we could beat a hasty departure on Monday morning, but as we did our pre-flight checks I determined that the bow thruster was completely unresponsive. Thus ensued about 2 hours of troubleshooting whereupon Ian and I diagnosed a dead (i.e. melted) “black box” controller which was part of the Lewmar bow thruster assembly. The part was available from numerous online vendors and before bedtime I had ordered a replacement for a bit under $200, shipped to “general delivery” at Juneau. Ian commented that with a compromised control system perhaps we should depart early Monday morning for the fuel dock, then launch out on our journey before any wind came up. We all voted yea for that approach and instead launched into happy hour.

Monday morning July 25th we tossed the lines around 0630 and taxied across the inlet to the Petro Marine fuel dock and soon had taken on 130 gallons of fuel. We pushed off from the dock and began our chug South down Stephens Passage to stage for the run into Ford’s Terror the next day. Along the way we spied a decent sized bergie bit. Ian and I donned our bluetooth headsets and I maneuvered the boat as he coached me in from his stern cockpit perch. Soon he had chopped off a nice chunk of “cocktail ice” and we continued on our merry way. We had initially intended to anchor up at Wood Spit which would provide excellent protection from any forecast weather, but as we got closer Ian pointed out an alternative just at the entrance to Tracy Arm. Soon we were anchored in “No Name Cove” where we might see bears along the shoreline. We launched the dinghy and Ian, Nicola and Charlotte motored off to explore a couple of sizable ice bergs floating outside the entrance. They returned a bit later raving about the insanely beautiful deep blue ice, then Isabel and I took our own turn. They weren’t kidding - it was an amazing experience to motor right up to the ice bergs, and we returned with several sculptural ice chunks to enhance our evening cocktails.

July 10th - 22nd 2022 Juneau!

57 45.186n 133 31.578w

Thu Jul 28 2022

The first order of business at Auke Bay was to have a wander and get familiar with our surroundings. It turned out the University of Alaska campus was only about 10 minutes walk away, and the library there was open everyday but Saturday. Blazing wireless speed, so a quick stop produced updated podcasts and Spotify music. We gave our friend Nicki Germain a holler and she came down to the boat for a visit - catching up several years after our last encounter in Mexico. A local craft brewery was also an easy stroll away and next door a great watering hole frequented by local fisher people. We located the bus stop and sorted the schedule for riding downtown to see the dentist.

Once we were settled in Auke Bay we found it a nice place to be, especially observing and interacting with the fishermen as they sorted out their nets and prepared for the next week of catching. We fish. They catch. There is a difference. That said, we had a freezer full of halibut and crab that we had caught ourselves, so we were feeling pretty chuff.

On a pretty day you can actually see Mendenhall Glacier from the marina, blue ice face and all. Spectacular. Once on the university campus there is a trail head for a partial loop around Auke Lake, a lovely walk through the forest. We walked several miles each day with a minimum objective of 10,000 steps, but generally doing more like 15,000 steps. Gotta exercise somehow, and that’s one of the tougher parts of boat living, getting enough exercise, especially maintaining muscle mass and aerobic fitness. Keeping weight off isn’t the problem, rather it’s shrinking in muscular stature and losing lung capacity. We found our way to the library each day to sort out personal business or research things of interest or download podcasts and Spotify music.

A few days into our stay I spied a pair of sailboats coming in to find accommodations, and the second of the pair was flying a Royal Cruising Club burgee from the mast head. Isabel is a long time member of the club and was quite keen to meet the crew, and as luck would have it we ended up having a great time with the crews of both boats. Clive Woodman the RCC member and his partner Angela Lilienthal lived aboard and cruised SV Cosmic Dancer, doing typical RCC things like spending a couple of seasons in Greenland and other obscure places. Anne and Michael Hartshorn of SV Nimue were English and had been cruising since about 2004, spending part of each year back in the UK. Both couples had been trapped away from their boats during Covid, the boats in storage near Sydney on Vancouver Island, Canada. They were ambitious to sail up to Kodiak but couldn’t achieve it in a single season if originating from Sydney, so were working out other alternatives to get all the way there next year. They were great fun and we gathered at the local craft brewery to tell tales.

I had a dental problem that had to be addressed in Juneau, and after the procedure was complete Isabel and I elected to wander around downtown, exploring the local watering holes and dining options. We happened upon an Indian curry restaurant called “Spice”, and after noting that something soft like palak paneer would be a good option we wandered on in and had a seat. Turned out the proprietor was an electrical engineer from Ohio who had decided to open a restaurant in Juneau. She had been born and raised in the US but her parents and extended family were from Kerala, a region in the South of India. Isabel and I had lived and traveled in Kerala for 2 months in 2018, so we were quite excited to meet the proprietor. She was quite a charming lady and informed us that she used family recipes and that her uncle shipped her all the spices she needed from the family spice farm in Kerala. We had a couple of dishes and a garlic naan, and absolutely swooned over the food.

Auke Bay has a rule about moving every 10 days. All that involves is shifting to a different stall rather than actually departing the marina. After reconnoitering downtown via bus and making a couple shopping runs with Nicki, we decided that Harris Harbor marina just by downtown Juneau would be a lot more convenient for visiting dentists, chandleries, and local restaurants and pubs. Given that Sunday is the beginning of the gill netting period each week, arriving at a marina around noon on Sunday certainly increases the odds of finding a vacant slip. On Saturday afternoon I went to visit the 2 sailboats rafted up next to us to advise them of our impending departure, as they were keen to get closer to the electrical power and “de-raft”. Turned out that one of the couples were folks we knew from Mexico - the crew of the vessel SV Coquette that was still trapped in Tonga. We had a bit of fun discussing the trials and tribulations of the covid lockdowns, then hatched a plan for them to scoot into our stall upon our departure. Best part was that involved them handling our lines and helping us get out of the spot we were so tightly squeezed into. The following morning we blasted off with their assistance and about 4 hours later were hailing the Harris Harbor master about a transient berth. The designated transient stalls were full but they were able to offer us a private stall we could occupy for about 3 nights before we would have to relocate as the owner was due back. It was a bit windy and an impressive current was running but we managed to get Sunset backed into the stall without mishap and after sorting out the electrical power off we went to explore the downtown waterfront and get in our steps. We found ourselves a short walk from the dentist’s office, the post office, a nearby State Farm Insurance office that offered printing and notary services, and a great chandlery called Harri. Given we were needing all those things life was looking up. There was a waterfront walk all the way down past the cruise ship docks that offered a pleasant stroll. It passed by the public library, a very nice facility with free fast Internet and open 7 days a week. We did our thing at the public library, sharing the facility with plenty of local folks as well as crew members from various cruise ships.

Juneau has everything we could need including a small Costco that had most popular items. One thing the Costco wasn’t currently stocking was the Kirkland branded 15w40 diesel engine oil. In the lower 48 they sell it in a 3 gallon package that goes for around $45. At Harri I found Chevron Deli 400 15w40 that went for $57 a gallon. Yay Costco! Sure glad we carried enough to do an oil change while at Auke Bay, which takes a full 8 gallons. Even better, all the local marinas had a used oil dump tank so we didn’t have to carry our used motor oil around after an oil change.

Haines & Onwards to Auke Bay 5, Jul 22 - 10 Jul 22

Tue Jul 26 2022

Haines was awesome! With a freezer full of halibut and crab we hadn’t rigged a salmon trolling line yet, but we were able to purchase a couple of nice coho from a local gill netter. He was an interesting old fellow claiming to be 81 years old but flirting his ass off with Isabel. I think she was flattered! Anyway, we also got given a half salmon by some local guys who had been out subsistence fishing and had a really good day. Folks are so friendly in Haines.

We got invited over to a friend of our pals on Fly Aweigh II, a retired Air Guard pilot / airline pilot, call sign “Beak”. He and his wife prepared a spectacular gourmet burger lunch on the grill, showed us around their lovely home and talked about how to cope with heavy snowfalls and bears. Bob pulled out his 460 magnum hand cannon and explained how he had to kill a bear the previous summer before it could mall his neighbor’s dogs or even him. Dogs are a problem around bears, and it seems bears would just cruise on and mind their own business if dogs didn’t piss them off. It’s a common theme - humans encroach upon the natives environment, then eventually kill them when they become a problem. Happens to wildlife, and has happened to indigenous peoples for a long time.

We also had a great evening on Sunset with our pals Pat and Camille on SV Tarooki. They’re a lovely couple with a big fluffy dog named Millie, and they live on a little 30’ sailboat. They came to Haines for the summer so Pat could do seasonal work while Camille, a nurse, recovered from a knee surgery. We discovered them in Meyer’s Chuck and after hearing them extoll the virtues of Haines we knew we had to check it out for ourselves. Between the friendly people, the amazing scenery, the killer 4th of July festivities, and the local craft brewery and boutique distillery we found much to like. We even had good luck crabbing out in the bay just around the seawall. We did a little funnin’ around with our pals Joe and Nancy on Harborlark too, so it was a great social time, and when we needed to chase down information or look after personal business the public library was a wonderful resource.

Getting from the Juneau area up to Haines requires chugging about 50 miles up the Lynn Canal, known for it’s nasty seas when the wind blows up. Think of it as a natural wind tunnel kind of place. We hung out in Haines until we noted the high pressure system was beginning to break down, and before the low could really move in and bring Southeasterly winds we elected to blast off for Auke Bay. Sunday July 10th we tossed the lines and made our way down the channel, observing the gill netters preparing for the noon start for the week’s salmon fishing. During the salmon run the gill netters can put nets in the water at noon on Sundays and the fishing period lasts for anywhere from 2 - 4 days depending upon the inventories that Alaska Fish and Game collect. The point is to support the fishing fleet but also to allow enough salmon to get up the creek and spawn so there will be a good harvest in years to come. Commercial fishing is a big part of the local economy in many Alaskan villages and towns. We enjoyed chatting with the local fishermen (and women) as we wandered the marina floats, observing them preparing their boats and nets.

We got a very early start, departing the float around 0500, then chugged through deteriorating conditions, occasional heavy rain, poor visibility and gusty winds until we found our way into the marina at Auke Bay. Fortunately we got to sheltered waters before the wind had time to whip up a big sea. It’s key to arrive at any local marina after the gill netter fleet has departed to go fishing, hopefully freeing up space for the likes of us. The marina at Auke Bay doesn’t take reservations, so it’s a bit of a scrum wandering around the fairways of the transient floats looking for a space. To complicate matters, the electrical hookups are centrally located at the center of the big U-shaped float sections, and many of the berthing spots might require a 100’ or longer cable run to reach the power. Top make matters even worse, the electrical junction boxes have a rather limited supply of 30 amp and 50 amp receptacles, so not everyone gets a chance to plug in.

The first spot we found was just behind a sailboat named Scintilla, a boat we knew from our days in Ensenada, Mexico. Darned if Chris and his wife Chris didn’t greet us just as we tied up and naturally we were too far away from the power box for our cord to reach. While Isabel had a visit with them I went wandering the float looking for a better location to tie up, and along the way found Frank from May Marie walking back to his boat. He pointed out a single location the we might back Sunset into, and even better a power box that our 30 amp / 50’ cord would reach. I asked him if he would stand by to catch lines and trotted back to Sunset, apologizing to the Chris’s as Isabel and I fired up the iron jennies and tossed the lines. About 5 minutes later we were squeaking into the better spot with Frank advising me on how much room I had on the bow while Isabel on her headset kept me advised on the stern clearance. When we were all situated our stern was as close possible to the float “T” intersection while our bowsprit hung a couple of feet over a small motorboat’s bow. I thanked Frank profusely as I couldn’t have gotten the bow in without his coaching, and soon we were all secure and connected to power.

Now that we were “snug as a bug in a rug”, it was time to explore the local environs!