So here it is the end of summer and my blog posting has ‘Gone to hell in a hand basket’. Gone to hell in a hand basket……………what a strange term……I didn’t know hell could fit in a hand basket………what exactly is a hand basket? ……………..and how do you get hell in there? Anyway, the point is that we have had a very busy time this summer. We have cruised up and back the Peril Strait, the Icy Strait, Frederick Sound, Chatham Strait, and many more. This summer the weather has been much more cooperative. There have been many weeks of sunny weather, clear skies and calm winds. What more could a boater want!
Today we are headed for Sitka. We have been there a few times already this summer but this time we are going to see someone about getting some canvas work done to enclose the cockpit area. We also like Sitka…….maybe we will go see the Puffins again.
Well we got all ‘measured’ for the canvas and left Sitka after a week. We needed to try and get into a secure location before the next ‘low’ hit. Sitka gets the weather harder than other locations since it is right on the Gulf of Alaska.
Our first stop was to an anchorage called Baby Bear Bay. We dropped our crab pots across the water in Deep Bay and the next morning they were full. We headed out early still trying to head further East…………we cruised 60 miles that day to Red Bluff Bay where we knew we would be secure. Sure enough the wind blew 45 mph on the Chatham Strait and even the Willowies (wind swirling up the fjords and back down again) got to us in the Bay. Thursday morning we ventured out to check on the Strait. It was still rather ruff at about 20 knots and rough seas. However, we also started to get cell phone messages and texts. Jerry had lost his older brother John. Information was sketchy as the phones were in and out. We decided to go back into the Bay and ‘button down the hatches’. We then headed across Chatham Strait. It took about 90 minutes of rough cruising and a very nervous Misty. We now had good cell coverage and Jerry was able to speak with his brother Ray and Byron. Unfortunately, we were still about 80 miles to Petersburg and Jerry refused to leave me with the boat and try to float plane out. He would have to miss John’s funeral. It was a very sad day!
By Friday the weather had calmed down but continued to rain constantly. Jerry wanted to fish a little while (I am sure he needed to take his mind off his family). Well the fishing was fantastic, he caught a 45 inch Lingcod, 4 hugh Yellow Eyed Rockfish that the locals call ‘Snapper’ and 2 Halibut. I had to insist that we move on – the cooler was full and the icemaker could not keep up.
We stopped at what we thought would be a quiet area, however, the current changed, the wind picked up and the water ‘slapped’ and rolled the boat all night long. We even let Misty get in bed with us since she hates the rolling and I hate the ‘slapping’.
We arrived in Petersburg Sunday afternoon and here we will stay until Sept. 23 when we go to LaConner, WA to the American Tug West Coast Rendezvous.