AUGUST 28, 2010

August 28, 2010 – I am not sure where I left off on the blog……………I think we were at anchor waiting for Debbie to arrive in Ketchikan. Well she got in and we headed for downtown to see the sights. We did some shopping and ended the afternoon with ‘sloozies’ at a local bar. What is a ‘sloozie’ well the bartender/owner (from the Bronx) explained that they take a nice cut up watermelon and marinate it in some secret ingredients (rum, vodka, gin, schnapps, etc.). It was good and strong.
Unfortunately, it was all downhill after that! We ran into an alternator issue and went back to Ketchikan. Of course, anytime we need parts or service it is the weekend. Well one ‘fu….’ job ran into another. Debbie said the boaters she knows judged the type of ‘issue’ by how many times this well known word was used. Apparently, this alternator issue has been a black cloud over the Volvo Engine, but American Tug was there to help.
After Debbie left we did manage to take the boat out and cruised to Clover Passage Resort, what a nice fishing camp. They had several sized boats available and the young men on the docks were extremely attentive. They made sure your (rental) boat was ready, gassed, baited, iced, etc. and when you returned they were right there with the wheel barrels, yes wheel barrels to carry your fish and process it for you.
When we were finally on our way we went up to Marguerite Bay. Just as we were ready to get underway a gale was predicted……….we needed groceries anyway so we went back to Ketchikan. It rained sideway and blew 40 knots as predicted. Three days later all was clear and Jerry was ready to do some fishing and that didn’t take long. We went to where the Clover Passage and Boehm Canal come together. Jerry caught one King and one Silver Salmon while trolling. We moved over to ‘Halibut Hole’ and caught a nice sized Halibut and then a much larger Halibut.
We moved on to Thorne Bay where we literally ran into a whale…….there were fishing boats all around and we could see several whales in the area. We continued on our way and all of a sudden I saw the ‘spew’ from the whale right in front of the bow. At the same time Jerry (who was driving) stood up and saw the whale surface. We were stunned and then heard the thump. It wasn’t very hard but certainly gave us pause.
There was not much to the town of Thorne Bay – nice grocery store. We only spent one night and headed to Exchange Cove. Jerry has become addicted to the Dungeness Crabs and put out another pot. The Cove was extremely peaceful and beautiful. We spent a very nice night