The Great Adventure

This is the tale of an old man and his "bucket list" which included taking a small boat up the "Inside Passage" to Alaska.  It began as a casual comment to my brother and ended up a year later with the two of us admiring the spectacular beauty of Glacier Bay from the cockpit of the "Last Hurrah".

I should probably include a "don't try this at home" warning but suffice it to say that we're both experienced boaters and we've lived long enough (70's) to have used up most of our allotment of dumb decisions.

The Last Hurrah is a 26 ft. Glacier Bay power catamaran.   She has a closed cabin (model 2690) with wide side decks, a kerosene heater/stove, a microwave, a very robust electrical system, dual station controls, substantial ground tackle and is rigged for easy handling of bow and stern lines from the cockpit.  In other words she’s an old fogie's boat.With her twin 150 hp Yamaha 4-strokes and a 180 gallon fuel capacity she has a range of about 300 miles.  Another valuable feature was her ability to cruise  comfortably in the mid 20's even in moderate chop.  This allowed us to take advantage of the  early morning  "calm waters" and be at our destination before it got too sloppy.  For anyone thinking about heading up the Inside Passage to Alaska I have to following Advice:

These charts show the Inside Passage and our routes.  The bright red dotted line shows our main route both north and suthbound.  The large red and blue dots show where we stopped overnight.  The blue dotted lines show where we deviated from our main route on our southbound trip.


Well, it's time for "the rest of the story".  What follows are excerpts from the Last Hurrah's log and selected pictures.  Some videos from this trip are posted on YouTube at Views of Alaska from a Small Boat.  The trip north was with by brother Curt and his son Ken.  My daughter Julie crewed for on the southbound trip.
Day 1, 6/28/09 - The drive over the Cascade Mountains from Richland to Blaine, WA was uneventful.  We left about 7:30 and were in Blaine by 1:30.  Beautiful day, not too hot and with three drivers it was a breeze.  Preparing the boat and launching also went well.  Curt stayed with the boat while Ken and I took the truck and trailer to a mini-storage place.  That was our first major challenge.  I had called the storage place the week before to reserve space but when we arrived there was a note saying we were coming but no “reserved” space.  Ken walked the place with the lady-in-charge while I waited in the truck and he picked the “best” of the available spaces.  We got the truck and trailer in but it was a unique test of our trailer stuffing skills.

Got up about 5:00 Sunday morning and were underway by 6:00.  The weather forecast was iffy but we decided to check in with Canadian customs then stick our nose out to see how bad it was. About ½ hour after we left customs the computer displaying the radar and our position on the chart stopped working.  I grabbed the backup computer and tried it but the same thing happened in about ½ hour.  After another ½ hour screwing around we defaulted to paper charts, the compass and our GPS.  Ken did an excellent job as navigator while Curt stood “deadhead” watch and he was plenty busy.  Until we were well past the Frazer River there were deadheads everywhere but we succeeded in missing them, some the size of telephone poles.  There were also a pair of dolphins playing with us for a while which is always neat.

Although it was a clear, mostly sunny day the water was rough as a cob.  Surprisingly, there wasn’t a lot of wind but there was a storm Saturday night, which left quite a few white caps and very confused seas.  The Last Hurrah handled the rough seas well, much better than her crew.  We gave up about noon and took shelter in the town of Gibson’s, BC directly across Howe Sound from Vancouver.  While it’s a very pretty place with a cozy, well-protected marina it is only 1/3 the way I was hoping to go on day one.  Oh well that’s life on the bounding main.

The problem with the computers turned out to be the network I had installed to “enhance” redundancy.  Once I removed the network the computers worked fine except for the AIS which took a while longer to figure out.  It was just another “it seemed like a good idea that worked OK in the lab but couldn’t hack it in the real world”.  We ended up using both computers even though they were no longer networked.  The only other electronic problem encountered was related to lose fuses in the fuse block which could cause the related instrument to shutdown if the fuse bounced loose.  This was easily cured by bending the tines on the offending fuse.

 
                                                      The Last Hurrah in Blaine, WA ready to head north
Day 2, 6/29/09 Campbell Rive

We made it and we’re back on schedule!  The forecast this morning leaving Gibson’s was iffy again but we decided to have a look.  The first hour or so wasn’t bad but then it got almost as sloppy as yesterday.  We decided to stick it out to at least Powell River then decide whether to try for Campbell River since the forecast indicated it should be better in the afternoon.

We hugged the east shore of Texada Island since it was a little calmer.  When we got to the north end of the island, which is across from Powell River it looked better so we headed for Campbell River.  Most of the way we were able to open her up and let her run.  Got here at 3:00 and are doing our laundry at the moment.  We plan to do a little grocery shopping, send email then head back to the boat to refuel and cook dinner.  If all goes well we hope to be in Port Hardy tomorrow night.



Curt practicing his Totem Pole poses
                                              

Day 3, 6/30/09 Blind Channel - This morning was bright and sunny with a light wind in Campbell River.  Unfortunately the forecast for Johnstone Strait was still gale force winds.  Johnstone Strait connects to Discovery Passage where Campbell River is located and is the only way north.  There are several more sheltered channels east of Johnstone that can get you about ½ the way to the north end of Vancouver Island but eventually you’re stuck with transiting at least part of Johnstone Strait.  Since we don’t do gales we opted for the back channels rather than spend the day in Campbell River.

This turned out to be a great decision since the back channels were calm, except for the tidal rapids, and the scenery is spectacular.  I was through here about 20 years ago so we had all the necessary charts.  Gorgeous fjords plunging from snow-covered mountains into the sea which in most places is 1,000 to 2,000 feet deep. We waited on the worst of the tidal rapids (Yaculta) until the current dropped below 4 knots.  The Last Hurrah has plenty of power to push through much higher currents but eddies and whirlpools in these rapids can get kind of squirrelly so it’s best not to force the issue.

We headed for a marina in Blind Channel where I had stayed 20 years ago.  It’s still there and in great condition.  Before we tied up we stuck our nose out to check Johnstone Strait.  Even before we got close to the Strait the water got very rough so we did a 180 back to the marina.   Ken and I hiked up to an ancient cedar tree and got some great pictures and black fly bites.  The trail is maintained by the timber company who owns the land and who had posted a sign warning we could be eaten by bears, cougars, wolves etc.  Even Canada must have its share of lawyers with not enough to do.


    

Ken & Curt on the way to Blind Channel            Ancient Cedar tree                          Sullivan Bay - a floating town

Day 4, 7/1/09 Sullivan Bay - We decided to do more back channels rather than to head up the middle as the forecast for Johnstone Strait was still pretty glum this morning.  Also, Ken decided that it was more important to him to have a pleasant, scenic cruise than bull our way to Alaska on a particular schedule.  Since he has to get back to work to support us old folks we felt he should control the schedule.  This was a good decision since we had to do only about 10 miles of the fearsome Johnstone Strait, which turned out to be not too bad.  However the reward was a spectacular cruise through gorgeous fjords where we saw dolphins, Orcas, waterfalls and rays of the sun breaking through the overcast to highlight the mountains.

We got up this morning at 4:00 to have the best shot at the weather and made it to Sullivan Bay in the Broughton’s by noon without any problems.  This is a very nice place.  All the buildings are on floats, the store, restaurant, houses, everything.  We could serve as a dinghy for some of the boats here.  There is a helicopter on the roof of one of the houses and seaplanes coming and going on a regular basis.  Since it was Canada Day, something like our Fourth of July, we were asked to join in a booze cruise but declined since we were heading out early the next morning to challenge the infamous Queen Charlotte Sound.

Day 5, 7/2/09 Allison Harbor - The forecast for Queen Charlotte Sound wasn’t good when we got up at 5:00 but the in-shore portion known as Queen Charlotte Strait sounded doable and there are several good places to anchor along the way if it got too rough.  After we passed the Storm Islands in Queen Charlotte Sound we started encountering some big Pacific swells (10 ft).  They were not uncomfortable and safe enough but after about ½ hour they started getting higher and closer together.  Since we still had a good 20 miles to go to get across the Sound and the seas were building we decided to head for shelter in Allison Harbor.  It’s a gorgeous place, well protected with good anchoring in about 25 feet of water.  The only problem is the entrance has several drying rocks mid-channel and it was very sloppy and foggy when we came in.  Fortunately, the RADAR easily picked up the breakers over the drying rocks and the Nobeltec Admiral software, which can superimpose RADAR targets on the chart, worked very well.

There was one other boat here when we came in just before noon but two more came in after us (a 50’ and a 60’ trawler) so in must be getting pretty rough outside.

Day 6, 7/3/09 Allison Harbor - Got up at 4:00 to check the weather forecast for Queen Charlotte Sound and it was worse than yesterday so we went back to sleep in our snug little cove with eagles fishing around us.  They update the forecast every 4 hours and as the day wore on it got much better until at 4:00 pm we had go conditions. We only had 25 miles to the next safe harbor, which we could do easily in 2 hours even in rough water so we went.  Since I’m writing this at 10:00 pm and it’s still quite light there was no problem with getting stuck in the dark.

The crossing wasn’t bad.  Still some big Pacific swells but the boat rode them comfortably and by 7:00 we were refueled and tied up snugly at Duncanby’s Landing in Rivers Inlet, about 15 miles north of Queen Charlotte Sound.  From here to Juneau the route is much better protected from the weather but Mother Nature doesn’t give guarantees so we could get stuck again.  Assuming all goes as planned we will be in Shearwater tomorrow night.

Unfortunately the kerosene stove has quit working.  It still starts up but doesn’t put out enough heat to boil water.  We checked everything we can to no avail.  Shearwater has a substantial boat yard and maybe they can help us but we get there on a Saturday so who knows.  The microwave works fine and we used it to make two dinners so far.  It’s a pain in the @#$!+&* compared to the stove when it was working but better than nothing.

Day 7, 7/4/09 Shearwater - This is a working port with a serious (70 ton) boat yard, shop, marine store, grocery, etc.  It was a sea plane base during WW-II.  Mooring and gas prices are also much better than at the “Resort” marinas.  We left Duncanby’s at 7:00 for the 60-mile run and made it here at 10:00.  There was a light ripple on the water, just perfect for the Last Hurrah to skim across the water.  About half way here we encountered a pair of humpback whales broaching and smacking the water with their flukes.  It was a fantastic sight.  We stopped to take some pictures and of course they dove.  We waited for 10 minutes and all we saw was their backs and spouts as they surfaced to blow.  As soon as we started the engines and got under way they both broached as if to say Nah-Nah-Nah-Nah-Nah we didn’t let you get any decent photographs.

Passed a big Canadian Coast Guard buoy tender or maybe an ice breaker as we entered Lama Pass, about 10 miles from Shearwater.  Found a solution to the stove problem.  There was nobody here that works on kerosene stoves but we were able to get a porpane fired Coleman stove and figure out a safe, secure place to mount for cooking.  Unfortunately we'll have to forgo cabin heat.  So far we haven't needed it but there are always long john's, etc. if it gets cooler.


                                                                   Shearwater Marina                                                                               Ken checking email while doing laundry

Day 8, 7/5/09 Hartley Bay – This is really the middle of nowhere, tomorrow we should reach the north edge of nowhere.  Hartley Bay is a small Native village, about 150 or so very friendly people.  They have fuel and a State marina.  The fuel price was good and the marina free.  No store, just a person who sells snacks from their house.  They must get what they need from Prince Rupert via the daily BC ferry and by hunting and fishing.  The man we talked with said there used to be about 220 people but the younger people are leaving.

The run from Shearwater was fine. Since the water was calm we took the direct, less sheltered route, which saved about 15 miles. Fog and overcast for the first hour or so but then the sun burned through and it was spectacular.

Had a little excitement before dinner while tied to the dock in Hartley Bay.  The access port at the stern of the port hull must have started leaking during the run from Shearwater.  No damage, the bilge pumps handled it and Ken was able to tighten it up.  Seems to be holding fine but we’ll keep an eye on it and pick up some sealer in Prince Rupert.

Day 9, 7/6/09 Prince Rupert - We woke up this morning in Hartley Bay floating just fine.  Ken’s tightening job must have solved the problem.  The day started out overcast and drizzly but by 7:30 the sun came through.  The route to Prince Rupert is through the Grenville Channel, a classic fjord only a mile or two wide and 45 miles long with snow capped mountains rising from the shore and feeding magnificent waterfalls. Because of its scenic beauty this is a favorite cruise ship route.

The last 10 or so miles to Rupert were foggy, sometimes very foggy but the radar did fine and we had no problems.  Prince Rupert has a population of about 14,000, is one of the few places up here connected to the rest of the world by road and the first real town since we left Campbell River.  The preferred marina for cruisers is the Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club but they were booked up so we put our name on the list, tied up at the commercial dock next to a bunch of fishing boats, grabbed our backpacks and went grocery shopping.  By the time we were done a space had opened up so we left Curt at the Yacht Club with the groceries while Ken and I refueled the boat and moved it to the Yacht Club.

By the time we were done Chef Ken announced that the menu for tonight was stuffed crust pizza supreme as opposed to chicken or tuna pasta, canned vegetables and a salad which was our usual menu (he had seen a Pizza Hut while we were shopping which I think influenced tonight's menu).  The yacht club also has clean showers for 2 loonies (we paid 10 loonies for a shower at Duncanby's).  For those not familiar with Canadian mones the "loony" is their $1 coin.  It has the immage of a loon on it.  Whenever the Last Hurrah travels in Canadian waters it carries a Loony Bin (a zip-lock bag full of Canadian coins).  So, when there are hot showers you grab your towell and the Loony Bin and run.  Tonight for only $5.40 I have a much happier and sweeter smelling crew.  The eagles below were watching the fish cleaning station.



                     Downtown Prince Rupert                                                    Eagles lined up by the yacht club waiting for dinner

Day 9, 7/7/09 Ketchikan, Alaska -  The run north from Prince Rupert was very easy, light chop, overcast but no serious fog or rough seas.  Got here about 11:00 and checked in with customs.  There were three cruise ships here which almost obscured the whole town so it was hard to figure out what was where.  Called the Harbor Master on the radio and he directed us to the "City Float" just in front of the "blue" cruise ship.  The only blue cruise ship we saw was the Statendam that was white with a blue hull.  We snuck under her bows and found a tiney dock.  After we we tied up I took all the passports and the ships papers to customs, filled out the paperwork and they came down to checkout the boat and its motley crew.  Although we were kind of scruffy looking they let us in even though we were not at the "City Float".  After checking in we took a walk around town, had a nice lunch and went back to move and refuel the boat.  After refueling we went back to the dock for the night.  Ken did some shopping and Curt and I assumed the "yachtman position" butt down, feet up and book in hand.


        Green Island light                                                     Ketchikan                                                                  Creek area in Ketchikan

Day 10, 7/8/09 Petersburg, Alaska - Today was a 120 mile run but except for about 45 minutes of fog early on it was perfect – calm water, sunny skies, snow capped mountains and lots of whales.  Left Ketchikan about 6:00 and were in Petersburg for lunch.  The Coast Guard buoy-tender Elderberry was tied up at the USCG Station but my friend is no longer her CO and was on temporary duty in Ketchikan.  I was told his family is still here but they weren’t listed in the Petersburg phone book.  I’ll try again to contact him when we head south.  We are only a day from our destination but Ken doesn't fly out until Monday afternoon so he plans to do some sightseeing  and Curt and I plan to assume the "yachtman posityion" till next Tuesday.


                   Petersburg                                      Petersburg entrance buoy full of seals                         Humpback in Fredick Sound
Day 11, 7/9/09 Auke Bay, Juneau - We made it from Blaine to Juneau in 11 days, not too shabby in my opinion.  Today was another gorgeous sunny day with calm waters, light winds and snow capped mountains.  Saw at least a dozen whales near the intersection of Fredrick Sound and Stevens Passage.  This time I got some video of them on the surface.  They were much larger than the humpbacks we saw on the way to Shearwater and they didn’t broach but I got some good fluke shots as they sounded.  Curt thought the one group, which came within a 100 yards of the boat, might be fin whales.  There is a big picture display at the marina here we need to study so we can identify them better.

Saw our first icebergs today, at least ½ dozen the size of a small house and lots of berglets.  They came out of Holkum Bay into Stevens Passage.  Holkum Bay has three glaciers feeding it.  We considered going in there but decided to run on to Juneau so Ken can do some sightseeing before he has to fly out.





Day 12 to 16, 7/10-7/14 /09 Juneau - Bright sunny, calm weather all 4 days we stayed in Juneau.  The weather will probably turn to crap as soon as we get underway again.  Curt twisted his ankle Friday morning stepping off the boat.  He said it was OK so we hopped on the bus and went sightseeing.  Saturday morning it was very swollen so I took him to the ER to get it checked out.  Nothing broken, his blood work was fine and they gave him a tetanus shot because he had scrapped his shin in the process.

I had the oil and plugs changed in the engines.  The tech that changed the oil had a laptop with Yamaha software that could diagnose the engines.  They were both in spec.  I called the stove guy in Seattle.  He said “Oh you got 5 years out of the wick, that’s about normal.”  “It will last longer if you only buy kerosene in 1 gallon cans and don’t use kerosene that is more than a year old”.  I asked how you could tell if the kerosene was too old.  He said you couldn’t but if I bring in the stove he will be glad to fix it.  Wow, what great recommendations.  I think I’ll order the parts and fix it myself.

While we were in Juneau Ken hiked to the Mendenhal glacier, which isn’t far from the city bus route (you can see it from the boat).  Ken flew out Monday afternoon and Curt and I leave for Hoonah early Wednesday morning.  We got a permit to enter Glacier Bay Thursday and Friday.  Hoonah is a native village about 25 miles SE of the entrance to Glacier Bay.


        Mountains behind Auke Bay                            Mendenhal Glacier                                       One of our neighbors in Auke Bay

Day 17, 7/15/09 Hoonah - Left Juneau about 6 am with overcast skies but moderate to calm seas.  About 1/2 hour out I almost hit a humpback whale.  The sucker surfaced less than 50 feet off my starboard bow when I was doing 25 mph.  Needless to say I pulled the throttles back quick and did a hard left.  We missed!  Since the whale was crossing from my starboard I guess that gives him the right-of-way according to the navigation rules (is a whale considered a vessel operating under power or if he is bigger than you does the law of gross tonnage control?).  Saw another one a half hour later about 100 yards away.  There are lots of whales here as well as eagles and a huge spotted owl sitting on a rock on the beach.  The owl was sunning himself and had about a 6 foot wingspan.

We got to Hoonah about 9am and were surprised to see a cruise ship here.  Hoonah is a native village /fishing port of less than 1,000 people.  It’s a favorite holding spot for cruisers waiting to get into Glacier Bay.  Maybe they are waiting for entrance to Glacier Bay like us.  They put a lot of people ashore and many of them went kayaking.  Curt and I took a short walk and stopped for breakfast at Mary’s Inn.  The first “real” breakfast we had since leaving the lower 48 and it was wonderful.  Have to get ready to take the Last Hurrah into her namesake – Glacier Bay.

Day 18, 7/16/09 Bartlett Cove, Glacier Bay National Park – Wow, what a day!  Got up at the usual time and were underway from Hoonah by 6 am.  The weather was overcast with patches of fog but moderate seas so we made it to the park office in time for the 8 am briefing.  The briefing consisted of a 20 minute video that was well done plus a talk with the ranger about boat regulations in the park, which waters were open to power boats, etc.  We then took off to see what we could see.  Saw many more humpback whales, ½ dozen sea otters, Orcas and seals plus lots of ice and glaciers.

It’s hard to find words to describe this place.  It’s huge, spectacular, breathtaking and more.  We only saw a handful of other boats all day.  Both Curt and I have been here before on a large cruise boat but it’s much different from a small boat where you are down among the sea creatures and the floating ice.  I was watching two humpbacks off the bow when a mother and calf surfaced close behind us and their blow was so loud it startled me.  We drifted right up to a sea otter that was snoozing.  When he woke he waved his back feet at us and paddled away.  Saw a large salmon jump followed immediately by a seal looking for lunch.

Took a picture of one of the Princess cruise ships that passed us just for scale.  It looked like a toy when placed next to the mountains, glaciers and the bay.  While it was overcast there was at least 15 or 20 miles visibility so we could see most of the peaks that surround Glacier Bay.  We got up close and personal with 2 tidewater glaciers (about a ¼ mile from the face).  One had a big cave with a waterfall inside the cave.  There were others we could have visited but we decided two was enough.  In both cases we had to thread our way through lots of bergs and berglets, which can be nerve racking.  I did avoid hitting the props but took a couple small berglets through tunnel.

We were both amazed by the number of glaciers in the park.  There are a dozen or more named glaciers on the park map, mostly those that dump into the sea (tidal glaciers) but many times that number of hanging glaciers that don’t reach the sea but feed waterfalls and streams.


       A cruie ship in Glacier Bay                                                Curt and me at John Hopkins Glacier



Day 19, 7/17/09 Bartlett Cove, Glacier Bay National Park - We woke about 4:30am to clear (cold) skies and calm seas.  The clear skies allowed us to see the much taller mountain range to the west of the park.  With the early morning sun illuminating these snow covered, jagged peaks they were spectacular.  I took some pictures but I doubt they will do them justice.  By the way it’s dark only 5 or 6 hours here.

We took off for Auke Bay, Juneau which is about 70 miles from the park.  Icy Straight was calm but once we turned the corner and headed north up Chatham Strait it got pretty sloppy.  We slowed down, headed for the windward shore and pushed on.  It got better once we turned south around the north end of Admiralty Is. into Saginaw Channel since we were running with the wind and swells.  Just past the lighthouse there was a lot of activity in the water, a dozen spouts, lots of flippers and whale tails in the air like a humpback wrestling match.  It was “bubble net feeding” a unique humpback cooperative feeding strategy, which we’re told, is quite rare to witness.  Curt and I had read about it and saw pictures but never thought we would see it in person.  Unfortunately it was still too rough for us to get pictures but it was fascinating to watch.

Apparently if a group (pod, herd?) of humpbacks find a school of baitfish they sometimes circle them blowing a cylinder of bubbles to herd the baitfish together then take turns coming up from below for a mouthful.  By now we have encountered well over 50 whales within a few hundred yards or less of the Last Hurrah but this was special.  To see a dozen of these huge a creature working closely together to collect dinner was something else.  At one point the feeding group moved within 100 yards or so of us, which was interesting since any one of them was twice our size.

We also saw quite a few sea otters in Icy Strait, some in rafts (a circle of otters with their toes together in the middle).  I have no idea what any respectable sea otter would be doing up at that time in the morning in 45-degree water in the middle of a shipping channel.  It appeared that most of them were snoozing with just their nose and toes above the surface until they heard us.


            Sunrise in Bartlet Cove                                       Snoozing sea otter                                      Two old fogies having a great time

Day 20 to 28, 7/18 to 7/25 Juneau  - Curt flew home Wednesday, 7/22 and I had time to relax, clean the boat and work on the computers.  I finally got both computers to display the AIS signals broadcast by large boats.  Julie arrives Saturday morning so we should be back on the water Saturday afternoon or for sure Sunday morning.

Most of the week in Juneau it rained but it is clearing up this weekend so it looks like good weather for the start of the trip home.  I was able to find a small catalytic heater to drive the moisture out of the cabin.  It doesn’t put out as much heat as the kerosene heater did when it was working but enough to keep the cabin comfortable in rainy weather.

I met Julie at the airport Saturday morning and we took the bus to Auke Bay.  She had to get up at 4 am to catch the plane to Juneau so we decided to take it easy the rest of the day.  After discussing what she might want to see on the trip home we decided to head out for a couple of hours to see if we could find some whales, come back to the marina in Auke Bay for the night to rest up then start the trip home Sunday morning.

We went to the spot where Curt and I had seen the humpbacks bubble net feeding and waited.  Sure enough after a short time “there she blows”.  We had a good view of three or four whales for about ½ an hour then headed back to the marina for dinner and early to bed.

Day 29, 7/26/09 Juneau to Petersburg - We got up at 5 am and were underway by 6 for the 120-mile run to Petersburg.  It was a bright sunny day in the 70’s, with calm seas and majestic snow covered mountains on both shores.  Lots of glaciers so I guess no one has told them about Al Gore’s predictions.  In fact some of the glaciers in this area are growing, not disappearing.

Passed 3 or 4 cruise ships, saw a couple more whales and quite a few ice bergs – more than when Curt and Ken and I came through here a couple weeks ago.  When we got to the intersection of Stevens Passage and Fredrick Sound we were back in humpback heaven. This is where we saw lots of whales on the way up and they were still there.  Julie decided to stop and have lunch with the humpbacks so I shut down the engines and made sandwiches while she went up on the bow to take pictures.  There were at least ½ dozen whales and some came within 50 ft of the boat.  One swam under us and he looked to be 8 ft. wide.    We were there about an hour with whales broaching and blowing all around us.  They make several different sounds when they blow.  Not sure what it means but it was awesome or as Julie says “Regal.” They are the leviathans – king of the sea and they move like they own the seas.


           Three humpbacks on the surface                                    The hump before the dive           Their tails all have different patterns

Day 30 7/27/09 Wrangell - Julie took the boat through Wrangell narrows at low tide, which was an outstanding learning experience.  Wrangell Narrows has more buoys and day boards per mile than any other place on earth.  Twenty miles of narrow, twisting channels and we met two tugs towing barges going north that of course stayed right in the center of the channel.

The run across Sumner Straight from the south end of Wrangell Narrows to Wrangell was uneventful.  Just more spectacular snow capped mountains and glaciers.  It was a gorgeous day but unbelievably hot - 88 degrees in the shade.  We're thinking about stopping at the Anan Bear Observatory so we walked to the Ranger Station to get a permit (we needed the exercise).  The young lady said they were booked for tomorrow but there might be a cancelation so we'll call in the morning before we leave.  Wrangell is a neat, clean little town with very friendly people - we liked it.


             Wrangell from the sea                     Tlingit council house              Downtown Wrangell                         Wild sweet peas

Day 31, 7/28/09 Ketchikan - Julie got in to the Anan Bear Observatory.  I had to stay on the boat because the anchorage there is kind of iffy.  She rowed ashore in the dinghy and got a ton of great pictures and video of the bears.  It sounds like a reverse zoo with the people inside and the bears free to come and go, as they like.  They come because of the salmon.  The observatory is built around a waterfall and the Pink salmon were running so there was lots of activity.  I’ll let Julie tell you about what it was like to be in the middle of a grizzly bear cafeteria at lunchtime.

Good news is I left my two-granola bar lunch in the bear box at the trailhead and returned with all my appendages attached.  At the trailhead the forest service ranger gave me the run down about staying on the trail and when (not if) I come across a bear just stand quietly and hold your ground.  She repeated even if they charge hold your ground and don’t forget to talk to yourself, sing and clap your hands on the way.  I’m convinced this really does nothing to ward off the bears, instead I will see myself next week on some home video show singing row, row, row your boat in the middle of a rain forest. She reminded me that the bears are people habituated. I can definitely say the reverse is not true.  I am in awe of these amazing creatures after seeing them from 8 feet away.  This was all sounding a bit ominous, but up I went and as I walked away I heard the ranger radio ahead saying one on her way to the wild side, man isn’t that the truth!

Ten or so minutes down the trail I came across a large scat pile, hmmm doesn’t look fresh – just keep singing.  Two choruses later there it was a really fresh pile and paw prints to match.  My eyes slowly followed the paw prints and their Yogi was not 10 feet off the laying face down in the tall grass.  He didn’t stir and I was determined to keep on moving.

I arrived at the observatory in time to have the ranger give me the hand signal to keep moving quickly but quietly.  As I stepped onto the deck I looked up to see a bear (1 year from the size of him) up in a tree at least 45 feet off the ground.  Just as I pulled out my camera he stood up on a limb that wasn’t more than 3 inches wide and began to vigorously scratch his backside against the trunk.  Mental note, never climb a tree when evading a bear – they will kick (and evidently scratch) your butt with their dexterity.

I remained for another 45 minutes shooting photos all the while calculating which would happen first the camera battery dies or the tide washes the dingy out to sea leaving me really at the bear cafeteria.

The run from the Bear Observatory to Ketchikan was good for the first half and sloppy but safe for the rest.  With the longer route, the stop at the observatory and the sloppy water it took most of the day to get from Wrangell to Ketchikan.  We got a slip in the Thomas pool that is right downtown.  It was still hot and sunny so the local kids were jumping off the bridge.  Julie thought that looked like fun so she gave me her glasses, wallet, etc and in she went.  The kids thought that was just great and cheered her on.


          Bear country                               Annan Bear Observatory                              Adult Grizzley not long out of hibernation


                     Lunch time                                            Who you looking at?                            Mom, show me again how to do this

Day 32 7/29/09 Prince Rupert - Got up at 5 am in Ketchikan and were underway for Prince Rupert by 6.  Sunny sky and light seas until we got to Dixon Entrance where we picked up some long Pacific swells on our starboard beam/quarter and patches of fog.  Slowed us down some but we still got here before noon.

I am really getting to love the AIS.  It gives you instant information on all the big ships in your area, sometimes more than a dozen.  The range of the AIS is the same as your VHF radio that for Last Hurrah is further than its RADAR.  The navigation software puts a boat symbol on both the RADAR and the Chart Plotter for each AIS target.  The symbol has a line extending from its pointy end indicating its course and speed.  If you click on the symbol it gives you much more information including the closest point of approach.

Day 33 7/30/09 – Bishops Bay - Woke up at 5 am in Prince Rupert and couldn’t see the boat behind us in the marina so we decided to go back to sleep.  About 8 am it looked more promising so we had breakfast and got underway.  We still encountered several patches of pea soup on the way out of Prince Rupert but by the time we entered Grenville Channel it had cleared up.  Julie considered this good training for running on instruments only.

The run to Hartley Bay was uneventful except for the MAYDAY call.  We received a real DSC MAYDAY from a boat that had run on the rocks in Otter Channel.  I’m a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary, have heard and responded to MAYDAYs before but had never heard a DSC emergency call.  The VHF radio went off like a siren until I pressed the transmit button.  I talked to the Canadian Coast Guard, told them what I had received and my position.  They said that two other boats were closer so we could go on our way.  When you push that little red button on a DSC radio there is no doubt you will wake up anyone who receives the signal.  Just hope they know what it means.

After refueling at Hartley Bay Julie decided it would be interesting to overnight at the Bishops Bay hot springs which she found in the cruising guide so off we went.  These natural hot springs are luxurious.  After a scrub and soak we sat on the deck to dry while gazing at the sea and mountains and watching the eagles fish.


       Julie on the way to Bishop's Bay                 Me soaking in the hot spring                      The deck at the hot spring

Day 34 7/31/09 – Shearwater - Left Bishops Bay at 6 am with sunny skies and calm water and got to Shearwater about noon.  The first 2/3 of the trip was perfect but once we entered the Finlayson Channel we hit fog.  It varied from almost pea soup to ½ mile visibility.  Passed a couple boats in the fog but the AIS and RADAR picked them up easily.  Also the automatic foghorn and listen-back features of the VHF radio added a bit of comfort.  Unfortunately, we never heard a sound signal from any of the boats we passed.  Well, so much for following the navigation rules.

We could see the fog in the Finlayson Channel as we passed Hiekish Narrows so we decided to continue south in the Tolmie Channel past the native village of Klemtu before entering Finlayson Channel. This was exactly the same place we hit fog on the way north.  Must be something about Finlayson Channel or Milbank Sound (where Finlayson ends) that sets up just the right conditions.  As soon as we moved from Milbank Sound into the Seaforth Channel the fog was gone.
 
Running in the fog is definitely more tiring than running in clear, calm conditions.  Fortunately Shearwater is bright and sunny with a light breeze and 87 degrees in the shade. What more could you ask for?

Assuming the weather is favorable tomorrow morning we head across Queen Charlotte Sound.  The plan is to go back the way we came past the Broughtons and around the east channels to Desolation Sound and Campbell River.  This is much more scenic and sheltered although longer than the direct route to Port Hardy and on down Johnstone Strait to Campbell River.

As of 15:00 Friday the weather forecast sounds favorable (West Sea Otter ocean buoy is reporting 1.1 meters which is definitely a go).  Assuming we still have a good weather report when we get up we should be in the Broughtons at Sullivan Bay Marina by about noon tomorrow and Campbell River sometime Monday.

Day 35 8/1/09 – Millbrook Cove, Smith Sound - I sure missed my prediction of a chance to cross Queen Charlotte Sound this morning.  Maybe I should have been a weather forecaster.  Got up at 5 am to check the weather and it was pea soup plus the forecast for Queen Charlotte was worse than yesterday afternoon when we got to Shearwater.  West Sea Otter had gone up from 1.1 meters to 1.6, which is right at the go/no go line for us.  Since Shearwater is about 30 miles north of Queen Charlotte Sound we decided to wait out the fog then head down to Smith Sound for a look-see.

The fog lifted by 9 so we headed south to take a look at Queen Charlotte Sound for ourselves.  We met a couple more humpback whales on the way.  By the time we got to Egg Island Light (the north edge of Queen Charlotte Sound) we had seen enough so we headed into Smith Sound and dropped anchor in Millbrook Cove to wait for better crossing conditions.  This cove is very snug with good holding although a bit tricky to get into.  There were three boats when we got here and two more came in later. We had a very calm, quite night.

Day 36 8/2/09 – Still in Millbrook Cove, Smith Sound - The 4 am weather forecast was again marginal with West Sea Otter at 1.4 meters (better) but the wind at 19 kts (worse) and gale warnings in effect for Queen Charlotte Sound.  We decided to stick our nose out so we weighed anchor and headed for Egg Island.  When we got there it was pretty sloppy and with a gale warning in effect it was only likely to get worse so we decided to go back to Millbrook Cove and wait.

On the way back we met the 47’ Bayliner pilothouse that was anchored with us last night heading out.  Since we saw him fueling in Shearwater yesterday I assume he is also was headed south.  The rest of the boats are still here.  It’s really tough to sit in this beautiful cove watching the eagles watch us but someone has to do it.  On the positive a Canadian Forest Service boat came into the Cove to see if anyone was here.  They had very nice 30 ft RIB with a closed cabin, very substantial towing gear and twin 225 HP Yamahas.  Nice to know someone is checking on us.

Day 37 8/3/09 – Duncanby’s Marina, Rivers Inlet - When I checked the 4 am weather forecast it was worse than when we went to bed so we decided to backtrack 15 miles to Duncanby’s so we could send email to family and friends to let them know we were OK, just stuck on the north side of Queen Charlotte Sound for several days.  Julie also has a theory that Duncanby’s, with its $10 showers is kind of like a toll gate.  Unless you give them $10 you can’t cross Queen Charlotte Sound.  Although it had only been 3 days since my last shower I deferred to her wisdom and forked over my $10.  Low and behold only 4 hours after my shower the weather forecast started looking better.  If this keeps up we may make it across tomorrow.

Day 38 8/4/09 – Campbell River - Julie was right.  Pay the $10 shower toll and you can cross Queen Charlotte Sound.  We went all the way from Duncanby’s in Rivers Inlet to Campbell River, a little more than 160 miles in 9 hours including a ½ hour or more stop just south of Robson Bite to watch a pod of Orcas put on a show.  All this and we still had 75 gallong of fuel in reserve.


              An orca "spy hopping"                                                 An orcaa pod passing by

The crossing was kind of like a 2 hour sleigh ride.  There was a 2 to 3 meter long ocean swell out of the NW.  It was on our starboard quarter most of the time but occasionally on our stern, which made it more interesting.  At those times our speed over ground (SOG) went from ~10 mph as we climbed up to ~30 mph as we surfed down without touching the throttles.

We arrived at Seymour Narrows (just north of Campbell River) at exactly the wrong time, about 1 hour before maximum current.  The computer said we had a 12 kt current on our stern.  We saw a couple small boats go through so rather than wait 4 hours for it to drop to 6 kts or less we gave it a shot.  This time it was more like a slalom course than a sleigh ride.  There were lots of impressive whirlpools and over falls.  The key seems to be to run it at about ½ throttle threading your way around the worst water while keeping plenty of power in reserve to bull your way through the really squirrelly water you can’t avoid.  Over all it was a very good day and Julie got some great photos and video of the Orcas.

Day 39 8/5/09 – Ganges Marina, Salt Spring Is., BC - Since the weather forecast looked kind of OK we decided to make the run from Campbell River to somewhere near Blaine on the west side of the Strait of Georgia which is less protected than the east side.  The first 1/3 from Campbell River to just north of Comax was fine but by the time we reached Comax it was getting pretty sloppy forcing us to slow to 10 to 15 mph so we decided to run inside the islands south of Comax.  That was fine until we ran out of islands and got hammered again.  The next segment from Chrome Island to Nanaimo was slow and sloppy but the Last Hurrah handled it well with sometimes green water over her windshield.

Once inside at Nanaimo it was great for the next hour or so then it got sloppy again but not too bad.  I must say our timing of tidal rips hasn’t been good on the southbound trip.  We hit Seymour narrows with 12 kts on the stern and Dodd narrows with 8 or 9 kts on the bow.  While Dodd narrows is much smaller than Seymour narrows Dodd is very much tighter.  The over falls were much higher and the whirlpools much deeper.  Before entering I was sitting there looking UP at the water coming at us.  It was steeper than anything I had encountered in Hells Canyon with the old Sea Gypsy.  My guess is somewhere between 3 and 5 feet difference in elevation between the upstream and downstream sides.

We watched an open boat smaller than us come down safely so I decided to go for it – straight up through the middle.  Thank you Yamaha for 300 reliable horsepower.  We bulled our way through with no problem but I have to say it felt weird running at 4000 rpm and doing about 15 mph instead of 25 mph.

Day 40 8/6/09 – Blaine, WA - Got up at 5am to check the weather and it sounded good so we headed east out through Active Pass to Point Roberts, the US Customs check-in point.  The run from Ganges to Point Roberts is only 25 miles so we were sitting at the customs dock before they opened.  I won’t waste time describing the run around we got from US customs at Point Roberts but suffice it to say @#$%#&*.  Once they showed up at the boat they were fine and we had no problems getting back into the US.  The problem is their stupid phone system and crazy bureaucracy related to who answers the phone first.  Unbelievable!

After checking in with Customs, (a WSU grad where Julie also graduated, that had friends in the Tri-Cities where I live) we were off to Blaine to haul out and clean up.  By noon we were respectable looking (Julie did a great job of cleaning the boat inside and out) and packed up so we headed south by car.  Julie had other commitments on the west side this weekend so I left her with her with a friend at Mt. Vernon and headed off to Ellensburg via Stephens pass.

Day 41 8/7/09 – HOME - Well, the Great Adventure is over and it was truly great.  I’m too old to do it again but I must say it met all my expectations.  Thanks to everyone who made it possible, my brother Curt and his son Ken who crewed and shared expenses on the northbound trip, my daughter Julie who helped me bring the Last Hurrah back home, my friend Don who had done the Inside Passage for his advice and the loan of charts and a cruising atlas which proved invaluable and most of all to my wife who encouraged me to pursue my dream.

Here again is the link to the videos we took which are posted on YouTube. Views of Alaska from a small boat