Photo: Osprey anchored off Woodspit with the Sumdum Glacier behind.

We left Juneau in time to get under the Gastineau Channel Bridge before the tide came in. Our goal for the day: get as far south as reasonable to position ourselves for going up the Seymour Canal the next day. We had reservations on July 8 for the Pack Creek Bear Conservancy. If you don’t arrive in time for your appointment, for whatever reason, you lose both the appointment and the $50 per person fee.

The day was calm and the weather good so we made good time. The weather forecast was for light southerlies that night so we looked for an anchorage with protection from the south. Both the Douglasses’ Exploring SE Alaska and Charlie’s Charts note the bight behind Woodspit is well protected from the south (although open to the north) and a good place to wait to go into Endicott Arm. It looked like a good place to wait to cross Stephen’s Passage too.

What neither guide mentions (although it’s been awhile since I’ve read Charlie’s Charts so I might have missed it) is the anchorage has one of the most spectacular views in SE Alaska with the Sumdum Glacier hanging above the green spit. It’s worth a visit just to spend an evening with the view.