Sun Nov 20 12:50:00 EST 2011, Southeast Alaska
Maggie steering.
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Comments [4]
How far would you agree with that, Maggie?
When you get back to NYC drop a line, I am sure that a bunch of us fair weather sailors would be happy to treat you to a hot toddy and hear tales of the Gulf of Alaska and the Inside Passage.
- George
George, thanks very much for the invitation. I'll e-mail when I'm back and look forward to meeting you and sharing stories.
Sun Nov 20 12:40:00 EST 2011, Southeast Alaska
Much easier to pass thru than Sergius Narrows are the nearby Kakul Narrows, which have less current, deep water, no standing waves or sharp turns.
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Victor, yes, this is the last of the perils of Peril Strait.
Sun Nov 20 11:39:50 EST 2011, Southeast Alaska
Daylight and no gale make for relatively good traveling conditions.
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Sun Nov 20 11:38:45 EST 2011, Southeast Alaska
Buoy 8 marks a shallow ledge in Sergius Narrows. The white patch on the buoy is snow and the strands wrapped around it are kelp.
The inside route to Sitka involves passing a very narrow section with fast tidal currents called Sergius Narrows. The chart says the currents reach 8 knots. The Coast Pilot notes:
At the strength of the current it is not safe for any vessel bound either way...The channel is so narrow and the current so variable in direction that if a vessel gets a sheer she may be carried onto the ledges or shore before she can be straightened out.
The channel has a sharp 90 degree turn immediately after the narrows with another rock which needs to be avoided. While there are buoys marking the channel thru Sergius Narrows, the buoys are not lit, and unfamiliar places with rocks and fast currents are best avoided at night.
After a gale died down, we left Tenakee Springs before dawn with a good tailwind, some freezing spray and a favorable current. I wanted to go thru Sergius Narrows during daylight, so we motored until well after dark, then threaded our way thru a narrow passage between rocks and an island to anchor half a mile away, with a light wind and clear skies. I was quite concerned about getting the timing right so we'd arrive at slack water, and hopefully without so much wind as to make steering difficult. I carefully planned out when we needed to raise anchor, get out of the bay we were in and get to the narrows for slack water.
Naturally, there was a snowstorm the following day! So, instead of going thru Sergius Narrows in the dark with light wind and clear skies, we entered with gusty winds and blowing snow (there was no point in waiting for another day, as the wind was forecast to increase to a gale late in the day).
We arrived early, in case slack water arrived earlier than predicted, and held position by steering up into the current and wind (the wind was funnelling down the channel). We had current predictions for Sergius Narrows and for points nearby, so by estimating the speed of the current at a nearby point, I could tell if slack water was going to arrive at the predicted time or not. I steered from outside, in the wind and snow, where the visibility was better.
Ten minutes before predicted slack water we headed for Sergius Narrows. At full throttle, we had no problems, and quickly passed thru and into wider, deeper, slower water.
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Sat Nov 19 17:20:31 EST 2011, Tenakee Springs, Alaska
The one and only road in Tenakee Springs is a dirt path hugging the shoreline for about a mile. No cars are allowed, but you may pass a resident on his ATV towing a little trailer holding a deer he just harvested.
At the village, buildings line the path, even built on pilings over the tide line. But here, near the boat harbor, spruce trees dominate the way. It's a small part of the Tongass National Forest which covers most of Southeast Alaska, the largest temperate rainforest in North America, bountiful and beautiful.
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Sat Nov 19 13:46:09 EST 2011, Tenakee Springs, Alaska
Issuma at the end of the dock.
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Fri Nov 18 11:58:07 EST 2011, Tenakee Springs, Alaska
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Saw a boat once with name MV Heisenberg...
I like your observations about places and the people and Alaska is full of them. Tell us about your perils of Peril Str. on the way to Sitka, looks you both survived cheerfully.
Thu Nov 17 18:01:00 EST 2011, Tenakee Springs, Alaska
The Snyder Mercantile Shop has been serving basics in Tenakee since 1899, when Ed Snyder rowed over from Juneau with a boat full of groceries and set up business. The building and fixtures inside date back over a century. The old heavy wood display cases offer fresh groceries and modern pharmacy items, with lingering old time wares in their original packaging displayed like a museum on the highest shelves.
The hospitality matches the charm. When another customer discovered IÂ'm from New York City, she called over the young shop clerk to introduce us, who lives in New York City too when sheÂ's not staying with her uncle in Tenakee. Part time in New York and part time in Alaska, sounds great to me!
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In the meantime, I'll follow your encouragement and blog a little more from the good ship Issuma. Thanks!
Wed Nov 16 18:01:00 EST 2011, Tenakee Springs, Alaska
The Blue Moon Cafe is the only restaurant in Tenakee, and proprietor Rosie only cooks when she wants to. Rosie's actually happy to entertain visitors, it's just that her old cook stove takes a long time and a lot of effort to start up, so she usually just serves drinks in the off season, along with local legends and gossip.
Rosie talked of the times when bears have followed the hunters back home to town, even breaking in to porches. "One of the bears was not too big", she says holding her hand 4 feet off the ground, "and the other was old and thin with no teeth, but they shot them anyway."
Interested in the old stove, I asked about her appliances, and heard a little about daily life. Just a few of the newer Tenakee homes have clothes washer/dryers, and those people host others' washing. Rosie wonders why people need the machine and the expense, don't they know how to wash clothes? You "pack in water" (carry buckets from a stream), wash the clothes in the same tub after you wash yourself, and hang dry. Sunday is ironing day, but we both admitted to skipping ironing most of the time.
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Wed Nov 16 18:00:00 EST 2011, Tenakee Springs, Alaska
We awaited our next weather window spending about a week in Tenakee Inlet at anchor and at the Tenakee Springs town dock. As this is my first time visiting Alaska, I didn't mind the chance to see more of the local area.
Naturally, Tenakee Springs has a natural hot mineral spring pool, which since the early 1900's has been enclosed in a bathhouse to protect bathers from harsh weather. This also serves to protect modesty, since to keep the pool pure only nude bathing is allowed, with separate hours scheduled for women and men. Leave the dressing room and step down onto the stone deck in the steamy warm air. The 104F/35C mineral water bubbles out of 8 foot deep fissure and fills the small rock pool. Rinse off before settling in on the stone cut step, and warming up from a day of work on the boat. The mineral water and the heat together are so relaxing and rejuvenating! Thanks very much to the local Tenakee Bathhouse Committee for maintaining the spring and facilities.
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