As we sail gently up the Sumner Strait at 2.2 knots, with the sun shining in a blue sky, our two fishermen, Jamie and Mikey, compete to catch their first fish! Copious amounts of advice have been given and apparently we are going at the optimum speed for catching a salmon while trolling, but so far only kelp has obliged.
Never mind the fish! we say, grimacing slightly, - it is such glorious weather, and we have hardly sailed at all on this trip, the wind has either been on the nose or none at all, just like the weather which is all or nothing as well!
We had left Juneau on a cold grey day, motor sailing along the Stephen Passage, until the wind died and the rain set in. We tied up alongside a float in Taku Bay, soon to be joined by Sagata, and a few warming drinks gave us encouragement for the next day.
The following morning looked worse not better, low cloud and heavy rain, hardly the weather we needed to go up Tracy Arm fjord and visit glaciers. We rejected Giles’s suggestion of staying put, we had after all already got up at 0500, so on we went. Ten miles before we got to the fjord entrance, in the wide Stephen Passage we were surprised by seeing a large iceberg, clearly visible through the rain by its bright blue colour, gradually their number increased, and were added to by smaller bits of ice.
At the entrance to the fjord a moraine bar has formed from all the silt laden ice coming down the fjord, it is very visible as icebergs sit on the shallows. The channel through is turbulent at all states of the tide, and our timing saw us there a couple of hours after slack water on a rising tide. We briefly carried 5 knots of tide, and fought to control the boat in the whirlpools, while Sagata who was a mile behind us watched a big motor boat coming out completely grabbed by a whirlpool and spun round!
It is 25 miles up Tracy Arm to the two glaciers at the top, and the rain was relentless, although the high mountainous cliffs around us seemed to keep the cloud base up, and we still thought it beautiful with soaring granite cliffs rising on either side of us, while water tumbled down the surface hundreds of feet into the fjord, and cloud moulded the valleys and dips in a totally monochrome landscape.
However my crews’ spirits were feeling a little less cheery than normal, and as negotiating the icebergs intensified, we all began to wonder what on earth we were doing on such an arduous trip, and would it be worth it? Not quite mutiny but ….! Then suddenly with about four miles to go the sky cleared, the rain stopped and the sun came out, transforming the landscape into something even more amazing. The steepness of the rocks and the water that had poured in many countless waterfalls down their face had left a polished surface of shiny dark granite, where no plants however tenacious could hang on, and as we turned south at the T junction of the fjord to head first to South Sawyer and then to North Sawyer glaciers we were blessed with blue sky.
South Sawyer glacier is bigger and bluer than North Sawyer, and produces far more calving icebergs. Each one seemed to be occupied by seals and sea lions. It was great to have Sagata with us to take our photographs in this strange, harsh landscape, where the only noise was the crash and echo of ice falling into the water. Our chart plotter showed us as sailing on land for both glaciers, an indication of how much they must have retreated.
A glacial current sped us on our way back down Tracy Arm, and soon we were back in pouring rain. But we were jubilant to have had such lucky weather when we needed it. We anchored in a little cove off Holkham Bay near the entrance to the glacier, joining a Canadian motor boat who told us that they had not been able to walk their dogs on one beach because of the bears, and lo and behold a little later they called us up and told us that the bears were back on the beach, a mother Grizzly with three cubs. A perfect ending to a long day!
Two days later we pulled into ‘Warm Spring Bay’, on the east of Baranof Island, which held the promise of an uphill walk and a soak in some natural rock pools of hot water. Five boats from the Juneau Yacht Club were moored up on the dock, but there was space for us, and interesting to meet local sailors on their bi-annual ‘Round the Island Race’, in their case around Admiralty Island. No easy feat with the light winds and strong tides.
I was highly sceptical about stripping off my thermals and climbing into warm rock pools, but after we had walked to the lake beyond and returned to the pools we felt warm, the main hazard was the slipperiness of the algae, and the water was almost too hot for us. The smaller pool was particularly magnificent, perched above the roaring river on its decent to the large waterfall that fell into the bay where we were moored. I doubt if there are any hot springs anywhere that could equal the dramatic setting!
The tiny community had also built three private tubs by the harbour, filled by piped hot sulphur smelling water all for a donation into an honesty box. So next morning we all indulged ourselves with a thoroughly good soak in the largest bath tubs ever, which looked out over the waterfall cascading into the bay!
The sun was still shining when we left to catch the tide which would carry us up the Chatham Strait, into Peril Strait, and the narrows, and had we wanted all the way to Sitka. We decided to break the trip at Deep Bay, two miles before the Sergius Narrows, where we needed the short lived slack water to avoid being swept through on the 8 knot current! Next morning we negotiated the Narrows, and then the Olga and Neva Straits, and on into Sitka, the old Russian capital of Alaska, where we moored up in Thomsen Harbour.
There is plenty of history attached to Sitka, but most of all I needed to see the customs, and extend our American Cruising Permit, which proved a quick and straightforward business, although not all the customs authorities are as obliging.
Next day while Giles changed the oil, Jamie and Mikey did laundry and shopping, and we all did our own culture: history museum, Russian Orthodox Cathedral, with an excellent array of old icons, Bishop’s house, and the Sheldon Jackson Museum with a fascinating ethnological collection of native artefacts, which revealed the ingenuity and artistry of the different native groups.
We had a social evening catching up with Kiwi friends Robin and Simon - drinks on Kiwi Coyote, along with Lesley and Phil, and then a delicious but very rich meal at Ludwig’s restaurant.
We left next morning feeling rather the worse for wear, heading through rocky islets and breaking waves, back out into the swell of the Pacific Ocean. The waves and wind pushed us back making it an uncomfortable and slow first part of the passage. My plan to anchor in one of the bays on the west (Pacific) side, of Baranof Island seemed like they might be over ambitious, but I identified a bay with a good protecting peninsular, that eventually saw us safe inside a cove within Red Fish Bay, three quarters of the way down the island, well away from any swell, and sea otters to watch us in, and next morning a whale to see us out!
We rounded Cape Ommaney at the south of Baranof next morning, and headed across the Chatham Strait for Cape Decision, both of these can be unpleasant, but the sun continued to shine, and once into the Sumner Strait, the wind sprung up, and we were able to sail into our next bay of Port McArthur, which was another stunning anchorage, although there were no bears and no fish willing to be caught!
Next day, still with sunshine we had our first breakfast in the cockpit, and sailed north towards Labouchere Bay, a reminder of Norfolk friends. Again the boys tried to catch some fish on the way!
Labouchere Bay was suitably challenging, with lots and lots of rocks and islets to dodge, but nevertheless stunning once we were safely anchored. We were on the large Prince of Wales Island, and we had spotted a road ashore, so launched the dinghy to go for a walk.
It was a revelation of what you don’t see from the sea! The grit road was clearly well used, but almost the first thing we saw was an enormous bear pooh! We were armed with bear spray so that was ok, but the walk up the road didn’t reveal a lot until, we tried a different route and found ourselves in amongst lots and lots of abandoned cars and trucks, grass was growing through the bumpers, although many were newer and shinier than anything I have ever owned, and yet not a soul was there.
Our imaginations ran wild, especially when we came across a couple of pieces of steel that had been used for target practice, and found Armalite bullets scattered around…………… we needed our glass of wine when we were safely back on Brother Wind!
From here we had another lovely sail, to await the tide up the Wrangall Narrows, which took us through a fast cut 20 miles north to the Norwegian town of Petersburg, where tomorrow Mikey and Jamie fly off to Seattle and home.