Yesterday we arrived at Petersburg after an easy motor up from Portage Bay. We picked up some glacier ice and filled the deck cooler with it before coming in. We proceeded to fuel up and are now in a slip for a couple days waiting for some weather to pass before we transit the Wrangell Narrows. Our leg included the rest of Peril Straight and then a long smooth motor down North Chatham Straight with a brief detour into Waterfall Bay. Baranoff Island is truly a jewel and one I'm glad to have finally seen. We overnighted in Warm Springs Bay, an amazing little community perched on the rocks right next to a raging waterfall. Hot springs feed several bath houses that overlook the tiny bay and allow for your own personal hot tub with privacy, but just up the boardwalk a ways, and amongst towering rain forest spruce, lays the source of the springs, marked on a boardwalk post with just the word "HOT." There are two pools, one spilling into the next and then just 20 feet from that, the raging crashing white water of the river. We spent our time alternating between a small cut in the rocks filled with freezing river water, and the less hot of the hot pools. When we'd had our fill, we walked up the boardwalk just a bit more to find Baranoff Lake, the source of the raging river and waterfall below. Trout bag limit signs surely piqued my interest, but we needed to move on.
The next day, we beat out of Chatham Straight and also up Frederick Sound in rain and 20 knots on the nose. We were treated by a spectacular whale breaching show as a young humpback breached repeatedly. On starboard tack, we sailed on our coarse but just kept getting closer and closer as the show continued. The final breach, was way too close for comfort and while Danny took some pictures, Lolo and I decided it was time to tack away. Neither of us wanted to be aboard one of those boats to have a whale crash down on the decks! As we tacked away, the show continued, but we quickly left them behind. After a long wet beat, we anchored in Honey Dew Cove on the north end of Kuiu Is. The next day we again beat 35 miles into 20 knots, stressing the cat out and soaking most our rain gear to the bone. As we approached Portage Bay, the current was ebbing 3 knots out of the entrance, but we were able to motor in. Just inside the neck of Portage Bay, we found a nice shallow anchorage, fired up the heater, had dinner and went to bed early.
We are now berthed next to S/V Bob in Petersburg. Time to do some exploring while Lolo works.