Tenakee!

Wednesday midday. Weather is light rain, 50 degrees, wind E at 15 gusting 25.

We’re tied to D float, Tenakee Springs. We got in last night at 7:00, after a long but very pleasant motor from Poison Cove in Peril Strait.

We left Sitka Monday a little after 10 in the morning. I wanted to leave earlier to take advantage of the tide but neither the harbormaster’s office nor the fuel dock were open early enough. The weather was gorgeous. We encountered a chill wind out of the north as soon as we cleared the breakwater that continued until we reached Kakul Strait. Needless to say, it was hard on the nose, preventing any use of the sails. We were anchored in Poison Cove by 5:00PM.

Tuesday dawned clear and cold, cold enough for the dew to be frozen on the deck and the seas to be steaming. We were underway by 8. There was no wind, and by 10, the deck was dry and the day was warm. The cruise down Peril Strait to Chatham was beautiful. Jazz and I spent most of it lounging on the foredeck, listening to the bow wave and watching the countryside slide by. Chatham Strait was a mill pond, hardly a breath of wind. As we approached Tenakee Inlet, it had begun to cloud over and the wind began to blow, on the nose of course.

Last night I walked through the village of Tenakee Springs. It consists of a four-wheeler trail, barely wide enough to pass, that winds along the north shore of the Inlet for about a mile or so. There are buildings above and below the ‘road’ most of the way, with the ‘springs’ at about the midway point, adjacent to the fuel dock ramp. I put springs in quotes because they are a bath house about 20’ x 30’. I would have gone in last night but segregation of the sexes is practiced and it was women’s hours when I was there. I plan to check the scene out when men’s hours start this afternoon. Across from the bath house is the store. It wasn’t open, another delayed discovery opportunity.

The harbormaster came by last night after we got tied up, a very nice lady by the name of Wendy. She said that AC was available but that it was $20 a day. It’s $19.60 a day for Blue Note just to be moored with no AC. We are sheltered from the wind and most of the wave action but not from the rude boaters who haven’t figured out what “no wake” means.

Tenakee Springs has no cell service or at least no CDMA cell service. I haven’t tried the wifi since it’s likely the only internet service to the village is via satellite making a wifi enterprise too expensive. I’ve had no problem with being cut off as it were, but I do notice I talk to strangers just to have a conversation. Jazz is a great traveling companion but his vocabulary is somewhat lacking.

The forecast this morning sounds like tomorrow might be good for travel. I’m thinking of heading to Auke Bay, Juneau, with a stop overnight at Funter Bay. We’ll see what the forecast is this afternoon.

Update: As I was walking to the bath house I noticed a couple of wifi antennas so I strung mine up when I got down to the boat. Dada, an internet connection. I’m going to try to upload this. We’ll see.

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