The Lynn Canal Adventure

We are tied to the State float in Funter Bay. I’m listening to Steely Dan and feeling guilty for not having updated this sooner.

It’s been quite a week. We were in Skagway when I left off. Monday was clear, dry, but somewhat breezy. I decided I should break out the bike and go exploring. I had purchased a new seat for it while in Juneau and figured no time like the present to put it on. Of course the bolt holding the old one on had assumed it would never have to part with its nut. It took some persuading but I finally disabused it of its wrong-headed idea.

Skagway is the northernmost town in Southeast and it has a road connection. As such, it has become the turn around point for the large cruise ships that ply the inside passage. Consequently, the cruise ship owner companies dominate it. The main street is lined with quaint storefronts reminiscent of the look of a hundred years ago but with a Disneyesque flavor. Most, like 95% of them, are closed, not to open until May and close 3 1/2 months later.

As I pedaled up Broadway I was struck by the overwhelming preponderance of jewelry stores. It was hard to tell just what kind of jewelry they were hawking with the empty display windows but I could guess. One of them had very discreet yet pretentious signage advertising it was truly international with stores in Paris Milan Skagway. I wonder if the other two stores are open just for the summer and if they sell gaudy Alaska nugget jewelry.

One of the 4 or 5 businesses open was the Sweet Tooth Saloon. With the feel of well-maintained ghost town fresh in my mind I was mildly surprised to find the place full. The waitress was friendly and the food was good. I should have asked her the derivation of the name since it was neither a bar nor an ice cream candy shop.

Leaving the restaurant I decided to find out how many jewelry stores there actually were so I rode up Broadway to 7^th Street, the top of the business district. By the time I got back down to 1^st Street I had counted 27 of them. The tourons off the cruise ships must think the citizens of Skagway the most ostentatious 800 people they have ever come across.

The harbormaster had mentioned a place that had pizza and beer, an irresistible lure so Tuesday evening off I went. The Red Onion Saloon is on the corner of Broadway and 2^nd. I had been past it several times but it was closed every time so I figured it was just another summer tourist trap. Nope. It’s a beautiful old 2-story building that had been a whorehouse during the gold rush. The walls are decorated with pictures and portraits of some of the ladies of that era. The Alaska Amber was on tap, the pizza was good, AND they had Herradura Añejo, one of my favorite tequilas. I was most definitely BWI (Biking While Intoxicated) on my way back to the boat.

My plan was to stay in Skagway for three days then wait for favorable weather to head back to Haines. The forecasts Monday and Tuesday were for south winds through Wednesday, switching north Thursday. I was prepared to wait until Thursday but Wednesday morning the winds were calm. I decided to go have breakfast and if it were still calm when I got back to the boat we would go.

It was still calm so we prepared to go. Of course as we cleared the breakwater the winds picked back up. Right on the nose with the occasional whitecap and against the flooding current I debated turning around. But I had seen what there was of Skagway to see in early April, the birds were wheeling around a ball of baitfish, and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. I pulled the throttle back to economy cruise, set Otto on a course, and had a leisurely afternoon motor down Taiya Inlet to Portage Cove.

As we entered the harbor the harbormaster hailed us from one of the floats and directed us to the same spot we had before. He recommended a couple of restaurants on the old Fort Seward grounds, an Italian place and a Mexican place. I walked back down to the boat got the bike and rode off in search of dinner.

True to form I had forgotten the names of the restaurants as soon as I left the office but figured there couldn’t be that many where I was going. I found a place that had restaurant and bar in its name. In I went. I didn’t see any tables set up but I could hear laughter and conversation and I followed it up to a small bar with a very cute bartender and 6 or 7 people drinking. I sat down, ordered a beer, and asked when the kitchen opened. To my surprise she said tomorrow. She recommended a place down the alley that had pizza called the Fireweed. Aha! As I was finishing my beer, one of the guys rang the bell. The bartender handed me a drink token but when I saw the others lining up shots of Patron I gave it back and joined them. Turns out the business was SEABA, Southeast Alaska Backcountry Adventures and the clients were heli-skiers. I should have recognized them with their anoraks, and reverse-raccoon tans.

The Fireweed Restaurant was the Italian place the harbormaster had recommended. They feature the five Haines Brewing Company beers on tap. I started off with the IPA and a menu. The beer was good and all but pizza on the menu kind of called for wine so I had pizza once again. It was very good as was the porter and the ale I had with it.

The next day the winds were blowing south so I decided to stay over. Besides, there was the Mexican food restaurant and the other two HBC beers to try. It was a good call as Mosey’s Cantina had both chili rellenos and HBC beer. It also was very good.

Friday was partly cloudy with winds out of the north to 10 knots. Time to go. The trip down Lynn Canal was delightful, riding the ebb tide and being pushed along with the following winds. As we came out from behind Sullivan Island the winds died completely. The porpoises frolicking in the bow wave counterbalanced the disappointment of having to fire up the motor.

We arrived at the entrance to Boat Harbor just before low water. I wanted the ebbing current to be able to maintain steerage at low speed since the entrance is rather shoal and narrow. At a couple of spots we had less than 3 feet below the shoe. No problems encountered and we were anchored 15 minutes later.

The next morning was clear and breezy out of the north. High slack water wasn’t until 11:30 so Jazz and I took the skiff over to the entrance to check the conditions. The water was boiling through the channel with definite whirlpools and eddies. I didn’t want to chance getting crosswise in such a narrow waterway. We had several hours to kill.

On the way back we stopped off and chatted with Chris, the caretaker of the 5 net pens full of chum salmon fry in one of the bights. He said they grow them from the beginning of March to the end of May and release them when they are about 3 grams. Cool job in a beautiful setting.

Part of the procedure for retrieving the skiff calls for climbing over the side, attaching the lifting bridle and tackle, then clamoring back over the rail. Climbing back onto the boat, my left foot slipped off the rail and my shin slammed into its sharp edge with most of my weight behind it. After the incredible pain had subsided enough for me to gather my wits I realized I had a bleeding wound to deal with.

We were underway after use of water, soap, alcohol, gauze, and tape. The forecast for southern Lynn Canal was for 15-20 knot northerlies, four foot seas, not bad. Instead we got 25-30 knots N, 6 foot sea with the occasional 8 footer, exciting. We were committed. Boat Harbor’s entrance to Lynn Canal has enough northerly exposure to allow for quite a swell for a ways into the channel. The situation was that reentering Boat Harbor had a high likelihood of bending metal.

Our destination was Auke Bay a distance of 25 miles. The first 12 miles diagonaling across to the northern point of Shelter Island would be the roughest. Upon leaving the entrance I deployed the jib as we beat into the weather. The vandals visited when we turned down wind. I watched the big flat screen come loose from the cabintop and pitch into the cabin. I couldn’t leave the helm to put the main up so we did it with the engine running barely above an idle and still averaging 7 knots.

With all the sailing going on I had completely forgotten my leg. At one point, probably an hour into it I started to scramble for something or another and was reminded. I glanced down and it looked like a grapefruit half under my stretch pants. I pulled up the pant leg. The purple lump was ugly but I was happy to see the bleeding had stopped.

Gaining Favorite Channel the moderating seas allowed Otto to take over steering duty. Up went the main and Miss Mercedes took a break. 7.5 to 8 knots wing and wing. I looked down into the cabin to see the flat screen lying on its back on the sole continuing to display a chart of our position even after its seven foot swan dive!

Tied to the dock, I went up to the rain locker for the miracle of hot water. After over a week of a damp wash cloth I was due. My plan was to get cleaned up, try a burger at the Hot Bite, take care of Jazz, then ride the bus into town to see my friends from Sitka play at the Juneau Folk Festival. After the shower I realized I really wasn’t going anywhere but back to the boat. Since the Hot Bite was right across the parking lot I was able to get dinner but it was a struggle to get Jazz up to do his business. I spent the evening with the leg elevated and an ice pack on the knot.

The next day the leg was better. I took the bus to Freddies and stocked up on groceries in addition to picking up a couple of cold/hot packs. When I got back to the boat and got the food stowed I checked the weather. Good conditions for leaving in the morning. We made preparations.

Monday was beautiful, 10 knots out of the north and few clouds in the sky. We got away from the fuel dock a little after 11. The USCG cutter Liberty was lying-to off the ferry dock as we crossed Auke Bay. Two hours later we were in the Saginaw Channel when I heard the Coast Guard come on VHF channel 16 with a “Pan-Pan” call concerning the report of a parasail white in color going into the water near Shelter Island and asking for any sightings. I hadn’t seen anything so I didn’t report in.

The calls continued as we rounded Point Retreat with increasing information as to description and location. By the time we were to False Point Retreat it was a parasail or an ultralight , white, black and purple going into the water between Point Symonds and Barlow Point towards Mansfield Peninsula from Shelter Island. I was thinking how those colors reminded me of my left shin when I thought I heard the Coast Guard calling for a sailboat that had transited that area. I wasn’t sure though and it wasn’t repeated. Sure enough, five minutes later I hear, “This United States Coast Guard Sector Juneau calling the sailing vessel Blue Note.’ I reported I hadn’t seen anything except the humpbacks off Point Barlow. An hour later we were tied to the dock here in Funter Bay.

Today is a weather day. It’s 25 knots out of the south up Chatham Strait. Since Tenakee is 25 miles down Chatham before the turn into the inlet and variable to 15 knots is the guess for Wednesday, we will wait. Now that this is up to date it’s time for Jazz and I to further explore Funter.

The pics are the Haines Boat Harbor, the Fireweed Restaurant, my guides down the Canal, the net pens, the go/no-go decision point (notice the entrance to the Canal is out of sight to the left), a humpback whale in Saginaw Channel, a couple of Canadian tourists, where we are as I write.

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Skagway

Partly cloudy, 44, winds out of the south at 15 knots.

We’re in Skagway! New territory, yay! Got here 3:30PM.

The week spent in Auke Bay was OK. Made several bus trips in the course of hunting down parts and restocking the larder and liquor cabinet. It’s an interesting experience to ride the bus packing six bags of groceries. Also tried Chans Thai Kitchen here in Auke Bay on Susanna’s recommendation. It was good.

I had been admiring a large steel cutter tied up interposed between Blue Note and the beach on my excursions ashore. What caught my eye were the many large Lexan port lights in the tumblehome, that portion of the freeboard above the widest point of the hull and below the deck. It made for a strong hull with a big view from the different cabins on board. The owner showed up mid week and I learned she’s Scandinavian, 54 feet and hard chined. I had noticed her mast was slightly taller than Blue Note’s so I was surprised to find out her owner had taken her under the Juneau-Douglas Bridge. He did it right before slack low water on a 0’ tide. He was able to fuel her and get back under on the same tide. He had people on the bridge checking clearances and it was apparently close. The Coast Pilot reports 51 feet of clearance but doesn’t specify where on the arch or the tidal reference. Google produced a document specifying heights at different navigation lights at 0’ (MLLW). Turns out Blue Note can pass under the highest portion of the arch on any tide lower than plus 5 feet, good information to have.

We got away from the fuel dock a little after noon on April 2, flaunting fate by leaving on a Friday. The winds in Auke Bay were light and variable and the sun was out. My intention was to overnight in Echo Cove about 39 miles north and then travel on to Haines the next day. But after several hours of slogging upwind in 20 knots and 4 foot seas, it was evident Echo Cove was unreachable before dark. Since we were less than 2 miles from Tee Harbor I decided to put in there.

Tee Harbor is less than 20 miles on the highway north of Juneau. Back in the early 80’s I and a couple of friends took a skiff from the south arm of Tee Harbor over to see a parcel one of them had just purchased on Shelter Island across Favorite Passage. Even then there were a lot of houses ringing the harbor. So I wasn’t surprised when we rounded the north entrance point to find not only houses completely around the anchorage but also mooring balls everywhere. Not exactly the place to take a leak over the side. Fortunately no boats were at their mooring balls so all I had to do was anchor without fouling the moorings.

The anchor was in its chock by 8AM and we were motoring up Lynn Canal under overcast skies and calm winds, Haines 55 miles away. Abeam Berners Bay we began to get a breeze forward of the beam so up went the main. From then on we had wind mostly favorable all the way to Haines. The sun made periodic appearances trading time with the clouds. At one point we had a complete rainbow during a snow squall. The highlight of the trip came about 5 miles south of Eldred Rock. The sound of a blow caused me to turn around in time to see the tall black dorsal fin of an orca slide under not more than 100 feet off the starboard quarter. A quick scan revealed another smaller orca a couple of hundred yards to port. They were traveling a little slower than we were so they were in sight for quite awhile. I don’t think I’ve seen orcas more than a half a dozen times so this was quite a treat, perhaps cancelling the bad juju of leaving port on Friday.

We got into Haines about 5:30. After getting the boat and Jazz squared away I walked up to the Lighthouse Restaurant/Harbor Bar, had a couple of beers and dinner and watched Duke trounce West Virginia.

The next morning, Easter, Jazz and I made a circuit of downtown. I had been here before, February 1981. I had come in on the ferry from Petersburg, spent the night then drove to Tok on my way to Valdez. I could recognize nothing from that trip so it was like new territory. Of course nothing was open and no one was out.

When we got back to the boat I began the process of deciding whether to go or stay: plotting a track line to the destination, checking the reported weather and forecast, checking the tide. The trip to Skagway was 14 miles, reported winds for both Haines and Skagway was S at 15 knots, and the tide was favorable at 1:30PM. Also the sun was out. I decided to go.

It was a good call. What a beautiful trip, waterfalls and hanging glaciers with a favorable tide and following winds. In fact the conditions were almost too good. I needed to charge the batteries therefore requiring the motor. Even at the lowest rpm setting to get maximum alternator output plus the pull from the genoa we were making better than 6 knots.

So here we are in Skagway. Jazz and I just got back from a stroll through downtown. Like Haines, deserted. I’ll find out in the morning what’s open from the harbormaster. And also see about getting an internet connection.

The pics are of the orcas, Eldred Rock, Haines Boat Harbor, Taiya Inlet and the Le Conte, and downtown Skagway.

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Auke again

Sunday. Winds to 20 knots out of the southwest, 45, some sucker holes in the overcast.

We got away from Pelican about 1:30PM. It was partly cloudy and dead flat calm as we motored up Lisianski Inlet our wake stretching from the stern to each shore. A long 2-4 foot swell from the Gulf greeted us as we rounded the corner at Column Point, Cross Sound. The swell came and went as our exposure to Cross Sound waxed and waned with the only wind being that produced by Mercedes.

We were at the entrance to Elfin Cove’s inner harbor a little after 5. The channel is both narrow and shallow but with the tide a bit before its midpoint and rising I was pretty sure there was enough water. The scare box didn’t fail to excite as the reading was 7.5 feet at one part, 1 foot below the keel.

Elfin Cove is kind of like an old friend who hasn’t aged as well as one would like. I have been here several times, first by float plane in the late 70’s, next as crew on the M/V My Way in October, 1987. The last time was June, 2000, when Dave, Suzan, and I brought Blue Note north. The quaint fishing village has morphed into a seasonal charter-fishing destination with big fancy lodges dominating the architecture and virtually surrounding the inner harbor. Of course, this time of year they are all boarded up, lending an air of dead artificiality to what used to be a beautiful little town. This trend was becoming apparent ten years ago by the construction of a large brand new lodge on the point just west of the channel. Since then there are four new ones on the hill above and beside the post office.

Thursday dawned clear and calm. We were underway before 10, late as usual. High tide was at nine and we really should have been on our way a couple hours before. The reward for my laziness came in the form of an ebbing tidal current pushing through the venturi otherwise known as South Inian Passage toward the Pacific. We, of course were going the other way. The chart says those currents can reach 8-10 knots. Fortunately they weren’t that strong but they were cutting our speed in half and the rips were causing Blue Note to yaw through 40-50 degrees.

We survived. Rounding Point Adolphus we began to pick up a following wind. Too bad it was only traveling as fast as we were. I tried unfurling the Genoa but it hung limply and shifting into neutral we slowed to 2 knots. Oh well, back to motion by Mercedes.

After successfully negotiating the Gedney Channel and rounding Cannery Point Hoonah hove into view. The Coast Pilot says it is the largest native community in Southeast. It is noticeably larger than the other small villages obviously taking advantage of relatively flat land not possessed by the others. Like the others it faces mostly south on its inlet, Port Frederick. Just after passing their lift dock a humpback blew and sounded right off Pitt Island on our starboard bow. It was magical, right down to the hint of a rainbow in the drifting mist. Then we docked the boat.

Met a fellow who arrived in a 12 foot skiff right after we did. He was admiring the beach wheels on Blue Note’s skiff. Seems his place had a mud flat in front and he wanted to know how they worked. The conversation wound on and presently I found myself discussing someone we knew in common whom I really didn’t think much of. But it was a gorgeous afternoon and this guy was a well spoken pleasant fellow so I didn’t bring up what I really thought of his friend. He was on his way to catch the State ferry to Juneau to meet his wife. He pointed me in the direction of a restaurant and was on his way.

So after Jazz finished with his business I wandered up to Mary’s Inn on the main drag just past the cold storage dock. The two story building has its front sitting on land and its back end stilted over the high tide line. Other than a lady picking up take-out I was the only customer. The seating area in the back had a beautiful 270 degree view of Pitt Island and the approach to the small boat harbor directly ahead with Blue Note’s mast poking up over the breakwater on the left to the ferry terminal at the far end of town to the right. The sunset reminded me that I had forgotten the camera again. The menu resembled that of Kenny’s Wok and Teriyaki in Sitka with selections of both. I had the fish and chips special. It was pretty good.

The forecast for Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday had not changed in two days: a front was to move through northern Southeast and the winds and seas would make voyaging very unpleasant. The bottom line was that wherever we were Friday night was where we would be until Monday. For a lot of reasons I wanted that place to be Juneau rather than Hoonah even if it meant berthing in Auke Bay.

We got away by 8:20AM Friday. Ten minutes later the belt driving the house battery alternator let go. I thought about turning around and replacing the belt at the dock or maybe not even replacing it until reaching Auke Bay. I quickly rejected the second idea as should we have to shelter in Funter Bay I wanted a fully charged house battery. I also didn’t want to lose the time spent turning back. Fortunately Icy Strait was flat. Twenty minutes and we were underway again the batteries receiving their needed charge.

By the time we reached The Sisters, a bunch of islands and reefs almost at the intersection of Icy Strait, Chatham Strait, and Lynn Canal, the winds had built to 20-25 knots out of the northeast, right where we wanted to go of course. The predicted storm had the winds veering from northerlies to out of the southeast. Rounding Point Couverdin into Lynn Canal it was obvious the wind direction had begun its move to the south.

This was beneficial because finally the sail was contributing to Blue Note’s forward motion. At times we were exceeding 7 knots with main and the ‘iron jib’ Miss Mercedes. About halfway across Lynn Canal to Point Retreat the engine quit. I knew immediately what had happened. I had checked the main fuel tank in Elfin Cove and finding it empty transferred the contents of one of the two 15 gallon deck jugs into it. After 13 hours of running time plus almost 36 hours of heater usage it was dry again. It was a total rookie mistake. After switching tanks and the requisite 5 minutes of pumping, priming, and various machinations, Miss Mercedes was running again. A couple of things made the incident inconsequential. First, the fetch was short and the seas were fairly flat. Second, there was enough wind at a good angle to keep the mainsail full and driving, allowing Otto enough steerage to keep Blue Note on course. I hate spending my luck on situations brought about by my own stupidity while at the same time am thankful for it.

While all this was taking place the winds were continuing to veer to the south and build in intensity such that by the time we rounded Point Retreat the winds were out of the east at over 30 knots with gusts into the gale force range. In these conditions a stalled engine would have had catastrophic results with the wind driving us onto a lee shore before we could even get the jib deployed to try to claw our way off. But the engine didn’t stall and after three hours on a run normally made in less than two we finally gained Statter Harbor.

Yesterday was spent resting, relaxing, and reconnecting with friends and family. Today the job is updating the blog. Tomorrow I was planning to take the bus to an auto parts store to find a replacement belt and to Fred Meyers to restock the larder. It however is Seward’s Day, an important holiday in Alaska’s capitol city and I don’t know if there will be an open auto parts store although I’m pretty sure Freddies will be. Tomorrow will tell.

The pics are of Cape Spencer across Cross Sound, the entrance to Elfin Cove’s inner harbor showing the first large lodge on the right, the other end of the channel, the back side of Elfin Cove and the inner harbor, Hoonah, the Blue Note in Hoonah’s small boat harbor with Pitt Island to the right, and The Sisters.

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Pelican!

Rain and snow, 33, wind out of the south at ten knots.

No fun to be outside. We are on the outside of the tee on the end of C dock in Pelican. It snowed all morning, a wet slush almost 2 inches deep and treacherous. Even Jazz with four-paw-drive was slipping and sliding.

Had a rather interesting morning. Got up to the sound of wet clumps of snow falling from the stays, shrouds, and spreaders. Of course, these sudden sounds absolutely terrify Jazz so he was doing his shaking fearful dog thing right at my feet. Looked outside and quickly concluded we’d spend another night in Pelican. Even though Elfin Cove is only 20 miles away there’s no point in going if the visibility sucks and it’s miserable outside.

But it was warm and cozy in Blue Note. Seemed like a good morning for waffles. I was just about to put the first of the batter in the waffler when I noticed the cabin heater had gone out. A quick check revealed a hot to the touch fuel pump. After breakfast I swapped in the spare pump and the heat was back on. As the tools were being stowed the battery low voltage warning light came on.

This light indicates that the house battery, the big battery that powers everything except the engine starter, had dropped below 11.0 volts. It popped back up and the light turned green after the refrigerator compressor shut off, but it was indicative that a charge had to be applied to the battery. Without a charge the battery will continue to supply power until it reaches 10.5 volts at which point the low-voltage-disconnect will operate and nothing works, VHF radio, depth sounder, lights, and most importantly, the heater fuel pump. When we are cruising every day it takes about 2½ hours of the engine running at 2000 rpm to resupply a full charge after using the battery for over night. With no charging, the battery will last about 48 hours from full charge to low voltage disconnect.

The current situation :-) was that yesterday’s run had not supplied a full charge and 24 hours of no charging later we were almost out of juice. A trip to City Hall to pay moorage fees and request an AC connection and we are plugged in.

Pelican is laid out similarly to Tenakee Springs in that both are on the north shore of their respective inlets facing south. The Pelican main “street” is actually a wooden dock roughly 20 feet wide extending about a 1/3 of a mile from Pelican Seafoods on the west to a strip of land on the east. All of the buildings front on the “street” or have extended walkways that reach it and almost all of them are on pilings. There is a restaurant, a hotel, several B & Bs, 2 float plane services, all closed this time of year. Rosie’s Bar is the only open business I’ve found. There is probably a grocery store but not needing it I haven’t really looked for it. Maybe tomorrow.

The pics were taken last night on our evening constitutional. One is of the harbor from the main street. The other is of the street in the background with the railing in the foreground. The image is a screen shot of the nav computer showing the chart of Pelican and Blue Note as a green icon roughly in the center.

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ADDENDUM: Just added a couple of shots, one of City Hall and of the boardwalk.