M/V BurntSand - Northern BC & Alaska 2007!

Near Gale Causes Anchor Dragging!

Location: Captain Cove off Petrel Channel
Date: Wednesday, July 25,2007
Last Post (LP): July 21, 2007
Time: 1100
Location: N 53 48 59 W 130 11 87
Dist. Since LP: 21.7 nm
Total Distance: 1,231.4nm
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We woke to hard rain and increasing south easterly winds on Sunday, July 22nd. Our ears glued to the marine weather forecast and our eyes performing a constant scan of our anchorage we appraised our situation carefully. We both believed the anchor was dragging under the force of the winds. We turned on the instruments. We soon had 34 - 35 knot winds and our instruments confirmed we were moving very slowly. We quickly shifted into operation "escape the anchorage" and Jim donned his weather gear to head out into the storm to bring up the anchor. Deb manned the helm and kept the boat heading into the wind. Twice our hydraulic system which operates our windlass failed. Deb reset the hydraulics. We were glad we had put out sufficient scope to adequately cope with this situation. In anticipation of worsening weather we had lifted the dinghy aboard the night before and battened everything down. We left the anchorage at 1130 and headed towards Crab Trap Cove to see if we could safely anchor there but the winds were quite strong (25+ knots) there as well. So we cruised on to "plan C" and sought a quiet refuge in Captain Cove off Petrel Channel. Captain Cove is approximately 2.5 miles long with two streams at its head. Very picturesque. The stream in the northeast corner had large drying flats and invited exploration. We performed our anchoring ritual at 1420 and relaxed in the cosiness of this anchorage nestled beneath the protection of tall mountain peaks. A resident pair of eagles perched nearby was our welcoming committee. Always a good sign.

Once the rain abated, we lowered our dinghy and put out two crab traps filled with fresh fish heads to entice the Dungeness crabs we favoured. We headed to the drying flats and tied up the dinghy securing it with both stern anchor and forward tie to a log. We had a great hike and discovered what appeared to be fresh bear tracks which had passed sometime ahead of us. Jim was able to capture the beauty of the area with his new camera. The drying flats were covered with crunchy sea lettuce laced with barnacle encrusted rocks. We found one small dead Red Rock crab. No fish were spotted in the shallow waters we crossed. Numerous streams threaded their way into the river and all was quiet except for the gentle roar of water crashing over rocks and falling into the delta. A heron rose up suddenly ahead of us and then the quiet of the wild descended upon us again. We returned to the dinghy before the flood was too high and planned to return at high tide to explore by dinghy later that night. Quite a few splashes of fish jumping in the cove encouraged us to try our hand at fishing but no luck. Jim checked our traps and brought back a bonanza catch of 5 large male Dungeness crab. He had already released twelve female and undersized crabs. Hunting and gathering can be hard work especially releasing the crab from the net traps. The traps work well and are compact for storage but a real challenge when 18 crabs each equipped with 10 legs all of which are intent upon grabbing a filament of net!!!Picture that. However the feast that evening was well worth the effort. Deb cooked up the crabs and we elected to explore the river at high tide and dine later. It was 2100 as we slowly plied our way up river in the dinghy. Deb spotted the bear first. A beautiful black bear with a rich glossy coat was foraging on the sedge grass near the riverbank. Jim killed the motor and we drifted delighting in the bear bathed in the magical light of dusk. We returned to the BurntSand at 2230 and Jim mixed up some margaritas to celebrate our day and accompany our crab feast. It was a late night!

The next morning we were elated to find sunshine and more importantly ...no rain. We had a leisurely breakfast and headed out in our kayaks at high tide to visit our bear. Jim brought his camera and he was able to get some excellent shots before our bear disappeared into the woods. A pair of ducks with following train of ducklings were navigating the waters. We returned to the BurntSand and decided to do some maintenance projects and stay another night in the cove. A fleet of three power boats joined us in the anchorage and rafted together. The largest boat was about 100 feet in length and the smallest was 50...they were serious fishermen and had a small fleet of dinghies and a couple of 22 foot fishing boats. It looked like a floating village of condominiums.

We left Captain Cove at 1050 the next morning and headed for Larsen Harbour in warm sunshine. Hurray!

Unfortunately the six mooring buoys in Larsen Harbour are no longer in existence and with southwest winds predicted to be 20-25 knots we have to find another anchorage as Larsen is relatively open.

Absalom Cove off Freeman Passage (The "Outside" of the Inside Passage)

Location: Cove West of Absalom Island, B.C. off Freeman Passage
Date: Saturday, July 20,2007
Last Post (LP): July 16, 2007
Time: 1100
Location: N 53 56 61  W 130 36 953
Dist. Since LP: 46.7 nm
Total Distance: 1,209.71 nm
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July 18th at 0955 we left the docks of Prince Rupert and headed back to our happy fishing grounds of the Freeman Passage. We soon left the fog of Prince Rupert behind us and enjoyed the cruise in fabulous sunshine. We were originally hoping to tie up to a mooring buoy in Freeman Passage Cove but the four mooring buoys noted on the charts were nowhere to be found. We discovered a beautiful,private anchor site tucked in between Porcher and Absalom Islands, well protected from all winds. we set our anchor at 1550 and were delighted to be so close to excellent kayaking grounds and of course the FISH of Freeman Passage. Eagles are everywhere, soaring and wheeling above us or perched high in the trees,the kings of the kingdom. We put out two crab pots at the head of the bay and set off to do some serious fishing. It was a lovely afternoon and we plied our way up and down the little bays lining Freeman Passage. A couple of eagles followed us as we made our way to and fro. They were absolutely magnificent. A whale entered the passage where we were fishing and awed us with his spouting. We couldn't believe our good luck! A couple of porpoise swam by. We are enthralled with the wildness and beauty of this area. We caught and released about five rockfish and also released a cutthroat trout which we wished in hindsight we had kept when we lost two fish we thought were probably salmon. I decided that fishing is like tennis...lots of fun, but way more fun when you're winning ie catching fish! The next morning we headed out early and after more catch and release action we landed a beautiful chinook about 24 pounds and a good sized coho. Very exciting! No whale sighting today but porpoise and seals definitely like this waterway.We were ready to enjoy yet another delicious salmon feast. Once again our freezers are almost completely full.

The next morning two fisheries inspectors paid us a visit and checked our fishing licenses. We were so surprised to see them as we hadn't seen a boat in days...its so remote here "on the inside of the outside" (the Queen Charlotte Islands are the next stop West). They said they almost missed us tucked in as we were, with a ring of rocky shoals almost hiding our presence at low tide. We checked our crab traps and found 17 Red Rock crab...we released them all as we prefer Dungeness...fussy, fussy, we've become! We moved our traps to a new location hoping to find Dungeness. We decided to fish a little before lunch even though we didn't have our tackle box or net on board. We did have a rod set up and a fish bonker. Within 10 minutes we had a beautiful spring on the hook and did he ever fight! Jim played him to hopefully tire him out before we attempted to land him without a net...he won and broke the line! We headed back to the BurntSand for a quick lunch and headed out to fish again. For the next 5 hours we fished through rain, heavy rain, light rain, sunshine, calm, wind, calm and sunshine ...and unhappily NO FISH. WE chastised ourselves for being too cocky in fishing without our net. We ended the evening with our ongoing backgammon tournament now all tied up at 3-3 after Jim mounted a comeback when down 3-0.

Prince Rupert and More Grizzlies!

Location:         Prince Rupert Prince Rupert Yacht Club, B.C.
Date:               Monday, July 16,2007
Last Post (LP): July 12, 2007
Time:               2200
Location:          N 54 14 74 W 130 20 86
Dist. Since LP:   0 nm
Total Distance:  1,163.01 nm
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Friday morning found us tied securely to the Prince Rupert Yacht Club dock. It was foggy and thunder claps caught our attention as Jim was scheduled to fly out to Vancouver and on to Montreal to visit his family. We caught a cab to the hotel where a bus would pick up all the Air Canada passengers to take them by ferry to the airport on Digby island across the water. The fog began to lift and there was a promise of a sunny day. I walked back to the boat and stopped en route to check out some excursions available. There was one spot left on a float plane excursion to the Khutzeymateen Inlet for an intimate viewing of grizzly bears aboard a eleven passenger boat operating from a floating barge in the inlet. Sunshine plus floatplane multiplied by grizzlies equals Deb signing up in a heartbeat! I left in high spirits at 1600 aboard a Beaver floatplane and had an amazing three hour adventure.It was a twenty minute flight over snow capped mountains dressed in granite and conifers and following deep fjords into the B.C. wilderness. The views were spectacular. The Khutzeymateen Valley north of Prince Rupert is a protected sanctuary of 45,000 hectares for a resident population of about 60 grizzlies.

Our plane landed and tied up to a floating barge,boasting an eclectic summer home including two orange tents. The roof was made of plexiglass and three sides were open to the elements. This was the epitome of the "open concept". A large patio umbrella provided the only shade. There was a small wood burning stove and the kitchen floor had a plexiglass insert for viewing the waters below. A fire pit outside looked very cosy and welcoming. For an extra $100 I could have brought my sleeping bag and spent the night. Our guide had spent the last 27 years studying and photographing the bears. He lives on the float home 6 months of the year with his wife and five year old son. We boarded the boat and set off for the sanctuary. We came across two four year old cubs foraging on the sedge grass by the waters edge. We came within twenty feet but they seemed completely oblivious to our presence. Grizzly sows leave their cubs in their third year to make their own way in the wilderness. We continued on further into the inlet and encountered a large six year old boar foraging in sedge grass along the bank of the inlet. He was a magnificent specimen, his head was enormous and we were close enough to admire his amazing claws. At one point he left the sedge grass to come down to the water's edge for a drink of water. Apparently the numerous waterfalls and rivers leading into the inlet provide so much fresh water into the seawater inlet that the surface often ices over during the winter months. I was so glad I had remembered to bring our powerful binoculars from the boat. Eagles were soaring in the sunshine and keeping watch atop the majestic conifers lining the inlet. The scenery was stunning in the afternoon sunshine. We returned to the float and had an equally amazing flight back.

I returned to the Yacht Club and had a visit with Lloyd and Cheryl aboard the Lady Nel out of Nanaimo. We had shared our adventure at the Anan River with them earlier in our trip. We exchanged stories of our latest boating adventures. I called Jim just as he had arrived in Montreal and related my adventure with the grizzlies. I made myself a tasty salmon burger and settled into my boat keeping responsibilities aboard the BurntSand. Saturday morning I treated myself to a pedicure and had the most enriching conversation with the esthetician named Valerie Tait. She is Tsimshian and her father is a very famous carver named Norman Tait. She held me in rapt attention as she related stories about her Dad meeting Trudeau in his early years as Prime Minister and his meeting with Queen Elizabeth. A totem he carved is the only totem raised on royal property. She and her brother helped him carve the totems in the Capilano Mall in North Vancouver. She is from the Raven Clan and her father is from the Eagle clan. She now devotes her art to fabric design but her father is encouraging her to study jewelry design. Her children are 23, 19 and 11 and she now has more time to further develop her creative skills. That evening Jim and Diane Neff aboard Adirondack across the dock from us invited me to enjoy some conversation and a glass of wine with them. We enjoyed the beautiful sunset up on their flybridge. The camaraderie on the docks is very heart warming and welcoming. I'm missing Jim and consoled myself watching a DVD Seven Years in Tibet...the first of our trip.

There are three Canadian mine sweepers rafted together. The word on the docks is that they are training vessels. They are docked at a special dock with 24 hour security. Another interesting vessel tied up near the BurntSand is a 95 foot sailboat from Rhode Island. It is actually a research vessel operated by the Venner Institute. Its crew is taking water samples at various spots en route. They began the trip in Washington, D.C. Sunday morning at 0530 I was blasted awake by a long series of horn blasts...I'm suspecting the Canadian fleet?! I had a lazy morning doing odd jobs around the boat and picking up some groceries. The internet cafe was jammed with personnel from the Canadian forces' ships so no emails from me today. I've discovered the cheap minutes of the 7/11 calling card. My cell phone doesn't work in Prince Rupert...the city owns its own phone network.

Back in Canada!

Location:          Prince Rupert
                        Fairview Marina, B.C.
Date:                Thursday, July 12,2007
Last Post (LP):  July 7, 2007
Time:                2200
Location:           N 54 14 74 W 130 20 86
Dist. Since LP:   268.51 nm
Total Distance:  1,163.01 nm
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At 0745 Sunday morning we left Red Bluff Bay at slack tide and cruised 108.3 nautical miles to Craig, Alaska. The seas were calm in Frederick Sound and the sun came out and nourished our souls. Our spirits soared. We navigated our way past Cape Decision and across the waterway beween Warren Island and Kosciusko Island. We could now now feel the ocean swell from the south. The excitement on board rose with each whale sighting. We navigated the BurntSand into Sea Otter Sound and through the maze of little islets and islands hugging the coastline of Prince of Wales Island. It was an absolutely beautiful day and the chatter on the VHF confirmed the delight of the mariners in the area in this change of weather. We saw some sea otters floating in the sunshine. They are the most endearing creatures. It is always so delightful to encounter them floating on the sea.

As we approached the chain of little islands outside of Craig we saw many pods of humpback whales and orcas. What a gift it is to experience these amazing creatures in the wild! At 1915 that evening we tied up to the dock in the south harbour of Craig on Bucarelli Bay. Our last rip to Craig we stayed in the north harbour on Klawock Inlet. The weather began to turn and the winds came up. We added two more lines to hold the boat fast to the dock. Then the rains came in a fury. We decided to stay two nights, hoping the weather would settle down. The talk on the docks and in town was weather,weather,weather... and what the various fishermen had reported. Across the dock from us was the Lady Laura and her skipper, David, had a fleet of king crab fish boats in the Aleutians. He lives mainly in Seattle now but keeps his boat in Craig for the summer months.

Tuesday morning we left Craig at 0555 at the beginning of the flood in order to make optimum tide for passing through Tlevak Narrows to Cordova Bay. We had four feet under the BurntSand when we left the dock. It was overcast and foggy but the winds were light. The weather had definitely calmed down. We were originally planning to anchor in Seth Cove but decided to push on to Nichols Bay on Prince of Wales Island 2.5 miles west of Point Chacon because the weather was still good. At 1430 we anchored in Nichols Bay after our second attempt to achieve good holding. It was a pretty bay and we could hear the roaring of various waterfalls crashing into the bay. We were surprised to find a small fishing barge nestled in the corner of our anchorage. It wasn't mentionned in our guide book so it must be fairly new. As we approached Point Chacon we passed eight trollers slowly plying the waters so it must be good fishing in this area.aJim was sorely tempted to go fishing but it had been a long day. We left Nichols Bay the next morning at o740 and headed on to Dixon Entrance. We had to use our sat phone to check out of the U.S. and left a message with Customs in Ketchikan. We didn't have to do this on our last trip. 

We left the rain and fog of Alaska behind us as we navigated our way to Prince Rupert and beautiful sunshine and hot weather. Welcome back to Canada! We called into Canadian Customs with our CanPass and received our clearance number. At 1520 we docked in the Fairview Marina with all the fish boats. We were the only yacht in the harbour. The fishermen were very friendly and welcoming, just like the last time we stayed here. Jim treated us to a delicious meal at he Cow Bay Cafe and we had a beautiful view from the deck. Tomorrow we move to the Prince Rupert Yacht Club closer to town. We plan to buy fuel on the way at the Esso fuel dock. We will need almost 6000 litres to fill all four tanks as we wanted to use up all our old fuel before we bought new fuel. The prices in Canada were better than in Alaska.

New Pictures Added Today!

Pybus Bay to Frederick Sound Across Chatham Strait to Red Bluff Bay

Location:           Red Bluff Bay Baranof Island, Alaska
Date:                 Sunday, July 8,2007
Last Post (LP):   July 4, 2007
Time:                1430
Location:           N56 52.29 W134 47.06
Dist. Since LP:   94.3 nm
Total Distance:  894.5 nm
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Thursday morning was overcast and Jim and I had some errands to accomplish before we said "goodbye" to Petersburg and continued our boating adventure. We had feasted on white salmon lox and King crab legs the night before and decided to buy some more King crab before we left. I headed to the Coastal Cold Storage and the grocery store while Jim made his way to the Internet cafe to send a posting and pick up some wine and beer. All our little cravings satisfied, we left the dock at 1300 leaving behind the persistent metallic hammering of the motorized barge beside us whose captain had decided to chip the rusty paint off its steel hull. A most annoying assault on our peaceful existence!

We cruised out of the harbour into the calm waters of Frederick Sound and had two whale sightings: a pod of orcas and a pod of humpback whales spouting and sounding in the distance. We encountered one great sea lion swimming practically on the reciprocal course to the BurntSand. Five hours later found us performing the anchoring ritual in Cannery Cove in Pybus Bay on Admiralty Island. We shared this picturesque anchorage with two other boats. Pybus Bay is well protected by all the little islets and islands standing guard at the entrance. The amount of snow covering the surrounding mountains continued to amaze us. We saw little snow on our last trip to Alaska. A gauntlet of commercial crab pots made a float necklace on the waters at the head of Cannery cove. That evening we feasted on King crab legs and salmon lox...in a word delicious or should I say decadent. We can hardly believe the amazing seafood we've enjoyed on this trip.

There is a large fishing lodge at the entrance to the cove so fishing must be good in the area. The next morning we set two crab pots each boasting a succulent salmon head as bait. We made a 20 mile round trip dinghy exploration of Pybus Bay and encountered two crab boats checking their traps. Eagles were abundant in the trees as well as down scouring the beaches at low tide.The skies are mainly overcast but rays of sunlight seep through at times affording us magical photo opportunities. We pulled up our traps that evening and one trap held 25 crabs...we were absolutely amazed. We released all but four large male Dungeness crabs, the rest were females. We suspect the commercial crab fishery had cleaned out the male population. Our other trap held one lone female crab which we released. This confirmed to us that this trap was indeed a dud and we will replace it at the next opportunity. Jim tried a little fishing in the dinghy but no luck that day.

Saturday morning we set off for Red Bluff Bay at 0940. We cruised down Frederick Sound and into Chatham Strait. The seas were calm and we passed two small sport fishing boats and one cruiser. A tranquil time on the water. We hand steered into Red Bluff Bay on Barinof Island. Red Bluff Bay is a fabulous fjord entered through a narrow passage between a group of little islands and islets guarding the entrance from Chatham Strait. The fjord extends deep into Barinoff Island and narrows to about a hundred yards between high cliffs near its mid point and then opens again into a larger bay with a river delta at its head and an amazing cascading waterfall just past the narrows. There are nine or ten waterfalls crashing down the steep cliffs surrounding the fjord. Accumulations of snow from previous avalanches are abundant. Did I mention the cold??! This is a pristine wilderness and we are in awe of the majestic peaks which tower above us.

We were disappointed when another boat cruised into our kingdom and anchored beside us. We soothed our disappointed spirits by feasting on our freshly caught Dungeness crab for lunch. After lunch we took down a couple of kayaks and tried to paddle upstream in the river but the current was too strong for us. We paddled over to the huge cascading waterfalls and experienced the local wind produced by the force and energy of the cascading water. Several large jelly fish resembling poached eggs floated in the waters beneath our kayaks. Our eyes continually scanned the river delta hoping to see some foraging bear but no luck this time. That evening the rains poured down and the anchorage seemed desolate and suddenly dreary. Snug inside the BurntSand, we enjoyed a hot pasta dinner courtesy of Ciao Bella...our favourite Italian restaurant in Vancouver. We plotted our course to Craig, Alaska, our next stop on our trip.

Postings from Wrangell, Anan Bear Observatory and Peterburg Added

Petersburg for July 4th!

Location:       Petersburg, Alaska
                     North Harbor 
Date:            Tuesday, July 4,2007
Last Post (LP): July 3, 2007
Time:           1800
Location:      N56 27.95
                   W132 22.97
Dist. Since LP: 0 nm
Total Distance: 800.2 nm
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We arrived in Petersburg at 1630 hours and we were assigned a slip between two seiners, Cinnamon Girl and Middleton. This is a busy working harbor with seiners, gillnetters and shrimp boats busily moving to and fro the canneries lining the harbor. Little kids wearing life jackets hung out at the end of docks trying their luck at fishing. Checking in at the Harbormaster's Office, we learned about a good local restaurant in the Beachcomber Inn four miles away on the Wrangell Narrows beachfront.  We made a reservation and arranged to be picked up by their courtesy van which had several signs inside declaring that tips would be "graciously accepted". With a couple of hours to spare before our reservation, we scoped out the stores on the main street and went into the Harbor Bar for a cold beer.  The bar was vibrating with the energy of the young people of Petersburg.  We chatted with an older woman who was busily selling pulltabs and lottery tickets at the end of our table. All proceeds went to the local volunteer fire department. Anita had sunken eyes that were badly bruised and we feared that she had been beaten.  She confided to us that a week ago the skiff she was traveling in at 30 knots hit a sandbar and she was thrown forward. She was lucky that she didn't break her neck. She pointed out a group of people sitting at the bar who had recently made a big win and sadly neglected to tip her. A few moments later one of this group came over to buy more tickets and Jim struck up a conversation with her.  She returned a little later to buy more tickets, explaining that her luck had changed and she didn't win anything this time.  Anita piped up immediately declaring when you don't tip....it comes around and bites you in the bum!  To which the lady retorted that her custom was to tip at the end. No mincing of words here!

   

We had a very good dinner at the Beachcomber Inn.  Deb had an appetizer of white king salmon lox that had been smoked locally. It melted in our mouths...absolutely delicious! Our waiter gave us the phone number of the Northern Lights Smokeries so we could arrange to purchase some the next day.

We woke to another overcast day in Petersburg and set off to take in the sights of the local fourth of July celebrations. The rain held off for the parade which had a theme of "Christmas in July".  "Salmon Claus" was pulled in a little fish boat by Rudolph as well as "Chinook", "Sockeye", "Chum" and so on ...the people pulling the "Salmon Claus" had papier mache salmon heads...very creative...little kids were dressed up carrying fishing rods with fish made out of Christmas paper.  Little kids rode bikes decorated for the occasion...candies were liberally thrown out to the kids in the crowd...all the fire trucks were on parade of course including a vintage truck complete with a hand turned siren. The whole town was out to celebrate and visit with each other. There were races of all sorts...foot races, slow bike races, and a race involving two 8 foot two by fours with rubber boots attached ...teams of six with a rubber boot on each plank hopped the race and fell through the finish line...very entertaining for the crowds, very painful for the competitors who fell over in a heap...the fire department set up two hoses and ran a little stream between them to race rubber ducks down the hill...about a quarter of the crowd had their faces painted in celebration of the fourth of July...people here certainly embrace the spirit of the day whole heartedly...all in all, a fun filled day for everyone.

We bought some cold pressed white salmon lox from Northern Lights Smokeries and some King Crab legs and claws from the Coastal Cold Storage. Tonight we will have a feast of lox and King crab aboard the BurntSand!

At six in the evening we made our way over to the middle harbor to enjoy the log rolling competition.  Dozens of competitors, men and women,some very skilled others less so...very entertaining! It seemed as though half the town was out cheering on the competitors. Jim and I were chilled just watching them.  Can you imagine how cold the competitors were when they inevitably fell in those icy waters??!! The next big event  is the fireworks at 1300 hours...we'll see if we're still awake by then!!!

Newsflash...Jim fixed our hurricane heater which had been acting up and flaming out,,,we are now so warm and cozy aboard the BurntSand.

Wrangell & Bears at Anan!!

Location:       Wrangell (& Wrangell Narrows)
                     On way to Petersburg 
Date:            Tuesday, July 3,2007
Last Post (LP): JUNE 29, 2007
Time:           1400
Location:       N56 27.95
                    W132 22.97
Dist. Since LP: 95.0 nm
Total Distance: 800.2 nm
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We left Ketchikan at 1235 and made the short trip up to Meyers Chuck where we tied up at the public float. We had enjoyed a following sea with 20 knot winds. Meyers Chuck is a tiny little community which boasts an impressive pier and helicopter pad, a post office and lilliputian art gallery featuring local artisans. We were able to go on a short hike along the trail connecting the little cabins facing the shore. We enjoyed the company of some fellow boaters on an American Tug named Ocean Mistress.

Leaving the dock the next morning at 0945, we made our way through Clarence Strait into Ernest Sound and on into Seward Passage where we had to change course to navigate around four seiners off Eaton Point. We were running with the tide and made good time until this point and then we encountered a current of 2 to 3 knots against us. We passed dozens of seiners all the way up Seward Passage. It is very interesting to watch the fishermen work their nets. We learned later that it was the opening of the pink salmon fishery in the area.  We found this news very encouraging because we hoped to visit the Anan Bear Observatory again this trip.  If the fish were running then hopefully some would be making their way up the Anan River and we'd enjoy some good bear sightings.  We are a week earlier in the area than our last trip. We cruised by the Anan River and on up Blake Channel to Eastern Channel and into Wrangell where we tied up to the summer floats (the cruise ship terminal but unfortunately no more cruise ships for Wrangell).  Our timing was perfect as the children's annual scrap fish derby was just over and the floats were once more available for boaters. Our other option would have been to raft with the seiner fishing fleet...sometimes 4 deep! We did just that on our last visit to Wrangell. We arranged for a trip to the Anan Bear observatory with BreakAway Adventures the next morning. We celebrated at the local bar near the marina called the Hungry Beaver.  We chatted with Patty the owner and learned a bit about the local Wrangell scene.

Our day at the Anan Bear Observatory was outstanding. The trip, which took the BurntSand almost three hours, was covered in under one hour as the jet boat skimmed down Eastern Passage at 40 knots.  We sighted some seals hauled out in the sun on rocks and  we enjoyed the company of four other families on the boat.  Our experience was much different than our last visit in that we had two guides armed with shot guns accompanying us along the pathway up to the observatory...last time, we were just the two of us with a 16 year old tourist...bear bait! We were delighted to see a grizzly sow with two cubs and she was a great fisher jumping right into the river. The black bears didn't seem to relish the idea of getting into the frigid waters. They at times looked very hesitant indeed!. She was the only bear we saw actually successful in her fishing efforts. Deb also saw a black sow with two small cubs encounter a male black bear and the two little cubs immediately scampered up to the top of two dwarf evergreen trees.  Once the male bear moved on the little family disappeared into the woods. Jim was down in the blind happily snapping photos of the brown bear and cubs.  Between the two of us we must have taken over three hundred photos.It will be a huge task to edit the photos we took. At one point Deb was less than 12 feet from a lone female bear with just a short barricade separating them.Incredible! The water was higher than our last visit and there were fewer fish and consequently, fewer eagles. Drama was literally enfolding everywhere.  A large male black bear chased off a younger bear and slid down a log into the brush after him. A definite pecking order was very apparent. Two young males chased each other up the steep embankment on the far side of the river which was churning with froth.  We could actually see the desperate struggle of some pinks as they fought their way up the falls. Through his telephoto lens Jim actually saw a dozen salmon leap into the air as the brown bear lunged into the icy waters. We need to upload our photos onto our computer to determine of Jim caught the action digitally. As each new bear was spotted he spirits of our group rose collectively and there were smiles all around.

 

We returned to Wrangell about 1800 hours buoyant from our bear encounters. We introduced ourselves to the party of four aboard the Offshore 48 named Compadre docked across from us.  We had a laughter filled pizza dinner with them at the Hungry Beaver and invited them on board for a night cap afterwards. We'll probably meet them again in Petersburg where we are headed to take in the celebrations for the fourth of July. We left the dock Tuesday at 1230 to catch the high tide in the entrance to Wrangell Narrows en route to Petersburg. Wrangle Narrows has over 60 navigational aids over a distance of 21 nautical miles. We had a three to  four knot current running with us.  We congratulated ourselves on timing the transit through the narrows perfectly as we arrived at Petersburg at 1630.