Sitka & Scuttled

Well, quite a turn of events.  We left Warm Springs and headed out to Sitka via Peril Strait. Wonderful cruise buddy boating with No Zip Code.  We made Sergius Narrows before the turn and on into Sitka all in one day.  Sitka turned out to be a fun city.  We had World Cup action in the local pub, a beautiful setting, friendly people and bean soup with No Zip Code on a rainy day. Unfortunately, though, a good start to the summer cruise wound up being aborted as I wound up with a pinched nerve that sent us back home pre-maturely.  Four weeks later, I'm returning to continue the cruise and bring Jayhawk on down.

Sitka from the harbor

Warm Springs

Warm Spring lived up to its billing as one of the best places to stop in SE Alaska! Hot springs, baths, a lake, hiking, waterfalls, docks and meeting new friends.

Good kayaking beyond the boats

Warm Springs waterfall

Hiking

Warm Springs docks

Walker's "No Zip Code" - Hull #1 AT49

Pybus Lodge

One of the highlights of Cannery Cove was hooking up with the Pybus Lodge fisherman for dinner! They were catching fish right and left and then were treated to feasts every night.  We joined them on this massive table made from 17 different kinds of woods.  We also tooled around the cove on various modes of transportation.  The storm featured another round of scrabble by the two inveterate word champions.

Pybus Lodge dining room

Frederick Sound inhabitants

Whiling away the storm - none the worse for wear!

Getting around Cannery Cove

Underway

Patricia Sullivan and Ann joined me in Petersburg and off we went.  Headed to Cannery Cove on Admiralty Island just for a one night stop over that turned into three nights on the hook while I solved an engine issue and we rode out a storm.  We had winds over 30 knots and Jayhawk spent the entire time spinning like a top with a string attached to it.

Cannery Cove

Prelude to a storm

Cooking up the crab . . good first haul

Getting Going

I woke Jayhawk up from the winter doldrums . . . lots of loading, system ignition, de-winterizing, provisioning and outfitting.  And finally, a splash in the waters of Wrangell Narrows.  She started right up and was ready to go.

Resting comfortably

The trip to the water

The Admiral & Nancy whiling away the winter

Jayhawk has been on the hard in Petersburg, AK at John Murgas' yard waiting out the winter.   Spring has sprung and plans are made for a summer cruising schedule.  We intend to take off June 15 from Petersburg heading for Sitka and then on to Glacier Bay, Juneau, Skagway, and the Yukon Territory before turning south for the run back to Anacortes, WA.  The trip is fully booked with the Admiral, friends and family for the duration.  We'll be back in the San Juans in September and will layover next winter in Anacortes.

Tracy Arm

Tracy Arm Glaciers

Tracy Arm is a fjord 60 miles south of Juneau. The fjords are 30 miles long with one fifth under water.  In the summer, ice breaks off (called calving) and ice floats down the fjord from hand held sizes to 4+ story buildings.

We anchored 20 miles from glaciers and then went up and back in one day.  We had overcast, drippy weather and gorgeous deep canyon walls as we transited.  The floating ice is blue and translucent.  We were able to get very close as the pictures show.  It was a thrilling day!

                    

Thank you for reading our newsletters.  We are on our way home this week.  We are leaving our “Jayhawk” here in Alaska to return next summer for more adventures!!!

Jayhawk in the glacier ice at Tracy Arm

What a Summer!