July 2008 Cruise News

This issue is coming to you from Sitka.

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I like this kind of fishing. In Petersburg I just put down my herring fishing rig in the harbor and kept catching them. It's fun because if you can see the fish, you can catch the fish.

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On the way south from Petersburg down Wrangell Narrows, we saw quite a few crab pots high and dry at a very low tide. Almost every pot had an eagle either trying to get inside or standing guard on top or to the side. This one was pulling at it but wasn't (and wouldn't) having much luck getting inside.

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We arrived in Wrangell on July 3rd and went to the shipyard where we were scheduled to haul out on July 7th. The owner let us tie up to their dock and use their electricity which was great. The harbor was packed because of the 4th of July weekend.

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The boat that was already on the ways was scheduled to come off on July 5th at 2am. We were scheduled to get on the ways at 4am on the 7th. This photo shows why we have to wait for very high tides. Those are the ends of the railway tracks!

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On the 4th, we went into town and watched the various activities. This is the father/daughter egg toss. We were really surprised at the number of father/daughter teams competing.

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The log rolling contest was great fun. These ladies wore ExtraTuf brown boots with spikes called corks. The ladies competed first.

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The water looked bitterly cold and as each contestant fell in, their facial expressions confirmed that to be true. Considering there is a glacier right around the corner from Wrangell, it must have been freezing.

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Once the ladies were finished, then the men took a turn.

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Then the winner of the ladies competed against the winner of the men's division. This native girl won!! Hundred bucks in her pocket.

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The next competition was a "homemade boat" race. The only rule was no motor. This boat was made of primarily crabpot floats.

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Not sure what this vessel was made of besides Dow insulation and plastic but it didn't even make it one foot from the dock. The girls had spirit though. They took their boat apart and used the insulation as a float.

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The object of the race was to go across a small estuary, pick up a flag and come back to the dock. The winner of this race won $50. It was fun.

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Our haulout was an experience.

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After the haulout in Wrangell, we went back to Petersburg to clean the boat and wait for friends to arrive. Here are Sandie and Ernie sitting on the bow of our boat on the one nice day we had during their 2-week stay.

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This was the fashion most of the time during their visit. Here we are out in the skiff watching steller sealions up close and way too personal (when downwind).

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We had some up close experiences with whales on our trip from Petersburg to Sitka. This humpback was in the anchorage with us.

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The same whale came back later and hung around the boat.

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Ernie wrote in a journal almost every day recounting their experiences on their first Alaska visit.

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Our guests really enjoyed the hot baths at Warm Springs.

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The dock was packed 4 deep with seiners in Warm Springs. Their fishery had just closed for a few days and they were in for a little R&R. We anchored out where it was quieter and watched.

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We rarely see Orca whales but outside Warm Springs there was a small pod of about six doing some feeding.

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Lots of bear in Appleton Cove one morning.

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This grizzly came by later and stood up to see into the brush. Looks like he wants to give someone a big hug. Glad it wasn't one of us.

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This was what the weather was like during most of their stay but they were great sports about it.

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The weather didn't deter Ernie from doing some fishing. This catch consisted of one rockfish and one Pacific Cod, both excellent eating.

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And on those real ugly days when we just didn't want to go outside, we made beaded jewelry. They were great students. Notice the cocktails and munchies among the beads. Helps keep the creative juices flowing.

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This whale popped up right in front of us in Peril Strait. We saw lots of whale activity on this trip.

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Until next month............THE END