Summertime in Alaska

We arrived in southeast Alaska from Hawaii in our Liberty 458 sailboat at the end of June 2016. We had completed our crossing of the Pacific from New Zealand to the Pacific Northwest and were looking forward to spending the summer cruising the Inside Passage southwards from Juneau in Alaska to Victoria in British Columbia.

The voyage from Juneau to Ketchikan took in the spectacular Sawyer Glacier at Tracy Arm, the Norwegian settlement of Petersburg and the famously beautiful Misty Fjords. It was a great introduction to “high” latitude sailing and we relished the crisp fresh air, breath-taking scenery and the close encounters with black bears and bald eagles.

Juneau and Auke Bay

Juneau is located at the southern end of the Lynn Canal and was an important port of call in the late nineteenth century for miners heading north to make their fortunes on the Klondike. Nowadays it is one of the highlights on the itinerary of cruise ships bound for Glacier Bay and Skagway. We moored in Auke Bay, which is the closest anchorage to Juneau from the north and avoids the shoals at the northern end of the Gastineau Channel that are treacherous to attempt in a sailboat without local knowledge.

It is a short bus ride in to Juneau from the settlement of Auke Bay. The city, wedged between the coast and 3,500 to 4,000-foot mountain peaks, is dominated by the “olde worlde” charm of cruise ship tourism, but the traditional soul of the old fishing town is still reflected in the narrow alleys and historic buildings. We moseyed around the streets and peered through the windows of the jewelleries and gift shops before retiring to the dark, cosy bar of the Alaskan Hotel for a little liquid refreshment.

The next day we rode our bikes up to the Mendenhall Glacier that lies at the head of Auke Bay. We stood on a sand bar beside a fast-flowing torrent of glacial water and admired the frosty blue ice of the glacier as it plunged down into quiet water of Mendenhall Lake. With a bright blue sky and the backdrop of snowy mountain peaks it was a beautiful and impressive sight.

The Amazing Tracy Arm

Once we had completed our provisioning we departed Auke Bay bound for Petersburg a week or so later. Sweetheart Creek (in the bay gloriously named Port Snettisham) was about a day’s sail away so it was perfect for our first night’s anchorage. We had heard wonderful tales of the prodigious salmon to be found there so the next morning, armed with fishing rods and bear spray, we headed up the creek to test our fishing skills. The creek turned out to be rather shallow so we dragged the dinghy to the bank beside a frothy white waterfall. We fished unsuccessfully for a while but enjoyed being immersed in the remote beauty of this peaceful valley.

The Sawyer Glacier lies at the end of the Tracy Arm fjord on the east side of Stephens Passage. We anchored at the mouth of the bay and got up early for our 50-mile round-trip into iceberg country. We had been briefed on the difference between growlers (icebergs not bears!) and bergie bits and were advised to steer clear of the ones that looked top heavy in case they rolled over. There were only a few icebergs in the first half of the trip, but they became denser as we got closer to the glacier. Dodging between them was a bit like playing a computer game and good communication between lookout and helm was essential.

Masses of icebergs made access to the South Sawyer Glacier very hazardous but we were able get up close to the North Sawyer Glacier. We followed a tourist boat in and, using their experience to guide us, we got to within 200 metres of the glacier front. It was very active with ice blocks tumbling from the top and huge icy blue slabs fracturing off the front accompanied by a grumbling roar. My husband Neil was in the dinghy taking pictures of Distant Drummer in front of the glacier and I had to turn quickly to shelter him from the waves generated as the slabs landed in the water. We didn’t hang around long and it was soothing to return to the tranquillity of the fjord and watch the icebergs float by and marvel at their sculpture.

On the move again, we motored further south to Sandborn Canal, another fjord on the east side of Stephens Passage. This time the river was deep enough at

There were only a few icebergs in the first half of the trip, but they became denser as we got closer to the glacier

high tide to go up in the dinghy. We paddled quietly most of the way as we didn’t want the noise of the outboard to scare off the wildlife, and a light north wind gave us a boost. It was fantastically scenic and in amongst the meanders we found a deep pool filled with school of salmon. We were followed up stream by two seals and from the height of the bank we watched them hunting the salmon in the pools. This did not bode too well for our fishing success but surprisingly I managed to catch one. We were very worried that a bear would smell the blood and get hungry so we hurried back to the dinghy and got the heck out of there.

Petersburg and the Anan Bay Wildlife Observatory

Petersburg was originally settled 100 years ago by a Norwegian who opened a cannery there because of the high quality of the glacial water. There is still a very Norske feel to the place with rosemaling paintings on the eaves and shutters of the houses. The harbour boasts a couple of marinas and several fish processing plants and seen from the boat at low tide it is a landscape of mud, masts and pilings. We loaded up with fresh produce from the well-stocked supermarket then continued our voyage south.

The route from Petersburg passes through the Wrangell Narrows and the timing of the passage has to be well planned with the tides. The channel is about 20 miles long but in places it narrows to a width of about 100 metres. Heading south the idea is to pass Green Point at high water slack when the southerly flood in the upper part of the channel changes to a southerly ebb in the lower part of the channel. By the time we left the fog had mostly lifted and we enjoyed the passage through. Ticking off the buoys was like playing Bingo!

Anan Creek, near Wrangell, boasts the largest run of pink salmon in Southeast Alaska. Brown and black bears as well as bald eagles come down to the creek to fish and the Anan Bay Wildlife Observatory provides a (relatively) safe platform to observe the wildlife. The anchorage in Anan Bay on the Bradfield Canal is not great; it is steep and rocky but we took a chance and dropped the pick as we really wanted to see some bears. Permits to enter the Reserve can be bought online and it is wise to plan ahead as they can be booked up for many days in advance. A park ranger located in a hut by the beach checks permits and leads visitors up to the viewing platform beside a waterfall.

As soon as we arrived we saw a mature black bear come lumbering down the opposite bank. After staring intently into the water for a while it pounced in and snatched up a fish in its mouth, then hauled itself out and disappeared into a cave to feed. It was comical to watch the younger bears’ attempts at catching salmon; they’d dither on the rocks for ages then plunge in, come up empty-handed (or mouthed) and look around in the water to see what happened. Another mature bear tatty from a recent fight arrived, grabbed a salmon then we listened to the snaps and grunts as it devoured the fish underneath the viewing platform. A couple of bald eagles were perched in the trees opposite the platform; they didn’t hunt but preened and watched the antics of the bears and the tourists.

Prince of Wales Island

After an overnight stop in Myer’s Chuck we crossed the Clarence Strait to visit Prince of Wales Island. The southern part of the island has been quite extensively logged which is a shame making us thankful for the vast tracts of forest we have sailed through with trees as far as the eye can see. Thorne Bay on the east coast of Prince of Wales Island was our first anchorage and we could hear chainsaws when we woke up.

Our next stop was the Haida settlement of Kasaan in Kasaan Bay. The old community house there has been rebuilt but the totems, dating from the 1880s, have been skilfully restored. It was a beautiful bike ride through the forest to the house with the odd stop to admire the old totem poles hidden amongst the trees. We met the carvers who were working on a new totem for the re-dedication ceremony and it was great to see the traditional craft being interpreted and practised in a modern way.

Ketchikan

It was a one-day sail back across the Clarence Strait to reach Ketchikan. The town has a quaint pioneer atmosphere; the wooden houses cling to the steep hills with roads built on wooden trestles running between them. It has boomed from various industries including fishing, mining and lumber and is now firmly on the cruise itinerary with at least three huge ships calling there each day.

Creek Street, which was the old red light district, has been polished up for tourists with gift shops and jewellery stores, but salmon still swim up the creek to spawn (as the celebrated courtesan Dolly noted). After spawning they die, so unfortunately the creek was littered with dead or dying salmon and didn’t smell too sweet. Still, it’s a nice place for a quiet stroll after the last cruise ship has left.

We were lucky enough to be there in August for the Blueberry Festival, which was great fun—a bit like an English village fair. The day started (for us) with the Slug Race and my favourite was a most revolting 49-gram white slug named “Slimy Carter.” The slugs were placed in a heap in the centre of a round table and it was a very slow race to the edge. We didn’t wait around to see the finals so we’ll never know if Slimy Carter stole the show.

Later in the afternoon it was time for a cool beer and the Beard and Moustache competition. Four blonde judges giggled and took notes as six beards and one moustache were paraded in front of the crowd. A guy whose beard was sprayed bright blue won for artistic interpretation and the moustache won the People’s Choice.

Misty Fjords

Our last stop before the Canadian border was the Misty Fjords National Monument. The scenery is described as an incredible, jaw-dropping and majestic wonderland but for us it lived up to its misty reputation and I think we missed out on some of the splendour. The inlets are deep and narrow and above the tree line the steep rock faces have been smoothed and curved by the ice of glaciers that have long since receded. U-shaped valleys perch like bowls on the skyline drained by streams that tumble into waterfalls down the cliff face. We anchored in several of the fjords on the east side of the Behm Canal and appreciated the stark and nebulous mood of the landscape.

At Punchbowl Cove in Rudyerd Bay we took the dinghy ashore and walked up the trail beside the waterfall to a lake in the valley above. The trail could have been created for Bilbo Baggins; steps carved into fallen tree trunks, stairs made of logs and everything was covered in a thick layer of soft spongy moss. Bear tracks and scat reminded us to keep singing and talking as we crawled under fallen trees and scrambled over rock piles. The lake was spectacular, and the forestry service had kindly left a canoe for visitors to use. We paddled through the still water up to the bare rock faces and admired the dramatic beauty of the place.

Late summer was an ideal time to be cruising the tranquil waters of Alaska’s Inside Passage. Most of the summer season boats had already headed south leaving just peace and solitude for us to enjoy in this wonderful wilderness.