JUNE 3, 2022 – APPLETON COVE TO HOONAH

Whales! Whales! Whales! Pulled anchor at 6AM (and awoke our neighboring two boats in the cove I’m sure) and motored back out into Peril Strait for the long 7 hour journey to Hoonah up Chatham Strait. Almost immediately we were treated to the best whale show! We must have seen 7 or 8 humpbacks this morning in the first couple hours, one of whom put on quite the show with its explosive breeches. Lots of whale tails and blows, and on both sides of us, we were just center stage. Every time I’d run and get the camera I was always a second too late; reminded once again of my mantra of just enjoying the moment and not trying to get a picture, I always miss something. Chatham is a bit choppy today, blowing about 20 from the north but certainly manageable. We were soon informed by Lucky Dog that they had to expedite the otherwise 9 hour run because their guest Cathy had to depart due to a family emergency. So, we ramped it up to 11.5 knots and charged up Chatham getting tossed around a bit before turning the corner into Icy Straits into calmer water. The sun was out and it was again warm as we sliced through the glassy waters. We were trying to arrive in time so Cathy could make the 3PM flight out of Hoonah, and it was now 2PM, and we were harnessed at a speed 5-7 knots (no wake) as we approached the town. I had an epiphany and said “why don’t I go get Cathy on the whaler and zip her to the dock” thinking that would be much quicker than getting the two big boats docked, tied up, etc. so that is what we did. I got her to the dock around 2:20 and I told her to not be shy and just ask someone for a ride to the airport, about a mile and a half away. It’s a small plane airport, the big jets don’t fly in here. She caught a commuter from Hoonah to Juneau so she could catch a jumbo to Seattle. Since we were on our own for the evening I whipped up our usual dinner of Steelhead on the grill and a green salad. It was so warm out we couldn’t bear being in the boat and had to go topside. At 9PM it was still in the 70s and blowing a warm wind, which was actually very pleasant as long as you weren’t in the boat where it was like a greenhouse. I registered a temp of 86 degrees inside at one point! Too hot for me!!