Sincerely, Denise

KETCHIKAN TO THORNE BAY, PRINCE OF WALES ISLAND, AK

Wednesday, June 3^rd

We were supposed to be here in Ketchikan another night but woke up to reports of winds increasing by the end of the day and small craft warnings for tomorrow with 6’-8’ seas in Clarence Strait, which we have to cross to get to our next destination. For our boating friends, Clarence Strait is wider than Rosario Strait but smaller than Georgia…maybe….but maybe I am off on that description. But it is a very wide and exposed body of water between islands. The Boys decided we needed to move along early afternoon. This morning we drove out to the hatchery at low tide with hopes of some bear viewing but it’s a little early in the season for fish swimming up the creek. After that boondoggle, we headed to the grocery store to stock up for the next leg, returned the rental car, and sat around waiting to leave. Chores had to be done like filling our water tanks and prepping to leave the dock. The trip up the protected waters of Revillagegedo Channel was lovely, then we broke out into Clarence Strait. We had following wind and current but it was quartering on our stern, causing us to have the slow roll motion, which makes me seasick in a nano second. The waves got pretty big at times. I soon retired to my bunk to wait things out (I find lying down best for me when seasick) and nodded off. When I woke up the seas had calmed considerably and the direction we were taking it was no longer from the beam, so we had a fairly calm cruise the last hour and a half. On the way into Thorne Bay John and I saw a GIANT splash in the distance, my first thought being “Wow, that small boat just took an enormous wave!” but no, it was a Humpback that had breached, its giant body cascading into the water with a spectacular belly flop. Turns out there were three of them! Lorraine got some nice footage, see attached video. After we passed the whales, we continued on into Thorne Bay, the shores of which are dotted with floating homes, some tidy and perky and others dilapidated and seemingly abandoned. I should have taken pictures on the way in, but I will make sure to do so on the way out. We secured moorage at the City dock, hooked up to power, and settled in. Lorraine and Bill hosted us on their boat for appetizers and cocktails, which once again became dinner as we wolfed down everything in site. We must have been hungry!