Sincerely, Denise

POINT BAKER TO SNUG ANCHORAGE (Near Thorne Bay)

Monday, July 13^th

Almost hit a whale today, or should I say it nearly hit us. But I am getting ahead of my story for today. We set the alarm for 3:45 this morning because I NEED my coffee infusion before facing the long running day. Pulled out at 4:30 along with UnforgetAbell, and left Far Niente at the dock as they chose to sleep in and travel later. The sun was just beginning to show over the hills of Wrangell Island far in the distance, and the waters were as smooth as predicted. We were trying to get to a narrow spot in our voyage called Snow Passage, for slack current but ended up being a little late and found ourselves in some swirls and whirlpools, but nothing serious at all, just a little. Before we got to Snow Passage however, we spotted a humpback in the distance, actually many whales around us in the distance but this one was to our starboard and probably ½ mile away, not close at all. I was driving and watching the whale spout and surf as one never tires of that sight. Then I saw him go down, full tail, and not resurface. Even though he was ½ mile away I was on full alert because they truly can come up anywhere and sure enough…all of a sudden right in front of our boat slightly to starboard and probably 30’ away, the whale surfaces! I screamed an expletive and yanked the throttles back into neutral while John came bolting out of his chair to see what was wrong thinking it was a log. I was able to snap off a photo of his next resurfacing as he crossed our bow. Obviously we can’t stop on a dime so I prayed that we wouldn’t make contact with him as we glided over the very spot he went down. Thankfully we were collision free, but adrenaline filled!! The rest of our journey was uneventful, we had following seas that continued to build throughout the morning but we enjoyed a smooth ride into Snug Anchorage on Prince of Wales Island. On the way into the small harbor we noticed a string of prawn pots laid out and got excited about the prospect of actually catching some prawns! We anchored at the head of the bay which looked ripe for bear viewing (none), lots of sedge grass on the shoreline and some sandy beaches. Greg and John took off and went out fishing to find the elusive salmon, which should have been out there – the commercial fishermen were actively fishing all over the place on our way down. A couple hours later Far Niente pulled in and easily secured alongside us, everyone tucked in together. The boys came back skunked yet again, John saying he was “done with fishing in Alaska, I’ll wait for River’s Inlet”. Connie had banged up her knee pretty badly this morning with her cockpit door slamming onto the same knee she had already banged up earlier in the trip, so she was resting and icing her knee in the pilot house. John was busy with boat projects, so Greg and I took our collective 4 crab traps and my 2 prawn traps (along with an adult beverage) and went to go set them all out to see if we could get any shellfish. The sun was out and even with the wind which was a little sporty, we were quite warm as we slow cruised back to the flotilla sipping our beverages and getting a start on Happy Hour. The warm temps justified opening up the cockpit seating so we removed the canvas covers and sat outside on the couch and chairs and had an impromptu happy hour with the group, soaking up the sun for the first time in a long time! Dinner was tenderloins on the grill, baby reds, and some roasted brussels with bacon and shallots, drizzled with balsamic glaze….just so darn good.