A Slow Day to Sitka

This shot of the coastline in Appleton Cove.   Most of the cove is really shallow as it is a drying mudflat at low tide.   The mudflats extend a long way from shore.   We were anchored in about 30' of water, so we were fine but when the sea level drops and the shoreline approaches quickly; it does make me nervous!

Here we are heading west in Peril Strait towards today's destination of Sitka, about 50 miles away.

We departed Appleton Cove at 1055 because that's when the currents turn favorable.   In a slow boat that only does 7.5 knots, fighting a 2-knot current against you just burns fuel and wastes time.   So, we time our voyages accordingly.   Sometimes that coincides with more favorable winds and sun, and sometimes not.   Today was mostly a not...

The "not" part was 35knots of wind and a lot of rain.   I'm not used to seeing dense fog and strong winds at the same time.   That made for some navigational challenges in the narrow channels we were traversing.

Here is one of the typical channel markers along this route.  This particular one is at the Hoggatt Islands which are basically a few low rocky outcroppings and their associated shoals.  When heading to the port (it is a bit seemingly random as to the direction of the "port", you keep these on the starboard (right side) of your boat.  When heading away from the port, keep them on your port (left) side.

This picture is of Little Rose Island at Rapids Point in Adams Channel.   Maybe it was names after us???

Here's another shot looking back up the channel we just traversed.

The big challenge in the route is Sergius Narrows which opens into the Gulf of Alaska.   On an ebb tide (ebb means the water is flowing out as the tide level drops), there are some serious waves and whirlpools.   So, this became the critical point by which we timed the day's voyage.   And we hit it just about perfectly!

In the chart, notice the shallow bar across the channel and the small islands/rocks that line the left side.   It doesn't last long, but it was calm today just before high slack.

While tides and currents are related, they are not timed together.  So, the tide was still rising, but the currents had largely abated.   Weird, eh?

Here's the accompanying photo as we passed Sergius Point.   As you can see, it was nicely flat out there.

In this photo, we are coming into Sitka from the northwest.

After a long day, it's about 1930 (7:30pm) and we are all docked and out for a much-needed walk.

Eliason Harbor is the marina we are staying in for the next three days while we await the arrival of dear friends, Jerry & Diane.

Harkening back to our blog on cruise ships, here is a small luxury cruise ship with about 16 guest cabins total.   At $12,000/week/person, this is at the higher end of the price scale, but it goes into the really small nooks and crannies, much like we do.

A pair of eagles on the pilings greet us as we walk down the ramp to the docks.

And a raven gracing our bowsprit.   I think this is good luck, as long as it doesn't mess on my boat!

Good night to you all..