8 Jun 23

When we woke up at 07:00, the three other boats that were in the anchorage with us last night were already gone. Wonder where they are off to so early? It was a warm, calm, high light overcast kind of day. We waited for the tidal currents to be favorable for our run up to Ketchikan and finally got going about 09:30. As soon as we got back into Revillagegido Channel, we sailed for a few minutes on a broad reach, but the wind died off after just a few minutes. We got another 30 minutes or so of sailing later, as we turned past Mary Island toward Ketchikan, but that breeze was also short lived. On the way into Ketchikan, we passed 3 cruise-ships on their way south and another one came into dock while we were coming in. We stopped and filled up the fuel tank with diesel and also filled up a propane tank. We were tied up at the dock in Bar Harbor South by 14:45. As soon as we checked in, we went grocery shopping at Safeway. After putting away all the groceries, we just had Captain’s hour and dinner aboard, then showered and went to bed.

55-21.017’N, 131-40.836’W; Log 34.0, Sum (2023) = 850.3 ; Eng. hrs. = 5.3, Sum = 3248.7

9 Jun 23

It was relatively warm last night and very quiet, plus we were very tired, so we slept in until 08:00. After breakfast, we went up to the laundry and did a couple of loads. While there, I managed to get a Starlink kit ordered (I think); not sure when (or where) it will be delivered. After that, we caught the Green Line bus. Naturally, it was going the wrong way, but it eventually delivered us to downtown, having taken a very interesting loop up north to the Walmart first. We got off at the Creek Street stop. The whole downtown area was heaving with 2 cruise-ships’ worth of passengers, but Creek Street was not too bad. We were hungry, so we stopped in the New York Cafe, which seemed to be full of mainly locals. The chowder was great. Then, we sampled the delights of Creek Street, Ketchikan’s notorious red light district; or, at least it was until it was finally shut down in 1954. Now, it is a string of shops, but some of them had some pretty cool stuff. After shopping for a couple of hours, we headed into the Tongass Historical Museum; a very interesting combination of Ketchikan history (mostly) since the arrival of the white man and paleontology. By 17:00 when the museum closed, two of the cruise ships had departed, so the downtown area was essentially empty, except for a few locals. We decided to go back to New York Cafe for happy hour and dinner; plus, they promised live music. We had falafels and wine and a kebab for dinner and listened to the 3-piece (guitar, fiddle and upright bass) play swing music for about an hour; lovely. When we got back to the boat, we were sitting in the cockpit listening to music and enjoying a Drambuie, when Peggy from “Carisma”, who we met in Anacortes a month ago, stopped by to say hello. They ended up inviting us back to their boat for a drink, with husband Jim and friends James and Wendy, who have just joined them for a couple of weeks in the Misty Fjords. We had a great time comparing tips and itineraries and getting clued in on Starlink, which Jim installed over the last winter. They are planning to head north into the Behm Canal tomorrow morning.  Jim also recommended Pacific Marine (contact Todd Olasson) as a good place to store the boat for the winter, if we were looking for an alternative. We decided we would stay here one more night, if they have room for us.

10 Jun 23

We dragged out of bed just before 08:00. After breakfast, I walked up to pay the bill for the extra night and then walked over to the Misty Fjords Ranger Station to see about a Misty Fjords map, but they were closed for the weekend. Meantime, Terri got in another load of laundry. While she was finishing up at the laundry, I caught the bus into downtown to see if the National Parks Discovery Center could provide me with the map of Misty Fjords, but the lady in charge was busy with a tour group. So, I rode the bus back to the boat and collected Terri and we went back into town together and tried again for the map, but this time, the internet was down and they could not sell me the map, so we left empty handed. We went back to lunch at New York Cafe again, then caught the bus up the hill to the Totem Heritage Center. After we finished going through the very interesting displays, we walked back to town, stopped in at Pacific Pride Marine center, but they also do not have the antenna bracket I need to support the Starlink receiver. Then, we walked back to Safeway to top up essential supplies. After a blustery, cold start to the day, it turned into a lovely afternoon. After Captain’s hour aboard, we walked over to Oceanview Restaurant for dinner; it was surprisingly good Mexican food.