Sailing SE Alaska

August 1, 2012 Tenakee Springs to Hanus Bay in Peril Strait

     We woke up at 5:15 a.m. in order to get our early start. We all put on our wool and fleece--yes, wool in August here in SE Alaska. Pete has the most amazing wool overalls I’ve ever seen.
     The night before Pete had Kelsey and I discuss how we were going to get off the dock.I will be on the helm and Kelsey on the lines--I’m just too short to be able to nimbly jump off a slippery dock onto the boat. We were a bit pinned in between a Cat sailboat to our stern, owned by a Frenchman who lives in Sitka and a large fishing charter boat off our bow which has an inflatable dingy tied to their port side.
     I beat them up top and studied the clouds (not too much movement) and current (smooth in the marina) then started the engine. Kelsey came up top and we discussed the sequence of detaching the dock lines and Pete joined us. The bow spring line clearly had no load on it, so that was an easy choice to detach and the stern line was slack as well--most of the tension was on the aft spring line. Then, detach the bow line and let the bow start to swing out while Kelsey held the stern spring line. Pete said, “See how the stern line’s slack has increased and the bow is swinging out? Kelsey shoved the bow out further as she leapt onto Privateer. Pete had warned me the night before not to turn the tiller until the bow was clear of the boat in front of us, as the pivot point on the boat would turn the stern into the dock if I did. I’m thinking...Wait, wait, the bow is clear, slowly throttle forward, bow is clear. Houston, take off is a success!
     No wind and long transit meant motoring today. It took us two hours to get out of Tenakee Inlet and enter Chatham Strait. I was at the helm and Kelsey went below and cooked us breakfast. Whole wheat pancakes with yogurt on the side, both drizzled with real maple syrup, nectarine slices and pork sausages--yummmm!.
     Headed South down Chatham Strait, initially very smooth and the flood still with us. The clouds were low today, so no mountain top viewing today but we stayed fairly close to the Chichagof side of the strait and saw many interesting beaches and rock formations on the way. As we got closer to Peril Strait, this is the area where the flood tide coming around the North end of Chichagof heading South meets the flood coming around the South end of Baranof heading North so currents get kind of crazy--lots of kelp and log debris and we had to keep a look out. Oh, and the sun came out, lovely.
     As we got closer to Peril Strait, and could see the shining rooftops of the town of Angoon (a Tlingit town) across the strait on Admiralty Island,we suddenly had cell phone reception that Pete and Kelsey knew would disappear as soon as we entered Peril Strait, so we all called our families.
     A little bit before reaching Peril Strait, we saw some helicopter logging going on. A huge, twin bladed red and white helicopter would fly up the side of the mountain, dangling a very long cable, hover over the down logs, and once attached to logs by people below, would rise in the air with 1-2 logs and then drop them on a barge in the water below. Interesting. What a huge and expensive endeavor though--not to mention the impact on the environment and wildlife. I can’t help feeling once again, that we should only be using trees for boards and our government should legalize hemp, which is so much more sustainable for things such as paper etc.
      Soon we reached the mouth of Peril Strait, we had to continue South though until we passed the green bell buoy--a long, mile long under water shelf extends far out as evidenced by the abundant kelp growing there. Rounded the buoy which had seals resting and napping on it and we entered the strait.
     As we entered the strait, the wind kicked up a bit and we unfurled the yankee and turned off the motor. We listened to the vhf weather report, which we were not sure if we would be able to get once we reached Hanus Bay. A lot of static and it was hard to understand though they did talk about high and low pressure forecast, so time for a weather lesson from Pete.
     In the Pacific NW and Alaska:
    Bad weather and storms blow in from the SE.
    Southerly wind usually brings rain and poor visibility.
    West and NW winds bring clear skies and great sailing!
    When the wind backs (shifts counter-clockwise) weather deteriorates.
    When the wind veers (shifts clockwise) weather improves.
    Low pressure can bring in strong winds from the SE, high pressure from the NW.
    A “low pressure” system is an area of bad weather (generally).
    A “high pressure” system is an area of good weather.
     So, Pete asked me, “ Even though we couldn’t get the wind specifics of our area, we did catch them saying that a high pressure ridge will build over SE Alaska today. An area of low pressure will move into SE Alaska tonight and strengthen through tomorrow night. What does that mean for our sail tomorrow? And, interpret the forecast” He let me mull this over and think through it. Right answer--the weather is deteriorating and the winds are going to increase through tomorrow night. Man, Pete is a great teacher.
     We sailed into Hanus Bay, ten hours after we had left Tenakee Springs this morning, a little complicated to find anchorage among the numerous crab pots someone has placed in here but we are well protected from the wind that is now howling outside while Privateer gently rocks. We will be stay put here all day tomorrow--sleep in, do some more end line whipping and Pete is going to go over my BC charts with me and discuss routes, dangers and challenges and good anchorages.
     Oh, and after we arrived, Kelsey got out the Nutella that Pete’s mom had sent them and made Pete and I very happy as we licked our spoons. I sat on my bunk making yummy noises and managed to grab one more spoonful before it was put away (Thanks, Pete’s mom!)
    Later in the evening, the low tide is very low -3.1, a 16 foot difference today between the high and low tide. Full moon--spring tide. I got some great pictures of the full moon. For once, the weather cooperated and the sky clear, at least when the moon came up though it clouded over later.