Sailing SE Alaska

July 15, 2012 Ford Arm to Falcon Arm

     We slept in and had a leisurely breakfast. Pete grabbed his bear spray (one doesn’t go ashore without it) and a saw, loaded Trinka with 3 wood pallets and rowed ashore to finish cutting them up for the tiny wood stove. He had collected tossed oak pallets in Sitka. Kelsey and I stayed aboard and had a nice time chatting (I already adore both of them!)
     Once Pete was back, he showed Kelsey and I how to look up the tide charts on the GPS. After looking at the tides, (the flood was just starting), we decided to head back out Ford Arm and head South down Slocum Arm to the next inlet, Falcon Arm.
     Pete is going to have Kelsey and I take turns being navigator and helmsman and today Kelsey took the helm.
     As we pulled anchor, we decided to swing past an old abandoned cannery nearby (all we could see was some pilings) and then Pete spotted some grizzlies on a distant grassy flat--as we motored closer to get a better look, we could see it was a sow and two small cubs. We saw at least seven sea otters, floating on their backs.
      We motored back out Ford Arm with Kelsey at the helm, and me carefully watching the chart and watching the depth finder when needed.
     Once we left Ford Arm, we unfurled the yankee sail and turned off the engine and headed South, down Slocum Arm. The NW wind was mild (5-10 knots) and we varied between a beam and broad reach.
      Turned East into Falcon Arm and following the Coast Pilot instructions, stayed near the North shore until we had cleared an under water rock midway in the channel about a half a mile in. Once we were a little way into Falcon Arm the wind started shifting all over the place because of the high mountains and then died so we motored the rest of the way to the end of the three mile inlet. On our left was a deep scar down the mountain where a slide had cleared all the trees and to our right was a grassy flat where a grizzly watched us warily as he ate grass but bolted into the forest when our anchor clanged as it cleared the bowsprit. (this time of year the bears eat grass as they wait for the salmon to start their upriver runs)
    Now, once again, we are warm with wood heat and stomachs full with another of Kelsey’s awesome meals. Life is good!