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2016-18: Thursday, June 30 2016  Sunset In SitkaSunset over Eliason Harbor

Tuesday, June 14, 2016: The Boat People as CrewOver the years the Wild Blue has hosted many a crew, most of whom seldom if ever get on the water. They’ve learned while crewing and do excellent work for little or no boating experience. On the flip side,…

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

On Wednesday 7AM we pulled the hook and headed deep into the head of Redfish Bay to retrieve our crap traps.  Our hopes of dining on fresh crab evaporated when we noticed a pair of sea otters lounging in the back bay.  The otters have steadily reduced the SE Alaska crab population over the years such that when you see one, you can be assured there are no crabs remaining in the area.

Redfish Bay looking one mile inside to 1st Narrows.  2nd Narrows and the Head are not visible at 3 miles from the mouth.

After pulling the empties and exiting the Bay, we turned towards Whale Bay, our favorite King salmon fishing zone. During our smooth cruise northward, we passed the yachts Canadian Mist and Shearwater headed southward.  During brief VHF conversations we learned that Whale Bay hadn’t yielded any Kings for them.

We entered the Bay with lowered expectations, dragging hootchies along the North side. Soon we were elated to land our first King of the season.  The Bay was generous to the Wild Blue and after four Kings in two hours we anchored in Kritoi for lunch and a nap.  At the evening slack tide, we netted two more kings completing the daily limit for our three guests.

Next it was up Small Arm for the nicest anchorage in the Bay.  Alex marinated King fillets in soy and lemon juice with crushed garlic, salt, pepper, lemon olive oil, wine and capers then slowly barbecued them on ocean soaked cedar planks. The entrée was served on the plank with rice and peas and was tasty enough to delight the pallet of the most discriminating epicurean.  “Hunt for the Red October” was screened for and enjoyed by Shawn.

Roger knows how to pose for a fishing photo: wear the Wild Blue boat cap, look serious, and s-t-r-e-t-c-h that fish!

Shawn is learning from Roger.

Four of the six fish landed on Wednesday which are 29 to 32 inches long.

Fresh King salmon fillets on cedar planks in the BBQ.

Thursday and Friday, June 9-10, 2016

Thursday’s fishing the northern side of the Whale Bay entrance and the Krishka Island’s NW corner yielded just four kings. That’s pretty good and there is still Friday.

Anytime while trolling for salmon near the bottom, sometimes “by-catch” such as small fish go for the bait or lure action.  These so-called “shakers” usually don’t even wiggle the rod.  They reduce fishing time because they’re large enough so that target fish, the King salmon, will not go after them.  A good fisherman periodically reels in to check his bait and only then are the small fish are revealed.  The fish is then quickly unhooked and returned to the sea.  Many are the bottom fish which take a couple minutes to recover and swim back down into the deep. Just seconds after being sighted while still at the surface, most are talon-fetched for the an eagle’s dinner.

Such was the case today for Shawn as he quickly reeled in a small rock cod.  As the flasher and hooked fish broke the surface 2-feet of the boat’s stern, unbeknownst to Shawn, a hungry eagle sighted it.  Before Shawn could remove the rod from the holder, the bird grabbed the still-hooked fish and flew.  There was a slight pause, then a loud crack as the eagle powered off breaking the fishing rod in half!

Eagle dive-bombed rock fish still on the hook.  Instead of the line breaking, the rod broke!

After dinner, continuing in tour patriotic movie theme, we enjoyed “The Patriot”.

Friday mid-morning after four hours of hootchie dragging, we reeled’em in and headed away from the Bay for Bjorka Island.  Due to the low tide on the inside route at Second Narrows, we took the outside route which featured a light breeze and low swell.  By 11 AM we again started trolling but without action.  After 2 hours we called it a day and headed to town.  Sitka Harbors found the Wild Blue moorage at familiar Eliason Harbor where we cleaned up for the evening concert at the Sitka Classicial Music Festival.

Each June for the last five years or so, Alex, Pat and crews have enjoyed the sounds of the Sitka Music Festival.  Tonight’s performance features the world renown Cypress Spring Quartet of San Francisco.  This classical music group has practiced and performed throughout the world for the past 20 years, recording 16 albums.  Amongst their numerous accolades, they also have been heard on the Netflix original series House of Cards. They play exceptional music instruments including violins by Antonio Stradivari (1681), and Carlo Bergonzi (1733), and a cello by Hiermonyous Amati II (1701).  This is their final year together and tonight’s performance is 3rd to last as the Quartet.

Over the past four summers or so,  Patrick and Miriam of the Selene 55 Spirit and Alex on Wild Blue have hosted the Cypress Spring Quartet and friends for fishing excursions out of Sitka.  They’ve done well landing their daily limits of King salmon.

On stage at the Sitka Classical Music Festival

CecilyWard, violin, Tom Stone, violin, Jennifer Kloetzel, cello, Ethan Filner, viola

The Sitka Fishing Musicians: Cypress Quartet, Zuill Bailey-Music Director, friends and kids with Patrick and Miriam of the yacht Spirit and Alex of the yacht Wild Blue.

Monday, June 6, 2016The permanent slip owner didn’t show and we departed at 4 AM.  We pulled our crab traps located just north of Craig off the fish processing plant to find 10 good looking ones.  When it comes to crabbing, there’s just no ge…

Saturday, June 4th, 2016

After Celebrity Infinity’s dock smash, we hoped for smooth exit from Ketchikan.

Early is relative.  In the lower 48, 6 AM might be considered early.  But here in the Land of the Midnight sun (so to speak) our definition of early is 3:30 AM.  With sunrise at 4:08, it was already light when Roger and Alex arrived in the galley. While the coffee brewed, we shortened lines, readied the chart-plotter, and radar with dimmed displays, then after our first cup, we stowed the electrical cable and motored out.

Ketchikan Harbor was glassy calm with 2 knots wind from the NE, a dramatic contrast from yesterday’s gale and 35-knot gusts that caused a cruise ship to damage the City Float dock.  Once in Nichols Passage moving south, moderate ocean swells caused minor some pitch.  By 9am we had crossed Clarence Strait as the winds remained light and were ready to round Cape Chacon.

As with all ocean points, capes, and peninsulas, confused seas prevailed.  The flood current had started, with half the current wanting to go west up Cordova Bay and Tlevak Straight, and the other half pining northward up Clarence.  Being at the Cape Chacon made for a messy ocean and this bathtub effect lasted for 2 hours until a crewman to asked “when does it get flat again?”  After Alex suggested “Tums”, we entered the Barrier Islands, picking our way northward between small islands in calm water.

Just past 1 PM we set a couple crab traps and the hook in Kassa Inlet.  The sun came out for the rest of the day.

North pacific swells attempt to bury the rocks of Prince of Wales Island.

Sunday, June 4th, 2016

This morning we slept in until 5 AM, pulled the hook and two crab traps without catching mud, line or crab! By 6:30 we stopped at a King salmon favorite fishing spot…. Jackson Island.  The place is highly recommended by this tug captain.  The story on Jackson is here.

Jackson Island view from our westerly approach.

There was bait everywhere: at 60, 80, 100 and 120 feet, all good King depths.  There were bait boils everywhere on the surface and we fished from 40 feet to 160 feet of depth trolling the lime green, sparkle-skirted hootchie.  The bait never seemed to scatter which means there were no big fish around. There were no seabirds dining either, just one lonely humpback feeding a ½ mile over.
After three hours we again restated the obvious: salmon fishing is hours and hours of boredom punctuated by a few minutes of shear excitement.  We enjoyed no excitement.

Bait balls from 40 through 120 feet with boils on the surface. Unfortunately there were no hunger salmon around.

The water was pancake flat all the way to Tlevak Narrows as we made turns for Craig, Alaska.  Surprisingly it was also filled with hundreds of logs, sticks, trees, and other wooden obstacles which called for zig-zag course, (and also assured we wouldn’t be torpedoed by an enemy sub!)

At 2 PM we set the crab traps just north of town and began looking for dock space in the crowded North Harbor.  It’s Sunday so no harbormaster.  The transient slips were occupied so we opted to tied up to permanent slip in hopes the owner won’t come home tonight!  We’ll sleep very lightly…..

Friday, June 3, 2016Yesterday evening we enjoyed the lightly filled Alaska Air flight from Seattle to Ketchikan.  Roger, Sid and I returned back to town to get the boat moving towards Sitka.  We hope to be there around the 10th.Except for the…

Monday, May 9, 2016The 4AM weather report for Dixon Entrance East was special.  No real wind until late in the day and seas less than 1 meter.  Let’s cross… so we did.It was as forecast, a pleasant crossing in light winds with flat seas and…

Sunday, May 8, 2016Rather than fight the current, we opt to “sleep in” until 9.  Then we’re back on the Grenville northward using any current in our favor.  Gray turns to light clouds, then sun and wind as the morning becomes afternoon.In Nor…

Saturday, May 7, 2016The high wind warnings persist so the crew is OK with early morning departures in hopes of minimizing exposure to the winds.  By 6am we’ve departed Work Bay.  It is a fine anchorage but there is room for just one boat nea…

Friday, May 6, 2016This is our 8th year cruising the Inside Passage to Alaska.  Each year we try new anchorages.  In 2016, for the first time we’ve anchored in Fish Egg, Lambard and tonight’s Work Bay. It’s a 5-hour motor from the Inlet up to…