Alaska Trip 2011: Clockwise around Wrangell Island

Day 21:  More fishing and another fantastic moorage all to ourselves.  39-miles

The barometer has bumped up to 1029Mb, the highest of the trip.   Sunny and warm.  The weather for the past 3-weeks has been fantastic.  A couple of small rain showers to rinse the salt off the boat, a little breeze way back on day 11, mostly overcast mornings burning off in the afternoon with smooth water.  Just like the brochure advertised!

Cindy with the big halibut rod & reel.

We are going fishing again, confident in our ability.  We spoke with the commercial fisherman aboard the tender Cape Ommaney, moored across the dock at Heritage Marina last night.  They gave me the ol' "ten minutes and we get a halibut" story, when I mentioned that we had not seen any Orca's one of the guys jumped in with "I saw two pods today, they always are near that point at 10am..." .  Fish tales, got to love them.  One of the fellows came over and pointed at our chart giving us his best advice, which I appreciate.

We went back to Two-Tree Island and fished the flat area on the south side.  The fisherman said give it twenty minutes and if no bites move on, which we did.  We trolled for salmon between Sokolof and Vank... and moved on. 

Chief Shakes House in Wrangell harbor

We stopped back by Wrangell to see Chief Shakes House, on Shakes Island in the middle of the old marina.  This is a recreation of a Tlingit longhouse, built in the late 1940's with the help of the last Chief Shakes.  Very cool and well worth touring. 

Inside Shakes House - Tlingit longhouse.

Tom Nelson suggested "The Babbler" between the point and where the rocks stop, 1/3 mile to the west.  Troll at the 120-foot line about ten-feet off the bottom.  We timed this for just before high-slack.  Surely we would get our king here.  Babbler Point is on the mainland side of Wrangell, clockwise around the top of the Island.  We trolled this line for several hours...and then moved on.  Nothing, no hits, zippo.  You cannot catch what is not there, no fish.















Eastern Passage on the west side of Wrangell Island is gorgeous.  Cindy was taking pictures of bald eagles and Stacey drove Cinnamon Girl south through The Narrows.  His small boat sailing career may be waning, he just helped deliver a Swan 100 form Virgin Gorda to New England.  Now aboard the American Tug.   He seems to be enjoying the good life aboard comfortable boats.

Berg Bay - a nice little anchorage.  The red sure looks nice.  Click for full larger image.

The Forest Service Cabin - Click for a link to their description of this cabin.


Berg Bay at the north end of Blake Channel is the perfect Alaskan anchorage.  It was protected, full of crab, gorgeous and empty.  The Forest Service cabin at the head of the bay was not occupied.  We launched the dinghy and headed to shore for some exploration as there is a 1/2-mile walking trail over to the mudflats in the next bay.  The trail is 100% on wood boards above the soil.  This is bear country and we were careful to make some noise as we walked through the woods.  The Forest Service has a network of 150 cabins all over Southeast Alaska, available to use for a very small fee.  The cabin was clean and looked like fun.

The 1/2-mile boardwalk to Aaron Creek. 

Aaron Creek, large grassy delta & mud flats.  Watch for bears!

Did I mention the crabs!

Cinnamon Girl is back on the move and it feels right.  We did not see another boat on Eastern Passage or while anchored.  Solitude. 

Berg Bay at dusk.

Alaska Trip 2011: Our day fishing near Wrangell

Day 20:  That's why they call it "fishing, not catching".  29-miles

I woke up early today and was looking forward to going fishing; having never caught a really big fish this should be fun. Our friend Stacey Wilson was flying in to join us for a few days aboard Cinnamon Girl.

Wrangell Alaska, famous for salmon & halibut fishing.

The "nose" is a Wrangell fishing hot spot; it does not show on the charts as "the nose" but everyone calls it that since it looks like an elephants trunk, it is technically Woronkofski Point.  The nose sounds better. 

It does look like an elephant trunk.

My log entry reads:

11:40am     Trolling the nose.  1-hr before high slack, bait fish in area, all systems go!

At Noon I called Mike Schoppert, president of American Tug, he was raised here in Alaska.  I told him where we were trolling, that it was high-slack, we were at a tide line and we had good bait fish flashing in the water.  These have always been excellent indicators for finding salmon.  Mike immediately asked if there were any local fisherman or charter boats working the spot...  Nope, just us tourists on Cinnamon Girl!  Dang, there would be others here if it was being productive.

The excitement was incredible, my day to catch a big salmon.


We fished the nose, fished Two-Tree Island for halibut, fished Sokolof Island, back to Two-Tree.  Cinnamon Girl put in a full day of fishing and never had a strike. Did not see another sport fishing boat all day.  Later we talked to the guy at the fuel dock, he would certainly know what is happening.  Apparently it has been quiet for two-weeks, no fish in the area.

Local crabber, typical of the smaller commercial boats around Wrangell.

It was a great day.  I really enjoyed hanging out with Cindy & Stacey.  The weather was perfect.  Totally relaxing, no agenda, no plan, no stress, no fish.  The boat sure stayed clean...no guts, no glory!

Stacey Wilson, former small boat sailor.  He sure loved driving the American Tug!

Stacey's entry in the Cinnamon Girl "bull head derby", it won biggest...

Inside Passage relative distance table, a handy tool!

Click on the table for full size pdf. 

This table is a different way of presenting the distances between anchorages, tidal convergences and other useful points along the Inside Passage.  I pulled the information from a variety of sources and put it all in one handy chart. 

Call me for your next cruising boat!   Steve Scruggs, Yacht Broker  

Alaska Trip 2011: Fishing our way down to Wrangell

Day 19:  Thomas Bay to Wrangell, back via the Narrows.  62-miles

Center Islet viewed from Ruth Island Cove.  First light.

Steve working the down riggers for salmon in Thomas Bay, morning slack water.


Now heading south we slid into the Wrangell Narrows and past Petersburg, with current pushing us an extra 2.5-knots!  I timed the passage to arrive at the tidal convergence an hour early, as I wanted to anchor near Pepkes Landing and mooch for a salmon.  This was interesting as all the large north and south bound boats ride the flood in the channel and converge at roughly the same time and place, then each gets to ride the ebb for the second half of the trip.  We saw many cool boats including the Sumdum, a Ketchikan local that knows these currents. The Sumdum was built by Tom Nelson back in the eighties, Tom later founded American Tug. 

The Sumdum, a local cruiser moving up Wrangell Narrows.


The area around Blind Slough and Pepkes Landing has several fishing resorts.  All the resort boats were tied to their docks, apparently they have not been getting fish here yet this year.

We rode the current to Point Alexander, eventually getting 2.5-knots of push which makes for a fast trip.  We trolled at Point Alexander with the down riggers, but this was now an ebbing tide.  We saw a lack of fish and other fisherman at this popular spot.  If you are keeping track of our fish count, still zero.  If I gave you the crab count you would have absolutely no sympathy for me on the fish, so we will leave it at that.

One of the 5-ranges along Wrangell Narrows.  Very well marked channel.



The new Heritage Marina in Wrangell is nearly complete.  It is Alaska sized with big nice docks, a huge rock breakwater and will soon have other amenities.  The harbor master told us to grab anyplace on the large transient docks, very friendly.  Heritage Marina is a half-mile walk from town and I must admit the walk felt good.  This will be great facility; soon the parking area will be done and the uplands developed.

Wrangell is a town of 1,700 residents.  It is a smaller town than Ketchikan or Petersburg, with its economy based on the Stikine River.  It has gone boom & bust a few times; three gold rushes in the Stikine area, fires that burned their downtown in 1906 & 1952 and the ebb & flow of fishing.  Wrangell has a commercial fishing fleet with more small trollers and local crabbers, not the mega net boats of Petersburg.  The downtown is two-blocks long, with a large wharf at the north end.  Smaller cruise ships (125-600 feet) call here weekly.  The cruise ship terminal has none of the tacky tourist traps of Ketchikan, just a gravel driveway and a coffee stand.  Definitely a more authentic Alaska experience and more what I was hoping to find.  This is a boater friendly town and I am very glad that we came.

This may be the small aluminum fish boat capital of the world, they are everywhere.  Sport Fishing is a huge here.  Jet boats, river boats, charter boats, and all in aluminum for the mighty Stikine River.  I counted 42- aluminum boats in yards and on the street during my walk back to Heritage Marina.

Discarded outboard power heads torn up by jet pumps & an aluminum boat dumpster?  Only in Wrangell.


Sport fishing is why Cinnamon Girl is here; it is time to put some meat in the freezer.  Cindy wants to catch a halibut and I want to land a king salmon.  We have the boat, the gear, those "top secret" NOAA fish charts, and are in the right area.  Time to get the fish count where it belongs!  Wish us luck...
 
Steve & Cindy Scruggs, aboard the Cinnamon Girl American Tug 41.

Alaska Trip 2011: Going fishing north of Petersburg

Day 18: Petersburg to Thomas Bay. 21-miles

Time to go fishing.  In previous posts I have alluded to a lack of serious fishing experience, while this is true I do like to "catch fish".  The key word there is catch.  Growing up around Puget Sound in the 1970's there were not a lot fish to be caught.  We are in Alaska, and these guys DO catch fish!

I met a fellow on the dock that offered me a chance to look at his 1989 NOAA Fishing Maps with salmon and halibut hotspots colored in...that is what I needed!  It was a James Bond moment as I snapped clandestine photos of the pages with my tiny Canon camera, 007 would have used a Minox but where would I find one of those in Petersburg?  The spy photos revealed a nice habitat for my target species in Thomas Bay, just 10-miles north.  Thomas has also been the 10,000-year host of the Baird Glacier and had some good looking anchorages.  We were off!

The Alaska Ferry Matanuska entering Petersburg.


The route I plotted included a stop between the Sukhoi Islands for quick bounce of the halibut jig.  The water was calm, but we found no takers for our offering of Octopus with circle hook.

Looking Northeast from Petersburg


Thomas Bay has a shallow entry with rocks on both sides, and is clearly marked with red & green buoys.  The protected Bay is filled with emerald green glacial water.  There was zero wind so we chose the large bay with a 150-foot deep flat bottom and offered more octopus.  We drifted only 300-yards in two hours, but found no halibut.  Off again to tour the Bay and see the Glacier.

Halibut fishing in Thomas Bay.  The weather has been great.

The Baird is at the north end of the Bay, with deeply scarred granite mountain sides.  It is clear that this chunk of ice has been tearing away at the rock with incredible force.  Now a bit smaller having receded like all the other Alaskan Glaciers, it is still huge.  The ice is 10,000 years old and shows its wear, dirt and age.  This is not one of those picturesque eery blue glaciers with fresh calving, where you want to chip a piece off and put in your aged Scotch, those begin a full day farther north.  Still very impressive. 

The Baird Glacier.  Click on photo for larger view. 


At the foot of Glacier is also where Cindy and I turned Cinnamon Girl around and realized that this is as far north as we were going.  57.05.248-Degrees North and 643 direct line miles from home.  945-miles under the keel since leaving Bellingham 18-days ago.  Time flies when you are having FUN!

Rockfall above Thomas Bay.  Jenkins Peak.


We anchored in Ruth Island Cove at the south end of Thomas Bay, in a little nook opposite the large mud flats that use to be the terminus of the Patterson Glacier, now receded.  This was good holding in 40-feet of water.  We put out the crab pot, as I am really good at that!

Alaska Trip 2011: To Petersburg via the Wrangell Narrows

Day 17:  Meyers Chuck to Petersburg.  A fun scenic cruise.  75-miles

You may recall from an earlier posting that we have some extra time in Southeast Alaska due to our fast trip up from Bellingham.  Upon reviewing the charts we decided to use the extra time to see Petersburg and spend more time fishing around Wrangell.  Today is our day to make way to Petersburg.  This is a 75-mile run via the famous Wrangell Narrows, a 21-mile canal marked with 62-buoys.  Before tackling this leg I needed to read up on it, Cinnamon Girl has an excellent library. The Exploring Southeast Alaska book by the Douglass's covers this thoroughly.

Meyers Chuck at first light.

We set our alarm clock for low tide, as the flood will push us up Clarence Strait.  Guess what time...4am again.  This flood would get us to Point Alexander and the entrance to the Narrows.  Wrangell Narrows fills from both ends much like Grenville Channel, with a natural convergence near marker "R48", a little over half-way up.  We would probably buck the ebb current for 12-miles, but big deal as this was one of those channels I always wanted to see.  We should get the current with us for the final 9-miles.  Now we have a plan for the day.  75-miles is an aggressive day, but we have found the American Tug is really comfortable.  We have been cruising nearly all of the trip at 8-knots with Oly turning 1240-rpm, using the reserve power several times to make the trip easier.

Off we go!  We cleared the docks and worked our way out the rocky entrance, the rocks were all hidden last night at high tide.   Now we see why Meyers Chuck is so well protected!  Be sure to follow that entrance carefully when you visit.

Here is the log of June 12, 2011:

4:05 am: Engine checks OK, fired up Oly.
4:10 am: Underway at low tide, wind 6-knots easterly.  All reefs exposed!
7:45 am: Humpback whale on port side.  Calm. 
8:20 am: "Disney Wonder" (966' loa) passes south bound doing 22.1-knots.

The "Disney Wonder" heading to Victoria.  I would take a cruise if they would let me drive!

9:05 am: Humpback whales at Snow Passage.  Calm & no-wind. 

11:20 am: Entered Wrangell Narrows at Point Alexander.  Calm, still getting positive flood current!
2:05 pm:  Arrived Petersburg.  Slip C-651 South Basin.

Petersburg from the water.  Click for larger photo.


We did get positive water up the first third of Wrangell Narrows.  Cinnamon Girl arrived as predicted, but the current was still pushing us nicely, which was great.  Eventually we started losing about a knot of speed and that was fine as the Canal is very scenic with many nice houses, resorts, tributaries and waterfowl.  It is a great cruise in itself.  The current started flowing with us right where the guide book said it would!  When we reached Petersburg we had a 2-knot push. 

The Narrows is very well marked with 62-marks, 5-ranges, countless other indicators.  It was fun and should not be intimidating, it is an easy run.  Wrangell Narrows is the only protected waterway linking north and south Southeast Alaska, it is used by all types of commerce including barge traffic.  The alternative is to go "outside" and that means the Pacific.  Be sure to do this in your boating career.  We get to go back down Monday or Tuesday, I am already looking forward to it.

The other Cinnamon Girl.  Click for larger photo.  Note all the marks.

62 numbered buoys and marks on the Narrows.  Very easy to navigate.  Click for larger.


Petersburg is an authentic commercial fishing town.  They also do a little logging.  No cruise ships call on this port.  Main street reflects its Norwegian settlers heritage, kind of like a working Poulsbo.  The people we met were very nice.  I am glad that we came.

Fisherman's Memorial and the Sons of Norway Lodge.

The streets of Petersburg.  Norwegian heritage.  A work boat town.

Alaska Trip 2011: Exiting the Fjords and turning north.

Day 16:  Short Bay and around the corner to Meyers Chuck.  56-miles

After the disappointment of not seeing any bears on the beach at 4am, I returned to the rack and slept in.  If the bears can miss low tide, then so can I.  Cindy made pancakes for breakfast.  A leisurely morning aboard Cinnamon Girl at Short Bay.  Maybe it was the sound of the river or all the birds, but we were content to stay tied to the mooring and relax.  I also knew that if low tide was 4am, than high tide was around 10am and I wanted that extra current shove down Western Behm Canal.

Exiting Short Bay and back into the Fjords.

We fished at Point Francis,  trolling with the other boats.  We did not see anyone net a fish, my record stays intact!

Cindy yelled "Whale" and the downriggers came up fast.  A humpback was making his way past the point, our first whale sighting of the trip.  It is always exciting to see these fantastic creatures.

Humpback off Point Francis.  Eastern Behm Canal.

Waiting for the whale to come back up.

Meyers Chuck is a cool place.  We tied to their community dock.  There is a "public" trail that I would like to explore, hopefully Cinnamon Girl will be back later in the week.  Meyers Chuck might be described as a weekend vacation community for Ketchikan residents with a few full timers.  There are about 50-cabins and a post office that only picks up on Tuesdays.  I like it.

Downtown Meyers Chuck.  At the head of the nice community dock.

The Post Office. 

 Cutting logs into lumber.  Fishing & Logging are Alaska industries.

Pickup is every Tuesday at 10am. 

I wonder if it still takes a dime?  Look closely for the bird nest on top of the phone.

Near sunset.  Looking north, protected by a reef in the background.

Cinnamon Girl with a nice west view.

The community dock.  Plenty of space and very protected.