| This leg proved to be simultaneously the most exiting, remote,
dangerous, and beautiful, all simultaneously.
Judy, John, and Iris headed back to Juneau in their runabout,
waving goodbye and singing "It's a Grand Old Flag" at the top of
their lungs in a giddy moment of faux patriotic fervor.
Serenade headed west, toward the Pacific via S. Sinian Pass,
surrounded by scores of breaching Humpbacks.
The guidebooks recommended taking the N. Sinian Pass route, and
we soon discovered the reason to avoid the southern passage:
tidal current passing through the narrower southern passage creates
huge standing waves, which only increased in size as they meet the
ocean swells. It was an intense roller coaster ride for a half
hour or so...
Our next stop was the aptly named Elfin Cove. The town
consists of a few dozen buildings perched along side a winding
smooth rock inlet. The "streets" consist of boardwalks
suspended along the rock passages, overhanging the water.
Commercial and charter fishing seems to be the sole commerce of the
town. This place reeks with atmosphere.
We spent one night at Mirror Harbor, which has a truly tricky
entrance, even at high tide. After reviewing our path into the
harbor at the next low tide, we decided the only reason our keel was
still intact was due to divine intervention. Mirror Harbor was
also the only time during the entire trip that we had trouble
setting the CQR anchor due to the very dense kelp growth. Even
though the harbor is completely protected from ocean swells, we were
in the midst of a small gale and after six attempts to set the
anchor we ended up running a line to shore.
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After a few hours,
the crew threatened to mutiny, and we headed for shelter through Kukkan Passage, just S of Graves Island. The wind decreased
throughout the day, and we made it through Piehle Passage and onto
Sitka without further angst. We stayed the night in a hotel,
my first night off Serenade since leaving Seattle. |
