We made it to Alaska!
After a night of tremendous rainfall in Prince Rupert, we awoke at 4:30,
checked the weather forecast, and headed out Venn Passage for the trip across
Dixon Entrance and into Alaska.
The weather was dreary as we left Prince
Rupert. Heavy rain and low clouds
limited visibility to less than two miles and the radar was helpful in preventing unwanted contact with a fast moving cruise ship or freighter. The wind was basically calm, and we hoped for
calm seas as well.
After cruising through Venn Passage, a narrow, curvy, and
intricate channel that leads from Prince Rupert Harbor to Chatham Sound, we
emerged into 2 foot seas on the port aft quarter. The autopilot made light work of the
conditions and the ride was comfortable. Conditions remained much the same
until we were made it north of Dundas Island and into Dixon Entrance, where
conditions were actually calmer than they had been in Chatham Sound.
But they were not to last.
By the time we reached Cape Fox, the wind was still quite calm but big
following seas had built. 5-6 footers,
with some bigger, and white caps too.
Despite the big seas, the ride was reasonably comfortable, the boat stable,
and the autopilot had no trouble keeping up as long as I worked the throttle to
keep us from plowing into the back side of the waves too quickly.
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| It's hard to capture wave heights in pictures...this is my best try |
The big seas kept us alert but not concerned, and we made
good time surfing along. By 8:30 we had
reached calmer waters and we were cruising towards Ketchikan at 16 knots. I called US Customs as we approached
Ketchikan, they asked for lots of info, and instructed me to call them when we
arrived in Ketchikan.
By 10:00 am local time (Alaska is one hour earlier than
Seattle) we had tied up in Ketchikan and were waiting for the customs officer
to check our passports. A friendly
customs woman (actually the friendliest US customes person I’ve ever dealt
with) promptly appeared, checked the boats registration and our passports, and
welcomed us back to the US.
We’re moored at the city docks in Ketchikan, right in the
middle of the cruise ship area. The 950-foot
Diamond Princess’s stern is about 100 yards away from us and Seven Seas
Navigator is a few hundred yards away.
They sure make Retriever look tiny!
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| A bit of a size difference |
85.8 nm today and 700.3 total
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