Day 24: Meyers Chuck to Madan Bay

After enjoying a fairly relaxed morning in Meyers Chuck (and a delicious cinnamon roll) we got underway, bound for Anan Creek Bear Observatory. I’d spoken with a ranger about visiting when I was in Ketchikan and he said we were welcome to go without a permit until July 5^th. This is because the salmon don’t start running until early July, and without salmon in the stream the bears are feeding elsewhere.

Ordinarily I might skip Anan under such conditions, but Mark had never been. Even if there aren’t any bears, it’s a pleasant stop with a nice walk.

The trip up to Anan was uneventful but a bit windy—winds to 25 knots, I’d estimate, but without too much fetch.

When I arrived at Anan I was shocked by the number of crab pot buoys. There must have been a buoy every 20 feet, four deep and1400 yards long, all right where I wanted to anchor.

Anan is a tough anchorage anytime, since it drops off rapidly from 20 feet to hundreds of feet. If you anchor in 20 feet and swing towards shore, you’re aground. If you anchor in 150 feet, you probably can’t get the anchor to set. And if you anchor somewhere in between and drag away from shore, the anchor won’t reset and the boat will quickly drift away.

I managed to find a spot to drop the hook in about 60 feet of water. With 250 feet of chain out I got a good set. Mark rafted along side and we headed to shore in the dinghy.

The trail up to the observatory was filled with evidence of bears…fur on trees, poop in the trail. But, as predicted, we didn’t actually see any bears, either on the trail or at the observatory.

Thankfully our boats were still sitting at anchor when we returned. We set course for Berg Bay. Unfortunately when we arrived it was as cluttered with crab traps as Anan was. I tried to set the anchor four different times, all unsuccessfully. So we continued on to Madan Bay. Easy anchoring for a change!

Sea Raven and Safe Harbour rafted in Madan Bay. 

50.96 nm today

843.45 nm total

Day 23: Ketchikan to Meyers Chuck

After some last minute grocery shopping I was underway again. It was a bit strange pulling away from the dock so easily…no other boats to send off, no chatter on the VHF.

Clarence Strait can be an ugly body of water, but today it was calm. Not much traffic as I made my way north for Meyers Chuck.

Meyers Chuck is an interesting little village, home to a post office, craft store, and a handful of residents. One of the residents visits each boat in the evening, takes orders for fresh cinnamon rolls, and delivers them to the dock the next morning. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity and wasn’t disappointed.

Plenty of space at the dock.

Trails lead around the settlement and I spent a bit of time wandering through the rainforest. Thankfully, no bears.

The extent of the wildlife I saw at Meyers Chuck.

Rainforest trails

34.2 nm today

792.79 nm total

Day 20-22: Ketchikan

Ketchikan is known for rain and it didn’t disappoint. In its driest month, Ketchikan gets more rain than Seattle gets in its wettest month. Some 150+ inches per year. Soon after arrival the rain arrived, too, and it didn’t really let up the whole time I was in town.

After 19 days of moving every day, the few rest days in Ketchikan were welcome. I caught up on email, laundry, a few boat projects, and grocery shopping.

I also used the days to talk with each of the flotilla participants about their travels onward from Ketchikan. Several are turning right around and heading for home, three are wondering around SE Alaska for at least a few weeks, and one is unsure.

Mark, my employer, and his two sons arrived on Sunday (June 22^nd). They’re continuing north and we planned on buddy boating as far as Petersburg. This will give us time to finalize our plans for southbound travel, so we can avoid visiting the same places.