Thursday June 21, 2012 Petersburg Today is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. I really can’t say how long the days are. I went to bed at 10:30 PM & it was still light. There was plenty of light at 3:00 AM. I know that when the lights are out in the cabin it’s dark. It rained hard last night and by mid-morning it and stopped and this evening the sun is bright. You can tell the locals in Petersburg because they are wearing the shorts and tank tops while we foreigners are still in our fleeces. At 9:00 PM with the sparkling snowfields all around. We have a glimpse of the really high peaks on the mainland in the distance. That’s where the glaciers are. This morning we did ... read more

Sunday June 17th, 2012 Ketchikan to Meyer’s Chuck We crossed Clarence Straits in zigzag fashion, quartering the waves, for the comfort of the passengers. Sailors refer to it as tacking and for powerboaters zigzagging is better than upchucking. There is lots of camaraderie on the public float in Meyer’s Chuck and a lady was taking orders for cinnamon (sticky) buns for tomorrow. Cassie is a local who makes them and might be regarded as the mayor of Meyer’s Chuck. Kira spotted a boy about Cole’s age fishing off the dock and she was off with her red bucket hunting for aquatic creatures. Our sometime bos’un, sometime marine biologist identified a large jellyfish as a Sea Blubber Cyanea capillata. It’s also called a Lion's Mane jellyfish and I have some riveting video... read more

Saturday May 26, 2012 Ketchikan After posting a blog at Safeway we walked South to the "downtown" area of Ketchikan where the cruise ships tie up. There were four more in today and I hear they come in everyday all summer - in in the morning and out in the afternoon. We mingled with the passengers along streets full of gift shops, jewelry shops with hawkers at every door inviting us in. A boardwalk lined with shops was built out over a tumbling river where people can watch salmon spawning and bears eating them in season. We ate lunch at Annabelle's, which had a 19th century boom town atmosphere and good food. It's raining and blowing pretty hard so not many people are going in or out for the local fishing derby. Sunday May 27, 2012 ... read more

Tuesday May 22, 2012 Windy Bay to Bishop Bay Hot Springs The clouds lift and patches of sunlight show here and there as we travel down passages, through narrows, reaches and Channels. For many hours there is not a boat to be seen and we grumble a little when see any boat that disturbs the solitude. We turned into Butedale to see the ruins of an old cannery. Many of the large warehouses have collapsed and only one house had smoke rising from it and a light was on. What we marvelled at was the large waterfalls coming from Butedale Lake above us. We read that one old guy lives there and works to preserve what he can of this bygone place. A nice flood tide has carried us along for most of the morning and ... read more

Saturday May 19, 2012 Port McNeill to Fury Cove At 5:00 AM the lights on both boats were on and coffee was perking. We looked at charts and Dick said he would follow us and off we went into the sunrise. At 10 :40 AM we were rounding Cape Caution in Queen Charlotte Sound and of the usual death grip on the wheel, wondering what it's like to die and istening to the moaning behind me, the Little Liza is on autopilot, the gentle wind is at our backs, BJ's reading some ancient and forgotton lore, and I'm scribbling my thoughts in a journal. I've heard QC Sound refered to as the Queen's Pond and today the description is apt. Sea Nile is within radio range and at Egg Island I made my a course change ... read more