Foggy Bay, Alaska

June 19, 2023

We made it!!! We are officially in Alaska. We are currently anchored in Foggy Bay for the night. We will continue on to Ketchikan tomorrow. Everyone talks about the amazing nature (and there definitely has been that) but as soon as we settled in to this cove we were greeted. not with bears, but rather a float plane picking up a lone traveler on shore. How ironic.

As to our “boat problems” they still exit but I think I can MacGyver the transducer (depth sounder) with a portable “in hull” transducer with a small display screen. I will mount it in the hull of the engine room in the boat, run the wire up the channel to our pilot house and then I will have a portable, fully functional depth sounder. They are relatively inexpensive and available. I will have it air shipped in to Ketchikan within two days, install it and continue on.

As to the bow thruster, I have been given lots of great insight and advice. Once I’m at harbor I can try a few things out. I will still look for a mechanic but may not need it—or more likely not find it. On this one, stay tuned.

In the meantime, Marlene is in the fly bridge taking a nap. (We had about 1.5 hours of pretty choppy sea) with the remainder just a slow, long roll). I am on the lookout for bears. Everyone says I should see some. That’s my priority for the afternoon.

Early evening another boat came it, actually another Nordic Tug and it happened to be a boat we knew. This is the boat we originally planned to travel with through Cape Caution to Shearwater. If you recall from our earlier blogs we mentioned Bob who has been to Alaska before and was returning for a “Hail Mary” tour to celebrate his 80th birthday. Timing interrupted our ability to buddy boat together but we kept in touch. We lost contact about a week ago when Bob and his second crew member (which as you will recall he refers to as victims) were off to Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands) located 60 miles offshore from the mainland. We assumed we would reconnect in Ketchikan. But low and behold, Loki came into Foggy Bay. Their boat is above. Unfortunately the sea conditions were not favorable for Loki. Thirty miles out towards Haida Gwaii on Hecate Strait the winds and waves were significant enough to tear loose Bob’s dingy off the sea wise on the stern of his boat. He had to cut his dingy loose and let it sink. Yikes! Mother Nature is seriously dangerous at times. Both boats are off to Ketchikan tomorrow morning.

We are having a wonderful sunny 70 degree evening in a new time zone in Foggy Bay Alaska. We off to Ketchikan tomorrow.