Wrangell to Ratz Harbor to Ketchikan

Lazed about in Wrangell for a few days. We walked to town early in the sunshine. Along the way, we stopped by the Standard Oil Float to check out the slip. It is nothing fancy, but definitely works. It would be quite the schlep for groceries and laundry, but we can go over to the dinghy dock (4-hour limit) and it is all right there. A plan is coming together for next season, which gives us peace of mind.

We stopped by the grocery store, violating the cardinal rule. Do not shop when you are hungry! We then stopped by the marine store and they had both a harpoon and a gaff hook. So we are all set! Now we just need to go fish!

Finally! Northern lights AND stars! This marina is ablaze with light, so hoping that we see some out at an anchorage somewhere in some darker skies. It was still a good show though!

Sunday we took the dinghy over to Reliance Harbor and walked downtown to check that out. I found some Athletic Beer and bought 5 six packs. (that’s all we could carry 😛

We played some games and enjoyed the sunshine. We have decided we are going to be at the fuel dock at 8 am (when they open) and then head to Ratz Harbor and then on to Ketchikan on Tuesday. That leaves all of Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday to get ready for our guests.

We have had a few days of warm weather. Haha. So fickle. That means lots of biting bugs and now it seems the smoke is moving in. And oh so hot.

We left Wrangell on Monday morning, fueled up, and headed out. Our cruise was calm and uneventful until we got into a mess of fishing vessels. It was SO HARD to see their floats and subsequently the correct course to take. No one is on AIS so it is impossible to hail them. It was pretty stressful.

I did not need to be so sad about leaving Frederick Sound and the whales there. We saw at least 10 whales out in Clarence Strait – one gave us quite the show leaping out of the water and flipper slapping to boot.

Ratz Harbor is not even mentioned in Waggoner’s but is in the Douglass guide. It had 2 stars in Navionics reviews because the area was clear-cut in 2013. I’m glad that we also belong to the Boating the Inside Passage to Alaska Facebook group, as we would have never even thought to stop there. The trees have all grown back and it was a beautiful stop. I wouldn’t want to stay there waiting out a big blow as it is pretty unprotected. But, it was fantastic on a calm night. We could hear whales blowing out in the Strait. There was a black bear mama and cub on the beach. We shared the anchorage with 2 other boats that night. The stars were popping. We would stay there again for sure.

Tuesday morning during our cruise to Ketchikan, a May Day call came over the radio. Just one. No information. The Coast Guard spent the entire day trying to find them. They asked all mariners who actually heard the call for help to radio in and let them know their exact position and the height of their antenna. They deduced the area and sent out a Pan Pan (pronounced pawn-pawn) regularly for everyone to keep a sharp lookout. I hope they were found. If someone was joking around on the radio, they wasted A LOT of resources.

As we arrived, the wind picked up. We were worried about docking, but no need. We are as close to the inside of the harbor as you can get at Bar Harbor North. This area sheds a different light on Ketchikan. It is in the working district, next to the airport, very far from the reasons you stop at a marina – restaurants, bars, shops.. and it is way more protected. I am glad we stayed at Thomas Basin on our first visit.

Well, time to get on with my day. You probably won’t hear from us until Saturday, we will be underway again with Jim and Nancy.

Talk Soon.