Leaving Prince Rupert and back to the US of A….
June 6th
Foggy Bay the night of June 6th
Ketchikan June 6th - June 7th
We left Prince Rupert at 0530 on June 6, 2023. We probably did not need such an early departure as our intended anchorage was only 35 nm away but we wanted to make sure no winds were up and minimal traffic. It was a side tie, which is an easier departure as opposed to a slip. The current was in our favor pushing us off the dock as well.
Travis, the single-hander, across the way, had already left and was heading back South. He was going to haul out in Ketchikan originally until he got the bad news they could not get him on the hard for 1 month. He was able to import his boat into Canada for minimal expense and trouble and planned now to haul out in Bella Bella. Afterward, he will return home to Oregon and rejoin his family and eventually, they would return to Invictus, his boat, for some additional travel time in the future.
Our other dock neighbors, Misty Blue, the 44 Cascade, Ken, and Ruth, left shortly after us and passed us as usual eventually in the Venn Channel. The night before we enjoyed a dinner with them at Dolly’s, a local seafood restaurant. They are a lovely couple, Ken, a retired teacher, and Ruth, a retired nurse. They have been sailing for over 50 years and have been to Mexico as well as done the Inside Passage 7 times including now. We have definitely been using their knowledge share about this journey and truly admire their continued tenacity and pursuit of adventure.
Many fishing boats ripped by us in the Venn Channel, which is a shallow passage with channel markers but cuts off 12 nm to get to Ketchikan and avoids you going more out into the Pacific. You still have to cross the Dixon Entrance but exposure is less to the open ocean. The sea state was very calm and the NW winds were light. No sailing but we motored across fairly flat seas and hardly any swell.
Stephen did put together his downrigger so he could fish for salmon which prefer much deeper water than his hand lines, which run only a few feet below the surface. He thought he got a bite just as SV Misty Blue was passing us and we were chatting with the on the VHF. We put the handheld down and he started reeling her in. It looked very promising but unfortunately, he lost his flasher and his lure and NO fish! Bummer! We were ready to celebrate and I had the cockpit ready for “ FISH ON BOARD”… No such luck. Next time hopefully.
The arrival of anchorage came quite soon and I was tempted to push for Ketchikan but it would have made for a 12-hour day and Stephen was not interested. So we made our way to the anchorage called Foggy Bay. It is a quaint anchorage but has a very rocky entrance and requires careful attention on entrance and exit. There was a Pom Pom on the radio this morning of a couple leaving that anchorage and getting stuck on a rock at low tide. They were able to exit it sounds like unknown damage to their boat but Coast Guard was called off.
We watched Ruth and Ken enter by seeing them on AIS and on our Navionics. We would mimic their entry. Of note, prior to arrival here, we did cross the border via water and accomplished our Customs entrance via the phone app called ROAM. You can put in all your information and get approval for arrival into the US. We both have a Global Entry cards which does expedite our US returns but you really don’t even need this for the app. Passports are acceptable as well. Also, we now are Alaska time, one hour before PST.
We enjoyed the rest of the day with some fishing, crabbing ( no success on either), reading, and making a lovely dinner. Tomorrow we will head to Ketchikan to fuel up, as we chose to wait on diesel until we got back into the US because it is cheaper.
June 6
Leaving Foggy Bay we followed our exact path out and off to Ketchikan we went. It was going to be only a 40nm day but the current did slow us down. It was confusing as the reporting sights for the currents were only showing minimal flows of less than 1 knot but Soulstice was only making 3.9 knots at times. I was starting to think our bottom was collecting a bunch of bull kelp we were dragging along. There was wind on the nose of course and some wind waves but it seemed minimal for the decrease in speed. Usually, our hull speed is at least 5 knots.
We did start to pick speed again eventually and decided it must have been a combination of those aforementioned factors of wind, current and wind waves. We did put out the sail for a bit when possible and would gain another 1 -1.5 knots of speed. The wind was not that strong for a bigger purchase or to be able to stop the engine.
The entrance to Ketchikan funnels into a channel. It is a very busy port as well. Float planes flying in and out. Big cruise ships coming and going. Lots of fishing traffic. You cannot reserve a spot in the marina. You are assigned by the harbor master by calling on Channel 73 when you arrive. They are super friendly and try to accommodate your boat size, time of stay, and preference of port or starboard tie.
We stopped to fill up our diesel jugs and our diesel tank on Soulstice before radioing in for slip assignment. Fuel was cheaper than in Canada but all the surcharges and 8% sales tax - ouch! The fuel dock was busy as usual but they seemed to have lots of help even to take lines and help you tie up.
When we called the Harbor Master, we were given a port tie in the North Bar Harbor marina. The docks look a bit worn but they do have cleats. Luckily, it was not very windy and the docking was uneventful. We did not have a neighbor so that always reduces the stress as well. The biggest issue for Soulstice here is the current. We do not have bow thrusters nor a fin keel, both of which make turning/maneuvering easier. We have what is called a modified fin keel which is good for offshore sailing and stability but less beneficial in tight spots and needing to turn the boat. Additionally, the current shoving you around a bit can make docking definitely more of a challenge.
All went well though and we secured her well. Stephen did an oil change too. I went and registered us at the Harbor Master's office and then rejoined Stephen so we could do a walkabout around town. Our new dock neighbor, Ryan, reports he has been in Ketchikan for 4 years and is still unable to secure a permanent slip. He has moved around constantly between all the marinas. They do a lot of "hot berthing" there, which means you could be taking a fisherman's spot while they are out and need to move again on their return. Ryan said it has been very difficult despite even living there and having a house to get slip still. Uggh!
Our night in Ketchikan included going to a local bar called the Asylum and then to Annabelles for dinner. Annabelles had a nice selection and AK prices but the food was good and the service excellent. The town atmosphere was pretty mellow. The cruise ships come in early and then leave around dinner time so the town returns to a quiet status later on. We enjoyed getting out for a walk. The restaurants are about 2-3 miles away from the dock and it was nice to stretch our legs.
We noted all the houses sit up very high on bluffs and have intricate patterns of walkways and bridges and staircases to get from one place to the next. The streets look like they would be fun to explore and get some good hill climbs in for sure. Additionally, their large peaks with snow that cradle the town proper look inviting to hike. I look forward to planning some hiking time on our return.
Our night was a little frustrating because our iPad seems to want to poop out. Our navigation software, Navionics, has been freezing up on the iPad and just not working. I did all the updates in Prince Rupert with WiFi. Then yesterday when coming into Ketchikan, Navionics, completely froze and we had to use our iPhones. We do have the app on both our cell phones as backup. We also have a chart plotter but the charts are not as up-to-date as electronic ones on apps. Navionics uses people like us and updates the bathymetry every time you are out.
I deleted the app and re-opened it only to find our maps would not upload again. Also, we did for a software update which we hesitated on but decided to pursue. It told us 3 days... Hahaha. We went to bed and decided to evaluate early am. Which brings us to now.
We are mooching off the Wifi at Safeway. I called my IT bro-in-law Joe, who helped us troubleshoot some but the ultimate answer was we probably need a new Ipad ( ours is 10 yrs old) and we still have plenty of storage but a newer processor may be best. We took our Sim card out and put it back in too because despite having unlimited service with Tmobile and back in the US the circle of death was happening in the top right as well. Even the Navionics app would not reload again quickly on WiFi this am. I did delete it again but this time maps loaded???
Very sketchy and these areas require accurate navigation. Yes, we have paper charts and yes we have the chart plotter but TRUTH is WE STILL RELY ON ELECTRONIC NAVIGATION- hard to admit, hard to announce but there is no sexton that will help this journey and paper charts are outdated regardless. Damn electronics - we all rely on them!! So here we are at Safeway, waiting for an electronic store to open to see if they will sell an unlocked iPad that will use an Esim card with Tmobile. No Apple store here folks, No best Buy, No Costco, not anything but there is a Walmart that only sells Ipads that only use WiFi and not cellular or Esim card. There is no Tmobile store here. There AT &T and GCI. AT&T will not sell you an iPad unless you go with their service. GCI rep on East Coast says they think they do. We are on Alaska time and waiting for the GCI store to open up. We started this process at 0600 and the store does not open until 9 am....
We will continue our trip as luckily we got our maps back on our Ipad but we know the inevitable outcome. We will purchase a new iPad here or in Juneau, or online and have sent to our buddy Dave's place in Juneau. That is the plan.
The real moral of this story is that as remote as we can be and as proud of ourselves that we are self-sufficient with solar, water maker, and wind... We are still under the thumb of wanting access to the on-affair, connectile dysfunction, our e-girlfriend!
Coming into Ketchikan
Enjoying Foggy Bay
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