By Becky
I love our boat! She is a cozy refuge from the colder, rough weather and a great friend to share the warmer weather and glassy seas. She is steady and dependable as we rock and roll through unexpected 4-6 ft waves or rest for the night hanging out in a quiet, beautiful cove. We can sail through fog so thick you cant see anything or pouring rain or glorious sunny days where you can see for miles. Sam Devlin built a sturdy, seaworthy boat and we have made it our home. You can tell how solid she is even as the anchor chain crashes in the chain locker when the worst of the waves hit us. You can feel how safe you are in our sturdy friend. I especially love the life Paul and I are sharing in our fantastic home aboard Ellie K! We are truly blessed with the adventures and friends in this life we share together.
June 22
The last two days were spent in Glacier Bay. We arrived on a beautiful sunny day with flat calm water. I made black beans in the instant pot for Pauls cuban beans. We anchored in Bartlett Cove and had a great dinner and were gently rocked most of the night by the waves that had kicked up. The next morning we got up at 5:30 to make sure we were on the dock and in line for a tour boat excursion through the bay. It was sunny and calm but cold. I had to climb out of the dingy on my knees onto the metal dock which I was able to do but it was painful.
The tour boat holds 150 customers but there were only 60 that day. It was supposed to be 7:30 – 3:30. We got great seats on the second deck behind the helm. It was a great tour as we were able to go 19 knots through the big channels and slowed down when wildlife was spotted. We were most impressed with Marble Islands because they were covered with sea lions and several different types of birds. Some of the young sea lions swam in a group out toward the boat doing flips and dives that made us wonder if they get fed from boats sometimes. It was sad to see how small and dirty the glaciers are these days.
On the way back most people crashed and took a nap. We were almost back when the crew started running back and forth between the helm and back of the boat. We figured out that the port engine had died and they could not restart it. We made it back to the cove but when the captain (Jason from Arizona) tried to dock the wind and current pushed the boat away. He struggled trying to dock it for about 30 min on different areas of the dock and finally got a park service boat to side tie and push the ship into the dock. By this time it was 4:30 or so and we had decided we didnt want to spend a rougher night in the cove.
After talking to rangers and looking at the wind and waves we decided the best option was to head back into the park and anchor in Berg Bay. Trying to get the dingy back on the boat in very rough water while being anchored was dangerous and wild. The Ellie K was rocking wildly as Paul and I struggled to get the dingy on the boat while Trey tried to steer the boat into the waves while still anchored. Finally we got the dingy secured and the anchor up. The sea conditions kept getting worse as we struggled to get headed into the park.
Penny and I laid down in the forward cabin with our eyes closed to fight sea sickness. After a couple of hours of wild cruising we finally got anchored in a calm protected spot in Berg Bay. As we came in, we saw several sea otters and one looked like it was yelling at us. We made up several phrases of what it was probably saying. We had dinner of cuban beans and cornbread then called it a day. We all got a quick shower and went to bed.
In the morning, it was calm with low hanging clouds. As we headed out of the bay we were delighted to see sea otters floating around. There were several with a babies on their chests. As we got further into the bay, we realized that the ‘rocks’ we saw in the bay were actually a huge raft of sea otters all floating together. There were over a hundred. Some with smaller babies, some with a young otter trying to swim while being held by the scruff in their parent’s mouth and all different sizes. It was so much fun watching them with the binoculars.
We headed back to Marble island and drifted around it for over an hour watching birds, sea lions and dozens of whales. It was the most magical part of the trip so far. Finally we decided we better get moving since we wanted to make it to Pelican, AK and the tide was against us. Part of the way it was pretty rough as we were out in coastal waters. Again Penny and I talked and napped on the forward bed while the boat bounced.
Pelican is a small boardwalk town that is mostly fishing lodges and a seafood company, Yokabi seafood. I was able to find someone to sell me some frozen halibut bits and prawns. She threw in a halibut collar for us to try since I had never heard of it. We tried to get dinner on shore but all of the prepared food is for the lodge customers. We made Scampy pasta with the prawns and had blanched broccoli which was better than any food we would have gotten on shore.
Barry, the store owner, showed us a picture of his 14 children and 12 grand children. 4 of the kids are still at home. he has a granddaughter older than his youngest daughter. One son was in the service and now is the bomb expert for this part of Alaska. Barry is trying to make the store a viable part of the town and buys a new freezer every time he goes to Juneau to visit his daughter and her family. Groceries get bumped from the floating planes cargo when there are too many passengers coming to the lodge. We were able to get a few items we needed and some ice cream. He had lots of ice cream but only 3 sad limes that I took 2 of.
We left Pelican around 11:00 heading towards Elfin Cove and maybe Hoonah after breakfast at the local cafe.
June 24
Elfin Cove was a cute small village where, like Pelican, a fishing lodge is the main occupant. There are a few year round residents, a small store and a small bar/restaurant. The structures are linked via boardwalks along the cliffs. There is a local burn barrel for garbage that was smoking while we were there. Trey and Penny got showers and we all got a t-shirt or sweatshirt then we headed out for an anchorage at Inan island.
We saw lots of otters, birds, sea lions hanging out on a rock and several whales. A little later, Paul saw an eagle swimming in the water. He was pretty far from land and fighting against a strong current. He was struggling and exhausted. We ended up using the life sling and he gladly got up onto the swim step when we got him close. He surprised us by hopping through the transom door and seemed to want to stay there while he dried and rested. One wing looked like it was probably injured and he was shivering. We moved the cooler so he could not come farther into the cockpit while we tried to figure out what to do with him.
Since there was no cell service anywhere near us so we decided to take him back to Elfin Cove where they could contact Sitka bird refuge who could tell us what to do with him. He was content to ride in the boat for the trip back to Elfin Cove for about 2 hours. We spent the night in Elfin Cove and left the eagle (who didn’t seem able to fly) in the care of Elfin Cove. One resident was excited at the thought of harvesting feathers and talons if he died and others were focused on saving him. We hope the best for him. One thing for sure is that he would not have made it to shore on his own.
Next we spent a night at Hoonah where we got much needed water, got rid of garbage and did laundry. We ate a great lunch at a local spot then walked to the local trading post for a few groceries. Paul and Trey went to a local bar for a beer while Penny and I relaxed in the cockpit breeze and had margaritas. As Penny and Trey walked past a brewery, Penny said, “Oh, it’s closed”. Trey responded, “It’s not closed, it just isn’t open yet”. We got a laugh out of that male response. He defended himself saying he thought she meant it was closed for good.
I made cinnamon rolls for breakfast and we are now heading for Tennakee springs. We are having a great time laughing with and at each other. We have the dance around each other figured out as we share the small space.
The trip to Tennakee springs was very rough. The predicted 2 ft waves turned into 4-6 ft with a strong opposing wind for a couple of days. We got up around 5:30 each morning in an attempt to cover a few miles in the morning calm before the wild waters hit us. Trey and Paul braced themselves to keep from being thrown off their seats as Penny and I shared the forward bed as the anchor chain crashed in the anchor locker. We talked ourselves through relaxation meditation to keep sea sickness at bay and it worked. It was pretty funny when we saw the video Paul made of me and Penny rocking and bouncing in sync together on the bed as the Ellie K tossed and rolled. We visited the hot spring bath house which is a large crack in a rock with a bath house built around it. It was a half mile walk in a light rain to get there but worth it.
Takatz Bay was a beautiful and calm shelter from the wild ride there. A peaceful waterfall and grass where several of our friends had seen bears. Only one appeared before the fog rolled in. Trey and I put out a crab pot while Paul took a much needed rest but we caught nothing, Paul asked some people who where out to pick up their pots to bring ours to us. They actually did it!
Portage Bay was our last bay before getting to Petersburg where we will drop off Penny and Trey, who we will surely miss, and pick up my brother-in-law, Steve. It felt open to the weather but was actually pretty protected. We saw a guy and his daughter out pulling crab pots (45 of them) so Paul called him over and we were able to buy 5 crab from them.
