Our next leg took us across Queen Charlotte Sound, around Cape Caution, and into the Northern part of the Inside Passage. This is an open water crossing that includes about 30 miles exposed to wind and seas from the Gulf of Alaska (a body of water not to be trifled with- even in Summer). Again, the weather gods were kind to us, and we had a solid GO forecast in the early AM, with light wind and seas and patchy fog. The fog cleared a few hours into our trip and we had a great ride, with just the usual afternoon North Westerlies towards the end entering Fitz Hugh Sound.
We had the usual cast of characters along the way: eagles, dolphins, and whales. As we passed Egg Island lighthouse we saw a huge amount of bird activity on the water ahead- a clear sign of baitfish at the surface. Besides the usual shoppers (seabirds, seals, and whales) we saw about a dozen bald eagles making the rounds from a nearby group of offshore islands. They would swoop down, grab a fish, fly to the islands to chow down, then return for more. We also spotted a group of sea otters rafted up together along the Calvert Island shoreline. The weather was so nice, we decided to pass our planned anchorage for the night (Fury Cove), and keep going on to Pruth Bay on Calvert Island- a very good decision as it turned out...
No comments:
Post a Comment