Date/Time: Thursday, September 4, 2014
Location: Ice House Cove
Weather: Light Drizzle, light fog, calm
Plan: Head south to Foggy Bay, relax and prepare for entry into Canada
Today we started our journey.
Just before departure we were visiting with some new friends, Michael and Susanna Sharp (s/v Bluewater) and learned a new term. We were discussing how hard it is to actually tie up loose ends and get underway, and how easy it is to delay departure for just one more day. Michael said it was a normal trait of the “docktopus,” easy to tie up; hard to get away…perfectly descriptive of what all cruisers experience. We hope to see more of Mike and Susanna as they cruise south to their wintering grounds, Port Townsend. Their cruising blog is www.adventurefreaks.org.
So at 1615 hours we escaped the docktopus and headed south. We, like a lot of cruisers, usually make the first day a very short run. There is value in just getting underway, then dropping anchor to finish organizing the boat for the voyage. So tonight we’re at Ice House Cove, a well-protected cove with a convenient mooring buoy just 5 miles south of Ketchikan.
About 1645 hours we were at the south end of the Tongass Narrows when we saw a humpback feeding ahead. A couple of boats had stopped to watch, and so did we. The whale was obviously feeding in the area and changing direction frequently so we waited for a few minutes to see what it would do. The next time the whale surfaced it was only about four boat-lengths ahead and headed right for us! Then it dove and swam under the boat. With the whale safely astern, we headed south, and continued watching the whale feed in the distance.
Tomorrow may be foggy in the morning; our next planned destination is Foggy Bay.
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