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Home Port of Seward, Alaska

     
 
 

After our sled ride through the narrows, we tied onto an unused mooring buoy in Schultze Bay. Although cool, we were comfortably behind our dodger out of the wind and enjoyed cocktails. The next piece of navigation also entailed tidal current decisions, but through less raucous sections of water: Neva Strait, Whitestone Narrows, and Olga Strait. The problem was dodging the Alaska Marine Highway ferry as it bombed along at 30 kts!

This photo shows the Whitestone Narrows navigation markers: your tax dollars at work. Note the vertical white line at right. Actually, those are two "range markers" that are aligned, signifying that we are in the correct channel. The higher of the two is behind, the lower in front. One maneuvers until the two are aligned and proceeds. This photo is taken from our stern after passing through, so we kept the two green cans to starboard, the red can to port. It's like a slalom.

A better photo of the two range markers mentioned above.

Conni pays attention to the chart plotter and depth sounder as she negotiates the Whitestone Narrows.

Out of Neva Straits and into Olga Straits. This nasty rock outcrop is typical of those that appear everywhere in Peril Strait and account for its name and well-deserved reputation.

Case in point: the orange hull of a wrecked boat appears along the bank in Olga Straits. There were many marked on our charts.

A lovely tug pulling a barge named "Chichagof Provider". No doubt that it was. (Chichagof is large island with many small villages reachable only by water and air.)

The Alaska Marine Highway high speed ferry, "Fairweather", cooks past us.

You could ski behind this thing, but remember that it carries cars and trucks, too. The ferry traveled down the same passages that we did, but did not have to avoid tidal effects.

Mount Edgecumbe, an extinct volcano, lies outside of Sitka harbor. Note all the tiny islands and large rocks that dot the area. Navigation is hazardous in poor weather.

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