Sitka, Appleton Cove, Warm Springs Bay

Laura Domela — Tue, 14 Jul 2015 02:51:00 +0000

Our new crew (daughter Christy and her 7 year old daughter Mijonet) arrived in Sitka on Friday and we got Mij outfitted with some Xtratufs and a Grundens rain coat and then headed to check out the totems in the Sitka National Historical Park.

It was a super rainy day in Sitka so we just cooked some salmon on the boat and got to bed early. On Saturday we fueled up and headed back up toward Peril Strait.

Counting the gallons:

We did some fishing on the way and got to Sergius Narrows early for the 2pm slack tide, but it was fine and we went through a half hour early with no issues.

We anchored for the night at Appleton Cove. Kevin and Christy and Mijonet went out to set crab traps.

I managed to snap these photos of an eagle catching a fish!

We checked the crab traps in the morning and had one nice big male, in addition to one female and an undersized male.

We left Appleton Cove and decided on Warm Springs Bay for our next stop. The options were Ell Cove, Warm Springs Bay, and Red Bluff Cove, but the new crew voted for the hot springs.

Quiet morning at Warm Springs:

We fished on the way and caught three big rockfish and one too small king salmon. Big mouth rockfish:

Here’s the drama of the salmon catching:

Mijonet overseeing:

I drove the fishermen over to Kasnyku Falls for a quick nature break:

We anchored in Warm Springs Bay at the same cove where we anchored with Tiffani and Deke a couple weeks ago…Wooded Cove. We dinghied over to the public dock to hit the trail to the hot springs and saw that there was a spot at the dock we could have gone to, but it wasn’t visible with binocs when we were deciding whether to cruise over there or not (and there was no one in Wooded Cove so we had the little anchorage to ourselves).

The hike and the soak next to the waterfall were just as great as it was the first time, but this time after our soak we hiked the rest of the trail up to Baranof Lake. Wow! Not sure why we didn’t do that the first time…it’s gorgeous. (No camera or iPhone with us though, so no photos.)

We got back to Airship and cooked up the rockfish for a dinner of delicious rockfish tacos. Tomorrow we’ll head over to Pybus Bay.

Warm Springs Bay to Ell Cove

Laura Domela — Sun, 28 Jun 2015 20:48:00 +0000

Airship Goes to Alaska

We trolled for salmon on the way from Warm Springs Bay to our next stop at Ell Cove, and guess what? Deke caught a 25-inch Coho. Guess what’s for dinner tonight?

Cleaning and filleting while under way:

We arrived in Ell Cove and anchored, then took turns kayaking around the corner looking for bears.

No bears, but otters and eagles:

This one looks like a totem pole:

Lots of fishing boats outside Ell Cove today:

After kayaking we all dinghied around the corner to get a closer look at Kasnyku Falls:

I love these reflections:

We grilled some fresh Coho for dinner, along with a side of penne with pesto and snap peas. Another fantastic day of exploring and adventure with great friends!

Today’s track from Warm Springs Bay to Ell Cove (9.5 nautical miles):

Baranof Island – Riveted

Sitka, Appleton Cove, Warm Springs Bay

Warm Springs Bay to Ell Cove