Sitka to Appleton Cove

We cast off at 5:30 this morning- bright and early- with the intention to cruise through Sergius Narrows during slack water. At its most restricted point, Sergius is indeed narrow! About 450 feet wide and only 21 feet deep, this constriction creates strong rips and standing waves during a strong tidal exchange so timing is essential.  We cruised through with only a bit of current which allowed for leisurely sightings of eagles, sea lions and Sitka deer.

During this leg we plan to circumnavigate Baranof Island, both beginning and ending our journey in the lovely town of Sitka. Nestled in a protected harbor surrounded by snowcapped mountains, Sitka blends an interesting mixture of Tlingit, Russian and European heritage which all add to its charm.

Just outside of Appleton Cove, while still inside Peril Strait, we came upon a lone humpback whale leisurely feeding. The whale treated us to a few lunges but spent most of its time in shallow dives. We all idled back to watch it feed for about 20 minutes. It wasn’t in any hurry to arrive at a destination, and neither were we.

Each of the boats chose their own space and anchored in Appleton Cove for the night. Deception set a shore tie and Eldean came along side to raft. Jane announced some excursion opportunities and Tom and Nancy from Exact and Cheryl and Floyd off Eldean all joined Jane on a kayak paddle. Thanks to Thea for generously loaning us her kayaks. The rest of the Thea crew, all went fishing while Nieves remained aboard to relax in her own way.

Crab pots were set and before long, Eldean landed a huge Dungeness!  The brothers-three from Bonum Vitae also caught some keepers and Finn and Matt cleaned and cooked them up. There isn’t much more fulfilling then delicious fresh crab that had been scrambling along the bottom only 20 minutes prior!

P.S. Is Alaska on your bucket list? We can take you there! Reserve your spot on our 2022 Mother Goose AK Flotilla today.