Cannery Cove to Kake

Leaving Cannery Cove this morning we passed among many small islands, rocks and reefs surrounded by thick kelp beds. Lying on the shore we could see many harbor seals hauled out of the cold water. Soon, we started to see Sea otters floating on their backs around the kelp beds as well. The otters kicked themselves up out of the water to get a better look at us before returning to floating on their backs and munching away at their morning catch.

It was a calm, glassy day out on Frederick Sound as we made our way toward the town of Kake. We saw lots of humpback whales spouting around us as we cruised. There were also lots of Pigeon guillemots, murres and murrelets on the water today. It was a lovely, smooth cruise to Kake.

We received a very warm welcome on our arrival to Kake, and we rafted our boats to the small city dock. Kake is a native Tlingit town of about 500 people. We chatted with some of the locals on the dock and they shared some fishing tips and stories with our group. Bruce and Lynn’s son Ken and his wife Debbie met us on the dock shortly after our arrival. They’ll be joining us for the remainder of the trip and we are looking forward to cruising with them. We launched our dinghies and headed in to the general store to restock on a few provisions.

That afternoon, a bus came down to pick up our group for a cultural tour. Our guides Fallon and Drew were wonderful hosts and took us to a couple different sites in town, including the tallest single tree totem pole in the world at 132 ft. They shared about their culture, language, and what life in Kake is like with us. The last stop on the tour was to the high school gymnasium where some of the local community members and children performed traditional songs and dances for us.

It was a great way to learn about the rich Tlingit culture and to better understand the lifestyle of the people of Kake. We saw examples of weaving and carving and got to hold some sea otter pelts. Once back at the boats our swim club members all gritted their teeth and went out in the rain for their daily dunk. All seven swimmers are still in the competition and the way it’s looking we’re going to need a good tie breaker!

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