As soon as you leave the harbor at Meyers Chuck and turn south the little town is immediately hidden from view and we are once again in the wilderness. Clarence Strait is a long body of water that can funnel a south wind and turn nasty at the drop of the hat at any time of year, but today we are lucky and it remains calm as we motor south. We pass the mouth of Behm Canal, which strikes out east and then south, defining the coastline of Revillagigedo Island and offering entrance into misty Fjords National Monument, a tantalizing destination that will have to wait for another trip.

The roar of floatplanes welcomes us into the Tongass Narrows. Ketchikan clings to the mountains on its eastern side, and cruise ships, fishing boats, yachts, floatplanes, coastguard cutters, ferries, and tugs all jockey for space along the busy waterfront. Commercial fishing is closed today, so nearly every fishing boat in southern southeast Alaska has come in to port. We squeeze onto the fuel dock to top off our tanks and then head up to Bar Harbor, where the Harbormaster has miraculously found slips for all of us on the crowded docks. As with all the ports we have visited in Alaska, everyone is incredibly welcoming and friendly.

Kethcikan offers a wide variety of activities and caters to every interest, and we soon wander up and off the docks to explore and enjoy. It’s a bittersweet feeling to have our journey coming to an end, but the adventure has been full of incredible experiences and a host of new friendships. A big thanks to everyone who sailed with us on leg 6, we hope to see you again soon!