June 8, 2016

Last night’s clearing weather held for us this morning, and outside the bar at Lituya Bay the views were absolutely glorious. Mount Fairweather, at over 15,000 feet stands highest over this section of the range, and its ancillary peaks stretch out in perfect snowbound silence from south to north. Far to the north, stretching even higher into the sky, the perfectly pyramidal 18,008 foot Mt. St. Elias stands over the north side of Yakutat Bay. With our courses set right on its summit, we made good time to the northwest, accompanied at times by migrating Loons, or a glimpse of a whale’s tail.

The breeze built a bit through the day, and the boats performed admirably- the green water shooting off our bows barely slowing our pace. When cruising a few miles off of one of the most feared lee shores in the world, it’s nice to know the boat you’re on is expertly maintained! Places with names like Danger River and Dry Bay don’t make for enticing pit stops.

We covered many miles today, and it made for a long day on the water, so we were all happy to pull in to the sleepy frontier harbor in Yakutat. What it lacks in amenities it more than makes up for in incredible scenery and friendly faces. Yakutat isn’t off the grid, but you can see the edge from here. The t-shirt and shorts weather didn’t hurt either!