We woke to a beautiful sunrise in Egg Harbor.  The seas looked calm, and we decided to get on the move ahead of schedule in order to avoid the winds.  We pulled anchor in the early morning light with sea otters playing around us in the harbor.  We cruised out into the open waters on calm seas and were happy for the early start.

The route today was mostly across open ocean as we cruised out and along the west coast of Baranof Island.  The mountains of Baranof Island grew closer and the rugged, rocky shoreline came into view.  We didn’t see a single other vessel the entire day.  The sun shone bright on the water and we spotted humpback whales, porpoise and the first Tufted puffins of the trip!  Further along we cruised by a large sea lion haul out.

As we made the turn into Puffin bay on Baranof Island the swell subsided and we were cruising through calm waters deep into the gorgeous inlet.  Forever green basin is aptly named and spectacular.  High mountains tower above covered in bright green foliage.  A stream fed into the small bay at the back and we tucked all of the boats into a raft in the small inlet.

We spent the rest of the warm afternoon exploring our surroundings.  We cruised out in the dinghies and kayaks and dropped some crab pots.  On shore we found lots of evidence of bears on around the beach.  Frank launched his drone and got a good aerial view of our surroundings.  It was such a pleasant afternoon to spend in the sunshine listening to the birds singing on shore and soaking in the solitude and wildness of the bay.

This evening, the Patos crew came over to Deception for dinner.  This trip was a present from Lori and Chris to Lori’s dad John who just retired a few days before we departed.  They are in great spirits and had spent the afternoon paddling, diving, fishing and spearfishing.  We had a great time sharing stories and hearing about Lori and Chris’ past sailing adventures.