Saturday morning started out slow and easy for Mother Goose.  Crews went up to the Haines farmers market to check out the local produce and arts scene. The Saturday market is held at the Haines fairgrounds, which is comprised of a stage, a ferries wheel and several old-timey buildings connected by a boardwalk built as a set for the movie White Fang. After production, Disney left the set intact, and the city of Haines has used it as a charming venue for concerts, markets and the SE Alaska state fair ever since. Robin and Lisa, from Patos, popped into the community garden to chat with local gardeners among the flourishing fava beans, cherries and strawberries. Doug and Melinda, off of Discovery, along with the Bonum Vitae Brothers (Joe, Mark and David, in that order) strolled about the market and perused the wares of local vendors selling veggies, honey and knit hats. The smell of decadent, fresh baked goods mingled with the sound of neighbors greeting each other over the local bluegrass band playing in the background.  After a while, we headed back into town leaving the scent of fresh blueberry scones and the peel of the fiddle on the breeze behind us.

By mid-afternoon the fleet was waving goodbye to the charming borough of Haines and headed south down Chilkoot Inlet making way for William Henry Bay.  As we were pulling out of the harbor, Anne, Hale, Gayle and Mark off of Thea called out two brown bears along the shore! Nice spotting Thea! Shortly after, the fleet saw our first humpback of the trip! Fantastic! By late afternoon we had transited half way down Lynn Canal and were settled in the serene waters of William Henry Bay.

Patos and Thea anchored out, while Discovery and Bonum Vitae decided to raft up to Deception. Crews off of Patos and Thea jumped in their dingy to drop their crab pots. Meanwhile, Melinda and Mark, decided to stretch their legs and went for a walk along the rocky shoreline, taking care to search for unique rocks and shells along the exposed shore. For dinner Deception hosted a social hour potluck that couldn’t be beat. Melinda made an incredible chili, while Patos’ crew shared some of their apricot habanero jam that they had bought that very morning at the Haines farmers market. Bonum Vitae not only graciously opened up their beautiful boat for the social hour, but also grilled some decadent ribs to share. Full and happy, the fleet went to sleep rocked by a gentle wind under the perpetual Alaskan twilight.