July 19 – 20 – Portage Bay

Anxious to push north, we leave Petersburg dock early Friday morning for our planned destination, Hobart Bay in Stephens Passage. A brisk south wind and fair tide carry us along Frederick Sound, and we are excited to catch a glimpse of breaching whales and a distant view of Baird Glacier, but soon the wind is brisker, the waves are larger, and we have second thoughts about our itinerary. Should we head out across the wide sound and into Stephens Passage, or bail out at the north end of Kupreanof and go into Portage Bay for the night? When we are in the lee of K. Island, all seems benign and we wonder if we are being too conservative, but caution prevails and we turn left into the narrow entrance to Portage Bay. We find ourselves all alone in this big, enclosed bay. There is excellent holding, and lots of swinging room – and boy do we swing, all night. The SE wind funnels up two wide valleys, into the narrow bay, and howls all night. The shallow water and current opposing the wind create a rough chop, giving us a rocky night and bringing back memories of the breezy anchorages of the Caribbean.

Next morning, the wind gradually abates, the clouds rise and we see occasional bursts of sunlight. Around us there are dozens of crab traps – we wonder how we missed them in the rough water yesterday – so we put out our crab trap late in the afternoon when the water is smooth enough to put the dinghy down. Two hours later, we retrieve the trap. Hanging on to the top, one enormous starfish (I thought it was an octopus at first) and inside, four crabs, one an extra large keeper. We look forward to crab for lunch tomorrow!