Voyage of the Hobbit: Part V - Petersburg to Tracy Arm

June 13 – 14, Cannery Cove, Pybus Bay

A long day but a largely uneventful 52 miles to Cannery Cove. Hobbit did pass the 1,000 nautical mile mark today and we had one humpback whale surface only 2-300 feet from us. Shortly before anchoring we set three shrimp pots.

Next morning Cash and I checked two of the three shrimp pots (the other was too far to check with the dinghy). We caught very few shrimp in one pot and three dozen or so from the second pot were in the belly of a three foot long eel like “Gollum fish” that had slithered into the shrimp trap. I found those three dozen when I cleaned the fish to use for halibut bait. Note: After we got to Juneau where we had cell/Internet service, we Googled the fish and concluded it was a giant wrymouth, Cryptacanthodes giganteus.

Cash with the Gollum fish (giant wrymouth)

Cash and I took advantage of the warm sunny day and low tide to hike and photograph around the beach and adjacent muskeg and woods.

View from our anchorage in Cannery Cove

Cash wading a stream by Cannery Cove

June 15 – 16, Snug Cove, Gambier Bay

June 15, 2017 will go down in Cash’s memory as a “really good day”. We reluctantly left Cannery Cove mid-morning, picked up our last shrimp pot which contained only a few shrimp, and headed out into Frederick Sound. Not far out of Pybus Bay I noted a 10 – 12 fathom ridge surrounded by deeper water and decided to pause for some halibut fishing. Both heavy rods were rigged with spreader bars: A piece of Gollum fish was threaded onto a circle hook on one rod while a large Petersburg-caught herring was attached to the other.

After only 30 minutes I heard a shocked cry from Cash and looked to see his rod had a large bend and a fish was dragging line from the reel. After about 10 minutes of fighting, the halibut was at the surface; I gaffed it and brought it aboard – what a bloody mess, but what a big smile on Cash’s face! While taking care of the halibut, we reset the other rod. After only about 10 minutes another fish was on Cash’s line. It too was gaffed – Cash’s smile was enormous. The first halibut was 36 pounds; the second was 13 pounds.

Cash with a 13 and 36 pound halibut

Almost immediately after the two halibut had been secured, we heard a loud exhale and looked up to see a humpback whale only a hundred yards or so away. As it dove, a second whale surfaced less than 200 feet away. Naturally nobody had a camera – what a sight.

As we entered Snug Cove in Gambier Bay we dropped two shrimp pots in about 340 feet, anchored Hobbit, then cleaned the fish. Typical of this cruise, it rained all day long.

We all went to bed happy but exhausted with bellies full of halibut. The water was calm but in the wee hours of the morning the wind started howling. When I got up about 3:30 to check things out, wind was gusting to 20 knots so I went back to bed with plans to sleep in since there was no way we were leaving in the morning in that wind. By late morning the wind had died down and we decided to try to go to Tracy Arm. We picked up the shrimp pots and did quite well – about 4 gallons that were a mixture of prawns, coon stripe, and pink shrimp.

Linda and Cash enjoying crab

A few nice prawns

While the wind had died down in Snug Cove, it was roaring in Stevens Passage. Before we left Gambier Bay we were getting 2 – 3 foot wind waves. Cash thought salt spray coming over the bow was neat; Linda and I thought that meant we should turn around and go back to Snug Cove for the night. Once again it rained all day.

June 17, Tracy Arm Cove

The forecast for Stevens Passage was 20 knots of wind and 4 foot seas which indicated a third night at Snug Cove was likely. Nevertheless, it was calm all night and our anemometer red “0” when I got up at 5:00. By 5:30 we had picked up the anchor and headed out for another try to cross Stevens Passage while heading north.

As we pulled out into Stevens Passage we were getting 1 – 2 foot wind waves but very little wind. Hobbit did a little rock and roll as we turned north and the waves were on our beam. We considered heading back but decided to give it a few minutes before making a final decision. The further north we got the higher the winds and waves rose but the more they moved to our stern quarter. Even with 3 foot waves and 15 knots of wind, the ride north wasn’t good but not too bad. However, I would not have wanted to be heading south under these conditions. Along the way a school of Dahl’s porpoise diverted to play with us – always a high point.

Two Dahl’s porpoise in front of Hobbit

Tracy Arm is the place to go to view many ice bergs. Two large (house size) bergs were particularly interesting so we moved close enough to safely take photographs. As we watched and took pictures, first one berg slowly began to roll upward revealing a brilliant blue color. It finally ended on its side. What a show! Then, much to our surprise, the other ice berg also rolled over in a dramatic fashion – awesome!!!