A Splendid Coast



Beautiful Mountain Scenery, Baranof Island's west coast

 

Departing Sandy Bay we continued north along the beautiful coast of Baranof Island, new territory for us to explore.  

Rugged Coastline, Baranof Island

This splendid rocky rugged coast is backed by snowcapped mountains that glisten in the sunlight beckoning us shoreward.  

Entering Still Harbor

We entered Still Harbor for an early lunch and short respite, aptly named for its protected, calm harbor.  A frightful and interesting story took pace here in 1999.  Don Douglass tells the story in his Southeast Alaska cruising guidebook.  A man by the name of Ward Eldridge spent six years rebuilding a 73-foot schooner he found in a Florida boatyard and brought her through the Panama Canal and up the West Coast to Sitka.  

Still Harbor, Baranof Island

Ward and his new wife to be, Kathy, set out for a weekend and anchored in Still Harbor.  They launched their kayaks to do some exploring and when they came back several hours later, the masts were the only visible part of their boat, the rest was under water.  Ward wondered if a seacock had failed and Kathy wondered if there had been an explosion.  They were able to get a ride back to Sitka on another boat where the community offered their help and financial support.  Ward later speculated that a whale might have rammed his boat, the Merlin, but others were doubtful.  In a big community effort, his vessel was raised and towed to Sitka.  A piece of baleen, 4x16 inches, was found wedged in the hull near the hole in his boat.  Merlin was later re-planked and donated to the Sitka Maritime Heritage Society.  

Departing Still Harbor, Baranof Island

We didn’t find any whales in Still Harbor but we did see a whale as we approached the entrance and again as we departed; neither whale attacked Got d’ Fever.  By early afternoon we passed North Cape and an hour later, Aspid Cape.  Seas throughout the day were consistent at 3-4 feet with little to no wind, a nice fair weather window to cruise the west coast of Baranof Island.  

Cameron Pass

Later in the afternoon we headed toward the rocky shore once again, this time motoring up Cameron Pass along the southeast side of Beauchamp Island.  

Crawfish Inlet

From here we explored Crawfish Inlet and West Crawfish Inlet connected by two narrow passage ways, Second Narrows and First Narrows which required careful navigation between rocks and shoals. 

West Crawfish Inlet

After visiting Shamrock Bay in West Crawfish Inlet, we navigated through Windy Passage back towards the sea 

Herring Bay

and anchored for the night in Herring Bay on Elovoi Island.