Bound for Petersburg



A Beautiful Classic at Pack Creek

A beautiful classic wooden boat had come into the bay to anchor on the last night of our stay at Pack Creek.  Passengers gathered in the fantail of the ship for the evening’s social hour or perhaps for a meeting to prepare for their Pack Creek experience the following day.  We left the anchorage in the morning at 8:30 and headed back south along Seymour Canal motoring with one engine.  We have made a new practice of running on only one engine as we depart and arrive at an anchorage site which helps save on engine hours and reduces our speed.  

"Smart Controller Board" (circuit board) on Got d' Fever

After exiting the bay, we started the second engine and noted that the low voltage alarm was chirping and that the meter (battery monitor) was not showing a charge.  Leonard surmised that the problem could be one of two scenarios:  the alternator(s) were not providing DC charging (one alternator per engine), or the “smart controller board” (circuit board) was defective.  He reasoned that it was unlikely that both alternators would go out at the same time.  Going to the engine room, he looked at the “smart board,” which electronically controls the amount of charging that the engine alternators are putting out, and noted that the three LED lights on the circuit board were not lit; ah ha, it must be a fuse - good thing we carry spares.  He replaced the deteriorated fuse and we were back in business.  This little fuse has now been added to the list of scheduled maintenance items, something to be replaced after every 2,000 hours of motoring.  

Baird Glacier north of Petersburg

As someone once said, “cruising is all about working on your boat in exotic places.”  After spending about 30 minutes, we were on our way again, riding choppy 2-foot seas under overcast skies.  We reached Stephens Passage around noon where we saw several whales.  As we approached Bill Point on Whitney Island, numerous whales were seen in all directions, another great spot for excellent whale watching.  In fact we saw a couple of tour boats in the area along with their smaller skiffs for a more adventuresome, close-up look at the whales.  The nearby small islands, including “Five Fingers” and the changing current no doubt create a favorable feeding ground for the whales and opportunities for boaters to see these magnificent creatures.  

Sea Lions on a Channel Marker near Petersburg

We motored past the tour boats into Cleveland Passage, an anchorage tucked behind Whitney Island off mainland Alaska and set our hook for the night.  Cleveland Passage was once the site of a Fox Farm and pilings from the docks can still be seen along the shore.  The following morning we rounded Cape Fanshaw and entered Frederick Sound heading southeast.  As we neared Petersburg, the sun shone through the clouds and we could see Baird Glacier in the distance.  

Fishing Boat Aground, Petersburg

The seas had flattened to a gentle ripple, but we would soon be entering the narrow passage into Petersburg where the current would be running at a swift pace.  Sea Lions were sunning themselves on the channel markers as Petersburg came into view.  Further down the channel, we could see that a fishing boat had gone aground along the shore; an ominous reminder to keep a vigilant watch and not leave your boat unattended while anchored in the swift moving waters of this channel.

Petersburg

As we approached the marina docks, we radioed our request for a slip assignment where we would spend the next ten nights at this Southeast Alaska home away from home.