Playing Tricks



Deer at Baker Cove, Chichagof Island

Entrance to Black Bay, Chichagof Island

Beautiful Black Bay

After spending the night at Baker Cove, we retraced our steps heading back southward through Surveyor Passage, stopping at Black Bay where we had previously seen the two-legged creatures.  We entered the small opening into Black Bay, a beautiful setting which indeed would make a nice place to set up camp or use as a home base for kayak trips. 

Black Bay, Chichagof Island

After a look around, we exited the Bay and continued south along Ogden Passage where we saw a group of kayakers making their way along the shore.  

Kayakers along Ogden Passage

I wondered where their next stop might be for the night.  For us, we had chosen Waterfall Cove in Slocum Arm, the inlet behind Khaz Peninsula protected from the open ocean.  

Slocum Arm, Chichagof Island

We reached Waterfall Cove around 4pm with the evening light shining on a backdrop of mountains, highlighting the beautiful 500 foot waterfall.  

Waterfall Cove, Chichagof Island

As is common in this area, the charts are not completely accurate so our GPS showed the boat in a position different than reality.  In addition, the area along Chichagof Island is said to have uncharted rocks and boats have been known to run aground.  

500 Foot Waterfall, Slocum Arm

Furthermore, Vector charts and Raster charts (electronic copies of paper charts) don’t always agree.  We use both types of charts, electronic Vector charts on our boat’s Raymarine, and electronic Raster charts on our computer with an antenna to show GPS position.  Upon reaching Waterfall Cove, we motored around the area checking water depth for a suitable spot to anchor with a posted “bow watch.”  We came upon a shallow area and had to back up, again the inaccurate charts were playing tricks on us.  We found an area with the appropriate depth but couldn’t get the anchor to set on the rocky bottom.  We decided to motor back north along Slocum Arm to a neighboring bay called Falcon Arm where the bay was reported to have a mud bottom with good holding.  We arrived at the head of Falcon Arm by 5:20pm and easily set the anchor for a peaceful night’s rest.   



Anchorage in Falcon Arm off Slocum Arm