Seldovia to Kodiak - End of 2019 Cruising Season

Location:  Kodiak, Alaska

September 6th - Sunrise over Kodiak Harbor

September 3, Tuesday, Seldovia to Andreon Bay, Shuyak Island (66 nm, 8.9 hours):  When we went to bed last night, we weren't sure if we were going to leave this morning as the sea state near the Barren Islands was still up over 2 meters.  Dave checked the weather this morning and all looked good for our cruise south toward Kodiak.  We left the Seldovia Harbor at 7:15 and had a great view of the mountains across Cook Inlet as we exited the harbor.

Exiting Seldovia Harbor.  You can see the mountains on the other side of Cook Inlet in the background.

There was a two to three foot swell with one to two foot chop on top and winds of 15 - 20 knots as we rounded Point Pogibshi and headed south down Cook Inlet.  We cruised between the mainland shore and Flat Island and Magnet Rock.  The current was ebbing and we went through some tide rips in the passage.  With a push from the ebb tide at the north end of Flat Island, our speed over ground (SOG) was up to 10.5 knots and at the south end of Magnet Rock, with the tide rips flowing in the other direction, we were down to 6.5 knots.  West of Elizabeth Island and across Kennedy Entrance, we made good speed with the current pushing us along.  As we approached the north side of the Barren Islands, we could see whales spouting.  We saw a pod of 4 whales off to starboard and then one whale right in front of us.  We slowed down and turned to starboard and the whale in front of us turned to starboard.  We turned further to starboard and so did the whale.  We finally pulled the throttle back to neutral, let the whale pass, then continued on our way.  There were more spouts off to our port closer to the shoreline.  Overall we counted more than 2 dozen whales.  They were fin whales, known as "the greyhounds of the oceans" because they are fast and sleek; only the blue whale is larger.

Fin whale near the Barren Islands

The Barren Islands

We went through the pass between Ushagat Island and West Amatuli Island (The Barren Islands) then across Stevenson Entrance.  As we approached the north side of Shuyak Island, we got into some tide rips with the current against us and our SOG got as low as 3.8 knots.  We got back up to 7 knots as we cruised along the east coast of Shuyak Island.  We turned into Andreon Bay and anchored in 15 feet of water in the south cove.

Sunset, Andreon Bay, Shuyak Island

September 4, Wednesday, Andreon Bay to Kitoi Bay, Afognak Island (41 nm, 4.8 hours): It was dark when we got up this morning which was a surprise.  The days are getting shorter and summer is on the way out.  We saw two deer walking along the shoreline of Big Fort Island.

Sunrise, Andreon Bay, Shuyak Island

Andreon Bay shoreline

We heaved anchor at 7:30 and headed southeast towards Tonki Cape, then south through Marmot Strait between Afognak and Marmot Islands.

Cruising by the cliffs of Afognak Island

We turned west into Izhut Bay and followed a seiner into Kitoi Bay.

An island on the way into Kitoi Bay.

There was a seiner with his net out in front of the fish hatchery in the west lobe of Kitoi Bay and a tender anchored nearby.  The seiner that we followed in turned around and headed back out after he saw that someone was already fishing near the hatchery.  We entered the north lobe and anchored near the west shore.

The shoreline along the north lobe of Kitoi Bay

We settled in and unlaxed for the afternoon.  We didn't see any bears but there were lots of salmon jumping in the cove.

September 5, Thursday, Kitoi Bay to Kodiak (30 nm, 3.8 hours):  It was foggy this morning.  We turned on the radar and made our way out of Kitoi Bay with less than 1/4 nm visibility.  There were lots of AIS and radar targets from boats entering Izhut Bay as we were leaving and must have been a fishery opening later in the day.

A photo of our chart plotter (left) and radar (right) screens as we made our way through the fog on the way to Kodiak.
You can see all the AIS targets as well as the non-AIS targets marked in the lower right corner of the radar screen.

We were in the fog all the way to the north end of the Kodiak Channel; as we cruised down the channel toward the harbor, the fog lifted and we had a good view of the town and the waterfront.

Heading down the channel into Kodiak.  

A view from the stern at the north end of the Kodiak Channel.
This photo was taken one minute later than the photo of the Kodiak Channel above.

We docked at "D" dock in the Kodiak's St. Paul Harbor and went up to check in with the harbormaster.  We checked out a local restaurant for lunch, then stopped by Fuller's Boatyard and talked to the yard manager.  Fuller's is where we are going to haul out and store the boat for the winter.  We stopped at the visitor center and got maps of the area along with ideas of things to do then went to the library.  We were able to get a visitor's library card for $10.  It is good for one year and we can check out three things at a time so we checked out three movies.  Back to the boat for happy hour then we walked across the street to a local restaurant for supper.

Kodiak Harbor - a boat loading crab traps while a sea otter swims nearby.

September 6 - 10, Friday - Tuesday, Kodiak:  We spent our first few days learning our way around town, checking out the stores (grocery, hardware, marine, liquor, etc.), learning the local bus system, hiking the nearby trails and settling in.  We found an apartment to stay in after we haul out the boat and found a heated storage unit for our soft goods.  We tried out a few of the local restaurants and caught up on boat chores and maintenance.

Welcome to Walmart, Kodiak, Alaska

Looking across the Kodiak Channel from the beach on Near Island

Looking northeast from the hiking trails on Near Island

Our spare main engine charge air cooler, disassembled so that we could take the core to a nearby welding shop for repair.

September 11, Wednesday, Kodiak:  Maintenance, projects and chores again this morning.  Louise (Mom) arrived this afternoon for her vacation in Kodiak.  She settled into her room then we walked up to the Chart Room for the Wednesday night burger and beer special.

The Wesmar hydraulic pump disassembled, ready for new seals and o-rings.

A sea otter eating a crab, Kodiak Harbor.

September 12, Thursday, Kodiak:  It was windy and rainy this morning.  We spent the morning unlaxing and playing cards then had lunch on the boat.  The skies cleared up in the afternoon and we walked up to the National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center then to the library.  Happy hour and supper on the boat.  We played cards and watched a movie then called it a day.

Dave reading the newspaper at the library

September 13, Friday, Kodiak:  This morning we rode the bus to Cost Savers (a local grocery store that sells Costco items) to get a few groceries.  From there we walked up to look at our storage unit then went to Safeway to get the rest of the things on our grocery list.  From there we rode the bus back downtown and went back to the boat for lunch.  Mom and I spent the afternoon washing the kayaks and spraying them with UV protection while Dave installed a new propane solenoid valve and controller.  We played cards then it was time for happy hour, supper and a movie.

Louise and B cleaning Dave's kayak and adding UV protection.

September 14, Saturday, Kodiak:  We thought there was a farmer's market downtown this morning but when we arrived it wasn't there.  We found out later that the Saturday market is near the Baptist Mission and that the Wednesday evening market is downtown.  We went to a local restaurant for lunch then walked up to the library to trade in our movies.  It was a nice sunny day so we walked across the bridge to Near Island, hiked the trails along the shoreline and enjoyed the sunshine.  We got back to the boat and Dave finished his solenoid project.

Looking southwest down the Kodiak Channel from the Near Island Bridge.

September 15, Sunday, Kodiak:  It was raining this morning so we spent the morning playing cards and unlaxing.  It cleared up after lunch so we went for a walk around the neighborhood northeast of the harbor.  We stopped at the hardware store on the way back to get a few things and found some impellers, that might fit the Wesmar hydraulic pump, in the bargain bin.  Back at the boat, Dave  verified that the impellers were the right type so he went back to the hardware store to buy them.  While he was out in the bargain shed getting the impellers, an ermine came in and circled around his feet checking him out.  Happy hour, supper and a movie then we called it a day.

September 16, Monday, Kodiak:  A beautiful, sunny day today with lots of activity in the harbor.  We watched a sailboat come in and sports fishing boats and seiners coming in and out.  We did a few boat chores, played cards and had lunch.  After lunch, we took a taxi out to Fort Abercrombie, an old military installation with lots of good hiking trails.  We walked up the road to Miller Point, along the trails around the north end of Lake Gertrude and back down the coastal trail to the fire station (click here to see the Fort Abercrombie trail map).

Louise at the North Gun Mount, Miller Point, Fort Abercrombie

Louise and Dave, Fort Abercrombie

The moss covered trees in the forest between Piedmont Point and Lake Certrude, Fort Abercrombie

We made our way back to the harbor to put up our feet and to do some unlaxing.  For supper we went to a local restaurant, then back to the boat for cards and a movie.

September 17, Tuesday, Kodiak:  It was raining this morning so we did some boat chores and played cards.  For our afternoon adventure, we walked up to the Alutiq Museum and then to the Kodiak History Museum.  Both are small with interesting exhibits and we enjoyed our visits.  After filling our minds with cultural activities, we decided we needed to stop at the Kodiak Island Brewery to fill our bellies with beer.  We each had a beer then headed back to the boat for a game of cards, supper, a movie and more cards.

The bar inside the Kodiak Island Brewery

Twilight, Kodiak Harbor

September 18, Wednesday, Kodiak:  Mom and I spent the morning checking out some of the shops near the harbor.  There was a cruise ship in town so there were a lot of people out and about.  We went back to the boat for a game of cards and lunch.  After lunch, we went for a walk along the waterfront and up to the library to trade in our movies for a new batch.  For supper, we had baked halibut and roasted garlic potatoes.  We watched some TV, played a couple of games of Pinochle then called it a day.

Louise meets a Kodiak Bear inside Big Ray's

September 19, Thursday, Kodiak:  We were up early this morning to load Mom into a cab to the airport for her flights to Anchorage/Seattle/Sacramento.  Dave and I did a few boat chores then walked up to Safeway to get groceries.  We had lunch there, then rode the bus back downtown.  I went and got a hair cut then we spent the rest of the afternoon updating our maintenance log, our to do list and our boat winterization list.  The wind was supposed to pick up overnight so we moved buckets, fishing poles and a few other things off the decks.

Sunrise, Kodiak Harbor

September 20 - 25, Friday - Wednesday, Kodiak:  We spent our time over the next few days working on projects, maintenance and boat chores and checking things off of our lists.  We did some work on our engine room bilge cleaning project, which we have been avoiding, and we are making good progress.  We went for walks along the waterfront and across the bridge to the trails on Near Island.  We watched movies, spent time at the library and did some planning for our winter travels.

B setting up the sewing machine to make fender covers.

B at the entrance to the Rotary Park Trails on Near Island

Dave underneath a large tree in Rotary Park, Near Island

Produce at the Wednesday night Farmer's Market, downtown Kodiak

September 26, Thursday, Kodiak to Afognak Bay (aka Litnik) (26 nm, 3.8 hours):  We had been watching the weather, hoping that we would get a weather window so that we could go out for one last cruise of the season.  Over the last several days, a few lows moved through the area with high winds and seas.  Today, the wind and seas were forecast to settle down and we decided to leave the harbor and go out to anchor for the night.  We chose Afognak Bay, aka Litnik, on the south shore of Afognak Island, because it was close by and was well protected from both north and west winds.  We left the harbor at 8:00 and headed northeast up the channel and under the bridge, then turned northwest into Narrow Strait, between Spruce and Kodiak Islands. The wind was funneling through the narrows and blowing over 30 knots.

Sunrise as we cruise up the channel towards the Kodiak Island/Near Island bridge

We spotted fin whales spouting near the coasts of both islands and a small pod of Dall's porpoises came and surfed our bow wake.  Once we got to the west side of Ouzinkie Narrows, the funnel effect ended and the wind was down in the high teens.  We crossed Marmot Bay and entered Afognak Bay.  We anchored near the shore between the two arms at the head of the bay.  We had lunch then started working on our projects.

We de-rigged the paravane poles and stowed the wires and lines in the steering flat.  We lowered the poles down and cleaned off the rust spots then raised them back up and re-secured them.  We launched the dinghy and went for a short ride along the coast line looking for wildlife.  There were three sea otters in the area who were very curious and we saw a deer in the woods.  We ran the fuel out of the dinghy motor then Dave changed the engine oil and the gear oil.  I emptied the dinghy forward locker and waterproofed the searchlight cover and the davit cover.

Seabiscuit at anchor with the paravane poles down, Litnik Bay

By the time we finished our chores, the wind had calmed to less than 5 knots.  Happy hour then supper.  I checked into the Bush Net and we watched a movie.  It was a beautiful clear night and we spent some time looking at the stars before calling it a day.

Sunset, Litnik

September 27, Friday, Litnik to Kodiak (26 nm, 3.9 hours):  It was 37F (3C) outside when we got up this morning and there was frost on the decks.  We scrubbed the dinghy cover and pumped out the chain locker then got ready to go.

Sunrise, Litnik Bay

Anchor up at 9:15 and we headed back towards Kodiak.  We saw whales spouting near Ouzinkie narrows and along the north shore of Kodiak Island.  The seas were calm and there was very little wind.  We pulled back into Kodiak Harbor ~12:15, settled in and got busy with more boat chores.  We scrubbed the dinghy inside and out and waterproofed the cover.  A trip up to the library to trade in our movies and to read the newspaper then back to the boat for the evening.

A blanket of seagulls near the fish processing plant as we cruise down the Kodiak Channel on our way back to the harbor

September 28, Saturday, Kodiak: A rainy day today.  We spent the day working on our project lists and preparing to move from the boat to the apartment and to move our soft goods and stuff that might freeze into our storage unit.

September 29, Sunday, Kodiak:  Another rainy day.  Today was the day we moved from the boat into an apartment that we have rented for two weeks while we winterize the boat.  We spent the morning packing stuff for storage and for the move to the apartment.  We packed up the food from the refrigerator and freezer, then I defrosted both and we were ready to move.  We settled in to the apartment, had lunch, did some laundry and waited for a break in the rain.  The skies cleared about 15:30 so we went for a walk down to the harbor to do a few more boat chores.

The view of the Kodiak Channel from our apartment

September 30, Monday, Kodiak:  Today was the day we moved all of our soft goods and things that might freeze into a heated storage unit.  We picked up a small U-Haul van this morning and were fortunate enough to have a clear, sunny day and to get a parking spot near the top of the ramp at the harbor.  Using dock carts, we moved stuff from the boat, up the ramp and into the truck with frequent breaks between trips.  It took us most of the morning to get the truck loaded.  We stopped for lunch then went to the storage unit to unload - which took us all of 20 minutes.

Our boat cushions stacked inside the storage unit.

We stopped at Safeway for groceries, dropped off some donations at the Salvation Army, stopped by the boat yard to check on getting hauled out tomorrow, filled the van with gas and turned it back in.  We spent the evening at the apartment unlaxing.

October 1, Tuesday, Kodiak:  Today was our scheduled haul-out day.  It was rainy and the wind was blowing 20 - 30 knots and wasn't expected to abate until late tonight.  We spent the morning doing our first of the month chores.  Mid-morning the yard called and said the wind was blowing across the slot (the area we would pull into for the crane to pick us up) and that it would be best to delay until tomorrow.  We agreed.  We walked downtown for lunch then went to the boat to do a few boat chores.  Back to the apartment for some computer work, then happy hour and supper.

October 2, Wednesday, Kodiak:  Haul out day.  High tide was at 17:00 so we had all day to prepare.  We headed down to the harbor ~9:00 and got to work on our list of things to do.

A view of Kodiak Harbor Wednesday morning.  It was a calm, sunny day. 
You can see the dusting of snow on the mountains in the background.

We ran the generator to charge our batteries, then Dave changed the oil.  We moved the kayaks from their supports and onto the boat deck, flushed out the chain locker, did some cleaning and shut down the boiler.  At 15:00 we started the main engine and pulled out of the harbor.  We wanted to go offshore for one last cruise in order to charge our batteries up to 100%.

The Kodiak Island shoreline north of the Near Island bridge.

We pulled into the slot and the lifting slings just before 17:00, shut down the engine, turned off the underway breakers.

View from the pilot house as we neared the head of the slot under the crane.

We hopped off the boat and they lifted Seabiscuit out of the water.  They moved her to her storage space for the winter and blocked her up, then the crane pulled away.

Looking on as Seabiscuit is lifted out of the water.

Moving Seabiscuit across the yard to her storage space.

Seabiscuit up on blocks for the winter.  The straps are off and the crane is ready to move away.

We plugged into shore power and Dave changed the main engine oil, then we locked up and headed to the apartment.

October 3, Thursday, Kodiak:  We spent the day working on winterizing projects - cleaning the boiler, drying and stowing lines and fenders, cleaning mildew, etc. etc. 

Boiler tubes ready for cleaning.

Boiler burner head removed for cleaning.

Measuring the shaft seal compression for reference.  We will disassemble and clean it in the spring.

October 4, Friday, Kodiak:  We will spend the next week working on winterizing, projects, maintenance and to do list items before flying south for the winter.  Until next time...