Cruising Around Prince William Sound

Location: Cordova, AK

Seabiscuit at anchor in Tuition Cove.

We posted the last blog from Cordova.  Since then, we looped up the east side of Prince William Sound (PWS) and cruised west along the north side.  We ducked into Whittier to pick up Bob, went north up College Fiord to see some glaciers, did lots of fishing, went back to Whittier to drop off Bob, then cruised east along the north side of the sound and back into Cordova.  

A bowpicker coming into the Cordova Harbor.  The boat launch is on the right. 
A tender is unloading fish at a fish processing plant in the background.

June 21 - 24, Friday - Monday, Cordova:   The main industry in Cordova is fishing and we were entertained watching the fishing activities around town.  There are 5 or 6 fish processing facilities along the waterfront.  Tenders are large boats that collect fish from the bowpickers and purse seiners while they are out on the fishing grounds and bring it into the fish processing plants where it is unloaded using huge vacuum systems.  The tenders also provide ice, fuel and other supplies to the fishing fleet.  If you have ever watched “The Deadliest Catch” you would recognize some of the tenders operating in Prince William Sound as the crab fishing boats from the show.   

A small tender unloading at a fish processing plant outside the Cordova Harbor.

The small boat harbor is full of fishing vessels, mostly bowpickers and purse seiners. Bowpickers are gillnetters that set their nets from the bow of the boat.  Most of the bowpickers in Cordova are equipped with two jet drive engines so that they can fish the shallow waters of the Copper River Delta in addition to fishing Prince William Sound.  

When we first pulled into the harbor, most of the boats were out fishing and there were a lot of empty slips.  After the first couple of days, the fishery closed and the harbor quickly filled up with boats.  We watched fishermen do maintenance, mend their nets, use the harbor grid to maintain their boat bottoms, practice maneuvering their jitneys (the small boats that the purse seiners use to close their nets), and re-provision for the next opening. 

In addition to the fishing facilities, there are three grocery stores, a hardware store, a marine store, two liquor stores, a little bakery, a variety of restaurants, a library, a cultural center and a museum.  We spent the weekend doing the usual town stuff – getting groceries, doing laundry, going to the hardware, marine and liquor stores, filling our propane, hanging out in the library and checking out the local restaurants.  And, of course, we did some maintenance and chores. 

A view of the Cordova Harbor from the patio of the Reluctant Fisherman Restaurant.

Two boys "swimming" in the Cordova Harbor.

Betty and Jim on MV Alice J, who we know from the HAM radio nets, pulled into the harbor on Saturday morning and stopped by for a visit Saturday afternoon.  Sunday afternoon, we went over to their boat for happy hour and enjoyed hearing about their boating adventures.

Betty showing Dave how to collapse a shrimp trap.  We didn't have a shrimp trap and they were switching over from the collapsible type to the nesting type and agreed to sell the collapsible one to us.  The next day we got 400 feet of weighted line from the marine supply store and a bucket of shrimp bait and we were in business.

Monday we finished up our chores and town activities and got ready to leave the dock.

June 25, Tuesday, Cordova to Beartrap Bay (36 nm, 4.9 hours):  We left the dock this morning and cruised north up Western Channel, west in Orca Bay and then northeast up Port Gravina.  We saw three pods of orcas near the entrance to Port Gravina and one breached just astern of us as we went by.  I set up our new-to-us prawn trap while we were underway.  We stopped to fish in a few different places on the way to the anchorage and caught a few rockfish.  

Dave reeling in a rockfish on our way to Beartrap Bay.

We dropped off the prawn trap near the entrance to Beartrap Bay then made our way inside.  There was a small brown bear eating grass on an island on the way in so we stopped to watch him before dropping anchor near the head of the bay.

A brown bear eating grass on a small island near the entrance to Beartrap Bay.

We had a hummingbird at our feeder shortly after anchoring up.  This is a beautiful bay with waterfalls coming down the granite rocks around the bay and lots of wildlife – bald eagles, sea otters, seals, salmon and bears.

June 26, Wednesday, Beartrap Bay:  We launched the kayaks this morning and paddled up the two arms at the northeast side of the bay.  As we were exiting the first arm, we saw a mother bear and two cubs.  She gave a low growl and the two cubs scrambled up a nearby tree.  We stayed quiet and watched as the cubs climbed back down then the three of them meandered into the woods.  The other arm was more like a river mouth and as we got up inside, we saw the same three bears cross the river and disappear into the tall grass.

A mother bear with her two cubs, Beartrap Bay.

Near the head of the bay there were a lot of salmon jumping.  Dave had brought along a light casting rod and cast into the schools of fish to see if he could catch anything.  He got one; he let it tow him around in his kayak for a while then reeled it in.  He went back to the boat to clean his fish while I kayaked to the other side of the bay and back. 

Dave getting towed around in his kayak by a salmon.

Dave with the pink salmon he caught.

We spent the afternoon reading on the stern and watching the birds then had fresh salmon for supper.

June 27, Thursday, Beartrap Bay to Landlocked Bay (39 nm, 5.3 hours):  We left the anchorage this morning about 8:30 and picked up the prawn trap – no prawns today.  There were lots of seiners fishing along the shores of Port Gravina, Goose Island Passage and Port Fidalgo.  We stopped to fish in a couple of spots along the way, had salmon burgers for lunch while drift fishing for halibut near the Knowles Head Shoal, then finally caught some fish near Bidarka Point.

A small halibut Dave caught near Bidarka Point.

Dave with a large yelloweye caught near Bidarka Point.

We turned north in Landlocked Bay and made our way into the anchorage after dropping off the prawn trap.  We anchored near a small waterfall in the northeast arm of the bay.  Dave cleaned fish while I set up the vacuum packing machine.  We had halibut fillets for supper then spent the rest of evening reading our books.

June 28, Friday, Landlocked Bay:  We launched the kayaks for a paddle around the bay this morning.  We saw lots of salmon but no bears.  

A large lion's mane jelly fish in the water near the swim ladder.

B kayaking along the shore in Landlocked Bay.

Our project for today was to rig the starboard paravane pole with a new block and tackle and to replace the wire rope with Dynema, a high strength synthetic fiber line.  We lowered the pole, then Dave used the dinghy to position himself underneath it.  It took a few tries but we got it set up the way we wanted it.  It was hot and we spent the rest of the day outside doing boat chores.

Dave rigging up the new block and tackle on the port paravane pole.

June 29, Saturday, Landlocked Bay to Jackson Hole (25 nm, 3.8 hours):  We took the dinghy around the bay this morning to try our luck salmon fishing.  We saw lots of fish but didn’t catch anything.  We saw another swimming eagle.  It had caught a nice size salmon and swam to the rocky shore with it clutched in its talons.  We did some more work on our paravane project and rigged up the port pole with a new block and tackle and Dynema line.  We heaved anchor just before lunch and headed out of the bay to pick up the prawn trap.  There was a big red octopus inside, not what we expected.

A red octopus on the foredeck after Dave got him out of the prawn trap. 
We could hear his suction cups on the deck as he made his way to the freeing ports and over the side into the water.

We passed Bligh Reef, where the Exxon Valdez went aground in 1989, and crossed the Valdez Arm traffic separation zone.  As we cruised the passage along the north side of Glacier Island, we encountered a few bergie bits from the Columbia Glacier.  We turned into Jackson Hole, a long, narrow bay on the north side of Glacier Island, and anchored near the head.  We didn’t drop off the prawn trap today because we wanted to add some weights to it.  There were lots of sea otters with pups in the bay and we spent the afternoon watching them and unlaxing.

A large bergie bit outside the entrance to Jackson Hole.  The dark spot on the upper right corner is a sea otter.

June 30, Sunday, Jackson Hole to Schoppe Bay (22 nm, 3.3 hours):  The sun was shining again this morning.  We heaved anchor at 8:30 and headed west towards Eaglek Bay.  We dropped off the prawn trap in ~300 feet of water then turned into Schoppe Bay where we dropped anchor in the southeast bight.  The Alaskan Gyre, the research vessel we met back in Bartlett Cove (Glacier Bay) earlier in the season was working in the area so we said hello to the captain on the VHF radio.  We spent the afternoon doing boat chores and unlaxing on the stern.

July 1, Monday, Schoppe Bay to Squirrel Cove, via Whittier (44 nm, 6.4 hours):  There were lots of salmon jumping in the cove this morning.  We cast a few times but didn’t catch anything.  Dave spotted a black bear eating berries along the shore.  We heaved anchor and went out to pick up the prawn trap – success! 13 large prawns inside.

Early morning sun reflecting off the water in Schoppe Bay.

We sent Bob a text to ask him to pick up a few groceries before we picked him up in Whittier as we had heard the grocery selection there was limited.  He had finished working on his boat trailer and asked if it was ok to come aboard a day early.  Since we weren’t far from Whittier, we agreed to change our course and meet him there mid-afternoon.  There were no slips available in the Whittier Harbor, so we tied up to the passenger loading dock to wait for him.  I wandered around town, took up our garbage and checked out the local grocery stores – one was closed and the other didn’t have much to offer so we were glad we had sent Bob a list.  We filled our water tank and did a few boat chores while we were at the dock.  Bob arrived about 16:30, unloaded his truck, found a place to park and we were away from the dock ~17:30.  We motored east down Passage Canal and anchored in Squirrel Cove for the night.

July 2, Tuesday, Squirrel Cove to Tuition Cove (38 nm, 5.2 hours):  We picked up the prawn trap this morning and had another dozen large prawns inside.  We motored north up Port Wells and into College Fiord.  A fishery was open and there were lots of bowpickers and tenders in the area.  We wove our way through the maze of boats, nets and buoys near the north end of Esther Passage and stopped to fish near Coghill Anchorage – no luck.

Prawns from the trap after we picked it up near Squirrel Cove.

Bob launching the prawn trap near Tuition Cove

 As we cruised further north, the mountains got bigger and there were multiple glaciers on the west side of the fiord.  We turned into Yale Arm, dropped off the prawn trap amongst the floating ice and anchored in Tuition Cove.  For our afternoon adventure, we launched the dinghy and went out to collect glacier ice for the coolers.  The first round, we got enough ice to fill up our big white cooler.

Dave and Bob using the ice pick to chip up a chunk of ice so that it will fit in the cooler.

Bob's small cooler with some freshly harvested ice chunks inside.

Seals sunning themselves on an ice pan.

The second round, we did some sightseeing after collecting enough ice for Bob’s cooler.

A bergie bit that looked like an ice eagle was perched on it.

Kittiwakes nesting on the rocky shores of an island near Yale Glacier.

Dave and Bob enjoying their sightseeing cruise in the dinghy.

We spent the afternoon unlaxing.  For happy hour we had shrimp cocktail followed by fish tacos for supper.

July 3, Wednesday, Tuition Cove to Main Bay (56 nm, 8.7 hours):  We watched a hummingbird at the feeder this morning before heaving anchor and heading out of the cove.  

A hummingbird checking out our feeder.

A hummingbird sitting on the feeder on the boat deck.

We picked up the prawn trap - there were another dozen prawns inside, then headed south down College Fiord.  When we came up yesterday, the mountains were obscured by clouds and smoke, but the sky was clear this morning and we had a spectacular view of the glaciers.

Bob and B on the foredeck hauling in the prawn trap.

Nice, large prawns (jumbo shrimp).

A view of the glaciers on the west shore of Harvard Arm as we cruised out of Yale Arm.

Glaciers in College Fiord.

Not as many bowpickers along the way as yesterday but there was a tight group of them near the southwest corner of Esther Island and it took all three of us to connect the nets and buoys to the boats in order to wind our way through the maze.  As we cruised down the west coast of Perry Island, a group of Dall’s porpoises came over for a ride in our bow wake.

Dall's porpoises riding our bow wake near the west coast of Perry Island.

Earlier in the week we had heard some boats calling “Oyster Farm” on the VHF radio.  After some research, we figured out there is an oyster farm in one of the coves on the south side of Perry Island.  We called them on the VHF and asked if we could come in and pick-up 3 dozen medium oysters.  The caretakers live in a house nearby and use their skiff to get from there to the small barge where they anchor the nets to grow the oysters.  We were too big to dock at the barge, so they brought the oysters out to us and we nestled them into the glacier ice in our cooler. 

We crossed Perry Passage and entered Main Bay.  There is a fish hatchery at the head of the bay and Bob wanted to check it out and see if the sockeye salmon (reds) were coming into spawn.  We anchored in a cove at the south side of the bay and settled in for the night.  Raw oysters for happy hour and oysters Bienville for supper.

Dave on the stern shucking oysters.

Oysters Bienville fresh off the grill.

July 4, Thursday, Main Bay to Lower Herring Bay, NW Arm (20 nm, 3.3 hours):  This morning Dave and Bob took the dinghy to the head of the bay to see if the salmon were running while I paddled around the cove on the SUP (stand-up paddle board).  They came back and said there were hundreds of fish schooling at the head of the bay.  We decided to save the salmon fishing for later in the trip so that they would be fresh when Bob got off the boat and headed home.

Early morning sunrise in Main Bay.

Bob paddling around the cove on the paddle board.

We heaved anchor, picked up the prawn trap – nothing inside, and headed south and east to Lower Herring Bay in the Knight Islands.  We stopped to fish along the way and caught some rock fish.  We dropped off the prawn trap and then anchored near the head of the northwest arm.  Dave did maintenance on the windlass while Bob and I put up the bimini on monkey island.  It was a hot, sunny day so Dave decided to dive and check the hull zincs and scrub the slime off the bottom of the boat. 

Sometimes you have to do maintenance - Bob and Dave working on the windlass.

Bob and I installed the bimini on monkey island so that we would have some shade.

Dave coming back onto the boat after his swim.  We checked the water temperature and it was 65F.

We spent the rest of the afternoon unlaxing.  Bob made rockfish ceviche for happy hour and we had fettucine alfredo with prawns for supper.

July 5, Friday, Lower Herring Bay to Sawmill Bay (30 nm, 4.6 hours):  Bob and I started of the day with a kayak around the cove.  

A sea star and a sea cucumber in Lower Herring Bay.

Bob kayaking, Lower Herring Bay.

We didn't catch any prawns in the trap today but we did catch this huge sea star.

We heaved anchor about 10:00 and headed south towards Chenega Village in Sawmill Bay.  We stopped to fish in a few places along the way and caught a yellow-eye, some rockfish and a small flounder.  We dropped off the prawn trap, entered Sawmill Bay and were anchored up by mid-afternoon.  We launched the dinghy and Bob and I went to Chenega Village in Crab Bay on the northeast side of Sawmill Bay.  We tied up in the harbor, walked through town and picked a few salmon berries on the way back to the dinghy.  There is a fish hatchery at the head of the bay so we checked that out, cast our lines a few times to try and catch some salmon and watched a purse seiner fish nearby.  By the time we got back to the boat, Dave had rockfish burgers ready for supper.

One of the fish hatchery buildings in Sawmill Bay.

July 6, Saturday, Sawmill Bay to Green Island (34 nm, 5.6 hours):  It was foggy this morning when we got underway.  We cruised out of the bay and picked up the prawn trap – nothing inside.  As we were cruising along the north side of La Touche Island, we saw an orca swimming towards the south.  We stopped to fish in several places along the way, caught a few rockfish then anchored up on the north side of Green Island for the night.  Bob cooked supper “rockfish Olympia” – fish with onion, jalapeno, bread crumbs, mayo, parmesan, sour cream and spices – delicious!  We had great reception for the Bush Net, the evening Ham radio net, and heard lots of comments about the hot weather and the record high temperatures in Anchorage and other parts of Alaska.

The south shore of Naked Island, one of the places we stopped to fish along the way.

July 7, Sunday, Green Island to Outside Bay, Naked Island (31 nm, 4.7 hours):  We had some prawns in the trap this morning so that was a nice change.  We fished in a few places on our way to Naked Island but didn’t keep anything.  We anchored in Outside Bay, Naked Island mid-afternoon and did some reading on the stern.  Late afternoon, close to high tide, we launched the kayaks and Bob and I went for a paddle around the bay.

Two oyster catchers along the shore of Outside Bay, Naked Island.

Wildflowers growing on top of a rock, Outside Bay, Naked Island.

Bob kayaking away from the mother ship, Outside Bay, Naked Island.

We had shrimp cocktail for happy hour and skillet lasagna for supper then told a few stories and called it a day.

The oil spill response tug and barge anchored in Outside Bay, Naked Island.

July 8, Monday, Naked Island to Deep Water Bay via Main Bay (39 nm, 5.8 hours):  This morning we headed back over to Main Bay to fish for the reds (sockeye salmon) making their way up to the hatchery to spawn.  As we approached, the area outside the entrance to the bay and the bay itself were full of bowpickers.  We anchored up in the cove on the south side, had lunch, launched the dinghy and motored to the head of the bay.  It was chock full of bowpickers with nets in every direction from shoreline to shoreline.  We made our way around a few net buoys near the shore, paddled over the top of one net, then beached on the west side.  There was no way we were going to get to the head of the bay with the dinghy.  Bob took his fishing pole and walked along the rocks hoping he would get a chance to cast his line but gave up after talking to a few of the fishermen.

Bowpickers with their nets deployed in Main Bay.

A bowpicker maneuvering to retrieve his net, Main Bay.

 We worked our way back out of the nets and to the boat.  There was one lonely salmon near our anchor spot and Bob caught it for our supper.  We still had plenty of daylight so we heaved anchor and motored out of the bay towards Port Nellie Juan.  We fished in a few places along the way but didn’t catch anything.  Our anchorage for the night was in Deep Water Bay, a bowl surrounded by rounded, rock mountains with a waterfall and a beach at the head, very picturesque.  Several other boats were anchored in the bay and a lot of people were out kayaking, paddling boarding and hanging around on the beach.  We launched the kayaks and Bob and I paddled up to the waterfall and back.

B and Bob kayaking in Deep Water Bay.

Bob approaching the waterfall at the head of Deep Water Bay.

Dave and Bob enjoying happy hour up on monkey island.

July 9, Tuesday, Deep Water Bay to Shotgun Cove via Whittier (43 nm, 6.2 hours):  Today was Bob’s last day on the boat.  We heaved anchor at 8:00, picked up the prawn trap – nothing inside, and headed towards Whittier.  There were still a lot of bowpickers out fishing and we had to work our way through some net mazes.  

Early morning in Deep Water Bay,

 We tied up at the passenger loading dock in Whittier and Bob walked up to get his pickup truck.  We loaded his gear and then he ran me around to get a few groceries while Dave topped up our fresh water tank.  We said our goodbyes, pulled away from the dock and cruised to Shotgun Cove to anchor up for the night. 

Shipwreck on the shore of Shotgun Cove.

July 10, Wednesday, Shotgun Cove to Harriman Glacier (36 nm, 5.5 hours):  It rained overnight and was much cooler this morning.  Only two prawns in the trap.  We cruised north up the west side of Port Wells to Barry Arm where three glaciers come down to the waterline at the north end of the arm – Coxe, Barry and Cascade.  The water gets shallow as you cross the glacier moraine from Barry Arm, round Pt. Doran and enter Harriman Fiord, then gets deep again.  Harriman Fiord also has three glaciers that come down to the water line – Serpentine, Surprise and Harriman.  We saw a few tour boats and kayakers, cruised along the face of Harriman Glacier, then anchored along the south shore.

Waterfalls from the high glaciers, Harriman Fiord.

Harriman Glacier.

Harriman Glacier.

July 11, Thursday, Harriman Glacier to Papoose Cove, Squaw Bay (39 nm, 5.2 hours):  We picked up the prawn trap this morning and had four prawns inside.  They were a different species than the spotted prawns that we have been catching.  There was no wind, the seas were calm and the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds reflecting on the glaciers.  We made our way south to Port Wells and into the fog.  There were a few bowpickers out fishing so we turned on the radar and worked our way around them. 

The three glaciers at the head of Barry Arm - Cascade, Barry and Coxe.

We anchored near a small waterfall in Papoose Cove and spent the afternoon unlaxing.  There were a lot of eagles and gulls in the cove and we had a hummingbird at the feeder.  After supper, we cast our fishing lines to try and catch a salmon but had no luck.

Papoose Cove waterfall.

Dave trying to catch a salmon, Papoose Cove.

July 12, Friday, Papoose Cove to Miners Bay (34 nm, 5.1 hours):    We heaved anchor this morning at 8:00, picked up the prawn trap – 2 inside, and headed out of Squaw Bay.   We turned north into Unakwik Inlet and cruised to Meares Glacier at the head.  The water was deep all the way up to the face of the glacier and we were able to get fairly close.  We turned back south and anchored up in Miner’s Bay.  We did some voyage planning and spent the afternoon unlaxing.

B on the foredeck taking photos of Meares Glacier.

An ice formation that looked like a mother penguin with a baby penguin at her feet, Meares Glacier.

Meares Glacier.

Seals on the ice near Meares Glacier.

July 13, Saturday, Miners Bay to Cedar Bay (21 nm, 2.9 hours):  This morning we launched the kayaks and paddled up the creek towards Miner’s Lake.  We thought we would be able to get all the way to the lake at high tide, but encountered some shallow rapids so had to turn around and come back out.  We had some seals following us and could hear them huffing and snorting behind us.  We paddled around the bay and then back to the boat.  By the time we got back, it was raining.  We brought our kayaks back aboard, rinsed our gear then had hot showers to warm up.  A quick lunch, then we heaved anchor and got underway.  Five prawns in the trap.  It was a short run to Cedar Bay and we were anchored up by 16:00.  We fired up the generator and I baked scones for tomorrow’s breakfast and then baked pizza for supper – one with salami, olives and green peppers and the other with prawns and artichokes.

The rapids in the creek leading from our anchorage to Miners Lake.

July 14, Sunday, Cedar Bay to Long Bay, East Arm (19 nm, 3.1 hours):  After eating our scones for breakfast, we fired up the main engine, heaved anchor and picked up the prawn trap - five prawns inside.  Out of Cedar Bay, through Fairmont Passage, along the north side of Glacier Island and then north into Long Bay.  There were a few boats anchored in the west arm so we anchored up near the mud flats at the head of the east arm.  Early afternoon, we noticed a couple in their dinghy cruising along the mud flats looking for bears.  They (Liz and Gary from MV Joint Decision - anchored in the west arm) stopped by the boat to say hello so we invited them aboard and spent some time sharing sea stories.  After they left, we did maintenance and boat chores until it was time for happy hour and supper.

Dave standing on the foredeck in the rain waiting to pick up the prawn trap as we cruise out of our anchorage in Long Bay.

There were some extra large prawns in the trap so it was worth the wait.

July 15, Monday, Long Bay to Two Moon Bay (29 nm, 4.4 hours):  It rained most of the night and was still raining when we woke up this morning.  It was low tide and we had a good view of the extensive mud flats at the head of the bay.  Dave counted 13 bald eagles and there was a large group of seals hauled out on the rocks on the west side.  We heaved anchor and headed south out of the bay; five prawns in the trap this morning.  We headed east along the north side of Glacier Island, across Valdez Arm and into Port Fidalgo.  We turned south towards Two Moon Bay and launched the prawn trap just before the rain started.   We anchored in the southwest lobe of the southeast arm and settled in for the afternoon.  It rained and was windy for most of the afternoon so we did a few boat chores and read our books.

A view of the mountains as we cruise east towards the head of Port Fidalgo.

July 16, Tuesday, Two Moon Bay to Port Fidalgo Head (19 nm, 3 hours):  This morning we cruised east and anchored at the head of Port Fidalgo, near a waterfall on the south shore.  We did a wildlife scan and spotted some mountain goats high up on the rocky slopes.  After lunch, we launched the dinghy to explore the shoreline.  Just beyond the head of the inlet, there is a lagoon with a tidal rapids entrance.  We checked out the possibility of entering but the current was still flowing in rapidly.  We explored the mud flats, watched a flock of geese and goslings, looked at the waterfalls along both shores, and then went back to the lagoon entrance.  

Moss on the trees along the shore of near the head of Port Fidalgo.

Geese and goslings in the grass and mud flats at the head of Port Fidalgo.

The water was still flowing into the lagoon across the rapids but not as quickly so we put on our PFDs (personal floatation devices, i.e. life jackets) and headed into the lagoon.  We had to pick up the motor once to avoid some rocks but other than that it was a fairly smooth ride.  The lagoon was full of sea otters and pups and there was a flock of swans and cygnets near the far end. 

Some of the whirlpools and swirling currents as we entered the lagoon.

Sea otters inside the lagoon.

Swans and cygnets inside the lagoon.

We cruised to the far end and back then headed back to the entrance.  It was near high tide and slack water and we wanted to get out before the current changed direction.  Our evening entertainment was two bears catching salmon from the creek bed in the mud flats.

July 17, Wednesday, Port Fidalgo Head to Comfort Cove (41 nm, 5.7 hours):  The two bears were back in the creek feasting on salmon again this morning.  We watched them for a while then heaved anchor and head west out of Port Fidalgo, south through Goose Island Passage and east into Port Gravina.  We cruised through the narrow entrance into Comfort Cove on the south side of the inlet and anchored up.  We spotted some mountain goats or sheep up on the rocky slopes above the cove – they were too far away to identify.  It was a nice sunny day and we spent the afternoon reading on the stern.

A tender at anchor outside the entrance to Sheep's Bay, just west of the entrance to Simpson Bay.

July 18, Thursday, Comfort Cove to Simpson Bay (24 nm, 3.5 hours):  Anchor up at 8:00 this morning.  We haven’t had anything in the prawn trap for the last few days and this morning was no different.  We cruised around Gravina Point and up into Simpson Bay.  It was a nice sunny day and there were a few people out fishing in their skiffs.  We dropped off the prawn trap then worked our way around some rocks and islands to an anchorage on the northwest side of the bay.  We spent the afternoon washing the boat; both the foredeck and stern deck were really grimy from the prawning and fishing we have been doing.

A small island near our anchorage in Simpson Bay.

July 19, Friday, Simpson Bay to Cordova (14 nm, 2 hours):  There was a minus low tide this morning and there are some shoal areas as you enter the Cordova Harbor so we hung out at our anchorage until 11:00 doing boat chores and voyage planning.  We stopped to pick up the prawn trap on our way out of Simpson Bay.  There were only two prawns inside but something had taken a bite (or bites) out of our small white buoy.

Something chewed up the bottom of our small white buoy - a salmon shark?

We called the harbor master on the VHF before entering the Cordova Harbor and he let us know that there was plenty of room at the transient dock.  We tied up alongside and walked up the dock to check in then walked uptown to go to the post office, the hardware store, the bakery, the marine store, the sporting goods store and the grocery - typical town stuff.  A purse seiner fishery was scheduled to open in the morning so we watched the boats in the harbor prepare to go out fishing.

Tenders anchored outside the Cordova Harbor waiting for a fishery to open.

July 20, Saturday, Cordova:  We spent today doing more typical town stuff - laundry, shopping, maintenance and chores along with watching the activities in the harbor.  Patti and Al arrive here on Monday for their summer vacation cruise.

A large tender unloading at the Trident fish processing plant in the Cordova Harbor.

Until next time...