June 21 to 22
Wrangell to Petersburg
8:45 departure 63
degrees cloudy
Before shoving off, we checked our crab pots and found two
tasty males. I think David would eat crab everyday if he could.
About an hour into our journey pass the Alaskan National
Forest which stretches from Ketchikan to Skagway and into Canada, David realized that he had checked the wrong
day in the tides book. We were going to be about an hour too early for slack
tide in Wrangell Narrows so he suggested we “pull over” and do some fishing. We
both had some tugs on the line and there were definitely some nibbles on our
herring bait. We figured that crab had themselves a snack.
Wrangell Narrows
There was a definite weather shift at noon with temperatures
dipping to 58 degrees as we made our way through the narrows. Weaving through
multiple markers in shallow waters dotted with islands, we also had to
dodge crab pot floats and several people drifting and fishing in small boats
between the markers. This dredged
channel is lined with mudflat shores and fishing lodges.
We were able to get a spot at the South Harbor in Petersburg
joining commercial fishing boats. Getting into the slip took a great deal of
finesse, and David actually had to turn us completely around in a very limited
space before heading bow in. We were looking for a beer after that maneuver.
Petersburg was easy to love. It originated as a Norwegian
settlement and still has the trappings of Norway displayed with rosemaling decorated
shutters and Norway flags. No cruise ships can make it to Petersburg which
makes it somewhat unique for towns in Alaska. There was a large National Geographic charter boat tied up at the
dock. Passengers were easy to identify throughout the town with their name tags
and telephoto lenses.
David always asks locals for food recommendations, and we
are rarely disappointed. The Salty Pantry was our pick for a breakfast of
scrambled eggs, quiche and scones. Tucked away in an alley, we never would have
found it on our own. Late in the afternoon, a fish processing establishment
downtown was our destination for halibut nuggets and fries. The halibut was
sweet, fresh and tender. Some of the best we have ever had. We sat out on the
sidewalk and observed the young locals hailing friends driving by and looking
for some weed. David caught sight of a bumper sticker that had a picture of
Trump and the words, “Does this ass make my truck look fatter?” Tell us how you really feel!
Low carb breakfast!
We stalked up on perishables and visited a spectacular
native art gallery. Didn’t leave there empty handed. Hardware stores have been
a major stop in every town that had one, and Petersburg is no exception. While
David looked for his stuff, I looked at the Norwegian souvenir items and rain
boots. Picked up some fish and shrimp bait and appropriate fishing gear. I have
only landed one trout at Mosquito Lake in my lifetime of limited fishing, so
catching a salmon or halibut would be thrilling, indeed.
Oriental poppies
While walking back to the boat we were stopped on the dock
by a gentleman who said, “Hi, I’m Larry. I don’t think I have met you. Which one’s your boat?” Larry most likely was just checking out two
strangers making sure we belonged there.
Petersburg is a gem of a place. It is the home port for over
300 fishing boats which were coming and going the whole time we were there.
Many were purse seiners which the Belle once was in a past life. Crews were
busy readying themselves for the hunt. Petersburg is known as the Halibut
capital of Alaska and is the southeast’s busiest processing port. They had me
at halibut.
Nautical tree
Halibut walkway
Vintage downtown sign
Sons of Norway Hall
So far, we have traveled 900 nautical miles.
Some tidbits about towns we have visited:
Ketchikan: The annual
precipitation is 162 inches! A local joke runs that “Ketchikan” is a Tlingit
term meaning “a place so rainy only a white man would build a town there”. The
real translation is “where the eagle spreads its wings”. The average
temperatures May-Oct range from a low of 46.6 to highs of 60.2 . In June the
average daily hours of daylight are 17.5 and in December there are only 7.25
hours of daylight. Ketchikan is vertically challenged with steep stairways and
a funicular which decided not to be in operation when we were there!
Ketchikan sunshine
Wrangell: In one book
Wrangell was described as a little slice of heaven and the author posed the
question, “How can you not love a town off in the middle of the rainforest
where there’s still enough loopy optimism that most of the houses have sun
porches?” During our stay, those porches
were put to good use with temperatures in the 80’s. There was once a major
garnet mine and the sidewalks downtown are embedded with red and purple garnet
gem stones. The garnet mine was deeded to the children of Wrangell in 1962, and
the kids met every ferry they could, selling the semi-precious stones.
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