July 19th Taku Harbor to Fanshaw Bay

 

July 19  Taku Harbor to Fanshaw Bay

7:45 departure  57 degrees sunny calm

We found no crab in our traps…only sea urchins. As we motored out of the harbor we encounter many more fishing boats laying out their nets…something else to dodge. We watched one boat spraying water on its net as it was being hauled up in order to wash it off before settling on the deck.

The waters were flat clam and lots of salmon were jumping this morning.  We were heading to Tracy Arm Cove but as we drew near, several small icebergs appeared. They were floating mainly near the coast and when we peered into the entrance to Tracy Arm, we spotted multiple chunks of floating ice so decided to move on. Now we need to add icebergs to our “dodge this” list!

 

The Sawyer Glacier and Dawes Glacier were sending ice all along Stephens Passage with the water temperature hitting 46 degrees. The air was chilly at 52 degrees.

Hobart Bay was our second choice for the night so we headed into the entrance. Once we reached the public dock, we found only about 10 feet left available and a very small anchorage. If we had anchored there, our boat would have made it very difficult for any other boats to find a spot…it was that small an area. David had to do a 180, and we headed out. Fanshaw Bay in Cleveland Passage was chosen as our final destination. After 7 hours of cruising, I was ready to call it a day but we had at least 1 ½ hours left to go.

 

After anchoring, I was spent, but not David. He wanted to drop the crab pots. I helped lower the dinghy and fetched the bait but David went off on his own. We now have 4 crab pots after picking up 2 others on the dock at Taku labeled, “Free to a good home”. I wanted to leave our old ones in exchange but after having so little luck with crab the last couple of weeks, David wanted to increase our odds at being successful. 

I made some enchiladas for dinner and we had a peaceful night. A crab boat came along and dropped several traps near one of ours. David decided to move ours out of the mix and found the largest male crab we have ever caught. We have hopes for more.