With Glacier Bay a stern we started our route south towards Sitka. For a very long time we had been watching YouTubers Ran Sailing from Norway. When they came to Alaska they went to this tiny place called Elfin Cove and it's been on my list ever since. According to the guidebooks and their videos it seemed like a magical enchanting place surrounded by trees so that's where we headed. Unfortunately Troller season hadn't opened up yet and the one public dock was full of fishing boats leaving no space for cruisers like us. Sadly we did a u-turn and proceeded around Cross Sound into Lisanski Inlet towards Pelican. As we approached we hailed the dockmaster on the radio and then tried the phone number with no luck. We slowly meandered along the docks looking for any open space. Finally I shouted to a fisherman on his boat asking if he knew where to go. Fortunately there was a space right next to him and he and three other fisherman caught our lines and helped me secure the boat. Super nice. After getting set up we headed up the ramp into town which is one long wood boardwalk. It's adorable and everyone smiled at us and said hello.
Elfin Cove - Full Dock
Cross Sound
Pelican Harbor
Pelican Harbor
Skiffs in Pelican
Pelican
Walking in Pelican
Downtown Pelican
Pelican
Pelican Harbor
Pelican
Sea Plan - Pelican Harbor
Pelican Harbor
The next morning we woke up to pretty thick fog and decided to delay our departure till 0800 giving the fog a chance to lift. Today we were finally going to be doing some ocean cruising - something I was really looking forward to. It's been such a long time since we've been in open ocean. When we cruised up to Alaska in April we crossed the ocean a couple times but for very short stints and not completely open. We made our way out of Pelican with patchy fog and into Lisanski Strait which took us out to the ocean where we made a left turn south en route to Klag Bay. The seas weren't too bad - 3-5 footers but nicely spaced where we could still walk around and not get tossed too badly. The cruise was uneventful and before I knew it we were in Klag Bay anchored and ready to launch the dingy to go to shore to explore the old abandoned silver and gold mining village that was here and operated from 1905-1930's. We threw on our xtratuffs and set off.
Heading into the Fog
Lisianski Strait
Ocean Crusising
En Route to Klag Bay
Entering Klag Bay
Klag Bay Anchorage
Old Mining Site
The Boats
Klag Bay Anchorage
Old Mine
Old Mine
Mining Building
Old Mining Docks
Going Outside
We both found the old mining site really interesting and were happy we had the chance to walk around it and explore all that was left. The next morning we set out in sunny skies and minimal fog towards Kalinin Bay our final stop before heading into Sitka. The ocean part of our cruise was calm and uneventful and soon enough we were in Salisbury Sound and heading into Kalinin Bay. We found it a bit overwhelming because not only was there another boat in the anchorage there were 7 other boats. Thus far we have been really lucky to have most anchorages to ourselves. Maybe twice we have been with one other boat so Kalinin found really crowded. Fortunately it's a large anchorage with plenty of room for lots of boats. We found a good spot affording us enough swing room and privacy from the other boats. Shortly after we got set up Jeff spotted a mama brown bear and her two cubs eating grass on shore. We were so excited spending hours looking at them through the binoculars. Pure Alaskan entertainment that never ever gets old.
Salsbury Sound
Entering Kalinin Bay
Kalinin Bay
Mama & Cubs in Kalinin Bay
Mama Brown Bear
Kalinin Bay
The next morning brought more fog and some big winds were due to arrive later in the day so we unanchored and got out early. We were excited to be going to Sitka a town neither of us have been to and also where our friends Chuck, Margaret, Bill and Lucy were. We hadn't seen them since Petersburg and were looking forward to a nice reunion and catching up.
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