Thursday, June 7, 2012

Wilderness Areas of SE Alaska

Tuesday June 5 - Thursday June 7
Chart of Maurelle Islands


Tuesday, the weather was calm and sunny. We decided to head toward the first of three designated wilderness areas in SE Alaska (maybe they're like Canadian marine parks?). The first was Maurelle Islands. We had to navigate through another minefield of rocks. Well worth it. Beautiful day and spectacular rocky shores.

Reflections
Foggy Entrance
Wednesday, we went to Egg Harbor on Coronation Island. When we arrived, it was incredibly gloomy. We only later learned that we had both thought to ourselves: "Why did we bother to come all the way out here?" Thursday was a gorgeous day for exploring by dinghy and hiking along the beaches. We even hiked through the moss draped forest over to another bay, where we heard the roar of sea lions on a distant islet. We hiked into a couple of caves and along the creek. The sun lit up the treeless tops of several hills on Coronation. The snow covered mountains of Baranov filled the view toward the bay entrance. At low tide, we marveled at how far out the silt from the creek came; quite a hazard for the unaware sailor.
Bald Mountain
Sea Otter with Scraps from Lunch on Stomach
The boat was an excellent sea otter blind. They fed regularly as close as 30 feet from us. They were so close that we could hear the crunching on the shells. We could even see their use of their stomachs as a table and the mess of shells that they clear by simply rolling over. A mother with a pup also came very close. The pup stayed on the surface while the mother dove, often squealing for food? for mom to come back? It also seemed fluffier than the pups that we had seen diving and playing with their mothers. I'm wondering if it was younger than the others we've seen. When the mother smelled or heard us, she got her cub to sit / stand on her stomach and paddled rapidly away to a place that felt safer. Their large webbed feet allow them to swim amazingly fast on their backs. Later, two moms with a pup each were at the head of the cove. We decided that the reason our crab trap had come up empty, is that the sea otters do not respect the size limit on Dungeness!
Sea Otter with Pup
Dinner was halibut cooked in foil with sliced onions and lemons, and pesto sauce. Highly recommend it. Tasty and moist.

Capt George Vancouver named Coronation Island. He was in the area on Sept 22, 1793, the 33rd anniversary of the coronation of George III.
Sea Otter Pup Riding on Mom's Stomach

Also, on Sept 20, 1908, Coronation Island was the scene of the second worst maritime disaster in SE Alaska in terms of lives lost. The full-rigged iron ship Star of Bengal of the Alaska Packers fleet was being towed by two tenders. It was fully loaded with 50,000 cases of salmon and 132 people on board. A gale caught her at night on Coronation's lee shore. The anchors dragged and the tenders couldn't keep her off the rocks. Only 22 survived. Most of the dead were Oriental cannery workers.
Moss Draped Sitka Spruce
Thursday morning, the local weather stations were reporting very light winds. We pulled up anchor and headed to Warren Island, the third of the wilderness areas. We pulled up the sails as we left the bay. The winds seemed to be picking up. But after 15 minutes, the wind had died. As we crossed the entrance to Sumner Strait, the swells grew to 8-10 feet. There was a little wind, so we put up the jib to steady Raven Song. Urs really enjoyed the gentle slopes and was amazed when a high mountain was blocked from view by the water. Magpie and I think that swells are not swell. We anchored in Warren Cove. The swells are reduced but I know people who would be seasick at this anchorage! Crashing surf convinced us not to go ashore. Presence of sea otters means it's useless to put down the crab trap.
Sea Cave on Coronation Island
Urs thinks we should have a Raven Song Cookbook. So maybe I'll start including some ideas here. Tonight we had a casserole: layer of polenta; covered with a mixture of ground beef (300 gm) and package of frozen spinach and onions and pepper and nutmeg; topped with grated cheese; bake until done.
Beachcombing on Coronation Island
Sumner Strait was named after Senator Charles Sumner, who was very supportive of the acquisition of Alaska and of President Lincoln. He also opposed the annexation of Texas. Would Dell be a Mexican firm if Sumner's opposition to annexing Texas had been successful.









We'll head up El Capital passage tomorrow. It's supposed to be like Yosemite Park in US and Fjordland in the BC inside passage.


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