Thought you might like to see the unique aspects of Alaska through the least visited time of the year. I will be showing short or long exerps of my travels to Petersburg. This last trip I was able to take my new (OLD) boat on its maiden voyage. Several interesting photos were taken. The first is my boat at its home harbor.
I photographed some interesting cloud formation along Wrangell Narrows. They will soon be over Seattle to drop their rain.
Looking over the stern of the boat to the opening to the Pacific Ocean. This is my difficult area in winter storms. This day was kind therefore I was able to take pictures.
Sunset over the stern past an island named (guess)...... Your right "Two Trees". I became so calm and warm entering this pass to cruise the rest of the way to Wrangell.
Wrangell Narrows has many aids to navigation and they are so close you don't actually know which one is next. For me this is easy but the Alaska Ferry takes all of the space to pass between aids. I of course was looking for where I could scoot out to avoid collision in a heavy current or darkness.
Not a bad place to curl up with a good book while the fireplace is snapping with a new log placed on it. The winds howling outside in a winter storm only makes the moments more special.
I want to come down here during Christmas and decorate this tree with sparkly white lights. Wouldn't that be beautiful sailing down the Narrows.
This is my Pilot house where I sit in the cold wet miserable Alaska weather with my Diesel heater blowing warm air on the back of my head and the cabin below with the stove cranking out 75F heat in the warmth below.
This is a wonderful lodge south of Petersburg about 6 miles where in the summer you eat fresh seafood on the porch while watching across the water the sun set at 10pm. During the winter is is closed. Not many places to eat in Petersburg in the winter but those that are open are filled with the best Halibut tacos, Cod and chips, Seafood omlettes, jars of pickeled herring, Salmon spred with Norweigan crackers, .......... Yes I do suffer with having to eat like a Stellar Sea Lion.
This is a morning with a hot cup of coffee off the stern of my boat. Steam is rising off the water and the sealions are mad because I am in their territory. I call the two that habitat the marina "Thelma and Louise". We have ravens here that have picked up the sound of kittens with a small "meow" from several sitting on the cabin deck. The mountains in the distance are seen through a "sucker hole" where the locals see sun they are being suckered that it is going to be a nice day.
I enjoyed the Herron sitting watching if I were to drop some fish from my seafood omlette. I also appreciated the tenacity of the small tree growing off the post to it's right. The evening was cold and I had to curl up in my bed with my comforter warming me before the sun came up. Snow fell above me in the hills around Petersburg.
Her name is "Wind free". Of course after Opra. The raucous gulls are waking to the days feast of the cannery offal and the millions of mussels droped on my boat all day and chewed into small pieces of shells. I thought that I was being blessed by the gulls messing all along the dock only down from my boat. My dock right around my boat was free of any mess. Then on Saturday when I got to stay on the boat I met my neighbor who hosed the dock every morning to keep it clean. Well thank you God for a clean neighbor!
Yes I am a happy skipper. Especially all alone with no crew to spend two days in the inside passage traveling to Wrangell.
Great photos...almost as good as being there in person. Thanks for sharing a piece of the world I probably won't get to see the way you do.
Those are magnificent photos. My grandmother lived in Alaska for years and I never got to visit her. I have some beautiful winter photos and some of the pipeline but never got any of the water. I am enjoying this thread and hope to see more.
I go up every 2 weeks and there will be more. Probably through spring.
This view is to the east in Sumner Straight. Not a lot of flat ground in AK.
I admire you for all you do and the way you do it. Happy Skipper indeed. Beautiful pictures. I'ts flat in Juneau. But my brother says that's not the REAL Alaska.^_^
yeah its flat on about 600 acres and most of that has risen since 1897 when John Muir was there. At that time there was mostly Glaciers pushing down the valleys. Quote John Muir: "There has been Global warming for a long time to create this glacier retreat."
Glacier rebound has elevated Juneau about 20 ft since he was there. Unbelievable. All of this was under water oh yes and about 400 feet of ice.
Lovely photos, keep them coming. I would love to spend some time up north, looks so serene and majestic.
My younger sis is in Alaska again visitint my brother in Indian. SW of Anchorage. She says they have a foot of snow. He lives on the edge of a National Park and the base of mountains. She will be there until Dec 19th. Wish I were there.
Oh my oh my I want to go back to Alaska! I think it is the most magnificent place I have ever seen. Thank you Sofer - very much.
Hi Sofer!! I haven't seen any of your posts in a long time, and here you are, but now I have some questions for you. Why do you do this every 2 weeks, and how long have you been doing it?
Do you ever run into any squalls? If so, isn't it pretty hard handling that boat all by yourself? What about ferries and cruise ships? Aren't there any this time of year? I thought they ran almost year round.
The pictures are wonderful. I would imagine you have quite a journal on your travels. Have fun, and happy sailing.
Maybe we will see Sofer on his own television travel show. How cool would that be!
I am a traveling Veterinarian who has started 4 practices in remote SE Alaska. So I work out of a large practice in Juneau and travel to Petersburg and Wrangell for a week at each place. Then I go to 3 other places: Yakutat, Angoon, and Hoonah when they need veterinary services. I have done this for over 3 years and the previous 5 years I contracted for all locations in Alaska. I fell in love with the SE and chose that for my next few years. After that I hope to have enough $ to work in Mexico in anyway I can to help the people there and take advantage of the sun and warmth. Hopefully my boat stays floating so I can sail it down there. Lots of fun with a job that is welcome everywhere I go. It allows me to change jobs often without worry.
Lots of ferry boats and they take up the entire narrows of Wrangell Narrows so I practice how to get out of their way. Lots of squalls and a few gales. I always check out anchorages enroute to know what my choices are to ride out 25 Knts and above. Anything else I can handle alone. I have a Fisher 25 Motor sailer so I am in the dry while sailing and with the 30 hp motor I can run some pretty heavy stuff. I learned a long time ago when to pull down sails and run to safety. This is a photo of the south end of Mitkof Island where there is a ferry dock and sheltered water. I have recorded 5 such anchorages in a SE gale. That is what is going to hurt me if it comes in enroute. Anchoring and having a coffee and a book is much more fun than getting there on time beating into the storm, or not getting there at all. After all I am an Explorer Scout: "Be prepared"
This message was edited Nov 14, 2010 2:37 PM
Gorgeous pictures! Thanks for sharing them.
I would be great on a travel talk show. I suppose I need to write to Anthony Bourdaine (sp?)
This is kind of blurry because I was rock and rolling. Hard to zoom with boat rolling.
Sofer, where did you ever get the idea to do the vet deal there? What a great idea!! And then Mexico? You certainly have a good thing going. I know this time of year you don't have to worry about your plants and gardens, but do you stay home then all summer?
LOL, that would be a good one to be on, the travel show with AB. I don't know how to spell his name either. But his thing is food. Where would you get that for his show? Do you have favorite places you eat at? Maybe in some of the villages up there? That would be a pretty good one.
Love the pictures. How do you send them and use the computer? Air cards?
I am up there all year and you should join Facebook to see all of my pictures. The spring and summer are awesome the rest of the year is a drizzle or downpour. But it is a glance of the beauty of winter in SE AK. I plan on sending you those special moments.
This one is of "Spring in the Alexander Archipelago". Many more at my FB site.
Steve Lowry FB ask to be a friend.
This message was edited Nov 14, 2010 6:49 PM
Steve, Thank you so much for sharing your beautiful Alaska adventures! Having your boat to travel to and from now must be bliss for you... and you definitely look happy in the picture. Much Much Much better man cave than a cabin! Good Job!
Keep the pictures coming, and stay safe in the bad weather....
Aren't they gorgeous? But so awesome, can't think of the word I want to describe them. Other than just beautiful.
Great thread. Jnette alerted me. Being from Las Vegas, it is absolutely beautiful but looks very cold. I get cold under 80 degrees.
Thanks Jnette for thee heads up.
I think I will post some of the photos of the same area here from the spring and summer. This is Devils Thumb, a pointy mountain in the Coastal Range. It is so steep it does not hold snow.
This is the middle harbor where my boat is kept in Petersburg. The town is small 3,000 or less and quite beautiful.
Wrangell Narrows is very gorgeous and a nice place to build a cabin. There is every kind of salmon and halibut and many crab to be harvested in this busy waterway.
This is another view of summer in the same straits that I crossed above. This spring was awesome with lots and lots of sun.
This is a view from the air where I crossed Sumner Straights in the Spring.
This is the summer view from where my boat will be kept. You are actually looking at the cannery (processer) for salmon, crab, and Halibut.
Norway founded this town and most the todays residents are Norwegian. Being a German I was accepted when I told them that most of Northern Germany are genetics of Norways conquests.
The homes here are very pretty with gardens everywhere. People take care of the old homes on the waterfront. I have never used a car here and walk almost everywhere. Though I did bring up my motorcycle to cruise the backroads.
Christmas time is quite beautiful with the waterfront all decorated for the season. My office is to the left of the picture. I am below the court house so when court is in session I have to hold my dog's mouths shut when examining. LOL
