A 100 Mile Crossing



Morning Fog



Nothing But Ocean and Sky!



"Land Ho"



We left Sukkwan Cove near Hydaburg, AK in the morning and headed for “Dixon Entrance,” the large body of water separating Alaska from British Columbia.  Gale warnings were in effect so we stopped at Elbow Bay on Long Island to anchor and wait for better weather.  We left at 5am the next morning in light wind and morning fog.  Our day’s journey took us around the south tip of Prince of Wales Island (Cape Chacon) and across the open waters of Dixon Entrance, east by southeast to Prince Rupert in British Columbia – nearly a 100 mile journey.  There’s no place to go if the seas get rough, only rocks and reefs show their face.  Since we would be entering Canadian waters, we set our clocks one hour later, losing an hour during our crossing.  As we progressed east, the waves continued to build, reaching 5-6 foot swells; we came to appreciate “Got d’ Fever’s” 8-foot bow.  It was a balancing act with the boat rocking and pitching, and even Java got so she could balance herself by leaning from side to side and front to back on her four little legs.  She soon tired of this exercise however and put her back-end against the helm and took a nap.  Fog was also a factor; and with radar turned on, we were able to avoid other vessels, including an Alaska State Ferry.  The fog later dissipated, revealing only ocean for as far as the eye could see, a wondrous sight.  After hours of seeing nothing but water in all directions, we could finally say “land ho” - we spied Dundas Island off in the distance.  More islands came into view and we finally reached Venn Passage leading to Prince Rupert.  We arrived in Prince Rupert at 6pm Pacific Daylight Time – a 12-hour voyage!



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