With new crew and the fact we hadn’t seen the sun in a few days, we were all excited to embark on our next destination, Geographic Harbor.
We headed north around Kodiak island towards Ouzinkie and through Whale passage. As we sailed between islands, Whale Passage lived up to it’s name and graced us with some great minke whale sightings and even a sea otter party!
While we were planning a closer anchorage, a nearby catamaran hailed us to discuss the incoming weather across the strait and we decided to keep sailing to Geographic Harbor to avoid the high winds the following day.
Geographic Harbor
Geographic Harbor was a dream! Our midnight arrival in this magical glassy lagoon had me holding my breath. It felt any disturbance in the air, even an exhale, would disturb the perfect reflection of the surrounding mountains.
My first thought: “The PERFECT place to cold plunge!” I could hardly go to sleep I was so excited. The early rich gold morning light finally came and graced the surrounding mountains. I couldn’t believe that we just sailed into this pristine oasis. It felt like I would’ve had to climb 5,000 feet with an overnight pack to find views like this back home. But nothing back home compares to wild Alaska.
Al spotted a brown bear off in the distance. The clouds started to creep back in and I decided to jump in before the weather turned any worse. Rocky even jumped in too!
It rained for a couple hours but then the sun came back! Later we spotted another brown bear closer to us along the shoreline, and soaked up our first leisurely day. Stacie was our resident yoga teacher so boat yoga on deck was a great way to get some stretching out. Fishing, reading, boat projects, and naps all around. We were all pleasantly surprised that we were the only boat in the harbor, it felt like a private sanctuary.
Realizing we still had another 350nm before we got to False Pass, the next few days were spent getting to new anchorages. The weather held up gloriously and we enjoyed several warm blue sky days as we sailed along the Alaskan Peninsula.
Agripina Bay
Each anchorage was better than the last, waking up everyday with a smile on my face, there is no other place I would rather be!
Hook Bay
Every day was spent gazing at the incredible landscape around us. Were we in Ireland? Scotland? Hawaii?
Kupreanof Harbor
Sandpoint (Fish Day!)
We were making really good time and trying to time a good weather window into False Pass, so we made an unexpected stop at Sandpoint for a little shore time. Sailing into Sandpoint at 10 knots almost felt too easy for her. It felt tempting to just stay out in the breeze!
I really enjoy walking the docks and observing the different boats in each harbor. We found mostly working boats, which is a nice change from the pleasure vessels we’re used to seeing back home.
I had hoped to catch a friend who was fishing out of Sandpoint, but they were out working while we were ashore. Luckily, the next day as we rounded Unga Island, we found them at work!
My friend Jamie, who comes from a long family line of fisherman, and his crew of M/V Paragon were kind enough to let us observe them seining and even sent over a skiff with fresh cleaned king and coho salmon after a set and haul.
Even after winning some great races with Al over the years, I’ve never seen him happier than when the fish got delivered to us. It’s not everyday you get fresh fish delivered to your boat from the fishermen himself in the Aleutian Islands!
If you thought you loved salmon but have never had never eaten fresh Alaskan King Salmon…you must add it to your list. There is nothing quite like it! Al is the resident master fish chef, and as someone who has formally worked in a seafood fine dining, I can say with confidence, it couldn’t have been more perfect.
King Cove
Last stop before we headed towards False Pass!
