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The sailing adventures of SV Meriwether and her crew

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by Tim · September 17, 2020

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She takes pictures…

Tim got back today! Then this rainbow happened —

Tim got back today! Then this rainbow happened — the most vibrant I can ever recall seeing. And then we went out, and I ate two of a plate full of highly questionable spot prawns before better judgement took over. And I’ve been spending the rest of my evening in and out of the head. Is Sunday the day you’re not supposed to order seafood?

Another poor-man’s drone shot. We’re back in K

Another poor-man’s drone shot. We’re back in Ketchikan, and docked right below the viewing platform on the boardwalk above. Yes, I know we were trying desperately to leave here, but life—and other things— happen, and Tim is flying back to the mainland for some somber family affairs.
::
The first big cruise ship to arrive here departed just as we were pulling in. It appeared to be maybe 1/10 full at most. Things will be ever-so-slowly returning to “new normal” up here.

Part 2 of our overnight backpacking trip to Bailey

Part 2 of our overnight backpacking trip to Bailey Hot Springs: the being there. All pretty self explanatory, aside from getting our bear bag hanging line stuck on a branch. And that last photo is a zoom in of the sun rays on the previous photo, which demonstrates the quantity of biting bugs we had to battle, being literally on top of a marsh, next to a lake, next to hot springs. That we actually considered not bringing a tent because there would be a shelter is horrifying to think about. That tent was our only refuge from the mosquitoes and noseeums. The place was surrounded by low bush blueberry plants, which will fruit and ripen in the next couple of weeks. The season is so much later out here, the salmonberries are barely flowering. (We never leave our mark anywhere, but it seemed to be encouraged here—there was even a Sharpie hanging on a string fir just that purpose!).

The Bailey Hot Springs overnight trip deserves to

The Bailey Hot Springs overnight trip deserves to be divided into two parts : the getting there and the being there. We’re grateful for the knowledge of locals we met in Ketchikan, because this incredible place isn’t listed in any of our cruising guidebooks. Even the local family who we met there had only just learned about it. The trailhead’s at the tip of an inlet with only one mooring ball and too deep, steep-to, and narrow for us to anchor, or even stern tie, so when the mooring ball was taken when we arrived, we moved on to Yes Bay for the night and returned the next day to a (thankfully) empty ball. About an hour later, a friendly family in a tiny Bayliner arrived, and though we offered that they raft to us, they managed an iffy anchoring nearby. They asked us if we were taking the canoe; we said we hadn’t heard about it, but no. The trail turned out to be really challenging (especially with backpacks on), full of scrambles over trees and under rocks, barely visible sink holes, and fording through frigid snowmelt waterfalls. About 1/4 mile after the waterfall, once we got to the lake, we saw the USFS canoe that the family intended to paddle the rest of the way. They were far behind us, but the trail got even harder and slower after that, and they paddled right by us in no time. Finally, the trail opened up into most beautiful vista, and we were there. Once we got settled and backpacks off, Tim negotiated a canoe ride back with the family (who were only staying an hour or so), so he could then paddle it back up to use so we wouldn’t have to walk that part of the trail again on the way back.

(P.S. if anyone in Ketchikan knows the contact info for a family of four — teenage son and daughter, father who’s a construction contractor, and mother who’s a tour guide, hook us up—we got a fun shot of them kayaking the lake but forgot to get their email!)

Where to start…the holiday weekend (with an impr

Where to start…the holiday weekend (with an impromptu extension by another day) off-grid, exploring Misty Fjords National Monument and Tongass National Forest. I’ll do this semi-chronologically, starting with the towering rock walls in the Punchbowl, and heading north past countless waterfalls. We finally saw our first Grizzly family (even after spending a summer in AK in 2015). This place put Yosemite to shame, and that’s no small task. And, from what I’ve seen and heard from others, this is just an intro to Southeast Alaska.

We fixed our engine issue, untied from the marina,

We fixed our engine issue, untied from the marina, got our engine stuck in reverse while docking at the fuel dock, fixed that, and made it our first anchorage in Alaska. A year later than we’d planned three years ago, a month later than we’d planned three months ago, and a week later than we’d planned three weeks ago, our anchor finally touched AK ocean floor.
(And, no, Judd’s not with us! 😅)

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