May 31: Hole in the Wall, Dall Island


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Log Entry: Monday, May 31st, 1999

North Bay to Hole in the Wall (Dall Island): 12 nm

		click on an image to see details
(Chart: route)	(Chart: anchorage)

Rain. Up at 4:30.

I went out to the end of the bay to get the prawn trap: as I approached it (i.e. pretty well at the furthest point from Ilari), I ran out of gas! Miraculously, we had finally, the night before, taken some tools out and properly attached the oars to the dinghy. I rowed over to the trap, hauled it up (nothing!!), and rowed back to the boat in a drizzle. The crab trap was right beside the boat: hauled it up. Nothing!! We had been using tins of cat food with holes punched in them: we decided that we needed to investigate other types of bait.

Heavy swell plus chop today: over 10 feet. We decided last night to get up at 4:30 and go for it in the early hours, before the chop got too bad. It was a rough ride, as usual the wind was just off the nose, and the seas, for the last few miles, were on the beam …

We were anchored in our spot for the night at 8 am!! Weird … anyway, we had breakfast, and lounged about. Every so often we would turn on the generator to reheat the boat … At times like this, it would be good to have a kerosene heater. I keep reminding myself that we hope to spend most of our cruising time in hot climes …

It turns out there are several places called Hole In The Wall: we may attempt to visit all of them on this trip. This one had a VERY narrow entrance, but once in, the anchorage was quiet. It rained most of the day, and then FINALLY the sun came out, around 4:40 p.m.

Decided not to feed Ching in the morning if we are expecting rough weather, as she isn’t able to keep it down …

Excerpt from Jane's log:

"At last the rain stopped. We took a quick walk on shore along the creek; luckily we made lots of noise, as there was a bear on shore by the time we had rowed back to Ilari.

"We watched the bear after dinner, while he searched for his. It looked like an adult black bear. After munching on the grass he moved closer to the sea front in search of clams. We thought it amazing to watch him digging and even rolling over large rocks!

"Still not as north as Ireland (55^o 27') ..."

Ching watching the bear

Around 2 p.m., lo and behold, a fishing boat toddles into the anchorage!! When the fishermen come in, you know it’s rough …

[Fixed the winch cover.

Tried to stay away from the bust autopilot. Determined that we would phone ComNav from Klowak and have them FedEx whatever replacement parts we need for the compass (sure that’s what’s bust).

Heard a thump under the hull when we changed gears: must be kelp wrapped around the prop …]

[ May 22: Brundige Inlet ] [ May 23: Brundige Inlet ] [ May 24: Ketchikan ] [ May 25: Ketchikan ] [ May 26: Ketchikan ] [ May 27: Gardner Bay ] [ May 28: Barrier Islands ] [ May 29: Eek Inlet ] [ May 30: North Bay ] [ May 31: Hole in the Wall, Dall Island ] [ June 1: Port Real Marina ] [ June 2: Craig ] [ June 3: Cyrus Cove ] [ June 4: El Capitan Passage ] [ June 5: Hole in the Wall, P of W Island ] [ June 6: Egg Harbor ] [ June 7: Tenfathom Anchorage ] [ June 8: Kritoi Basin ] [ June 9: Hot Springs Bay ] [ June 10: Sitka ] [ June 11: Sitka ] [ June 12: Sitka ]