Log Entry: Monday, June 14th, 1999

Waterfall Cove (Khaz Bay) to Mirror Harbor: 25.3 nm

Trolled for about an hour shortly after leaving Waterfall Cove: no luck.

Autopilot now works beautifully!

Mirror Harbor: a challenging entry. It wasn’t until later, at low tide, that we realized how truly challenging it had been!

How do we avoid nasty accidents?

Our first-level source of information for getting around is the charts.  However, for coastal navigation, the charts are not enough.   To get into, out of, and through the tricky spots, you need more.  For Alaska, we have:

Additionally, for places like Glacier Bay, we have guides and books specific to that particular location.  Each (except for the tide tables) is a compendium of anchorage and harbour descriptions, historical notes, and approach instructions.  Each has information not included in the others; each has it's own perspective on what's worth doing or seeing, what's not; what's dangerous, what's challenging, what's important.  The Douglass' book is my favourite, as it includes diagrams, good historical background, and is well-written and well put together. 

A one-mile hike to the hot springs: Don and Renee were right: it is worth the anxious ride into Mirror Harbor: a well-maintained hut, with a natural granite tub, water very hot but not too hot. It was the very first hot springs I have ever truly enjoyed. We had remembered to bring a draft Guinness (can with new, improved widget), and we enjoyed it at the spring. There were two men there, from Buffalo, on a kayaking trip, and we talked briefly before walking the mile back to the dinghy, which was now beached like Noah’s Ark with the receding tide.

When we got back, we (Jane) did some calculations, and determined that we had to leave the following morning no later than 4:15, or else wait until about 2:30 p.m. We opted for the early departure, and prepared everything before going to bed, so all we had to do was get up and go.

Jane's log:

"There was a young deer onshore [at Waterfall Cove] as we picked up the prawn trap (both prawn and crab traps were empty!)

"As we came up Slocum Arm we spotted a sea otter taking the current downstream - he was just floating down, not a care in the world.  I think of all the wildlife to date I have found the sea otter the most fascinating.

"Trolled for halibut in Smooth Channel - no luck.  Spotted a whole extended family of sea otters basking in the sun as we came through Ogden Passage.

"We spotted at least three gray whales diving around us as we entered Mirror Harbour at Snag Island.

"What a great spot - even Ian enjoyed the hot springs and the sun came out.

"At low tide the dog leg ride past the drying rocks looks pretty narrow!"