June 15 – Dundas Bay to Mosquito Cove

Happy Father’s Day from the Inian Islands!

We left Dundas Bay riding a ridge of high pressure—sunny skies, hazy air, and the kind of easy cruising weather you don’t argue with. Our destination was Mosquito Cove, tucked into the Inian Islands where Icy Strait meets Cross Sound. Just a two-hour hop, but enough underway time to top off the house batteries.

mom and pup swim past us as we leave dundas bay

To get there, we transited North Inian Pass—an area known for ripping currents. We timed our run for a moderate push, not max ebb, and the plan worked perfectly. Smooth ride, good speed.

Mosquito Cove is small by Alaska standards, but scenic and well protected. With tall mountains all around, it’s shielded from swell in every direction. Wind can still sneak in via Middle Pass, especially when the currents rip, but overall it’s a calm place to drop the hook.

We arrived to find it empty and snagged the sweet spot—40 feet at high tide on a decent shelf. Go much farther in and the bottom shoots up, thick with kelp.

mosquito cove has a beautiful view

kelp defines where you can anchor in mosquito cove

As we settled in, the action outside the cove kicked off. Strong current in Middle Pass had stirred up the feed, attracting diving birds and a frenzy of sea lions. Several chased fish right into the cove, giving us a front-row seat to the show.

Later, on the flood tide, we took the dinghy through a kelp-choked channel to visit the “Hobbit Hole”—home of the Tidelands Institute. I’d scouted the route earlier with the drone at low tide, so we knew where to thread the needle. It was a slow, kelpy slog, with regular stops to clear the outboard intake, but we made it. The entrance to the Hobbit Hole is shallow and rocky, but once inside, it’s an unexpected little hideaway. There’s a QR code at the dock if you want to learn more about the Institute’s work—handy and modern, even in the wilderness.

kelp lines pass to the hobbit hole

qr codes invade alaska

the tidelines institute in hobbit hole

Back at Mosquito Cove, the sailing vessel Leigh Ann had dropped anchor nearby. We stopped over to say hello. They're seasoned Alaskan cruisers who winter their boat in either Petersburg or Wrangell. Always fun to swap stories with kindred spirits.

leigh ann enjoy the tranquility as the evening falls on mosquito cove

To wrap up the day, we dinghied over to the sea lion haul-out at the south entrance of Mosquito Pass. One massive bull reigned over his harem while the bachelors grumbled from the sidelines. Loud, smelly, and utterly captivating. The current ripping past the rocks was incredible—so strong we joked that if we were sea lions, we’d probably move somewhere with a less exhausting commute.

sunset in mosquito cove