Kelp Bay, South Arm Lay Day

After a string of early alarms, we finally treated ourselves to a proper sleep-in. A luxury at anchor—and much needed.

Outside, the rain was relentless. I managed a quick 10-minute drone flight during a brief pause in the drizzle, only to land it in a steady shower. Not exactly ideal flying weather.

The river with oceanflyer tucked in the little cove

low water shows the appraoch to the river is not withoutr its obstacles

The rest of the day was a mix of photo editing and blog catch-up. The damp gloom has definitely worn on us, and the idea of going outside for anything other than anchor checks held little appeal.

Still, nature gave us a few surprises. Karen spotted a Sitka black-tailed deer picking its way along the shoreline. And just before low tide, we saw nearly 60 harbor seals lounging on the alluvial flats. No rocky haul-outs here, so they made do with the muddy sprawl—something we’ve never witnessed before. By high tide, they’d vanished, save for one lone swimmer patrolling the cove.

Afternoon highlights included some meal prep and route planning for the coming week. Weather aside, this is a solid anchorage—calm, scenic, and surprisingly intimate for Southeast Alaska.

looking down the south arm of kelp bay from its head

cozy cove in the south arm