Scenery Cove to Sanborn Canal: Blue Skies, Brief Porpoises, and a One-Time Stop

June has officially arrived—and with it, a break in the rain! The forecast claimed we might stay dry today, and we were ready to believe.

Our next stop looked deceptively close on the chart—Sanborn Canal in Port Houghton—but plotting the course told a different story. It’s nearly five hours away. Alaska: always bigger than you think.

Conditions were delightful. Current on the stern, light winds, smooth seas, and clouds high enough (~3,000 feet) to reveal most of the mountain peaks along the way. We even had a generous stretch of blue sky, which felt almost suspicious after such a soggy stretch.

Boat traffic? Barely. Just two other cruisers and a couple of fishboats. It was quiet out there—just how Karen likes it. A few humpbacks passed by, unbothered, and a pod of Dall’s porpoise gave us a teaser show at the bow before darting off. Karen was hoping for an encore.

Sanborn Canal is tucked an hour off Frederick Sound. As we arrived, the clouds regrouped and sank low, hiding the mountains that normally frame the anchorage. A 35-footer was nestled into the northwest corner, and the 67-foot pocket cruiser Sikumi had staked out the center.

oceanflyer in the foreground at Sanborn Canal. look closely for the two others.

We dropped anchor near the head of the canal in 55 feet, opting not to push deeper toward the estuary. The bottom shoals fast, and today wasn’t the day for sounding adventures.

the river valley at the head of sanborn canal

Before the next wave of showers rolled in, I launched the drone for a quick flight. The views were muted compared to Scenery Cove, which still holds the crown for dramatic scenery and solitude. Sanborn Canal? Pretty enough, but not a repeater for us.

Tomorrow, we head for Cannery Cove—a favorite among Alaskan cruisers. We’re hoping the skies hold.

Petersburg to Scenery Cove

Petersburg is a charming town, but after a record-setting wet May (confirmed by dockside locals), it was time to get OceanFlyer back into cruising mode.

We settled our moorage and rental car bills and gave a fond farewell to the North Harbor harbormaster—truly one of the best we’ve encountered.

With four knots of current pushing us out, we cruised across Frederick Sound toward Scenery Cove in Thomas Bay. We timed our arrival for low tide, giving us a clear view of the cove’s steep, glacier-carved mudflats.

For a few glorious minutes—11, to be exact—the sun made an appearance. I grabbed some drone shots before the clouds regrouped and resumed their campaign of drizzle.

clouds and rain are back

low clouds and rain greet us in scenery cove

Scenery Cove served as our staging point to attempt the tricky route toward the glacial lake at the foot of Baird Glacier. The plan? Ride high tide and find the path through the braided glacial river system, just around the corner.

low tide arrival makes finding your anchor spot much easier

looking back out to the scenery cove entrance

a look at the river that flows into scenery cove

Unfortunately, poor visibility, murky glacier water, and a heavy ceiling of clouds made it impossible to read the shallows. Even with satellite charts and notes from SlowBoat.com, we hit an impassable rocky bar—12.4’ tide, three feet under the keel until… not. After two attempts, we waved the white flag. This one’s best left for sunny skies and better light. Next time.

Back in the cove, the rain finally eased, and while the clouds lingered, even a gray break in the weather felt like victory after weeks of downpour.

That evening, the 69-foot Hawkeye II joined us in the anchorage—quiet, well-positioned, and not at all intrusive. Just another boat savoring the stillness of Scenery Cove.

May 22–30 – Wrangell to Petersburg Plus 8 Lay Days: Narrows, Rain, and a Toilet Saga

With Wrangell in the rearview, we were ready to run the Wrangell Narrows and head to Petersburg—the last proper town before we disappear into the wilds again.

This 40nm route, lined with over 60 navigation aids, can be tricky. Some time it to catch the current through the narrows and ride the push all the way. But that drops you into Petersburg with a current ripping through the harbor—ask the locals how that ends. We opted for a more civilized arrival, timing our transit for slack tide in Petersburg, which gave us a leisurely 11:12am departure and a smooth 4pm docking.

The Narrows were kind—light traffic and no big vessels pushing us to the margins. We tied up at North Harbor, requesting a slip tucked close to shore (read: less current). The slip was a bit short for OceanFlyer, but with 50-amp power and no drama, we were happy.

Dinner? Papa Bear’s Pizza. Simple and satisfying.

Petersburg Lay Days: Rain, Roads, and Repairs

Friday brought rain (of course) but also a rental car. We explored Mitkof Island, starting at City Creek Trail where a new boardwalk and distant snowy views made up for the drizzle. A local school group was climbing through a net strung in the trees—Alaskan recess, apparently.

City Creek Trail is a must visit if you have a car

We continued our loop down the east side of the island on gravel roads. Narrow, bumpy, and scenic—perfect cruiser adventure terrain. We hit Green’s Camp, Crescent Beach, and Blaquiere Point before reaching the “end of the road” at Mile 32. On the way back, we even stopped to admire the Petersburg Gun Range... in the rain.

well gromed “gravel” roads

the trap field at the Petersburg gun club

Midway through our three-day stay, the harbormaster called—our slip’s full-timer was coming back. So we moved at slack, fueled up, and slipped into a new spot on the opposite side of the dock. No big deal.

the harbor staff could not ave been more gracious as they accomidated our extened stay in petersberg

Then came the toilet revolt. The master head decided to stage a protest: water in, but no flush out. After some online diagnosis and colorful language, we reached out to Pacific Marine in Bellingham for parts and a plan. For now, we relied on the forward head and settled in for a longer stay.

one of many small “parks” around the area

Sunday brought lunch at Inga’s Galley—now with a heated tent! Much appreciated on a rainy Southeast day. Monday, Bob dove into the toilet disassembly. A kinked hose gave us hope—it flushed! Briefly.

we lost count of all the beautiful stainless steel benches in and around peterberg. Each one is unique.

Tuesday: full teardown. Pump? Good. Impeller? Fine. Control panel? Working. After a clean-up and reassembly, it miraculously worked. We toasted with dinner at Inga’s again—where we met a local with a blind white duck he takes with him everywhere, even to dinner. Only in Alaska.

sums up our stay and the month of April in peterberg. the wettest on record.

By Wednesday, the toilet was still functional but we wanted those spare parts. We drove out to the airport, parks, and scenic overlooks in sideways rain. Great news: the package was on the Alaska Air Cargo flight. Bad news: flight cancelled. Thursday brought worse news—the package couldn’t leave Seattle because Pacific Marine isn’t a “known shipper.” Cinnamon buns from Salty Pantry helped dull the pain.

the historical sons of norway hall… and bingo parlor upstairs.

impressive memorial to souls lost at sea

vikings having fun

Bob used the downtime to replace a rogue bilge pump that wouldn’t shut off. After striking out at every local store for a simple plumbing fitting, the spare was installed with a new hose upgrade from our spares inventory. Dinner at El Zarape—birria tacos and rockfish tacos—was the silver lining.

yet another amazing stainless steel bench

Friday was a quiet wait. Rain (of course), some provisioning, and boat chores. But at 11:07pm, standing soaked outside the Alaska Cargo office at the airport, Bob was handed the long-awaited Goldstreak package—48 hours late, but gloriously real.

Wrangell Lay Day: Totems, Tuna, and a Land-Based Recon

Heritage Harbor might be outside of town, but getting to downtown Wrangell is a breeze—especially by dinghy. The 4-hour yellow loading zone at the base of the harbormaster’s ramp is ideal for tying up. Still, today I (Bob) decided to scout out the walking route for those days when the Strait’s too sloppy for a smooth dinghy ride.

The verdict? From Heritage Harbor to the City Market and Sentry Hardware & Marine, it’s a 1.2-mile walk—flat, easy, mostly sidewalked, and clocked at 40 minutes at my usual “trudge” pace. Not bad at all.

view of the harbor from the walk from heritage harbor to town.

on of the many sights along the route to town

interesting yard art in wrangell

For lunch, we tried Michelle’s Taste of Asia on Front Street. Normally we might have passed it by, but Sylvia from Alaska Vistas gave it such a rave review yesterday that we had to check it out. She was right—the spicy tuna sushi rolls were outstanding, and the post-lunch ice cream cone didn’t hurt either. We swung by afterward to thank her, and Karen even recruited some curious Nat Geo cruisers to go try it for themselves.

yummy lunch at Michelle’s Taste of Asia

A fun discovery today was the Carvers Shed, a working totem studio open to the public. Here, master carvers recreate aging or damaged poles—an effort to preserve heritage before these cultural icons return to nature, as is traditional. We chatted with a couple of the carvers and came away with a deeper appreciation of the stories these poles carry.

driftwood moose in wrangel

Just a short stroll away is the Nolan Center, a museum and visitor hub that’s always worth a look. We also made another attempt to visit the longhouse on Kah Shakes Island, but no luck—skunked again!

Kah Shakes longhouse, been here many times, but it is never open when we arrive

on the way to Kah Shakes Island you pass the harbors tidle grid, one of the largest i’ve seen

wrangel tidel grid, a double sided behomouth

Back at Heritage Harbor, we connected with some boaters just a few slips down—friends of friends from Navigator, both cruising Krogen 48s. They keep their boats in Wrangell year-round and had great insight into local logistics. It was a timely and fascinating chat, especially since we’ve been toying with the idea of overwintering here instead of making the long haul back to Bellingham.

A slower day? Sure. But packed with discoveries, good eats, and even better conversation—everything a lay day should be.

Berg Bay to Wrangell: Burgers, Deadheads, and the Downpour

After a picture-perfect day exploring Berg Bay, we pointed OceanFlyer toward Wrangell. With calm seas, a helpful current, and even a few sun breaks, the three-hour cruise felt like a reward.

sunrise in berg bay

The harbormaster directed us to Heritage Harbor, just outside town. We’d been here before—two long side-tie docks for transients—but this time the fishing fleet was still in force. Luckily, we found a prime spot on T1 with 50-amp power... eventually. The first power box was dead, so we called for a harbor staff encore. They couldn’t have been nicer and got us hooked up in no time.

Town is a quick dinghy ride across Zimovia Strait. Seas were glassy, the sun still hanging on, and we tied up in the yellow loading zone at Reliance Harbor as instructed.

Unfortunately, Wrangell was in low gear. The Thirsty Beaver—our dinner target—was closed for renovations. Nic’s was also dark despite what the posted hours said. But fortune smiled at the Wolf Shack, where we devoured sweet & spicy burgers on their front porch—unexpected and excellent.

lunch at the wolf shack

Wandering through town, it seemed nearly every shop was closed until Sylvia, the ever-enthusiastic owner of Alaska Vistas, popped out of her storefront like a ray of sunshine (just as the real sun gave up). A marine biologist, captain, and seasoned fish boat hand, she gave us the inside scoop: the closures were temporary. The Beaver and Marine Bar were being remodeled during the one window when all the contractors were free, and the Nic’s crew? Off at a Grateful Dead concert. Go figure.

As rain began to fall, Karen smugly zipped up her rain gear. I, of course, had left mine behind. By the time we picked up a few groceries at City Market and returned to OceanFlyer, I was soaked and she was smugger.

Dinner was quiet, cozy, and dry—just the way we like it after a day of surprises.