Tenakee Springs

We believed Jean on "To Polo" when she said that it was only 37 nautical miles from Baranof Hot Springs to Tenakee Springs. We should have checked the distance ourselves and we would have left earlier. As it was, we cooked up a big "kitchen sink" omelet with potatoes, peppers, onions, Canadian bacon and cheese for breakfast, cleaned up and departed in light rain at 0915.

We were accompanied by numerous schools of Dall Porpoise and sighted a number of whales, one of which we slowed down for so we could get a better view. About 1 hour into the trip, I finally checked the distance and found it was 53 nautical miles, not 37!

The rain continued, but the wind remained light and we finally docked at Tenakee Springs about 1615, still in intermittent rain. We were the only visiting boat on the transient dock. Miriam and I readied the tender to place the crab pots in Kadashan Bay while Kathy and Julie went up into the town. Everything closes at 1600, so we were out of luck for shopping, but the store and café opens at 1000 in the morning. We verified that the Blue Moon Café is still operating and run by Rosie. For burgers, we need to give her several hours' notice. Wendy, the harbormaster, said we were the first pleasure boat from Washington this season and wondered where all the boats had gone.

Patrick set the crab pots and then the wind came up, along with waves straight into the marina. We started pitching and heaving and so we went out and doubled up the mooring lines. Fortunately we were on the lee side of the dock so were being blown away rather than being bashed up against the dock. These were only 20 knot winds from the southwest, so this place must be scary in a real gale, as the floating breakwater is mostly useless. We put the tender back on deck and finished preparing dinner. We decided that the crab pots could wait until morning for retrieval.

Dinner was a Chinese style stir-fry, with leftover pork loin, peppers, onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms, pineapple, and teriyaki sauce, served with noodles, since we could not find any rice in the commissary. We really need to re-organize the storage space since it seems we always need what is in the lowest container in a stack, or the furthest back in the commissary.

After dinner, it was movie night for the ladies as Patrick went up to the hot springs for men's hours. The hot springs have separate hours for men and women since clothing is not allowed (the residual soap in clothing pollutes the spring). There is a changing room and then the room with the spring. The temperature is still about 106 degrees at the surface and somewhat warmer at the bottom where the hot water enters at 7 gallons per minute with a slight sulphur odor.

By 2200 (10 PM), the wind had abated, the seas were calm, but the rain persisted.

The log now reads 1396 nautical miles on day 33. We have just 100 nautical miles left before Sitka. Photos when we get to Sitka.