Alaska 2024 is complete

September 1, 2024 We decided not to post any further daily blogs, since we realized that much of what we would say had already been said on previous trips to SE Alaska. Also, wildlife was scarcer than in past years, with fewer photo opportunities. Also, how many pictures of King Salmon do we need? However, we covered 2600 NM during our 13th sojourn up the Inside Passage, going as far as Sitka, where we fished successfully for King Salmon, landing our non-resident limit before the reductions started July 1. We explored some new anchorages and enjoyed familiar anchorages as well. We were fortunate to have both friends and family join us for much of the journey. With our freezers full, we put the fishing gear away and on July 5 headed for Anacortes, taking about 26 days to cover the 1100 NM back from Sitka. The weather cooperated for the most part, with a fair amount of rain, but little wind until we we were almost home, where we had several days of gale force winds on our nose heading down Malaspina Straits and the Straits of Georgia. The last morning we anchored at our final stop, Echo Bay on Sucia Islands State Park, with clear skies and 22 NM back to Anacortes Marina. Fog banks were hanging over Rosario Strait, but cleared as we approached. We spent the final two hours dodging thousands of tribal crab pots in Padilla Bay before tying up at our homeport, Anacortes Marina. There is a lot of maintenance to do before we winterize Spirit and prepare for our next adventure, an expedition cruise on the Seabourn Pursuit from Guam to Chile.