July 10 – Thom’s Place

We got an early start out of Thorne Bay because the bay’s entrance has one narrow section that can have current pushing you around during the tidal exchange. We transited it at the low water slack and it was easy.

Our destination today is across Clarence Strait from Thorne Bay, so off we went. Unfortunately, the following seas from yesterday are now more on our beam and the “rollies” become uncomfortable for us and alarming to the cats. We adjust our course a little more northerly so as to have the waves on our aft quarter and things calm down a bit.

Either because the 15 knot SE winds blowing up Clarence Strait don’t make the corner or the winds have died down, but the seas flatten out totally as we entered Ernest Sound. A thin fog and low level cloud cover bedeck the shores and islands along the route. We enjoy this cruising far more than slogging the bouncy waters of Clarence Strait.

The distance traveled today is about the same as yesterday and on account of our early start we arrive at Thom’s Place shortly before noon. Thom’s Place is an undeveloped state marine park, no facilities but no development anywhere in sight. A very different type of location than Thorne Bay.

The bay is reputedly a good crabbing location so we drop a pot a short distance from the boat using the kayak. A small commercial crabber has a dozen floats dotting the bay as well.

Besides the crab pot, Marcia tries her hand at a “meat hook” from the stern. While in Ketchikan, we ran into a couple, Jill and Doug Princehouse (MV Passages, Ocean Alexander 50), from the Queen City Yacht Club to which we belong. Doug is a serious fisherman and on his previous trips to Alaska he has effectively and conveniently hung a fishing pole from his stern hanging 10 feet above the bottom, a “meat hook” as he called it. Worth a try, we think.

Our plan is to spend a two nights here than start back towards Ketchikan and meet up with our friends the Nagles who will be arriving soon on their vessel.

Today’s mileage – 37.9

Cumulative mileage – 1126.9

Current position