Charles and Margo Wood - Charlie\'s Charts North to Alaska

144

HOLKAM BAY

This is a spectacular and very scenic area, with long fiords and ca1ving
tidewater glaciers. Though there are few secure anchorages a visit to this
area is truly worthwhi1e. Tracy Arm is the attraetion -- tourists being
brought here in high-speed craft from as far away as Juneau.

Holkam Bay has a 5-mile wide opening bet~een Point Coke in the north and
Point Ast1ey in the south. A long isiand, Harbor Island, ~ith severai smaller
islands stretch across the bay. Aeross the bay Wood Spit and its extension of
tidal fIats and islands reaches up from the south shore towards them. Tracy
Arm and Endicott Arm are two long fiords that extend rough1y north and south-
east respeetively from the bay. High, snow-clad mountains and spectacu1ar
glaciers form the backdrop for these arms.

Traey Arm

Enter Tracy Arm by going around the north point of Harbor Island to pick up

the unlit range on Harbor Is1and that 1eads through the shoal areas at the

mouth. A day beacon is located on the opposite shore. Currents can be up to 4

knots, and swirls and tidai effects ~il1 be encountered in the entrance. For

entering the Arm use the detailed information on Chart 17360.

Tracy Arm extends north for about 9 mi1es before turning east in a sinuous

passage between steep, high, Yosemite-like cliffs for 13 miles to its head.

Here the North and South Sawyer Glaciers discharge into the sea. Icebergs are

encountered throughout the passage, becoming more numerous as the glaciers are

approached. The South Sawyer Giacier is the more active of the two; whether

the glaciers can be approached depends on ice conditions. The water in Tracy

Arm is very deep, and the only anchorage possible is near the entrance. Take

care to avoid the rocky shoal at the east point of the entrance. Though this

anchorage is of reasonable depth and protection it is open to the southeasti

thus in bad weather it would be better to retreat to Taku or elsewhere.

Endicott Arm

This Arm can be entered from the north by passing behind Harbor Island, or
from a point 1 mile north of Point Astley one can steer for prominent Sumdum
Glacier in order to reach the entrance. Wood Spit Light marks the southern
part of this half-mile wide entrane e which is more easily entered than Tracy
Arm. Swirls will be encountered here. It is about 27 miles along the Arm to
Dawes Glacier which discharges ice directly into the sea.

About 5 miles into Endicott Arm is an anchorage at Sanford Cave on the

south side, abreast of Sumdum Island. It is an indifferent anchorage, dee p and

on a narrow shelf --not highly recommended. ' The anchorage in Tracy Arm is

preferred as a base, even with the few additionai mi1es.

Fords Terror is a spectacular, narrow, steep-walled in1et about 5 miles

long. It is on the north side of Endicott Arm and about 13 miles from Sumdum

Island. About 1 1/4 miles into this inlet it narro~s and shallows consider-

ably, entry being possib1e anI, at high water slack. This oecurs about 20

minutes after high tide in Juneau. Currents run to 15 knots, with overfalls.

Anchorage is in the west arm, off a waterfa11 in the northwest corner.