Torries

january/february 2017

cruisingworld.com

53

ENDS OF THE EARTH

carefully approached the stream, where

I counted eight more bears fishing.

Two of them were mothers with cubs.

The mothers were piling their catch on

the bank, but the cubs — like children

everywhere — seemed more interested

in playing than eating dinner with Mom.

Once underway in the morning, we

found 40-knot winds and steep waves

tearing across Shelikof Strait. NOAA

predicted worsening conditions, fol-

lowed by a more moderate low, 25 knots

from the southeast, in a few days’ time.

We returned to Geographic Harbor.

Our solitude was broken the next

day by a tourist boat bearing a “photo

safari.” Seth and I were at first horri-

fied and then intrigued: A skiff took

passengers ashore, where they set up

their tripods just yards from the fishing

bears! An hour went by with the bears

unfazed. We grew envious of their pho-

tos and decided we’d follow suit, armed

with bear spray. The eight guests and

their guide, an Alaskan biologist, wel-

comed us. Within minutes, the huge

male bear was a yard from my face. The

guide sensed my fear and murmured

not to move. I knew he was right, and

as the morning went on and four more

bears passed close, I was amazed to find

myself relaxing and appreciating these

incredible encounters.

Seth and I stayed at anchor that

night, inviting the biologist and the

boat’s captain to drinks, and attempted

to leave again in the morning. The pre-

dicted 25-knot southeasterly turned

into a 35-knot southwesterly, so again

we retreated. A brief consultation with

the tour boat’s captain about common

weather conditions revealed that we’d

have to grin and bear it. Another low was

coming with southeast winds; we knew we

had to take it all the way to Sand Point,

skipping Agripina Bay and Chignik, if we

ever wanted to reach Unalaska.

The following day found us tearing

before 35 knots, spray whisking from

the whitecaps around us. As night fell,

the wind increased to 40 and then 45

knots, so we doused the triple-reefed

main and flew only the high-cut yankee

jib. The forecast was puzzling. NOAA

divides Alaska into weather zones,

and our two zones, Shelikof Strait and

Sitkinak to Castle Cape, had wildly

different predictions. Yet sure enough,

as we passed between them, 35-knot

head winds greeted us. Despite clear

skies, the blow built all day, until gusts

funneling out of the bays and between

mountains hit 50 knots. The whole sea

foamed white. Spray drove over the top

of the boom. Celeste’s bow submerged

in every wave, and her jib sheet and

windward shrouds were taut as piano

strings. We debated turning back for

Agripina Bay, but we were 30 miles past

it already. Chignik was not protected

enough, but a place on the chart called

Ross Cove might be. Our chart didn’t

give elevations, so we didn’t know how

wrong we were.

THE

thousand-foot cliffs

guarding Ross Cove were

reminiscent of Dante’s eighth circle of

hell, and the wind funneling between

them made our 50-knot gusts look pleas-

ant. Clouds of spray flew high into the

air at the head of the cove: terrifying,

hurricane -force williwaws.

We did what the weather commanded

and swung the bow 180 degrees, steel-

ing ourselves for another windy night at

sea. I dug out a just-add-boiling-water

meal to fortify us. Almost as soon as we’d

eaten it, the wind lay down. We raised

the main, and an hour later it was slatting

as Celeste rolled in a calm. I overstayed

my turn at the helm by two hours that

night, watching the silhouetted moun-

tains pass by as our engine hummed.

Around 0500, I noticed a greenish glow

in the sky and assumed it was dawn.

Geographic Harbor

Kenai

Peninsula

Ala

ska

Pe

nin

su

la

Unalaska Island

Kodiak

Island

Bristol Bay

Al

eu

tia

nIs

lands

King Cove

Pavlof Islands

Shumagin Islands

Barren

Islands

Afognak

Island

Chignik

Dutch

Harbor

B

e

r

in

g

S

ea

Gu

lf

of

A

la

sk

a

Shelikof

Strait

Route of

Celeste

Ross Cove

Kukak Bay

0 75 150

Nautical Miles

ALASKA

60º N

57º N

165º W 162º W 159º W 156º W 153º W 150º W

Cruising the Alaska Peninsula offers the opportunity to get up close to wildlife — including brown bears. While anchored at

Geographic Harbor, we tagged along on a photo safari and were able to capture this shot of a bear (above left) from only a yard

away. The biologist on the photo safari carried hand-held distress flares to set off between a person and a charging bear.

WI NDS AND STEEP WAVES TEARING ACROSS SHELIKOF STRAIT.

WE RETURNED TO GEOGRAPHIC HARBOR.

MAP BY SHANNON CAIN TUMINO

CW0217_FEAT4_Alaska.indd 53 11/21/16 10:44 AM