Torries

54

january/february 2017

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Then the glow brightened and started to

dance: It was the aurora.

Sand Point, which we reached that

afternoon, at fi rst looked forlorn, its

small, brightly painted houses scattered

over the tundra. But when we rounded

the breakwater, we were astounded to

fi nd a beautiful new marina, provided by

the state for the fi shing fl eet. We stayed

only one day, but that was long enough

to explore town, buy vegetables, and be

invited by three diff erent strangers to

the Salmon Derby dinner.

We were sad to leave, but we’d learned

our lesson about weather. Light and vari-

able winds were forecast for the next day,

so we left at 0430 to cover the 75 miles

to King Cove in daylight. Dawn brought

low clouds and a 20-knot northerly on

the beam. Celeste threaded between

the mainland and the Shumagin and

Pavlof islands, keeping to the channel.

Beyond lay a reef thick with poorly sur-

veyed rocks, so even the fi shermen don’t

stray from the buoys. The sky gradually

cleared, and we hoped to glimpse Pavlof

Volcano, the 8,000-foot peak that had

last erupted a few months before our

visit. But it stubbornly refused to reveal

its top, so we contented ourselves with

the puffi ns fl oating around Celeste.

As we crossed the open water toward

Deer Passage, the sun came out, the

wind slackened, and a pod of humpback

After a night of fog, the crew of Celeste

was rewarded with perfect weather

for fl ying the spinnaker into Kukak

Bay on the Alaska Peninsula.

54

january/february 2017

cruisingworld.com

CW0217_FEAT4_Alaska.indd 54 11/21/16 10:44 AM