All good things must come to end.  I don’t actually believe that, but we did need to move on from Walker Cove eventually so we dropped the mooring Friday morning and rode the tide down Behm Canal to Punchbowl Cove in Rudyerd Bay.  I’m not sure what’s more breathtaking – the approach to Punchbowl Cove or the actual bay itself – but I know we’ve never seen anything...

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Every now and then I wonder if we approached cruising the Pacific Northwest the right way – choosing to spend our time in British Columbia and ignoring Alaska for so many years.  And now it’s beginning to look like we have our answer: Misty Fiords National Monument alone would have ruined us, Walker Cove in particular.  It’s one of those places that doesn’t translate well into words or...

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We left Bailey Bay late Monday morning for Fitzgibbon Cove, just off Behm Canal.  It was another short passage – only 20 miles – and we’re beginning to feel a little spoiled by these three hour days.  I suppose we should enjoy them while we can:  It’ll change soon enough. David spotted our first bears along the way.  We were transiting Behm Narrows when he noticed something dark...

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Less than 48 hours after arriving in Ketchikan, and we were off.  Our plan: circumnavigate Revillagigedo Island and spend some time in Misty Fjords National Monument on the mainland.  Most people do it from south to north, but we’re not most people . . . at least David isn’t.  Besides, to go south we were looking at a 42-mile passage (a seven hour run) against the current.  But...

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What can I say about Ketchikan that hasn’t already been said?  Not much, really.  But more than I expected. For years, all we’ve heard and read about present-day Ketchikan is that it was built to attract cruise ships and once the ships leave port, the town shuts down until the next load arrives.  And in the winter months, it becomes a veritable ghost town. It’s true.  But it’s...

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The morning fog lifted in time to give us a clear view of Ketchikan. There are two ways to leave Prince Rupert when sailing north: you can backtrack down the harbour and round Digby Island before turning north again.  Or you can cut through Venn Passage – a shallow, narrow, winding and complicated channel with strong currents that may (or may not) have had some of its channel...

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Years ago, we were anchored in a quiet spot along the southern edge of the Bay of Islands in New Zealand having drinks with a couple we’d recently met.  We were chatting away – fixing all the wrongs in the world – when I asked them where the most beautiful place they’ve been was.  Nine times out of ten, the answer is the Tuamotus because of the incredible...

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