Warm Springs to Fish and Kalinin Bays

July 20 through 22, 2008: Sitkan friends are good to have


Salute amici

Sitkan friends are good to have but they slipped through the fishy cracks of the blog posts. Here they are now.

Note: Fish Bay is off Peril Straits. Kalinin Bay is on the northern shore of Kruzof Island in southeastern Alaska.

“Windreka, Windreka this is Zulu. We are anchored in Fish Bay, over.” Russ talks into the radio.

“Zulu this is Windreka. We’ll be there in about, hmmmmm, 15 minutes.” Frank’s voice comes over channel 10 clear.

The 32ft Grand Banks comes into view from Sitka with the name that means "maiden of the wind." We raft up and exchange happy greetings. Far from Seattle’s Jazz Alley where we last met for a night with Duke Ellington.

Frank brings the precious cargo on board. Cold Alaskan Amber beer. Break out the Canadian Black Diamond cheese, crackers, pistachios. Lots of sailor yarns and laughter.

“I’ve got lentil soup.” I say.

“I’ve got minestrone soup.” Frank, who is a fantastic cook, says.

Twist my arm. Bring on the minestrone soup, whip up quesadillas and a salad. More amber drinks for the hearty sailors.


Frank and Gloria: carriers of Alaskan Amber


Zulu is rocking through Gloria’s lens

Frank, a native of Sitka, is a friend from our San Francisco St. Francis Yacht Harbor days in the 1970s. He’s a high-spirited sailor brimming with Sicilian Scigliano heritage who takes life full on.

“In his young days he sported a beautiful head of curly black hair.” Gloria says. “A magnet for the ladies.”

Gloria is calm and centered and lets the extraneous glide on by.

“Lets go over to Windreka to watch the sunset.” Frank suggests after being fully satiated below Zulu’s decks.

Hot chocolate and rum and the heat of the big cast iron diesel stove—we watch what is really my first Alaskan sunset (rain and fog previously took opportunities away) at around 10:30 PM and then cross the lifelines to tuck in for the night.


Sunset at Fish Bay

“Don’t forget to watch the full moon tonight.” Goria said as we parted.

I awake at 2:40 AM. The moon is full and Venus bright. Dark clouds swirl above—a fishing boat aglow with bright lights silently cuts through the shadowy waterway. All is still by the light of the moon in Fish Bay.

Morning dawns. Another day. Follow Windreka to Kalinin Bay. They know their way. Feel the ocean swell push Zulu’s bow up and down. Remember the dolphins that rode our bow wave yesterday. The ocean calls, but we stop short today. Thread our way through the rocky entrance to anchor. Frank is setting a halibut skate.

Rafted together again in somewhat of a 'Lord of the Rings' setting. Extra beautiful mountains all so green fragmented with mist. There is an added raw edge. The crew on “Speculator”—a powerboat from Tacoma, Washington—frantically waves us off their anchor. A silly spectacle they cut, like provincial out-of-step can-can dancers. We aren’t near their anchor.


Bears!

"Bears! Russ inevitably points to three brown bears on the rocks on shore.

“We fed bears in Alaska!” they yelled like ignorant school boys.

My 'Lord of the Rings' environment quickly melts into 'rednecks invade Kalinin Bay!' Vanessa and Russ row to shore.

“Hey Russ, watch out for the bear behind that tree!” Frank radioed his joke. Well hey!

"Dad, look at the bear!”

Vanessa points. There is a brown bear behind a tree. Backfire this to Frank later on with a laugh.


Chest of Silver

Onto Windreka and cast off for a few hours of true Alaskan fishing.
Frank catches two Silvers and a King in no time. He is the master. Gloria nets them in. Vanessa can’t stand to see them flopping around. Frank cuts their gills—bleeds them. Gloria hoses down the decks. Speculator is out there too, changing course to where Frank’s fish trove is. That was the fastest fishing excursion I’ve ever been on. Drink the last Alaskan Amber beer and head back to pull anchor and follow Windreka to Sitka. Sitkan friends are good to have!


Frank's White King catch