June 1, 2024 Saturday

June 1, 2024 First night on the Kennicott Ferry.  Now on Alaska time, 4 hours earlier than Ohio.  Bellingham WA to Ketchikan AK 37 hours, 595 nautical miles.

Day 7.  Awake around 7AM Alaska time.  We are on an all-day sailing from Bellingham, to Ketchikan.  The stateroom is quite large and clean.  No window but has a Rie Munoz print on the wall depicting northern Alaska life.  There is a bunk bed requiring a ladder for the top.  The mattresses are about 6 inches thick and made up with sheets and a thin blanket and 2 pillows each.  There is a pull-down bed on the wall that requires a ladder and a large couch that converts into a wide and extra-long twin bed that is easily folded away during the day.  A separate room with a commode and large shower that has good flow and plenty of hot water.  The sink in the main room and good hot and cold water and plenty of towels and cloths.  There is plenty of storage with just the two of us using it.  The air in the cabin circulates constantly and keeps a consistent pleasant temperature.  There is a thermostat on the wall but we haven’t had to use it.  The air in the cabins is quite dry, needing to hydrate. The engine noise is mild and good for sleep.  No dogs below us this time!

We are having a full day of sailing between Bellingham and Ketchikan.  We stroll around getting the feeling of the ferry and Pat continues to get lost and turned around.  Our breakfast is a feast of huge omelet, two large slices of toast and potatoes and bowl of oatmeal.  We’re stuffed.  We have moved into a storm and it is raining very heavily.  We sit for a couple hours in the lounge and fall into a food induced nap.  The rain stops and we plant ourselves on the Aft Deck for the next 5 hours.  The sun peaks out from time to time.  We think this very small deck is what we remember and not many people know about it.  We are sailing in open water with some treed islands dotted around.  We pass by the native village of Bella Bella, BC, seeing their well recognized totem.  Later in the afternoon we truly enter the inside passage.  Narrow waterways between various shaped rolling hills in front of higher mountains covered in thick pine forests, some peaks with snow.  We see a sea lion bobbing around and a few distant whales blowholes spouting off.  We assume they are males as they are alone..  We are very near the shorelines on either side of the ferry and waterfalls are on both sides with the spring melt.  It is a magical place, all of nature putting on a show of misty mountains, some with rings of clouds.  It is rare to see any signs of human life, so much wilderness.  Every view is a picture. We will be in Canadian waters until tomorrow morning.  We have dinner of clam chowder and chili and split a sandwich.  It’s getting frosty outside even though the sun is shining; it’s obvious we are moving north.  Around 8:30PM the sun is shining lower in the sky.  We see a whale break the water with tail up and a mother and baby pass right next to the ferry.  We are very lucky to see them.  It’s been a long day and a lot of outdoor time so we relax in the cabin and ready for sleep.  We land in Ketchikan at 7AM and have a few hours to explore the town!