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Jellybean's Log 7/24/2014
Handfield Bay to Elworthy Island
12:20p Depart Handfield bay
Male Orca. A 27
3:15p enter Dent Rapids
Guillard Rapids
Yucaltah Rapids. Strong hydraulics
Bald eagle
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Partly sunny. Almost warm. No rain.
Spent morning cleaning up from last night. But the Red Lobster muffins were so worth it! The clouds are higher than the mountains today. A small heron on the nearby island.
Underway Sailor pointed out a whale. I just saw what looked like a black log sticking up out of the water. Then some mist. It was the fin of a male orca. We circled round and watched it for a while. So calm. The whole encounter so low key yet awesome.
Jim is incredibly trusting as I steer through the narrow rapids at 11 knots. Rode an eddyline through the Guillard rapids where we can see Bill Gates' golf course and home. Another guy has a big mansion there too, I forget who, and helicopters came and went.
The last rapid, Yaculta, was the most fun as the ebb had begun and we were being pushed back. Now only able to do 5.4 knots in a boat that can do 7.2 knots. It looked like a foot high wall of water coming at me! I really enjoyed navigating the rapids and feeling the powerful hydraulics play with the boat. Capt. Jim was understandably nervous, but was real good about not taking the wheel.
Now in a channel with steep mountains on all sides. Fjords. Very little snow visible on the tallest ones.
We called ahead to try and get a dock at the Wilderness marina but it was full. The cove around the corner was also packed with powerboats and a few sailboats. We anchored, but then left when the atmosphere just didn't feel right. We found a perfect anchorage at Elworthy Island near a small salty sailboat with a very elderly salty couple nearby.
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