Every once in a while you have a magical passage. This morning along Atka was one of those. Maybe THE one of those even. It started at dawn as we left behind the rough waters and confused currents of the Amitka Pass.
We’ve run hard to get through the middle of the three big open channels between the Pacific Ocean and Bering Sea. Currents through some parts of the passes tops out at 12-14 knots. We aren’t picking those for sure. But we had a rough stretch coming across and are grateful as we get into the shelter behind Atka. Atka is LONG. About 55 miles long. As we approach the west end we finally see the clouds start to lift and begin to show a primordial coastline. Clouds, snowfields, giant cliffs line the shore. The wind is blowing 20 knots on the beam (the side – great for sailing), and we jam up the coast at 7-8 knots. The sail goes on for the entire day, and finally we start to get near our destination, Martin Cove.
As we enter the bay everything gets bigger. Three giant volcanoes, huge lagoons, 2000’ cliffs going down to the water. It’s just amazing. We finally pull in to Martin cove, set anchor, and immediately see two caribou and 4 bald eagles on shore, all looking at us suspiciously. Even more exciting, a large river empties in to the bay, so we immediately start thinking salmon.
Looking forward to exploring!
Comments