After viewing the humpbacks for hours in Chatham Strait, we headed back into Tebenkof Bay to the furthest back bay, Petrof Bay. Kuiu Island has the highest density of Black Bears in SE Alaska and we saw one on shore right after we anchored. There was a big old fishing boat with a couple of skiffs tied up to it, and soon people went out on them... with their guns... and shot the bear. Fortunately, we could not see the bear drop, but heard the shot and watched them work to field dress it (we couldn't see the actual bear, thank goodness, but saw the people kneeling and moving around) before returning to the big boat hours later. We were surprised, but then did more research online and learned that Kuiu Island is a very popular place among bear hunters. Part of real life up here...
Two Sitka black-tailed deer on shore. They are the primary source of food for wolves.
Lots of different jellies here. This one had extra long tentacles!
So many sea otters!!
The next day, we left Tebenkof Bay and journeyed up the rest of the west side of Kuiu Island around to the north side to Saginaw Bay.
The wind was up from behind us and the water was choppy, so we rolled out our Code Zero headsail. Dog Star nearly steers herself in the wind, making rough water more comfortable-- she goes with the flow.
We understand there are petroglyphs along this shoreline, but we sure couldn't find them. We did a close up tour of the whole shoreline. Very interesting rocks, though. Apparently, this is karst. Karst is a landform made from the breakdown of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and gypsum. It is characterized by features such as caves and sinkholes. We saw many small sea caves along the shore.
The bluff at the entrance to Saginaw Bay.
Going into the anchorage at Saginaw Bay. Those clouds!
Anchorage at Saginaw Bay. No bears, but so many birds and otters. Very peaceful. We could hear the call of Blue Grouse in the distance.
Mezze platter for early appetizers with video chat with friends. Hummus, sun-dried black olives, dolmas, plantain chips and veggies.
Later, we made Shrimp in Purgatory over corny polenta, with more of the shrimp we caught earlier in Kitkun Bay. This is a keeper recipe! So good! The recipe is from Sara DiGregorio in The NY Times.
The next morning: Sunrise at Saginaw Bay, 5:12am.
Leaving Saginaw Bay at 5:30am. I love being on the water early in the morning. It's so pretty.
Baronof Island in the background, the south tip of Admiralty Island in the foreground.
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