Fisher Girl DeLise

We saw so many whales this season! We also had a few encounters that were too close.      Humpbacks: In Sitka Sound at the end of August there were humpback whales galore (at least 10 in one spot we passed thru). One surfaced in front of us as we were running and Doug had to throw us into reverse to miss it! I looked up to see what was happening (at Doug’s “holy shit”) and saw its tail right in front of the bow (no water between us and him). The next day while fishing in the Sound they were all around us. One crossed maybe 40 feet in front of us from the port side and as soon as it went under one came up not 10 feet off our starboard and crossed in front going the other direction. That one dove just after clearing our path and you could see its tail had been clipped, probably by a propeller as it is getting way too close to boats. It had surfaced just in front of our gear – if it had tangled in our lines it could have pulled ...

Hot pool next to rushing river We decided to go inside to avoid some nasty wind and swells after watching Marirose compete in a cross country event in Sitka at the end of August. We motored thru Peril Strait and headed south down Baranof Island. We did a little fishing, but conditions were still pretty choppy so we decided to stop at Baranof Warm Springs for some R&R. Waterfall at the community of Baranof This is my favorite hot springs location (so far :). There is a massive waterfall at the head of Warm Springs Bay and a small community (20 ? cabins). They have piped the hot springs into public bath houses – smaller than those at Goddard and more private – which is really nice so they get a lot of use by tourists and fishermen. However, Doug and I like to walk up the hill to the natural pools above the waterfall. These are fabulous! There is a boardwalk most of the way up and even a small “dressing” area with a bench and a limb to put things on while you en...