Day 46 ~ Ketchikan to Mink Bay, Boca de Quadra

The morning started abruptly when a 7:45 am Becca called, waking us all up and advising us that they were on the runway an hour and a half earlier than we thought. We jumped up and began our transition of getting Thor off the boat and the new group on. As always, laundry was our challenge. The airport is on an island across the water way from the boat so our new crew members had to come across on the ferry and then with my encouragement they hiked their way down to the boat. It was a long walk but after a few days on the boat they would probably thank me. Dad and Thor worked on repairing an oil pressure gauge, Eileen and Derek went to the grocery store and Becca and I finished cleaning.

Thor’s flight departed just after noon. He was taking a suitcase of extra clothes home for me so he didn’t want to take the ferry. We ended up taking him over to the float plane dock and then very quickly getting him off and Derek back on because they threatened us with a $500.00 fine. As we departed the harbor, Derek asked me how I kept from getting bored. I explained to him everything that I had been doing and that each night I drop in bed exhausted. About that time Dad slowed the boat as a school of Dall porpoises started swimming under our bow wash. The kids were very excited. Afterwards, I did the typical in servicing of the new crew and Derek’s passion for accuracy made my heart go pitter patter! 

We powered our way to the halibut hunting grounds that our guests the night before had described and just as we were instructed, stopped and sent our bait down. In moments, Becca had a fish on and shortly thereafter so did Derek. Both kids worked for some time to bring their fish to the surface. Becca was first to the surface with a 40 lb halibut. Finally, Dad had a shooter. He went and got his gun and prepared to fire and fired… Nothing… cocked the gun and fired again… nothing… he changed out the shells and boom he finally got to shoot his gun.  We no sooner got Becca’s halibut under control when Derek’s giant ling cod came to the surface. It was so big that it had to go back because you can’t keep anything over 40 inches and it was 44 inches. Before we left, Eileen brought another halibut to the surface that we lost before we got it into the boat and I caught a rock.

We worked our way towards our anchorage in Mink Bay. Along the way we dropped the shrimp and the crab pots. Once on anchor, Derek asked if he could go back to fishing so I helped him get set up. We dropped the line over the side of the boat and before we could get it set, the spool took off. Thirty minutes later he brought a halibut to the surface that looked like it was about 60 pounds. Dad was trying to get it lined up to be shot and it came loose!  Poor Derek, two very large fish to the boat and nothing in the fridge.

Mink Bay was a beautiful place to spend our last night in Alaska. Evening had all the beautiful characteristics that we have come to appreciate of Southeast Alaska. The water was calm, the mountains were crystal clear with a blue haze and the trees were vibrant green. The sunset was all shades of pink, blue and purple. Wow… like Dad said if we could have evenings like this every night we would never want to leave.