Today was a long day of motoring. After sailing around the pacific, this motoring is getting old FAST! After about 4 hours we stopped at shoal for lunch and dropped the crab trap. Hauled it up on our way out and it had two keepers- that’s a productive lunch break! We arrived in Baranoff around 2 pm and were lucky to snag a spot on the dock. Our stay there became as magical as promised. We headed for the natural hot spring first- and they are HOT! Fynn and I had a soak but it was too hot for her. A bit of exploring and we found a small pool of river water, conveniently beside a broken pipe that should have been transporting hot water to the houses on the beach. I was able to divert the pipe into the cold water and shortly it was warm enough to play in. Even Bowen got to go in!

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Climbing to the Springs

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Picture Perfect

For dinner we roasted sausages on the beach fire. That night after the kids were in bed I headed up to the tub at the bath house to soak in the tranquility of the long Alaskan nights, and reflect on how lucky we are to be here. Of course I also washed the laundry and marvelled at how easy it was with unlimited hot water.

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Sausages on the fire

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Love and Hugs

The next morning the sun was shining. It was glorious. The temperature rose quickly and was soon in the 20s. Kolby used the unlimited water hose at the dock to wash the grime of travel off Asunto. She certainly looked proud of herself after that- we didn’t have the heart to tell her she was still pretty dirty… Adding Bowen to our travels has really made it hard to keep up with the cleaning. Anyway, Fynn and Bowen and I walked the boardwalk, devouring salmon berries. We even found some the size of golfballs! That afternoon we hiked to the lake were we met a nice family from Sitka. Fynn was so happy to play with the boys.

Today was Bowen’s bath day and he loved it. I filled the tub and we basically swam in the lukewarm water. He floated on his back and kicked on his tummy and went right under the water – no problem! That night the boaters mingled and swapped stories on the dock while the kids ran wild way past there bed time. The following morning it was hard to leave but leave we must- right after Fynn had a bath and got good and clean!

So I was uploading my blog posts from my phone when suddenly the screen went sepia then black – never to turn on again. And I hate rewriting blogposts. The first post that I lost was about our perfect day at Sinitsin Cove.  The anchorage felt like home, just a bit colder than we are used to cruising in. As we headed to the gravel beach at the head of the bay the sun came out. Fynn delighted in exploring the rocks and the little creek that meandered through the small meadow. As the sun warmed our backs Fynn stripped down to no shirt and ate berries straight off the bush. Bowen and I headed home to start on dinner and Fynn and Kolby went out to catch dinner. When they came zooming back 45 minutes later I figured Fynn was done and it would be veggies for dinner! Nope! Kolby had clipped the painter to the last piece of kelp and drifted off the end of the kelp bed and it didn’t take much to catch the rock fish!

We planned to leave the docks last night but when Kolby came home at 11 pm we were just too tired. And we had been going non stop for the last five days. 

We woke up to a glorious sunny day and puttered over to the fuel dock. 
We waited for the office to open amongst the other fish boats. I bet it is safe to say that everyone fishes in Sitka. 
We motored swirly with the tide pushing us along through Peril Straight and slowed down to trawl for a salmon for the last hour before our anchorage. No luck.  We tucked into the little bay and explored the beach (after we had sent out a few blasts on the air horn to signal our arrival to any bears in the area). The eastern corner was picturesque with a little stream running though a meadow. As the sun beat down on our backs we stripped off layer and collected a bucket of blueberries. Fynn loved it. Stomping around in her boots with her tee shirt off she looked like quite the west coast girl. 
Kolby and Fynn headed out to jig for a rockfish for dinner while Bowen and I started on the roasted potatoes. Kolby clipped the painter on to the last piece of kelp and the wind pushed him 10 feet back of the kelp bed. When they came racing back 40 minutes later I assumed Fynn had enough of it and they were fish less and it would be salad for dinner. Nope! Two good sized fish in a matter of minutes. I went to work madly filleting as hungry kids protested in the background. Fynn literally ate half her dinner before falling asleep in her seat, her head on Kolby’s shoulder. With both kids asleep before eight we enjoyed the sun on the foredeck (while wearing our down jackets) before tackling the huge mess of the boat. What a day! 
It feels good to be here. The familiarity is comforting and it is surprisingly nice to feel chilly. Living in the tropics was exhausting and sweaty! The long days are amazing too, but they are a bit confusing- 6 pm is a bright as 2 pm and it is really only darkish for 4 hours from 12-4.  Although I am starting to adapt to that too!