Leaving Ketchikan

June 16

Tatoosh Island, in Behm Canal

As we cruised slowly along Tongass Narrows at the prescribed no-wake speed, we were startled to see two orange Coast Guard RIBs roar by at top speed. The speed was surprising enough, but in each boat a Coastie manned a large pedestal-mounted 50-caliber machine gun. The radio crackled with transmissions informing the captain of the cruise ship Zuiderdam that his ship would be met by USCG Security Escorts and accompanied to its assigned berth. What?!! should we be worried? It turned out to be a drill.

Click on the photo to get a better look at Homeland Security in action.

Tatoosh Island anchorage was peaceful and deserted when we anchored, but we had entertainment throughout the day. A kayak touring company operates out of the bay, zipping back and forth to Ketchikan in several large RIBs to transport boatloads of cruise ship tourists, all eager for a wilderness adventure. 

The best part of the day was a brief fishing trip, 45 minutes from start to finish. RL caught a really nice salmon - and I did a super job of netting it, of course. Now that’s my kind of fishing trip, short and effective. Iron Skillet Salmon (link) for dinner and a big batch of lox (link) in progress.