Long Bay to St. Mathews Bay
/Happy July! Once again, we were alone in our anchorage last night. It has been a while since we shared an anchorage with a pleasure boat.
The weather is looking up today, we can see more of Long Bay, which we have decided is “nice” but not a major “wow” compared to some of the other places we’ve been on this trip. So we hoisted the anchor, which was very muddy with shale, and headed off for a long trip to St. Matthews Bay.
Long Bay, looking down the valley
It wasn’t hard for Bob to dodge the icebergs, and he gave the boat to me as we entered the Valdez Traffic Zone. Not much was going on traffic-wise, either visually or on AIS. The views today were beautiful in all quadrants.
The very famous spot where the Exxon Valdez ran agound
Approaching St. Matthews Bay, we went through several rafts of otters, though none wanted to pose. It’s really pretty as you wind your way into the head of the bay to anchor. We worked our way in, and found just the right spot. Shortly after dropping the hook, we went out for a dinghy ride and scared a bunch of eagles that were fishing at the bay’s’ head. There were probably 5-6 altogther.
Fun in the water, otter frolics
We then headed back towards the mouth to the little island, and circumnavigated (just!) as the tide wasn’t too low. We saw .9’ at the lowest point – glad to be in the dinghy!
The famous "porpoise cam" rig
We had a very peaceful night, alone again. This is a majestic place with gorgeous mountains and a valley at the head.
Warmer water seems to bring out the jellies
OceanFlyer in St. Mathews Bay