Cannery Cove to Red Bluff Bay

Our itinerary has officially been tossed overboard—between the weather and a wounded dinghy, we’re now cruising on instinct and opportunity. Today’s pick: Red Bluff Bay.

With a front moving in and rain expected through Thursday, Red Bluff seemed like the perfect hideout to tackle repairs. Our dinghy’s starboard tube delamination needs a solid cure, and while G/flex epoxy likes 72°F, we’ll settle for 48 hours in Alaska’s mid-40s. The bears can keep us company.

The run south along Admiralty Island delivered glassy seas and barely-there winds. Humpbacks fed just offshore, lifting their flukes in sync as they dove. No acrobatics, but plenty of grace.

the snowcapped mountains of Baranof island

Things changed mid-crossing of Chatham Strait. Winds built to 20–25 knots on the port beam, but OceanFlyer handled it well and we cruised comfortably into Red Bluff’s dramatic entry. Rust-colored cliffs give way to a steep-sided channel, cannery ruins, and a thundering waterfall that marks the approach to the inner anchorage.

the red bluffs at the entrance are the namesake of red bluff bay

the path into red bluff bay anchorage provides a range of inestering views

red bluff bay is just through that pass which seems so narrow from this vantagepoint

on the way into red bluff bay, look to your left for the lacy falls.

Once the hook was down, we grabbed lunch and dove into repairs—literally and figuratively. Three hours in the rain, armed with epoxy and patience. A soggy job, but necessary. And yes, it rained all evening.

Red Bluff is a perennial favorite for cruisers, and today was no exception. One small trawler was already anchored when we arrived. Later, Liseron steamed in—a 150’ ex-minesweeper turned boutique cruiser—bringing 20 guests right up to the waterfall before anchoring a respectful 0.2 NM off our beam.

mouse ears spotted on the way to red bluff bay

Then came the Legacy, a four-deck, 86-passenger ship. It made a dramatic nose-in to the falls, lingered briefly in the misty rain, then gave a farewell toot and vanished into the night. No launches, no kayaks, no paddleboards—just a rainy pit stop and gone.

Legacy pokes her bow at the falls in red bluff bay

So here we are: alone again in a cove that’s never really quiet, surrounded by waterfalls, red rock, and the steady rhythm of rain. Not a bad place to ride out the weather and give some epoxy its time to cure.