Seattle to Ketchikan Day 22

Wednesday May 25

We pulled away from the dock at Shearwater and moved over to the fuel dock at about 7:30 AM.
I knew the fuel dock did not open until 8:30 AM, but I also knew that several of the boats in the Waggoner Flotilla also needed fuel, and I didn't want to be in line behind them.

I took on some fresh water while we waited for the fuel dock to open.

Here is the route for the day, approximately 50 nm.

This route bypasses Milbanke Sound, for the most part, by way of going through Reid Passage.
You can see Milbanke Sound on the bottom left of the screen shot.
Milbanke Sound is pretty exposed so it can be very rough.
The approach to the turn off to Reid Passage is somewhat open and we were just starting to roll a bit before I made the turn.
Lisa called me on the intercom and asked if it was time for her to take a Dramamine.
I told her we'd be in calm waters in less than 15 minutes, and we were.

Here is a closer look at Reid Passage itself.

And here is a closer look at Bottleneck Inlet.

The route through Reid Passage is somewhat circuitous, and is certainly shallow and narrow.
But if you pay close attention to your navigation and to your depths, it is easily handled.
We had no issues.

We arrived at Bottleneck Inlet at about 3:30 PM, and dropped anchor.
We had the inlet to ourselves.
586 nm covered to this point.

Here are just a few pictures from this very scenic and serene area.

I have mentioned our new Torqeedo electric kicker for the raft a few times, but not sure I have ever included a photo of it, so here it is.

Doesn't look much like a traditional kicker, does it?

We have found it to be a good fit for us for a number of reasons.
It breaks down into 3 easily handled components, so it is very easy to put on and off the raft.
It is very quiet, (although it does whine a bit) and emits no smoky fumes.
It is easily recharged between shore excursions, and we don't have to carry mixed gas.

On the disadvantage side I would have to add these comments.
It is much slower than the old kicker.
It doesn't have enough range for a very long shore excursion.
With the old kicker we'd just throw a 2 1/2 gallon jug of fuel in the raft and we'd be good for most of a day.  But with this one it needs to be recharged fairly often.

We are on the home stretch now, with only one more stop before Prince Rupert.
We enjoy being on the boat, but we are both anxious to get home at this point.