July 5 Tenekee Springs

This morning we finally left the friendly docks of Hoonah in search of new adventures. The wind had come up and leaving was questionable until we had consulted what we have found to be the best source of information...local knowledge(in this case the Port Master)! He explained that the winds were westerly and we should be sheltered in the channels we would be traversing (he also added the necessary Alaska disclaimer of...but watch it could change in a very short time). So we proceeded out cautiously and ended up with a fairly comfortable passage (44 miles) with 10-15 knot winds and seas just over 2 feet. A little green water over the bow but that is what these Nordic Tugs are all about!

The "harbor" entrance for Tenekee Springs was difficult to spot but once we saw the cobbled collection of multi-colored buildings we knew we had arrived.

This ended up being a very crowded and disorganized dock system. The "harbor master" is a very young, inexperienced girl with absolutely NO organizational skills. Maybe the moorage rate helped to make up for it...15 cents per foot or $4.80 for our 32 footer.

Tenekee Springs has NO roads, just a 6 foot wide path parallel to the shore that wanders between buildings. Some residents have "quads" and little yard trailers but most just walk or ride bikes. A few residences are new and complete but many have been "under construction" for a number of years or are very old and set on rotted pilings or just logs.

The actual "place" here was disappointing but like so many oher stops it was the people who made it worthwhile!

We were greeted immediately on the dock by a 70+ year old lady and her great grandson. She owns 32' Nordic Tug hull #14 (ours is #208). Hers is a very rough old boat but she has put 7,000 hours on its Cummins diesel and enjoyed every minute of it! She lives very modestly but has a home in Haines and a cabin here in Tenekee Springs. She had lots of cruising tales to share...including a transit of Panama Canal in her younger years.

In the pouring rain we were soon greeted by the smiling faces of a couple we met in Wrangell who own a 35' Mainship cruiser...they were excited to see us again and share adventures.

We are beginning to stage out our stops and transit from here over the next 94 miles to Sitka past the famous "Sergis Narrows".


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