We cast off from the docks in Hydaburg at 10 am and motored out of the harbor. Our route would take us through the Tlevak Narrows, known to the local native people as “skookum chuck” which means “fast water.” With every ebb and flood of the tides, vast volumes of water race through this narrow passage, creating enormous whirlpools and, at times, a vertical difference of as much as 12 feet between either side of the narrows. Of course, we timed our departure from Hydaburg so that we would arrive at the narrows just before slack tide. Thus, as we cruised through the channel, the waters were only slightly turbulent and a few small whirlpools and eddies spun languidly. Before long, we had pushed our way through what oncoming current there was, and cruised out of Tlevak Narrows towards Craig.
About half an hour after leaving the narrows, we rounded a rocky point with a large kelp bed growing off its tip. Just outside the kelp bed, a tall, black blade suddenly began to rise up from the surface of the water. It was soon followed by another, this one much more bent and gnarled. It was two bull orcas, cruising through the shallow waters near the kelp bed. One of these large animals had an irregular dorsal fin, giving him a very characteristic appearance. These magnificent animals were traveling the opposite direction as we were, and every member of the fleet was able to get a good look at them as they glided through the green waters. All too soon, they were behind us and disappearing out of sight. Happy to have had such a great encounter, we rounded the point and continued onward.
Craig was visible in the distance when we spotted a humpback whale off the port bow. We had seen at least one humpback each day since we began our voyage. Like the others we had seen so far, they put in a brief appearance, showed us their flukes and disappeared into the deep. The fleet continued onward, and within an hour we were docking in Craig’s north harbor.
The small town of Craig was bustling when we arrived. Commercial fishing boats filled the harbor, mending and coiling nets in preparation for the next opening. The hotels and fishing lodges in town seemed to be doing a lot of business, and cargo was being loaded onto a barge down at the waterfront. Everywhere, eagles swooped and soared in the sky. Some were perched majestically on pilings, while others fought not-so-majestically over fish carcasses. A small general store, a few hotels, a gift shop and a liquor store made up the downtown. We explored until there was nothing else left to explore before returning to the boats for the evening.
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