The people in Ketchikan must be wondering what hit them this season. So many nice days compared to an average year. It is all out of the ordinary. Great for the cruise ship business though. Too much rain does not make for happy cruisers. Thus I was glad we had another dry and even sunny day in Ketchikan.

Somehow it all looks different when the sun is shining. Sailing into Tongass Narrows on the approach Ketchikan was very beautiful. The sides of Tongass Narrows are covered with trees and now it all shone a sparkling green. Ketchikan has been sprawling outwards for the last 20 years and numerous large houses have been built along the North West side of the narrows. The SW side which is the North shore of Gravina Island has some industrial activity connected to logging and gravel digging and that is interesting to look at as well.

When you come closer to Ketchikan itself, Tongass Narrows becomes more narrow, mainly a result of human activity. First there is the ferry terminal of the Alaska state ferry system, whose piers must have once jutted into the Narrows. Later on the Ketchikan Drydock company was added and they have a dry dock that sticks into the Narrows. It is a small dry dock but can handle most of the craft in use in Alaska, such as the large fishing boats, the small ferries and the sightseeing boats both day and overnight. Things seem to be going well for the dry dock company as they have acquired another small dry dock that is to be moored next to, but alongside the other one.

At the moment it is moored on the outside of the large one and a bit of hindrance for the cruise ship traffic. It has reduced the width of the Narrows here even more, but it is supposed to be moved into its final position shortly. On the opposite side of the dry dock company is Ketchikan airport. Several flights a day from Seattle arrive here. The airport is currently being expanded with a longer and larger runway. As it is located on Gravina Island, all traffic to the airport goes via two little ferries which cross the Narrows all day long to keep the airport connected with Ketchikan itself. For a while there was a discussion about building a bridge from Ketchikan via Pennock Island further to the south to connect the airport with a main road. Federal money was made available but local money failed and the project became a bridge too far.

Southbound Ketchikan is an afternoon call and that is partly because of the schedule, even when going full speed I would not be able to make it before 12 am., but as all the docks are occupied, we have an afternoon arrival at 2 pm. taking the berth of the Amsterdam which leaves at 1 pm. She is to be followed 5 minutes later by the Infinity as both ships bound for Victoria and then the Veendam can slide in. The challenge is always to dock as quickly as possible. So I had the Veendam in position near the Infinity at 12.50, and the moment she moved forward the Veendam moved in as well. Luckily both ships left on time, the longshoremen were fast, the forklift driver with the gangway did a good job, CPB cleared the ship as soon as the gangway was out and the guests could stream ashore 20 minutes before 2 pm.

We sailed on time heading south towards British Columbia and towards a lot of wind according to the weather forecast. As most of it is supposed come north of Vancouver Island in the early afternoon, I hope to be able to be under the lee of Vancouver Island when that wind picks up.