Gulf of Alaska Coastal Travel Routes

Entrance to Erlington Passage.

Charts 16683 and 16682

West of Prince of Wales Passage, Port Bainbridge is a scenic but essentially dead-end fjord, except that on the east side is a narrow entrance to Bainbridge Passage, which leads into Knight Island Passage and Prince William Sound. Port Bainbridge features good anchorages at Swanson Bay and Hogg Bay on the east side and Auk Bay on the west, as well as the (nearly) tidewater Bainbridge Glacier. All the bays and inlets of the area, including Puget Inlet to the west of Port Bainbridge, are scenic, offer at least some options for anchorage, have abundant wildlife and fishing, and with the exception of a few Native allotments or other private inholdings, are public lands managed by the Chugach National Forest.

Port Bainbridge is separated from Resurrection Bay by the open ocean waters of Blying Sound, where winds ricocheting off the bluffs stir up a sharp chop in the tidal and littoral currents that run just off the rocky shoreline. To the west of Puget Bay the shoreline is steep and rugged, and is indented by three smaller bays—Johnstone, Whidbey, and Horseshoe. None of the three offers significant shelter and to approach it would be necessary to avoid reefs and wash rocks at Cape Junken, Cape Fairfield, Cape Mansfield, and Fault Point. At the east end of Johnstone, just west of Cape Junken, is Little Johnstone Bay, which is sometimes used by local vessels and has a sandy beach backed by a tidal lagoon and a pink salmon run.

A beach on the west side of Day Harbor.

The bold headland of Fault Point delineates the entrance to Day Harbor, a large bay with several small bights that are scenic and offer at least some potential for sheltered rest. Approaching from the east, the first is Anchor Cove, and just north of it is Bowen Anchorage. Both are suitable for lying in east or south weather, but most of the land around the shoreline of both is privately owned. The head of Day Harbor consists of a broad, forested terminal moraine, intersected by a swift glacial stream at the west end and tide flats at the east end. Approach the head of the bay with caution due to shallows that extend some distance to the south. Structures and moorings are visible at the head on the east side. The Ellsworth Glacier backs the moraine at a distance of several miles.

Head of Talus Bay, Day Harbor.

On the west side of Day Harbor lies a series of scenic little coves and bights including, north to south: (1) Bootleg Cove is unnamed on Chart 16683 but lies directly across the inlet from Bowen Anchorage. It is a tiny inlet, exposed to the south, with a small landing beach and tidal lagoon. Resist the temptation to navigate the channel to the lagoon—at low water it is low and swift. (2) Talus Bay is a pretty bay with a noisy stream at its head, but it is completely exposed to the south with wash rocks at the most sheltered part at the head of the cove. (3) Safety Cove (a State Marine Park) is considered the best anchorage in the area with a good landing beach and a camping area. (4) Killer Bay is a scenic enclosure but has deep water almost to the beach. (5) Driftwood Bay (a State Marine Park) has fair anchorage except in easterlies, and a good beach with a camping area.

Approaching Cape Resurrection from the east

WWII bunkers atop Barwell Island.

Cape Resurrection, looking up Day Harbor toward Ellsworth Glacier

A few miles south of Driftwood Bay is the prominent headland known as Cape Resurrection, the southeastern entry point to Resurrection Bay. The shortest distance is between the cape and Barwell Island, but when the weather is up the current through the pass can make the shortcut pretty lively, and some people prefer to pass to the south of the island. Barwell is a rookery for large numbers of seabirds, and the remnant of a WWII gun position is clearly visible at the top.

Resurrection Bay extends 16 miles north from Cape Resurrection to the city of Seward. It is bounded on the east by the Resurrection Peninsula, on the west by the mountains of the Kenai Fjords National Park, and contains several islands and numerous rocks. Resurrection Bay experiences heavy traffic during the season of sport, charter, and commercial fishing vessels, as well as cruise and cargo ships.

The entire spine of the Resurrection Peninsula has deep relief with cliffs and spires—peaks reaching over 2,000 feet in the south and over 4,000 feet in the north. Mountain goats are visible on the slopes, harbor seals and sea otters use the nearshore waters, and killer whales and humpback whales are abundant in the area. The area around the cape is particularly rich in seabird life, and in some small bights to the north on the Resurrection Bay side are sea lion haulouts and seabird colonies that have become habituated to approach due to daily visits from tour boats out of Seward.

Mary’s Rock, awash in Eldorado Passage.

The drowned forest at Sandspit Point, northeast end of Fox Island

After rounding the cape a boater encounters the sight of a series of islands—Rugged, Hive, and Fox, south to north. Hive offers nothing but exposed bluffs, and Rugged and Fox both have broad, somewhat sheltered bays on their west sides, including Mary’s Bay on the south end of Rugged and Sunny Cove on the west side of Fox. If the objective is to reach Seward, the most direct way after rounding the cape is to proceed in a northwest direction up Eldorado Narrows, being certain to maintain a wide berth around Mary’s Rock, a wash rock situated about a half mile off the beach about two miles northwest of Cape Resurrection. Scenic points include the natural tunnel that penetrates the very south end of Fox Island, Pillow Rock on the east side just north of Mary’s Rock, and the “drowned forest” at Sandspit Point on the northeast corner of Fox Island. The death of the forest on the spit, and of other low-lying forested areas around the bay, were caused by saltwater intrusion into the soil around the roots of the trees, a result of subsidence from the 1964 earthquake.

Humpy Cove.

Anchorage in Taz Bay.

Opposite Sandspit Point is a small bay called Kayaker Cove, which has facilities for commercial kayak operations and offers fair-weather anchorage but is exposed to westerlies. Another 2 miles up the coast lies Humpy Cove—the left or northern branch terminates in a cluster of tiny islands and supports private cabins and a small wilderness lodge, while the southern branch ends in a narrow cove that can provide sheltered anchorage to a limited number of boats in shallow water. Continue on another 2 miles past the headland known as the Iron Door, which housed searchlight shelters during WWII, where the shoreline opens up into Thumb Cove. Thumb Cove State Marine Park encompasses much of the bay and there are two public use cabins on the south side. Mudflats extend a considerable distance from the creek at the head of the cove and the best ground for anchoring is along the south shore.

Wave action, lower Resurrection Bay.

After Thumb Cove it’s a straight shot to the town of Seward, with its coal terminal, ferry and cruise ship dock, and large boat harbor on the west side of the head of the bay. Beware of extensive flats at the head of the bay east of the ship docks—in the usual afternoon south wind it could be easy to be blown onto those flats without realizing it and escaping would be difficult. Summer winds tend to be light and down Resurrection Bay in the morning, and switch to brisk southerlies up the bay in the afternoon.