Seldovia is a scenic little town reminiscent of Southeast Alaska, built partly on pilings and partly over a tidal slough
A ghost forest occupies the gravel spit separating Dogfish Bay from a large tidal lagoon lying behind it. Seals and sea otters ride the swift current into the lagoon to forage in the shallow water there
On departure from Port Chatham or Chrome Bay a voyager enters Cook Inlet and the route parallels the coast roughly north-northwest about 8 nm to Flat Island and then northeast into Kachemak Bay. About 3 nm north-northwest of Chrome Bay is a large embayment, open to the west, which shows on the chart as Koyuktolik and is known locally as Dogfish Bay. Steep cliffs line the northern shore and it is known as a place to watch black bears in the springtime. The eastern half of the bay is suitable for anchoring but exposure to northwest, west, and southwest winds limits its usefulness. A large tidal lagoon is separated from the main bay by gravel spits and the current runs between them like a river, but it can be transited by skiff or kayak at high water. Harbor seals and sea otters ride through on the current to forage inside the lagoon. Tucked into the northeast corner of the bay is a short road leading to a cluster of buildings, apparently no longer in use.
Nanwalek is the first permanent village encountered when entering Kachemak Bay, and the first for the west-bound mariner since departing Seward
After rounding Point Adams at the outlet of Dogfish, the coast is pretty clear as far north as Point Bede as long as a distance of half mile from shore is maintained, except for Magnet Rock, and just beyond, the reefs surrounding Flat Island. It is safe to pass on either side of both Magnetic Rock and Flat Island provided adequate distance is maintained. Once the turn is made off Nanwalek (previously known as English Bay) into Kachemak Bay, the boater encounters a multitude of rocks and reefs extending a mile or more off the shore; it is essential to keep a sharp eye on both the chart and the water ahead, or simply travel farther off the shoreline. English Bay Reef, for example, lies a mile west of Russian Point. The area is popular with anglers, and numerous small boats are likely to be encountered on the run up this scenic stretch of coastline, unless the wind is up and against the current. During the summer a “sea breeze” commonly rises to a 25 knot westerly and sweeps across Cook Inlet and into Kachemak Bay, kicking up a steep chop. The approaches to Nanwalek are littered with reefs and rocks and since there is no boat harbor or tie ups there is little incentive to take the risk of trying to reach the village from the water.
Nanwalek, formerly known as English Bay and before that as Aleksandrovski, is a Sugpiaq Alutiiq village of about 200 people, connected to Port Graham by an ATV trail and to the rest of the world by an airstrip that the two villages share. It was the first Russian trading post in the area, dating to 1786, and a staging point for sea otter hunting. A Russian Orthodox church was built there in 1870 and people moved to the location from several villages on the outer coast. Nanwalek—which means “place by the lagoon”—backs up to a tidal lagoon, and above that a small river drains a lake a few miles back in the mountains, creating rearing habitat for sockeye salmon.
After 150 miles of wilderness coastline it can be startling to encounter a drill rig parked in front of the village of Port Graham
Port Graham is the next village to the northeast, at the entrance to Kachemak Bay, and it lies on the southwestern shore of the bay of the same name. Diurnal tidal range here is about 16.5 feet. The approach from Cook Inlet appears a little tricky but there’s not much to it: stay between the green marker just south of Bird Reef and the red one on Passage Island in the middle of the inlet. And give the red triangle marker just east of the island plenty of room; it sits on a reef that that extends 350 yards east of the island and goes dry at low water, and the marker is not on the very end. Another reef extends south from the north shore just to the east of the one just noted, so be sure to keep to the south of the green marker. The startling thing about Port Graham, at least for a period of time, was the sight of two huge jack-up oil drilling rigs, one on the south shore of the approach and the other on the beach right in front of the village. Water in the sheltered bight in front of the village is too shallow for safe anchoring but a skiff or kayak can use the floating dock. The village has the remains of a salmon hatchery that is scheduled to go back into production, a fish processing plant that also may be recommissioned, and a small general store. The airstrip hosts service to Homer several times daily. Though most of the small bight in front of the village goes dry, on the other side of the peninsula immediately to the east lies another small bay that is sheltered from wave motion off Cook Inlet; just avoid the power cables that cross the inlet at that point. The head of the bay is a tidal flat and most of the area from there to the power cables is too shallow for anchoring. Salmon run up the creek at the head, and at high water it is a pleasant place to kayak, but the uplands are owned by the Port Graham Corporation or individuals and access without permission is prohibited.
Two other fair-weather anchorages are found on the north side of the entrance to Port Graham, one next to the waterfall near the outlet of Johnson Slough and the other at Coal Cove, but both are exposed to west and northwest weather off the inlet. Coal Cove gets some protection from the reef at the south end of Dangerous Cape, and it is a pleasant place to lay in mild weather. The uplands are privately owned and have cabins. In west wind it is also possible to tuck in to the south shore near the waterfall, although if there is a swell or wave train from another direction it can be an uncomfortable spot.
Wind conditions in the inlets on the south side of Kachemak Bay often are determined more by Gulf of Alaska weather than Cook Inlet, and at times winds on Kachemak Bay will be nearly calm but fierce down-channel winds (southeast to northwest) will blow through Port Graham, Seldovia, Jakalof, Tutka, and Sadie Cove. Those winds may rise during the night. Mariners anchoring in those bays should be sure their tackle will hold in 40-knot-plus winds even if breezes are light when they lower the anchor.
Departing Port Graham or Coal Cove to the east it’s best to pass in a southwesterly direction on the south side of Bird Reef until past the reef, and then turn north-northeast and proceed up Kachemak Bay on the seaward side. The area off Dangerous Cape and Point Pogibshi can get lively, particularly on an ebb tide and west wind, but the little sport salmon boats love it there.
The run to Seldovia is pretty straightforward with no hazards to speak of as long as clearance from the shore is maintained, although startlingly forceful winds can barrel down the canyons from the southeast. Point Pogibshi is the turning point where the voyage to Seldovia and Homer takes a more easterly direction. Tide rips off Dangerous Cape and Point Pogibshi warrant attention during times of strong opposing currents and winds.
The entrance to Seldovia is well marked but it’s important to stay well off the shore of Point Naskowhak because a reef extends nearly a half mile seaward from the point, and salmon setnet gear is placed some distance seaward from it during the summer season. Seldovia (derived from the Russian word meaning “herring place”), with a population of around 300, has a tidy boat harbor with reserved slips and transient space, a fuel dock, medical clinic, a busy airport, museum, Russian Orthodox church, gift shops, hotel and bar, restaurant, and ice cream shop. A road from town runs to Jakolof Bay and into the mountains behind, eventually to Rocky River, though it hasn’t been maintained. Its defining characteristic is the lagoon that flows through the eastern part of the village like a river, clear enough to see fish from the bridge. While the head of Seldovia Bay is another extensive tideflat, a mariner who wishes to overnight there but not stay in the boat harbor can find adequate anchorage in small bights both north and south of Powder Island, depending on wind direction. Diurnal tidal range at Seldovia averages 17.8 feet.
The view from Homer across Kachemak Bay is the north side of the same mountains that were the backdrop during the voyage from Seward
East of Barabara Point, Kachemak Bay has an abundance of anchorages, scenic bays and passes, communities, wildlife viewing sites, fishing holes, camping beaches, hiking trails, and more. Convenient small boat anchorages for those not ready to head for the Homer boat harbor include Kasitsna Bay behind MacDonald Spit, various points in Tutka Bay and at the head of Sadie Cove, the pass between Hesketh and Yukon Islands, Peterson Bay, Halibut Cove and Halibut Cove Lagoon, and Bear Cove. Jakalof is sheltered but very shallow and studded with rocks throughout and nearly filled with oyster farms. Little Tutka Bay and Bootleggers Cove are impassible by anything much bigger than a skiff and are ringed with cabins so not really appealing to a voyaging vessel. China Poot has a nice anchorage at the head of its north arm but crossing the shallows at the entrance is dicey except at high slack water. Peterson and Halibut Cove are congested and have shellfish farms; docks are privately owned and generally not for public use. Anchorage for a small boat can be found in Peterson just inside the entrance on the south side, taking care to avoid the rocks off the point and leaving passage space for vessels attending the kayak lodge and the dock of the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies. There is a public dock at Halibut Cove lagoon but access requires passing through a narrow, shallow entrance with swift current when the tide is running so it, too, is advisable only at high slack. Some of the south shore of Kachemak Bay is public land in the form of Kachemak Bay State Park and there are trailheads and camping beaches, but be aware that much of it is privately owned and there are many cabins and lodges. See the Kachemak Bay Supplement to the Alaska Boater’s Handbook [1.5 MB PDF] from the Alaska Office of Boating Safety for more detailed information. Check also Alaska State Parks for information on Kachemak Bay State Park, and the Kachemak Bay Water Trail for a map and descriptions of attractions around the bay.
Entrance to the Homer boat harbor is on the east side near the tip of the Homer Spit, behind the ferry terminal and the Coast Guard buoy tender pier, and before the bulk loading facility. The harbor has two fuel docks, a launching ramp, a “fish dock” with cranes available for use by certified crane operators when fish unloading is not under way, a holding tank pump-out, and other amenities. During the summer season Homer Spit is busy with commercial fishing and tourism related activity, including a large volume of charter boat and water taxi traffic, and there are services such as showers, restaurants, and groceries. Be sure to check in with the harbormaster’s office on VHF Ch 16 or by telephone at (907) 235-3160.
Notes
Europeans first arrived at Port Graham in 1786 in ships commanded by British captains Portlock and Dixon. They were followed by Russians, who soon discovered a rich coal vein at the north side of the entrance behind Dangerous Cape, near what is now known as Coal Bay. After various fits and starts, commercial coal production commenced in the mid 1850s and the mine produced over 5,000 tons in the following decade, only to be abandoned by the time of the Alaska purchase in 1867. During that period the Russian-American Company established a trading post and Sugpiaq people moved in from as far away as Prince William Sound. Later the Alaska Commercial Company and Fidalgo Island Packing Company established a warehouse and a fish processing plant, respectively, and the village gained population and economic significance. It is reported that in 1883 an eruption of St. Augustine volcano across Cook Inlet caused a tsunami that inundated the village. At this writing the cannery is closed, but there are plans to reopen the cannery as well as a salmon hatchery that operated there for many years.
During the 1964 earthquake the land under Seldovia subsided six feet, and the tsunami that followed flooded much of the town and destroyed many boats. The town was built in part around boardwalks over and next to the water, and after the flood it was rebuilt on higher ground.
Kachemak Bay is arguably the most loved and most studied body of water in the state. Aside from being home to Homer and to the communities of Halibut Cove, Peterson Bay, Kasitsna Bay, Seldovia, Port Graham, Nanwalek, and several other informal communities, it is also a National Estuarine Research Reserve, a state Critical Habitat, and administrative home to the sprawling Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. It has a shellfish growers cooperative, the Center for Alaskan Coastal Studies, a federally owned and university managed research station at Kasitsna Bay, and a booming summer tourism industry based on charter fishing, boat tours, and kayaking, and hiking and camping on the east side of the bay.
One geographic feature that may startle first-time visitors is the expanse of dead and down timber caused by the spruce bark beetle. The infestation began in the early 1980s and mainly affects mature interior white spruce. It has caused more damage on the Kenai Peninsula north and west of Kachemak Bay but the east side also reveals its effects. The beetle thrives in relatively warm and dry conditions and it is widely held that the infestation is a consequence of the warming climate.