We had originally intended to hang out in Craig for a few days. It is a charming town – in fact, it could be a set for a TV show like Northern Exposure. After a couple of hours of walking around in the mist, having had our fill of the local book store and coffee shop, we found ourselves back aboard.

The barometer had continued its descent from the evening before, and although the VHF weather forecasts from NOAA did not mention anything, we were uncomfortable with the anchorage’s protection. So we decided to head south, move closer to the equator, and find a better protected spot to bed down.

The bottom end of Prince of Wales Island fronts what is called Dixon Entrance. This body of water adjoins the Gulf of Alaska to the West, the mainland of North America on the east, and has the Canadian Queen Charlotte Islands to the south. The waters are shallow, rock- and reef-strewn, and subject to strong currents. Even more than some other parts of this region, Dixon Entrance requires a healthy does of respect.

Our original goal for the afternoon was Nichols Bay, a detail of which is shown above. Nichols Bay is at the bottom end of Prince of Wales, adjacent to Dixon Entrance. It has a straightforward entry – relative to other anchorages in this part of the world – and is reputed to have good protection in all weather. However, in strong southerly winds the entrance does experience a breaking wave pattern.

We continued to monitor the weather forecast and nothing was mentioned that would tie to the dropping barometer. However, we were uneasy with the feel of the weather, and so started looking around for an alternate anchorage, closer, without the potential problem of breaking waves at the entrance should an unannounced weather system drop in.

You would think that between the bottom of Dall Island to the west, and Prince of Wales on the east, there would be many choices. However, each spot we checked had a drawback. The entrance might be too tricky, log booms were present, there wasn’t room to swing, holding was not good, or it was too open for a strong gale.

Then we noticed Hunter Bay just up from the bottom of Prince of Wales on the west side of the island.

If you check the detail below it looks pretty tricky, but the pilot indicated the rocks were clearly visible, and the protection looked perfect.

We slowed down to five knots and worked our way into the entrance. Normally we’d have taken photos of the radar as we entered, and the surrounding scenery. However, it was getting late, and there were a couple of narrow spots in the channel to negotiate, so we concentrated on our navigation.

The photo above is at anchor on the eastern arm of the bay. The hook is down in 40 feet (12.5m) with a good bite. About the time we secured the engines, the weather forecast began talking about a gale for the evening. We were very happy to be snugged down.

The next morning we watched five black bears checking the shore at low tide. The breeze had dropped off, leaving a steady drizzle. Next season we need to spend some time exploring Hunter Bay and adjoining Biscuit Lagoon. They look fascinating. But for now, it is time to move on.

Post script: As it turned out, the gale never kicked up much of a fuss. Seas in Dixon Entrance were moderate – maybe 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8m). The entrance to Nichols Bay would have been fine. But in this type of scenario, we prefer to opt for the more prudent alternative.