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    From Sawmills to Ghost Towns (and a Bear Outside the Galley Window!)

    What a week. After two weeks in Prince Rupert—thank you Cow Bay Marina and Robin for making our stay amazing and my birthday week so special—we turned Tangaroa north. We’re only 91 nautical miles southeast of Ketchikan, but we knew it would take a while because of the places on our hit list.

    First up was Georgetown Mill, once one of the coast’s earliest sawmills. Built in 1912, it was a hub of industry until the 1930s. Walking among the old planers and decaying machinery gave us chills. 📷

    From there we hid from bad weather in Khutzymateen Bear Conservancy (ironically, no bears). Then we tracked down the two storehouses the US built during the Alaska–Canada boundary dispute—except they’re actually on Canadian soil. Both still stand, tucked into the wilderness.

    We tried anchoring at the mouth of the Nass River near Gingolx, but the wind and swell made for one of the worst sleeps of the trip. The next morning we ran up Observatory Inlet and are now anchored outside Anyox—Canada’s largest ghost town. We’ve spent two days exploring and are wiped out. Tomorrow, Roxy and Ruby are coming ashore to help us scooter 5 miles uphill to the infamous dam and a rusting old steam engine.

    This morning’s wake-up?

    A black bear strolling the beach right outside the galley window. Forget the bear conservancy—Anyox has it covered. We also found wolf prints not far from the boat and look what Janis caught in the crab trap!  It was so so heavy to haul up.

    Boat-wise, Blaine swapped out an alternator on the generator (the old one had developed a “special” smell), and the autopilot decided to quit on us, so that’s on the list now too.

    If you’ve been enjoying these Monday Updates, please consider joining our online crew at onboardtangaroa.com. Membership starts at $5/month and includes:

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    Cheers

    Blaine, Janis and Izzie