For us, the west side of Prince of Wales Island would
begin at Point Baker, on the northwest tip and at the
west end of Sumner Strait. The small communities of
Point Baker and Port Protection are located here, and we
would be stopping at Wooden Wheel Cove to provision
and use the laundry facilities before proceeding farther
south. This is a busy place during fishing season, and fuel
can be obtained here. The run south from this point
takes you along a rugged shore dotted with sea caves,
for which Prince of Wales Island is known. One
particular cave along this stretch, called “On Your
Knees Cave,” was the site of an archaeological dig
that uncovered human remains which, according
to carbon dating, could be 10,300 years old (see
usd.edu/esci/alaska/oykc.html). Perhaps most amazing
is that these ancient bones yielded DNA that provided
new historical perspectives on the genetic makeup
of the earliest Americans. (For more on this topic,
see the April 2007 issue of the American Journal of
Physical Anthropology.)
About 7 miles south of Port Protection, there is a
narrow gap in a rocky wall that leads to the first Hole
in the Wall we would visit on this trip. The gap appears
almost out of nowhere. The channel into this anchorage
is 0.65 nautical mile long, and the water is shaded blue
on the chart (see the sidebar “Chart Versus Chart” on
page 125 and the Web Extra “Look Out Below” on
passagemaker.com). About 0.2 nautical mile inside,
there is a 1 -fathom sounding; hence, a minus 2.4-foot
2
tide leaves less than 6 feet of water, so it is best not to
enter or exit on a minus tide. Also, there is a fair tidal
flow on both the ebb and the flood, so, on your first
time into this jewel of an anchorage, it is best to enter at
high water or against a slight ebb so you can maintain
steerage and travel dead slow with a bow lookout.
The soundings are generally accurate (NOAA chart no.
17378), although there are two rocks along the north
shore of the channel, only one of which is charted. The
rock just inside the entry is marked on the chart. A
second rock, unmarked, lies in the region between the
two 2 soundings. A midchannel course is clear, other
2
than some bull kelp in the area marked 1 fathoms, and
2
inside there is ample swing room for several vessels.
Avoid the shallows off the river mouths at the back of
the bay.
This anchorage is a good base from which to fish,
explore, and view wildlife. Just outside, we were
surrounded by humpback whales feeding while we fished
for salmon to the north, along the Labouchere Islands.
Deer, bear, otters (sea and river), mink, and a myriad of
birds can be seen feeding in this Hole, and wildflowers,
wild berries, goose tongue greens, and samphire (sea
Holes In The Wall
asparagus) can be found along the shores. During one
five-day stay in late June, we were alone except for a
brief visit by a small skiff that dropped off two bear
hunters at the northern river delta on the last day of the
hunting season. The hunters were unsuccessful. The next
day, a large bear made an appearance in the precise area
where they had been, and we applauded. Somehow, one
gets the feeling that the bears keep a day-timer, as we
had seen very few of them before the close of the spring
hunting season. On a previous visit, we watched a sow
explore the beach at low tide with her three cubs,
grunting instructions to the exuberant triplets all the
while. What a treat!
SOUTHERN “HOLES”
Heading south from this delightful anchorage, we took
the sheltered inside route, entering through Shakan Strait
into El Capitan Passage, the dredged channel behind
Kosciusko Island. This passage, including Dry Pass, is
best transited by smaller vessels on a rising half tide,
when you can see the tailings piled up by the dredge
along the sides of the channels. It’s recommended that
Summer showers produced a rainbow that appeared to end
on our bow while we were anchored in the San Lorenzo
Islands passage known locally as Hole in the Wall.
