How Solo Sailing Affects Me | Ep. 19 | Reflections on a Week Alone in Alaska

In this one, I complete my solo journey from Juneau to Petersburg, Alaska.

I leave behind Windham Bay were I waited out a gale that never ended up coming. As I enter the strait, I am greeted by good sailing on choppy seas. For a change, the wind angle arches in my favour and brings me into Cleveland Passage anchorage at the intersection of Stephan Passage and Fredrick Sound faster than I expect, and just as I set the anchor, the sun comes out after a four day absence.

The night is peaceful, allowing me to depart the next morning well rested and refreshed. Gentle but nice sailing continues to Read Island about 15 mile away. There, I go fishing, but instead of hooking onto a halibut as I was hoping to, I snag a huge skate, which was coincidentally of the species "Big Skate!"

I am escorted out of the anchorage by a humpback whale that surprise me when surfacing not 40 ft from Sea Dream of Clyde. Squally wet weather returns, but keeps me sailing the whole way to Petersburg. A surprising amount of ice coming from the LeConte Glacier was floating near Petersburg, so I had to keep a keen lookout.

This episode wraps up with my reflections on how this little solo leg of the trip impacted me. Sailing solo gave me time to contemplate the direction of my life, and what I want my future to look like. It was a beautiful experience that I will cherish forever; while the sailing and scenery was wonderful, my biggest takeaway from this experience was the clarity it gave me surrounding my life, and the important quiet times of introspection it afforded me.

Thanks to Taryn who briefly appears in this episode (by video call!) and @WaywardLifeSailing for lending me the sweet action camera that has helped improve the video quality of the episodes since leaving Juneau.

Thanks you to all the new subscribers that have been tuning in as of late, and to the folks who have been following along for awhile now. If you missed any of the earlier videos of this series, you can find them here:

Episode 1: Setting Sail to Alaska!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK_a7...

Episode 2: Sailing Thru a Tidal Rapids, Night Sailing, and more!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qafVl...

Episode 3: Goofy Sailors, Rock'n Sailing, & Some Playful Dolphins
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi_rk...

Episode 4: Exposed to The Pacific Ocean
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-Nxx...

Episode 5: Dodging Gales on The Pacific Coast
https://youtu.be/kVeq6fTX-TI

Episode 6: 54 Tacks in 10 Miles! | Sailing the Skinny Channels of the Inside Passage to Alaska
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZws9...

Episode 7: Sailing into Alaska | Fast Sailing Exposed to Pacific Ocean & Thong Weather Returns!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=no9D4...

Episode 8: Sailing to Ketchikan | Lots of Whales, Clearing Customs, and Heading into the Wild!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8k_28...

Episode 9: Sailing Off The Beaten Track in Alaska | Rounding Cape Decision, Fog, & Night Sailing
https://youtu.be/U2N5gl-XOzU

Episode 10: Sail to Ski in Alaska | Backcountry Skiing From a Sailboat on Baranof Island, AK
https://youtu.be/cw50FR8hrfM

Episode 11: Skiing an Avalanche Path from a Sailboat! | Alaskan Sailboat Based Backcountry Skiing
https://youtu.be/XI51K01Wd4c

Episode 12: Awesome Sailing in the Alaskan Inside Passage | Ep. 12 | North to Glacier Bay!
https://youtu.be/9L-cE8nX5Kc

Episode 13: Sailing into GLACIER BAY | Icy Strait, Night Sailing, & Stealing Wi-Fi from Cruise Ships
https://youtu.be/oDC2jhqJ9Jc

Episode 14: Sail to Ski in Glacier Bay National Park! | Fun Summer Skiing in Alaska
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0OG5F...

Episode 15: Amazing Sailing in Glacier Bay! | Whales, Mountains, Ice, and Bananas That Refuse to Ripen!
https://youtu.be/Pz9sCk_sXQg

Episode 16: Spicy Sailing to Juneau, Alaska | Whales Everywhere, Squalls, and Arriving in the Big City!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTL_u...

Episode 17: House Sized Ice Bergs and Solo Sailing in Alaska | The Inside Passage: Juneau to Tracy Arm
https://youtu.be/0gyB09LXy5E

Episode 18: Leaving The Ice Behind in Alaska | Solo Sailing In Stephan Passage
https://youtu.be/J_djenVVXww

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