Available at Amazon!
Paperback: $28.95 at Amazon
Epubs also available for: $14.99 at:
Pair the book with:
Located on the ragged edge of the Gulf of Alaska, Port Bainbridge is renown for its inviting anchorages, abundant marine life, and outstanding fishing opportunities.
Port Bainbridge is a mountainous fiord with multiple bays, coves, and passages at the western entrance to Prince William Sound. The fiord lies in a transition zone between the turbulent Gulf of Alaska and the back-bay serenity often found in the Sound. With its breathtaking scenery and challenging water, Port Bainbridge is a prime area for seafaring adventurers. Its combination of Gulf coast ambiance, abundant marine life, and world-class fishing make it a popular weekend destination.
The low-lying moraine fronting massive Bainbridge Glacier offers access to one of Port Bainbridge's most dynamic areas. The glacier, originating in the mile-high Sargent Icefield, winds its way through the Kenai Mountains like a white ribbon, terminating in a shallow, ice-filled, lagoon. The glacier last reached tidewater in the early 1900's, but has been slowly retreating for more than a century. Today, the ice terminus rests about 1-mile from its former moraine. In mild Gulf weather, visitors can land on the sand and gravel moraine and follow the southern edge of the glacier stream to a series of elevated push moraines overlooking the lagoon and glacier terminus. During upper tidal stages, watch for harbor seals swimming between the icy lagoon and fiord.
Vessel anchorages in Port Bainbridge range from snug and secure to entirely weather dependent. For small boat mariners trying to hide from Gulf weather, the best bet is to drop anchor in Puffin Cove, at the head of the Port's Northwest Arm. Puffin Cove is generally the calmest place in Port Bainbridge and is mostly cutoff from the Gulf swell by a shallow glacial sill obstructing the entrance to Northwest Arm. By far, the most frequently used anchorage in Port Bainbridge is Hogg Bay, mainly due to its multiple anchorage options and its handy location next to Bainbridge Passage. Gulf coast weather does spill into Hogg Bay, so expect day breezes in summer. During stormy Gulf weather a sloppy swell can wrap into the bay along with gusting williwaws sweeping down from the mountain ridges. For on-shore explorers, Hogg Bay is loaded with hospitable beaches and an assortment of camping and hiking locations. In lower Port Bainbridge, the Auk Bay anchorage, located 5 miles above Cape Puget, is suitable during mild weather but has a distinct ocean-flavor with an almost constant Gulf swell. The Auk Bay anchorage is primarily used by mariners fishing along the outer coast and by those transiting to and from the Sound. Mariners generally steer clear of Auk Bay in threatening weather and anchor in either Hogg Bay, Fox Farm Bay, or Puffin Cove.
Lower Port Bainbridge is among the Western Sounds most productive marine life areas. The region attracts commercial salmon seiners along with scores of recreational trollers and bottom fishers from Seward, Whittier, and Cordova. In summer, the estuarine tidal flow exiting through the Sound's island passages mix with the Gulf waters. These nutrient rich waters attract scores of seabirds and marine mammals, especially pods of Humpback whales. Roaming pods of resident Orca's routinely hunt for inbound salmon in Port Bainbridge and the adjoining island passages. Less numerous are transient Orca's which are sometimes seen hunting close to well-known sea lion and harbor seal haulouts at Cape Puget, Procession Rocks, and Point Elrington.
Learn more details about boating, kayaking, beachcombing, and camping options in Port Bainbridge and the western Sound by ordering Exploring Alaska's Western Prince William Sound, in paperback or Epub, at Amazon, Google Play or at Apple Books.