I nearly suggested going back to sleep for another hour when the alarm sounded at 5am. I hadn’t slept well and the wind was due to be more favourable in the afternoon. .. But we had a mission to try to reach a bear free island about 35 miles away so we needed all the daylight hours available. On the water at 6.30, we paddled into a beautiful rising sun, a giant red orb peaking out from a distant headland bringing an orange glow to the snowy mountains on the horizon. It was worth the early start for that moment alone.

The forecast warned of a 9ft swell. It wasn’t quite that big but waves from almost every direction collided to make a sporty sea. A NW wind blew the top off the waves for the first couple of hours, which hit us side on. Sarah requested less wind and her wish was granted. The sea was ominously calm for 3 hours. Our speed dropped off about the time I realised it was a 20 mile crossing to the mainland, not 16 as I’d thought. I’d measured it from an island we’d initially hoped to camp on that was 4 miles closer! Fortunately the forecast SW wind finally kicked in giving us a nice push to the beautiful Kuprenof point, a steep craggy headland with lush grass covering the few flatter areas. About 50 sea lions lay draped over a cluster of small rocks.

Five miles around the corner, a sandy beach protected from the various swells provided a lunch spot at 3pm. We’d have been pretty happy with that 25 mile paddle on most days but we were on the Alaskan mainland, home of bears. With a following sea we set our sights on an island a bit further up the coast where we hoped there wouldn’t be any bears. We finally landed on Jacob Island at 7.50pm after 12 hours of paddling. I’m happy to report there are no signs of bears although we’re still taking precautions.

We hope to reach the small community of Perryville tomorrow where our last resupply of food should be waiting for us. It’s only about 13 miles away so perhaps we won’t set the alarm for 5am.