We’re in Juneau today, low cloud, the mist is rolling down the through the trees that surround us, all-in-all a wet day.

Ahead of us, the ‘Smokery’. Fish is unloaded from the dock, filleted and prepared and lo, one can buy it in the shop, delicious smoked salmon

We left Seattle on Sunday on a lovely sunny day; making our way through the Juan de Fuca Straits and into the Pacific.

On Monday afternoon, a Royal Canadian Air Force reconnaissance aircraft overflew us, our radio crackled into life and the pilot asked permission for a fly-by, but of course!  An announcement to guests and what a sight, flying at around 150 feet above sea-level, he came blasting past.

Monday was sunny and nice, however I knew, from the forecasts, that it was not going to last and sure enough by the evening the drizzle had started and by Tuesday morning it was pouring.

Our guests could see little of the Chatham Straits, unfortunately; however these are whale waters and their enthusiasm could not be ‘dampened’ (forgive the pun 🙂 ) and the more hardy souls  were on the foredeck waiting for sightings.  There are super-pods of humpback whales here, so numerous that it is hard to put on a number on them and our intrepid watchers were not disappointed, despite the inclement weather.  I spent my time on the ‘scenic cruise’ microphone, the Bridge being higher made it easier for me to spot these lovely creatures, pointing them out.

We were bound for Tracy Arm, a long, winding fjord of particular beauty, however when we approached the entrance, where we have to cross the ‘bar’, we were unable to see into the fjord, it was shrouded in mist and rain, additionally, large pieces of ice could be detected on radar.  Prudence is the relevant word, I was not willing to take chances, Safety is my paramount responsibility and so a change of plan was required.

Adjacent to Tracy is Endicott Arm, at the end of which is a glacier, the Dawes.  Endicott has a wider entrance channel and we could see it was clear of ice, so we did a ‘wheelie’ and set our sights on Endicott instead.  It was not without its challenges, there were numerous ice floes around, ranging from the small to the large.

One of the large ones.

The low cloud seemed to make the fjord even more magical and we had a lovely time, getting to the Dawes and finding a good spot to stop and an opportunity to take photos.

The good news is that the weather is set to slowly improve, however fog is forecast tonight…more time on the Bridge on our way to Sitka.