This week is a 7-day itinerary, Seattle, Tracy Arm, Juneau, Sitka, Ketchikan, Victoria B.C. and Seattle, it’s my penultimate week and has been taken up with not only the ‘driving’, but innumerable amounts of paperwork; reports, appraisals, the list is endless (and a pain in the derriere 😉 )
The week started, (but of course), with thick fog down the Juan de Fuca Straits and into the Pacific; late on Monday morning it cleared, only to be replaced by a brisk northerly wind, annoyingly slowing us down, (not a great deal, however, fuel is precious).
Tuesday dawned a bright and beautiful day, spectacular no less and we were treated to the super-pods of humpback whales once more and, yet again, having to slow down in order to safely weave our way through them. The featured (header) photo was taken, using a telephoto lens as one of these magnificent creatures passed us.
Tracy Arm was a treat and, stopping to view the Sawyer glacier, gave one a sense of the majesty of nature. We stayed for an hour, alternating sides so both balconies could view and then slowly steamed back. We passed the “Century”, on her way up to the glacier; when she got there, she turned round and came straight out again! Wot? No glacier viewing??? She must be in a hurry.
I write from a dull and wet Sitka, although it promises to clear up later and I leave you with my photos for the week thus far.
A lovely Tuesday morning in the Chatham Straits
Somewhere under there is a buoy; the current has pulled it under water.
And another
One of many magnificent valleys that terminate in Tracy Arm
Creeping up through the ice
Having swung for the port side view, it’s the starboard side’s turn.
Harbour seals on the ice floes.
Jagged peaks and crevasses of the Sawyer glacier
Beautiful blue of the compressed ice
A large ‘fall’ now wending its way slowly down Tracy Arm.
Amazingly, this large rock, carved by the glacier, is still sitting atop the calved iceberg
Another photo; the 2 pieces were probably one and the same calving
Sunset as we exit Tracy Arm
Low tide at Tracy Arm bar and an iceberg aground in the shallow water
The nearest I got to a bear, all week 🙂
I was with you on this trip on Amsterdam and I’d like to thank you for the trip of a lifetime! Tracy Arm was beautiful and the day was magical.
Hi Captain Mercer,
Just want to say “Thank you” for all the interesting notes and beautiful photos of your sailings to Alaska.
I hope we have as good luck with the weather and wildlife sightings when we cruise Alaska next week on the Oosterdam!
Have a wonderful Autumn at home with your family, and I look forward to the New Year and following your blog of the 2015 Grand World Voyage!
Best regards,
Marj Gordon
Thanks again for your descriptive blogs and pictures. They have been a highlight of our summer. Enjoy your break. We’ll see you on January 5 at the pier.
Captain Jonathan,
Thanks for sharing your spectacular photos! Cheers and Regards
Well, of course, I had to look up the definition of the word ‘penultimate’ – thank you for teaching me something new again. Your photos are fantastic – I have taken an Alaskan cruise three times and never saw the wildlife that you have been seeing this season. How fortunate for your passengers! Thanks again for the update and the pics which we all so enjoy.