We awoke to beautiful sunshine, having traveled up Chatham and Icy Straits overnight to reach our first stop of the day. We kicked off the morning at George Island, where guests had the choice between hiking, kayaking, or touring the area on small inflatable boats. All routes proved successful for exploring the island. The hikers made their way to the WWII 6-inch gun emplacement that now sits quietly at its perch, looking west towards the Pacific Ocean. Kayakers toured the shoreline, watching jellies float by underneath while counting shorebirds and otters on the surface. The small boat trips were treated to humpback whales and harbor porpoise. Before heading back to the boat for a hot lunch, three intrepid souls braved the 51-degree water to join the ranks of “Polar Plunge Elite”.
As we travelled to our afternoon destination, a lecture on geology and glaciology by naturalist Jason gave context to the valleys and mountains that surround us everywhere. When we arrived at the Inian Islands, the northern entry to Southeast Alaska from the Pacific, the deck crew lowered five small inflatables. Groups of guests and naturalists explored the islands for over an hour. They encountered Steller sea lions, pelagic cormorants, bald eagles, and even a pair of mating sea otters. The clear, sunshiny day allowed for a spectacular glimpse of Fairweather Mountain range, over 70 miles away.
The undersea team managed to pack in two scuba dives today to gather footage of life under the surface. The video shown in the evening featured the underside of kelp forests, close-ups of mating crabs, iridescent anemones, and slow-moving sea stars.
After a dinner of delicious teriyaki sablefish, pork tenderloin, and curry followed by a dessert of cherry panna cotta, we set off east towards the entrance to Glacier Bay National Park. Humpback whales greeted us, quiet and shy at first, then giving in to the joy of breaching, lob-tailing, and fluking as the after-dinner treat. We will wake up in the park tomorrow, ready for a new adventure.
