Just before 6 a.m. National Geographic Sea Bird left Chatham Strait, and entered Freshwater Bay, a large waterway penetrating several miles into Chichagof Island from the eastern side. Our destination this morning was a much smaller, and protected, anchorage called Pavlof Harbor, where the variety of our morning’s activities would take place. It was another spectacular morning, even though there were some low clouds, but with the very real chance for a clearer afternoon! So right after breakfast the shuttles started loading and heading to shore with hikers, followed by kayakers. Soon after the shore side activities started there were Zodiac cruises available for the remaining guests who maybe wanted a little more leisurely morning.
That was the first round, with everybody having the option of doing one of the other activities, or more of the same. So off the kayaks went again, another round of hikes, and the several more boats filled with cruisers.
By the time everyone was back on board, and lunch was being served, there was not a cloud left in view, and Sea Bird lifted her anchor and sailed back toward Chatham Strait, and an afternoon of cruising to look for wildlife, with a destination of Red Bluff Bay on Baranof Island in mind.
There were a few humpback whales encountered along the way, but they seemed to be very pre-occupied with feeding in deeper waters, so we passed on by, hoping to possibly find some more accommodating friends for us to spend time with!
There was a slight detour along the way in a place called Kasnyku Bay, where the bridge crew took the Sea Bird up-close-and-personal with a beautiful waterfall cascading maybe two hundred feet down the mountainside; spectacular! Soon however it was time to leave, have our Recap for the day, and then another wonderful dinner, all while we continued on our way to Red Bluff!
As fate would have it, there was one more unscheduled diversion that we made right at the end of dinner; killer whales were spotted approaching the ship, so we maneuvered to spend a half hour with these magnificent animals! There were a number of close approaches by these largest of the dolphin family, and probably hundreds of photos taken. But finally we continued on toward Red Bluff Bay while there was still some light left so we could enjoy this scenic area of Baranof Island.
