Cruising Alaska. Port Sidney Marina. Fishing Gear. Fishing Haida Gwaii. South Sound Destinations. The Small Ship Experience PART TWO

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1 Cruising Alaska The Small Ship Experience PART TWO South Sound Destinations Fishing Gear Port Sidney Marina Fishing Haida Gwaii USD $6.95 CAN $7.95

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3 CRUISING ALASKA: PART 2 Northern Latitudes, Southern Hospitality Nine Days Aboard the M/V Island Spirit by Russ Young Continued Part 1 appearred in the January/February 2018 issue of HARBORS. DAY FIVE We were blasted out of our bed by a ship s horn, seemingly right outside our cabin! It was about 4 a.m., still dark, and the captain of one of the big cruise ships arriving for a day in Juneau sounded the horn while docking. Fortunately, we got back to sleep quickly, and woke later to sunshine and warm (by Alaskan summer standards) air. After breakfast, our shipmates departed for a wide variety of activities: ziplining, sled-dog excursions, flightseeing over the Mendenhall Glacier, shopping and museum touring. My companion and I chose to visit Sealaska Heritage featuring a Native clan house and a fantastic collection of tribal masks the Juneau City Museum and the famous Red Dog Saloon. (Toast your Alaska adventure with a Duck Fart. We did.) But this was a cruise, so we were back aboard Island Spirit in the early afternoon, headed for an overnight anchorage at Barlow Cove on Admiralty The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine HARBORS 15

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5 VIP Charters to Canada s West Coast Resorts Executive Class Comfort and Safety for Seven Pax Pick Ups From: Washington State Airports and Lakes E.G. Boeing Field Lake Union Lake Washington Island. We were treated to sweeping views of snowcapped peaks and the Mendenhall Glacier; it was impossible not to be struck by the vastness of the Last Frontier. Most of us made comments like So this is what Alaska really looks like... The sunshine invited the evening s cocktails to be served on the aft deck; followed by an unforgettable dinner that featured an Asian peanut salad and curried halibut. (We asked chefs Shannon and Rob to come topside for a standing ovation.) We entered Barlow Cove, reportedly named for a dog that resides in the area. It s a narrow inlet that is several miles long, but there were no signs of canines or humans. What we did see was a remarkable sunset, enjoyed from the aft deck, followed by impromptu karaoke of old country songs. There was some dancing on the deck, too. And someone produced a box of wine. It s unlikely that s how the passengers on the big ships spent their evening, but the consensus aboard our little ship was that we wouldn t trade our experience for anything. DAY SIX We set out early, heading north out of Barlow Cove, before turning south down the Chatham Strait. Our first destination was Pavlof Harbor, where we expected to meet our first brown bears. But along the way, we changed The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine HARBORS 17

6 course because a group of nine humpbacks were bubble-net feeding. It was all hands on deck with cameras and binoculars, fascinated as the whales worked as a group: one creating a net of bubbles around a school of krill or herring, at which point the others swept up from below with mouths wide open. They repeated the process several times, drawing our rapt attention until were back on course and motoring toward our date with the bears. Along the way, we slowed down to watch more humpbacks performing the same activity. We saw another vigorously slapping its tail on the surface, which is a form of communication. Upon arrival at the harbor, we immediately spotted a pair of bears on shore and something even more amazing and dangerous. A single kayaker was just a few yards offshore from them, waving his paddle back and forth in an attempt to do... what? Harass them? Get a closer picture? Feed them? He paddled away unharmed, but it was a good time for our captain and crew to remind us how seriously they took our safety. We boarded the Demaree Inflatable Boat (DIB) to view the bears from an appropriate distance. The sun was out, so after returning to the Island Spirit we took the opportunity to explore the shoreline via kayak. If you re a novice kayaker, getting in and out of the boat can be somewhat terrifying. But Island Spirit carries something that makes it a breeze; it s a U-shaped kayak dock that is lowered into the water. It holds the kayak steady and stable, with a crew member helping as the paddler steps in. All of our inexperienced kayakers agreed that it made for a pleasant experience. The bears had decided to retreat inland while we paddled the shoreline and up a stream to a fish ladder, where the bears feed on salmon during the autumn spawning season. After we had all returned to Island Spirit, the crew spotted more bears, so it was back in the DIB for more photos and memories. Then we were again under way, headed for Chicagof Island s Basket Bay. After cocktails and a wonderful dinner of caprese salad, chicken marsala, mashed potatoes and asparagus, 18 HARBORS

7 we were back on the DIB for one more outing: a tour of a rock grotto along the shore, followed by an campfire with toasted marshmallows and wine. We were still in bear country, so naturalist Tony brought along a high-powered rifle. (Fortunately, it wasn t needed.) However, our party was interrupted by an uninvited guest; a small humpback surfaced within yards of our campfire, loudly exhaling. We jumped into the DIB and followed it, although it tired quickly of our company, dove deep and swam away. DAY SEVEN The day s plan was to go up the Chatham Strait to visit the village of Tenakee Springs. Island Spirit is the only cruise ship of any size that is The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine HARBORS 19

8 invited to put in there, in part because Captain Jeff delivers supplies for the Party Time Bakery, the town s social center. (The cinnamon rolls are legendary, although the berry tart is a great alternative.) Tenakee Springs is very small the main drag is a dirt path for all-terrain vehicles and bicycles and very friendly. The locals alternatively invited us to the annual hot-dog feed, which was held in someone s front yard, and warned us to look out for the bear. Apparently a brown bear had been wandering in and out of town. Tony was armed again as we hiked through a rainforest and along the Indian River, but the only sign of the bear was some scat on the trail. 20 HARBORS

9 We declined the invitation to eat hot dogs, and were rewarded back on board with a lunch of chicken-salad croissants, pasta salad and freshly baked peanut butter cookies. En route to our overnight anchorage at Schulze Cove on Baranof Island, our course took us through the ominously named Peril Strait and Deadman Reach, and past Poison Cove. Fortunately, the voyage was dangerous in name only. That night was our captain s dinner. We were joined by Jeff, nattily attired in his white uniform shirt, rather than his usual jeans and hoodie. His skills as a storyteller were fully utilized. After dinner, we toasted the captain and crew, and gave the chefs another round of applause. Schulze Cove was another desolate, whisper-quiet spot to overnight; there was a single cabin onshore, but we didn t see or hear another living thing. DAY EIGHT It seemed as if everyone slept in late this misty morning; could it have been the prime rib, wine, and fruit tart and ice cream for dinner last night? Plus the quiet anchorage? We were fast approaching our journey s end, with Sitka as our final destination. En route, we spotted an orca pod in the Neva Strait, but, seeking privacy, they dove deep and evaded us. We saw some otters, but most of the trip was made through a heavy mist. Some of us stayed on the main salon s leather couches; others bundled up and enjoyed the scenery from the upper deck. As we entered Sitka, we were struck by the bald eagles perched around the harbor, behaving more like pigeons or seagulls than the regal birds they are. Once ashore, there were more eagles and hawks and owls to be seen at the Alaska Raptor Center, especially within its Bald Eagle Flight Training Center, where injured or orphaned eagles are brought for rehabilitation and eventual release. As ubiquitous as they are around town, the opportunity to view them up close makes the Center a highly recommended destination. The same can be said for the Fortress of the Bear, which is home to orphaned brown and black bears. By state law, such orphans cannot be re-released into the wild, so a life in captivity is the only alternative to euthanasia. While not a circus act, the bears are fully aware of their human observers, and interact accordingly. And at feeding time, the bald eagles that gather in the surrounding trees swoop to try catching some of the salmon being thrown to the bears; it was a thrilling sight. For those who wanted to stay indoors, Sitka s Russian Orthodox Church and central shopping area provided excellent opportunities. There s a nice variety of restaurants and bars, although we were all inclined to get back to the Island Spirit for one last dinner and a night s sleep at a quiet dock. DAY NINE All good things must come to an end, and our small-ship cruise was no exception. Unlike the big ships, we had not returned to our embarkation point. And completely unlike the passengers on the big cruise ships, we departed really knowing each other and the crew members by name, if not by experiences we shared. There s much to be said for cruising Alaska on a large ship. But the smallship experience is more personal, memorable and engaging. We ll never forget it... and can t wait to do it again. FANTASY CRUISES P.O. Box 448 Pierson, FL The Seaplane and Boating Destination Magazine HARBORS 21