South Bight of North Fingers Bay, Glacier Bay, AK, 30-JUL-2018 — We’re in Glacier Bay! With good weather no less.
The Glacier Bay web information says that e-mails are given precedence over phone calls when trying to get a short notice reservation. On the advice of Megan, who works in the Glacier Bay Office, we sent an email and called. When Emily answered the phone, she told me that she didn’t have our email, unless my name was Brian, but why didn’t she just process a permit for us. Seven days would be fine.
The NOAA weather said 20 knots and three-foot seas. The PredictWind grib doesn’t give inside waters weather. A second grib said ten knots and a third said five knots. Five knots was the winner, more or less. We motored.
The weather has not been the Alaska we know. It has been sunny and warm with highs climbing into the 70s. There is a drought.
Our AIS is working. One charter boat and the cruise liner Vollendaam called to discuss how we would pass each other. I called the woman on the radio on smaller charter boat, Sir. She paused before speaking again deciding whether to correct me. Her voice was Chet Baker’s voice and as I said Sir, I cringed, but it was too late.
We motored up to our anchorage: a new anchorage for us with a view of mountains out the mouth. Erwin declares that behind every mountain there are more mountains. A very true statement.
The cove shallows suddenly and unexpectedly — the charts are guidelines at best. We’re in sixty feet of water, but two boat lengths from us, low tide has uncovered the bottom. Bald eagle walk along the exposed earth squabbling with each other.. Here, bald eagles are most common non-aquatic bird we see.
During the motor to the park, we watched a humpback breach and then repeatedly tail slap and wave a dorsal fin.
Black small dolphins were playing hide and seek with us. We’d see a silouette appear for a moment and then disappear for an inordinately long time. For Jennifer and I, we know they’ll be back and are certain about what we’ve seen. With less experience, the question is, ” Did I really see a dolphin?”
As we were leaving the Park Service dock, the engine balked at starting, but ran fine once underway. Are we getting air in the fuel lines again? I’ll find out in an hour.
This morning there are low clouds at the tree tops.
We’ve been watching the charter boats and one cruise liner on AIS and listening them talk on VHF. Visibility is limited today, they tell each other. Most cruising boats turn theirs off at night, though the standard is that AIS is never turned off. Our friends, Shane and Kendra, pointed out that their Juneau was wired so that turning off the chart plotter turned off the AIS — mystery explained.
We have a ten am anchor lift. It’s 9 am. I’ll make a light breakfast for everyone and we’ll be on our way.
Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.
