Arctic Star started our day alerting the fleet to a brown bear walking on the beach in Tracy Arm Cove! It slowly ambled across the shore, checking under rocks for what bits it could find, but clearly, it was making its way to the lush sedge grass on the tombolo two bays further. We delighted in watching it until it disappeared into the tall grass where it settled in for breakfast.

As the fleet made our way out of Tracy Arm Cove, we passed turquoise blue icebergs backlit by the sun that had drifted down the fjord overnight, making a perfect resting place for a flock of gulls. Passing between the cannisters that mark the submerged moraine, the current carried the boats sideways as if slipping on ice.

Calm water in Stevens Passage made for good whale watching conditions. La Vida headed out a bit earlier to do some fishing on Point Hugh and later radioed that many whales were feeding in the area. Numerous blows and lunge feeding entertained us, so we shut down the engines and listened to the whale blows across the flat sea. Further along as we neared the San Juan Islands, we spotted our first sea otters. They rest on their backs, paddling with their hind feet as if riding a bicycle. They oriented themselves to keep an eye on us but are otherwise unbothered by our presence. A few mamas with their pups riding on their tummies were absolutely enchanting.

Cannery Cove is a magical place almost reminiscent of Hawaii with its verdant green slopes rising straight up from the bay and waterfalls pouring from the heavens all the way to the cove. At the mouth of the cove is a stream flanked by Spruce and Hemlock and many acres of blue-green sedge grass covering the delta in the foreground.

This is a great place for kayaking, so Joe, Meredith and Jane went for a paddle into the stream and around the bay. Kayaks have a very shallow draft and move silently allowing us to stay close to the shore, observing the terrestrial plants, birds, intertidal fish, and algae all at once.

La Vida went fishing and caught a few rock fish that they shared with Koa Lanai. Chris and Matt began filleting them and Anna decided she would like to learn how to fillet fish. Matt demonstrated the technique with some instruction and then Anna took over. A quick study, Anna cleanly filleted her first fish like she was simply removing a shirt. She was so happy and proud of her accomplishment and was determined to fillet the rest of the rock fish alongside Chris.

Bonum Vitae and Koa Lanai rafted on either side of Deception while the rest of the fleet found their favorite anchorage. We watched a few float planes come and go to the lodge as we settled in for our evening meals and relaxation. Everyone feeling blessed for the sequence of warm sunny days and flat calm seas.

P.S. Is Alaska on your bucket list? We can take you there! Email us to reserve your spot on our 2023 Mother Goose AK Flotilla. charters@nwexplorations.com