I don’t know how or why but for three days in a row we have had porpoises riding our bow wake as the flotilla heads towards Juneau, AK. We have enjoyed every minute of it!

Technical driving through Zimovia Strait gave everyone a chance to get into close-quarters with shallow reefs and small islands dotting the landscape. This is a place where the prudent mariner checks for strong flood and ebb currents. Not to worry! One of the greatest benefits of cruising with NW Explorations is that you have an experienced captain providing all the route planning for you so you can relax, follow their lead and enjoy the breathtaking scenery as it unfolds before you.

The flotilla arrived in Wrangell at 1400 today, just in time to get tied up to the docks before the rain hit. Something about these waters is so majestic. The glacier up the Stikine River provides a plethora of nutrients and sediments that create a sea of emerald green matching the tightly grown cedars and spruces that cover every steep hillside. A brilliant display from the rain gives a spectrum of more than a thousand shades of green from the summits of the snowy peaks, down the river valleys full of Sitka spruces, to the salmon-filled waters below our keels. Never have I seen so much green! Pale mosses hang lazily from droopy spruce branches, vibrant algae cling to every piling along the pier, and the grasses give off a vibrant jade around the picturesque houses of Wrangell. It’s a beautiful fishing town with lots of history.

There is a fine mist in the air, the locals wear nothing except t-shirts and jeans, even when it rains. This is summer in Alaska and I’m happy to say it’s been a great day.