Today will be the last time I write a blog post until we get into Vancouver on Sunday (unless something noteworthy happens over the next couple of days). Being overly dramatic we are locked on a cruise ship and can’t even access the walkways because of an arctic low in the Gulf of Alaska with winds up to 102km/h or 48 knotts).
Because of the inclement weather we won’t be going to Ketchikan today. The winds are too strong for the ship to safely manoeuvre in the narrow harbour. We also can’t go into the open ocean so the ship is hugging the coast with islands off to our right offering protection from the large swells. Needless to say being trapped inside a giant metal sardine can with thousands of coughing sneezing old people without being able to go outside is not our idea of a holiday. We will likely never ever cruise again. we do appreciate the captains decision that 48 knott winds were outside the safe operating parameters in Ketchikan and that the port was cancelled for our safety. Our lumberjack show tickets have been refunded already, as have our port fees.
Yesterday (day 5) was Glacier Bay. The weather was cold and wet but we are hoping to see a glacier calve today.
As we cruised down the inlet towards our first glacier, we saw lots of otters playing. We were trying to stay dry and warm so Stu and I went out onto the level 3 boardwalk. We tried the crows nest but everyone from the ship seemed to be up there, so we headed outside. All of the indoor public areas that serve coffee are always so busy on this cruise, I think because it is so cold outside and level 9 and 10s decks have been closed most days.
We ended up back on our balcony with Linsey and Molly and watched the otters (and one seal) go by as we pulled up the Margerie Glacier. It is beautiful and awe inspiring. We didn’t see any calving but when the ship turned to the other side (we were too cold and wet to head up to 9 with everyone), we heard everyone cheer – they said it calved 2 or 3 times while the ship was turned to the other side.
We then moved up to Lamplugh Glacier, which didn’t calve, and finally up to the John Hopkins Glacier. As a sense of scale the final glacier was still 10 miles away but seemed to be quite close – they are hundreds of feet tall.
After lunch Stu and I went and watched a presentation by a First Nations Elder which was very interesting.
After this we cruised down to the entry of Glacier Bay National Park and said goodbye to the Rangers. It was about this time that they made the announcement that tomorrow (today) is cancelled because of the Arctic Low and the risk to safety if they tried to dock.
I made up for it with a haircut, beard trim and wet shave last night and then a pamper package this morning.
Next post Vancouver.
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