Friday 21 May - Friday 28 May 2010
21 May 2010 - Depart from Juneau & cruising down Gastineau Canal
Welcome to Alaska, today we depart from Juneau on our 7 night cruise of Alaska’s Inside Passage. We are aboard the Safari Quest - American Safari Cruises’ 22 guest vessel. The Crew on the vessel gave us a warm welcome and we feel at home already! However, we are here to do some extraordinary market research, we are here to help finalise and brainstorm how to make the Innersea Discoveries itineraries even more amazing. Read on to see what is in-store for the inaugural season from May 2011!
Innersea Discoveries itineraries are for the truly adventurous. However, if you have never kayaked before do not stress, on our first night we were given a kayak lesson in the lounge room, sadly we did not seem to go very far on carpet.
May 22- Windham Bay to Frederick Sound
So many activities are on offer for the day. For the truly adventurous the opportunity was there to kayak to Chalk Bay. Or jump on the skiff and take a ride to explore and discover Windham Bay, when we stopped we were in complete stillness where we could watch the bird life on the water. Kayaking in the pristine bays is always a highlight, it is amazing to see nature up so close, say hello to an inquisitive harbour seal as it pops up the see what you are up to, look through the clear water to discover the sea life underneath.
We took a hike on shore and with our informative guide we were taught how to count the age of the layers of moss, to see small plants in the undergrowth and to listen out for birds.
As we were cruising towards Frederick Sound we got so close to the Sea Lions on Sunset Island we could hear them fighting amongst themselves for some space. In Frederick sound we were so close to the humpback whales we could hear their breathing. As the vessels are small accommodating a maximum of 49 people it is a very intimate experience, in the evening we all discussed and shared our experiences of the day.
23 May - Thomas Bay, Baird Glacier to Scenery Cove
This morning we awoke and were in the beautiful Thomas Bay, we were surrounded by pristine water, mountains and the freshest air imaginable. At Spray Island we saw Bald Eagles Nests, in the background we could hear the movement of the trees as a bald eagle took flight. For the hikers among it was off in a skiff to Baird Glacier. For the brave water skiing is an option, just don’t fall in as it may be a little cold!
24 May - Le Conte Glacier, Le Conte Bay Ideal Cove & Wrangell Narrows
As they say the early bird catches the worm! or in our case gets to see the spectacular scenery. At 5:00am we were up at the Bridge, to see Petersburg as we cruised by. Soon to
follow was the entry to Le Conte Bay, the icebergs continued to get bigger and bigger as we approached the entrance to Le Conte Bay. There is nothing like a warm hot chocolate as you hear the sound of breaking ice under the bow of the ship. Some of the icebergs did a flip for us! To get up close we were in the skiff maneuvering around the enormous icebergs, only to see and hear an iceberg drop and break and take on a new shape. We also had a chance to kayak amongst the icebergs.
We also went on another amazing hike in Ideal Cove, walking through the beautiful rainforest to Beaver Lake where we saw some native orchids .
25 May - Wrangell, Stikine River Jetboat then afternoon sail to Deer Island
A jetboat ride at 8am up the Stikine River, we got up close to Shakes Glacier, on the way there is always something to look at as you pass mountains and waterfalls. We were in luck today the wildlife were out and about a black bear on the beach and bald eagle flying above. After lunch we had the opportunity to visit Chief Shakes clan house for story telling by 3 Tlingit women in traditional costume. The highlight of the day was kayaking in water so clear we could see the orange star fish and schools of fish beneath us!
26 May - Yes Bay
We had another beautiful sunny day after the mist cleared, we are surrounded by Mountains and the scenery is breathtaking! We took a skiff ride to the end of Yes Bay where we scouted a rock to have a picnic lunch on. lunch was followed by kayaking, for those who are feeling adventurous join the crew on the paddle boards.
27 May - Anchor Pass down Behm Canal to Walker Cove - Misty Fjords
Throughout the cruise we were given a wealth of information from the crew, today we learnt about the rock formations and the “Ring of Fire”. Skiff rides in Walker Cove, getting close enough to a waterfall in Walker Cove other passengers actually had a “shower”. As it was the last night we had the Captain farewell dinner and a slide show of our trip. However the highlight of the day was seeing a pod of 9 Orcas at sunset!
28 May - Arriving in Ketchikan
Disembarkation this morning, what an amazing experience we had! It looks like it will be an amazing product, with adventure to fit all levels,but being able to cater to the adventure traveller.
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