The plan for the day was to head up to the Tarr Inlet and anchor for lunch and exploration. We had set this plan after talking to the Ticket to Ride crew that told us we could anchor, dinghy in, and setup lawn chairs to watch the glacier calving.
We did a brief exploration on the nearby shore so the kids could play around the icebergs that had got trapped when the tide went out. One of Michael’s main highlights for the entire trip was eating glacier ice.
Michael saw Matt break off the left wing of this glacier so made an attempt as well…
We then dinghied over to a shore area that was very close to the glacier to set up watch. On the way, WE SAW PUFFINS!
The glacier was calving pretty regularly, and we saw a large chuck spew down and shoot off the side. The sound coming from the cracking ice is crazy and so much louder than we expected.
Caught a bit of the iceberg calving!
It was a great afternoon watching the glacier.
We then retired to the boats and decided to stay for the night as the area was calm with a gorgeous sunset view over the glacier. The tides did change a bit bringing some mini-bergs to lodge between the rafted boats. After some finagling, we rigged the double kayak between the two bows to detour bergs from going between the hulls. Worked like a charm and we slept soundly after that!
Today was a rest and explore day as we waited for Coda to make its way into the park on their permit starting today. Coda arrived just in time for coffee! Surely Boris & Mayli were thankful as coffee on SI is a bit (uh, completely) lacking. Worst hosts ever! 😉
We spent a few hours of the morning fishing. Since we were at 70-90 feet at our anchorage depending on tide, I thought maybe it was a good place for halibut. And it didn’t disappoint. We got many bites and pulled up a decent size halibut to feed all of us for dinner and we still put over half in the freezer. We also caught a couple pacific cods but didn’t end up keeping them as they were pretty small. We would have fished a little more but cleaning one bigger fish on Coda was enough mess for one day. Ticket to Ride also threw in a pole and caught a halibut that didn’t fit in their net.
We pulled down the double kayak and took turns paddling around the cove. Just when Annette and Tonia were headed off, we shouted and pointed to shore. There was a black bear!
Bear! (circled)
We spent an hour running around Geikie Inlet on the dinghy and would have explored more but it started to rain and we called it an afternoon. We did see many momma otters holding their babies watching us intently as we passed (we kept good distance so as not to disturb them).
After dinner and a delicious raspberry cake with ice cream, the Ticket to Ride crew came over for happy hour and good conversation. The Capt Steve Manhattans were flowing with the newly restocked supply courtesy Norma & Jeff.
What to say about Muir Inlet? It’s pretty and has great scenery. However, we noticed that the tour boats aren’t in the area. The reason? Compared to the rest of Glacier Bay it lacks some of the draw that perhaps it used to hold with the glaciers receding quite a bit in recent years.
Tonia had to gently but firmly extract a starfish out of the anchor chain as it came up…this starfish already had two short legs so perhaps had pulled this stunt before?
We spent the day motoring up and back. Took in the sites and had lunch outside where the glacier used to be.
About two-thirds up there is an offshoot of the inlet that goes to the McBride Glacier. We didn’t have the right tides to go in, so we just opted to look from afar and head on to the night’s anchorage.
The anchorage for the night was Shag Cove inside of the Geikie Inlet. We anchored in 75 feet of water that turned to 90 when the tide came. The wind was a little strong when we arrived but then calmed to nothing and we had a peaceful night.
Another boat joined us in the cove, and low and behold, it was Ticket to Ride – the boat we met in Tracy Arm that Barbara and Liz did the polar plunge with.
The 15th was an early morning as we needed to get Jeff & Norma to Bartlett Cove by 7:30 am for their Glacier Bay tour. That meant slipping the lines at 4:30. It was a nice calm morning. There were otters everywhere! As we entered Glacier Bay there were multiple humpbacks along the coast and did we mention otters everywhere?
We arrived to Bartlett Cove before 7am with just enough time to get their luggage checked at the lodge and see them off on the tour.
Bye Jeff & Norma!
Glacier Bay tour boat St. Theodosius
Tonia and I wondered around the Glacier Bay Lodge and Visitor Center a bit.
View from Bartlett Cove Lodge and the tribal community house nearby
SO many wee little fishes seen from dock
We then took off for the anchorage targeting the Sandy Cove area so we could do the park in a counterclockwise fashion. As we got closer to the anchorage area a boat popped up on AIS in North Sandy Cove so we adjusted course so to South Sandy Cove. Closer to the cove, we started noticing whale activity and then saw that the entire South Sandy Cove was occupied by three humpback whales. We hovered for a while only to realize they were not going to budge so rechecked the charts and the boat that was in North Sandy Cove was departing and we decided to try there. Coming down the North Sandy Cove Inlet we saw more whale activity and found that there were four humpback whales in this cove! What to do? We were tired from getting up early, so we found a spot well away from the whales in the alternative cove approach and set the anchor. The rest of the day was spent recuperating and watching the whales and many stellar sea lions go around the cove. They did come over by our anchorage every so often and came really close to the boat a few times, which was a cool thing to see and also a bit scary.
They were close!
Whale whistle! (sorry for the generator noise in background)
Photo compilation of whale tail
The weather was good, and the anchor was holding so we decided to stay put where we were for the night and next morning so we could wait for Mayli, Boris and kids to arrive the next day. The whales had moved out of the cove and could be seen in the far distance.
Around noon on the 16th we kayaked over to Puffin Island (FYI, no puffins there) and walked about half of the island, picking some nagoonberries (relative of salmonberries) as we went. We walked across to another island with the low tide to take in the view as well as nearby passing whales. On the return walk the whales decided to come back into the inlet and shortly after a sailboat wandered in. I’m sure they were wondering why we decided to anchor in a very weird spot. By the time they got by our boat though I’m guessing it was obvious as the four whales were back and occupying the normal anchorage location.
Checking out Puffin Island
Wild strawberries!
When we got back in the kayak, the whales were a long way off. However, they were headed towards us. We both paddled hard and barely made it back to Sudden Inspiration before the whales were just off the bow. It was a bit scary as I’m not sure I want to be in a kayak with them circling around. Another boat came in about that time and had to wait for the whales to move off before completely entering.
Around 5pm, just as the seaplane with the Hodak clan was coming over the mountains, the whales came back to visit. The pilot pointed down and Boris asked how he knew which boat was ours. The pilot responded. No, check out the whales. We got a pretty good video of the whales going by and the seaplane pulling up behind Sudden Inspiration, not to mention an awesome way to welcome our guests! We all enjoyed a hearty crockpot stew and brownies topped with the fresh-picked nagoonberries while taking in the whales and stellar sea lions frequenting the area.
Before we left Swanson Harbor, we pulled the crab trap and brought up three crabs, of which one was definitely a big keeper. Norma & Jeff enjoyed a lovely crab lunch for their anniversary. Cheers!
We put the dinghy down and went to see what was going on around Gustavus. There is a large ferry dock and a lot of mooring buoys out in the channel but didn’t see much else from Icy Passage. There was a river entrance that was kind of marked so we headed down that slowly and found a boat ramp and what the locals call the marina. I don’t think I’d venture into that marina on anything but the dinghy. After 30 minutes of exploring to see if we could get into town somehow and get milk, we gave it up and headed back to the anchorage.
The anchorage we did was off of Pleasant Island and somewhat in the middle of Icy Passage. It wasn’t rough at all but the current kept a good pace at all times and it gave the appearance we were underway.
There were otters everywhere!
Barbara’s delicious bean & sprout patties and lemon-zested dessert!
Our next stop was Swanson Harbor, a nicely protected bay surrounded by islands that came and went with the tides. On the way, we saw whales!
There are two free floating docks, which made the stay extra nice not having to worry about the anchor.
We took dinghy rides around the bay catching a glimpse of a dolphin and the token eagle. We also took a jaunt to shore at low, low tide and there were many starfish to see – if one can find them all blended into the rocks!
After our wonderful stints at Fords Terror and Tracy Arm, it was time to head to Juneau for a crew change (both sad and happy times). We would have so many more videos of Christian’s drone footage but our connection barely allows us to upload photos so we’ll have to do a video montage page at the end of the trip… stay tuned!
Goodbye to No Name Bay
last icebergs from Tracy Arm
We found a slip in Harris Harbor near downtown, got settled in, and then headed to town. We found Norma & Jeff on the way to the first stop, Red Dog Saloon, for duck fart shots and some quick bites.
We ate a quick dinner at the Alaska Fish & Chips Company before Christian & Liz had to scramble to make their flight. There was some worry of luggage weight overage with the many souvenirs bought but they were under the limit and made their flight back to Seattle for a week to transition to their Sweden trip. They were most excellent crew!
Liz: bestest boson, stew, deckhand! Safe travels!
July 11
The next day we spent the morning reprovisioning and then in the afternoon took the sky tram up Mount Roberts to take in the view of Juneau and more. Norma treated us to beverages and fish and chips while we took in the sights. We checked out the large gift shop and visitor center. On the walk back, we took a pic with the Juneau sign thanks to some friendly Wisconsinites (tell your folks I says hi!) and walked the boardwalk to Roma upon a recommendation for some tasty pizza and lasagna.
Teddy size!
Patsy Ann
Ah, Tracy’s… seen but will have to wait for another visit… 😉
We heard many good things about the Tracy Arm, so we decided to take a full day to explore it. The day was overcast and misty. There were many more waterfalls along the way running down the steep hillsides to the green-blue water dotted with floating icebergs flowing down the arm from the glacier. We reached the end with the Sawyer Glacier and its deep blue hues and craggy peaks. There were many seals dotting the floating ice at the bottom of the glacier. It was truly awe-inspiring to see and photos again don’t seem to do it justice.
Seal!
A nice treat was when Coda saddled up with fenders down to hand over a hot cup of cocoa for Tonia who stood in the rain on the bow with her beverage keeping her warm. Couldn’t have it any better!
Perfect Dilettante Hot Cocoa Courtesy Capt Steve
Christian got some nice drone footage of a nearby boat at the glacier so Liz took the plunge and called the boat, Ticket to Ride, on the radio. They caught the hail and provided an email address to send shots to. However, it turns out that they were in the bay we anchored in for the night and we waved them over when on their dinghy ride to grab some iceberg chunks. Frank & Mary Grace along with their son and Hawaii guests Eric & Amelia then invited our group for a polar plunge. There was some hesitation though Liz and Barbara were ultimately in! Liz may have had the shortest stint in the water (last in, first out) but she did it! And Barbara jumped in twice! They must have impressed the Ticket to Ride group as they came by later with crew shirts for their boat for Liz and Barbara. They were both thrilled. (Side note: Ticket to Ride’s name is based on the Beattle’s song, not the board game. 😉)
We left around 10am to head to Fords Terror to hit the 1:04pm high-tide window for entering. As we were leaving the anchorage, we were called by vessel La Vida asking our intentions. After we told them Fords Terror, we had a few exchanges about hoping there was enough room and we’ll see what happens when we get there. In the 2.5 hours it took to reach Fords Terror we assimilated La Vida into our group and had plans to add them to our raft for the night.
Arriving at Fords Terror there was a boat that had passed us and decided to not go in. They communicated that there were already two boats waiting and they did not want to risk the crossing with other boats. We briefly had the same thought but decided to push on. The worst-case scenario was that we’d have no place to anchor and would have to leave at the late-night high tide. Not the most optimal of outcomes but we’d make it work.
It turns out that one of the boats waiting was a charter and had no plans to go into Fords Terror. They had their dinghy down and were ferrying people in and out of the area so they could kayak and see the sites inside. The other boat waiting was a smaller boat, and another smaller boat came in behind us and radio that they would follow us and there was going to be plenty of room. Turns out that was Intuition, the red boat that was checking at the Sydney border crossing just before us!
After a brief wait, it was time. We headed for the rapids right before the tide time, but the current was visibly slower. Coda led the way. It was a fun ride. We all went a little sideways and Coda was probably closer to the side wall than I’d prefer but we all made it thru with just a little jockeying. Check out Christian’s drone video as it does a good job of showing the ride.
The area inside Fords Terror is amazing. Great waterfalls and an overall awesome experience. The anchorage is rather deep being in the 90-foot range. We sent Tonia and Christian off in the dinghy, and they set a stern anchor in the mud flats with some finagling and resetting to reach Coda’s stern line. The bugs were not friendly but Christian was quite the trooper! We set a second anchor off the front, and we were set in our 3-boat raft.
Rafting in Fords Terror
Our new boat in the raft was La Vida and their crew was Konrad and Lea from Dallas. La Vida was a charter boat that they picked up in Sitka as part of a group and they broke off for two days to visit Tracy Arm and Fords Terror. We all got together for a delicious potluck dinner.
After dinner we went out and checked the shrimp pot and were pleasantly surprised with a bunch of shrimps. The next day we had multiple hours until the high tide at 1:45pm. Just before coffee we went out and pulled the shrimp pot and got a full load of just about 3 quarts. Enough for snacks, dinner, and leftovers with a to-go baggie for La Vida too. I would say we’re getting better at shrimping, but it was our only real success so probably need more data.
After coffee, we took the dinghies around the area to check out all the waterfalls and the other side of the arm. Steve and Barbara pulled the dinghy up to shore and planned to walk around but that was cut short by a bear that happened to be feeding nearby. The bear took off running and Konrad and Lea got a video of it swimming and running for the hills. Steve made a quick retreat to his dinghy as well!
It was eventually time to head back to the rapids and our 1:45 high-tide appointment. We broke up the raft, pulled in the stern anchor, stowed the dinghies, and motored back to the rapids.
I would have to say that the trip back across the rapids was not easier, and it was actually a little more anxiety-inducing and terrifying. We were the last boat thru after watching La Vida and Coda traverse. La Vida looked to pause in the middle, and we had a little fright that they may end up in the rocks. Coda took it a lot faster and made it with a little side motion. For us, I think we went just when the tide was switching, and we had some swirly action. We also had radio chatter about a boat on the other side that was a little impatient and was going to go so we had additional stress. Luckily, the boat stayed put when they saw us around the corner.
Overall, Fords Terror was amazing, and I would highly recommend it even with the 15 minutes of stressful maneuvering it takes to get in and out. Here’s the rest of the photo dump:
Today was primarily a transit day. We wanted to get up closer to Juneau and set ourselves up to see Fords Terror and Tracy Arm before Liz and Christian depart on the 10th.
It took us about eight and a half hours to make the journey. The wind was tolerable for the most part and we had a decent ride across Stephens Passage.
We saw whales multiple times during the voyage and had to stop once because a whale appeared out of nowhere 30 feet in front of the boat. Thankfully Liz called it quickly so we could avoid a collision! Another whale was giving a WWF smackdown show with multiple whacks of its tail in a row. Quite the sight to see!
This was the most popular cove/bay we’ve stayed in so far, likely since there are not many nearby options and it’s a great jumping off point to both Tracy Arm and Fords Terror.
Mini floating icebergs down Tracy Arm to our anchorage cove
Sudden Inspiration 