Margerie Glacier Calving

After provisioning, booze shopping and at last buying Stephen’s 60th birthday present, fishing gear and a replacement crab trap we cast off our lines to explore Alaska.

Wendy and Peter had stayed with us before on Amelie but for David this was going to be an experience that he will never forget! David as a fellow Oyster owner gave good advice and took away a few tips that we use on Amelie together with sharing his splicing and knot prowess. He taught Wendy how to splice the ragged end of one of our mooring lines and replaced the “Turk’s Head” knot on the steering wheel. Every time we touch or see the knot we are flooded by fond memories of David and his dry sense of humour. David joined us by flying in from the UK so ofcourse that meant a goody bag of spares which we couldn’t get in Canada or the USA. The most important was a new watermaker primer pump so that we could start making our own water again. Since arriving in Canada we’d been reliant on Bubbles supplying fresh water in exchange for doing their washing since their Miele had been down since January. At first when the watermaker was ‘fixed’ the awful banging noise remained but after ‘phoning a friend and changing the primary filter, we were making our beautiful water again. The coffee machine resumed it’s duties after three men had looked and tinkered with it! The physical work on Amelie was taken over by Peter and David which gave the First Mate a much appreciated break for three weeks. Happily we moved off the pontoon and headed for Coot Cove, fishing off Douglas Island but with no success. The skipper reports we had flasher issues.
The following few days were spent in the wilderness, Dundas Bay off the Icy Strait. Very few cruising boats visit this area and during this time we seldom saw anyone. Horsefly Bay was nearby and the pesky critters decided to welcome us to the bay, an absolute nuisance who appeared when the wind died down. They can bite through clothes and we resembled crazy people swatting them with anything we had to hand. We came out the champions although for days we were hoovering up dead flies. David hooked a 8 kg Skate early one morning and we dined off this succulent fish for several days. The number of Sea Otters increased and our crab catching equalled one by the end of the three weeks. Sea otters adore crabs and the local fishermen detest them but as they are protected, nothing can be done about it. We all fell in love with these mammals with their cute inquisitive faces, carrying their pup on their tummies and many a time we saw rafts of Otters passing the boat, watching us with what looked like expressions of amusement. We were privileged to witness a pair of Otters mating which is a lengthy affair with the female fighting to stay afloat. The trusty Humpback Whales showed their moves for our guests and as we travelled towards Glacier Bay, this was a regular sight. David and Debbie serviced the windlass, the first time in several years….shame on us!

Idaho Inlet is reported as being a good place to catch Halibut, alas we were unsuccessful. So off we motored to Port Frederick, Hoonah and moored up to the transient dock close to the fish cleaning station, after refuelling. During this time we saw a Humpback lunge feeding very close to the dock, spectacular sight. Hoonah is the largest Tlingit settlement in Southeast Alaska and we were privileged to see all ages hollowing out a trunk with basic tools for a native kayak. Tourism has arrived in this small town, with most shops selling gifts for us tourists to take to the folks back home. Five people on the boat provided much amusement and sometimes we became very silly and giggly. David announced that some of the local ladies resembled Halibuts and I’m afraid this stuck. Many of the men had long beards that jiggled when they spoke and it was difficult to maintain eye contact. To be fair everyone we met were friendly, helpful and accommodating. Many fishing tales and tips were exchanged on the dock and several visits to the tackle shop proved to be successful and hilarious. Peter donned a few hats for Wendy and Debbie’s amusement and left the shop with a neat little number. Stephen had a big smile on his face after purchasing a net, Diver, herring bait and other articles that are necessary for fishing! Wendy and Debbie deliberated over whether a set of mammoth braces should be bought for the skipper so he could dress like the locals. As he has lost so much weight he struggles to keep his trousers up, the local fisherman do not have this problem. Eating out is always a treat but there was something about Mary’s Cafe that will stay with us. We were asked if we wanted to drink alcohol (is the Pope Catholic?) as we would need to transport it in a bag and guiltily we handed it over to our waitress who snuck it into the kitchen and returned with quart sized polystyrene beakers for each of us. The Halibut meal was delicious and perfectly cooked and we reeled back to the boat, enjoying a few more drinks in the cockpit.
To protect our livers we left the next morning after another visit to the tackle shop, catching a large Dungeness Crab in the trap and a good sized salmon on the way out, the diver was a success. Wendy made the most delicious coriander tartare sauce to go with the salmon and minted some new potatoes with the crab as an appetiser the following day. Neka Bay was our stop for the night.
The fishing bug had got a hold and the following day the boys fished all day catching…….nothing. We caught up with Bubbles for a final supper as we will not see them until September, in Flynn Cove and set our crab trap.
Stephen pulled up his crab trap to find a large Halibut caught by it’s gills. Supper was decided there and then. Halibut are strange looking fish, they are bottom-fish or flounders with a flat and simple appearance. The fish starts its life looking normal and after six months the left eye migrates to the right with both eyes on the same side of its head. They live for many years, unless caught and eaten. Excitement was building as we were going to the Glacier Bay Park. We left surrounded by a fog bank and the temperature started to drop so most of us layered up. The organisation of Glacier Bay is regimented and we requested permission to enter at midday after obtaining our permit several months before. We watched a short film and listened to a ranger explaining the rules of the park. The park has been a national monument since 1925 and Bartlett Cove is the only developed area.
Glacier Bay has more than twenty glaciers at various stages, some thickening and advancing and others stable or receding. The water is a minty green/blue with colourful kelp adorning the shoreline. The wild flowers and bright purple weeds light up the upper shoreline before the thick forest of trees takes over. The beauty of this area cannot be described, each time we believe we are seeing the best, we see better. Our senses are overloaded and with few boats in the park, you feel that you have it to yourselves. They limit Park entry to 25 private boats at a time.
Whale Waters are between Bartlett Cove and the first part of the park. Instantly we were watching breaching and diving Humpbacks feeding along the shoreline. We kept a safe distance and headed for Ripple Cove for the night. Whales were a huge feature throughout our time in the park and not only Humpbacks but Sperm Whales and Orcas.

The noise of motoring becomes monotonous so if we can sail we will, this was seldom and this particular day was a long one. We headed for the Muir Inlet passing hundreds of red and white beaked Tufted Puffins in Sednee Cove. The noise of chainsaws from the South Marble Island turned out to be a noisy settlement of Stellar Sea-lions. The bulls were enormous and made the most noise, the sows and pups slept on the rocks in the sun, barely raising their heads when we glided past. The plan of the day was to visit the Riggs and Muir Glaciers which are both slowly receding, between 0.5 and 2 feet a day. Since they were our first glaciers close up it was pretty exciting but the best would come several days later. The wind was icy cold and we entered Wachusett Inlet without difficulties..Within a short period of time, Peter (Hawk Eye) sighted a largeGrizzly Bear foraging for sweet shoots and crustaceans on the shore. The anchor being lowered didn’t disturb him but allowed us to take some fantastic pictures of his/her large shaggy head. We watched the bear amble along the shore for about an hour before they disappeared from sight. This inlet is also famous for a photograph of a motor boat high and dry on rocks, showing the necessity of getting your anchoring right. We slept well that night.

Blue Moose Cove was to be a highlight to our trip as we saw a pod of Orcas hunting a poor little Harbour Porpoise with Sea Otters keeping their distance with a watchful eye. The Orcas were fascinating to watch as they worked together driving the porpoise closer and closer to the shore. The Porpoise did get away and the Orcas got bored, seeking more successful hunting elsewhere. We eventually anchored in a “quiet zone” where the generator was not to be used between 10pm and 6am. This also meant any further exploration in the cove had to be by kayak and rowing the dinghy, no engines of any kind were allowed beyond our anchoring spot. Wendy got into the Tinker Tramp and Peter trailed out the painter until Wendy was adrift without oars. Thank goodness there wasn’t any current, we got her back to the boat and loaded up both vessels and took off to explore. Nothing apart from a fleeting glimpse of a deer and a seal, so back to the boat for Happy Hour and supper.
We motored for miles up the Tarr Inlet and firstly visited the Margerie Glacier. This is a stable glacier but spectacular, the noise of the cracking was like thunder and we heard it before we saw it. Gingerly we moved around the face of the glacier watching the odd piece of ice plummet into the sea causing huge splashes and then, one area carved in front of us, plunging into the water causing a mini tidal wave and icy wind to travel quickly towards Amelie. Peter caught the moment on camera and Stephen put the engine on and motored us out of danger. Exhilarating and frightening all at the same time. The water turned a milky mocha colour and chunks of ice became the “bergie bits” floating with the current. I’m afraid the huge John Hopkins Glacier that is advancing and thickening was a disappointment in comparison. We spent a huge amount of time dodging ice bergs and ice sculptures, many of which had sea-lions lounging on them. The day just got better by a sighting of a large Grizzly turning over stones for tasty morsels. He was unperturbed by us and when he had exhausted his endeavours, he cantered off into the forest. We anchored off Russell Island and celebrated a great day……..more alcohol. We battened down as it was cold and foggy and blasted the cabin with heat.
The next day was fog, fog and even more fog. Stephen had to retrieve the crab trap and unfortunately it had been dragged 150 metres up on the shore. He waded in and climbed the boulders to reclaim his trap as he had lost one already, no crabs only seaweed. He returned to Amelie, damp, cold and shivering but soon warmed up with one of his special Hot Chocolates with spray cream. When you get days like this you yearn for a sighting of anything and we were congratulated with a breaching whale not far from Amelie.
The weather continued to be vile with fog, rain and winds picking up to 31 knots. We reluctantly got out of our bunks to motor back to Wachusett Inlet, as we were determined to see a Grizzly fishing. Once again the Gods were looking down on us and we witnessed an ox sized Coastal Brown Bear (larger bear of the Grizzly family) patiently watching for the running salmon in the river. Delicately he/she moved into the flow and within seconds he/she scooped a huge salmon on the rocks. The bear calmly devoured his tasty high tea. That night we had our first black, black night as up until then we had a dull light all night. Roast Duck and the trimmings cooked by the skipper made it a real celebration.
Sunday was our departure day out of Glacier Bay and we motored towards Gustavus in Icy Passage. Gustavus is a quiet village with the tiniest main street we had seen on our travels. Our taxi driver, Strawberry gave us a very expensive guided 5-10 minute tour to the best eatery in Southeast Alaska……Gustavus Inn. We arrived at a small guest house with a garden to die for. The starter is taken at the bar and we chatted away with the locals, gleaning some more fishing advice plus a donated hook. They only use local fish and vegetables from their garden and as it was a nice evening as we walked around their small holding. The bread and desserts were also homemade, absolutely delicious, no menu only what they cooked that day and they continually replenished the salmon and gave us a doggy bag of bread to take home. A $90 taxi ride back to the boat, round trip of possibly 4-5 miles told us we wouldn’t be returning in the near future. Quite an experience, the place would make a great movie set for a thriller.
More horrible weather but we ventured out for a fishing day and caught nothing……that’s fishing for you!
We had planned to go to Swanson Harbour on our way up to Glacier Bay and we eventually anchored late afternoon in one of the prettiest anchorages in our time in Alaska. The bay had several boats anchored and two public floats but there was so much room for more. It was our first day without rain for a few days and the sunny evening added to the beauty of the area.
During this blog we had heard that Jaz is coming out for a month and meeting us in Prince Rupert but the timing meant we could explore more of this magnificent area. We also planned with the family that we will return to the UK in February for three weeks. 

It was getting close to us getting Wendy, Peter and David back to Juneau but had hoped to stay in Swanson Harbour. The weather Gods had other ideas, so off we travelled in bleak conditions to Douglas Harbour (Juneau) so they could get their flights early Thursday morning. Our last supper together was one of hilarity, discussing amongst other things, the properties and uses of bleaching. We were not looking forward to saying goodbye. For us the trip had been brilliant, once again so much laughter and cementing our close relationships with friends who are important to us. Hopefully we will see them again either on Amelie, UK or Grenada.