Today we paid the price for the beautiful sunshine of yesterday. When we arrived at the entrance of Glacier Bay, it was rainy and gloomy with very low hanging clouds. It reminded me a little bit about The Lord of the Rings. Frodo on the way to the Misty Mountains. It took a while before the Rangers Boat had found us in the low hanging clouds but by 07.00 they were all on board and we went north towards the glaciers, greatly helped by 5 knots of following current. The tides were with us today. Northbound we had the flood and southbound we had the ebb and that saved us about 20 minutes of travelling on the engines. That translates quickly into a saving of a $1000 on fuel so the Chief engineer had a good day. The schedule that we follow with the Rangers on board is quite strict and as a Captain I can only deviate if Navigation (ice & low hanging clouds) demands so or if I can add something extra within the allotted time frame.

whale waters

The first thing that is stipulated directly by the National Park Authority is the speed in Glacier Bay. At no time is it allowed to go faster than 20 knots. When the whales and other wildlife appear in the late spring, early summer, the Park Management might impose more speed restrictions. This normally occurs by mid-june. Then the lower bay can get crowded with whales and ships traffic then has to slow down to 13 knots or even 10 knots through the water. We call this “Whale Waters” and the ruling comes about when the Rangers observe a higher concentration of whales. For this purpose there are weekly bulletins issued which show the whale concentrations in and around the bay. The ruling specifies “speed through the water” to take the tidal currents out of the equation. The whales are subject to the same currents as a ship and thus only the relative speed through the water is of concern. That makes it possible for a ship to still make 20 knots if it has the maximum current of 7 with her, but will comply with the 13 knot rule through the water. If it is an adverse current of 7 knots, then the captain is not really happy as you then only make progress with 6 miles towards your destination.

The onboard program is also regulated. In close cooperation between the Park Rangers, the company has set up a presentation schedule on board, that works around the sightseeing in the Bay and the narration which one of the Rangers gives from the Bridge. To see if it will all work out, the whole group that comes on board first comes to the bridge to meet the captain. As we know most of the Rangers, it is always a “hello nice to see you again” and we quickly go over the route. The group normally consists of the Ranger for the narration, a Ranger for the interpretation and the bookstall, a representative of the local Indian Tribe and a wildlife observer. The latter one parks himself on the bow and remains there all day. I have the greatest respect for this gentleman. If there was ever dedication to the job, then it is shown by him. Whatever the weather, rain wind or temperature, he stays on the bow. With a pair of $50,000 binoculars he scans all day the surrounding area and notes his observations. I am impressed every week by him. Today must have been very chilly in the rain and cold wind.

Between boarding and about 9 am, when the narration in the Upper Bay starts, there is the first presentation by the Lady who represents the Huna Tlingit people who are native to the Glacier Bay area. Then the sightseeing starts and I have to make sure that we spend 4 hours in the upper bay, including spending at least one hour off the Marjorie Glacier. Then on the way back there is a presentation by the Rangers in the Main Show lounge about the wonders of Glacier Bay.

Today, I had a bit of a challenge, as it remained hazy in the Bay and although Marjorie Glacier was very clear the surrounding area was not. I wanted something more to please the guests. So I decided to poke my nose into John Hopkins inlet as that bay is normally clear when the rest is not. It was, and thus the guests were treated to the soaring vistas of this enormous glacier climbing up the mountain. I cannot go into the Bay, as it is off limits from 1 July to 1 Dec. due to the pupping season of the seals. But I can do a spin at the entrance and that gives everybody a good view.

By 16.00 hrs. it was goodbye to the Rangers and we sailed towards the North Pacific Ocean. Tomorrow we will cross the Gulf of Alaska. It is supposed to be rainy and very windy but it will be a following wind and thus we will not notice it that much.