05 July 2008, Yakutat Bay.

We arrived at Yakutat with flat seas and sunny skies, so things looked good to start with. The pilot boat was on time with pilots, Rangers and the Indian Interpreters but we had to leave Ted in the boat as he had forgotten his ID card and Ed had to do it all by himself. While we were sailing up the bay, a North westerly wind started to blow, which made it a bit chilly for the guests but great for me, as it pushed the ice to open water and that meant that I could go faster towards the glacier than is quite often the caseThus we managed to get as close to the glacier as I like to go. Closer might be feasible but the soundings (under water depths) are not reliable and I have no plans to become a permanent fixture with the ship in the Yakutat. Also I do not think that Holland America Line is planning to open a Hotel there on short notice so I keep a bit of a distance from the face of the Glacier. Going too close to the glacier does not make much sense anyway as you loose the overview. It is so massive that when getting too close, the only thing you see is a wall of ice. You cannot see the calving unless it is right in front of you, as the glacier face is not a straight line but meanders.

So a view from a (short) distance is the best option. It also gives a good idea of something exciting that is going on at the moment. Hubbard glacier is on the move. It is moving forward and since about 10 days it has started to close off Russell Fjord again. It did that in the past and then the water level of Russell Fjord (which is about 15 miles long) rose by 60 feet before the ice wall gave way. For awhile the scientists got really worried about the wild life inside as the Fjord was cut off from the salt ocean water and started to “freshen out” endangering the salt water species trapped inside. I was there with the Rotterdam (V) about 2 days after the ice wall caved in and it was amazing how much water was still pouring out 48 hours later. So it will be interesting to see if this is going to happen again. At the moment the Eastern face is completely past the South wall of Russell Fjord but there is still about 3000 feet clearance between the ice wall and the fjord entrance.

With the North westerly wind still blowing, sailing out of the upper bay was considerably easier than last time and I only arrived an hour behind schedule at the pilot station to say good bye to the Rangers and to Ed. An hour I can make up so we will be in time in Sitka. The weather for tomorrow looks very un-settled at the moment. There is a deep depression moving towards Vancouver Island but it might turn north. If that happens it will be a wobbly arrival and a windy day. If not then we should only have a rainy day to contend with. Wind also keeps the fishermen inside and that makes the approach to Sitka anchorage easier as well. The anchorage in Sitka is very well sheltered, if a storm is blowing outside it normally comes down to a gentle breeze at the anchorage.

We are tomorrow together with the Infinity and the Silver Shadow, so it will be a good day for the shopkeepers. Tonight, is formal night and I have a new employee of the month to introduce; one of the ships plumbers. Plumbing, especially the unclogging of all sorts of pipes is one of the more un-glamorous jobs on the ship and these guys seldom get any credit for it. If one day a hamburger does not taste right, you might not like it, but you will forget quickly but if your toilet does not work……………… Thus the ships plumbers perform a vital role and I am very happy that one of them has now been chosen as employee of the month. I will post a photo on the blog as soon as I get one.