Due to the distance between Ketchikan and Juneau and the fact that we have a late evening stay, we arrive in Juneau at the decent time of 10am. As there were no low hanging clouds last night I could catch a decent night’s sleep and was ready for an approach by 07.30 hrs. The pilot had once again managed to find his way to Juneau so all was well in the world. The weather forecast had promised a dry day but I was not convinced in the beginning as it looked a bit gloomy and it had rained during the early morning. Wisps of clouds were hanging halfway up the mountains and that was not good either as then the tour flights cannot go. Continue reading

Indeed it was a glorious day in Ketchikan. It did not look like it when we arrived in the early morning, gloomy and overcast. But it was clear, very clear and that indicated a good day. If it is hazy and murky than you know that you are in for more low hanging clouds and showers but if it is very clear then you know that there is no precipitation and things look good. So it did for us. By the time we had docked, the clouds started to break open and by 10 am the skies were blue and the sun bore down on Ketchikan. Not that is was a warm day, the temperatures barely reached 60oF /15oC. But it was a great day for all the cruise guests that swarmed ashore. Continue reading

On the way up again, we followed the same route as we had come down the night before. The slack tide at Seymour Narrows was at 02.00 hrs. in the morning and thus I was on the bridge between midnight and 7 am while we were going through the various narrow patches on this run. Although the whole area was having little wind, the direction of the wind that was there was just having the right angle to blow West to East through Johnstone Strait and that created a funnel effect. Causing the wind to increase from 5 knots to about 21 knots. Unusual but I did not mind as it kept the low clouds away. In the middle of the Strait (near Kelsey Bay and Earl Ledge) the mountain ridges widen a bit, causing the winds to diminish in velocity and promptly the white wall started to build up again. Once the mountains were back in line again, the wind picked up and the white wall lifted. For a cruise ship captain, wind is normally your enemy but sometimes it works in your favor. Continue reading

According to plan we lined up for a 01.00 hrs. passage through the Seymour Narrows. This takes a bit of organizing by the pilots as on a Saturday night, you have cruise ships southbound and cruise ships going northbound. On top of that fishing boats, tugs and tows and if you are unlucky also private yachts. The main thing is that the ships do not pass in the Narrows as it is too small to have room for two ships that are drifting through on the current. Sometimes hours before, the pilots are already in contact trying to figure out what would work best for all parties. Now with modern technology, texting is one of the methods that are being used as well. Continue reading

What I was afraid would happen, did indeed happen. When it is a nice day in Ketchikan, we will pay for it the next day with low hanging clouds. Very dense and very low hanging clouds. Luckily it remained clear during the night and I had an undisturbed sleep, as I knew today was going to be a very long day indeed. Seymour Narrows tide was going to be a late night affair. But by 10 am. it became “a very small world” and the white wall was not further than about 300 feet away from us, and there it remained. Once in a while it teased us a little bit by letting blue sky come through but the moment our hopes went up, the curtain came down again. Such a beautiful day and we did not see anything. Continue reading

In between all this Alaska weather, navigation and inspections there is also still the guest element involved in a captains job, although in Alaska it is on a much more reduced scale. The amount of time needed on and around the bridge, plus the extended port times, do not allow for many activities in that area. Also the need is much less as the majority of the guests see the ship as a convenience to get them there, where they want to go, and are fully focused on what Alaska has to offer. And that is the way it should be. Once we are out of Alaska the focus of the guests will be again more on life on board. The destination might still be a big draw but the sea days around the port days fully focus the guests mind on what the ship has to offer. The social side of the captain’s function then comes much more into play than is now the case. Continue reading

It was a very early morning when we came around the corner and steered into Gastineau channel. This is the approach water & canal towards Juneau. We had to go for a 04.30 approach time as the whole parade of cruise ships was coming behind us and it simply works easier if we dock first and are then out of the way for everybody else. So blazing the trail for the rest of the world we sailed up the channel and parked ourselves at the Alaska Steamship dock at 06.00 hrs. Behind us was the Norwegian Pearl, followed by the Island Princess, followed by the Celebrity Century. By 09.00 hrs. The port was full again, only the anchorage was not in use. Which is nice as it makes our departure a lot easier. When a ship is at anchor it normally sits on the location where you want to swing and then you have to go to the North East corner of the bay and that takes more time. Continue reading

The weather forecast had already been indicating that wind was to be expected and we were not disappointed. When we left Glacier Bay, it started to breeze up and by the next morning there was 30 to 35 knots blowing from the South East. In a way that was our luck, it was with us and that meant very little issues for Haines. The town is sheltered from the whole south side and only opens to winds from the North. To approach the dock when coming from the southern part of the Lynn Canal you have to make a 90o turn to the west and then gradually you come into the shelter of the mountains. By the time we approached the dock the wind had died down to 10 knots with the occasional gusts of up to 20 knots. Continue reading

At 07.30 we changed course from the South East to the North East and rounded Cape Spencer. Here we left the Gulf of Alaska behind and entered Cross Sound which forms the entrance to the Inside passage. Here we collect our American Pilots again who will stay with us until Ketchikan. They fly into a little village where there is a nice hotel run by a husband and wife and he also runs the pilot boat. I have never been there but the pilot likes the food and hospitality and I never hear them moan when the weather is too bad for the float plane to fly them out. I always offer breakfast as soon as they come on board and only when they board here, they refuse has they have been loaded up with sufficient food to last a week when they have stayed there. Needless to say that none of the pilots are really of the skinny kind. Good food in the hotel and good food on the cruise ships. Summertime pilotage in Alaska is not a bad gig. (I could not get a good photo off the internet, so here is the link: www.tanakulodge.com Continue reading

Today we were sailing the same way back as we went west the day before yesterday. A gloomy day with low ceiling clouds and a bit of wind from the South East. The weather front that was threatening to bring a lot of wind to the area decided to cancel its performance for the time being and thus it was a nice and quiet day. Recently I posed the theory that whales do not like rain, and I do not know if it is true, but today we had a lot of whales; and no rain. As they were humpbacks they were quite lively. Humpback whales are considered the clowns of the whale family and today they did live up to their reputation. Continue reading