July 5, Friday
I emerged from my bed at 4:00 am. The fishermen were already hard at work, gathering their crabs, replenishing bait, and releasing the traps for the next harvest. It was no simple task—I counted 52 floats, though I’m not entirely certain I tallied them all.
As we departed Snug Cove, the overcast skies gradually transformed to bright blue, and an eagle gracefully trailed behind us.
After carefully navigating the rocky entrance of Gambier Bay, we found ourselves back in Stephens Passage. Just like the previous day, we were treated to an incredible show as the whales foraged for food.
Humpback whales can spout water, or create a cloud of air and condensed water vapor, up to 20 feet high and their spouts can be heard from up to 800 feet away . You can barly see this spout but if you can see it on the water you have a better change at getting a picture of the whale coming out of the water.
In this case, I saw the spout and still didn’t get the picture.
In this case I had to take the picture from inside.
As we continued our journey northward, we encountered our first iceberg—a pristine white mass with a captivating hint of blue.
Holkham Bay serves as the gateway to both Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm. These arms are characterized by turbulent waters, swiftly moving icebergs, and, at their terminus, stunning tidewater glaciers—namely, North Sawyer Glacier and Dawes Glaciers. Intrigued, we decided to explore the icebergs and the anchorage area frequented by cruise ships. Unfortunately, the anchorage was unavailable, prompting us to press onward.
We arrived at Taku Bay at 4:59 and moored at the public dock, happy to be in a safe, beautiful bay.
