The Island Spirit and the Inner Passage. When we were invited to join a group of friends for an Alaskan small-ship cruise through the inner passage, we jumped at the opportunity. We left Seattle May 2 on the Island Spirit, which was to be our home for two weeks, and headed north. The ship carried 32 passengers with 17 staterooms, each with a private bathroom and a large window. There was also a large community room with plenty of space for all the passengers. If you chose to be outside, there were several different viewing areas on top of the ship and fore and aft. A chef kept everyone happy with the menu selections. In addition to the sights from the ship, we were able to kayak in calm waters for closer looks at the terrain and take short sightseeing trips in a large skiff. The Island Spirit is a three deck ship originally built in 1978 as an oil field supply vessel. It was rebuilt in 2002 to its present conformation. Large Caterpillar engines power the vessel during the day and charge batteries that allow the ship to have power in the evenings when the ship is anchored and the engines turned off. We enjoyed the quiet nights and the lengthy twilights. Cruising through Canadian waters for the first three days, we watched as signs of civilization were slowly overtaken by wilderness. Our first stop was in Ketchikan and then we traveled through the Behm Canal and Misty Fjords before making another stop at Wrangell where we took a power boat trip on the Stikine River. We spent a night in Petersburg before cruising to the Dawes Glacier and through the narrow passage called Ford's Terror. Most nights we anchored in protected coves or fjords which us the chance to explore in the kayaks and the skiff. We saw whales, seal, sea lions, eagles and even a bear, fresh from hibernation while observing the beauty of Alaska from our floating home. The two weeks passed too quickly before we disembarked in Juneau. We had traveled in passages too small for the large cruise ships and seen beauty that is difficult to put into words. Being able to see the magnificent Alaskan wilderness up close was a wonderful experience that will be hard to surpass. Maybe these photos will help tell more of the story.
Day 1. We boarded the Island Spirit in Seattle with 32 other passengers and headed toward the inner passage and Juneau, AK.
Day 2. We are still east of Vancouver Island at nightfall where we saw a beautiful sunset. We didn't stop for the night because our captain was trying to outrun a storm rolling in from the Pacific. He usually tried to stop at night so the boat engines wouldn't disturb us.
This is Terry Jones, a longtime friend, who put this trip together for a group of his friends. He was also one of the captains a few years earlier on our sailing trip in the Windward Islands. He looks pretty happy here being the old salt that he is.
After the first two days we began to see fewer signs of civilization except for the occasional small settlements. These well-kept buildings belong to the Canadian Coast Guard.
Day 3. We have reached the narrow Discovery Passage. No big cruise ships here. The mountains dip down to the water and we see our first eagle. We pass the Campbell River and Cape Mudge before stopping at a deserted cannery to deliver this gentleman's mail. He lives alone here with his dog Buddy.
A clean-looking boat. It's either a small ferry or a fishing boat. In any case, it's moving on past us. You can see a little snow on one of the mountains in the distance.
Day 4. Welcome to Ketchikan.
We have the day to explore Ketchikan where people are fishing for salmon off these boardwalks. The big cruise ships sometimes stop here but today we have the town to ourselves.
We wanted to see the totem museums in Ketchikan. The first one we tried at the Sax village was closed; however there was a nice museum in town where we had an excellent tour by a native guide.
After leaving Ketchikan, we spent the night in a deserted cove where we enjoyed the mountain scenery.
In the morning the crew launched the kayaks. Kathy and I kayaked about half a mile to look at an interesting waterfall.
After we checked out the rock filled waterfall we paddled back to the ship. The wind was a little stiff on the way back and it took some hard paddling to return to the Island Spirit.
Day 5. During the night, the captain had moved the ship to Anita Bay, a more isolated spot. I woke up while it was still dark and after coffee photographed this foggy scene .
By the time we prepare to leave for Wrangell, the fog had lifted and we were treated to this view of the mountains' reflections in the water.
Kathy, Mary Collins, Becky Jones and Nan Caporaso get ready for breakfast. The food was good and there was plenty of coffee in the morning.
Leaving Anita Bay we docked at Wrangell to refuel. The two ships here are part of the Alaskan Marine Highway System. You can travel up and down the Alaskan coast on these large ferries. They also offer rooms for overnight stays while traveling. Like Amtrak, they stop at all the small settlements. Some of the fishermen in Wrangell have been seen on TV show The Deadliest Catch.
Day 6. Another calm morning. The weather has been perfect, warmer than usual and no rain. While standing on the upper decks we have a panoramic view.
We pass more beautiful scenery on our way to Petersburg.
We spend the night in another protected cover where we kayak and see whales. One spouts off just a few yards from several kayakers.
Day 7. We docked in Petersburg, which with its protected harbor, is home to a large fishing fleet. This area was once used by the Native Americans for summer fishing camps. The town was originally settled by Norwegian fishermen and today has a Scandinavian flavor. I was glad to hear the large cruise ships can't come here.
We see a number of tall waterfalls that are carrying the last of the snow melt from many of the mountains.
Day 8. We cross Frederich Sound until we reach Baranof Island. We enter a protected cove and twist and turn through a narrow passage with towering mountains on each side. At times there's less than a hundred feet on each side of the boat. We stop for the night surrounded by snow-capped mountains. We are among the lucky few who have ever seen this sight thanks to our small ship.
Day 9. Mother's Day. We drop anchor just off shore and take the skiff to the Tenakee Springs dock. The village is on Chichagof Island and has a population of about 130. Bicycles are popular here.
This is the main street of Tenakee Springs. In fact, it's the only street. The village has Tlingit roots and is well known for its mineral springs. The Tlingits are one of the native tribes. We also saw bear scat on one of the walking trails which added a little spring to our steps. The village is served by the Alaska Marine Highway ferries which brings a few more people here for the summer.
Visitors here make sure they stop at the Partytime Bakery run by Darius, the son of Rei Munoz, a noted Alaskan artist. The speciality is huge cinnamon buns that take two hands and a determined diner to finish.
Day 10. We spend the night anchored in White Water Bay. We leave Frederick Sound and move into Stephen's Passage. This little settlement was the only sighting of life as we sailed toward Ford's Terror.
It's a great day for eagles, whales and sea lions. When we see a whale pod, the captain slows and circles the ship so we can spend some time photographing them. I was only quick enough to photograph flippers but we did see some mighty leaps. Later the crew put the skiff in the water and we got a good look at a sea lion colony. We spend the night just off Endicott Arm and prepare for our exciting trip through Ford's Terror.
On our way to Ford's Terror we make a brief stop where the captain brings the ship close enough to a waterfall that we can hold cups out to capture some of the cold water. We all take a drink.
Day 11. The anchor comes up early for an exciting day as we prepare to enter a narrow channel known as Ford's Terror. It is named after a naval crew member named Ford who, in 1889, rowed a dinghy into the narrow entrance of the fjord at slack tide. The tide began to rise, forcing its way through the bottleneck entrance into the fjord, and Ford was trapped in the turbulent currents for the next "terrifying" six hours. Since our captain has the tide tables, he knows the exact time to sail through the narrow passage. The strong tide pulls us in and we are there until the next day when we will ride the tide out.
After a few apprehensive moments, at least for me, we are safely inside. We pass towering granite cliffs and eventually put the anchor down in a secluded cove. It is still and beautiful, if I haven't used that word enough. A small sailboat follows us in probably thinking our captain knows what he's doing. So we enjoy the majesty of the Alaskan scenery for the rest of the day and evening. We are ready for the next day when we will get a close look at the Dawe's glacier.
Day 12. Early risers see another foggy morning as we prepare to catch the outgoing tide that will help take us out of Ford's Terror.
We pass a long, narrow waterfall that must be a thousand feet tall. What it lacks in volume it makes up in height.
We leave Ford's Terror and move further up the Endicott Arm. From a distance we get our first look at the blue color of Dawe's Glacier. The naturalist on board tells us blue is the color of pure glacier ice. It is compact with few air bubbles since the weight of the ice has squeezed out the air. He said the ice reflects the blue colors of the light spectrum. As a result the blue is so pure it resembles a sapphire. Who knew.
As we get closer you can hear pieces of the glacier breaking off, or calving. The sharp cracks of the ice separating sound like rifle shots.
We slowly move closer to the glacier and pass these seals sunning on pieces of ice that have broken off from the glacier. They don't seem bothered by the ship.
The captain finally comes to a full stop at a safe distance. Everyone is trying to photograph the huge pieces of ice plunging into the water.
Day 13. After we leave the glacier, we cruise on to Juneau where we spend the rest of the day and spend our last night on our little Island Spirit. We have seen things that seemed almost too grand to be real. We have not even seen half of the Alaskan coast, but we have memories that will last a lifetime. This little Alaskan girl looks like she's sad we are leaving.
