The morning greeted us with 5 knots of wind at Sukoi Islets, which was a grateful relief after the strong winds at Chatam Straight yesterday. As we made our way towards LeConte Glacier, we began to see evidence of the glacier’s calving. Large chunks of ice floated by the windows as we ate breakfast and by the time we reached the anchorage, we could see icebergs the size of small houses beached on the shores, left there from the ebbing tide.
Tours in the inflatable boats began shortly after breakfast and took guests up towards the glacier, where the waterways become even thicker with floating ice. Large icebergs literally split in two as we approached them, eluding to the events occurring as the massive glacier upstream breaks down and eventually becomes water in the sea.
Shortly after boarding, as we set out on our way to Petersburg, naturalist Elise shared a history of Alaska in the lounge, giving context to the islands, waterways, and people we have met along our journey.
The regularly sleepy fishing town of Petersburg was booming with early Fourth of July activities. Guests were able to choose from local activities such as the herring toss (chucking whole, small fish into a floating life ring from the dock) and blindfolded rowboat races. Combining the local festivities with the fabulous expedition activities of flightseeing (float plane) tours, muskeg (bog) hikes, dock walks, and photography walks, life ashore was in full swing - complete with BBQs and live music.
As if that wasn’t enough, we returned to the ship for the feast of the week – endless Dungeness crab legs, ribs, and cornbread. The flavors of dinner were a perfect complement of the small town celebration. As we enjoyed another epic Alaskan sunset from the bow of the ship, a couple of humpback whale tales on the horizon added the final touch to a spectacular scene.
