the indescribable....

May 10. 2010               

Ketchikan, AK

How do you describe the indescribable?

Hopefully, some of these pictures will convey  the thousands of words needed to describe the grandeur and intensity of the first ten days aboard. We left Friday Harbor, WA, aboard the M/V Catalyst on April 30^th with eight guests, some from as far away as the Netherlands.

We have seen transient orcas, mink, otters, Stellar sea lions, a very rare elephant seal, too many bald eagles to count, and a pod of Dall porpoise zipping along with us at the Catalyst's bow wave.  

We have chugged past countless 

waterfalls,   hundreds of islands and passed through majestic fjords.

For the most part, the weather has been beautiful as we've threaded our way up through the inside passage of British Columbia. We did have two very rough days of heavy seas crossing areas exposed to open ocean, but found safe anchorages for each night. Many days we have had the anchor up by 5 A.M. in order to connect with favorable currents and tides later in the day.

We stopped one afternoon at an abandoned fish cannery and it's tiny village, Butedale. The one resident was there to greet us and give us a tour of what was left after years of neglect. Looks like a great MDS project site!  

 

The last evening of the trip was, of course, the Captain's Ball.  We dressed up in the fanciest duds we had aboard.  Some more fancy than others!

 

After clearing customs this afternoon, the guests departed and the crew walked in to Ketchikan for parts and supplies. Even after such a relatively short time in the wilds of coastal British Columbia and Alaska, it was disconcerting to see “civilization” again. The solid ground doesn't feel quite right under foot.

We are off again tomorrow for Petersburg to reposition the boat for the next group of guests. There is still room!  

If you would like to view ALL the photos, they are posted on photobucket.   http://s739.photobucket.com/albums/xx31/lubberlines/Friday%20Harbor%20to%20Ketchican/

 Missing you all with fondness, and wishing there was a way to share this all more directly. I'm not sure when we will next have availability to the internet, or even cell service, but I'll keep you posted as I can!