Chasin' Tail... (Whale Tail)!

So fitting for today!  In the Washington Post.

  Tail slapping humpback whale at the entrance to Portlock Harbor, about 55NM NW of Sitka, AK.

  Same whale, same place, about 10 minutes later.

We departed a bit later than I wanted at 0920 (9:20am).   That is not a B&W shot, BTW...  I wanted to be off the dock at 0900 to catch slightly more favorable currents.  A few minutes can make a big difference in currents here.  But, in this case, not a big deal as it turned out.

This is a view northward up Lisianski Inlet towards Elfin Cove as we were departing Pelican.   We had to retrace our route a bit to get to Lisianski Strait, which takes us southwest out to the ocean.

Heading out Lisianski Strait towards the Gulf of Alaska and the open ocean, just past those last islets with the white water breaking all around them.

Our navigable channel is the narrow bit between the rocks.  It isn't wide and it isn't deep, and it had a fairly strong current running through it.  That caused the waves to stack-up (taller and shorter period).  Nothing Blue Redd couldn't handle with aplomb, but it was a bit bouncy.

And we are out.  I don't know how Sarah Palin did it, but I can't see Russia from here.

Actually, that would be the Kenai Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands (500NM distant) - but I can't see those either.

  Light seas on our run between Lisianski Strait and Portlock Harbor.  They were a bit rolly as the seas were on the beam (side).

Karen, wedged into her corner while we are out bouncing around.   Look at that loving smile!   She must be having the time of her life!

But seriously, if she could read the iPad, it can't be that rough!

Note for guests: We have a no barfing rule aboard.  I promise not to take the boat out into seasickness producing seas, unless you insist.

That is actually Rule #2.   Rule #1 is no inadvertent swimming.  You must stay aboard at all times while we are underway.

Cue the bears...  See the shoulder hump?   That is a brown bear, aka grizzly, though people around here call them all brown bears.  Their notion is the brown bears are coastal whereas grizzly are inland.  They are genetically identical, but the coastal bears are bigger (more plentiful food sources) and less aggressive (probably for the same reason).  Grizzly are known for their aggressive behaviors, probably because they have size envy (Napolean-Complex?) and are hungry.   Black bears don't have a shoulder hump at all.

He (assuming solitary male) has made an appearance at the various grassy areas around the bay over the course of the evening.

Our route to date - minus the blue line that is an artifact we cannot figure out how to delete...

If you want to follow us in near-real-time, the link below takes you to our map which is updated about every 15-minutes.   PredictWind.com - The World Leader - GPS Tracking

Salad, Irish Stew and Scotch...   What can I say?   We did have glacial ice, courtesy of master berg hunters, John & Susan, (THANK YOU).

Nothing like a good hearty meal to heal what ails you, or so I hope.  I've got whatever Karen had.   She's now better and I'm on the downside.  I hope to be all health in 6 days when Taylor & Lizzy arrive.  FWIW, by then I should be fine, and this should be a disease-free boat.

Good Night from Didrickson Bay, My Friends.