Glaciers indeed have a micro climate around itself because as we sailed through the drizzle and drip during the early morning, it suddenly cleared and it remained dry all the time we were in the fjord. Luckily it remained overcast as well and the result was some incredible views of Sawyer Glacier. This Glacier tends… read more of “30 July 2015; Tracy…”
Guessing the correct weather for Ketchikan is a lot easier than winning the lottery. The chance that you get it right is 332 (days) out of the 365 is quite achievable. During those 332 there will be some rain. Varying from Horizontal Rain, Torrential Rain, Steady Rain, to Showers, Drizzle & Drip. Today we had… read more of “29 July 2015;…”
Just after midnight we dipped into the North Pacific Ocean and there was even less wind than expected. It was nearly flat calm. However the swell was there, rolling in from the Gulf of Alaska and being slightly higher than expected. I observed 7 to 8 feet and that made d the Statendam gently move… read more of “28 July 2015; North…”
As far as distance is concerned it is only a short hop between Victoria and Seattle. As far as the captain is concerned it is a very long hop to make. That has to do with changing pilots and the broken sleep on this stretch. The ms Statendam pulled out just before 23.00 last night… read more of “27 July 2015;…”
By 08.00 in the morning, the ship lined up for entering Strait Juan de Fuca. Because it is such a busy waterway the strait has been divided into an ingoing route and an outgoing route. It is called a Vessel Traffic Separation Scheme. (VTSS) The peculiar thing with Juan de Fuca is, is that the… read more of “26 July 2015;…”
Today the ship spent the day in the North Pacific Ocean, racing down the coast by following the western shore line of Vancouver Island. If you are on a ship which goes to Vancouver you follow the Northern Shore line which brings you past Alert Bay and Seymour Narrows. We are on a cruise which… read more of “25 July 2015; North…”
After a bit of a wobbly night the Statendam arrived in Sitka. Being the only larger ship in port it could anchor on the nearest deep water anchorage, reducing the tender distance considerably. I have been there with 3 ships at anchor in the past and the furthest one out was looking at a tender… read more of “24 July 2015;…”
And then the good ship Statendam sailed from Kodiak and headed for Yakutat Bay. It turned out to be an eventful ride. First the Bright Star alarm went off, indication a medical emergency in one of the guest cabins, and it turned out to be a real emergency. Sometime later the Captain came on the… read more of “23 July 2015;…”
