Highlights: "Anchors up" call at 3:30 am to time the high tide out of Oliver Inlet, and a glorious run across Stephens Passage into a gorgeous sunrise, then swinging north past Douglas Island into Gastineau Channel and on to Juneau.
Starting the day at 3:30 am has its upside: the tranquil setting of Oliver Inlet is, remarkably, even more serene at this quiet hour...
Exiting Oliver Inlet and heading for Juneau...
Sunrise over snow-capped mountains and shimmering on Stephens Passage. Amazing natural beauty at every turn, and at every hour!
Beyond making passage in the early morning hours...
Finally...Alaska's capital city, Juneau, comes into view!
The Humpback Whale sculpture in Juneau's waterfront park could not be more appropriate - and we can vouch for how lifelike it is!
...and to scale too!
One again, Lady Luck (Nicole) shined upon us as despite not being able to make prior dock reservations, all three Ranger Tugs were able to secure dock slips, with power, for an entire week, in the same marina among the four city marinas. This, during peak tourist and fishing season, and the week of the big July 4th celebration. We were not adjacent each other (pictured is Seaquel next to a larger Nordic Tug), but we were all on the same finger pier, almost within shouting distance.
Juneau represents a sort of temporary "sea change" for our flotilla. For the past 5 weeks we have moved swiftly from the U.S. San Juan Islands through British Columbia, finally taking a layover day or two here and there as we explored Alaska. Juneau will serve as our base for the next week and the boats will remain in the harbor for the entire week.
Over the next two days, we will service all three boats under Glen's supervision, including oil and filter changes, transmission fluid and filter changes, fuel filter changes, etc. Basically a 200 hour service interval that is required for the Volvo D3 diesel engines.
Glen will then leave Journey dockside and fly to Seattle for personal business and return in 3 days. Meanwhile, Ollie, Pam, and Mark have booked tours to fly from Juneau to Gustavus, at the head of Glacier Bay, to board an 80-person catamaran for a tour of Glacier Bay; and the next day the three of us have chartered a floatplane to visit Pack Creek Bear Observatory. Meanwhile, Peggy will remain with Nicole and Moxie on Seaquel. We have also rented a car for a day, so Peggy, Nicole and I can: 1) pick up supplies for Nicole; 2) Visit the National Shrine of Saint Therese; and 3) Visit the Mendenhall Glacier. Somewhere in between we will see some of the local sights around Juneau, and then on July 8th (Day #37 of our trip), all three boats will proceed south. So the next few postings will show some amazing side trips from our base here in Juneau.
~Mark
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