Monday, June 29, 2009

Summer Solstice

Since our last posting, we completed two charters on the M/V Ursa Major between Petersburg and Sitka. We had the opportunity to visit Tracy Arm, an ice-choked fiord south of Juneau.


The ice found in Tracy Arm is from the South Sawyer Glacier, (seen above).


Josh drove the M/V Ursa Major within two miles of the glacier face and close to many harbor seals and waterfalls.


My duties for the trip in Tracy Arm included netting small ice chunks for cocktails with the fish net and pushing ice out of the way with the boat pole.


Josh photographed these two brown bears near the Hidden Falls hatchery on Baranof Island. Brown bears can range in color from light tan to black. It is the shape of the head that distinguishes true brown bears from true black bears.


This family of killer whales were photographed outside Tracy Arm feeding on herring.


Dall's porpoise are known for their rooster-tailing behavior and are common bowriders on boats. These marine mammals are prey for killer whales.


Friday, June 5, 2009

Fishing in Sitka Sound

We took a day off last week between charters to enjoy rare sunshine in southeast Alaska and to fish in Sitka Sound.

Joyce, our fearless leader of the M/V Ursa Major, reeling in her halibut just off Cape Edgecombe.


Josh holding the fruits of his labor for the day. He caught the first halibut of the day.


Emily hoisting up her delicious halibut. This one proved to be quite the fighter.

Glacier Bay National Park

At the end of May, we took the M/V Ursa Major to Glacier Bay National Park with our fearless leader (and M/V Ursa Major owner), Dr. Joyce Gauthier.


The above photo of the M/V Ursa Major skiff was taken at the base of Reid Glacier, a tidewater glacier where we anchored for one night. Emily and Terry, a friend of Joyce's, were attacked by Arctic terns, (a sometimes angry bird species), when they accidentally walked too close to a hidden nest. No one was hurt but the wrath of nesting Arctic terns should never be doubted.


Part 1 of enthusiastic humpback whale breaching. Just when we thought we couldn't top the whale antics on the last charter, this humpback whale breaching just outside Glacier Bay National Park in Inian Pass took the cake. Not only did he/she earn bonus points for sheer acrobatics and enthusiasm, but this whale breached and taillobbed (vigorous slapping on the tail) for an hour.


Part 2 of enthusiastic humpback whale breaching.


Part 3 of enthusiastic humpback whale breaching.


Part 4 of enthusiastic humpback whale breaching.


Onto brown bears... This particular bear was caught him in the middle of barnacle tasting on the beach. Note the exposed tongue.


The brown bear kept turning over rocks in his continuing search for barnacles and seaweed.


Yes, we were really this close to the brown bear.... in a motorized skiff.... with a telephoto lens....


Glacier Bay National Park is also the home to numerous Stellar (or Northern) sea lions. This particular group was found swimming just off a Stellar sea lion rookery.


This juvenile Stellar sea lion was caught doing flips just off the rookery. Note the numerous Stellar sea lions laying on the rocks.


The park is also home to the elusive, and comical, Tufted puffin. They are designated as "Tufted" because of a yellow feather tuft found at the back of their head.


We managed to get pretty close to the Tufted puffins from the M/V Ursa Major but as seen in the above photo, they can be fairly skiddish.


Gray wolves were also present within the park boundaries. This pack was out for a morning stroll on the beach.


This whitish specimen of the gray wolf was also traveling with the pack on the beach.


Harbor seals were seen throughout the park on the ice flows near calving glaciers. The glacier behind this particular harbor seal is Marjorie Glacier.


This sea otter was seen on the way to Glacier Bay National Park. He was part of a flotilla of twenty sea otters found on the west side of Chichagoff Island.


Josh in front of Marjorie Glacier. This photo was taken just prior to the glacier calving into the bay. The wake from the ice fall was felt on the M/V Ursa Major moments later.


Emily enjoying the view from the sun deck prior to anchoring at Reid Glacier.


Our friends on the M/V Ursa Major for the trip: Nancy, Terry, Joyce (fearless leader), and John.


Steak night on the boat at Reid Glacier. The glacier can be seen just behind the barbeque grill.


The view between Marjorie Glacier and Reid Glacier. The weather and visibility for the trip was spectacular for both kayaking and wildlife viewing.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

The Inside Passage

Our first trip on the M/V Ursa Major for the summer season was a two week charter from Anacortes, Washington to Sitka, Alaska. The wildlife viewing along the way was spectacular, as seen in Josh's photos of the journey.

A brown bear foraging at low tide in Sergious Narrows near Sitka. The heavy snowfall received in southeast Alaska and coastal British Columbia at all elevations forced bears to the beaches earlier than normal this summer to forage.


Humpback whale breaching in Frederick Sound near Petersburg, Alaska (part 1).


Humpback whale breaching in Frederick Sound near Petersburg, Alaska (part 2).


Humpback whale breaching in Frederick Sound near Petersburg, Alaska (part 3).


Humpback whale breaching in Frederick Sound near Petersburg, Alaska (part 4).


Humpback whale breaching in Frederick Sound near Petersburg, Alaska (part 5).


The whale activity we've seen in just the past few weeks was more extensive than the whale activity we saw all last summer in southeast Alaska. We are expecting this summer to be quite exciting for whale watching!



We also caught 500 jumbo Alaska Spot Prawns in our shrimp trap. The largest shrimp we caught was almost 1 foot in length from antenna to tail. Delicious......

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

May 2nd, 2009

After a brief engagement across two countries and two time zones, Josh and I were married at a little wedding chapel in Las Vegas on May 2nd.


We spent four days in Las Vegas between our Mexico and Alaska charter seasons and had quite the time. After we were married, we spent the rest of our honeymoon attending Cirque de Soleil shows, riding rollercoasters, driving go-carts, gambling, and relaxing in the desert sun. Viva Las Vegas!!


We also held a pre-wedding reception in Seattle for our family and friends prior to our wedding. Thanks again to everyone who attended our little party!