Cruising Prince William Sound
After overnighting in Anchorage, we drove to Whittier and boarded the 65 ft. classic yacht M/V Discovery for three days’ cruising on Prince William Sound. Wonderful scenery, calm waters, and many remote areas to explore. The first afternoon we hiked on Culross Island to the site of an abandoned gold mine. On the second day we kayaked around a waterfall in Cascade Bay, the largest waterfall in Prince William Sound. Also visited an oyster farm and got to meet the local oysterman, who gave us a crash course in growing and harvesting oysters. A special treat was encountering a Tufted Puffin on some rocks; the bird flew just as we approached, but I managed to get a photo. Also saw Steller Sea Lions on the rocks in a couple of places, along with a few sea otter.
A special treat for the third day was visiting some of the larger glaciers on Prince William Sound in College Fjord. Many are named after Ivy League schools; the most spectacular is Harvard Glacier, which is actively calving. Most impressive to hear and see the gigantic pieces of ice breaking off and crashing into the water!! Later we moved to a less active area and kayaked around some glaciers that were not calving. The following morning we moved through Harriman Fjord and more glaciers! While we were cruising among the glaciers, we were also treated to the sight of seals and sea otters among the ice “bergy bits”. Some of the sea otters were carrying their pups on their chest, which they will do until the pup is about two months’ old. One mother was nursing her pup on an ice floe. Unlike other marine mammals, they don’t have a layer of blubber to stay warm, instead relying on extremely dense fur to keep the cold water away from their skin.
Read MoreA special treat for the third day was visiting some of the larger glaciers on Prince William Sound in College Fjord. Many are named after Ivy League schools; the most spectacular is Harvard Glacier, which is actively calving. Most impressive to hear and see the gigantic pieces of ice breaking off and crashing into the water!! Later we moved to a less active area and kayaked around some glaciers that were not calving. The following morning we moved through Harriman Fjord and more glaciers! While we were cruising among the glaciers, we were also treated to the sight of seals and sea otters among the ice “bergy bits”. Some of the sea otters were carrying their pups on their chest, which they will do until the pup is about two months’ old. One mother was nursing her pup on an ice floe. Unlike other marine mammals, they don’t have a layer of blubber to stay warm, instead relying on extremely dense fur to keep the cold water away from their skin.
