Pavlov Harbor, Freshwater Bay and Peril Strait
Our last full day together became a day of superlatives with brilliant sunshine and humpback whale sightings. Spouts hung like narrow, vertical clouds against the forested hillsides beneath snow-capped peaks that flanked our ship as it motored towards our anchorage at Pavlov Harbor.
We selected either Zodiac cruising or kayaking for the first part of the morning, followed by an assortment of hikes. Adjacent to the landing site a stream led to a cascading waterfall and small fish ladder important to salmon later in the summer. Everyone reached a good vantage point by boat or on foot. A few people watched a mink swim across from one bank to the opposite side. Those on the most adventuresome hike tromped through mud, streams, meadows and forest around a lake that feeds the stream. Other groups visited the waterfall or squished their way to the marshy lake margin for stunning views with reflections of the distant mountains. Signs of beavers, deer and brown bears reminded us that we were not alone here.
A nap might have seemed like a good idea after all this exercise and a tasty lunch, but the sighting of another humpback squelched any such thought. This was not just a typical whale. It rolled and showed off its huge pectoral flippers. Everyone on the ship crowded to the decks to marvel at this fascinating behavior. The Second Mate, who first spotted this individual, let the ship drift idly with no maneuvering whatsoever, so that we could watch. Surprisingly, the whale approached the bow. Instead of breathing a few times and then diving, this animal lingered just beneath the surface and for some reason seemed attracted to the ship. It repeatedly slapped a pectoral fin as shown in the photo, lay on its back, twisted onto its side, and exposed its knobby snout, or rostrum. It did so at such close range that we had to hang over the rail to see it almost touching the hull just below. We could look directly into the blowholes when it breathed and even see its eye looking right at us (second photo). What an extraordinary experience! Cameras clicked and people raced off for new memory cards and replacement batteries. Finally the humpback lost interest in its bathtub toy and moved on to other activities, and the National Geographic Sea Bird motored south.
Several sightings of Dall’s porpoises interrupted the afternoon. These sleek cetaceans are boldly marked in black and white. They are exceptionally fast and at times will race toward a ship to reach the pressure wave that is created in front of the bow. In this position, the porpoises can catch a free ride before they once again rocket away, often slinging water off their heads in what is referred to as a rooster-tail of spray.
Our route took us into Peril Strait, the narrow passage to Sitka. This waterway is named not for the dangerous navigational conditions, but for an incident in 1799 when approximately 150 Aleuts were sickened and killed from paralytic shellfish poisoning when they ate tainted mussels. Our evening transit was far from perilous as we enjoyed the scenic forests and shorelines of Southeast Alaska and watched a collection of photographs contributed by many of the participants of our exciting week together aboard the National Geographic Sea Bird.
