Inian & George Islands
A handful of early risers crept out onto the bow to greet the morning. This was the kind of morning I expected to see in Southeast Alaska; damp, foggy, cool and overcast. The islands surrounding us were shades of grey and brown and the placid surface of the water had the color of cold steel. But in its starkness lay its beauty. Even though it was six o’clock in the morning, the sun had been up for hours, or had it ever really set??
As we approached the Inian Islands of Cross Sound, we were escorted by a variety of marine life. We identified humpbacks, possibly feeding on schooling fish, along with a group of shy harbor porpoise. Sea birds like the tufted puffins, pigeon guillemots, black-legged kittiwakes, and pomarine jaegers criss-crossed our bow as they sought out a meal from the surface. Fuzzy sea otters floated on their backs, little front paws held up above their chests. These members of the weasel family are able to stay warm with their luxurious pelage of one million hairs per square inch. It’s no wonder they were hunted to near extinction.
These islands sit in Cross Sound like sentinels, guarding the narrow entrance to the Gulf of Alaska. Powerful currents are generated here as the tide flows in and out of the bay twice a day creating a sloppy sea as the opposing wind pushes against its surface. An upwelling of sorts encourages biological productivity by bringing nutrient-rich waters from deeper water to the euphotic zone of the surface waters. Cruises by Zodiac allowed us a closer look at the animals that occupy this highly productive region.
A jagged rock made a perfect haul-out for a group of curious Northern sea lions and we were thrilled by their playful antics in the water. They would soon be feeding on salmon as they passed through the channel and up into the rivers to spawn.
By early afternoon, we had repositioned the ship to nearby George Island for hikes ashore but cancelled the kayaking since the wind had freshened and offered Zodiac cruises instead.
Back on board ship later, we found delicious appetizers and humor from our naturalists at recap as we joined in and sang about brown sea weed.
A handful of early risers crept out onto the bow to greet the morning. This was the kind of morning I expected to see in Southeast Alaska; damp, foggy, cool and overcast. The islands surrounding us were shades of grey and brown and the placid surface of the water had the color of cold steel. But in its starkness lay its beauty. Even though it was six o’clock in the morning, the sun had been up for hours, or had it ever really set??
As we approached the Inian Islands of Cross Sound, we were escorted by a variety of marine life. We identified humpbacks, possibly feeding on schooling fish, along with a group of shy harbor porpoise. Sea birds like the tufted puffins, pigeon guillemots, black-legged kittiwakes, and pomarine jaegers criss-crossed our bow as they sought out a meal from the surface. Fuzzy sea otters floated on their backs, little front paws held up above their chests. These members of the weasel family are able to stay warm with their luxurious pelage of one million hairs per square inch. It’s no wonder they were hunted to near extinction.
These islands sit in Cross Sound like sentinels, guarding the narrow entrance to the Gulf of Alaska. Powerful currents are generated here as the tide flows in and out of the bay twice a day creating a sloppy sea as the opposing wind pushes against its surface. An upwelling of sorts encourages biological productivity by bringing nutrient-rich waters from deeper water to the euphotic zone of the surface waters. Cruises by Zodiac allowed us a closer look at the animals that occupy this highly productive region.
A jagged rock made a perfect haul-out for a group of curious Northern sea lions and we were thrilled by their playful antics in the water. They would soon be feeding on salmon as they passed through the channel and up into the rivers to spawn.
By early afternoon, we had repositioned the ship to nearby George Island for hikes ashore but cancelled the kayaking since the wind had freshened and offered Zodiac cruises instead.
Back on board ship later, we found delicious appetizers and humor from our naturalists at recap as we joined in and sang about brown sea weed.
