Wrangell Narrows, Petersburg, 5/6/2024, National Geographic Venture
Aboard the
National Geographic Venture
Alaska
This morning, we traveled north through Wrangell Narrows, a 22-mile long, narrow, winding channel which is marked by 60 green and red navigation aids. Today’s low tide was extremely low, and at times there was very little water around (or under) the ship! When we arrived at the picturesque fishing town of Petersburg, we were free to explore independently, or to join a guided walk or bicycle tour of the area.
Our day was capped off by a feast of locally caught Dungeness crab. Prior to dinner, an unusual expert provided an entertaining lesson on how to best eat this sort of crab.
Berit grew up on the rocky shores of Marblehead, Massachusetts, where she explored the marine environment through changing tides and seasons, nurturing a love of natural history and marine biology.
Today was a lovely introduction to the expectations of this temperate rainforest. Our morning was spent cruising towards Desolation Sound in search of wildlife. We had an incredible presentation from our Tlingit guest speaker, Jim Thomas, and an introduction to smartphone photography with a presentation from Photo Instructor Alex. After lunch, guests had two rounds of Zodiac tours into Prideaux Haven, a stunning glacially carved archipelago filled with sea stars, algae, ducks, and the misty mystical-ness of British Columbia. It was a fun full day on board National Geographic Quest !
On this voyage, northbound is a key word. Backtracking southward might seem odd, then, but it’s worth doing to reach the lovely seaside city of Victoria. British Columbia’s provincial capital boasts one of Canada’s most friendly climates and consistently scores high on livability rankings. This was our only port call with a big city feel; Greater Victoria’s population nearly tops 400,000. Today was bright and breezy, ideal for checking out town on one’s own or joining a range of tours guided by local experts. We wandered expansive gardens at the peak of spring beauty and strolled along the waterfront, regaled with tidbits from the city’s century-plus of colonial history. We zipped around on e-bikes and incorporated food and drink into our exploration of town. We listened, rapt and with open hearts as guides from the Songhees Nation of the lək̓ʷəŋən (Lekwungen) people shared generously from their stories, culture, and daily lives, welcoming us to the land they’ve called home since ancient times. Evening meant one more outing, this one with a bit of style, as we gathered to cap off the day at the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria for cocktails and hors d’ouevres. As the sun set, we rejoined National Geographic Quest and set sail, northbound.
This morning on National Geographic Venture we awoke to calm seas and sunny skies as we cruised through the waterways of Georgia Straight, British Columbia. We spotted two types of pinnipeds from the bow - harbor seals and Steller sea lions. We also got a glimpse of our first waterfall of the trip! The afternoon was filled with Zodiac cruises in Desolate Sound Marine Park that gave us an even closer look at seals and sea lions. We also had the chance to view multiple bird species, including bald eagles, marbled murrelets, surf scoters, and oystercatchers.
