Friday 4 May 2012

Jeff's Captain's Log - Ferry Columbia - thought I should share my comments on the ship.




What a great trip through the inside passage. It started with sightings of Humpback Whales with a backdrop of snowy peaks, then the adventure of having the ferry slide through narrow gaps between spruce covered gorges with a man at the front of the ship with binoculars next to the bell ready to warn oncoming boats that 'we are coming through'. The channel markers at times were barely wider than the ship and sometimes we seemed to be only 20 metres from the rocky shore, going through narrow passages the cruise ships just can't get through.









 The first cruise ship this season is now in the area somewhere so tourist season is here, we only had a few people on this large car carrying ferry and we mixed with the locals which we enjoyed.


 20 of us got off and visited Sitka, the old Russian capital of Russian Alaska, saw totem poles and walked through mossy rainforest, visited the site where America exchanged a M$7.2 cheque to purchase Alaska off Russia in 1867, just after the American Civil War, and had a great guided tour of Sitka, compliments of Tim our tourman. Have had showery weather in the SE as this area is a 160 inch rainfall area!!


There are incredibly high wharfs due to the large tidal variations here. An excellent trip.

Now in Ketchikan, had a great day trip with Mike today, highlight for me was the mossy rainforest, very beautiful.

2 comments:

  1. OH WOW!! Great pics Dad!! Are they all from your new camera? I LOVE the first one, how low are those clouds? And how high are those mountains??
    My most fave is the one of the 2 of you standing beside the life ring of the boat, you look cold but happy!
    That mossy forest is so cool!

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  2. I thought i'd commented on this post! I LOVE the mossy forrest. Looks like something out of a fantasy movie! So cool. I expect to see little fairies or brownies prancint around.

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