Monday August 21 – Glacier Bay (sailing only)

The day dawned dull, with low cloud and fog. It was cold (6°, with a supposed high of 11-13°) and the air was damp (not actually raining, though it had been during the night). The further we got up the bay the bluer the water became, even with the dullness. The partial solar eclipse peaking at 9.15am didn’t help either. Our Parks spokeswoman told us that this is normal weather for Glacier Bay. We can only imagine how beautiful this area would be on a clear sunny day!

seals, here and below

Little chunks of ice dot the water from time to time. They are known as ‘bergy bits’, ‘growlers’, or ‘icebergs’, depending on their size.

The ship arrived just off Margerie Glacier, a large glacier that empties into the bay. We spent an hour here, first one side of the ship facing the glacier, then the other. There was light rain, and it was cold, but we went up on top anyway. Very loud thunder-like sounds indicated that ice was moving, and indeed some chunks fell of the edge into the water. This one appears to be moving ‘fast’. 

From here we went further north to see Lamplugh Glacier, but passed it, allowing one side of the ship to view it. We travelled a little further and around a bend to view John Hopkins Glacier, about 7km away but still appearing huge. This one is amazing and the colours indicated the path it is taking.

The ship then turned around and headed back out, allowing the other side of the ship to view Lamplugh Glacier. The weather cleared sufficiently for us to see the glaciers and the surrounding mountains, but closed in again as we left the bay.

We are back on track to head to the next destination, so picked up speed. We both attended a cocktail hour hosted by Scenic for the group, then Lesley went to trivia with a number of the others while Stuart stayed behind to continue chatting.

people on next deck down feeding a seagull - these birds are very much bigger than our seagulls

After dinner we joined another couple at the show, done by the ship’s singers and dancers. It was OK but nothing to write home about.

The ship is now sailing all night and most of tomorrow to get to College Fjord, for more glaciers. There is a bit of a roll on now, so perhaps some sea-sick passengers. We are OK.