Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Alaska 2016 | Day 31 | Thomas Bay to Pybus Bay (Cannery Cove)

I'd originally planned on spending a night in Thomas Bay, the next in Portage Bay, and then Pybus Bay. Since we spent two nights in Thomas Bay, though, I opted to skip Portage Bay and head right for Pybus.
Stormy being chased by a rainbow in Thomas Bay.
The weather couldn't make up its mind today. A bit of rain, some sun, quite a bit of overcast. No wind, though. That's been a theme of our Alaska cruising so far.
Leaving Thomas Bay with Baird Glacier in the background.
We saw a lot of whales today (finally!), including one humpback that was breaching repeatedly. How does an 80,000 pound animal move so seemingly effortlessly? From a distance, the first thing you see is a massive curtain of water, thrown up when the whale reenters the water. If you're patient and lucky, you might catch the whale breaching again. Watching water stream off the barnacle-encrusted skin of a humpback is super cool. My pictures don't do it justice. 

Not a great picture, but it conveys the idea.
Most of the whales were just doing normal things. Every few dives they take a deeper drive, often showing their fluke (tail) as they head down.

Great whale watching in Frederick Sound
More whales

Cannery Cove in Pybus Bay is a favorite anchorage. The scenery is magnificent—mountains surround the southern shore, waterfalls plunge from snow-filled basins, meadows stretch out from shore. It's also an easy anchorage, reasonably shallow and large enough to hold as many boats as are likely to be there.
Pybus Bay on arrival
We arrived just as a squall came through. Soon, though, the sun reappeared and stuck around for the entire evening.
Stormy with the second rainbow of the day!

52.12 nm today
972.18 nm total

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