After being rocked to sleep by gale force winds, we awoke to a
grey wet morning. The ocean surface was speckled with whitecaps, lines of sea
spray dancing across the top of each crest. What would the day bring? Where
were we? The plan, when we went to bed, was to travel south to the end of
Prince of Wales Island. This plan was made impossible by the howling winds
roaring in off the Pacific Ocean. In the night, the bridge team of National
Geographic Sea Bird made the decision to take shelter in the Kashoveroff
Islands. These islands greeted us at sunrise. In the lee of the islands, our
expedition leader Sara offered everyone the chance to brave the elements and
get out for a Zodiac cruise. Remarkably, nearly everyone wanted to go. These
intrepid Zodiac cruisers we were treated to rainbows and soggy eagles, sea
otters frolicking in the kelp forests, and American mink hunting along the
shore. The sun even peaked out creating some spectacular light through the grey
sheets of rain.
We then spent an afternoon cruising for wildlife in between
squalls or attending lectures in the lounge with hot tea and cider. We also had
watercolor hour where several of us gathered to try our hand at painting. In
the early evening hours we cruised into a protected cove on Etolin Island. The
water was thick with phytoplankton and as we neared the back of the cove, we
came across an absolutely massive smack of moon jellies. National Geographic
Sea Bird was surrounded on all sides by moon jellies. Some the size of
basketballs, others as small as buttons. Among all the beautiful evening light
and pulsating gelatinous orbs, a black bear graced us with its presence on the
shore. A day that we thought would be dominated by bad weather turned into a
remarkable treat. To top it all off, we had calm seas and still do tonight.
