The Wrap-Up

So Molly Claire is back in her slip in Anacortes and we're savoring our "most excellent" Alaska cruise.   When we were just youngsters, Ross and I rode a BMW motorcycle in a great 8000 mile loop around the United States.  It was a signature adventure for us.  I think our SE Alaska cruise aboard the Molly Claire is a later-in-life book-end to that adventure.  Here are some statistics and impressions:

*  We were out for 70 days and cruised  2543 nautical miles in all.  

By the way this GPS/Chartplotter was an indispensable crew member.  It showed us the way, pointed out every rock, told us the depths with great accuracy,  even advised on tides and currents, and kept track of where we'd been…. didn't do dishes though.

*  Molly Claire was a stalwart, reliable vessel.  We were prepared for at least one significant breakdown but it never, thankfully, happened.  She did get a little cooling system leak as we neared home and we did lose our Sirius sat radio and our diesel heater fairly early in the cruise - niceties but not necessities.

Molly Claire at anchor in Gorge Harbor, Desolation Sound.

 *  We were surprised to find ourselves all by ourselves a good bit of the time.  That was partly due to our early departure, I think.  It was both marvelous and a bit unnerving.

Molly Claire, the only boat in Walker Cove, Misty Fiords National Monument.

 *  At least 80% of the heads that popped up on other boats were grey.  I guess that makes sense.  This is an endeavor that generally requires time and resources…think retirees.

See, here's an example of what I'm talking about.

*  Molly Claire, at a commodious, to us, 38 feet, was often the smallest vessel of those we encountered.

"Little" Molly Claire between two larger cruisers -
at the dock in Sullivan Bay, Broughton Islands

 *  We were treated to a marine mammal extravaganza day in and day out.  We saw friendly, fearless Dall's porpoises, loud and lumbering sea lions, social seals, always cute sea otters, several score of Pacific White Sided dolphins, only a few Orcas, but dozens of the spectacular humpback whales.

You can see why these guys are called "Humpbacks".

 *  The Inside Passage and SE Alaska were awesome!!!  Ross says he's reclaiming that term from the teenagers.   The land and seascapes were big, wild, and magnificent, even more so than we expected.  However, the quiet waters and soft light of morning created reflections that were equally breathtaking.

Molly Claire, Glacier Bay National Park

 *  iPhoto says I have 4290 pictures for the cruise AND that's after I "ruthlessly" culled out the worst.  I'm immediately entering a 12-step program for digital photo addicts…and getting a hair cut.

Blogging in Gorge Harbor.

                             Thanks again to all of you for being "interested"!