Oceanic Society S. E. Alaska Whales
18 – 27 July 2004
Trip Report, Contacts, and Species Sighting Lists



Snow Goose Crew

Island Roamer – Skipper – Craig Cambell
OS Naturalist – Wayne Sentman
First Mate – Craig Cooper
CHEF – Melissa Roberts

Trip Summary


Sunday, July 18, 2004 Depart Petersburg, Anchor Portage Bay
Monday, July 19, 2004 Anchor The Brothers
Tuesday, July 20, 2004 Anchor Wood Cove via Wood Spit
Wednesday, July 21, 2004 Anchor Snug Bay/Gambier Bay via Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier
Thursday, July 22, 2004 Anchor Donkey Bay/Pybus Bay
Friday, July 23, 2004 Anchor Keku Islands via Hey Bear Falls and via Kake
Saturday, July 24, 2004 Anchor Red Bluff Bay
Sunday, July 25, 2004 Anchor Eliza Harbor via Baranof Warm Springs
Monday, July 26, 2004 Thomas Bay
Tuesday, July 27, 2004 Arrive Petersburg


Day 1

11:00 AM – All hands report, sunny day, Craig initiates introductions and vessel safety talk. We realize that some of the trip members have actually spent more time on the boat (over past seasons) than the actual crew! We have lunch and get underway, about 15 minutes out we spot our first whale of the trip. We are lucky and soon realize (thanks to a very distinctive fluke) that we are spending time with “Humphrey”. We stay with Humphrey about 2 hours and see lunge feeding and his baleen. After that we motor past Brad Pitt’s Yacht. Although there was no sign of Brad we think we might have seen Jennifer on deck!

Head out Wrangell Narrows to Frederick Sound on to Portage Bay. Drop anchor to peaceful calm. And enjoy the first of many Melissa treats, Shrimp Cocktail. “Coop” drops the crab pot to a Vermillion Sky as the Salmon jump. That evening some of the troup try to create a new communal bunk on deck.


Lunch – Summer Harvest Soup, Focaccia Sandwiches w/ Pesto, Chocolate Banana Bread

Dinner – King & Coho Salmon with a Soy Glaze and Horseradish Sauce, Asparagus, Bread, Spinach Salad, Mashed Potatoes, Strawberry with Almond Shortcake.




Day 2

Morning Kayak see Sitka Deer and Raven. Collect the Crab Pot and weigh anchor, departing Portage Bay. Encounter a mother and calf Humpback pair, and a breaching whale off in the distance. Our passage is punctuated with continuous whale sightings. In the afternoon we head to The Brothers, where we see Stellar Sea Lions fighting and making all sorts of loud bellows. We drop anchor and kayak to the trailhead of the “Enchanted Forest” nature hike. That night we have a lovely listen and view of passing whales. Then spend the evening beside a driftwood beach fire viewing a noisy Kingfisher and trying to out “Smores” each other.

Breakfast – Berry French toast, Fruit plate

Lunch – Pizza, Greek Salad, Fruit-Berry Bars

Dinner – Pork Tenderloin, Skipper Salad, Potatoes Au Gratin, Vegetable Primavera, Crostini with Olive tapenade. Ice Cream with Brownie Smores.

Day 3

Morning Zodiac to the Tide Pool walk, where we see anemones, crabs, limpets, sea stars, and squirting clams. Depart The Brothers to see whales, whales, and more whales! “Watch the bubbles” has its inception. As the afternoon continues we see Dall’s porpoise as well as our first iceberg. Enter the pass to Tracy Arm and Sawyer Glacier, see Sumdum Glacier and Zodiac into Wood Spit for a walk around the small Islet. We see Harlequin Ducks, blooming Fireweed, Harbor Seals, and Bald eagles with nest. Spend the night anchored in No-Name Bay. PEZ dispensers are handed out by Carol, jokes are told till 10:00 pm, and Craig’s Plant ID.

Breakfast – Hot Cereal, Fruit Salad, Berry Coffee Cake

Lunch – Sandwiches, Sweet Corn Soup, Chocolate Delight Cookies

Dinner – Chicken Special, Salad, Barley-Lemon Tofu, Garlic Broccoli, Lemon Pound Cake


Day 4

Early rise, anchor up to coffee and icebergs as we head up Tracy Arm in the mist. Admire the blue ice as we make our way to the North Face of the Sawyer Glacier. Point the bow into one of the many waterfalls as we make our way to the face of the glacier. Zodiac closer and watch brief bits of calving. Enjoy lunch feeling very small. After lunch head back out Tracy Arm and motor to Admiralty Island. Where we see Humpbacks and sunshine once again. Drop anchor at Snug Harbor, in Gambier Bay. After dinner we drop the crab pots once again and kayak with the salmon, follow with a late evening discussion over chocolate cake.

Breakfast – Scrambled eggs, English muffins, Fruit Plate

Lunch – Salmon Burgers, Sesame rice with Veggies, and Cookies.

Dinner – Veggie Lasagna, Caesar salad, Breadsticks, and Iceberg Candles, Yummy Chocolate Cake.

Day 5

Morning kayaking, make way towards Donkey Bay. See our friendly Humpbacks along the way. We drop anchor at Donkey Bay, and disembark excited to hike and look for Grizzly Bears. Start a hike at the Eagles nest and head out towards the stream where a very active Salmon run greets us. Salmon are working their way up the 4 inches of water in the stream and passing right by, and between us.

All this excitement entices us to a mid-day swim on our return to the boat, while the crew jumps from the top deck, Ann and Carol join in from below. After we skiff and kayak up the stream where Cooper catches a Chum salmon by hand and we get a personal appreciation of their beauty. That night after dinner we have a chart talk and a lecture on studying animal populations.

Breakfast – Scones, Hot Cereal, Fruit Salad

Lunch – Clam Chowder, Cheese Plate, Bread, Pumpkin Bread with Cranberries

Dinner – Halibut in special sauce, Green Beans, Salad, Mashed root veggies, Rye Bread, Berry Pie with Sorbet

Day 6

Early morning kayak, followed by a skiff ride and hike to Hey Bear Falls. After onto Kake and the Dog Salmon Festival. After arrival we head to the salmon hatchery, then on to Jim and Edna’s Store, on our way back to the festival we see our first Black Bear down the stream towards the hatchery, as we walk back down the hatchery road a juvenile eagle buzzes our heads. On the way out we see Red-bellied Sapsuckers.

Back on board we head out of Kake and have an amazing whale encounter, surrounded by at least 10 Humpbacks, 3 of which lunge feed right at the side of the boat. No one knows which way to look there is so much activity. We decide to have our dinner as we sit on deck, adrift with the feeding whales. Begrudgingly we head off to Payne Island in the Keku Islets, and drop anchor to a marvelous sunset. At night we relive the day’s excitement and continue to add to our species list.

Breakfast – Sausage-Apple-Plum Pudding, Fresh Fruit

Lunch – Chili, Cornbread, Baked Potato, Oatmeal Cookies

Dinner – Enchiladas, Refried Beans, Corn Pudding, Salad, Chocolate-Pecan Cake

Day 7

Morning kayak around the Islets as the Snow Goose follows along and collects us a few miles away. We have a rolling crossing of Chathen Strait to Red Bluff. After lunch we head up Red Bluff Bay to waterfalls and Loons. We drop anchor and start off on a hike up the stream, part of the group sights a Grizzly mother and cubs. We continue our walk in the rain and as the rain turns into a downpour more than a few brave deckhands adopt a large log as a lounge chair from which to look for bears and listen to Nature’s music.

We spend the early evening drying off in the boat while tasting the fruits of Cooper’s Crab pot endeavors. After dinner we have a talk on Perceptions, interspersed with Bear Natural History.

Breakfast – Hot Cereal, Fruit Salad, Pumpkin Bread

Lunch – Gypsy Soup, Cheese & Crackers, Wheat-berry Salad, Lemon Bars

Dinner – Chicken a la Melissa, Acorn Squash, Wild Rice, Salad, Biscuits, Apple Crisp and Ice Cream




Day 8

Weigh anchor early and then have a Captain Craig breakfast as we cover water to make Baranoff Hot Springs. On arrival we admire all the great vessels, handmade masks, then hike to the lake, and some of us find our way to the Hot Spring pools for a hot soak! After much conspiring we finally manage to get the gift shop to open and have shop till you drop mug purchasing. We see a river otter in the bay, and introduce our UK friends to Root Beer. After lunch we head on to Eliza Harbor where we encounter a large group of feeding Stellar Sea Lions, along with some lazily lunge feeding humpbacks. We head up Eliza Harbor, and after a brief moment of panic thinking we were about to run aground, only to discover we had just drifted through a humungus shoal of Jellyfish, we enter into Paradise.

After dinner we kayak and skiff up the river seeing the Merganser shuffle, and another Brown Bear, as the salmon swim under our boats.

Breakfast – Blueberry pancakes, Fruit Plate

Lunch – Fish Tacos, Halibut, Cole Slaw, Chocolate-chip Cookies

Dinner – Spaghetti Puttanesca, Bread, Salad, Cheesecake with Blueberry Topping




Day 9

Depart Eliza Bay in a misty rain on route to Pybus Point and Five Fingers. Along the way we see a Humpback and our first Orcas, 7 to be exact. Including one mom and calf pair. After following the Orcas for a while we continue on to Thomas Bay. Again we are surrounded by Humpbacks and luckily for the photographers, in perfect late-day light. We turn the engines off and have dinner while adrift with the whales, listening to tail slapping and heavy breaths.

We drop the hook in Scenery Cove as the sun fades away. That evening we have another amazing dessert as we share our favorite moments with each other during the trip wrap-up.

Breakfast – Hot Cereal, Fruit Salad, Granola with Yogurt

Lunch – Onion-Potato Soup, Cheese and Bread, Tuna Salad, Coffee Truffles

Dinner – Teriyaki Salmon, Salad, Spicy Sweet Potatoes, Squash and Chickpeas, Sesame Rice, Chocolate Fudgey Pudding Pie






Day 10

Depart Thomas Bay and sadly make our way back to Petersburg for all to depart. Of course we see a few whales along the way. All head off on their own adventures, except for Julie, who secretly planned never to leave!






Species List – S E Alaska – Snow Goose – July 2004

Mammals

Orca
Red Squirrel
Humpback Whale
Steller Sea Lion
Harbor Seal
Dall’s Porpoise
Harbor Porpoise
Domestic dog
Sitka Black-Tailed Deer
Mountain Goat
Black Bear
River Otter
Grizzly Bear








Invertebrates

Lion’s Mane
Banana Slug
Blood Star
Sunflower Star
Limpets
Twisted Barnacle
Dungeness Crab
Plumose Anemone
Spider Crab
Christmas Anemone
Mosquito
Sea Lice
Chiton
Little Neck Clam
Sun Star










Ochre Star
Orange Sea Cucumber
Mussels
Blood Worms
Plicate sp.
Kelp Crab
Black-Clawed Crab
Hermit Crab
Helmet Crab
Purple Urchin
Green Urchin
Mottled Star
Six-Rayed Star
Dragonfly
Horsefly
Deerfly
Moon Jelly
Butterfly
Vosnesky’s Isopod



Birds


Common Murre
Belted Kingfisher
Pigeon Guillemot
Great Blue Heron
Swainson’s Thrush
Red-Necked Phalarope
Common Loon
White-Winged Scoter
Raven
Glaucous-Winged Gull
House Sparrow
Harlequin Duck
Marbled Murrlet
Northwestern Crow
Robin
Bonaparte’s Gull
Mew Gull
Bald Eagle
Arctic Tern
Caspian Tern
Common Merganser
Rock Wren
Pelagic Cormorant
Red-Throated Loon
Varied Thrush
Surf Scoter
Song Sparrow
Black Oystercatcher
Red-Bellied Sapsucker






Plants

Bull Kelp
Sitka Spruce
Club Moss
Fireweed
Sulphur Shelf Fungi
Sphagnum Moss
Indian Paintbrush
Devil’s Club
Harebell
Queen Anne’s Lace
Baneberry
May Apple
Cow’s Parsley
Rag Bag Lichen
Old Man’s Beard
Common Witch’s Hair
River Beauty
Sugar Kelp
Lanky Moss
Dead man’s Fingers
Salmonberry
Goosetongue
Western Buttercup
Foxglove
False Lilly of the Valley
Skunk Cabbage
Eel Grass
Five-Leaved Bramble
Dandelion
Clover
Mountain Ash
Thimbleberry
Huckleberry
Blueberry
False Azalea
Plantain
Fringed Grass of Parnassus
Beach Pea
Streambank Arnica
Self Heal
Pacific Red Elderberry
Lupine
Red Alder
Purple Monkshead
Bunchberry
Western Trillium
Great Northern Aster
Oval Leaved Blueberry
Maiden Hair Fern
Bracken Fern
Horsetail
Western Red Cedar
Oxeye Daisy


Fish

Tidepool Sculpin
Halibut
Pink Salmon
Herring
Pacific Cod
Black Prickleback
Chum Salmon
Flounder
Starry-Eyed Flounder
Shark (Salmon?)
Cutthroat trout
Steelhead

Reptiles

Frog