Aboard the M/V Matanuska

When we left home on May 5 we had no real itinerary. We would head north and make it up as we went. One option that we had been considering for quite a while was to take the Alaska Marine Highway System ferry up through the panhandle of Southeast Alaska. We had been waffling the decision, primarily because we knew it would be expensive. There were also some minor complications, particularly that the propane, and therefor the refrigerator, must be off while on the vessel. Also Matilda must be left in the motor home while the vessel is underway. Ultimately, we decided to look into this idea and Dorcas went on-line to check schedules and prices. Long story short, we booked passage, boarding at Prince Rupert BC on May 28 and arriving at Haines AK on June 6. We would get off the boat for multiple nights at Ketchikan, Petersburg and Juneau. Our boat would also stop at some other towns along the way where we could get off for a stretch and could walk Matilda. Our thinking was that this may be a once in a lifetime trip. Let's spend the $$$, but instead of sailing straight through, let's stop and spend a little time along the way at as many places as we can. These are all places that you just can't drive in to. We ended up buying a See Alaska pass which saved us some money if we made three stops along the way. So that's what we did.

Our voyage got off to an auspicious beginning. Our boat from Prince Rupert was scheduled to sail at 9:30 am, and we were to check in at 6:30 am. At 6:30 we arrived and lined up, but the ferry terminal was dark. We learned that the power was out in the terminal. Apparently a bird had flown into the line on some island out in the sound, and had knocked out the power to the terminal. They couldn't sell tickets, couldn't check folks in and couldn't operate the ramp to load the boat. Sounds like a good case for an auxiliary generator to me. Finally some guys from the power company arrived in big trucks, but they needed to find a boat to get them to the fried bird. Finally they were off. About two hours later they return and drive off in their big trucks, but there is still no power. They must have gone to reset a fuse somewhere nearby, because about 10 minutes later there was light. After that things began to happen. Dorcas and I each drove a vehicle and passed through US Customs and onto the ferry. The ship departed about 3 hours later than scheduled.

Our ship was the M/V Matanuska, named for an Alaskan Glacier, as all the AMHS vessels are. We explored the ship and decided to set up on the Solarium, a partially covered but largely open area on an upper deck at the stern. The weather was sunny and warm. Locals were taking off their clothes to catch some rays. We found some deck chairs and enjoyed the view. Southeast Alaska and the inside passage is characterized with tall, steep, glacier carved mountains and fjords. The views were outstanding. We saw some orcas in the distance, but I was unable to get a photo. We didn't see any humpback whales. Dang.

At about 5:00 pm, 3 hours behind schedule, and after sailing 6 hours, we arrived in Ketchikan AK.