Tlingits and Mickey Mouse

We left Auke Bay after a 2 week stay at the dock. We counted 3 days of sunshine and 11 days of mist or rain. Best not to be counting. We also saw whales from our slip, hiked to a fantastic overlook of the Mendenhall glacier, saw an awesome one-man theater production, hung out under the pavilion at the currently deserted University of Alaska SE campus, fixed two nuisance leaks, cleaned and rebuilt a fuel filter, and took a trip up the mast in the Bosun chair to unsuccessfully fix our dying wind sensor. It was a good 2 weeks, and we'll get by with our built-in human wind sensors. While we were in Auke Bay the grass grew a foot, the skunk cabbage doubled in size, and the leaves finally budded out on the trees. Summer is getting here. 

We are headed west toward Glacier Bay National Park. After a nice afternoon and night at anchor in Swanson Harbor, we crossed the Icy Straight on a blue-sky day. There were Dall’s porpoises chasing each other around and we turned off the engine and drifted on glassy water. Unlike dolphins that jump clear out of the water. Dall's skip across the top of the water and create a rooster tail of water. In all directions there are jagged snow-covered peaks unlike anything we have seen in the U.S. There is no way a picture can capture it, but we still try. 

We are now in a Tlingit community harbor waiting for our park permit date, June 1st. The Tlingit's have capitalized on the cruise ship industry. On a point of land just two miles from their town, Hoonah, they have built 2 cruise ship docks. They've also added a gondola that goes to the top of a small mountain. From there the cruisers can zip line through the pines back down to their floating cities. They run countless adventure boats that pick up guests right at their ships. To top it all off they rebuilt a cool old cannery into shops and restaurants. We passed the Disney ship on our way into town. It was huge, and colorful, and Kelly noticed the giant Mickey Mouse hanging off the bow of the ship, posed and painting "DISNEY" on the hull. Somehow, I missed Mickey. I like remembering the Sunday night Disney movies from my childhood. Now the "Magic Kingdom" floats, and will take you anywhere in the world if you wish upon a star. What a company. 

The whale watching boats were chatting on the VHF radio. Several were concerned they were stressing out a nursing mother whale. At least 4 boats were taking turns moving in to see a group of 3 whales, including the mother and calf. During the COVID years, the whale populations in Alaska grew quickly. (Pause here to stop and wonder.) The cruise ships were not running. These ships make a lot of noise in the water. In our bed last night, we could faintly hear their rumbling house-sized propellors. They were so far away, we couldn't see the ships. Even our little slow boat has to bother the whales and we are so much quieter than the whale watching boats carrying $100,000 of high-powered outboard motors and 25 passengers.

Anyway, Hoonah is beautiful place. The ships arrive in the morning, disembark 9000 tourists who play, zip, sip, snap, and buy things about 2 miles away from Hoonah. In the evening of that same day, they load up and leave. The Tlingits close things down and go home to their quaint town. It's a beautiful and quite place until the next wave of boats arrive the following morning. All summer long...

We stopped and filled the tanks with diesel. The attendant, a middle-aged Tlingit man, was eager to give me a hard time. First, he seriously said, "Oh, we charge extra for sailboats." He asked how much we'd need, and I told him 75 gallons. When we only needed 56 gallons he said, "I still have to charge you for the 75 gallons you asked for." I was on to him. I brought over our small gas cans to fill with regular gas for the dinghy motor. He said, "We don't have any gasoline." I laughed and said, "I think you like messing with me." Kel and Jay joined the conversation, and we talked about the town, his favorite salmon bites, and the state of the union (well, the state of Hoonah). Evidently, ten years ago the tribe shareholders (that's what they call their tribe members) said they would limit the cruise ships to just one ship a day. Now it's up to four, and I think he misses his summers in Hoonah. This really is a beautiful spot, and it looks like the tribe is making it better for the locals. We hope so. He said, "Since you are not off a cruise ship, you are considered locals. Tell folks in the shops and get a local's discount."

On a different note, I don't currently know of anything that needs fixing on Iolair. We may get to relax for a few days before we head to Glacier Bay.  Hmmm.