Tracy Arm and the tidewater Sawyer glaciers

June 3^rd – off to “Tracy Arm Cove” or “No Name Cove”, pleasant run with 1 foot chop or less.  Very little traffic until we got to the Holkham Bay entrance where two other boats appeared from the north converging on the same anchorage.  Works fine even with a sailboat already there, plenty of room.  Saw several Humpback whales passing by, too far for photos, and had Porpoises play bow wake tag again.

June 4^th – into Tracy Arm on a grey misty day to the Sawyer Glaciers, as spectacular a trip as touted even under low ceilings.  It is a young glacier-cut fiord between 5000'-6000' granite mountains so the comparison with Yosemite is legit.  Since it is recent, the glacial polish on rock faces and the classical u-shaped side valleys are clearly evident. 

Not much ice along the way and the glacier did not calve while we were there since things have been cold.  There were a few snow patches down to sea level, and there was ice in the channel junction between North and South Sawyer.  Had to go very slow for the last mile due to ice, even coasting sometimes when it got tight to be sure nothing bit a prop, but the area immediately in front of the glacier was clear. 

One of the two ships from last night came out as we arrived so only one was there while we were.  The brash Juneau day tour boats didn’t arrive until 1-ish after we had left the glacier.  Thus the two of us sat facing the glacier, enjoying the beauty of it and the falls cascading down the sheer rock walls around us.  On the way out saw lots of seals sleeping on bergs from the south glacier. 

Not many words here since this was mostly a visual, even spiritual, day.

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