setting sail

Our cruise departed from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and ended in Seward Alaska. We sailed what is known as the Inside Passage. Our ports of call were Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Valdez and Seward. There were two days that we were never able to leave the boat.

Due to our delay in Chicago, we boarded the ship must later than scheduled. So we basically had time to drop off our carry on luggage in our cabin, and then attend a mandatory lifeboat drill. We scurried off to our cabin to retrieve our life vests, and then it was off to our muesterstation, which for us was the theatre. After a brief airline-like demo of how to put on our life vest, they took us out in groups to our assigned life boat. The cruise director adamantly claimed that there was ample space for all passengers and crew aboard the lifeboats. I seriously doubt it. There was no way that the group of people placed in front of the assigned lifeboat was going to fit in it. The group is shelf consumed more space that the boat itself. Hence my skepticism. The point was moot, as there were no emergencies of any sort that would have required the use of the lifeboats.

The first night we sailed the Inner passage out of Vancouver. The scenery is wonderful. I can’t really think of any word that hasn’t been used to describe scenery. No word can do it justice. Breathtaking, spectacular, superb, fabulous, wonderful, amazing, majestic, etc, etc. are all understatements. And since we were sailing Alaska, there is quite a bit of daylight, especially that farther north we sailed. So, it didn’t get dark at 8:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. (July). In fact at 10:30 at night it wasn’t any darker that it was at 8:00pm in Ohio. So one could take in the view for hours at a time.

The weather on our trip was excellent save 2 days. It was dreary, overcast, and drizzly while we were in Juneau and it really rained when we arrived in Seward - our last day. The temperature was low to mid 50’s during the day and 40’s at night. The temperature of the ocean water was about the same, sometimes being a degree or two warmer than the air.

Everyday I wore a short sleeve golf shirt and Dockers. When leaving the ship I would take a light rainproof jacket, but often I would not wear it. I wore hiking style over-the-ankle shoes. They worked just fine, but I could have easily worn athletic shoes or casual walking shoes. I took far too much clothing, mostly because I had no real way to judge what the weather would be like. Of course the cruise ship had demands to dress when it came to dinner, which meant that we had to take more clothes that I would have.

	At our muesterstation receiving our lifeboat drill briefing.
	A view across the upper deck of the Vancouver Port.
	A closer view of the Vancouver Port.
	Another view across the upper deck of the Vancouver Port.
	A tight shot of one of the roof's of the Vancouver Port.
	A ship anchored in the bay near the Vancouver Port.
	A bridge that spanned across the Inner Passage near the Vancouver Port. The bridge looks very similar to the Golden Gate Bridge.