Wednesday July 28th 2010 to Petersburg, Wrangell, and Ketchikan

Another hard day at the office. Another great day weather wise dawned. We have been so lucky on this ferry ride, according to the locals the best weather since May.

I had heard that the trip after leaving Petersburg was something to see, so when I woke about 5AM I got up to see it. It is the Wrangell Narrows, quite something and one of the advantages of being on a smaller ship like the ferry. A few people were up in the forward lounge to see the scenery, all older people. In fact most of those who spend a large percentage of the passage there are the older generation. Shortly after we arrived at Wrangell, then headed for Ketchikan down the Clarence Strait.

Wrangell:

En route to Ketchikan:

There were 4 cruise ships in port, including Radiance of the Seas. We have met that liner 3 times. The ferry dock is about 2 miles from town, so I walked in, and halfway back, then caught a bus. It was quite hot walking, and in town. I think the liners had been in most of the day as they started to leave when we got there. The town was still quite full though, and the tourist buses etc.. were busy. Having been to Ketchikan before, on the Radiance of the Seas, I had no need to do all the tourist stuff. Most of the stores sell the same goods as the other towns, just a different town name on them. Ketchikan is a fishing port, and so if one were there for a day, a charter would work.
One thing that was interesting is that I noticed the car deck was quite empty when I got back from town. A load of bikes, there must be over 30 on board, a few RVs and that’s about it. A cabin is a premium lot on board, with a waiting list at every port of call.

Ketchikan:

We left Ketchikan at 5PM, and headed south down the Revillagigedo Channel towards Chatham Sound and the BC border. Before hitting the Queen Charlotte Islands, and the inside passage of Vancouver Island, we crossed the stretch of open Pacific Ocean water, and as we had a swell on the starboard beam, the ferry did a bit of rock and roll as it has a shallow draft, not like large liners with their deeper draft and stabilizers.

Next port of call is Bellingham.