Cruising College Fjord, and a stop at Whittier
Cruising though Wells Passage, we met the Alaska State ferry Aurora, which was sailing from Whittier to Valdez.
Prince William Sound is spectacular, but that doesn’t really look like summer, does it?
Whittier has about the worst weather in Alaska outside the Aleutians. Directly ahead in the darkest part of that storm on the opposite side of Port Wells is Passage Canal – Whittier is at the head of it. Of to the right is College Fjord.
Our first look at College Fjord. Multiple glaciers and sunshine!
The Barry Glacier, in Barry Arm of Port Wells. Off to the left of the glacier is Harriman Fjord, another spectacular fjord studded with glaciers.
The “Qayak Chief” passed us on its way to drop a few kayakers off for a week-long paddle in College Fjord. That intrigued me enough that I went to talk to the operator when we were in Whittier today.
The Barnard Glacier is the exception to the naming convention in College Fjord – it was named for a geologist who did a lot of work in the area.
The Wellesley Glacier with it’s forested terminal moraine is very different than the vast majority of Alaska glaciers.
Harvard Glacier fills the head of College Fjord. The face is a mile and a half wide and about 225 feet high. There were a dozen or so seals on pans of ice just off to the left.
The Yale Glacier at the head of Yale Arm, a short body of water at the head of College Fjord.
This was as close as we got to the head of College Fjord and the Harvard Glacier. A captain who’s afraid of ice can sure disappoint a lot of people. We got spoiled sailing to Hubbard Glacier on the Radiance of the Seas with a former Canadian Navy captain who seemed to enjoy ice. We have a new captain on the Coral for this southbound so maybe we can do better at Hubbard tomorrow afternoon.
The peaks above the Harvard Glacier.
At Whittier, the people I’d spent the last week with disembarked, many to go on tours of interior Alaska, and 1,970 new people boarded (this sailing is completely sold out, as was the northbound).
For Anchorage-area residents, Whittier is the gateway to Prince William Sound, and there are hundreds of boats moored here. This view is looking towards the tunnel that allows both rail and road access.
Most of the 180-odd permanent residents of Whittier live in this one building.
The newest hotel in town, and in the background a huge former military building that’s been abandoned for decades. The population of Whittier now is about 1/8th of what it was in its heyday.
It always amazes me how fast the ship can be emptied of people and re-filled. I took advantage of open doors during the mass cleaning to have a look at some other cabin configurations – this Oceanview is ready for 3 people to arrive.
There are some really nice bars on the Coral Princess – this is the Wheelhouse Bar on Deck 7.
Crooners Lounge, also on Deck 7.
Here comes another trainload of new people for the ship.
I went for a long walk around Whittier mid-day. I got lucky and the rain held off until I was almost back to the ship.
A closer look at the Buckner Building, with a thundering waterfall close behind.
And a closer look at the brooding presence that overlooks the town.
I spent an hour on the bridge tonight after we sailed. It’s now 10:45 pm. We’re crossing the heart of Prince William Sound – Valdez is hidden behind some islands that I can see out my porthole (it’s raining but is still bright daylight, of course). Tomorrow is a busy day – with 2 theatre presentations and commentary on our Hubbard Glacier cruising, I’ll be on duty for almost 5 hours.
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