DAY 5: HALLECK HARBOR & WHALE EXTRAVAGANZA
Halleck Harbor | UnCruise Adventures | Wilderness Legacy | Day 5 of Itinerary | Whales Galore All Day
WHALE ACTIVITY RIGHT AWAY
Wherever we were scheduled to visit today was scraped due to bad windy weather. What a blessing this decision turned out to be for us. Instead we anchored in Halleck Harbor, advertised as a prime location for whale activity.
Another fabulous UnCruise breakfast of Cinnamon Pancakes and a Denver Omelet. It did not take long for the advertised whale sightings to come to fruition. Quickly after returning to our cabin we saw the first whale sighting. From that moment on we spent the remainder of the morning outside our cabin rotating from our side to the back and other side of the ship, depending on which location had the most awesome whale activity. Good thing it is a small ship with a rap around deck. We were only steps from either side. Often times we would be on opposite sides capturing our individual photos and videos to combine them later. Finally, on this cruise we were able to capture not one, but several whales tail photos.
Lunch for me was seared tuna with a salad, and for Carol, by request, a hamburger on wheat toast. They are so accommodating on The Legacy.
A WHALE EXPERIENCE LIKE NO OTHER!
On occasion in life we are faced with the task of decision making. On this afternoon we made one, two actually, that turned out to be among our best ever. First, I was signed up for a bushwhacking venture. Turns out I was completely satisfied from my first one that kicked my rear, and I know nothing would top it in terms of view. So I bailed on it.
Carol had signed up for a 3:30 skiff tour so I signed up for it also once I cancelled mine. However it was quite gloomy and and there was constant rain. So much so that we talked ourselves out of it. But . . . at the last moment we decided what the heck, we are here in Alaska, bought the rain gear, let's just do it while we are here. We've been rained on before and survived.
So off we went, only about 6 of us. At first - nothing. Just rain and gloom. Then, there was a whale spotting, miles away. Knowing how fleet these moments can be our skiff driver floored the engine and we sped across the bay for several minutes. Once we arrived in the vicinity we observed the guidelines of staying a half mile away. Still plenty close enough to enjoy the most fascinating 30ish minutes I can recall.
As you will see in our videos these whales frolicked in the water without a care in the word. We observed with utter amazement them dive, spin in the air, play and slap the water with their fins non-stop, always in our unobstructed view. There was even a sea otter frolicking right along with them.
This was such an amazing experience that we completely forgot about rain or cold. As we neared The Legacy crew and passengers were lined up to hear about our experience. Our driver and guide had radioed back to the ship relaying our experience and no one could believe what they heard of our experience and wanted to see our photos and videos. Which we were only too happy to share in our exuberance in The Lounge, beverage in hand.
Bottom line I suppose is - we almost bailed on this, chalking it up to just another rainy skiff venture. So glad we stuck to the original plan. What we would have missed by laying around the ship could never be duplicated. We came here for exactly this and we got it! Thank you UnCruise!
