This morning with expert ship handling skills and considerable "cool" with his mother watching, Captain Doherty maneuvered the Sea Bird into a tight birth in Petersburg harbor. This beautiful little town of just over 3000 inhabitants was our home for the day. Deeply steeped in Norwegian culture and history, Petersburg is a working community centered around the fishing industry. There are four seafood processing plants and a harbor full of working fish and shrimp boats that keep the townspeople very busy through the summer months. Situated on the extreme northern tip of Mitkof Island, Petersburg is the last stop on the Alaska Marine Highway before Juneau and the goal of mariners who have navigated the twisty, 21 mile Wrangell Narrows.

Almost half the guests took to the air in helicopters throughout the morning; more than a few commenting that flying over the glaciers and landing on one of them was the thrill of a lifetime. While the flyers were coming and going to the airport, most of us took the opportunity to tour one of the working canneries and were amazed at the speed and efficiency of the seafood processing. After a hearty lunch aboard the Sea Bird, we had the choice of a Zodiac ride across Wrangell Narrows and a beautiful walk to Petersburg Creek or a bus ride south of town to a newly constructed boardwalk over a rich muskeg bog. After such a full day, we were happy to be back aboard our comfortable ship-home, surrounded by dozens of bald eagles as we sailed out of Petersburg harbor.