Our day started a bit earlier than usual with a 12:45 a.m. wake-up call to view the aurora borealis. Fighting the chill of the night air, our guests crowded the bow of the ship to view the green and purple streaks of the Northern Lights; they remained until the sun began to rise sometime after 1:00 a.m. Later, after a bit more sleep, we enjoyed breakfast as the ship came into dock. A day in Petersburg gives our guests the opportunity to hike, view a muskeg, ride bikes, and take in the local culture. By a stroke of luck, we happened to arrive while the town was in the full swing of its Little Norway Festival. There was a sweater modeling competition, celebratory exhibits displaying local art in all the shops, and Vikings dancing with townspeople in a parade. By the way, there was also a black bear in full view during lunch!
5/13/2025
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National Geographic Venture
Basket Bay
A day of Zodiac cruising in Basket Bay on Chichagof Island brought wild beauty and unforgettable encounters. As the morning mist thinned, we traced the rugged shoreline beneath towering forested cliffs, where ochre sea stars clung to rocks and dense clusters of blue mussels covered the intertidal zone like armor. Bald eagles circled overhead, and a river otter slipped along the kelp-strewn shore. Not long into our cruise, a humpback whale surfaced nearby, vanishing as suddenly as it appeared. Then, the real show began. A pod of five orcas emerged from the north, cutting through the water with smooth, deliberate power. Their tall dorsal fins knifed the surface in silence as we viewed them from a respectful distance, the pod weaving in and out of view among the swells. Onshore, waterfalls thundered from the cliffs, swollen with rain, sending spray across the rocks. The air smelled of salt and cedar. We lingered near one cascade, engines low, taking in the raw energy of water meeting sea. By the time we turned back toward the anchorage, the sky had turned dark and williwaws descended upon us. We were all smiles as memories of our special orca encounter shone brightly.