Low tide waterfalls in Passage Canal. Can't see the thousands of Blacklegged Kittiwakes roosting with their chicks in the cliff face. Very popular paddle for local sea-kayakers
In our part of the Sound the sun always shining, the water is always calm and the fish are always biting.
April's Mom and Dad. First Trip for the "Toy Boat"
A Sea Lion. Several haul-outs in the area with the closest being on Perry Island, about 25 miles east of Whittier.
April and her parents were a very happy group on the "Toy Boat's" maiden voyage. They had picked up an off-scale map of Prince William Sound at the Visitor Center in downtown Anchorage. It had little graphic animals in different areas around the Sound. They wanted to know if they could drive the boat to each spot on that map and see the animal. I told them "maybe". We put together about a 160 mile float plan, and away they went. They returned after a very busy 10 hours on the water, and I'll be jiggered if they didn't have photos of every animal on that map, and some that weren't. Even the the Orcas arrived for them on cue. April said they went to the area with a picture of an Orca, shut down the boat and started looking around. After about 5 minutes a pod showed up and surrounded them. Cheers!
The blows of a few Orcas from a local pod near Knight Passage, 30 miles south of Whittier.
A fairly common sight in the Western Sound, these Orcas circled our boat for several minutes.
Hello Sea Otter. The top of Port Wells holds hundreds of otters in massive rafts. Many of them have pups and are getting so concentrate that I have to slow down and alter course to avoid them.
The "Sea Turtle" in Passage Canal at the largest kittiwake rookery in Prince William Sound. In the spring and early summer (before green-up) we commonly see moutain goats above the rookery. I've also seen black bear. There is nesting pair of bald eagles that raise a chick right here every year. The eagle's nest site overlooks the rookery and their persistent watchfulness keeps the kittiwakes on a nervouse edge. Every so often one of the eagles will drop out of the nest and fly accross the top of bird rookery. It's too much for the poor kittiwakes. Tens of thousands of birds simultaneously dive down the cliff face and swoop away, just above the water. Sometimes a few chicks will fall in the water, sometimes the eagle will snag one of the much smaller kittiwakes on the wing. If you are lucky enough to be near, you are treated to an incredible display of nature. I can only campare the cacophony of the many fleeing birds to what I have experienced in a large stadium full of people at baseball games.
Portage Lake and it's source, the Portage Glacier. The day tour boat "Ptarmigan" near center. Portage Lake can be accessed by road just before entering "The Tunnel" to Whittier. I like to stop and collect chunks of ice. I use glacier ice in my fish coolers, my drinking water and I've been told it makes for some the best Martinis : )
A south looking aerial shot of Whittier. The large building in foreground is the cruise ship passenger terminal, sitting on land leased from the Alaska Rail Road through the City of Whittier. The area was previously refered to as "dry dock one". The next little spit is the "harbor Loop Subdivision", also AKRR land leased through the COW and home to Whittier Boat & Tackle Rentals, Prince William Sound Cruises & Tours, The Tunnel's End Eatery, Epic Charters, Major Marine Tours, The Inn at Whittier, Whittier Marine Charters/Gift Shop and our local fueling station, Shoreside Petroleum. Moving south we see the 360 berth Whittier Small Boat Harbor. Along the harbor front you'll find Alaska Sea Kayakers, Bab's Famous Buffalo Burgers, the COW Harbor Master Office, The Harbor Store, Bread & Butter Charters/ June's B&B, Philip's Cruises 26 Glacier Tour, Lazy Otter Charters/ gift/ coffee shop and Sound Ideas fudge/ gift shop.
An aerial shot of Portage Pass, with Passage Canal in the background. Whittier is at sea-level and to the right hidden by the fore ground. Being one of the low spots in the Chugach Mountain Range, Portage Pass has a long history of use by the Alutiiq peoples of Prince William Sound. There still exists a foot trail from the base on the Sound side, over the top to Portage Lake. Up to the top of The Pass, the trail is wide and well-maintained. While going up, you will get wonderful views of the boat traffic in Passage Canal & Whittier. Once you get up to the viewpoint, great views of Portage Lake and Portage Glacier. If you want to go all the way down to the lake, the trail is not well maintained - it's overgrown, and hard to follow in places, It's only another mile (& 600 ft elevation drop), but with the bushwacking & route finding, it is slow going. It's not so much a fitness issue at this point, but a test of your navigational confidence & perserverance. Once you're at the lake, it's easy strolling
A bright sunny May day. This hooked fish turned out to be a 150 pounder caught just off Esther Rock in Port Wells about 15 miles east of Whittier.
The "Sea Turtle" returning after 3 days of fishing with Father/Son crew. They had a smorgasborg of fish, including halibut, salmon, rockfish and this nice Ling Cod.
A group of jet pilots from my homeland in Wisconsin. They went out with every bit of tackle I offer and my fastest boat. They were proud of their single rockfish catch of the day and asked if I had ever considered having seat belts installed. Look out for jet pilots on the water, the word slow doesn't appear in their vocabulary. On the plus side, if they hail from Wisco you can have a long conversation about grain silos : )
