Whittier

We wanted to be fully fueled before we crossed the gulf, so we headed to Whittier to do so. There is a deep harbour entrance but it was quicker for us to approach through the narrows of the nearby islands. This was also a beautifully scenic way to arrive at the town.

The first inkling of the beauty was the view of the huge mountains in the distance. The snow capped mountains against the blue sky was magnificent. I couldn’t believe it was real. It looked like someone had painted a back drop!

Some of the narrows were indeed very narrow, but with good visibility and modern navigation equipment it was safe and easy. We only had one idiot over take us in probably the narrowest stretch and didn’t slow down a bit. We had heard that some of the fishing charter boats operators can be rude but that kind of behaviour is really outside the norm around here with boaties on the whole being polite and courteous and the fishermen really professional.

This place sure has its fair share of glaciers. I didn’t really take note of the names, but they were still breath taking and of course one of the reasons people visit here. A cruise ship terminal is currently being built which will also be a boon for the town.

Whittier was a major port during the war due to the deep water access and being ice free year round. In 1941 the US army built a railway line, tunnel and the port. The army port was abandoned at the end of the war however it was reactivated during the Cold War and construction began to house a garrison of over 1000 troops at that time. The port was deactivated again by the military in 1960 and in 1972 the City of Whittier purchased the remaining buildings to house their residents.

When we where in the large bay approaching Whittier there were a few boats scattered about and as we chugged across we heard a securite call to vessels in the area from a small motor boat whose engine was on fire and was taking on water.

We were in the vicinity but a much larger motor cruiser (coincidentally the one that asked us if we’d seen whales near Icy Bay) was closer and responded first. There fire was put out and the I don’t think the water issue was terrible so the people stayed onboard until SeaTow came. This is kind of the RACQ/NRMA of the sea. For quite a reasonable annual fee, if you break down they send out a boat to tow you back in to harbour.

A passenger ship, Aurora, was leaving port as we were continuing in. Because of the lack of roads in Alaska they have a “water highway” system, and this ship is part of that network.

Here’s another couple of glaciers we saw on the way in. Pretty stunning stuff to have in your backyard!

There were massive waterfalls everywhere you looked from the snow melt and also just draining the sodden ground from the high rainfall here.

In the photo below of town you can see the colourful multi story building and also the concrete structures to the left which are all left over from the Cold War. Some are used for residents, some are damaged beyond repair. You can also see the glacier above the town, with the amazing waterfalls coming down from it.

We had called the marina to get a berth and the fuel dock to ensure we could refuel before we berthed. Since we arrived just after 1700 all the tour boats were finishing up for the day and refuelling on one dock, and as a smaller boat we were able to refuel on the adjacent one. It was pretty tight to squeeze in with our bow nearly touching the huge motor boat refuelling on the commercial dock and our stern overhanging our dock but with no wind and a bow thruster it was easy to get in.

We then moved to our allocated berth in the marina. It was funny because we were next to a cabin cruiser called Maggie Mae, which was the name of my parents first yacht, just slightly different spelling.

There are a great many more boats here than residents it seems. There were a lot of boats both in the marina and on trailers in the car park. I think as one of the main towns in Prince William Sound people leave their boats here and in fact its official website calls the town “the Gateway to Prince William Sound”.

It was a beautiful warm, blue sky afternoon so in our “summer”gear, well Alaskan summer gear at least, we set off to the shop to buy a few essentials.

There is a tunnel that runs from near the harbour to where the shop is so we took that. We had already seen bear warning signs so knew they were about but when we saw bear poo at the tunnel entrance I said to Dean did you remember your bear spray? No, neither did I! We then proceeded down this long empty tunnel with bear poo through it. I felt very very uncomfortable. So we talked very loudly and walked very quickly.

Thankfully we didn’t encounter any bears. I mean what do you do in a tunnel if a bear is walking towards you?

I am glad we didn’t plan to stock up here but I managed to get eggs and Dean bought himself a book and we still have plenty of food to eat well until we get to Juneau. We decided NOT to walk back via the tunnel, which was good because we got to see the scenery while the weather was still nice. I think I’d reserve the tunnel for inclement weather only, which in hindsight is probably what it is designed for.

We stopped to get a burger for dinner and while Dean was ordering, someone sitting down recognised a fellow Aussie accent and came to say hi. Bec lives here with her Alaskan husband and two children and they set up the first jet ski hire business here. Everyone said it would fail, I mean who would want to go jet skiing in Alaska? Well now there are three jet ski businesses here! So if you ever find yourself in Whittier and want to go jet skiing make sure you use the original company @glacierjetskiadventures.

By the time we left the cafe I regretted only having my summer gear on and what was I thinking wearing thongs? It was now freezing and my toes were turning blue! I went straight down stairs but Dean was checking lines and doing whatever he does to make sure we are secure and saw a black bear ambling past on the walkway above the marina!

When Dean paid the bill in the morning the guy in the office said once the salmon season is over the bears come into town more often. I still have trouble getting my head around having a bear walking through town!

Although it was a fleeting stay I am glad we stopped in Whittier. As we were leaving we saw a French yacht we had met in Guam in the marina. He must have come in after us. We knew he was around somewhere but had never crossed paths again. The marina office had said a French boat was staying for the winter so perhaps it is him, though there are a few here. Out of the cruising boats we know of here they certainly out number the rest of us!

I took this photo looking back at Whittier as we left. It looked really lovely in the clear blue sky with the clouds wrapping around the mountains.

The glacier that had been hazy but in full view yesterday was now just peeking out from its cloud cover.

We were leaving to cross the Gulf of Alaska, a two night trip, so we were leaving via the main deep water channel this time. In the photo below you can see a layer of fog to the left of the photo across the water. That was our way out!

We went from a clear blue day to dense fog. Large boats were using their fog horns but the only way I knew where they were, was from AIS, I had no idea where those horns were sounding. The only indication that we knew the smaller recreational boats without AIS were passing by was waves in the water. Otherwise we wouldn’t have known they were there with the fog dampening sounds. The fog would start thinning, then get thick again, and then we were out. It was still close to shore, and then it just melted away to a beautiful day.

The video below starts with us arriving through the narrows, then leaving a few days later in the fog that slowly clears.

Click to view