Sandborn Canal was a quiet, well protected cove that promised great wildlife viewing opportunities. We looked forward to bear and moose sightings, but the forest was still. We spotted eagles in the trees and seals feeding in the water, but that was the extent of our wildlife. We ended up watching a movie in the evening drizzle.

The water was glassy and winds calm as we left Sandborn and entered Stephen’s Passage yesterday. Skies were overcast but visibility was good and we anticipated an easy cruise to Tracy Arm Cove. When we got to Hobart Bay, we began noticing a few whale blows in the distance. On the flat water, we could easily identify humpbacks as their dark bodies grazed the surface. Bob slowed the boat as we got closer, while the rest of us went to the bow to get better views. We watched three ahead of us. Then, there was one to starboard. Whoosh! In the stillness we heard the blow of another off the port side as it prepared to dive. From Hobart Bay, to Windham (the next bay north), we stopped counting humpbacks when we reached 25. Apparently, we stumbled upon a feeding ground; the water was rich with bait fish and the whales were hungry. In the 90 minutes between the two bays, we saw bubble feeding, breaching and “pec slapping”, where whales repeatedly raise a pectoral fin into the air and slap it on the water. This is a communication behavior: possibly play, mating, or maybe they’re letting others know the location of food. Whatever it means, it’s quite a sight. Staying a safe distance from the whales so we did not disturb them, we felt we’d won nature’s jackpot.

A surprise awaited us entering Tracy Arm: a field of icebergs from Sawyer Glacier. The tide was going out as we arrived and the current was bringing all sizes of icebergs with it. Brad and I got on the bow with headsets to help Bob navigate safely into our anchorage while Laie got the camera to document the activity. Two boats were already in the small cove but there was plenty of room for Bob to pick the spot he wanted. After settling in, we watched bergs float past our anchorage, the sandbar at the mouth of the cove keeping the ice bergs from entering.