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Whaling visit to jimp/SE Alaska -- photos
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ContinuousWave Whaler Moderated Discussion Areas
ContinuousWave: The Whaler GAM or General Area
Whaling visit to jimp/SE Alaska -- photos
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| Author | Topic: Whaling visit to jimp/SE Alaska -- photos |
| elaelap |
posted 07-22-2012 11:47 AM ET (US)  
My wife and I recently returned from an incredible trip to visit CW member Jim/jimp and his family in Juneau, SE Alaska. Here are some photos: Jim (a retired USCG commander now working for Alaska's DOT) and his wife Tamira (school teacher, historian, and epicurian cook) met us at the Juneau airport and swept us away for a short hike near the Mendenhall glacier, which is a dozen miles north of Alaska's capitol city and just several miles north of Jim & Tamira's home. That's my wife Edie in the center of the first shot. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/jimpjuneau017.jpg Here's a shot of Mendenhall glacier: http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/jimpjuneau016.jpg Jim's mint classic 22 REVENGE WT powered by a 225 hp Opti: http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/jimpjuneau104.jpg Jim and Tamira took us whale watching (my teeth are still rattled, not to mention my lower back and knees -- Jim's Whaler blasts along on the relatively smooth, protected seas at 40+ mph): http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/jimpjuneau050.jpg http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/?action=view& current=jimpjuneau090.mp4 And Jim found the humpbacks immediately: http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/jimpjuneau071.jpg (to be continued below...this computer is acting up) |
| elaelap |
posted 07-22-2012 12:56 PM ET (US)
Jim took me fishing for salmon and halibut. Here he's demonstating a new-to-me method of baiting a small herring: http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/TracyArmglaciers003.jpg Fish on! And later that evening one of the best salmon dinners my wife and I have ever had. Tamira poached our catch in white wine, did some other magic, et voila! http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/TracyArmglaciers010.jpg Jim let me drive his boat for a while. My first experience with Opti power, and I was damn impressed. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/TracyArmglaciers013.jpg Juneau is a small city (population~35,000) set in a stunning, dramatic location, which attracts literally millions of tourists every year, who arrive primarily in huge cruise ships, each of which is only allowed to stay in port for half a day. Here's a shot of the city from the top of a 2500 ft mountain which rises immediately to the east of town: http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/jimpjuneau040-1.jpg Juneau (and the entire SE Alaskan area, including Sitka and Ketchikan which we briefly visited during our four day ferry trip back down to the lower 48) is surrounded by some of the most beautiful waterways I've ever seen. Here's a shot taken from Jim's boat of a lighthouse, showing in the background the snow-capped mountains which rise up almost immediately from the sea: http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/jimpjuneau098.jpg And of course there are Whalers (this one, Jim believes, is a NOAA craft: Jim and Tamira encouraged us to take a 40 mile trip south on a 60 ft converted charter fishing boat to the Tracy Arm fiord to view two more glaciers spilling into the sea. Not very Whaler oriented, but I can't resist posting some photos of that beautiful area. Some of you might want to check out the final link, which is a brief video of one of the glaciers "calving." http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/TracyArmglaciers043.jpg http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/TracyArmglaciers057.jpg http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/TracyArmglaciers059.jpg http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/TracyArmglaciers080.jpg http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/TracyArmglaciers208.jpg http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/TracyArmglaciers093.jpg http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/TracyArmglaciers138.jpg http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/TracyArmglaciers034.jpg The video of a calving glacier: http://s22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/?action=view& current=TracyArmglaciers199.mp4
Tony I have to add this thought: Thanks again to Jim Hebert for this website, without which I would have never met Jim P. and his family. This place provides so much more than merely Boston Whaler information -- during my eight or nine years as a member I've made friends with, have been visited by and visited, Whaler enthusiasts literally from around the world. |
| JMARTIN |
posted 07-22-2012 01:11 PM ET (US)
Thanks for posting your experiences. SE Alaska is something to behold. I will be coming back up sometime Jim, and I want a boat ride when I do, please. Tony, thanks for taking the time to post the pictures. I bet you took a whole bunch of them. How about that Revenge? A fine vessel indeed. Thanks for sharing, John |
| jimp |
posted 07-22-2012 01:50 PM ET (US)
Tony & Edie - it was a blast! And, Tony, some of what you said is true! John - The boat is in the water May through mid-September. JimP P.S. And as for continuousWave connecting Whalerers, Tamira and I are visiting my Uncle in mid-coast California next week and then attending a wedding in Bodega Bay. We're meeting up with Andy Gere next Sunday in Santa Cruz and then having dinner with Tony & Edie in Santa Rosa that night. I'll get some pictures... of the Whalers, not the wedding. |
| 20dauntless |
posted 07-22-2012 03:14 PM ET (US)
I've been on my boat (22' C-Dory...the open Whaler didn't seem too appealing for this type of trip) wandering around SE Alaska for the last month and a half or so. I'll be starting the trip back to Anacortes in a couple of weeks. The boating up here is spectacular. Stunning scenery, tidewater glaciers (been to Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm, Endicott Arm, and LeConte), sheer cliffs and waterfalls dropping right into the sea, spectacular wildlife (orcas, humpbacks, minke whales, porpoises, seals, sea lions, moose, brown bears, black bears...), and friendly people. If you ever get the chance, cruise here on your own boat, or at least one of the small cruise boats. The folks who come in on the 1000 footers miss the experience, IMHO. I was in Auke Bay (Juneau) for a few days but never made the connection with jimp. Oh well. I don't tend to spend much time in the cities, since I prefer to be anchored out. FWIW, Sitka seems to have the highest concentration of Whalers I've seen on the trip. Pretty much all classics. Prince Rupert (in British Columbia) had several big, new Conquests. But people up here seem to prefer pilothouse boats, and with good reason. The weather is generally cool and often wet. Kind of like Seattle in the winter. Glad you had a good trip up, Tony. If anyone cares to read about my cruising up here this summer, click over to samlandsman.blogspot.com . |
| irishcreamer |
posted 07-22-2012 04:07 PM ET (US)
Tony, thanks for sharing. I am jealous - sounds like a great trip!! Andy Gere / Jimp - I think Jasper will be down the SC way next weekend maybe you all can hook up. He will be in fishing mode, of course. |
| Mambo Minnow |
posted 07-22-2012 04:17 PM ET (US)
We are planning on an Alaskan cruise next summer for our 20th wedding anniversary. This just makes me more anxious to get up there! |
| WT |
posted 07-22-2012 05:04 PM ET (US)
Tony, great photos showing a great adventure. Warren |
| littleblue |
posted 07-22-2012 05:36 PM ET (US)
Wow. I need to visit. |
| lizard |
posted 07-22-2012 10:09 PM ET (US)
Funny, close friends just got back a couple of weeks ago and had nearly identical photos of Mendenhall glacier. Beautiful. I hear that Alaska should be seen, before the beauty of it is gone. Hoping in the next couple of years to do it. Awesome photos, Tony. How nice to connect with Jim and his wife, local tours are the best. |
| gusgus |
posted 07-23-2012 03:17 AM ET (US)
Awesome pictures! Great visit it seems. I love the area and all of he south east Alaskan coast line. I lived in Alaska for 30 years, boated all over and yet you nailed some of the best it has to offer. (coastline, not necessarily the people) The Alaskans are a genuine and generous people, especially when sharing Alaska with others. Your photographic skills are up there, Tony. |
| contender |
posted 07-23-2012 11:15 AM ET (US)
No matter what pictures are posted, you will never understand the depth, beauty, and grand size of Alaska, this is and should be on everyones bucket list and be in the top ten... |
| andygere |
posted 07-23-2012 11:40 AM ET (US)
Great photos and story Tony. I'm looking forward to Jim and Tamira's visit to my humble port. |
| home Aside |
posted 07-23-2012 02:03 PM ET (US)
Jealousy abounds!!!! My Dream Trip, thanks for posting Tony!!! Pat |
| jimp |
posted 07-24-2012 11:24 AM ET (US)
Looking at one of the comments: "... Alaska should be seen, before the beauty of it is gone." Well, that won't happen in our lifetime. Don't believe all the "doom and gloom" folks out there. Alaska is over twice the size of Texas. Over 34,000 miles of coastline (it changes with high & low tides - tides run to 36-feet in Cook Inlet, often 25-feet in other areas). How do you make Texas the 3rd largest state in the Union? Cut Alaska in half. Ownership of Alaska: There are no billboards allowed along highways. Come on up for a visit! JimP |
| elaelap |
posted 07-24-2012 03:09 PM ET (US)
Thanks for the nice comments. Most of the decent photos were taken by my wife. Here's one from my iPhone showing one way to travel to and/or from SE Alaska -- camping out on the aft deck of the 400 ft car carrier 'Columbia', the ferry we took back from Juneau. We elders bounced for the extra bucks for a nice outside cabin, but scores of travelers just set up tents -- the lines duck-taped to the deck -- and made the three night trip into a camping vacation. http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/Columbiaferry.jpg For those of you considering a trip up to Alaska, you might want to investigate the "Alaska Marine Highway" -- a number of ferries which provide a major connection between coastal and inside passage towns and cities. There just isn't a highway system to speak of in SE Alaska; in fact, Jim told us that Juneau, Alaska's capitol, and surrounding area has only a total of 70 miles of paved roads and highways! So it's either boat or plane...it's just a tad too cold to swim. I'll post a link to the ferry website below. The one we traveled back down to Bellingham, Washington in was impeccably clean, with decent food, movies several times per day (which we never watched -- the view of the inside passage was too beautiful, night and day), courteous staff (including a purser's mate or chief steward who provided casual, pick-up lectures about various local topics a couple of times per day). A great way to travel, and while a little more Spartan than one of the huge cruise ships, much more fun in my opinion. Oh yeah: no tipping allowed by law on an Alaskan ferry, with signs warning against it posted conspicuously throughout the boat. And BTW yes, a ferry, even one 400 feet long, is a "boat", as is the largest nuclear submarine, at least according to one of the onboard lectures ;-) Our trip in the Columbia was one of the highlights of our vacation, and we again thank Jim P. for the great suggestion. But for those of you in more of a hurry, the flight up from Seattle takes less than three hours. Tony |
| elaelap |
posted 07-24-2012 03:12 PM ET (US)
Link to the Alaska Marine Highway website: http://www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs/ Highly recommended! Tony |
| JMARTIN |
posted 07-24-2012 03:53 PM ET (US)
Tony, I could have seen your boat. We can see the Alaska Ferry, one name regardless of which boat to the locals, leave and return to Bellingham from Samish Island. I sold a couple of old fuel delivery trucks to a firm in Alaska and transported them on the ferry to their new home years ago. John |
| elaelap |
posted 07-24-2012 04:39 PM ET (US)
You live in a beautiful location, John! Tony ...and "duck" tape, indeed, Tony ;-) |
| AK153 |
posted 07-25-2012 06:02 PM ET (US)
Tony, Looks like you had a wonderful trip. Thanks for all the photos. Jim is a lucky man indeed. The silvers start running mid August in Valdez. I have room for an "old guy" if you want to see Prince William Sound. It would be nice to have someone else do the operating while I fish! They usually have a wonderful run and they are starting to get larger each year. That's unless your too "old" to go fishing in a 15'. The only problem may be I have a Yamaha on the transom and I do drive Toyotas. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices. |
| elaelap |
posted 07-25-2012 06:51 PM ET (US)
I'd love to get up there again, AK153, especially to fish for silvers (coho) which are banned in California as endangered. Ain't gonna happen this year, however. We have been doing pretty well on the kings down here since I returned a week and a half ago: http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b309/elaelap/Wideopen004.jpg Tony Hey, I drive a Toyota truck and have powered two of my BWs with Yamahas...we must be twins at heart ;-) |
| AK153 |
posted 07-26-2012 12:24 AM ET (US)
Tony, Do I hear a "clucking" noise? Maybe next year. Last year the derby winner was 18+lbs. Nothing fights better than a fresh silver! |
| pete r |
posted 07-26-2012 07:50 AM ET (US)
Gee Tony, Those fastinating photos you managed to capture in that precious part of the world leave me with itchy feet !!!! Cheers, Pete |
| AK153 |
posted 07-26-2012 05:13 PM ET (US)
To All, Jim hit the nail on the head! Alaska is an icredibly beautiful and diverse state. If you have a chance to visit and lodging is no cost you're a FOOL not to jump at the opportunity! With that being said I'll be in Valdez August 14/15 thru the 20th and the hotel is already paid for. What are you guys waiting for!!! |
| Menemsha69 |
posted 07-26-2012 05:55 PM ET (US)
As always-great stuff Tony! I just put Alaska on my bucket list. You are right about CW folks and their hospitality-and I include you in that list! Cheers to Jim and all he does! Glad to see someone is catching fish, I've hit a dry spell the last two trips. This morning I quick released one before I dirtied the boat, and lost another nice one with the hook set! I guess it's better than the last trip with out a bite!-k |
| elaelap |
posted 07-26-2012 06:42 PM ET (US)
So c'mon up and over, Pete R! I know it's a pull...my wife and I did a home exchange with some folks in NZ and you're even further west on that little island west of there, but anyone from the land of Oz is welcome at my house and in my boat, anytime mate. Tony |
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