Inian Cove
From Hoonah we went through the Icy Strait to Inian Cove. Passing Point Adolphus we saw a whale or several whales. We could never be sure. Point Adolphus is just outside Glacier Bay, and is known for being a good place to see whales. The currents in the area stir up the nutrients coming out of Glacier bay or other inlets, and make for good fishing grounds for the whales. We saw a whale or whales blowing and feeding near the surface. There was also a tour in the area that had let out several people in kayaks. One whale breached several times (or maybe more than one whale) between us and the kayakers. Once he/she came fully out of the water. John said that he had been in Alaska for three years, and he had only seen that once. The kayakers had a front row seat for this. We had a pretty good view, but I can't even imagine what it was like for them.
We tried to sail again that day, but the wind was not good enough to make any headway. After getting into Inian Cove, we went in the skiff to go visit a sea lion colony that was on one of the Inian islands nearby. We did see several sea lions, but they were swimming in the water and fishing when we were there. The tide was changing, and creating a very strong current which stirred up the water and made fishing good. We also saw several river otters in Inian Cove as we were leaving and returning.
The scenery in the Icy Strait was stunning.