August 6, 2010 – Leg 6, Day 5 – Hawk Bay to Bottleneck Inlet

Those of us who awoke early today were treated to the sight of a breaching humpback whale just outside the opening to our anchorage. Mystic Eagle took off early to do some more whale watching and the rest of the fleet soon followed.

We cruised through Wright Sound, an area where a number of channels converge, then along McKay Reach where some of the boats were treated to the experience of having Dall’s Porpoises ride in their bow wakes. These mammals seem to express such joy, as if bow riding is just a great game to them. As we traveled along these channels, the depth readings of over 1500 feet are indicative of the glacial action that carved out these fjords, as well as the hanging valleys and jagged rock faces of the mountains on either side of us.

As we cruised along Finlayson Channel, alongside Princess Royal and Roderick Islands, naturalist Emmelina informed us we were in the “Great Bear Rainforest”. We kept a lookout for bear sightings, especially for the rare “Spirit Bear”, a white black bear found only in this area, but the deteriorating weather apparently kept them out of sight. The rain became a steady downpour (we were in a rainforest, after all), and we peered through it at the derelict old fish cannery at Butedale. Just before entering into our anchorage in Bottleneck Inlet on Roderick Island, we sighted another Humpback whale. We set our anchors and joined by a couple of playful harbor seals, settled in to enjoy a calm and cozy rainy night.