Alaska (At Last-ka) !

 Its been a long time since I was onboard Altair, and the intervening time off the deck of a ship at sea was tough for me.  But here I am again, on the sea again, and working as a Guide in Alaska!  Thus far on the trip north we've seen some Humpback Whales, some Transient Orcas, and had some Dall's Porpoises bow ride our boat, including some bowriding the small skiff.  This coming week is the first week with a full boat of guests, and I'm excited about that.  I still have to get used to all the tasks and get comfortable working with all my compatiots, but that should be just a mattter of time.  The Wilderness Discoverer is a very smooth boat, with quiet engines and lots of well thought out things, like drainage and crew spaces and electrical plugs.  I think it is the nicest boat of the three green ones, but maybe that is just that it is the nicest to work on.  The bridge is fantastic, with a great view of all.  We had some ducks visit us at Fisherman's terminal and here are some shots...

 Here is a picture of our Chief Mate, who has been with this boat for a few years, and I really was impressed by his driving, when he took us through Seymore Narrows while it was flowing at 10 knots or so, and he did it super smoothly with people talking all around him in the bridge.  It is a big testament for those who can drive with background noise.

 Danny is along, and we flew kites a bit and took some pictures, seen below.  Also we found a small bird on deck, a Townsends Warbler, cold and tired from migrating, and I tried to warm him up before sending him on his way.

 here is the Wilderness Disco Fever underway...