Inside a Passenger’s Travel Diary

Hello everyone. Today’s blog post is unique in that I am addressing you all directly and introducing myself. My name is Marisa; I’m one of the main writers and photographers for The Boat Company.

I wanted to share with you my journal from my cruise aboard the M/V Mist Cove in the middle of June. If you are considering a cruise with The Boat Company and would like more information about what your experience will be like, I hope the following gives a great feel for it.

Also, I encourage you to head over to the General Itinerary page for a more specific list of activities, sights and animals which may fill each day. You may also find the General Itinerary at the bottom of every cruise page.

Now, without further ado, I invite you to follow my mid-June exploration throughout the Tongass National Forest!

Saturday, June 17:

Today, we left the intricacy of small town Sitka and embarked towards vast expanses of open waters and what must have been millions of trees. I meandered through the charming corridors of our ship and noticed its classic refinements.

At night, I was able to share moments of conversation with all of my 20 fellow explorers, and was delighted to meet a wonderful couple from my hometown in Palm Beach, Florida. We laughed over an elegant citrus pork tenderloin complimented with vibrant vegetables. Then the Mist Cove and all her companions found the night’s respite set in a silent cove we had to ourselves.

Sunday, June 18:

I woke up to a white canvas: white boat… white mist permeating each inch of the cove our boat had to ourselves overnight… white light streaking as the sun began to burn through. I hopped into a kayak early morning and watched the sky turn completely blue and clear slowly but surely before my eyes.

After a warming, healthy breakfast began the selected activities for the day: hikes in a meadow, stream fishing, onboard respite and others were chosen by different groups of the passengers.

I am surprised at how long the days are lasting—usually on vacation I’m acutely aware of how little time I have left—but thus must be summer light in the higher latitudes and thank goodness for it.

Monday, June 19:

The respite is really setting in now. I wake up with a sense of peace I didn’t know I was missing. Quiche and coffee aromas called us all to breakfast and prepared us for the day ahead.

I’ve never fly-fished before, but I wanted to go with the group so I could walk through water and photograph a short but wide waterfall unlike any photograph I’ve ever seen. I laughed as I watched some of my fellow passengers sit in the water or lay on grass like children, eating their bagged, gourmet lunches.

The night ended with that feeling you have when you’ve spent the whole day outside doing what you love, and a new sense of friendship amongst passengers sharing this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Tuesday, June 20:

The forest around us was especially beautiful today. After breakfast I found new friends doing a puzzle together and others reading in solitude.

We’ve come accustomed to running to the balconies if we hear the engine shut off, as Captain Jim stops at sightings of eagles, bear and whales.

I realize how we are really visitors here and that there are no other humans around—until our boat (M/V Mist Cove) makes a one-time rendez-vous with The Boat Company’s M/V Liseron! As the two boats travel in opposite directions each week, they end up being the only two boats in a cove one night of overlap. I must be lucky because my dates match up with Hunter McIntosh’s M/V Liseron trip, and he hops on board to tell us about his father founding The Boat Company and more.

Wednesday, June 21:

Parsley parmesan eggs over roasted asparagus for breakfast, a fresh sesame steak salad for lunch, and a macadamia nut crusted halibut for dinner are all topped by the kitchen letting me in to watch them make creme brulee from scratch.

Or perhaps the Sauvignon Blanc brought from one of the passenger’s vineyards. What a wonderfully tough call to make of the highlight of my day. As far as off-board, we had otter, brown bear and eagle sightings today. The evening was capped with a naturalist discussion, with added insight from our fellow passenger, a geology professor.

After the experiences we’ve had in the Tongass so far, including meeting with Hunter McIntosh yesterday to learn about The Boat Company’s mission, and the naturalist discussions about the state of our planet’s ecology, it is hard not to feel the impetus to be a part of this cause—although I already am simply by choosing an exploration on this company’s boat.

Thursday, June 22:

Now the little inklings of the trip being over soon are present. I push them away and am relievingly distracted by turquoise water, tinted this color by the glacial silt of the nearby glaciers we are approaching.

We kayak and later take skiff rides to explore waterfalls, rainbow-colored rocks and other glacial settings ahead of our big glacier day tomorrow. I can only imagine what beauty can succeed what I see today, but I trust that my first Alaskan glacier will surprise me.

The crew invited us for a tour of their quarters and other mechanical areas of the boat such as the engine room. It was special to tie together all of the experiences we’ve had with the effort behind the company’s pristine engines, living quarters and more.

Friday, June 23:

I’ll make sure to include a photograph because words alone might not do the Dawes Glacier justice. Today, the sun was fighting with the clouds in one of those days you may notice having around Spring or Fall when the seasons are fighting each other to change.

As a photographer, I am amazed at our luck to have some moments of overcast, as I know this perfectly neutral light is the best for glacial-viewing. We all hop on skiffs and meander our way through iceberg pieces and close to the master glacier herself. Chef Amber sent us off with freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and hot cocoa to keep us warm near the ice.

It is so rare in most parts of my home country, at least, to be surrounded by white, grey and turquoise-glowing light. I allow it all to permeate my eyes and then close them, hoping to have made a biological imprint of this place in my body.

Saturday, June 24:

My last morning on the M/V Mist Cove begins with a farewell breakfast including eggs benedict, one of the sous-chef’s famous “Monkey Bread,” fruit, yogurt and granola. All of the passengers have conversations with their newly made friends and laugh about memories during our time together.

I look around at my fellow passengers and know that for some of us, this will not be the last time it happens in our lives. I remember the words of Kathy Nissley, Director of Reservations, when she let me know that most passengers are returning customers.

And now, I don’t see how that could not be so.