We left Hoonah at 0645 to begin the crossing of Icy Strait. By the early afternoon, we had entered Sitakaday Narrows, at the mouth of Glacier Bay. These are whale waters, so park regulations obliged us to reduce speed and steer a mid-channel course. But I saw no whales, only sea otters.

At 1330, the Merry Fortune arrived at Bartlett Cove, where all visitors must check in with the National Park Service. From there, we followed a short trail to Glacier Bay Lodge.

The Lodge is the social hub of the park, housing a Visitor Center, an Auditorium, a variety of exhibits and a passable restaurant. (It also offers indoor plumbing and a maddeningly unreliable W-Ffi connection.)

Considering its location, it's not surprising that the lodge has a fairly light footprint...

...which is true of most of the human presence in the park.

Inside the lodge, we met Mrs. The Captain, who had flown to Gustavus from Victoria via Juneau and taken a taxi from there to Bartlett Cove. After a pleasant dinner in the lodge, the three of us returned to the Merry Fortune. Both The Captain and Mrs. The Captain were happy to be in each other's company once more.