After a great night’s sleep, we awoke in Endicott Arm to blue skies and blue ice! Our itinerary today was ambitious and full of promise! We started with two rounds of Zodiac tours up to the face of the Dawes Glacier. Today was special, as a lack of ice in the water made our approach easy and cut our transit time down to half of what we had anticipated. This left us with an extra half hour to sit and watch the glacier. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it!
On our first round of cruises to the glacier face, we observed some good calving. On our way back to the ship, we spotted goats!
After the morning’s tours, we turned our nose towards Fords Terror for our polar plunge and a round of Zodiac driving lessons for the Global Explorers! Guests showed what they were made of by dipping into 38-degree water. Early entrants into the chilly brine set the bar high with aerial acrobatics that will stand the test of time. Miranda, our stalwart mixologist, greeted the newly chilled with hot cocoa tinged with a little something extra if desired! After warming up to something approximating the body temperature of the living, everyone gathered at the rail to watch the next generation of Zodiac drivers take their turns at the helm. Some were cautious, while some threw caution to the wind, and all had a great time! In actual fact, all our students excelled because, frankly…they were excellent!
After a day of such intense exertion, guests were happy to retreat into a warm lounge for a round of well-deserved cocktails. Meanwhile, certified photo instructor Ross put his final touches on the slideshow.
Before retiring for the evening, Dana Filipini took a group of Global Explorers out for Zodiac driving lessons with Second Mate Jenna, and many nascent dreams were realized at the tiller of a Zodiac!
Photographers: Ross Weinberg, Dana Filipini, and Jeff Campbell
