It doesn’t seem like a year since we posted last on the blog. So much has happened in the world, and with us.
We’ll get to boat updates later. Our biggest news is that we are taking the Gyrfalcon to Alaska in a few weeks. Peter has fully retired and Nancy is taking a leave of absence from work (a new benefit at Seagen—thank you Ken C!), and we’re heading north on May 1st for the summer. The Canada border is still closed, so we’re going through BC’s inside passage without setting foot on Canadian soil. We can anchor, but we can’t fish, kayak, crab, or otherwise dawdle. Since we will be doing business in Alaska, it is considered an essential voyage. The trip from Seattle to Ketchikan should take about 10 days. You can follow us on Marine Traffic or any other app that tracks AIS.
Our plan is to head up to Ketchikan, the cruise up north to all areas of Southeast through the end of July, when we will be due back in Seattle. We hope to see lots of glaciers, icebergs, whales, birds, bears, otters, and other wildlife.
We will be offering chartered trips to select guests this summer. Our cruises will be intimate—generally 4 guests on board for each trip. Our newly revamped website gives more details about the boat. For more information about dates and itineraries, please contact us as info@gyrfalcon88.com or 206.920.4058. Our response may be delayed if we are out of cell/internet service.
This should be a fantastic year to cruise with the Gyrfalcon in Alaska. For the second year in a row, there will be no large cruise ships allowed. This means far fewer people and more wildlife – a chance to enjoy Alaska as though it was 50 years ago! You won’t be able to buy much jewelry (why do cruise lines operate jewelry stores in harbor towns?), but hopefully encounters with whales will compensate for any disappointment.
We’ve continued to make updates on the boat. Some of our more recent activities include adding canvas on the house roof for protection from wind, a new Garmin chartplotter (our backup plotter in the pilot house), updated charts on all chartplotters to include the latest Alaska charts, immersion suits, and updated autopilot, and an AED, just in case. We also continued our multi-year project to recaulk the planks below the waterline, and purchased a satellite phone for improved communications (including weather forecasts) in remote areas. The to-do list is getting shorter finally, and we only have a few more weeks to go!
As of when the blog was written, a little less than 2 weeks to go!
If this is the year to realize your dreams with a cruise on the MV Gyrfalcon, please contact us as soon as possible. We look forward to welcoming you to our boat.
