April 27, 2006

Jan's Journey- Day 5 San Juan Island

It was a beautiful day 5 morning, the water was pristine and the wind low and soft. Copper gave the wake up call at 7:00 for those that wanted coffee and breakfast in the lounge early riser already eating some thing cooked in the dinning room. With coffee in hand it didn’t take long for Meriwether and Copper to start their wonderful chatter about marine life as we cruise through the picturesque smaller San Juan Islands.

First spotted on the port side are a couple of harbor seals resting on the rocks at the edge of the water, way above them high on very rocky steep cliffs are breeding Pelagic Cormorants. We know they are breeding because the feathers ( sorry, plumage) on their rear are speckled. There are so many of them the rock looks like it has a black coat covering the normally white color. The next cry is from a wary Bald Eagle… high in a bare topped tree… first one then two then three spreading their wings and taking off over the vessel, showing off the white tail and majestic heads feathers. They fly so close overhead we can see the yellow curve of their beaks. As we slowly wind around the beach as close in as possible, we spy a huge Bald Eagle nest, a mass of twigs and branches collected by the birds it looks like the whole top portion of the tree is taken over by this home. I am just so impressed with the closeness to our natural environment we have been able to get and the ability to be so intimate with the local marine and bird life.

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Posted by Jan Sheeley on April 27, 2006
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April 24, 2006

Charmed by Southern Culture

Antebellum South
April 17th, 2006
Charleston, SC - Jacksonville, FL

I am an employee of Cruise West and when I heard we were going to be aquiring two U. S. flagged vessels from Clipper, I couldn't have been happier. Professionally, because it allowed for new and amazing destinations for our alumni to go and personally, because I have never been to most of the places that these two vessels were going. When I was asked to join this sailing, I couldn't have been happier. From the Pacific Northwest, I was thrilled to see a part of the U. S. not only for beauty, but all the wonderful history this part of the U. S. has to offer. 

Being in the Sales department, with Cruise West, I have had the great fortune of sailing to most of our current itineraries, so you'd think an ol' "pro" like me wouldn't be filled with anxious delight to see the ship, Nantucket Clipper, and meet our new family (crew).

 

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Posted by Julie Smith on April 24, 2006
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April 23, 2006

Jan's Journey- Day 4 Victoria

Did I mention that no matter what time you get up the EL’s are at the bow of the boat with binoculars looking and sharing the wildlife they are seeing! Today was an early start, the sky a little heavy but no rain drops falling. About 7:00 am we round the curve and enter Victoria harbor. The beautiful buildings, and pretty boats quite the picture with the Parliament Building and the grand Empress Hotel waiting at the dock.

Captain Mike carefully maneuvered to the dock where we lock into position and lower the gangway. We are ready for our trip to Butchart Gardens by 8.30 and waiting for the red double-decker bus to collect us. John Robert, the driver of the bus, stops at the dock to collect us, the excitement of the day begins as we try and make our way up a short hill out of the marine area. The bus doesn’t quite make it so back we roll to try again, several tries later it is threatened that we have to get out and push the bus to the top of the hill. With cheers we make it over the brow and roll on to Butchart Gardens. There were several engineering tips from the guests for the driver recommending future auto shop repairs!

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Posted by Jan Sheeley on April 23, 2006
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April 22, 2006

Our Inaugural Cruise To Japan

It is very gratifying to see the results of one’s efforts come to fruition. After many years of planning and developing our new Japan cruise program, my family and I joined 100 guests on our Inaugural Japan cruise from Kobe to Niigata March 10-20.

Kobe was chosen as our homeport in part because Kobe is Seattle’s Sister City. It also happens to be well located near Osaka’s Kansai Airport and the historic cities and former capitals of Kyoto and Nara. Kobe’s Mayor, Mr. Tatsuo Yada, extended a warm welcome to our Captain, crew and guests aboard the Spirit of Oceanus. Local news reporters and cameras were on hand for the event.

Every port we visited was special – at each we received a warm and friendly greeting. They do not get many American cruise ships coming to these ports. We are indeed unique. After a welcome reception in the small port town of Hagi, Leslie and I were in a pottery shop when the proprietor motioned to us to look at the TV she was watching, and there was our ship and some of our guests being interviewed! We were big news wherever we went.

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Posted by Dick West on April 22, 2006
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April 21, 2006

Jan's Journal- Day 3 Nanaimo

The Canadian Gulf Islands spread across the skyline as we dock at Nanaimo… a quaint Victorian town on Vancouver Island. An early start meant breakfast, coffee and off by 8.00! Our Crew busily put up the gangway while two very distinguished Canadian Mounties, and several townspeople were ready with maps and local papers to greet us. We all wanted a picture with the Mounties so they patiently stood while Meriwether snapped the shots. The jackets made sure we were all wide awake; scarlet red really stands out in the early morning light.

The morning was chilly but our guide Nick from tour guides “Tracks” was bravely in just shirtsleeves. Our group was the adventure group, which meant a longer walking trip and more stairs. Yes, we were the largest group…again the true colors of Cruise West travelers shone. Our walking trip took us around the town looking at the historical buildings and sites of interest. Nanaimo began with the First Nations People but was later added to when coal was discovered and mined. British coal miners were brought over by Hudson Bay to start the mines and share their expertise. We learnt just how many tunnels and passages there were…many, they traveled in a fan like plan out from the city center and even as far as Protection Island which was well into the bay. Nick was full of great information, for example the local theater was scheduled to be built for 5 million dollars but unfortunately the foundations capsized into unmapped mining tunnels forcing the cost to almost triple. We were able to visit the only remaining Bastion, built with no nails and standing three stories high. The Bastion was a refuge, a military storage facility and office for the miners to buy supplies and get paid.

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Posted by Jan Sheeley on April 21, 2006
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April 20, 2006

Jan's Journal- Day 2 in Jervis Inlet

 
The Endeavour is so quiet and smooth; it’s just a delight to be aboard! We awoke on the second day to the bow of the vessel pushing its nose to the banks of Jervis Inlet and into the cascading waters of Friel Water Falls. The Inlet, a giant granite wall fjord, carved by ice has its waters up to 1200 feet with vertical sides straight down. It is so exciting to drink the first morning coffee looking up at 1000 feet of spraying water.

After poking our nose into the falls we were back on our way up the inlet, gliding along Copper and Meriwether chatted about the wild life we may see and the birds that are common to the area. No sooner had they mentioned mountain goats than someone spotted three white specs high on the cliffs…Mike, our Captain immediately slowed the vessel down and slowly turned round so we could grab the binoculars and look up to where the goats were sitting on the rocks. Mike came down with his massive camera lens and took pictures while we were chatting and viewing real up close wild life!! Once everyone had taken pictures and had seen plenty we slowly moved farther into the fjord. Young and mature Bald Eagles rose high above us; Copper explained the differences so we would know later on as we saw more wild birds on our travels. 

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Posted by Jan Sheeley on April 20, 2006
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April 17, 2006

Jan's Voyage to British Columbia

Cruise West ... up-close, personal and casual from the marketing department’s perspective. This is a log of my very first Cruise West sailing experience to our Pacific Northwest Coastal Escape to British Columbia onboard the Spirit of Endeavour.

With a warm smile and a welcome handshake our trip began. Our land crew (in Cruise West blue) took our bags and led the way to our first check in, chatting easily with a smile on their lips. Moments later with name tags attached, passports checked and coffee in hand we board the bus leg to the Spirit of Endeavour.

The SOE waits patiently while Captain Mike Fleming invites all aboard…returning passengers get hugs while new and excited passengers handshakes, top of the gangway Hotel Manager Mark shows us in and demonstrates direction to the right cabin. It all feels so friendly and warm! The whole process is smooth, fast and extremely friendly…already I see how this up-close experience feels good.

This is the Pacific Northwest and it is spring so water drops are softly falling but the spirit is strong and the journey gets underway. Business comes first, we all gather for a safety program and life jacket demonstration in the main lounge, followed by crew introductions and first mini lecture from Meriwether and Copper, the Exploration Leaders of the trip. It takes but two minutes before Copper is on the mic giving a running historical commentary of the Ballard Locks as we pass through on the way to the Puget Sound.

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Posted by Jan Sheeley on April 17, 2006
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April 16, 2006

Voyage to the Bering Sea Photo Journal

I'm delighted to be sharing another wonderful photo journal with you.  This album was created by Quyana member Brian Cleverly.   Brian traveled with us in August of 2005 aboard the Spirit of Oceanus, from Nome to Anchorage on our Voyage to the Bering Sea cruise.   Brian's album is special, because he's inserted a bit of commentary on each port of call and has even added in the nautical coordinates of each location.  Being a sailor myself, I appreciate his perspective.  I've created a permanent link to Brian's album within our Quyana section, but you can also view his album online by clicking here:  Brian Cleverly's Album

Thank you, Brian, for sharing your album with us!

Posted by Leigh Strinsky on April 16, 2006
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April 14, 2006

Japan through Andy's Eyes and Stomach

I'm sitting in the Alaska Airlines Board Room in Seattle waiting to fly home to Anchorage and have taken a moment to think back on my 40 days in Japan. I had truly wonderful time in Japan! It is such a wonderful country. It is a juxtaposition of tradition vs. modernity; welcoming vs. hidden; and Raw vs. Still Alive!!! I loved every moment of it! That being said I'm having pizza tonight and a hamburger tomorrow... no fish for a couple weeks I don't think. Looking back on the many experiences I've had all I can do is think about how glad I am to have had this opportunity.

 
If there was one place I fell in love with, it was the city of Kyoto. When the cherry blossoms FINALLY came out, the city burst into action. Over 1 Million people will visit Kyoto during the 7-10 days of the sakura (cherry blossom) season. They will go to the park areas and lay out blue tarps and blankets and sit under the trees all day and all night. When returning from dinner one night, our group ended up in the middle of this. We saw tiny charcoal grills which were being used to cook yakitori, college students with cases of beer, and elderly couple sitting together and conversing at an unbelievable rate of speed. It reminded me of Gas Works Park in Seattle on the 4th of July!

One other experience I'd like to share occurred the same evening.

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Posted by Andy Compton on April 14, 2006
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April 12, 2006

Quyana Costa Rica Photo Album

Yesterday, I found this lovely photo album, which is a collection submitted by several of our guests who traveled on our Costa Rica & Panama, Between Two Seas cruise in February, 2004.  I contacted Quyana member, Ron Windeyer- creator of the site,  to ask permission to share it.  Here is his response:

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Hi there! Glad to hear from you; yes, I would be most honoured to have you link the page to your website. It actually came about by way of a chance remark – we had a lovely time on the cruise, and met lots of really nice people (as you often do), and I had a video camera with which I was recording as much as I could. With a telephoto lens and an underwater box I got some really nice footage; especially lovely were the Embera children - they were so excited to see themselves on the viewscreen of the camera as I played back the tape to them! Anyway, we compared photos a bit, and as we were leaving the ship one lady asked if there was any way I could send photos online. I said of course, and maybe I could even set up a website (hoping that I would be able to figure it out!!!!!!). Fortunately I got hold of Adobe photoshop essentials – that had an album creation thing in it, and I was away. I emailed the other guests to see if they also wanted to contribute, and fortunately many of them did. So it just sort of happened!


The other photos were higher resolution (therefore better) than mine; mine were frame grabs taken from the video as I was processing and editing it for DVD. They’re still not bad though, and they show what a fun time we had.

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Posted by Leigh Strinsky on April 12, 2006
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April 08, 2006

Joe Williams, Storyteller and Mayor

If you've ever been on one of our small-ships that called on Ketchikan, then you probably know Joe Williams.  Joe has been captivating our guests for years with his wonderful and enlightening stories about the Tlingit culture.  Through his stories we learn about his people and their traditions.   Joe's commitment to keeping his culture alive not only for visitors, but for his own people is inspiring.

This fall, Joe was elected Mayor of Ketchikan and Mayor of Saxman.  Here is the press release from the Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska.  From all of us here at Cruise West, Congratulations!  You will serve your communities well.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 7, 2006

JOSEPH C. WILLIAMS, JR. IS FIRST ALASKA NATIVE TO SERVE AS KETCHIKAN GATEWAY BOROUGH MAYOR

Central Council Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska tribal citizen Joseph C. Williams, II made history in October 2005 by becoming the first Alaska Native (Tlingit) to be elected in Ketchikan as the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Mayor.

Williams entered the race late in the game, registering to run at 4:00pm on the last day of registration. With only 3 weeks of campaigning left Williams said a prayer asking that the election be decisive; he didn't want a landslide win or landslide loss. When the call came letting Williams know he was the new mayor, he was told there were 106 absentee ballots and if all absentee ballots were given to his opponent he would still win.

After being elected to Ketchikan Gateway Borough Mayor, Williams was selected by the City of Saxman to serve as their Mayor. Since no one has held both of these positions concurrently the borough attorney was consulted to see if there would be a conflict. No conflicts were found, Williams is now the Ketchikan Gateway Borough Mayor and the Saxman City Mayor.

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Posted by Leigh Strinsky on April 08, 2006
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April 03, 2006

Amazing Alaska Photo Album

We've found a fantastic series of photos on Flickr and wanted to share them with you. Flickr is a website dedicated to hosting an online photo albums and we've found that several of our Quyana members have posted images of their trips.  One album, submitted by Jeremy Keith really stands out.  What I like most about it, is his perspective.  He really captures the essence of Alaska in a way that is rarely photographed. Interesting angles and close-ups made me fell like I was right there, standing on the deck beside him.  Jeremy and his family traveled with us in May 2005 on our Goldrush Inside Passage cruise aboard the Spirit of Endeavour. To take a look at Jeremy's album, just click on his photo- you'll be taken straight to his slide show. 

 

 

When I wrote to Jeremy to ask permission to share his photos, he also mentioned that his wife, Jessica created an online journal of the trip. Jessica's journal, Impossible Alaska,  is inspiring.  What Jeremy has captured in photos, Jessica has captured through words.  Here's an excerpt from her journal:

 

 

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Posted by Leigh Strinsky on April 03, 2006
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April 01, 2006

Our Bear Cares in Mexico

Ciudad de los Niños y Niñ Orphanage was founded in 1952 by Father Zelndo Marigo. The children living there range in age from 6-18 and are not only orphans, but also children in need. The staff at the orphanage consists of a psychologist, a social worker, three nuns, one father and two helpers. The orphanage, though simple, is kept clean and tidy.

Over the past few years, Cruise West Captain Dave Yurina has been deeply commited to raising money for this Orphanage through our program of selling memorable cruise photographs on CDs, throughout the season, averaging 30 CD's sold each trip.

On Friday, March 24th with the help of our ship's agents Lyn & Arturo Musi, Father Fernando Quezada Cobarrubias, who has been with the Orphanage for 14 years, brought four boys between the ages of 5-9 to the Spirit of Endeavour. The boys were greeted with milk and cookies (they loved Chef Irv's cookies) and they were given a tour of the vessel. Their eyes lit up around every turn, especially in the Bridge! They returned to the Lounge and the event began.

 

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Posted by Gail Manahan on April 01, 2006
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