Hoonahing along to Icy Strait Point

ISP is a real mixture of old and new.  The village of Hoonah only got its name in 1901 and for centuries before, the native Tlingit’s called this area home.  Once an operational salmon canning factory, the ISP Cannery has been revamped and is now a complex of small shops, museum and restaurants.

The first cruise ship visited in 2004 and passengers had to tender.  You will notice the sign with Garry and me in front…  This used to be a great photographic point where you could capture the ship in the background.

 Just as I was writing this I had a chat with Bev who was on one of the first ships that visited ISP. Back then, it was only the main Cannery Building that was renovated, and if you wanted a drink or something to eat, you had to venture into Hoonah (with also very little on offer) or go back onto the ship.

We woke up very early to be up on deck for our arrival to ISP.  The previous day, the Captain announced that there should be plenty of wildlife as we cruise around Point Adolphus.  Well, they must not have got the email, and apart from seeing one whale spout in the distance, the only thing that was aplenty was my nose running from the cold.
In the distance, we could see this unusual structure, and with all the guesses we made about what it was, no one guessed it was our dock.  Brand new and looking very flash we pulled up alongside in no time at all. 

As of this year, the Hoonah Cruise Ship Dock opened along with an Adventure Centre and the Duck Point Smokehouse.

Having a little time before our tour pick up, we decided to explore the ISP complex before it got too crowded.

Once off the ship, you are directed into the Adventure Centre which is the meeting point for all the tours.  I am sure our Shore tour officers welcomed the warmth of the building as opposed to the usual meeting point of the cold docks. This is where we returned later in the day for our Zip Line adventure.

We were treated to the colour of dance and music from the original locals, which made for a great start of the day.

Walking along the waterfront we passed several private residences with their cute little gardens.  Next to that, a small cemetery: asked by a guide later in the day “How many dead people were buried in the cemetery?”, short answer “all of them!”

 Now the complex offers several different restaurants, cookhouses and crab shacks where you can enjoy the local Halibut, Crab or a shrimp taco that I just had to try. All washed down with a yummy Alaskan local beer, “White” being my favourite.

The main Cannery building has been converted into a museum and a mini shopping complex of souvenirs and locally made crafts and products.  Carefully carved wooden and ivory products, miniature totem poles and beautifully crafted earrings made from a mixture of sea lion whiskers, beads and crystals.

Vowing to return after our day of touring we headed back to the Adventure Centre where we followed directions to an area known as the Excursion Hub.  Here was where we were being picked up for our private Whale Watching Tour.

We booked with Glacier Wind Charters, a small business run by Captain Shawn and his lovely wife, Teresa.  Both ex Hoonah school teachers, they decided to diversify and chase whales.  Teresa looks after the admin, transfers and catering. She makes the yummiest smoked salmon dip.  Captain Shawn with his eagle eyes whisks us around in his very nice and very comfortable boat in search of bears, otters, sea lions and the stars of the show, whales.

Marina at Hoonah

Our mode of transport for the day.

Today we were not disappointed with lots of sightings, and soon, even our own eagle eyes would spot a spout or a tail wave before Shawn.  Shutting down the engines and just drifting in one spot with several whales around us, we would race from front to back to see them.  Once they disappeared down in the water you never knew just where a whale would pop up next, and you can imagine the squeals when one glided across the water in front of us.  First you would see the spout of water, then their body as they swam along the surface, and if you saw the slightest arch of the back you knew that they were going to dive and give you a tail wave.

All our eyes were looking out in the direction of the last sighting, waiting for the impending resurface, cameras at the ready, silence as we watched, we knew he was close.

Suddenly there was movement out of the corner of our eye, quickly we turned to the sight of this massive whale breaching right out of the water, and landing with an enormous splash not far from us.  There we stood, stunned with our mouths opened, amazed at what we just saw, but unfortunately, our cameras were still facing in the other direction.

Time got the better of us and we had to leave the humpbacks behind and head back to Hoonah.

 Hoonah

Some stayed to explore the small town of Hoonah, but we had to get back in time for our Zip Line adventure.

Icy Strait Point’s claim to fame is that it is home the world’s largest ZipRider.  Taller than the Empire State Building it has a drop of 1330 feet and is 5330 feet in length.  To get to the top you enjoy a scenic ride in an old school bus that takes you back through Hoonah, then up a winding road to the peak of the mountain. We had a short but steep walk back down to reach the start of the Zipline.

Once strapped in there was no going back.  We are not sure what surprised us the most, the loud bang of the doors opening or the initial drop before plateauing out to the smooth glide home.  Depending on your weight, speeds of up to 60 mph could be reached.  Weight also determined in which order you arrived at the base…. Once you stopped screaming and you opened your eyes, you had a great panoramic view of the ship and the complex.

Garry made it down first, had enough time for a cup of tea before the rest of us started to arrive one at a time.  Last was Captain Riky’s young daughter, who was disappointed she was so far behind… We assured her that she had the best value for money as she had the most time on the ride.

That afternoon there was a band, there was dancing, there were passengers and there were Hoonah locals all taking part in the festivities.

And finally, as the last bar closed and a stream of straggling passengers finally boarded the ship, lines were dropped we were off again.

And so it is “Sea La Vie” from the beautiful Sun Princess.