It is not easy leaving Blue Mouse Cove. It is warm and sunny and it means that we are now on the return leg of our cruise. A little bit sad about it all and leaving Glacier Bay well before we wanted to as there is so much we did not get to see.

The water is very calm at first and we see many otters rafting, lots of them  lying on their backs with their pup on their tummy between their close arms. A very sweet site.

We also see many humpbacks,  one of them flapping its flippers hard on the water repetitively. The ranger thinks it can be a way to communicate with other whales, a show of exuberance,  annoyance at having noisy boats nearby, or even a way to kill fish. They are not quite sure.

By the shore opposite Drake island we notice some tree-stumps on the beach, freeze-dried and released from the glaciers recently. They are 3000 years old.

By mid- day the clouds are moving in, the wind is up and the waves get bigger, we then  hit currents over  5 knots on the way to Bartlett Cove. It is freezing.  We anchor in front of HQ and dinghy to the dock for dinner at the lodge. It is table d’hôte  sitting only and we share a table with Jim and Carrie  from Atlanta. He was a Submarine  Captain, a sub builder and generally a physicist, so quite interesting conversation and so much comfort and warmth.