Alaskan tour gets bumpy A MEMORABLE PLACE Judy Koetitz...

Alaskan tour gets bumpy

A MEMORABLE PLACE

Judy Koetitz

SPECIAL TO THE SUN

It was a beautiful morning as we drove along Turn-again Arm on our way to Seward. We were in Alaska on a family reunion / vacation. This day, we were taking our son, daughter-in-law and two granddaughters on a Kenai Fjords boat tour into the Gulf of Alaska.

We had heard about the rough seas, but Resurrection Bay was flat as a pancake. To us seasoned boaters of the Chesapeake Bay, it was amazing; even the crew of the tour boat commented.

Our family decided to stay outside on the top deck so we could enjoy the water, mountains, glaciers and wildlife. At home, our granddaughters are on our boat often, and they know the rules of boating. We had a wonderful day. We saw glaciers calve, mama and baby humpback whales feeding, and funny puffins, who use most of their energy negotiating water takeoffs.

As we headed back, the captain announced that he would like to take the boat close to one of the islands so we could see some of the unique birds more closely.

The island we headed for was a huge rock formation that jutted out of the 100-foot-deep, 45-degree water -- not exactly swimming temperature.

Suddenly, the captain announced that everyone should hang on. We were going to hit. And hit we did. The bow crashed into the rocks at the base of the island. Immediately, we were told to don our life preservers. At that moment, our "boat sense" clicked in. We determined that we were not taking on water, the seas were calm, and there was a rising tide. We were OK. Our granddaughters knew this was serious business, and they behaved like the seasoned boaters they are.

What had happened? The engine had lost its transmission. Thank goodness we were going slow. After the initial hit, we continued to be buffeted against the rocks, but we were in very little immediate danger.

A mayday was broadcast, and boats moved in our direction. Eventually, we were towed into open water, rafted onto another vessel and lifted aboard. We made it back to Seward with quite a story to tell. It turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip.

Judy Koetitz lives in Middle River.

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