If you’ve seen our boat Mandolyn, you’ll know she is the epitome of nautical beauty and grace. Just take a loo…

Woah woah! You’re standing way too close! Step back, perverts!

Ugh, sorry about that. It’s just that we’re going through an awkward period cosmetically. Our green stripe is dissolving into unsightly white blotches, and in a cruel twist of fate, our white parts are being stained green. To top it off, the industrial rubber wall guards of Japan have added their own artiststic smudgery.

Thankfully, here in Alaska where the scenery is enormous, Mandolyn can be beheld from her optimal viewing distance.

When the sun comes out on the Alaskan Peninsula, which is definitely not the majority situation, the scenery is unreal. I often feel like we’re sailing around in a screen saver, the very pinnacle of natural beauty.

Other than scenery, Alaska is renowned for it’s wildlife. I bet you’re wondering:

Have you seen any grizzly bears?

Not exactly, but we’ve seen lots of coastal brown bears!

Huh, what’s that?

Well, it’s technically the same species as a grizzly, but they’re named differently based on habitat.

So… no grizzlies then?

The coastal brown bear tends to be slightly larger than a grizzly, due to all the salmon they consume.

Right. Let me know if you see a grizzly.

Whatever.

The first time we spotted a brown bear from land, we were up on a ridge looking down, and several hundred meters away. Nonetheless my nervous system delivered a primordial shiver.

A lot runs through your head in that situation. Could the bear get to me before I could get to the dinghy? Definitely. Can I run faster than the kids, maybe the bear will eat them instead? Unlikely over this distance, they’re pretty fast. Could I run faster than the retired Swedish friends there with us? I wouldn’t count on it, they have that Scandinavian vigor.

Oh well, bears aren’t meant to be dangerous unless surprised or feeling protective. We’ll just make a little noise so it knows we’re here.

Oh god, now it’s making eye contact! I definitely read not to do that. I’ll just focus on those little brown dots nearby.

Cubs! The dots are cubs! This is a mother grizzly situation!

Not a real grizzly though.

Whatever.

Once we counted three cubs I felt a little calmer. This poor woman is a single parent raising triplets, she’s not going to have the energy to run up here to eat tourists.

It’s been difficult trying to get pictures of creatures that you don’t want to get anywhere near. Unlike Mandolyn, a photo of a bear from a kilometer away isn’t too impressive. We’ve been experimenting with taking photos with my cell phone through binoculars, as above. The combined magnification is 50X, but it’s extremely challenging to stabilise and focus. The results are mediocre, but better than nothing.

In Geographic Harbor we managed to spot some bears from the dinghy, which was a much more comfortable situation, and allowed for some better photos.

So what do the children think of all this natural wonder? I could probably sum it up with: “meh”.

They were more interested in Japanese convenience stores than Alaskan grandeur, but they manage to amuse themselves on occasion.

Next stop: Kodiak Island!