A is for Anchorage, so many, so deep

In BC and Alaska ground tackle means sleep

B is for Bears, hairy blacks and big brown

When salmon are spawning, they strike and chow down

C is for Clock – ever slow or too fast

Ships chimes reporting the future or past

D is for Dinners aboard and homemade

Pleasance begins when the table is laid

E is for Engines, big CATS, lots of power

Pushing through rapids and waves every hour

F is for Fog – clouds resting on sea

Radar reflects other boats and debris

G is for Glaciers, ice walls cold and tall

Decades from now we won’t see them at all.

H is for Hot Spring, the Alaskan bathtub

Perfect for locals to suds, soak and scrub

I is for Innocent Passage, the legal way through

BC to Alaska for boats and their crew

J is for Jupiter, reflecting our dreams

Ready for weather – calms or extremes

K is for Kayaks, nimble and floating

For beaching and shoals it’s the best kind of boating

L is for Landing a floatplane near boat

For arrival of family and friends when remote

M is for Mileage, 3,000 this season

Wandering far without plan or good reason

N is for Northing, reaching sixty degrees

Up to great Glacier Bay with rocks and few trees

O is for Otter in warm furry suit

They eat all the crabs but are still pretty cute

P is for Ports where we sometimes will dock

It’s nice to meet folks and go for a walk

Q is for Quiet, we’ve learned to live near

Admiring the vastness of each new frontier

R is for Rain which is frequent and wet

When the sun re-appears we dry out and forget

S is for Seal Lion, sharp teeth and bold

They’ll jump into your skiff and bite we are told

T is for Totem, upstanding and proud

Native history, stories and secrets endowed

U is for Underway, boat pitching forth

Explorations ahead by west and by north

V for Vancouver, great surveyor of all

He renamed all the places and each waterfall

W is for Whales, great beasts of the sea

Banishing cruise ships has set them all free

X is for Xtratuf, boots of all sizes

Ready for action whatever arises

Y is for Yacht, which is what we’ve got

It’s been a great cruise , but we’re starting to rot