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
Z is for Zenith, the point overhead
Wherever Jupiter’s mariners tread
The dome of the sky and the ocean below
Frames a seafaring life that we never outgrow
Thanks for following the adventures of Jupiter and her crew.
We’d be lonely without you!
Absolutely fantastic to live vicariously through your
Beautiful trip! You showed us all how to
Carpe
Deum
Ever interesting and
Fabulous
Great for all the armchair travelers.
Happy are we to be your friends.
Ignore my
Jittery attempt to mimic your grace.
Keelhaul me not!
Lucky for me you’re so kind…..
Must end this now since Q is looming on the horizon!!!!
Haha!
Q is always looming in an abecedarian endeavor
And along with X,Y,Z they require one to be clever
This is so clever, I’m very impressed –
Your travels and adventures are simply the best.
Until next year, will now have to do
To hear the new antics of Jupiter and crew!
Your verse is so charming and pretty
Compliments disarming and witty
Glad you enjoyed the ditty
And the rhythmicity
As always, I have enjoyed following your many adventures and loving the photography and prose, and now poetry! Save voyage home.
Thanks! We’re looking forward to getting our land-legs back for a while.
What a wonderful summer. Thanks for sharing it with us in such a creative, beautiful, and entertaining way.
Thanks Diane, and thanks for following! It has indeed been a marvelous adventure.
Thanks for sharing your summer travels. We enjoyed your blog and, as always, the photos capture the beauty of the Alaskan scenery and wildlife. Hope to see you guys sometime soon.
Sad to see this summer’s Jupiter adventures coming to an end. See you at home!
Thank you, once again Fiona, for a very special and very authentic way of describing the past season. Will miss the blogs, but until the next season – enjoy your other adventures and travels.
Much love.
Augusta and Theo
Thanks for your kind words. The season has been a joy, and a pleasure to describe!
The ABC’s were never so fun! Lovely photos and writing all summer – I have enjoyed it all. Thank you for sharing your adventures with us!
It was very much fun having you aboard all summer!