Jupiter’s Way to Z

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!

14 comments

  1. Claudia says:

    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!!!!

  2. Charlotte Drinkwater says:

    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!

  3. Peter C. Macdonald says:

    As always, I have enjoyed following your many adventures and loving the photography and prose, and now poetry! Save voyage home.

  4. Dana Starr says:

    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.

  5. TheoAugusta says:

    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

  6. Patricia S. says:

    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!

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