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and an otter, carrying her young on her tummy, before thick mist closed in. Soit was back to ‘Abyssinia’, for barbecued salmon and Key Lime Pie.Friday, a quiet misty morning and last chance for a paddle, with some goodphoto opportunities. On ‘Abyssinia’ we sighted distant Orcas, lunched andheaded home towards Juneau, reaching a romping 11 knots with the tideunder us. Back at Point Adolphis we slowed down, and this time caught morewhale activity plus salmon jumping everywhere. There was also humanKayak mothership ‘Abyssinia’Farewell photo. Abyssinia back at Auke Bay, with Eric, Bob,Ron, Mary, Sharon and Kim.One of several Humpback whales encountered on Cross Sound behindGeorge IslandCross Sound. Serene paddle heading back around George Island.activity in kayaks and other craft. Then we were off towards Swanson Harbour,comfortable and pretty relaxed. ‘Abyssinia’ was our second home, in whichwe moved around as we pleased and snacked out in the galley when wefelt like it. With the small group on board we’d had no trouble arrangingkayaking activities which suited each of us. We had had a fantastic time andit had been a blast!Next day, on the short trip back to Auke Bay marina, we spotted more whales,saw an enormous halibut being hauled into a four metre tinny, and admiredthe impressive Mendenhall Glacier and Juneau Mountain scenery. We saidfarewell to Bob and Sharon, who had an afternoon flight to catch, then Maryand I spent our last evening on ‘Abyssinia’. We’d had an incredible experience,made some good friends, and were stocked up with memories (plus photos)galore. Best of all, we did it! And in comfort!So why ‘Abyssinia’? We looked at kayak camping trips, however the obviouscomfort of a mothership, versus camping in the rain, avoiding the bities,and no concerns about bears rummaging through the campsite easily wonout. Additionally, instead of being confined to local paddles around oneor two base camps, each day would be new to paddle. There are a numberof motherships to choose from, ranging from smaller single deck launchesand yachts carrying as many passengers as ‘Abyssinia’, to larger vesselsaccommodating more people. ‘Abyssinia’ is Eric and Kim’s home, with allhome comforts, and you are truly their guests. With only one or two othercouples on board it is easy to agree on kayaking and activities. Like us Boband Sharon were happy to do a couple of really good longer kayak outings,plus a few shorter paddles, combined with fishing and sightseeing. For moreserious kayakers the hosts would be happy to arrange longer paddlingdays covering greater distances. The only stipulation is that you have somereasonable kayaking experience and know how to self rescue. By comparisonsome other motherships websites we looked at catered for guests with noprevious kayaking experience, and in two instances the kayaks shown wererecreational canoes and not true sea kayaks. Certainly our choice proved tobe a good one for us and we were well pleased.Interested readers wanting more information can go to www.kayaktransport.com and can contact Eric and Kim at info@kayaktransport.com. Additionallya Google search on ‘Alaska mothership kayaking’ or similiar will generallybring up some options.24 ISSUE FORTYthree • 2 0 0 7