Day four – Alaska Ferry from Juneau to Skagway
Day four of my Alaska Ferry trip took me from Juneau to Skagway. The scenery along this section of the Alaska Marine Highway is very beautiful scenery the entire way. However, I felt it getting colder and colder as we progressed. It is much colder in Skagway than in other towns in south-east Alaska.
Up at 3:30 a.m. to get back to the ferry. I got on the different ferry because the Taku was not going to Skagway. This will depend upon the season. In summer, there is probably a ship that goes from Prince Rupert to Skagway but not in February. The MV LeConte is a smaller ship for the short run from Juneau to Haines and Skagway and back. The type of passengers are different. On the longer runs there are many tourists and business travellers. On the LeConte, it is mostly local people going to neighbouring towns. The LeConte is also named after a glacier.
The LeConte’s two engines have combined 5100 HP and travels at a speed of 15 knots. All of these ships have two engines and both engines run simultaneously. The engines drive two large propellers which drive the ship forward. The LeConte has a length of 217.5 feet and gross tonnage of 1,328. It can carry a maximum of 247 passengers and 13 crew.
Three and a half days after leaving Prince Rupert I arrived at Skagway, Alsaka. Skagway is an very interesting little town. It was the staging area for the Klondike gold rush in the 1980’s. It still has many of the original historic buildings.
