By Scott Shephard

One of the policies of Un-Cruise Adventures is what is called an "open bridge," which means that passengers are welcome to enter the bridge and get a close-up view of the things that go on while the ship is underway.

In this photo, we are just off of San Juan Island in Washington on whale/porpoise/orca watch. Most of the passengers were out on deck but I was on "crew watch." At the helm is Captain Jon. Assisting in the watch is expedition leader Sarah. And charting a course through the Spieden Strait is second mate Chase.

It was a joy to witness son Jon manage ship, passengers and crew and it was also amazing to watch the teamwork, passion and dedication of all who worked on the Wilderness Adventurer. We were on the last voyage of a season that started in April but you would have thought we were on the first voyage. It was fun to be around so many people who clearly love their work.

Canon 5DIII 1/45s f/3.5 ISO250 19mm