Day 1

Prince Rupert-South East Alaska

2008 Departures:

8-Days: $4195.00
August 4 to August 11 (Petersburg - Juneau)
August 13 to August 20 (Juneau– Petersburg) Full

9-Days: $4450.00
July 12 to July 20 (Prince Rupert - Petersburg)
July 21 to July 29 (Petersburg – Prince Rupert) Full
August 22 to August 30 (Petersburg - Ketchikan)

10-Days: $4625.00
July 2 to July 11 (Wrangell - Sitka)
July 13 to July 22 (Sitka-Wrangell) Full
July 24 to August 2 (Wrangell – Petersburg)

11-Days: $4995.00
June 19 to June 29 (Prince Rupert – Petersburg)
June 30 to July 10 (Petersburg - Prince Rupert)

Join us aboard the sailing-vessel, “Island Odyssey” as we explore the natural history and Native American heritage of Southeast Alaska. Our highlights will be days watching humpback whales, bears feeding on salmon in a rushing river, fascinating native totem poles, and a journey up a spectacular mountain fjord to find icebergs and a majestic glacier at the end.

Most of our voyage will be in the Tongass National Forest - the largest National Forest in North America. We will go ashore daily to find beautiful forest walks, tumbling waterfalls, and hike up to alpine meadows and bogs. With the onboard naturalist, we will explore for shoreline intertidal creatures and keep a daily record of the various species of birds, plants, and marine mammals we observe. The daily itinerary is intentionally flexible to meet group interests, weather patterns, and of course, to take full advantage of wildlife sightings.

These voyages in Southeast Alaska sail one-way between Prince Rupert, BC and Petersburg, AK. Trips alternate directions - northwards first, followed next by a southwards trip. The itinerary that follows describes a northward trip starting in Prince Rupert, BC. A southwards trip, starting in Petersburg would visit the same highlights in approximately the reverse order.

Sample Itinerary

Day 1:

Upon arrival participants are assigned cabins, and receive an introduction and safety orientation. Departing Prince Rupert we see the old native settlement of Metlakatla. The entrance to Portland Canal marks the border between Alaska and British Columbia... Canada and the United States. Sailing past Misty Fjords National Monument, we enjoy the beautiful scenery of snowcapped mountains rising majestically out of the ocean. Each night we will anchor in a new scenic bay.

Day 2:

Cruising up Revillagigedo Channel, past the historic Native American settlement of Saxman, our first major stop will be at Ketchikan. In the late 1800’s the lucrative cannery industry earned Ketchikan the title of “Salmon Capital of the World”. We will have time to walk the old boardwalk “streets” and the ambitious may proceed further to the Totem Heritage Center, to see original totem poles collected from deserted Tlingit and Haida villages.

On Prince of Wales Island is the small, seldom visited Haida village of New Kasaan. We will walk a lovely forest trail to view original and recarved totem poles from Old Kasaan. Chief Sonihat’s big house from the last century is a highlight with its carved interior poles - an excellent example of Haida art and architecture.

Day 3:

Among the narrow passages east of Etolin Island and Wrangell Island is Anan Bay. Anan Creek has the largest run of pink salmon in Southeast Alaska, and this accumulation of food attracts bears, eagles and seals. This is one of the famous sites in Alaska where the US Forest Service has built a wildlife and bear observatory. The opportunity to watch black bears, and often brown bears, fishing for salmon in a rushing river is a classic Alaska moment - and certainly a trip highlight. We are extremely lucky to be able to visit. Access is limited to protect the wildlife and local habitat.

Day 4:

From the open vistas of Sumner Strait we enter Wrangell Narrows – 21 miles long, and only 500 yards wide at many points. This waterway offers interesting navigation and excellent opportunities to view eagles and other wildlife along both shores. Here our route coincides with the famous "Inside Passage" and we may see large ferries or tugs towing enormous barges close at hand.

Days 5-10:

Frederick Sound is the core feeding area for humpback whales in Southeast Alaska. We will see large numbers of humpback whales on a daily basis. The trip is scheduled to spend at least 5 days in Frederick Sound to explore, observe humpback whales... and to try to catch that perfect photograph. Local researchers track the movements of the whales, and study the fascinating feeding techniques. We never know when to expect spectacular whale encounters and behavior. Admiralty Island (National Monument) offers some beautiful evening anchorages and the possibility of bears walking along the shore.

After the adrenaline of humpback whales, we sail deep into the mountains to view a tidewater glacier. Enormous rock walls rise majestically up to snowy peaks and waterfalls tumble thousands of feet into the sea as we head up Tracy Arm. Approaching the marvelous Sawyer glacier icebergs float by, many with seals perched on top. LeConte Bay has the southern most tidewater glacier in North America. Our choice of glacier will depend on the weather and ice conditions.

Day 11:

On the last morning we sail into Petersburg, Alaska to complete our voyage. Petersburg, known as "little Norway" is a delightful town to explore. The Clausen Memorial Museum gives a history of this community and has interesting exhibits on fishing and fishing techniques.

If you have time in Prince Rupert you can visit the Museum of Northern British Columbia on First Avenue a few blocks from the downtown airport terminal. The museum also organizes a tour to see native petroglyphs, a half hour boat trip away. The North Pacific Cannery - 20 minutes out of town - has interesting displays on historic salmon fishing and canning operations.


Southeast Alaska

Alaska is wilderness. One-fifth the size of the continental United States, Alaska has the highest coastal mountain range in the world. Over one-half of the world’s glaciers cover these mountains and Alaska is one of only three places in the world where tidewater glaciers exist. Wildlife abounds with whales, bears, moose, and eagles. Heavily forested, with over three million lakes, Alaska is a vast, beautiful and truly wild place.

Southeast Alaska (the “Panhandle”) is the jewel in Alaska’s coastal crown. Its warm climate and abundant wildlife have always encouraged habitation. At first it was the native peoples – Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian – followed by Russian, British and American fur traders. Today, some 60,000 Alaskans live in five major centres, and are scattered in tiny communities along the 300 mile length of Southeast Alaska. Man is still a recent visitor to this immense wilderness area.

We will explore some of Southeast Alaska’s very special places. The relatively small size of our vessel will allow us to cruise through narrow tidal inlets to bays where towering glaciers calve into the ocean. Seals sleep on icebergs that drift past our hull. The schedule is relaxed and flexible. When we encounter wildlife, we stop to watch.

Tongass National Forest

Most of Southeast Alaska is part of the Tongass National Forest – the largest National Forest in America – and managed by the US Forest Service. A National Forest, by definition, is managed for mixed-use – recreation, forestry, wildlife and ecological values. Historically, Forest Service management of the “Tongass” has been surrounded by controversy. Large scale forestry and clear-cut logging (visible from miles away) conflict with the wilderness values that bring visitors from around the world.

Whale Watching & Marine Mammals

One of the principal focuses of this trip will be the observation of marine mammals, and specifically humpback whales. The humpbacks winter in the warm waters of Mexico and Hawaii, to mate and calve, feeding rarely. Every summer they migrate north to feed on herring and tiny krill, that blossom with the sunlight. Up to 100 humpback whales gather to feed in these rich northern waters. Once one of the most abundant whale’s worldwide, humpback whale populations suffered tremendously under whaling, and are now on the endangered list.

One of the larger whales, humpbacks grow to 50 feet in length and 45 tons in weight.Humpback Whales Bubble Net The sight of 45 tons of whale launching itself right out of the water – a behaviour called breaching – is truly an amazing spectacle. The splash can be seen miles away. In addition, scientists have learned that the humpbacks use various coordinated feeding techniques. One such technique (as described in National Geographic) is commonly referred to as “bubble net feeding”. A whale circles under the water letting out a stream of rising bubbles. The bubbles act as a solid wall or net to concentrate krill or small fish in the center. Then the entire group of whales explodes up through the center of the ‘net’ (and concentration of food) with their 13’ mouths open, and surfaces with a roar. We have observed groups of up to 12 animals “bubble-net feeding” together.

Killer whales or orcas are now divided by whale researchers into three types. ‘Residents’ travel in large groups and eat mostly salmon. The second group, called ‘transient’ whales, travel alone or in small groups, and hunt other marine mammals. A new group, termed ‘offshore whales’ by whale researchers has recently been discovered in outer waters of the coast. Orcas travel in family units called “pods”. They travel miles every day and are often close to shore. We could encounter them anywhere and anytime during the trip, so keeping a good eye out can make the difference. Another highlight is Dall’s porpoise, which often come over and play under the bow. Steller sea lions haul out along the rocky shores. Males can weigh up to 2000 lbs. Stellers have been placed on the endangered species list in western Alaska, and scientists do not know why the population is declining so fast.

Native Peoples

The islands of Southeast Alaska are home to three linguistic groups of native people. The Tlingit are the largest group, historically inhabiting most of what is today the “pan-handle”. The Tshimshian lived along the rivers, such as the Skeena – the arteries of trade into the interior mountains. The Haida people originated on the Queen Charlotte Islands, but moved north to inhabit the southern “pan-handle” in recent times. Each group holds in common similar traditions – the carving of totem poles, the great longhouses, and the potlatch ceremony.

Some of the old villages are still inhabited. The Tlingit communities of Angoon and Kake, and the Haida village of Kasaan are often along our route. Other sites have been abandoned for the forest to reclaim. In the larger communities we can see some of the finest totem poles, moved from the old villages for safekeeping. As magnificent art, they still captivate the observer. There are fascinating petroglyph (rock carving) and pictograph (rock painting) sites throughout the area.

History

The Russians, led by Vitus Bering were the first non-natives to discover the wealth of Alaska. The discovery of the sea otter with its incredibly rich pelt started a rush to the North Pacific. The Russians set up their capital at Sitka, near Frederick Sound and for many years it flourished. The British Hudson Bay Company trading posts spread from the Columbia River in the south, right across the continent. For a time, they operated Fort Stikine, at the present site of Wrangell. With the sale of Alaska to the United States in 1867, a new era began.

Gold was discovered in the Yukon, and the Inside Passage from Seattle was one of the major routes for the prospectors. Many never made it to the gold fields, and settled along the coast. Salmon brought the next ‘rush’, and for a period there were canneries in every small community. Salmon stocks became seriously depleted. Now careful management and enhancement programs must take a long-term approach.

Glaciers

A glacier is a vast accumulation of snow and ice slowly flowing downhill from a mountainIsland Roamer by Glacier ice field. Continuously flowing downhill, it scrapes the earth, picking up rocks and sediment and slowly forms deep, U-shaped valleys. Glaciers that advance far enough eventually reach the sea, and are called tidewater glaciers. They break off, or calve, directly into salt water. All glaciers are in a constant state of change caused by increases or decreases in precipitation and temperature.

When the accumulation of snow is greater than the amount lost to melting or calving, the glacier advances. If accumulation is less, the glacier retreats – leaving behind land as raw as the beginning of time. Most of the glaciers we will see stem from the massive Stikine Ice Field, sitting high in the Coast Mountains, east of Petersburg and Wrangell.

Bear Viewing

Alaska is one of the few refuges left in North America for the grizzly or brown bear. On Admiralty Island, it is calculated there is one brown bear every square mile – almost as many Brown Bear viewing in Alaska bears as there are eagles. Some of the larger islands in Southeast Alaska have only brown bears – black bears and wolves having been relegated to the mainland by a peculiarity of glaciations. Every spring bears leave hibernation and feed on the new vegetation growing around waterways. By midsummer, when the salmon start to spawn up the many creeks, the bears congregate for the easy fishing and ripening berries.

The US Forest Service has set up several bear observatories for research and viewing. At Anan Creek, it is possible to view both black and brown bears. To see bears fishing for salmon in a rushing river is truly one of the classic Alaska sights. The salmon leap upstream against the current to meet their destiny. The bears stand deep in the water equally intent on theirs.

Wild bears require our respect. Most have had little if any contact with humans. Care is required to be safe around all wild animals. These magnificent creatures have not learned to live with human development. Instead, their range continues to shrink back. The question of whether humans and the magnificent brown bear can co-exist is still up for debate.

Itinerary Information

We do not produce a detailed day by day itinerary in advance of the trip. Our daily plans are flexible to accommodate the surprises that occur each trip, the requirements of tide and weather, and the interests of the group. Wildlife is wildlife and have their own agenda. When we encounter wildlife we often change our plans so that we can spend time watching.

Different areas of Southeast Alaska offer different highlights. Each trip is unique and cannot include all the possible highlights described. If there are certain highlights that you wish to experience please contact our office so that we may help you choose which trip best suits your dream.

Meals

A professional cook (who may be one of the resource guides) is in charge of all of the cooking during the trip. We carry ample quantities of fresh vegetables, fruits, meats, grains, and dairy products for the duration of the trip. Meals are served buffet-style. We are confident that you will be fully impressed with the variety and excellence of the meals that are prepared for you. Complimentary wines will be served with dinner. There is no bar onboard to purchase additional drinks. Guests are responsible and welcome to bring their own cocktail, beer and soft drinks.