Alaska Expeditions
Alaska has everything
Alaska is one of the finest cruising grounds we've ever encountered. It is riddled with good anchorages, spectacular views and hiking, and is a haven for photographers, artists, and hill-walkers.
Set off in Amazon, our 12-foot rowing and sailing dinghy, to silently explore the coves and inlets. Or dinghy cruise in our 14-foot motorized dinghy. The standup paddle board is ideal for viewing otters and birds, or just getting a core workout. With advanced notice, we can also accommodate scuba divers or kayakers. Watch the glaciers calve off into the sea, eagles fly overhead, and bears nose around the beaches.
In a typical year, we spend April back-country skiing in Prince William Sound, sailing in protected waters, but with the challenge of finding ice-free anchorages.
By May, the days are long, the anchorages are clear of winter ice, the bears have come out of their dens, and we often start our annual migration to the west. This is a good time to visit Prince William Sound, or to set sail for Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula.
June and July are marvelous times for the Aleutian Islands and the Alaska Peninsula.
By the end of August, it's time to head back to Prince William Sound for autumn cruising.
In mid-September/early October we generally offer a Remote Cruising Workshop. By November, the days are short, harbors are beginning to ice up, and we spend some time with family and friends in Prince William Sound.
For the last seven winters, we've spent December to March in the harbor in Cordova, Alaska.
We book full-boat charters most of the time, where you fill the boat with family and friends. We also occasionally sell by-the-bunk voyages where we set the route and the dates.
How far are the routes?
Our typical summer route is from Cordova, Alaska to the Aleutian Islands. That is a small part of Alaska, but to put it into perspective, it's about the same distance as New York to Miami, Seattle to San Diego, the coast of Portugal to the mountains of Switzerland, Sydney to Wellington.
Our minimum charter is 10 days. In that time, we might cover a few hundred miles in Prince William Sound or a trip around Adak or Unalaska in the Aleutians.
A three-week charter might include ocean sailing and gunkholing in the varied terrain of the Alaska Peninsula, Kodiak Island, or the Aleutians. Or it might cover fewer miles in Prince William Sound with the chance to hike or ski in the Chugach mountains.
Prince William Sound
Best choice for - families and hillwalkers
Back-country skiing and snowshoeing in March and April (experienced back-country travelers only)
Excellent birdwatching
We often see:
- black bears
- brown bears
- humpback whales
- orcas
- sea lions
- harbor seals
- sea otters
- river otters
- arctic tern
- loons
- trumpeter swans
- parakeet auklets
- Kittlitz's murrelets
- marlbled murrelets
- rufous hummingbirds
- harlequin ducks
- dunlins
- bald eagles
- Barrow's goldeneyes
- parasitic jaegers
- red-breasted mergansers
- black oyster catchers
- horned and tufted puffins
- western sandpipers
- black and surf scoters
- Steller's jay
- ravens
Kodiak and the Alaska Peninsula
Best choice for - sailors and bear watchers
Excellent birdwatching
We often see:
- brown bears
- humpback whales
- orcas
- sea lions
- harbor seals
- sea otters
- finback whales
- kittiwakes
- horned and tufted puffins
- pomarine jaeger
- peregrine falcons
- Laysan albatross
- bald eagles
- snow buntings
- Lapland longspurs
- red-necked phalaropes
- sooty shearwater
- northern fulmar
- pelagic and red-faced cormorants
- emperor geese
- king and Steller's eiders
- Aleutian terns
Aleutian Islands
Best choice for - birdwatchers and sailors
One of the top birding destinations in the world
We often see:
- humpback whales
- orcas
- sea lions
- harbor seals
- sea otters
- whiskered auklets
- crested and least auklets
- red-legged kittiwakes
- Aleutian and Arctic terns
- red-faced comorants
- fork-tailed storm petrels
- horned and tufted puffins
- Aleutian ptarmagins
- Laysan albatross
- black footed albatross
- northern fulmars
- sooty shearwaters
- tundra swans
- Lapland longspurs
- snow buntings
- gray-crowned rosy finches
- emperor geese
- king eiders
- bald eagles
- golden eagles
Download our full Aleutian Islands Bird Checklist
We still haven't managed a photo of a short-tailed albatross, but they are out there!
What is included?
The charter fees include all food and activities while on board the boat; it does not include flights, transfers, or shoreside accommodation.
You may bring alcoholic beverages with you, although we do ask that you don't partake while the boat is underway.
We do not include guiding services ashore or while scuba diving.
How much does it cost?
Voyages begin at $600 US per person, per day, with discounts for groups and longer expeditions.
