Southeast Alaska Sailing

We highly recommend arriving in Prince Rupert the day prior to the trip start and staying overnight at accommodation of your choice. This ensures the group departs on time as there can be unforeseen weather delays when travelling in coastal regions.

Prince Rupert’s historic downtown and Cow Bay shopping districts both offer shops, galleries, restaurants and cafes, and there is also the well curated Museum of Northern British Columbia housed in a large cedar longhouse, depicting a legacy of oral history, archaeological discoveries and unique artifacts that depict ten thousand years of ancient history

Meet your crew & vessel late morning at Cow Bay in Prince Rupert. Heading north, we pass through the topography of Chatham Sound and its myriad of islands. The entrance to Portland Canal marks the border between Alaska and British Columbia. Sailing past Misty Fjords National Monument, we enjoy the beautiful scenery of snow-capped mountains rising majestically out of the ocean.

We stop briefly to clear US Customs in Ketchikan before continuing north among the narrow passages of Etolin and Wrangell Islands to Anan Bay. Anan Creek has the largest run of pink salmon in Southeast Alaska, and this accumulation of food attracts bears and eagles in great numbers. The US Forest Service viewing observatory is famous and access to this area is limited in order to protect the wildlife and local habitat.

We will disembark for a day tour on a jet boat, escorted by a local guide, up to Le Conte Glacier – the southernmost tidewater glacier in Alaska. In the last 15 years, it has receded by over a mile and a half with enormous slabs of ice “calving” into the ocean. It is located beside the Stikine River estuary – an important stop for millions of migratory birds.

Frederick Sound, Chatham Strait, and Stephens Passage are the core feeding area for humpback whales in Southeast Alaska. We will take the time to observe these 15-metre-long creatures whenever the opportunity arises and hope to witness spectacular behaviours like breaches, pectoral slaps, and possibly bubble-net feeding (an amazing cooperative foraging technique). We will also keep an eye out for wary sea otters – over 150 years of hunting by Europeans for their luxurious pelts nearly wiped them out completely until the 1960’s saw efforts to rebuild the population by reintroducing otters from the Aleutians.

Admiralty Island National Monument has the highest concentration of brown (grizzly) bears in North America. Pack Creek on Admiralty Island has been a protected area for brown bears for the last 40 years and offers amazing viewing opportunities in the estuary of their estimated resident 1,500 bears.

Please note: Only a limited number of visitors are permitted to visit these bear viewing areas, daily, due to National Park restrictions. Access is dependent on our success in obtaining these permits for our guests.

We arrive in Petersburg late in the morning to complete our voyage. After clearing customs, guests can catch a later afternoon flight to Seattle or explore the area further on their own.