"Captain Neil Nickerson and the Kirsten Anne delivered my family and me to Southeast Alaska's hidden gems. As a well-traveled nature photographer, I make my living in the planet's most remote natural places, and I expect the best. This is exactly what I got from Alaska Sailing Charters, all with style, comfort, and fabulous Alaska cuisine."
– John Fielder
Nature Photographer
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Join naturalist, guide, and photographer John Schnell on an incredible photo expedition with Alaska Sailing Charters. John’s images have appeared in Audubon and Nature Conservancy calendars, in numerous periodicals, and on the web sites of many adventure travel companies (including ours). Each workshop features great photo opportunities, and a wonderful learning experience. You'll soon find out why reknowned photographer John Fielder chose John as his Alaska guide.
During extensive field sessions, you'll learn how John creates his award-winning images. You'll also gain a deeper appreciation for the visual aspects of nature, during visits to many of John's favorite locations. You'll select better photo opportunities, experiment with different perspectives, improve your photo compositions, and explore creative digital imaging techniques.
John will show you how to create captivating images of your adventure, as you observe the extraordinary wildlife and scenic wonders of Alaska. He'll show you how to build a compelling photo presentation, so you can share your grand adventure with others. You'll return home with a fascinating experience, plus some great images!
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Join us on this nine-day phtography expedition, and experience the scenic wonders of Alaska's Inside Passage aboard the Kirsten Anne, a luxurious 49' sailboat operated by our captain Neil Nickerson, and Alaska Sailing Charters. The Kirsten Anne offers an outstanding platform from which to photograph the incomparable tidewater glaciers and migrating humpback whales of Alaska. Adventurous travelers of all ages, especially those wishing to experience Alaska in comfort, will love exploring aboard this handsome boat.
Starts: Juneau, Alaska
Ends: Sitka, Alaska
Duration: Nine days
Distance: 320 miles
Price and Sailing Dates: see 2012 Schedule
Accommodations:
Activities: Sailing, photography, whale watching, wildlife observation, kayaking, hiking
Reservations: Please contact us for more information about this sailing adventure!
Trip Deposit: We require a deposit of 50% of the total trip cost at time of booking. The full balance is due 30 days prior to the trip departure date.
Cancellation Policy: Please be sure to buy trip insurance at the time of your booking. Due to the limited operating season in Alaska (plus the fact that the majority of our trips are planned and booked well in advance), we strictly adhere to the following cancellation/refund policy:
While we have a carefully planned schedule, each trip may differ slightly, depending upon wind and tides, weather conditions, wildlife viewing opportunities, and the goals of participants. Plan to arrive in Juneau, Alaska on a regularly scheduled Alaska Airlines flight, at least one day prior to our departure. We will provide you with a list of accommodations, including the Best Western Hotel.
Day 1: Our journey begins with an orientation and preview of our nine-day sailing adventure, at 8:00 a.m. at Auke Bay Harbor. The crew will welcome you at the dock, familiarize you with your quarters aboard the Kirsten Anne, and show you where to stow your gear. We'll quickly settle into our cabins, take a tour of the beautiful vessel, and begin our journey.
This morning we embark into the heart of the Inside Passage. We'll have ample opportunity to hike along the beaches, kayak and explore scenic coves, and photograph whales, marine mammals, birds, and other wildlife. Traveling by sailboat, in kayaks, and on foot gives us a closer view of this elaborate ecosystem, and we hope to see brown and black bears.
We'll head south through Stephens Passage, and watch for whales, sea lions, dall porpoises, orcas, and sea birds. Arriving in the late afternoon at Port Snettisham, we'll stretch our legs on shore. It's a short distance by skiff or kayak to a nearby salmon-fed river. Sweetheart Creek is the terminus of a series of cascading waterfalls, and often brown bears can be observed fishing in the pools below the falls. We'll hike through a rainforest of sitka spruce and hemlock trees, skunk cabbage and ferns. Along the way, we'll learn about a mature muskeg, and observe the tracks and sign s of the wildlife of the Tongass National Forest, including brown bears, moose, wolverine, foxes, wolves, coyotes, porcupines, muskrats, river otters and sable.
Dinner is aboard the Kirsten Anne, and our evening anchorage in Taku Harbor provides a great opportunity for a beautiful sunset.
Day 2: After an early breakfast, we depart for our short cruise into the Tracy Arm, a narrow fjord that twists and turns through towering mountains. Massive glaciers carved their way through the coastal mountains, over the course of thousands of years. Waterfalls drop thousands of feet off the granite mountains, and sapphire blue icebergs serenely float by in the emerald green water. North Sawyer Glacier provides us with an exciting opportunity to explore by kayak and skiff (if the ice pack allows) from a protected anchorage. Then we'll continue to South Sawyer Glacier, at the ice-choked end of the fjord. Extraordinarily blue and beautiful, this glacier is quite famous for its active calving, and we’ll witness gigantic chunks of ice break away from the face of the glacier.
In the early afternoon, we'll reverse directions. Our destination this evening is a small cove, nestled safely inside of Holcomb Bay. Wildlife abounds throughout the area, and it's possible to view most of the wildlife Alaska has to offer, including bears, dall sheep, mountain goats, whales and harbor seals. The evening light is beautiful, as we dodge icebergs, and wind our way back down Tracy Arm, and into the bay.
Day 3: We have planned our day to make the slack tide across Wood Spit and into Endicott Arm. Kirsten Anne is underway in the early morning hours. Along the way we will be alert for drifting icebergs, as well as humpback and Orca whale sightings. We are bound for Sanford Cove, near a group of small islands called the Sumdum Islands.
Sanford Cove is the near the abandoned site of Sumdum. Little is left of the town, other than a few pilings. This is prime salmon-spawning habitat, which lures brown bears to the creeks and rivers in the area. We hike along the banks of tiny Sanford Creek, through an old growth spruce and hemlock forest, to a stunning waterfall, illuminated by the soft morning light in a remarkable grotto of ferns and mosses.
It's only a short run to Fords Terror, one of the most spectacular anchorages in Southeast Alaska. There are many places to explore by kayak. Surrounded by 5,000-foot granite faces, we marvel at the mist clinging to the precipices. Today we will make our way through the tidal rapids (at slack water, of course) into the majestic and stunning inner fjord. We explore the spectacular fjord, accessible only through a narrow passage. Rushing tidal currents and whirlpools prevent us from entering (and exiting) when the tide flows in and out. We must wait for slack water to enter this paradise.
We'll cautiously cruise through Ford's Terror, and into a T-shaped fjord. The evening light is beautiful, as we slowly wind our way into the fjord. Once again, we are in a vertical world of granite cliffs and glacier-carved cirques. Dozens of waterfalls cascade down their slopes, emptying into the turquoise waters of the fjord. Our evening anchorage is near a delightful waterfall. Black bears often visit the area, grazing on the abundance of berries in the meadows, and fishing for salmon in the stream.
Day 4: After a relaxed breakfast, Kirsten Anne is underway once again. We have timed our departure to make the slack tide across Ford's Terror. As we cruise up Endicott Arm, we dodge blue and white sculpted icebergs that float by, becoming larger and more plentiful as we near the head of the fjord. Seals and porpoises are common on the water, while above us mountain goats and bears can be seen on the fjord walls. Our relaxing boat ride takes us to the face of the Dawes Glacier.
We will linger at the face of the glacier, and witness the calving and booming of the icebergs. We'll also paddle through iceberg-laden waters, and we’ll be amused by the antics of the many seals hauled out for a rest on the ice. We'll watch huge icebergs calving off the face of the Dawes. We'll hear the glacier rumbling and thundering, and we'll safely watch as waves surge down the shoreline of the fjord. We’ll spend time floating among the ice, and taking in the glacier against a backdrop of jagged peaks. Like the explorers here before us, the majesty and awe of this ice-carved land has etched itself into our experience.
In the early evening, we'll make our way to the seldom-visited anchorage of North Dawes Cove. We may hike up a newly-formed valley on the far side of the fjord, just recently uncovered by the receding North Dawes Glacier. As we reach the mouth of North Dawes Glacier, we see an icy glacial outwash river which divides a meadow and scree slope with a big waterfall. Black bears commonly come down to the meadow to graze. We'll take in the magnificent vistas, and listen for the mournful howls of wolves.
Day 5: Today our destination is The Brothers, a group of small islands near the southern coast of Admiralty Island. The morning light is beautiful, as we dodge icebergs, and wind our way down the fjord. The scenery changes dramatically, as we leave behind the world of granite cliffs of Ford’s Terror Wilderness. Rushing tidal currents and whirlpools prevent us from crossing Wood Spit until slack water.
Throughout the day, we'll watch for whales, sea lions, dall porpoises, orcas, and sea birds. We'll be sailing or cruising to Admiralty Island, known for its dense bear population.
We’ll pause to view a colony of steller sea lions, crowded on the rocks of tiny Sail Island. The males vie noisily for dominance over their harems. As we continue cruising, we’ll watch for more sea lions, harbor seals, porpoise, orca, and sea birds. Along the way we'll continue to observe the migratory patterns of humpback whales. Arriving at The Brothers, we anchor in an idyllic cove between two small islands, where the sounds of breathing whales, grunting steller sea lions, and screeching eagles drift in.
During an extra-low tide at The Brothers, various anemones gleam brilliantly. Eventually we have to depart, but first we'll pause for a close-up look at another colony of steller sea lions, crowded on the rocks of one of the outer islands that comprise The Brothers.
We anchor in a serene setting in Pybus Bay, where the sounds of nature drift in, across the evening calm. Beautiful, remote and protected from outer waters, Pybus Bay is pristine wilderness. Brown bears are abundant along the grassy beaches in spring, and near salmon streams in summer. In the late 1800's, a very successful salmon cannery operation was located in Pybus Bay. Evidence of the canning operation still remains. Mother Nature has long since reclaimed the old buildings, but much of the impressive machinery still lies quietly in place, eliciting countless untold stories from the ghosts of the past.
Watching the shoreline and estuaries in the evening light, we often catch a glimpse of brown bears, fishing in the salmon-filled streams and rivers. With the largest concentration of nesting bald eagles in the world, Admiralty Island offers many chances to also see birds most commonly found in the fringe habitats between the forest and muskegs or meadows, and along the shores. Popular sightings include Canadian geese, trumpeter swans, cormorants and blue herons.
Day 6: After breakfast this morning, we'll continue our journey. We’ll cruise west across the top of Kupreanof Island, and the tiny Tlingit village of Kake, on Kupreanof's northwest coast. Humpback whales surround us along the way, showing us their tail flukes, and loudly slapping the water with their pectoral flippers. We can smell their fishy breath as they surface, and spout through their blowholes.
The natives in Kake maintain a subsistence lifestyle, surviving as much as possible on what can be captured, caught, trapped or harvested. Winter is the time for arts and crafts, working on totem poles and having potlatches, a gathering for song, celebration and ceremonies, and eating and drinking. Sometimes the partying can last for days. Kake is also the site of the world's tallest totem pole.
As we near Chatham Strait, we’ll begin looking for pods of humpback whales, this time exhibiting a number of varied feeding behaviors. Some practice bubble-net feeding, swimming in circles while blowing bubbles to form a curtain to corral in a mass of tiny fish. Others practice lunge feeding, breaking the surface at a 45-degree angle, mouth fully open, and throat cavities expanded like an accordion to collect all the fish scooped up by the lunging maneuver.
We sail west past Saginaw Bay, with striking limestone cliffs and rich marine life, on the northern tip of Kuiu Island. The Northland Trading and Packing Company built a cannery, wharf and a warehouse here in 1916, and produced pickled herring, mild-cured king salmon, canned salmon, fish meal and herring oil. Our evening anchorage is at Security Bay, located on the north end of Kuiu Island, facing Frederick Sound and Chatham Strait.
Day 7: We set sail this morning for Baranof Island, where we’ll view dozens of waterfalls cascading into Red Bluff Bay, and watch for mountain goats in the snow covered peaks. We’ll cruise along the east shore to Warm Springs Bay, where a natural hot spring is situated next to a rushing waterfall. Baranof Hot Springs is the outlet of Baranof Lake and the Baranof River. There are natural outdoor hot pools, and a public bath house which features three separate tubs and communal hot springs pools. A boardwalk takes us through the flora and fauna to picturesque Baranof Lake.
We continue sailing north up Chatham Strait, for an optional excursion into Freshwater Bay. Groups of Dall's porpoise frequently run with us for half an hour, racing back and forth across our bow. We’re heading up the coast of Chichagof Island, in search of humpback whales. But these are not just any humpback whales -- they are a special group. Soon, in quick succession, we see the flukes of several whales in a tight group, coordinated in time and space. Something special is going on here. Suddenly an entire group bursts onto the surface, all together, huge mouths agape. This group of whales is engaged in cooperative bubble-net feeding. This behavior is used by select groups of humpback whales that feed on small schooling fish like herring or sand lance. The whales descend in unison, find a school of fish, and then swim around the fish releasing a spiral net of bubbles. The fish are forced into an ever-tighter school. One of the whales then gives a vocal signal and, as one, the whales rise through the bubble net, each whale engulfing a huge mouthful of water. Over and over the process is repeated. It is an amazing display of behavior.
We reverse course and sail west into Peril Strait, which is not named for its navigational challenges, though with its strong currents and extreme tides, that description would certainly make sense. Instead, it gets its name from an unfortunate occurrence in 1799, when nomadic Aleut hunters stopped to camp there. Finding the shore lined with large mussels, they helped themselves to a fabulous feast. Unfortunately, the mussels were infected with paralytic shellfish poisoning, and more than a hundred were poisoned and died.
Our afternoon is spent on the northern shore of Baranof Island. After anchoring in scenic Hannus Bay, we’ll explore the region by kayak and skiff, in an area known for Alaska’s famous brown bears.
Hikers will enjoy exploring a small lagoon that ends in a stream, where salmon return to spawn below a lovely waterfall. At low tide, much of the intertidal zone is exposed, showing several species of algae as well as barnacles, mussels and other invertebrates. In shallow rocky bottoms, large white anemones with flower-like tentacles feed. We'll walk along a forest trail, stepping over tracks left by passing bears in the soft mud, and pausing to admire the abundance of mosses, ferns, and small flowering plants. The huge hemlock, sitka spruce and cedar trees are all flourishing because of the amply supply of rain. The forest here has particularly large trees of Sitka spruce and western hemlock, their growth fueled by nutrients brought from the sea by the annual return of salmon, and distributed from the stream into the forest by feeding bears, eagles, and other animals.
In summer the stream is often filled with salmon and hungry bears. Sea milkwort, paintbrush, dwarf dogwood, western coralroot, and pinesap paint vibrant colors across the meadows. New species of wildflowers open daily, including a bank of buttercups interspersed with dwarf dogwood, shooting stars and Alaska violets. A beaver lodge dams the edge of the lake. Coastal brown bears are sometimes spotted grazing on newly sprouted grasses, and often they quickly retreat into the forest, perhaps spooked by our approach. These bears leave their snowy winter dens high in the alpine a few short weeks before our arrival. In spring, the first available food resources are grasses and intertidal animals like barnacles, mussels, and crustaceans gleaned from turning over rocks.
Later we pass by Deadman's Beach, a place that historically lives up to it name. In the 1800’s, Russian fur traders frequently visited Southeast Alaska to hunt for sea otters. They captured many Aleuts, enslaving them to help with the hunt. Their attempt to enslave the Tlingits, however, ended in disaster. A group of Russian trappers managed to capture a couple of Tlingits, and insisted that they feed them. The Tlingits went out on the tidal flats. and collected clams and mussels – and the Russians ate their fill. Unfortunately it was summer, and the shellfish were toxic with paralytic shell poisoning. The Russians died along this stretch of beach, and it has since been called Deadman's Beach.
Our evening on board is spent at a quiet anchorage, dining on fresh king salmon.
Day 8: On our journey today, we’ll encounter the Sergius Narrows. Here the shore seems close enough to touch, and a very strong current flows through the channel markers. The forest is hushed, except for the occasional call of an Arctic tern. Periodically the surface of the water is broken by the silver streak of a leaping salmon. We’ll scan the shoreline to see Sitka black-tailed deer, elk and moose, as well as the both black and brown bears.
As we enter Sergius Narrows, we’ll power through the strong current. A mere hundred feet away, the forest passes by ever so slowly. Brown bears are very common, and this is yet another great place to explore by kayak, shore boat and very carefully by foot. We'll anchor in front of an abandoned cannery and old Indian village called “where the rock fell on someone's head." The name refers to a story in which a man killed his wife's lover by rolling a rock off a cliff onto the offender's head.
Southeast Alaska has semi-diurnal tides, meaning that there are two low tides and two high tides, each and every day. When the moon and sun are in alignment, the tidal range is at its greatest vertical difference. The vertical tide range here at Pond Island, our anchorage for the evening, is almost 20 feet! Such a low tide, of course, exposes all sorts of wonderful invertebrates, all of whom must make their living in these incredibly difficult tidal cycles. Perhaps the most beautiful and colorful animals is the sunflower star, the largest and fastest moving sea star in Southeast Alaska. When it really gets going it can cover up to six feet in a single minute! Growing to almost three feet across, its rays break easily and then regenerate. It is so aggressive that even the lethargic red sea cucumber will gallop away when the sunflower star approaches.
We’ll cruise through Hayward Strait and Salisbury Sound, and arrive at Kalinin Bay. As we navigate the narrow entrance to the bay, a group of playful sea otters paddles slowly past us. We’ll discover pristine Alaskan wilderness on Kruzof Island. Our first stop will be at Iris Meadows estuary. The meadow is full of Alaska’s beautiful vegetation and wild flowers, and is a great place to look for brown bears and sitka black-tail dee. We’ll observe whale spouts and sea otters in the distance, and view a rushing river where salmon can be seen during spawning season. The trail to Sea Lion Cove is a six mile hike through forest and muskeg, to a lovely one-mile-long white sand beach. The cove is on the Pacific Ocean, and big waves are always breaking. Locals come to here to ride the extreme surf of the outer coast. But it’s also a wonderful for beach coming, hiking, photography, relaxing in the sand, or just simply taking in the views.
Day 9: After breakfast, a light breeze fills in out of the north, so we raise the main and unfurl the jib to sail quietly into the protected waters of Olga and Neva Straits. This morning we begin our entry into Sitka Channel, on our way to docking at the downtown marina. We’ll see the delightful puffins at St. Lazaria Island, and watch humpback whales and mischievous sea otters – right in Sitka Harbor.
In early afternoon, we’ll arrive in Sitka, the former capital of Alaska in the 1800's. With views of island-studded waters and stately spruce forests reaching to the water's edge, Sitka is considered Alaska's most beautiful seaside town. The scenic community is nestled between forested mountains and the great Pacific Ocean, on the outer waters of Alaska's Inside Passage. Sitka offers an unparalleled combination of Native culture, Russian history, and Alaskan wilderness.
There's plenty to see and do around Sitka. You'll want to visit the Alaskan Raptor Center, for a close encounter with the local wildlife. The Center does great work rehabilitating injured birds of prey, especially bald eagles, and then retrains them to return to the wild. The flight training center includes a huge indoor coastal rainforest, long enough and tall enough for rehabilitating eagles to relearn their flying skills without leaving the facility. If you like fishing, bring your fishing tackle, because Sitka boasts the highest saltwater sport-fishing catch rate for king salmon in the nation. Novice or expert, you can be guaranteed a first-class fish story! Fishing is best from June through August, and commonly hooked fish include king salmon, silver salmon, pink salmon, halibut and ling cod. Licenses are required, and can be obtained at one of the sporting goods stores in Sitka.
National Park Service provides guided tours of the restored Russian Bishop's House, one of the few surviving examples of the Russian colonial architecture in North America. The National Historical Park includes details of Battle of Alaska in 1804 between the Tlingits and Russian colonists. The Park was established in 1910, as a place to also display totem poles. In the center of the 106-acre park a 35-foot totem pole marks the original Tlingit Kiksadi Fort. The Park also has an interpretive and visitors center, where Native artists design red alder bowls, helmets, silver and gold jewelry, and weave the threads of a raven blanket. The Totem Pole Park is a lovely one mile trail with carved poles standing amongst the Sitka spruce and Western hemlock. The Visitor Center has a substantial collection of Tlingit art and artifacts.
In the early evening, join us in the lobby of the Westmark Sitka. You'll be able to catch an Alaska Ariline flight tomorrow from Sitka, with connections to Juneau or Seattle.
If you need additional information about this trip, please contact us.
Even with the information age upon us, it's difficult to match the level of local knowledge that our captain and guides have accumulated over the years. Our staff is always ready to assist you — if you have additional questions, please contact us today!