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Cruising Prince William Sound
By Pamela Turner
April 8, 2001 |
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Family Boating on Alaskan Waterways
"Doesn't anybody know about this place?" asked ten-year-old Tom. It was a fair question. In four days of cruising Prince William Sound, we'd seen orcas, humpback whales, sea otters, river otters, black bear, Dall's porpoises, harbor seals, sea lions, bald eagles, and puffins up close. But people? We'd seen exactly one salmon fisherman.
An Alaskan cruise has long been a popular vacation choice. And for good reason-Alaska boasts the kind of drama, from calving glaciers to calving orcas-that invites superlatives. Much of this drama can best be observed from the sea. But what if you don't want to share the experience with hundreds of other people?
With two families aboard the 58-foot cruiser Babkin and the 42-foot Alexandra, a working halibut boat, there were no private bathrooms, white linens, or cocktail dresses. But no tuxedo-clad bartender can compare with kayaking to a glacier for a chunk of iceberg to cool down Crown Royal.
Small boats like the Babkin represent a growing trend not only in Alaska, but many other cruising destinations as well. Travelers are looking for more intimate ways to experience nature, where schedules can be replaced by serendipity. For families, this type of flexibility has a special appeal.
On our trip, spur-of-the-moment activities were the rule rather than the exception. Spotting a humpback, we spent an hour bobbing in kayaks and Zodiacs a dozen yards away from the leviathan. One memorable excursion involved halibut fishing from the Zodiac in Alaska's midnight twilight (though the bottle of port received more attention than the tackle). Another misty evening found the children cooking s'mores on the beach and cracking jokes about the reminder of civilization we found floating in a remote cove-a tiny TV/VCR. Alex von Wichman, who together with her brother Brad and sister-in-law Kjersti owns the Babkin and Alexandra, proved that Alaska is really one small town. "Oh, I bet that came from the Crystal Sea," she laughed. "The captain told me his first mate kept watching the TV instead of the helm, so he ripped it out and threw it overboard."
It is hard to imagine friendlier or more knowledgeable Alaskan hosts than Brad and Alex. They grew up fishing and skiing in Alaska with their father. George von Wichman was a member of the first team to climb Mt. Denali in the dead of winter, in weather so horrific that the book chronicling the climb was titled Minus 148 Degrees.
Many people do know about Prince William Sound. But luckily most stay aboard those big luxurious cruise ships. The remaining few will find they have this vast expanse of roaring waterfalls, green cliffs and silent ocean all to themselves.
When to Go
May is the peak of shorebird migration. Prince William Sound receives slightly less rain in June than in July or August. Salmon fishing and bear sighting are best from mid-July through August. Good Friday seems to be Alaska's unlucky day-it was the date of the 1964 earthquake and 1989 Exxon Valdez spill.
For More Information
To book a cruise on the Babkin or Alexandra, or an 11-day package including a stay in Denali National Park, contact Wildland Adventures at www.wildland.com.
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