Afternoon: Independent arrivals to Sitka, AK.

Dinner: Dinner at hotel.

Evening: Evening free to meet fellow participants.

Lodging: Shee Atika Totem Square Inn

Meals Included: Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: Transfer and board the Snow Goose.

Lunch: Lunch served on board by the Snow Goose chef.

Afternoon: After cabin assignment and a safety orientation, we depart Sitka heading north through Sitka Sound. Just offshore is the St Lazaria National Wildlife Refuge – a significant bird nesting island. Pelagic seabirds, such as colorful puffins, murres, and shearwaters are only found on the outer shores. We are always on the lookout for wildlife on the water or along the shore. Orcas (or killer whales) can be spotted at any time during the voyage. Each night we will anchor at a different beautiful, secluded bay. These protected locations are our best opportunities to explore the shoreline by kayak. We will introduce guests to the stable, double sea kayaks onboard, with a safety orientation before guests can experience the pleasure of silently moving along the shoreline and looking at sea creatures just a few inches beneath them.

Dinner: Dinner will be served buffet style once we are anchored for the night.

Evening: During the trip our crew and expert naturalist will help us learn about the local ecology and the native cultures through discussions, slide shows and the use of the onboard natural history library. The US Forest Service has developed a series of trails throughout the Tongass National Forest and we expect to walk several of them during the voyage. Each night, take part in the nightly Bluewater custom- The Chart Talk. The skipper will bring out a large map of the area and go over all the places traveled that day. At the end of the trip this is a great map, which guests usually copy onto their own maps, or write down all the places in their journal. The on-board Naturalist will highlight the species seen that day and hear from the group on what they want to learn tomorrow. After this, you are free to stay up and read (extensive book collection available onboard), play some card games, or retire for the evening.

Lodging: Snow Goose

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast served on board around 8am.

Morning: Keep your eyes open for sea otters as we travel through narrow Peril Straits, between Baranof and Chichagof Islands, and into Chatham Strait. We will need to time our passage through Sergius Narrows because at full tide the current runs over 6 knots and with the turbulence even the Alaska State Ferries will not pass. This area is also a good place to see brown bears along the shore.

Lunch: Return to the boat for a gourmet lunch prepared by the Snow Goose chef. The crew will be explaining all the places we are passing and all the species that you might see flying, swimming, or walking near the vessel.

Afternoon: Relax after lunch while the crew puts up the sails, then board zodiacs or kayaks to explore. If something is of interest we will stop or slow down to enjoy. We travel to all of our destinations only when the weather and wildlife is consistently good.

Dinner: Dinner will be served buffet style once we are anchored for the night.

Evening: Enjoy the Chart Talk and hear the Naturalist's species list review. Relax with a book or discuss highlights of the day.

Lodging: Snow Goose

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Explore on your own in a kayak or relax before breakfast is served on board around 8am.

Morning: Humpback whales will be spotted throughout Chatham Strait, Frederick Sound, and Stephens Passage. We just have to hope for some spectacular behavior and will stop the ship when we are lucky, to enjoy it. Humpbacks are some of the most exciting whales to watch as they often breach – leaping clear of the water – and slap their tails and huge pectoral fins. These giant leviathans weigh up to 40 tons and can be up to 50 feet in length. Dalls Porpoise are also common in the area, and sometimes come over to ride the ships bow wave.

Lunch: Lunch on board.

Afternoon: After the meal, a shore excursion will take place - Either to search for wildlife, look at intertidal zones, or go for a culture/nature hike. We will load into the zodiacs and take off to see what nature has in store for us.

Dinner: Before dinner we might do a light hike to bear stands to view some grizzly or black bears feeding on the salmon, or enjoy an afternoon kayak. We might serve dinner and then go for a dip in some remote hotsprings along the coast, and then come back to the boat and enjoy some local wine.

Evening: Chart Talk and Naturalist's review of species seen during the day. Read, relax, play cards, or retire for the night.

Lodging: Snow Goose

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast served onboard around 8am.

Morning: We expect to visit the tiny community of Baranof Warm Springs and walk up the boardwalk to bath in the natural hot pools, beside a rushing river. The trail also extends up to a lake, with a nice collection of bog plants.

Lunch: Lunch served on board.

Afternoon: Admiralty Island National Monument has the largest population of bald eagles and brown bears in North America. It is estimated there is one brown bear every square mile and we expect to observe bears feeding along the shore, or at the mouths of creeks searching for spawning salmon. Across Frederick Sound on Kupreanof Island there are only black bears, as the last ice age evidently limited brown bears to only Admiralty, Baranoff and Chichagof Islands.

Dinner: Dinner will be served buffet style once we are anchored for the night.

Evening: Chart Talk and Naturalist's species review. Star gaze with a glass of wine.

Lodging: Snow Goose

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast served on board around 8am.

Morning: We will explore by ships tender and kayaks, and plan to visit East Brother and the Steller sea lion haul out. These sea lions have been designated as an endangered species in Western Alaska, so we need to be especially careful not to disturb them.

Lunch: Lunch served on board.

Afternoon: We plan to anchor for the night at the Brothers Islands, with a chance to explore the outer islands or walk with the naturalist and learn about forest plants.

Dinner: Dinner will be served buffet style once we are anchored for the night.

Evening: Daily Chart Talk and wildlife review. Plan for next day's activities.

Lodging: Snow Goose

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast served on board around 8am.

Morning: Watch for more humpback whales, talk with the naturalist about sea species. Explore on your own in a kayak or stay on board and enjoy the beautiful scenery.

Lunch: Lunch on board.

Afternoon: If the weather looks good for clear skies, we will then proceed north up Stephens Passage to see the stunning glaciers of Endicott Arm. Passing remote Five Fingers Lighthouse, and we may stop to explore one of the outer islands. We will anchor that night in Holkam Bay, where Tracy Arm and Endicott Arms converge, and in sight of the Sumdum glacier.

Dinner: Dinner will be served buffet style once we are anchored for the night.

Evening: Hear from the naturalist and hear the daily Chart Talk, then relax while anchored.

Lodging: Snow Goose

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast served on board around 8am.

Morning: Up early and underway because today we travel up the 20 mile long fiord, deep into the coastal mountains. The fiord is often a thousand feet deep, and on each side mountains rise straight up to four and five thousand feet. There are some spectacular rock faces and waterfalls. Along the way we pass icebergs which have “calved” off the face of the glacier into the sea. As we approach the end, the ice can get thicker and we never know how close we can approach the face of the Dawes glacier. We expect to be able to float within half a mile, watching for icebergs to calve and listening for the thunderous roar that announces the event. We may also get into the ship’s tender to listen up close to the ice crackling as air escapes.

Lunch: Lunch on board ship.

Afternoon: The afternoon we return down the fiord and often stop in beautiful, Fords Terror. Departing Stephens Passage we head back south into Frederick Sound again (with more chances for whale watching).

Dinner: Dinner will be served buffet style once we are anchored for the night.

Evening: Hear from local researchers and naturalists. Day's Chart Talk followed by relaxing while anchored. Spot brown bears along the shore.

Lodging: Snow Goose

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast served on board around 8am.

Morning: Take a dip in a local hotspring, kayak around the shore.

Lunch: Lunch served onboard.

Afternoon: Our voyage now continue south through Wrangell Narrows to reach Sumner Strait, before traveling the narrow Eastern Passage. One of the joys of traveling on this size of vessel is the ability to get “off the beaten path” and into some lovely, intimate bays and channels.

Dinner: Dinner served on board when we anchor for the night.

Evening: Enjoy the Chart Talk and discuss the species the naturalist is adding to the trip list.

Lodging: Snow Goose

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast on board ship.

Morning: The Anan Wildlife Observatory is a “classic” Alaska highlight. With the largest run of pink salmon in Southeast Alaska, this is one of the best known bear viewing locations in the state. There is an excellent trail extending half a mile around the lower lagoon before we reach the US Forest Service viewing stand and a wildlife blind, perched above a rushing river and waterfall. In order to limit our impact on the wildlife we plan to divide into two smaller groups.

Lunch: Lunch served back on board ship.

Afternoon: There will be plenty of time to observe the salmon leaping up the falls, usually both black and brown bears fishing, and bald eagles and harbor seals.

Evening: Evening Chart Talk and star gazing.

Lodging: Snow Goose

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Breakfast: Breakfast served on board around 8am.

Morning: We arrive in Wrangell, AK mid-day. Right beside the Harbor is a Chief Shakes long house and a collection of totem poles – certainly worthy of a visit. If you are considering extra time in Wrangell take the opportunity to visit Petroglyph Beach State Historic Park on the north side of town. Or take a tour of the mighty Stikine River by jet boat experiencing the same incredible scenery, glaciers, wildlife and adventures as those of the gold miners.

Lunch: Lunch on your own. The Bluewater Crew can recommend local eateries in Wrangell.

Afternoon: Group flight to Seattle

Evening: A light spread of cheeses and fruit will be waiting for you when you arrive at the hotel. You may want to purchase additional food while travelling today.

Lodging: Best Western Airport Executel

Meals Included: Breakfast

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel in Seattle.

Morning: Independent departures from Seattle. The hotel offers complimentary shuttles to the airport. You can arrange a shuttle for your flight independetly with the front desk staff.

Meals Included: Breakfast