Closer Look at the Real Alaska

An eye-catching cruise line ad for Alaska depicts “their bear”--a distant dark speck on the landscape as glimpsed from a 1,600-passenger cruise ship--and “our bear”--a much closer sighting from the deck of a 90-passenger cruise ship--to demonstrate the advantages of a small vessel.

But ask Trisha and Bob Pavey of Big Sur about the four bears that they saw close-up from their kayak in early September as they took a paddling tour around a tiny inlet off Baranof Island from the 14-passenger cruise yacht Obsession. While they prudently kept their distance, “their bears” were in easy observing range.

Many dream about seeing the real Alaska, watching humpback whales, orcas and sea otters, visiting isolated villages far from the usual cruise ship routes. Or soaking in the warm, soothing waters of Baranof Hot Springs, a tough uphill hike from a tiny community with no roads or sidewalks, only boardwalks above the water.

This is what Alaska Yacht Safaris, a division of American Safari Cruises, offers, either for individuals or under full-ship charter for a dozen or more passengers. The fledgling company, which started up last year, operates two 120-foot yachts, but plans an expansion to include more vessels.

While there are a number of fishing, expedition and sightseeing vessels operating in Alaska, American Safari Cruises strives for a more deluxe, all-inclusive experience, with all beverages and wines, along with shore excursions and a “flight-seeing” tour of Glacier Bay National Park (weather permitting) covered in the basic fare. Air fare add-ons, tips and an occasional additional flight-seeing opportunity are extra.

The food aboard is delicious, even rivaling our longtime favorites there, Crystal Harmony and Song of Flower. Chef Gary Truptano offers a daily breakfast special (banana rum pancakes, eggs Benedict with Alaska smoked salmon, blintzes with lingonberries) along with the usual breakfast dishes cooked to order. At lunchtime, he serves some variation of soup and sandwiches (a spicy black bean soup with shrimp quesadillas; bacon- and pepper-flecked clam chowder and meaty crab cakes; a cumin-scented lentil soup with fresh basil and a Mediterranean sandwich of eggplant, roasted red peppers and sun-dried tomatoes on focaccia) followed by a dessert such as freshly baked chocolate-frosted brownies, intensely flavored lemon squares or warm chocolate chip cookie sandwiches filled with chocolate chip ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce.

The cocktail hour starts with an appetizer: King crab legs with melted butter, oysters on the half shell or sushi and California rolls made on the spot. Dinner begins with a salad; then there’s a choice of two main dishes (scampi or roast duck, steak au poivre or glazed fresh salmon, rack of lamb or lobster tail), fresh vegetables, homemade rolls with sweet butter and another magnificent dessert (chocolate espresso pot de creme, fresh strawberries, a rich chocolate cake, cheesecake with caramel sauce).

All passengers eat at a long table for 14 beside wide windows so they don’t miss a humpback whale sighting during meals. The crew of seven includes a naturalist (ours was Aleria Jensen, an enthusiastic marine mammal expert).

At the helm is the equally creative and independent-minded captain, Dan Twohig, whose aim in life seems to be to show his passengers the best hidden corners of the southeast Alaska he knows so well from his years of U.S. Coast Guard duty in the region.

The American crew’s service aboard is warm and friendly, and cabins are handsomely decorated, each with its own private bath with shower. The bottom-deck cabins on the Obsession have a clear glass port light set high in the wall that lets in natural light but not views.

The most comfortable cabin aboard is the Owner’s Stateroom, behind the dining room on the main deck, with twin beds, two chairs and two large view windows. But deck plans shown in the 1999 brochure indicate this cabin may be reduced to upper and lower berths with only one window. The same proposed renovation would add four cabins on the bridge deck, where there is a comfortable observation lounge with tables, and a library of Alaskan books and games. Four new cabins with eight more passengers on a boat this size could change the delicate balance aboard and make what seems a spacious yacht for 14 become a crowded boat for 22.

Both individual travel and full-boat charters should be booked as far in advance as possible; more than a third of the 1999 sailings are already booked, the company says.

Fares for 1999 begin at $3,450 per person, double occupancy, for the seven-night Alaska itinerary, which cruises the Inside Passage between Juneau and Sitka. Charters this fall in Washington’s San Juan Islands begin at $1,250 per person, double occupancy, for a 14-person charter for three days and two nights, with port charges and gratuities extra.

For a free color brochure or details on charters, call American Safari Cruises toll-free at (888) 862-8881 or visit the Web site at https://www.americansafaricruises.com.