Alaska. The name alone conjures up thoughts of wild and untamed expanse. The land of the midnight sun, snow-capped mountains, icebergs, and frigid temperatures. A land-mass explored by those who wanted something more, something different, something better. Remote. The idea of even going to Alaska was as remote as the place itself. For me, going to Alaska ranked right up there with other romantic notions I fantasize about, like visiting European castles, or transiting Russia aboard the Trans-Siberian Railway. And certainly, ever taking our boat to Alaska was an even more remote possibility.

Although going to Alaska was not on our summer itinerary, Dave and I could not resist Sea Sister JOYCE GAUTHIER's invitation to spend a week aboard her charter boat, a 65-foot North Sea trawler, the Ursa Major, on a one-week charter in southeast Alaska, sometimes referred to as "the panhandle." We would travel from Sitka to Juneau, part of Alaska's "Inside Passage."

It was one of those "meant to be" situations when everything fell into place perfectly: our son would be in town and therefore able to keep an eye on the house, the tenants, and our pets; the August issue of WOMEN ABOARD was done and at the printers; heck, we even had two frequent flyer tickets that needed to be used before the end of the year. It was one of those decisions that had already been made for us, and three airports and 14 hours later, we were in Alaska.

This was our first charter experience and I really didn't know what to expect. Dave and I had taken a "cruise ship" cruise once before, but Joyce had said that this would be nothing like that. Great! I couldn't imagine exploring such an awesome place in something so impersonal as a huge cruise ship. The differences between cruising Alaska on the Ursa Major and The Love Boat were amazing.

First of all, the captain himself met us at the airport in Sitka. Capt. Ron (we hoped that wouldn't be indicative of things to come) Miller, whom we recognized from photos on the website (www.myursamajor.com) helped us with our bags and already had a cab ready to take us to the marina where Ursa Major waited. The two other crew members, chef Richard Sharpe, and first mate Josh Haury, met us in the parking lot. Upon our arrival, they piled our bags into the dock cart and we followed them to the boat.

Because I had seen photos of the Ursa Major, she was easy to spot. But what a difference it makes to see her up close and personal. She is a beautiful, massive, 65' wooden North Sea trawler. Her designer envisioned a safe, spacious, comfortable boat that carried enough fuel and provisions that would make long passages possible. The Ursa Major has a range of 3,000 miles! I had met Joyce Gauthier at a recent West Marine Trawler Fest, where many shiny, new, long-range passagemakers are displayed. It was impossible not to take note of the similarities and the differences between this boat and the ones that are built today, and I marveled at the foresight Ursa Major's designer and builder had more than 30 years ago.

We were ushered aboard and shown our quarters, the roomy main stateroom, complete with our own head. We had lots of drawers and closet space at our disposal, in addition to desk space and shelves. I couldn't help but take note of the thick and sturdy wooden beams along the ceiling and admired the varnish work. This boat oozed "classic" in every sense of the word, and it was so homey and comfortable.

After getting a tour of the rest of the boat and listening to Capt. Ron's safety talk, the engine was cranked and we slowly pulled out of the marina. Even though I had just arrived, I felt a bit of regret having to leave Sitka so early in the trip. It has a lot of history and what looked to be a lot of quaint shops, amidst a peaceful backdrop of lush fjords. I would have liked to have had more time to explore this town. Guess that means we'll have to come back someday!

Another major difference between this trip and a cruise-ship cruise was that our captain welcomed us in the pilothouse whenever we wanted. Capt. Ron proudly explained all of the ship's instrumentation, whistles and bells. He gave us charts and showed us exactly where we were and where we would be going. His sense of sight was incredible in that he spotted things WAY off in the distance, giving us plenty of time to get our cameras and binoculars (tourists that we are).

Thoughts of the movie City Slickers ran through my head as the wonder and awe of Alaska's grandeur gradually manifested itself. The air was crisper, cleaner than it is where we live. The towering mountains, one beautiful waterfall after another, and the overall solitude and tranquility more than saturated my senses. Everything seemed more, bigger in some way. I think that this is just the way Alaska IS. The fact that you could be anchored in more than 70 feet of water and yet only be a stone's throw away from shore was almost incomprehensible to me. I'm used to the uncertainties of the Intracoastal Waterway, where it isn't unusual to go aground smack in the middle of the channel.

Everywhere I looked I could see differences in Alaska and the cruising grounds I have experienced. One obvious difference was that there weren't many other boats around, nor did we hear the almost-constant chatter on Channel 16 like you do in some locales! We anchored out every night spent aboard Ursa Major (6), and, at the most, had five others boats in the same anchorage. Most of the time, though, the we were anchored in the company of only one or two others.

Glaciers. Incredibly enormous expanses of ice. It was like seeing a huge wave that had been frozen in time. The various shades of blue were striking, and something I had not expected. Glaciers are SO big that is easy for one to feel insignificant when a glacier looms before you. One of the most awesome photographs we took of the trip is our picture of the South Sawyer Glacier. If you look really, really, hard you might be able to discern a rather small speck in the corner of the photo. My camera's lens wasn't dirty. The "speck" is really a 300-passenger cruise ship that does daily tours from Juneau! Next to the South Sawyer Glacier, though, it looked miniscule.

Words cannot begin to describe the wonder of being at anchor and watching eagles fly in the mountains above, while at the same time hearing the music of a nearby waterfall. Or kayaking in the company of a playful harbor seal who seemed to delight in entertaining us with a game of hide-and-seek. Or hiking a trail that first led to natural hot springs, and steps later, to a stunning alpine lake. Alaska naturally fills up your senses.
We saw so much wildlife up close. Whales, otters, sea lions, and sea birds galore. Everything about this trip was new to us, an education in every sense of the word. One of the most amazing wildlife observations we made was that porpoises in Alaska's waters are really fast! We wondered if it was because of the cold water. On one of our passages, Capt. Ron slowed the boat down so that we could enjoy yet another show put on by humpbacks (I am not exaggerating when I say that seeing humpback whales and waterfalls was a common occurrence!) While enjoying their antics, someone noticed what looked to be miniature, gray torpedo-like animals darting around the bow of the boat. These fast little guys looked like baby Shamu's, but we soon found out that they are "Dahl's porpoises" and for what last several minutes, they entertained and captivated us.

While cruise-ship cruises offer daily aerobics and dancing lessons on the main deck, we partook in other kinds of activities, such as setting shrimp and crab traps. We were successful in our maiden endeavor, which subsequently translated into three excellent meals. There is no doubt in my mind that these were the best and sweetest tasting shrimp and crabs we had ever eaten.

Because we were the only guests, we had the crew all to ourselves. Just as we can't say enough about the comfort of the boat, or the wonder of Alaska's natural beauty, we can't say enough about the crew's hospitality and friendliness, not to mention their local knowledge, competency and ability to make us feel at home.

Richard, the chef, spoiled us three times a day, every day, with the most wonderful and satisfying concoctions, served in gargantuan proportions. Especially-sinful meals included the most delicious salmon I have ever had, eggs benedict made with crab cakes, and flan and tiramisu (the recipe for which he shared. You'll find it in this month's From the Galleys section.)

Josh, the boat's 20-something-year-old First Mate, saw to it that we got whatever we wanted or needed. He was the one that ferried us around in the skiff, taking us to shore whenever possible, going on hikes to scenic pleasures like the hot springs in Warm Springs Bay in Baranof Island, the alpine lake above it, and the lush forest that was found at The Brothers island. If we wanted to go kayaking, he made sure we had the gear we needed. When I wanted to fish, he had me set up in no time. Josh was pleasant to talk with and a pleasure to be around. His job description seemed very general and included a lot of "duties as assigned," one of which was boat photographer.

On our last evening aboard Ursa Major, the crew presented us with a folder of photographs from our week aboard, both in hard copy and CD. Thanks to Josh and his knack for timing, we have lots of preserved memories of our stay aboard Ursa Major. The ship's digital camera captured the most incredible images, some of which you can view at www.womenaboard.com/Alaska.

Though totally unplanned for, there is no question that this trip was the best vacation we had ever had. We had the great weather, we were well taken care of on a boat that was absolutely seaworthy and comfortable, and we saw things that most people only dream of. We came home with the most wonderful memories that will last a lifetime.

If you've ever wanted to go to Alaska but just assumed that the chances were slim, definitely look into chartering the Ursa Major. You can either book one cabin or the whole boat. There are still a couple of prime-time weeks available this season, and reservations are being accepted for 2002. There are a variety of itineraries available, with a number of departure sites including Seattle, Friday Harbor, Sitka, Ketchikan, and Juneau. And every trip can be especially customized to include everything that will make it memorable for you.

In addition to the very informative website, Sea Sister Joyce will be happy to address any concerns or answer any questions you might have. Joyce Gauthier's e-mail address is vjg@myursamajor.com and her phone number is 206-310-2309.

M/V Ursa Major
2333 1/2 Perkins Lane W
Seattle, WA 98199-3803

www.myursamajor.com