Featured in National Geographic Magazine's October 2006 Top 50 Tours of a Lifetime.
The Catalyst is a 75' classic yacht that fits 12 guests and combines the finest blend of luxury, comfort and utility. Experience personalized and up-close exploration via yacht, foot and kayak of the glaciers, forests and abundant wildlife of Alaska's Inside Passage. Private charters available.
Cruise Details
Duration
7 Days
Location
Alaska's Inside Passage
Season
May-September
Cruise Type
Overnight
Nearest City
Juneau
Physical Condition Required
Fair
Destination(s)
Alaska, United States
Guest Capacity
12 Passengers
Accommodations
M/V Catalyst was the University of Washington's first oceanographic research vessel. In 1932 Thomas G. Thompson, began a personal crusade to establish a school of oceanography at the University. With the help of a $60,000 grant from the Rockefeller Foundation, he started both the school and the construction of Catalyst. The Catalyst launched as the most state-of-the-art research vessel of her time. She was completed in June of 1932 and took her maiden cruise through the Inside Passage and across the Gulf of Alaska. During WWII the Navy conscripted the vessel, mounted a machine gun on top of her pilot house and racks of depth charges on her stern. She spent the war years patrolling the Aleutian Islands for Japanese submarines. After the war, the Catalyst was handsomely refit. Over the next forty years, she was used for everything from a mail, to mining, to a floating dentist's office. Now she has been restored to her original purpose, learning about the oceanic world. Only this time it is adventurous travelers like you, not research scientists, who benefit from her mission.
Rates
$3,400.00 - $4,000.00per personCurrency Converter (Rates shown are in US Dollars. Rates and terms are subject to change.)
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Cruise Itinerary
Summary: A trip aboard the historic, 12-passenger, M/V Catalyst to wild Southeast Alaska reveals a world of dramatic landscapes. From tiny island habitats...to sparkling glacial fjords...to verdant temperate rainforests...to roadless villages. Woven together by an intricate network of waterways, the myriad islands and imposing coastal mainland form a natural wonderland, inviting exploration and adventure. The largest old-growth forest in the nation, the Tongass, carpets more than a thousand off-shore islands. High peaks tower majestically near perpetual ice fields just miles from shore. Thousands of miles of rivers and streams tumble down mountains and out from beneath glaciers. The highest densities of brown bears and bald eagles in the world are found here. Wolves, foxes and beavers also make this pristine wilderness their home. The sea teems with life. Humpback and orca whales abound, and playful Dall porpoises delight in games with visiting vessels. The roaring of sea lions can be heard for miles.
The wonders of this vast wilderness are brought closely to hand on the Catalyst. Here, dreams of: soaking in idyllic hot springs nestled in virgin forest … or kayaking in sheltered coves while bears watch from shore… or watching humpbacks breaching… orca spouting… eagles soaring… glaciers calving… are made reality. Discover and experience the grandeur of Alaska up close. Let the Catalyst share with you the secrets of this natural wonder. AdventureSmith can also arrange charters for your family or special group.
Day 1: Embark Petersburg Welcome aboard! Meet MV Catalyst and her crew at noon on the working docks of the Norwegian fishing town Petersburg. Stow your gear, explore your floating home, and help yourself to a hearty buffet lunch. After an orientation and safety meeting on the foredeck, begin our cruise north. The first anchorage is Scenery Cove in Thomas Bay - a remote anchorage etched into slopes of towering spruce. Tides permitting, a boat ride and hike provide a unique opportunity to time-travel back to the Ice Age. Explore the Baird Glacier's cobbled outwash plain and touch the glacier's icy foot! This evening, everyone is thoroughly introduced to sea kayaking, paddling, and safety skills. Five stable two-person kayaks are great for beginners; three single kayaks allow seasoned boaters to enjoy their skills.
Accommodations: Catalyst
Included Meals: Lunch and Dinner
Day 2: Frederick Sound Whale Watching The aroma of fresh-baked scones wafting from the galley beckons you to breakfast. Soon you are underway, bound for the Brothers Islandsin the heart of Frederick Sound. This is one of the premier places in the world to observe the feeding behaviors of Humpback Whales. Drifting with the engine shut down, watch them breach or lunge-feed and listen to their sonorous calls with a hydrophone. Keep watch for bow-riding Dall Porpoises and Orca Whale's six-foot-tall dorsal fin. Explore a temperate rainforest cushioned by mattress-thick sphagnum moss and enjoy a sunset BBQ dinner and campfire.
Accommodations: Catalyst
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 3: Admiralty Island This morning you may awaken to the sounds of seabirds and marine mammals. A Steller's Sea Lion haulout is close by, where several hundred of the vocal 1200-pound bulls, cows and pups summer. Explore the Brothers by kayak and discover the incredible diversity of marine and shore life including kelp forests, wildflowers, and nesting Pigeon Guillemots and Oyster Catchers. By midday, head for Pybus Bay on Admiralty Island and the Kootznoowoo Wilderness. Nearly 100 miles long, Admiralty is one North America's largest protected old-growth rainforests, and is home to one of the world's densest populations of brown bears and bald eagles. Cathedral-like Sitka Spruce and Hemlock open into a vast estuarine river where acres of sedges and droves of spawning salmon support gorging brown bears.
Accommodations: Catalyst
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 4: Endicott Arm The Catalyst is underway early this morning as you travel up Stephens Passage and turn into Endicott Arm - a 30-mile fjord that pierces the Coast Mountain Range. Wind your way toward spectacular Dawes Glacier, dodging icebergs and watching for brown and black bears, Sitka black-tailed deer, mountain goats, and bald eagles. At the face of the glacier, linger to witness the calving and rifle shot thunder of the bergs and watch Arctic terns and, perhaps, pupping harbor seals. Ther evening's destination is the seldom-visited anchorage called Ford's Terror, a spectacular place much like a flooded Alaskan Yosemite, where mile-high granite walls rise from the sea and waterfalls cascade in veils of spray.
Accommodations: Catalyst
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 5: Ford's Terror At Ford's Terror, you will become intrepid adventurers aboard kayaks. Crossing the salt-water rapids at slack tide, sculpted icebergs will be your companions while paddling beneath majestic 5,000-foot granite rock faces often shrouded in an other-worldly mist. Here, plant communities hang ten on narrow shelves of moss and shrubs such as Devil's Club, Elderberry, and Goat's Beard festoon the crevassed faces. You may paddle to the arm's interior and step ashore for a picnic lunch. Count on an evening of relaxing dining as you bask in the awesome beauty and music of waterfalls.
Accommodations: Catalyst
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 6: Wood Spit, Sumdum Glacier, Holkolm Bay A short cruise takes you to the last anchorage - Wood Spit at the mouth of Endicott Arm. This area, featuring some fascinating geology, Tlingit (thling-get) culture, and gold rush history, overlooks Sumdum Glacier, Holkolm Bay, and a seemingly endless Alaskan sunset. It's an idea spot for beachcombing, fishing and kayaking. Here, witness rafts of Surf Scoters, Harlequin Ducks, Bonaparte Gulls, and Loons. The spit is frequented by deer, wolf, and nesting bald eagles. Fisherpeople have another chance to catch halibut. Tonight is the Captain's Ball and slideshow, a celebration of your experiences together.
Accommodations: Catalyst
Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner
Day 7: Stephens Passage, Juneau Brunch is served underway while heading ead north through Stephens Passage - a deep and lovely stretch of sea slicing between mountain ranges. Fog and low clouds often striate the early morning water. Seabirds raft in the bays where mini-icebergs escape with the tide. Keep a lookout for Humpback Whales and Orcas knifing the brackish waters. The MV Catalyst reaches Juneau - Alaska's state capital - about noon. Bid farewell to your new friends.
Included Meals: Breakfast and Lunch
Notes on Itinerary: AdventureSmith may occasionally alter itineraries slightly for safety, or to take advantage of weather, wildlife, and unplanned discoveries. AdventureSmith's ability to be spontaneous makes their style of cruising unique.
This Package Includes
Accommodations Aboard Vessel
Meals
Naturalist Guided Activities
National Forest and Reserve Entrance Fees
Notes
Reverse Itinerary: This itinerary also runs in the reverse direction (Juneau to Petersburg).
General Information: This trip is subject to AdventureSmith ExplorationsTerms and Conditions. Please read this information carefully and call if you have any questions. A packing list, extensive pre-departure and travel insurance information is sent upon confirmation. AdventureSmith strongly recommends the purchase of Trip Insurance through them. If purchased within 14 days of sign-up, the pre-existing condition exclusion is waived.
Reservation Policy
$500 Deposit Per Person
Private Charters: You can charter the Catalyst for your special family or group. Call for details.
Single Travelers: There is a 50% Single Supplement for single travelers in a double cabin.
Land Cost Includes: Shipboard accommodations, entrance fees, leadership, crew, all meals, local guides, and permits.
Not Included: Airfare to Alaska; airport taxes, excess baggage charges; items of a personal nature such as alcoholic beverages, and insurance of any kind.
Cancellation Policy
91 days or more, refund minus $250 fee. 90-31 days, 50% of tour cost. 30-0 days, 100% of tour cost.
COMPLIMENTARY VISITOR GUIDES
Click on any visitor guide below to request a free copy.
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