This season the Midnight SUN has four weeks in her schedule with a special itinerary and with cabins available for individual booking. Increasingly we are hearing from our guests that putting a group together to charter the whole yacht is a challenge, so we are adding trips where you can book just one or two cabins and join like minded folks for a week with a special focus, depending on the time of year. If these weeks book quickly, we may add more the schedule. In early summer we will be more focused on photography and watching whales and other marine life such as seals, otters, and sea lions. As we go further in late summer and the salmon start run, the focus will shift a bit more to fishing & bear watching. Of course of course exploring and enjoying the spectacular scenery and viewing humpback whales are always part of any trip as are the hot springs, fishing for the dinner table, hiking and setting some pots for crab and shrimp. We round out each trip with a day in the Tracy Arm fiord to experience the ice and the glaciers.
New this season – More cabin bookings!
January 23rd, 2012Back in Seattle for the winter!
December 19th, 2011The Midnight SUN arrived back in Seattle in early October after another adventuresome trip down the Inside Passage. We had a few weather delays and heavy rains put more logs in the water than I have ever seen before, so we had extra “eyes” in the pilot house for much of the trip. After a couple of long days to Ketchikan we waited out some weather before crossing Dixon Entrance & waited again in Pr. Rupert and again in Shearwater (Bella Bella). This did give us the opportunity for another excellent dinner at the Cow bay Café in Pr. Rupert, a favorite we try to visit whenever we pass through town. We arrived in Seattle after a great 14 day trip, right on schedule as always.
As we travel through central British Columbia, docks become scarce and our new anchor chain did not fit the wildcat very well so getting the anchor back up in the mornings was a bit of a challenge. The foundry in Port Angeles will be casting a new part for us this winter to insure a perfect fit for next season. As we traveled through Queen Charlotte Strait we found ourselves surrounded by about a thousand (yes 1,000) Pacific Whitesided dolphins. Pictures will be posted to the web site soon, we’ll let you know.
As usual, a number of winter projects are planned, notably new steering hydraulics, and an overhaul of the port main engine fuel systems. Several cosmetic projects such as new paint on parts of the upper and main decks, some new salon windows, and many routine service and maintenance items are on the schedule. Customized new linens for the guest cabins to complement the new towels are on order so the comfort and luxury of the Midnight SUN experience remains top-notch. We’re also continuing to replace lighting systems with LED’s to save on fuel and battery power.
Early Bird bookings discount for 2012!
December 8th, 2011We are offering early bird booking discounts again this year. 15% off for any who confirm their booking before the new year. We still have availability in all months although as usual, July will fill up fast.
Update on Halibut fishing for the 2012 season
December 8th, 2011The controversy over halibut allocation for sport fishing in Alaska continues. While we won’t know for sure until maybe March or so next year, it looks likely that charter guests will be limited to one fish per day with a maximum size limit. This would be the same as this year. There is also a proposal to close the fishery one day week which would not be great hardship for multi-day charters like ours, but real tough on the day boat guys. Comments on this will be appreciated and I’ll pass on all your suggestions.
Capt. Bob
Charter Guide Halibut Permit
January 27th, 2011As not many of our guests are yet aware, 2011 is the start of new permit regulations for guided halibut fishing in Alaska. All charter boats will be required to have a guide with a valid permit for the area and the number of rods being fished. Only guides who logged halibut catches in 2004 or 2005 and in 2008 were eligible to get an initial permit, others will need to purchase one from someone who qualified. The expectations are that as much as half the fleet did not get a permit and the current price is around $40,000 for a six angler permit. Many charter boats will be going out this year unable to let their guests fish for halibut.
I logged guided halibut catch in the qualifying years and received my Charter Halibut Permit for 6 anglers in area 2C (our cruising area) last month. Our guests can look forward to another year of exiting fishing!
Capt. Bob