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Cabin bookings continue to be popular this year & two of the four weeks are already taken. If you were thinking of booking just one or two staterooms, give us a call & we will see if we can schedule a new week for “by the cabin” reservations.
August is also starting to fill up, so don’t wait too long!
Capt. Bob
Last week the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IHPC) approved new rules for the 2012 season in Southeast Alaska which will allow charter guests to take one fish a day either less than 45″ or over 68″. For our guests this means we can keep the best eating fish as well as a trophy fish should someone be lucky enough to hook the big one. While fishing is only one the many activities our guests enjoy, it looks like halibut fishing can continue to be one of the highlights for this season. This is not likely to be the final regulation, so I will keep you posted on what might happen in 2013 and beyond.
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.
The 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.
We 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.