Alaska Activities

Experience Alaska like the locals. Do what you love. Be in your vacation. This is the Alaska of your dreams.

Sail Alaska

We tack and gybe silently among the straits, bays, and inlets of the protected Inside Passage. S/V BOB is an efficient, powerful, modern 50 foot Catalina sloop which allows us to take advantage of the breeze to sail the beautiful passages of Alaska. This is one amazing Alaskan activity you will not soon forget. No experience is necessary, but you can help and learn if you’d like. Enjoy the quiet beauty of the Tongass National Forest and Glacier Bay National Park’s majestic mountains and wilderness fjords. Hear the whales before you spot them!

Watching Wildlife

Wildlife abounds! While at anchor we may see bear, deer, or moose wander down to browse along the shoreline. Seals, sea lions, otters, or harbor porpoise may play around. Majestic bald eagles swoop down to snatch up a fish. We often see sea otters and sometimes orcas while sailing. Dall’s porpoise might just choose entertain us as they race in our bow wave. We carry binoculars for everyone, and you’ll have a lot of opportunities to use them.

Quaint Fishing Towns

You’ll get to experience the charms of small villages such as Elfin Cove, Pelican, Tenakee Springs, Baranof, Kake, or Hoonah. Several towns are built on boardwalks and have neither roads nor cars. The rich history of Alaska awaits you in the larger settlements of Sitka, Juneau, and Petersburg. For those who prefer wilderness, we can spend the entire trip with hardly a glimpse of civilization. There are plenty of excursions to satisfy every sailor.

Hiking Trails

Sound Sailing is permitted to lead hikes on the Tongass National Forest, Glacier Bay NP, and in Alaska’s State Marine Parks. We include several great trail possibilities on each trip and love to explore the beaches, forests and muskeg of the world’s largest temperate rainforest. Trails vary between easy and strenuous based on your interests. We love a good hike, and enjoy sharing the various plants and natural history of these gorgeous areas.

Fishing

The fishing is world class! Depending on the time of year: king salmon, silver salmon, halibut, rockfish, shrimp, and crab are available from the pole or pot to your dinner plate. In addition to the saltwater fishing, we have access to remote lakes and streams for those of you who want to try fly-fishing; We carry spare rods and flies. Our freezer space is limited so we only keep enough fish to eat on our trip. For those interested in taking fish home, we can recommend a sportfishing charter after our sail. Alaska prides itself in its sustainable fisheries and proactive management, and we know sustainable wild-caught fish taste the best. See our Galley Page for some of our mouthwatering menus.

Glaciers

Sailboat BOB has been exploring Alaska’s glacial fjords for over 30 years. We are one of the few companies authorized by Glacier Bay National Park to sail in Glacier Bay. Alaska’s oldest National Park – Glacier Bay has 16 tidewater glaciers and unique geology and incredible wildlife habitat due to the rapid retreat of ice over the last 200 years. We are always astounded at the amount of wildlife we see in this magical place. The spectacular  Tracy/Endicott Arms Wilderness is our other glacier trip. Hear the roar of the icebergs as they calve off the towering spires of ice at the water’s edge.

Kayaking

We carry one double kayak and a stand-up paddleboard.  You are welcome to use them to paddle and explore our beautiful, quiet anchorages, and explore the islands and beaches.  There’s something about gliding quietly along at the water level that brings you much closer to nature. No experience necessary.

Photography

There are lots of opportunities to take photos of scenery and wildlife.  Be sure you bring plenty of batteries (we have the capability to recharge batteries but bring at least two so you always have a full charge ready to shoot!), digital memory, etc.  Great shots of bears, whales, and our incredible anchorages will fill a photo album of your trip! We offer a stable platform for pros wishing to get whale, bear and bird shots. 

Birding

Bring your birding life-list, or if you don’t keep one, may consider starting one. Early summer brings hundreds of migrating bird species through the SE Alaska archipelago on the way north to their arctic nesting grounds. We have a soft spot in our hearts for shorebirds, particularly black oystercatchers and keep bird guides and a spotting scope handy to enjoy this world-class bird-watching region.

Whale Science

We are Proud Supporters of WhaleSense – A program for responsible and respectful whale-watching by boats of all kinds in Alaskan waters. We also fully support and donate to HappyWhale.com – the online source for whale identification. Our whale photos are uploaded and the whales identified. We have also adopted/named one humpback whale ‘Otis‘.

Hot Springs

Alaskans will do crazy things to soak outside in hot water. There are four unique hot springs in our cruising area. One hot spring is in a natural rock pool next to a glacial fed waterfall. Two are remote bath houses overlooking the Gulf of Alaska. The last is Tenakee Springs, a small community of about 100 people, with a bath house in the quaint boardwalk town.

Explore History

We also seek out unique historic sites and interesting cultural areas. We offer a “War in the Pacific” history expedition to explore abandoned WWII bunkers, secret bases, forgotten gun sites, and other defensive fortifications along this formerly strategic coast. Additionally, we love to explore the incredibly rich native Tlingit, Russian, and early frontier history of the region. We operate on the traditional homeland of the Tlingit and Haida peoples and respect their long-time conservation and residence of the region.