When the Russians sold Alaska to the US in 1867, they thought they had one on the Americans. It was a vast, barren land, expensive to maintain, and their settlers had driven the native sea otters to extinction, halting the lucrative fur trade.
What a mistake. Alaska is pure gold. The landscapes are vast, the fjords deep, the mountains covered in snow and huge glaciers crashing into the sea.
It’s twice the size of Texas and five times larger than the UK. No wonder the first inhabitants called it Alyeska, or “big land.”
I came to explore on Ocean Victory, an American Queen Voyages expedition cruise ship.
Majestic: Jane Archer boards American Queen Voyages’ expedition cruise ship Ocean Victory for a cruise through the Alaskan wilderness, stopping in Misty Fjords (above) along the way
Majestic: A stunning aerial view of the Misty Fjords wilderness area
Not for us the tourist triangle of Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, favored by the hundreds of large ships that bring thousands of tourists here every summer. Instead we call at Ward Cove, Wrangell, Petersburg and tiny Kake, with a population of 500, anchoring in pretty bays and close to glaciers to learn about the local culture and ice, and hopefully some wildlife to see up close.
Ocean Victory has an X-bow front end that cuts through waves instead of riding them, and an extra strong hull for sailing through ice; entertainment is a lecture or two on whales and explorers and a man on the piano during cocktail hour, and there’s a mudroom where we go out together in zodiacs and kayaks to look for wildlife and glaciers.
There are also plenty of conveniences. The service and food are excellent, the cabins spacious – and mostly with balconies (binoculars are scattered around the ship in case a whale comes into view) – and drinks are included.
The cabins onboard Ocean Victory are spacious – and most have balconies
Jane says there’s “enough comfort” on Ocean Victory. Above this is the hot tub outside of the ship
The ship can accommodate 186 passengers, but there are only 85 of us on board, most of them from America, ranging from two college students just out of college to a 97-year-old World War II veteran who blows everyone’s mind. by kayaking and zodiacs.
Leading us all is an 18-person team of naturalists, marine biologists and kayakers who take us ashore and out on the water.
Thanks to their encyclopedic knowledge of all things Alaska, we learn everything from wilderness survival to how drones collect whale snot to analyze stress levels.
Entertainment on Ocean Victory is a lecture or two about whales and explorers and a man at the piano during cocktail hour, Jane reveals
Drinks are included on the ship and the food is ‘excellent’
Jane sees moose, deer, bears, whales, seals and bald eagles during the tour (file photo)
We sail from Vancouver to the Alaskan town of Sitka, a ten-night journey spending most of the first two days in a narrow, island-dotted passage in Canada lined with millions of trees.
With no house or settlement in sight, it’s loneliness in spades. Gosh, this is one big country and we’re not even in Alaska.
Day three and we’ve arrived at Ward Cove, a working dock about seven miles from the bright lights of Ketchikan, and I join an included tour to the world’s largest collection of totem poles. All very cultural, but I’m eager to start the real adventure. I don’t have to wait long because the next day we are in Punchbowl Bay, in Misty Fjords, for our first expedition. We are split into four groups, each with kayaking, zodiac cruises, lectures and hands-on science, often with barely an hour between activities.
Jane’s cruise takes her from Vancouver to the Alaskan town of Sitka, above, a journey that takes ten nights
Jane goes on a tour to see the world’s largest collection of totem poles (above) near Ketchikan
By the end of the day, I’ve had an Alaskan birdwatching lesson, attended a lecture on whales, clocked nearly four hours in kayaks and zodiacs, and ticked off bald eagles, a mountain goat, and loads of starfish.
Over the next few days I will be adding moose, deer, bears, whales, seals and more bald eagles to my game stock.
In Wrangell, Grace and I hike through Tongass National Forest, a temperate rainforest that covers 17 million acres of Alaska.
Passengers learn about local culture as the cruise anchors in beautiful bays and towns like Wrangell, above
A highlight is a hike through Tongass National Forest, pictured, a temperate rainforest that covers 17 million acres of Alaska
Jane goes on a jet boat ride to LeConte Glacier (above), a massive wall of ice nearly a mile wide
Jane’s cruise avoids Juneau, above, a favorite spot of the hundreds of large ships that bring thousands of tourists to Alaska each summer
Then there’s my icebreaker moment during a jet boat ride from Petersburg to LeConte Glacier, a massive wall of ice nearly a mile wide. Back in the zodiacs, we get close to a raft of sea otters and see the mothers swimming on their backs with their pups on their bellies.
It’s a California variety, introduced to Alaska in the 1960s, and judging by the numbers, they love it here. I know how they feel.
Sorry Russia, you really missed a trick.