CST# 2066556-40 [email protected] • www.dolphincharters.com 1007 Leneve Place, El Cerrito, CA 94530 1-800-472-9942
Around Admiralty Island A Photo Tour w/Mark Kelley June 22-30, 2016 Juneau-Hoonah $4395
Enclosed is information to help you prepare for an outstanding experience. Please read through this material carefully and if you have any questions, feel free to contact us. This cruise is truly special, offering you an opportunity not just to see, but also to experience the most overwhelmingly magnificent scenery in North America.
This trip has been designed for and by you, our guests, to better fit your interests and requests. As a result it will have a strong emphasis on whales, bears, and glaciers while not excluding the other wonderful aspects of wilderness Alaska. Everyone should enjoy and benefit from the up-close and personal nature of this adventure cruise in one of the best whale and bear viewing areas on the planet. And at a wonderful time of year…
You may wish to add a day or two at the beginning of the trip to enjoy the many things to see and do in either or both Juneau and Hoonah. A list of a few things is included. In Juneau, we especially recommend an evening exploration of Mendenhall Glacier. If you arrive after 5 PM you will nearly have the place to yourself, as the crowds will be gone and the wildlife will just be beginning their nightly activities.
Photo leader: Mark Kelley Enhancing this Glacier Bay experience is Mark Kelley, a Juneau based award-winning photographer and all around nice guy. You are guaranteed to have fun while Mark teaches photo techniques that will help you now and in the future! Mark graduated from the University of Alaska with a double degree in Photojournalism and Northern Studies in 1978 and worked for the Juneau Empire as a photojournalist for thirteen years before dedicating himself full-time to nature and wildlife photography in 1993. His images illustrate twelve Alaska photo books with over a quarter million copies sold. Three of his photo books have been awarded a Benjamin Franklin Award. Mark Kelley’s images have appeared on the covers of more than three hundred publications. Mark Kelley is a double-silver winner in the Graphis Photography Annual 2015 Contest and a winner in the 72nd Annual Picture of the Year International Competition, Natural History Category-Reportage Division. Mark Kelley is a North American Nature Photography Association Showcase winner and a recipient of the Daniel Housberg Wilderness Image Award for Excellence in Still Photography from the Alaska Conservation Foundation. Mark
800-472-9942 • [email protected] • FAX 510-525-0720 placed first in the 2013 Nature’s Best Windland Smith Rice Photography Awards—Outdoor Adventure Category and his winning image is now part of the Smithsonian’s permanent collection. Kelley is honored to have his image listed in the same company with photographers working for National Geographic, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and many more. See more of his images at www.markkelley.com
Voyage Highlights A primary focus of this voyage is the incredible breaching, resting, lunging and bubble-net feeding humpback whales. In this area during the summer, there are an estimated 300 individually identified humpbacks, all at one time, all actively feeding! Many are bubble-net feeding—blowing a helix of bubbles underwater that rises to the surface as a wall, surrounding and entrapping the whales’ prey. At the surface it appears as a simple ring of bubbles, as if the humpbacks are indicating exactly where they are going to appear next —right in the center of the circle—sometimes in an explosive leap! It is both easy and exciting just to be around humpbacks, hour after hour, as they alternately feed and rest. We can record the whales’ vocalizations—their trumpeting as they co-ordinate their feeding!
The grandeur of the scenery is equal to the whales’ spectacle—the Ice Kingdom with its calving glaciers and “ice gardens” will enchant you. The area around the south end of Kootznoowoo (Admiralty) Island provides some of the most beautiful anchorages in Southeast Alaska—Pybus Bay, The Brothers, Gambier Bay, Eliza Harbor and Warm Spring Bay are a few of the possibilities. Kootznoowoo Island has both the greatest concentrations of nesting bald eagles and breeding brown bears of any similar size area in Alaska—or the world! There are more bald eagles on this one island than in all the rest of the 49 states.
A special feature of this wildlife experience is visiting an outstanding bear reserve at Pack Creek, the best-known place in Southeast for being with grizzly bears or "brownies”. These are full-size coastal grizzlies, approximately 30 percent larger than interior grizzlies. Our observation spot is a creek mouth near the north end of Kootznahoo Island, simply one of the best places anywhere on earth to watch grizzly bears. Pack Creek Bear Preserve on Kootznahoo Island is as much a monument to the grizzly bears that live there as it is to the man who was responsible for its existence. Stan Price homesteaded here for thirty years, until the summer of 1989, the year of his death. Stan set a living example that grizzly bears and humans could peacefully coexist. In Stan’s presence, the bears became accustomed to the presence of people. What this means is that you will have one of the best opportunities found anywhere to observe grizzly bears just being bears!
800-472-9942 • [email protected] • FAX 510-525-0720 To the west are the snow-capped mountains of Baranof Island. To the east are the ice-covered peaks and moving glaciers of the mainland. As we cruise along and follow the whales about, this pageantry of splendor will continue to unfold. You’ll constantly find a new angle, a new light—sunny, misty, sunny again; broken clouds, scattered clouds, overcast, clear; sunrises and sunsets that go on for hours—that provides outstanding photo opportunities. It’s always changing!
We go ashore most days to explore new places, enjoy flowers, pick fresh berries (if in season), and just sit and contemplate. Each evening brings another chance to fish—fresh fish can be served for dinner. In Southeast Alaska, the days are very full and life is very rich. We will be in the heart and spirit of this region.
The trip ends in Hoonah the morning of June 30.
Representative Itinerary It is impossible to give more than a suggested itinerary for this cruise due to its highly opportunistic nature. Our itinerary is kept flexible in order to allow for the unexpected events that are often the highlights of traveling. Our days will be spent whale watching, hiking on islands, cruising, and taking photos. We will also enjoy discussions, lectures, slide shows, and videos designed to enhance our understanding of the area’s marine biology and natural history. We will bird watch, beach comb, study the whales, and enjoy ourselves. There will be ample time for you to photograph, read, write, sketch, kayak, and just relax.
Day 0 June 21 or earlier – Pre-trip arrival in Juneau. Make time to explore this capital city if you wish, and purchase any essential items, such as a fishing license or rubber boots and rain gear. (Hotel and meals in town are not included in the price of the trip.) Day 1 June 22 – 9:30A departure from Juneau for Fords Terror Wilderness and vicinity Day 2 – Tracy/Endicott Arm, glaciers. (Optional: visit Baird Glacier instead. Frederick Sound & Brothers Is.) Day 3 – Pack Creek Day 4,5 –Windfall Harbor Frederick Sound, Seymour Canal, Pleasant Bay, Day 6– Chatham Strait, Baranof Island, Warm Springs Bay Day 7 – Chatham Strait and Tenakee Inlet Day 8 – Icy Strait, Point Adolphus Day 9 June 30 – Morning departure from Delphinus in Hoonah
800-472-9942 • [email protected] • FAX 510-525-0720 Travel Arrangements We are prepared to handle your travel arrangements from your home to the departure point of the trip and return. We can also make customized extensions or side trips either before or after your Dolphin Cruise. We can best serve you if you use our agent, who is familiar with all our departures and can book the most efficient arrangements for you. Please call Beverly at Dalianes Travel, 800-462-2937, [email protected], or fax 1-707-443-2104 for your customized reservations. If you have made any connections with another agent or on your own, it is imperative that we know the details in plenty of time for us to plan our meeting and departures.
Meeting Place and Time: Juneau June 22 for a 9:30A departure Delphinus will be available for boarding in Juneau at 9:30A. We plan to depart after everyone is aboard with lunch underway. You may reach the boat on its cell phone, 510-541-0725
On your arrival in Juneau (or better before you arrive), call your hotel for a ride to your lodgings. On the morning of Delphinus’ departure, your hotel may take you to the boat. A crewmember will contact you at your lodgings the day before to tell you where the boat is docked. You will need to arrive in Juneau by June 21, or better, a day or two before. We recommend arriving early as there are so many things to do and enjoy here. See below for suggestions. It would be hard to visit more than a few of the suggested places in a single day. When departing the boat in Hoonah the morning of June 30 after breakfast you can fly Wings of Alaska www.wingsofalaska.com/ back to Juneau. Or you may want to work your way over to Glacier Bay National Park (across Icy Strait) and spend a little time in that magnificent area.
Plan extra time so that you can visit Juneau. To explore this capital city more than a full day is needed. Following are some suggestions for places to visit. (A longer list of things to do is included in your package.) Items 1 through 7 below are part of a walking tour of downtown Juneau Take the Mt. Roberts tram and an extended walk through the alpine meadow above Juneau. (Plan extra time and walk back down to town.) We highly recommend this excursion, as the alpine environment is different from the environments we will see while on the boat. 1. Visit the State Museum at 395 Whittier, next to the Driftwood Lodge. 2. See the Alaska State Capital Building. 3. Take a tour of the State Office Building, its Lobby and Library at 4th & Willoughby Streets. 4. Juneau/Douglas Museum at 4th & Main. 5. Visit the Walter Soboleff Building next to Sealaska Plaze. 6. Dine at the Gold Creek Salmon Bake. 7. Go to the Lemon Creek area for great eagle viewing. 8. Visit the Fish Hatchery. 9. Take a scenic flight over Mendenhall Glacier and the Juneau Icefield or Glacier Bay. 10. Drive out to the Eaglecrest Ski Area and see the Alpine Meadows on Douglas Island. 11. Take a hike to and on Mendenhall Glacier with Above and Beyond Alaska.
Restaurants in Juneau: For breakfast, lunch, or dinner, the Sandpiper Cafe in front of the Driftwood Lodge comes highly recommended. They have their own bakery, which is especially nice for breakfast. The Gold Creek Salmon Bake is highly recommended for an all-you- can-eat salmon grill and salad bar. It’s around $44 and includes bus pickup in town, soft drinks, dessert and live music. It also has a very photogenic salmon stream and forest trail. Bring your camera.
Before your arrival in Juneau, alert your hotel for a ride (the hotels we recommend provide pickup service).
800-472-9942 • [email protected] • FAX 510-525-0720 The hotel we most recommend is the Driftwood Lodge at 435 Willoughby (907-586-2280, toll-free 800-544- 2239, or www.driftwoodalaska.com/ We like the Driftwood’s relatively modest price, convenient location, and the fact that they are one of the few hotels that provide transportation to and from the airport and to the boat. The Driftwood is a standard three-story motel, with kitchenettes, but without an elevator. A slightly more upscale hotel is the Prospector at 375 Whittier (907-586-3737, toll free 800-331-2711, or
In general we have no specific lodging recommendations in Hoonah if one wants to stay on in the area after the trip, although Icy Strait Lodge (907-945-3636) has worked well for some folks in 2015, and here is a link to lodging in the town www.visithoonah.com/businessdirectory.html For diehard fisher persons, Hoonah is an excellent choice for sport fishing, but will require the expense of chartering a boat and guide. Check the Hoonah website for further details. The Sportsman Lodge and the Icy Strait Lodge are two possible places to stay.
Crew The best part of our itinerary is you, doing what you want to do. The second best part is your naturalist and crew. The naturalist plays a central part in all our cruises by enhancing your understanding, deepening your experiences, and heighten your own sense of discovery.
Your professional chef is there to thrill you with sustenance, excite you with flavors, and stimulate you with visions of delight. They can also customize the menu to satisfy your individual needs or requirements.
Similarly your professional photo leader is here to enhance or broaden your visual appreciation, understanding, and insight on still another level of wonder and magic.
Your skipper is there to make it all happen in the safest, most enjoyable, and entertaining way possible. His more than thirty years of experience provides the hidden background of the cruise - allowing you to safely be in the place of maximum opportunity to see and do the things you have dreamed of. Now you are doing them - now you are living your dream. And he loves showing this area to others.
Wishing to express their appreciation, our passengers often inquire about tipping. All tips are given at the total discretion of the guests, but the crew sure likes to get them. As a general guideline current standards suggest 5 to 10% of the cost of the trip and add to that if you have felt particularly well served. Tips are given discreetly by the captain to the crew consisting of the cook and naturalist/deckhand, and are divided equally.
Captain Ronn and our naturalists and photo leaders are always available to answer your questions and impart information about your surroundings that will enhance your experience.
800-472-9942 • [email protected] • FAX 510-525-0720
800-472-9942 • [email protected] • FAX 510-525-0720