Prince William Sound Oysters 11.15.12

Alaskan oysters are the best and Perry Island has got them for sale. We called up ‘Royal Wave One’ on the VHF last week and picked up a few dozen oysters to make my favorite oyster stew. Growing up on the Oregon coast our Dad would take us to the historic Oyster Bar in the old part of Portland. I would always order the oyster stew. Having acquired a taste for oysters at a young age, I enjoy sampling oysters everywhere I travel. The next best oysters to the Alaskan oysters, that I’ve tasted, are the Knysna oyster in South Africa. In Knysna we rented an oyster boat and sampled 6 different types of oysters grown in that area, while driving around the oyster farms in the Knysna lagoon. There we found an oyster very much like the Alaskan oysters except with the warm waters of the Indian ocean they would go into spawning cycle later in the summer. Just like oysters from the lower 48, when they go into the spawn, their flesh turns white and fluffy and tastes like an old dish rag. Anyone trying oysters for the first time slurps down one of these spawning oysters, they will swear off oysters for ever – yuck! Unfortunately most the upscale restaurants in Alaska serve lower 48 oysters, even when they’re spawning. When I order oysters, I always ask if they are Alaskan. Most will tell you if they are. But beware, I have been told they were Alaskan and was then served spawning oysters in Anchorage and Seward. Alaskan oysters don’t spawn as a result of the cold water, so if you get spawned oysters, send them back. Restaurants should tell you where their seafood comes from, especially shellfish. Of all the restaurants that I have sampled oysters at, only one did the waiter tell us that it wasn’t a good time to order the oysters because they were spawning. That was at a restaurant on the Victoria Waterfront in Cape Town Harbor, South Africa called Quay Four. I was shocked and impressed, never had a waiter ever warned me of the quality of their oysters. However, you don’t have to travel around the world to get the best oysters - just to Perry Island in Prince William Sound. Give them a call on Channel 16 on the VHF. There call sign is ‘Royal Wave One’ and they will meet you at the oyster barge. The couple working the farm this year has brought the quality of the oysters up - we noticed the oysters are much cleaner than before. Remember to bring cash. Enjoy!
Matt

Alaskan Boaters Base Camp 9.8.12

We have moved to Shotgun cove for a few days so we can catch up on e-mails. We are transporting hunters this weekend with the water taxi and next week we will return to Culross cove. We still have rooms available for this weekend. Often boaters waiting to launch in Whittier see our notices posted in the window of the Aquetec suburban parked next to the launch waiting zone. We try to keep our current location posted there. You can contact us on the VHF: the base camp boat is the Cathy G and the water taxi boat is Bayhawk or call us on the cell 3621290 and 3621291. A Labor Day weekend storm really put the dampers on everyone’s holiday weekend: many boats holed up most of the weekend dragging anchor all night. We had a couple of boats tied up to the Cathy G at the last minute so they could get a rest from having to tend their boats all night. We met some new friends - it is great hearing everyone’s experiences boating around the sound. There are so many boaters who have been playing in the sound for over twenty years and now their kids have boats and are visiting the same places they went while growing up. Alaska is really a small place when it comes to Alaskans - when we meet folks, after a while you realize they know someone you have known for years. The folks we met last weekend started out exploring jackpot bay when their kids were little and their only boat was a raft. Now Mom and Dad have their own boat kitted out for them and their dog and the kids have their own skiff to explore the sound. We also got to spend time with a couple who had a Tolman boat that they built themselves. They also have spent many years boating in Prince William Sound. The Tolman was their third one they built and the great craftsmanship really showed.

Check out our Base Camp Boat details on:

http://www.princewilliamsoundlodging.com/boaters-base-camp.html

Alaska Boaters Base Camp 8.12.12

We are back in Louis Bay, Knight Island with flat seas and blue skies. What a great time we had at Glacier Island with the Alaska SeaLife Center sea lion capture crew. The Alaska SeaLife Center was capturing Steller sea lions to collect data on the health of the Prince William Sound sea lion population. They also attached satellite tracking devises that will give vital information to researchers. On this research cruise we had Jeff Corwin of Ocean Mysteries with his film crew documenting the sea Lion research. Jeff and his crew were also great fun to work with. The R/V Cathy G proved to be an excellent base camp for the research team to work off of. There are lots of boaters cruising the sound right now chasing salmon, ling cod and halibut. Deer season is open and we are hearing several boaters on the radio reporting deer sightings on the beaches. A few days ago a commercial fishing boat reported seeing a group of deer swimming between the islands. The good weather has hung around for a week now and it looks like the next few days will be nice too. We still have rooms available for this week. The last group  did very well on the lingcod and rockfish as well as halibut and they found our 7 foot fish cleaning table very handy. Check out  www.princewilliamsoundlodging.com  for more info on the Alaskan Boaters Base Camp or call (907) 362 1291.

Alaska Vacation Planning 3.27.12

Alaska 2012 – Are you planning a trip of a life time but you don’t want to do any of those industrial touristy tours? You know, where everyone is herded around like cattle and you have to elbow your way to the front to get a view; standing in line to go to the bathroom or waiting for stragglers to get on the bus? Then there is a crowd holding up everything you do. All the services are over whelmed such as restaurants that are maxed out with stressed out servers. You end up waiting until you are starved then pay top price and get served a meal that rates along with your old high school cafeteria. When you get home you show off your photos and everyone guesses where each photo was taken because millions have taken the same cattle tours with the same photos. Unfortunately this is the case for most that come to Alaska. They read all those big dollar ads and are fooled into believing that’s the best way to see Alaska. They couldn’t be further from the truth. First of all those who take the industrial tour route find themselves  spending their time waiting for others , riding buses for hours, and riding trains for most of a day in each direction . You end up spending a lot of your valuable vacation time commuting. I would think most would have had enough of commuting back at home. Paying top price for a marginal experience mostly seen through a bus window or from a train doesn’t seem like a good vacation. My recommendations: first choose what you want see and experience while here. Remember Alaska covers a vast area, so unless you plan to spend a month or more here, you won’t have enough time to see everything you want. I have lived here for over 26 years and still haven’t seen everything. Next, what kind of experience do you want? Some seek a true wilderness experience where you leave the crowds and the road system behind. Others have a check list of major attractions that are must sees. You can make your once in life time Alaska vacation a truly great experience with a little research. For those who don’t have the time or patience to do the research there are small local Alaskan businesses that can plan and book your trip using other small local Alaska businesses. Going small and local means you are dealing with Alaskans that are not supportive of industrial tourism, as opposed to large out of state corporations, run by people that seldom set foot in Alaska. These small businesses know who offers good service and who has the best deal. They are also much better at matching up the customers desires with the best local Alaska business.  If this sounds like what you are looking for, check out www.sewardalaskaadventuretours.com . If an Alaska coastal adventure is what you are looking for check out www.princewilliamsoundlodging.com. We will custom tailor your Alaskan adventure to you! No waiting in line, no crowds, far from civilization, close to the wildlife.  We are a local small business and proud of it.

Alaska Sportsman Show 3.27.12

We just got back from the Mat-Su Outdoorsman Show last weekend. What great spring weather we had in Wasilla - sunshine every day, not one snow flake fell. The stadium was filled with lots of Alaskans looking for deals on the latest fishing and hunting gear and planning their trips for the year. The Mat-Su Outdoorsman Show is my favorite. Folks in the valley are really serious about fishing and hunting. They are not interested in the touristy cattle tours. I saw lots people of picking up great deals on shrimp pots and dip nets at the Donaldson booth. If you missed them they will be at the Great Alaska Sportsman Show in Anchorage next weekend. I’ll be getting some of their larger shrimp pots for this season myself! Every year there is something new at the show. This year we launched our Alaskan Boaters Base Camp. Many boat owners stopped by the booth to see what we had to offer. Most boaters who cruise Prince William Sound have seen our Bayweld water taxi boat the Bayhawk. Some boat owners have rode on the Bayhawk for the late season deer hunts. Our Boater’s Base Camp the R/V Cathy G has been refitted using the input from many of our friends who are avid boaters and long time Alaskans. The only thing that everyone wanted that we won’t have is gas for sale. Unfortunately to have a legal and safe way to sell gas off the boat would be very expensive. However we did completely remodel the galley to accommodate up to 12 guests and added 4 state rooms. The other big change is we added a 17’ by 16’ addition to the house and a 7 foot wide fish cleaning table on the back deck. We know that many Alaskans are great cooks and enjoy cooking up the days catch. So we offer lodging deals where you cook your own meals and save. Check out the web site www.princewilliamsoundlodging.com. We will be posting special events and deals on our face book page. I would like thank all our past customers who came to visit us at the show - we really enjoy hearing about everyone’s adventures. One thing I especially enjoy at the Mat-Su Outdoorsman Show is seeing all the parents bringing their kids to the show and encouraging them to get involved in the great outdoors and not sitting in front of a TV. Looking forward to seeing you all out in Prince William Sound this year!