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!

12.16.11 Alaskan Boater's Base Camp

New: starting June 2012 - a floating base camp in Prince William Sound designed for Alaskan boat owners. Hi, Matt Cline here: I’m the owner/operator of Aquetec LLC, Whittier Water Taxi. Many local boaters are familiar with my boat, the Bayhawk, a 32 foot Bay Weld boat. For years I have been operating my water taxi service catering to Alaskans and their guests. I recognized years ago that most water taxi services cater to the summer tourists, not Alaskans. Having operated my own boats in and around Prince William Sound for over 25 years, my friends and I have had to camp, due to the limited room on the boat. One never gets a good night’s sleep worrying about the boat all night. Then there is all the camp gear we had to load up and haul out. The load of gear didn’t help the fuel mileage and consumed a lot of time packing and unpacking again after we got home. After all, we are supposed to be having fun but often the trips end up being a lot of work. We looked at staying at the remote lodges but once again they were priced more for tourists than Alaskans and they are located in the middle of commercial fishing districts. We are refitting our 76 foot, 111 ton Covacevich trawler, Cathy G, into a base camp designed for Alaskan boaters. The Cathy G will have 4 rooms available with double and single bunks in each room. The galley and dining area is designed for groups up to 12. We have always enjoyed cooking up gourmet meals when camping out. On the Cathy G we give the option of meals provided or cook up your own meals in our full galley or barbeque on the back deck - the choice is yours. There is nothing better than cooking up freshly caught fish, shrimp, wild game or crab. Our 17 by 22 foot heated sheltered deck is very handy for bad weather days or late season deer hunting. You can clean your fish or process your game on our 7 foot wide fish cleaning table with plenty of space to process your fish and game before taking it home. We know many Alaskan like to vacuum pack or can their fish fresh. Bring your vacuum packer or canner – there is plenty of room in the sheltered deck to process your fish. Got guests coming or a group of friends? You can fish or hunt all day and come back to the Cathy G with all the comforts of home but located close to the fishing or hunting hot spots. Unlike expensive land based lodges, we can move close to the hot spots and away from the crowds or the commercial fishing districts. Whether it is early spring shrimping, spring or fall black bear season, salmon, halibut or lingcod season or deer season, we will be located close by. We all know how Alaskans like to entertain their out of state relatives and friends, but most don’t have enough room on their boat for everyone sleep or a galley to cook dinner. On the Cathy G the large galley fully stocked with all the cook ware you need, allows you to show off your culinary skills and make your guests envious of our great Alaskan lifestyle. No more worrying about dragging anchor at night - you can get a good night’s sleep tied up to the Cathy G. Do you love to cruise the sound with other friends that also have boats? You can rent the whole boat and cook up your own meals for only $700 a night for up to 8 guests. That’s less than half what the land based lodges charge and there are no hidden fees or added on taxes. Once again they are designed more for the tourists. Don’t want to cook your own meals? We can provide meals for you at $75 per person per day. That includes breakfast, box lunch to go and a hearty Alaskan style dinner of seafood or steaks. We also take requests for your favorite Alaskan dish - just let us know well ahead of time so we can stock up. Got guests that don’t want to fish or hunt all day but want an Alaskan wilderness experience? For an extra cost we can take those guests on a glacier wildlife tour or a hike. Maybe they always wanted to try kayaking or kayak fishing? We offer many wilderness activities at very reasonable rates and all excursions are guided by me, Captain Matt or Captain Heidi. Check our Alaska Boaters Base Camp page on www.princewilliamsoundlodging.com

12.4.11 Prince William Sound Deer Hunting Nov 2011

November started with large storm fronts, high winds and heavy freezing spray. The hunters that were in the field at that time reported much higher winds than what was forecast, but even though the weather was less than ideal, there was plenty of deer harvested. Some hunters felt the noise of the wind helped them stalk the deer but the wind chill was rough on any exposed skin. Their hands would go numb while dressing out a deer. After breaking some low temperature records across the state we got a good dump of snow. By the end of November the snow was chest deep on some of the northerly islands and knee to waist deep on Montague Island. Check out your tent and make sure it can hold up to strong winds and a snow load. Often new tents come with weak poles. Quality tent manufacturers offer stronger poles, more suited for Alaskan conditions - always get the stronger poles! Tarps that are set up right can catch and shed the snow and can also be set up to deflect the main gusts of wind off your tent. When shopping for tarps, look for heavy weight tarps as they flap less in the wind and usually have better eyelets. This is the time of the year to dig out the snow shoes and plastic sled. If you are renting one of the Forest Service cabins, or bringing a wood stove for your tent, remember to bring the chainsaw! With the deep snow, most hunters are maxing out their limits now. I just got back from Montague on December 1st with a group that limited out. They were there for our first big pineapple express of the winter. Arriving there, the snow was just over knee deep but by the time I picked them up over half of it had melted. With the fickle weather at this time of year, we often have to move the departure and pick up times to fit the weather. Most experienced Alaskan hunters are very familiar with bad weather holding up hunts - that is just the way it is. You have to have a plan B and many hunters seem to have employers who will let them be flexible with their days to make it work out. Some are not so fortunate and have to cancel out or reschedule. Whittier Water Taxi does not keep your deposit for weather cancelations. When the weather turns bad and trips are backed up, the groups returning from the field have priority over those deploying to the field. For more info, check out our website www.princewilliamsoundhunting.com  We post  our round trip rates to the most popular drop off spots on our web site. All rates posted are round trip, per person, all taxes and fees included NO HIDDEN FEES.

10.27.11 Alaska Deer Hunting – Prince William Sound

We started the ‘everything open’ month with rain, then got 8 days of great hunting weather and now we are back to intermittent rain with low clouds and a storm once a week. The storms have been depositing lots of kelp on the beaches. The rain has brought up the water levels in the streams making it difficult to cross some of them. It’s that time of year to dig out the canvas tents, portable wood stove and cots. I would recommend bringing or renting a raft to get around the shore or to cross the flooded creeks. It does not need to be a big raft just something to paddle around obstructions or across a lagoon. A chain saw is also very handy during the late fall season as there is plenty of dead and downed wood to harvest. Remember to pack your gear in waterproof containers (totes) or bags as it could be raining on your way out or back. It is also best to put your rifles in hard cases. Port Chalmers Cabin has a new diesel heater, installed this summer. Five gallons of fuel lasts 2 ½ days and set on low, it will cook you out. The snow line is still up high in the southern half of the sound. Sea water temperatures are hovering around 43 to 42 degrees F near Montague Island.  We have seen an increase in bookings in November this year - many are past customers wanting to try out their hunting skills when the snow is deeper on the high ground. Whittier Water Taxi will be transporting through December or till the weather stops us. Check our web site for more info on the services offered by Whittier Water Taxi   www.whittierwatertaxi.com  Our hunting web site is www.princewilliamsoundhunting.com  You can get a hold of me: Captain Matt Cline at 907-362-1291 or Captain Heidi at 907-362-1290. We are collecting info and hunters’ photos to add to the princewilliamsoundhunting web site to help hunters plan their hunts. If you have info, tips, recipes or photos that you wish to add to the site e-mail us at ak_explorer@hotmail.com

Whittier Water Taxi Alaska Fall Black Bear

September 14, 2011 prime time for Alaska Black Bear hunting. I just returned from Knight Island with a group of Alaskan hunters. They were very successful at harvesting a couple of nice black bears. One hunter got his with a bow - his first bear with a bow.  After harvesting their bears they saw 10 more bears in the area. I saw two bears just during the time it took to load the boat on the return trip to Whittier. The rainy weather doesn’t bother the bears - they keep on feeding even in a down pour. Some of the bears’ bellies only cleared the ground by a couple inches. The hunters kept a fire going and a lantern burning all night to keep the bears away from the tent while they slept. The only bear problem they had was one stole away with a 5 gallon gas jug. These hunters took great care to protect their food and gear from raiding bears. October is the last good month to hunt black bear in Prince William Sound. After October, food starts to get harder for the bears to find and many start hibernating. These hunters brought a raft to check out the coves and to harvest some rock fish. Kayaks also work well to explore the coves in the area. Heidi with http://www.sewardalaskaadventuretours.com/ rents out sit inside fishing kayaks and a 12 foot raft with a 6hp 4 stroke outboard. Just because you are camping, there is no need to chow down on MRE’s and freeze dried food. I noticed our experienced hunters bring Dutch ovens and often brag about the gourmet meals they make at camp. A little meal planning before departing to the bush will make the hunt more enjoyable – it doesn’t matter what the weather does. We still have some open times with the Water Taxi in October but they are filling fast. For more info on services offered by Whittier Water Taxi check out  www.whittierwatertaxi.com or call  Matt 1-907-362-1291. For raft or kayak rental call Heidi 1- 907-362-1290.

Whittier Water Taxi 2011 Deer Hunter Transport

Prince William Sound Alaska deer season is just starting. Whittier Water Taxi is gearing up for our favorite buck season. This is the time to hunt Prince William Sound deer if you are looking for bucks in velvet. From August 1st to September 30th is bucks only. I personally enjoy hiking to the high ground and taking in the spectacular views from atop the mountains on the islands of Prince William Sound. Around the upper alpine slopes is where I have harvested some of the nicest velvet bucks ever. When going after these high ground bucks I go prepared to bone them out on the spot. Two boned out bucks is my load limit for the hike back down to camp. Due to the warm weather of this early season we carry black pepper to sprinkle on the meat to keep the flies away and good quality game bags are a must. I always look for the real finely woven cloth bags. The tight weave will prevent flies from laying eggs on the meat. I find the old style army laundry bags work perfectly as well. When hiking to the high ground, remember to carry plenty of water. A water filter will cut down on the amount of water you have to carry. The hike to the high ground can be hot and humid but once on top, expect a cool breeze. You might consider bringing a light wind breaker to prevent a chill from the evaporating perspiration. We have hunted Prince William Sound for over 25 years and enjoy filling our freezer with the delicious table fare it has to offer. Whittier Water Taxi is a licensed State of Alaska game transporter #928. We offer the most affordable rates and the most reliable service. Check out our Prince William Sound hunting web site for information on hunter transportation and rates at www.princewilliamsoundhunting.com You can reach me, Captain Matt Cline at 907 362 1291 or email ak_explorer@hotmail.com Members of our military should remember to ask for our active armed forces discount. Whittier Water Taxi is a local Alaskan Disabled Veteran owned business.