Now that we’re into September, there are still plenty of good cruising days left, even in the remote areas of the Pacific Northwest. And Northwest Explorations in Bellingham, Washington, is offering shoulder-season discounts for a two-week flotilla heading to Desolation Sound, one of the most beautiful spots around.
For Northwest Explorations, the shoulder season rates start on Sept. 14. You can charter a boat of your own at a discount, or join a flotilla, where you cruise in company and with the expertise of a lead boat with an experienced crew.
Over the years, Northwest Explorations has put together many Mother Goose flotillas to Alaska, but it also holds ones closer to home, cruising in the nearby San Juans or the Canadian Gulf islands. I have chartered on my own from Northwest Explorations, and can attest that it’s a first-rate operation, from start to finish.
Few destinations are as beautiful, or as remote, as Desolation Sound. The flotilla there starts Sept. 21 and cruises past majestic 7,000-feet-high mountain peaks, through Jervis Inlet, the deepest fjord in British Columbia, and up to the serene Princess Louisa Inlet. It has a different stop each night, including some at rustic marinas, small villages, and quiet anchorages. The wildlife includes eagles, humpback whales, orcas, bears and sea lions.
Northwest Explorations has a few boats left for the Desolation Sound flotilla, including Inception, a Kadey-Krogen 58 with twin cabins and twin diesels, for $23,000, or Navigator, a Grand Banks 42, also with twin cabins and twin diesels, for $16,000. Read more:
