Bagheera-sailing

22/10/2022

An early morning hike in the mountains behind Sitka.

06/05/2021

The entrance of Lituya Bay, the pacific side of Glacier Bay.

25/01/2021

Winter in South East Alaska.

10/08/2020

This is what "Bagheera" looked like today 12 years ago, almost ready for sandblasting and painting. A lot of work, a lot of miles and a lot of sea ice has passed since.

25/07/2020

"Bagheera" and "Snow Dragon II" finding their way in heavy ice. Picture credit goes to Michelle Galinak. In the background is Cape Alexander, the most western point of Europe. We were trying to find a way into the Kane basin, but after having been stuck in the ice for several days we found some open water and turned around to make our way back south to start our traverse of the North West Passage.

19/07/2020

One of the most amazing whale encounters we have ever had was just outside of Ilulissat in Greenland. Over the years we have taken thousands of photo's of whales, but this one experience made all previous pictures look boring. It shows how much patience one needs for wildlife photography.

03/02/2020

Only one more week and we are heading to Glacier Bay again for a couple of weeks, the first trip of 2020! These are pictures that we took almost a year ago in the same area that we are planning to visit this time as well. It is winter in Alaska but that makes it all extra beautiful and spectacular.

06/03/2019

Only a little over 4 weeks till we take Bagheera out for a whalewatching photgraphy tour around Sitka. One week where we will take the boats out on a daily basis in search for the bubble feeding and breaching whales. In the mean time there are sealions, sea otters, bald eagles and endless other species that will devide your attention, you will not know where to look at times, that is how much will happen around you!. The pictures with this post are some that Erik took last year during the same event.

We stay at our house in Sitka with the best view the town has to offer, that is where we spend most nights.
We charge USD 1,400 for the week, which includes use of the house, the boats, fuel, harbor fees, food, drinks, tea, coffee, snacks etc. It does not include airfares, hotels, taxi's, souvenirs etc.

We start in Sitka on March 30 and we will end in Sitka on April 6th. Act quick, we have only very limited space available.

We hope to see you in Sitka!
Krystina, Erik and Frances

19/11/2018

Can you spot the boats?
Tanaga Island, Alaska, summer of 2018

21/09/2018

According to the sailing directions, the town of Unga is still inhabited and includes several stores. We only found derelict buildings and everything overrun by nature. There was however one villager that showed himself; a weasel.

14/09/2018

With all the volcanic activity on the Aleutian chain, we cannot ignore visiting the hot springs that are spread out over all the different Islands.

07/09/2018

A few weeks ago we anchored in a Twin Bay on the southern part of Tanaga Island. Despite the swell, the bay had everything we could hope for, including a conspicuous rock nicknamed the Christmas tree.

31/08/2018

The Albatross, the king of the Southern Ocean, can also be found in the North Pacific. Though this northern variety is a bit smaller they are equally majestic.

22/08/2018

The Islands of the Four mountains in the Central Aleutians are one of our most favorite places we have ever sailed to. Rugged landscapes, a lot of bird life and incredibly clear water. It is only a 130 miles west of Dutch harbor, but it feels like a completely different world.We were lucky enough to have a few days with favorable weather here, including a day where temperatures reached 75F/24C!

14/08/2018

Kiska in the western Aleutians was a real blast. We are generally interested in history and Kiska is full of remains of World War II. There are shipwrecks everywhere, trucks, gun emplacements, tent remnants, old overgrown roads, collapsed buildings, rotten bridges and so on. Oh, and I should not forget to mention all the foxholes and trenches, those are still there, but completely overgrown with grass so you don't really see them until you're stepping in them.

09/08/2018

Each beach we visit, each hill we go up, if we see trash, we take it with us. Sometimes the amounts are too great to take it all and we have to make the difficult decision of what we can take and what we have to leave behind. Usually we end up taking the recyclable or reusable items as that serves a double purpose. The attached picture is 101.8 pounds of trash picked up during a single beach visit.

29/07/2018

It is an absolute dream to be able to hike freely on the Aleutian Islands, compared to all the bush wacking that is required if you want to hike anywhere else in Southern Alaska.

19/07/2018

The Alaskan wildlife is overwhelming. We encounter bears, otters, whales, seals, sea lions, dall's purposes, puffins, albatross, fulmars and numerous song birds.

09/07/2018

These are the mountains of the Alaska peninsula and the Eastern part of the Aleutian Islands. Every day is different, every day is beautiful. We feel very privileged that we can sail here again. Now on to the Western Part of the Aleutians, new territory to us!

29/06/2018

Just outside the City of Kodiak is the old Port Bailey Cannery, now the Alaska Rug Company. They make very nice rugs, signs, mats and baskets out of old rope. We had the opportunity to visit them and got a great tour of the Cannery.

19/06/2018

Even though we have been here several times before, Kodiak Island remains fascinating. These pictures are taken in the woods of Spruce Island. Everything is covered in moss, giving it a very intriguing character.

10/05/2018

We still have some places open for this summer's adventures. We will be visiting the Aleutian Islands and the Alaskan peninsula. Lots of wildlife, some of the most remote places in Alaska and that seen from the deck of a sailboat! There will be plenty of opportunity to go on land and explore the Islands we are visiting.
Checkout our website for the various itineraries and cost for participation. you won't find a more affordable way to travel the Aleutians!
www.bagheera-sailing.com

06/05/2018

Installing a new Harken Furler on Snow Dragon II before we take off to the Aleutian Islands next week. The old Profurl is now officially retired after 20 years of intense use.
We still have berths available for this summer if you have ever wanted to explore the Aleutian Islands and want to learn how to operate and navigate a boat in the remote corners of the planet.

11/04/2018

Our wonderful friends at Under the Pole just published their newest episode. Featuring Bagheera on a day of whale watching with their whole Sitka crew.

We absolutely loved having you around in Sitka! We're very much looking forward to meeting up again somewhere else on our wonderful planet!

08/04/2018

We had a fantastic encounter with a Gray Whale a couple of days ago. Thank you conor for the footage!

03/04/2018

Wildlife photography in Alaska requires some patience, some luck, some skill, some gear but above all an eye for detail. While the photographers did not know where to look, we took the opportunity to snap a picture of the 'workbench'.

28/03/2018

Sitka is our home base, and during late March and the beginning of April there is a herring spawn going on here. That means an absolute madhouse where whales, eagles, stellar sea lions, gulls and humans are fighting over the available fish and eggs.

Of course we will take Bagheera out as it is right on our doorstep. We are hosting a photography trip for a week from April 1st till 9th. At the very last moment we have 2 more places available. Let us know if you are interested in participating in this fascinating theater of nature!

These are some of the pictures you could be taking if you join us!

14/01/2018

Winter sailing in South East Alaska: short days, ice on the water, snow in the air, sea lions in your track and beautiful sunsets and sun rises. Alaska will never get boring!

05/01/2018

Another great article about 'Arctic Mission', the research project we undertook last year.

Throughout human history, the Central Arctic Ocean (CAO) has sat relatively undisturbed at the top of the world, protected by a perennial shield of sea ice. With icebreakers being the only surface vessels to navigate these waters, you can imagine my surprise when we received an email from polar expl...