By Sue Bashista

I never wanted to go north and “freeze to death” on a vacation, but I agreed to go with my husband on a Wild Alaska Cruise; in other words, a fishing trip.  If Larry Csonka and Tred Barta did it, then it was enough endorsement for my husband, Steve and brother-in-law, John.  The arrangements were made a year and a half before at a Sportsman’s Show in Reno, Nevada.  However, this first trip is not the one I want to talk about.  Believe it or not, the first cruise was so great we did it again two years later with our grandsons.Steve and John were trying to schedule the dates for the week that was at the height of the King Salmon run.  We wanted to bring our grandson’s Dominik and Dylan with us this trip because we knew they would love the adventure.  Larry and Susan Larson, the owners of WildAlaska Cruises, booked us first and booked the other passengers with the knowledge that a 3 and 4 year old would also be on the trip.  The other passengers didn’t seem to mind, and booked with us anyway.  John and my sister, Virginia said they would help us keep an eye on the boys and make sure they didn’t fall overboard or jump in.  Of course they had life vests on every time they went on deck or in the smaller fishing boats.  But I am getting ahead of myself.
Steve, Dominik, Dylan and I wouldn’t meet up with John and Virginia until we arrived in Petersburg, Alaska, a three hour drive from our home in Hailey, Idaho, to Boise and three plane flights away to Alaska.  It took all day before we arrived in Petersburg.  We enjoyed our overnight stay at the Broom Haus, a bed and breakfast owned by Peter and Sylvia Nilsen.  You couldn’t help but notice the most beautiful flowers growing around the house and in the yard.  We all slept pretty well after all the traveling, but Dylan did get stuck between the beds we had pushed together so the boys wouldn’t fall out.  Steve fished him out when he lost him during the night!  After breakfast we gathered our belongings and as we walked outside there were several deer in velvet wandering around the yard.  It was a beautiful sight in the mist and rain.  Steve and John walked across the street with our luggage.  Thankfully, Sylvia drove Virginia, the boys and I to the dock.  We were excited to see Larry and Susan again and meet the other passengers.  We were the first arrivals and were introduced to the new members of the crew, Ricky, Skully, Chef Jeff and enjoyed seeing Captain Don from our previous trip.  Our Alaska adventure was about to begin on the Inside Passage.
The sun broke through the clouds as the MS Perseverance set sail.  We met our fellow cruisers, Del and Peggy, and Mike and Judy, from Texas.  They were all grandparents, so the boys didn’t have to try very hard to win their affection.  After our safety talk we received our rain gear and boots for fishing on the Patience and Fortitude.  The days were full of discovery for Dominik and Dylan.  They loved all the stairs down to our cabin and up to the bridge where Captain Don was driving us to our destinations.  They liked peeking into the engine room, playing with their new sets of grandparents, watching nature CD’s, playing on the bunk beds in the cabin, and having afternoon tea or hot cocoa with Susan.  I guess I better get back to the fishing or I will loose you.
The fishing began as soon as possible after we set sail and after breakfast every morning.  Captain Larry and Captain Ricky gathered coolers and the bait then the fishermen.  Chef Jeff had made sandwiches and we grabbed our chips, fruit, nuts and candy bars for snacks and lunch.  The boats glided through the water to the selected spots and the fishing started using the newest technology available and the latest in equipment to catch our cache of fish.  It was exciting to see what was on the end of the hook each time it was reeled in after a bite or a fight.  Dominik and Dylan were able to catch fish with help and were exhilarated in the effort.  They loved seeing their trophy at the end of their fishing line.  The boys usually made it half a day and Larry brought us back to the Perseverance for naps, while the rest of our group went back out.  There was always a contest going for the biggest catch of the day and ultimately at the end of the trip.  Meanwhile, there were many other things going on besides fishing.
Dominik, Dylan and I stayed aboard the Perseverance in the afternoons.  Skully took us out in a small fishing boat to see pup kelp, jellyfish and starfish.  We watched excitedly as the pots were pulled up with the King and Snow Crabs, shrimp, starfish and other assorted creatures in them.  Whenever I asked for something, Chef Jeff made it bigger and better, much to the delight of the boys.  Not to mention, they loved watching him prepare the food on the stools facing the galley.  He would also make appetizers for the fishermen upon their return and begin preparation for our delicious dinners and desserts. (I was a good thing to have so many stairs and days full of hard fishing to work off all the calories.)  We watched sea life from the bridge with Captain Don and waited for the fishermen to return as we slowly sailed our way toward Juneau.
The boys waited expectantly for everyone to get back from fishing.  The salmon, halibut, rock fish, lingcod, and yellow-eye were hauled aboard and cleaned, packaged and frozen at the end of each day.  It was so interesting to see how fast the crew was at accomplishing this task.  This was what we would be taking home with us at the end of the trip to enjoy eating and reliving the experience of catching our meal.  Besides the fishing and the events on the boat, there were plenty of sights to behold.
We saw all the things for which Alaska is famous.  There were brown bear looking for food, eagles perched on icebergs or soaring through the sky, seals barking playfully, sea lions balancing on the rocks and diving into the water, but best of all were the whales.  One day we saw a pod of 47 orcas; Captain Don counted them for us.  There were beautiful blue glaciers calving, waterfalls jumping into the ocean, and dolphins playfully swimming beside us.  On one trip out, we stopped because there was a humpback whale ahead of us.  Dominik told me he wanted to see his face, and sure enough, the whale breached right in front of the boat three times.  It was very exciting!  Early one morning there was a big thump.  As we looked out our porthole window, we saw that a small iceberg had bumped into the Perseverance.  The crew was running around pushing it away so it would not damage the hull.  Everything God created in this beautiful and wild place was spectacular.
Our Wild Alaska Cruise was an adventure for the adults as well as the boys.  I never did “freeze to death”, and the boys never fell into the water.  The crew was professional and fun; we made new friends, and Dominik and Dylan didn’t want to go home.  It may be hard to believe that once again we are thinking about a third trip next year.  Despite the cooler temperatures, the trip warmed our hearts.  Don’t take my word for it, go and see for yourself.  Go wild in Alaska!

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