They called it “Seward’s Folly”. Why in the world would we, the citizens of the United States of America, want to spend an astounding $7,200,000 for a parcel of land that was so far away, so cold, so desolate? Yet, in 1867, the U.S. Secretary of State, William Seward, had the courage and vision to push for the purchase of this massive piece of land, twice the size of Texas. Lucky for us. When perusing a map of Alaska, you will see a multitude of sizeable islands that lie offshore the western coast of Canada.

Bound on two sides by Canada, a third by the Pacific Ocean, the Inside Passage is the perfect place to explore by charter yacht. The Inside Passage has served as a transportation network since humans first settled in the area. Now, as then, there is no road system to connect the communities, and the waterways have taken the place of highways. The original settlers were Tlingit Indians. Arriving perhaps 1,500 years ago from the Interior of Alaska and Canada, they followed the waterways to the lush coastal forests of Southeast Alaska. Early Native residents recognized the area for what it truly is: a hospitable land. The climate is temperate, the forests provide an environment that is pleasantly cool most of the time and seldom so cold, even in winter, that a fire and some animal skins could not provide enough warmth within the walls of the Tlingit's planked homes.

The forest and the sea provided all the food that could be wanted, and it was easily gathered. The sea and streams abound with life: salmon, halibut, snapper, crabs. In the summer, berries grow in profusion. There are no lions, tigers or alligators to attack them. No poisonous snakes or insects. Sure, there are occasional bears, but all in all, compared to many places on this big earth, the Inside Passage was and is a very good place to be. The Tlingit traveled the length of their 600 mile domain by wooden canoe. Secure in their forest environment, they prospered and increased.

By the middle of the eighteenth century, the Inside Passage was one of the most heavily populated regions north of Mexico. No white person had come yet. That was all to change. In 1725 the Russian czar, Peter the Great sent Vitus Bering on a preliminary voyage to find out what was east of Russia. Bering sailed from the mouth of the Kamchatka River in Siberia, passing through what would be known as the Bering Strait, but turned back without sighting the Alaska coast. He returned on a second voyage in 1741 with two ships. Bering ended up southeast of what is now Prince William Island.

Shore parties found a few deserted Native dwellings, taking from them bundles of dried fish and some household items,leaving some of their own possessions, including cloth and an iron kettle. Bering became anxious about the deteriorating weather, and started back to Kamchatka. A massive storm in the Aleutians drove the ship off course, with them being blown ashore on one of the Commander Islands (west of the Aleutian chain) in November.

Bering died in December. When spring arrived, the survivors built a 40-foot craft from the wreckage of the Saint Peterand reached their home port in a little over two weeks. Among their baggage were 900 sea otter pelts they had collected.Word of fabulous riches leaked out, and the stampede began. Fur, gold, salmon…the fortune hunters came, took, and left. The tourism industry was born soon after the great naturalist John Muir visited the country in 1879. Muir's accounts of the ice-locked wilderness were so inspiring that soon steamship companies were offering summer tours up the Inside Passage. The first was the steamer Idaho, in 1883. Descriptions of the voyage appeared in national newspapers and magazines.The tourism industry was launched.

The Inside Passage is still one of the top attractions for large cruise liners, but aboard a charter yacht, you have the advantage of size. Large enough for luxury unknown to cruise line guests, yet small enough to anchor in cozy bays and inlets.The Inside Passage has ten million acres of forests, 1,000 islands,10,000 miles of shoreline, 50 to 70 major glaciers, 20,000 to 25,000bald eagles, and nearly 75,000 people. If this isn't enough enticement to charter here, consider the wildlife, both in the water and on the land.

When cruising in the steep glacial fiords, there is always the possibility of seeing: mountain goats, moose, deer, bears and perhaps even a wolf pack. Kayaking close to shore affords you the opportunity to spy on mink, martin and river otters. Whale watching in Alaska is probably the best in the world. The largest concentrations of Humpback whales in the world use it as their summer feeding grounds. The Humpback uses a unique herding technique, called bubblenet feeding.The lead whale, a female, communicates with the other whales in the pod, directing them as they maneuver beneath the prey. The whales blow bubbles and as the turbulence (called "bubblenets") floats upward, it corrals herring and drill into a ball. The whales then open their mouths and smash into the ball as they breach the surface. Spectacular. Another baleen whale common to the area is the Minke, or piked, whale. Grey whales are also often observed as they pass through on the way to their summer feeding grounds in northern Alaska.

Then, of course, there are pods of orcas…killer whales, with their distinctive black and white markings. Known as the "wolves of the sea", they feed on almost anything that moves in the ocean. Capable of swimming 25 knots or more, they are almost always found in pods of twenty-five to thirty whales.The Dall porpoise is also black and white, and often swims up close, under the bow of your charter yacht, playing in the bow wave. Though they share the same coloring as the orca, they are easily differentiated, as they are about 1/3 the size of the orca.

You will also want to watch for Harbor porpoises and Harbor seals, and Steller's Sea Lions.No matter where you start and finish your Inside Passage charter, you will most certainly fly into Juneau. Unlike most of the other cities and towns of the area, Juneau bustles through out the year, not just in the summer. As Alaska's state capital, Juneau is busy during the winter legislative session with elected officials, their staffs, lobbyists, and the usual political hangers-on. Once they depart to their own districts in May, it is time for tourist season.

An astounding one out of every two people residing in Juneau (population 30,700) is employed by the government, be it federal, state or local. A quick run down on things to see and do in Juneau quickly becomes too numerous to comment on in this short missive. If time allows, do try and go see the Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, constructed in 1894. Even though it was built nearly thirty years after Russia sold the territory, it is still the oldest original Russian church. The state government complex includes a bunker-like building, dubbed the S.O.B.,not for what you are thinking, as it stands for State Office Building. There is a free brown baggers' concert every Friday at noon, if you are there and so inclined.

There are also free tours given at the Alaska Brewing Company, makers of Juneau's amber beers and pale ale. A short stint at the Alaska State Museum would be time well spent in viewing the large collection of Alaska Native artifacts, sure to increase your appreciation of the area you will be spending your charter in. If you have time, and ready for some exercise, there are 260 miles of hiking trails in the Juneau vicinity. Just 13 miles from Juneau is the Mendenhall Glacier, a 12-mileriver of ice originating in the Coast Mountains. Accessible via the expressway and Mendenhall Loop Road, you can also take one of the many helicopter tours that land on the glacier and let you walk on it…with a glacier guide.

For a more personal approach to glacier gazing, without the constant drone of helicopters and multitudes of people, your captain will be able to include a trip to near-by Tracy Arm in your itinerary. Tracy Arm is one of the most spectacular fiords in the world. Sheer rock walls studded with a multitude of waterfall sand magnificent blue icebergs are just part of the scenery as you cruise the 25 miles up the fiord to twin Sawyer Glaciers. Because you are on a charter yacht and not a cruise liner, your crew will be happy to take you in the tender for a ride through the sea of icebergs for a closer look at the seals…and the icebergs! Sitka is another very popular place to begin or end your charter.The natural beauty of the area is legendary.

There are countless forested islands in Sitka Sound, with the perfectly symmetrical cone of Mount Edgecumbe to serve as a backdrop. Add to that its Russian heritage, and you have an area that beckons you to visit again and again. Sitka was the Russian capital after 1804 and the town (population 8,835) is the oldest non-Native settlement in the Inner Passage area. It was also home to a community of Tlingit Indians prior to the Russian arrival. The state-owned Sheldon Jackson Museum houses an enormous collection of Native artifacts, including some very scary carved wooden masks. Any direction your charter yacht heads, there will be a wealth of wildlife, sealife, towering forests, waterfalls and fiords. Your captain knows these waters. He will want you to return from your charter as passionate about this beautiful area as he is.

Glacier Bay National Park will probably be part of your itinerary, no matter if you cruise from Juneau, Sitka or Skagway, as it is convenient to all. Sixteen spectacular glaciers flow from the surrounding mountains into the waters of this fabulous national park. In addition to the great tidewater glaciers, the park features a dramatic range of plant communities from rocky terrain, that was until recently, covered with ice, to lush temperate rain forests. A large variety of animals are found here,including brown and black bear, mountain goats, whales, seals,and eagles. To top it all off, Mount Fair weather, the highest mountain in southeast Alaska, is located within the park boundaries.

Cruising north from Juneau up to Skagway is another of your chartering options. Juneau to Skagway is about 89 miles, as-the-bald-eagle-flies, and will take you up the Lynn Canal, one of the longest and deepest fiords on the North American continent and through the Taija Inlet. Skagway is the northernmost village of the Inside Passage. The permanent population of Skagway is under 900 people, and summer means "showtime", as this was on of the most renowned outposts of the Alaskan goldrush.

If you can look past the period costuming and the admittedly honk-tonk trappings, Skagway is the real thing. The meticulously preserved hotels and saloons are the same ones that served miners during the goldrush. During the spring of 1898, Skagway was a sizzling boomtown, bulging with over twenty-five thousand prospectors. By 1899, they were all gone, chasing the golden dream to the next big strike. Fortune hunters have played major roles in the history of this area. They came, seeking riches. Now it's your turn. The real treasure still abounds.The beauty, the serenity, the wildlife…it all waits for you. All you have to do is pick up the phone and call your charter agent. And it is all yours.