Midway through a week of hiking, kayaking, and fishing among whales, sea lions, otters, and bears in the wilds of Tongass National Forest at the end of May, I spotted one of the large cruise ships that spends summers plying the increasingly crowded waters of southeast Alaska.
“They’re definitely having a different experience than you,” said Jess, cruise director for the Boat Company’s 12-cabin Mist Cove, as we gawked at the distant vessel’s size.
To call her comment an understatement would be, well, an understatement. Because while the traditional cruise ships ferry thousands of people to often crowded port towns for excursions that include everything from observing Indigenous traditions and performances to dog sled rides, glacier tours, and axe throwing demonstrations, the nonprofit Boat Company takes guests far off the tourist trail.
Along the way, guests are immersed in the wild, untouched environs while also learning about the delicate balances needed to keep the fragile ecosystems alive.
After all, conservation is the sole mission of this unique and little-known cruise operation. And providing once-in-a-lifetime adventures in the world’s largest temperate rainforest is the main focus for achieving its goals.
Alaska’s Tongass National Forest is the world’s largest temperate rainforest.
Photo by Michelle Lee Photography/Shutterstock
The mission
The Boat Company says it is the world’s only nonprofit cruise operation, founded in 1979 by A&P grocery chain heir Michael McClintock through his family’s McIntosh Foundation. Every dollar generated beyond operating costs has been reinvested into conservation, advocacy, and long-term stewardship of the Tongass National Forest.
“We’ve been up here 46 years,” the late McClintock’s son, Hunter, who now runs the Boat Company, told us during our sailing. “We’ve been involved in every major environmental lawsuit, every major piece of environmental legislation.”
The organization started with one 12-passenger boat that was used by environmental organizations to show the area to major donors. Today, it has two boats, the 10-cabin Liseron, a former mine sweeper, and Mist Cove, a slightly larger replica of Liseron.
The boats run 16 to 18 trips each a year between Sitka and Juneau, anchoring in secluded bays away from the bustling ports where an ever-increasing number of big ships spend the summers while cruising in Alaska.
And while the organization has been fighting in earnest for nearly 50 years to protect the area from clear cutting and other threats such as overfishing and pollution from commercial traffic, McClintock says “the victories are few and far between up here.”
He added, “It’s the fight that keeps me going.”
His current focus: the Trump Administration’s attempts to do away with the roadless rule that prohibits timber companies from cutting old-growth forests in places currently inaccessible by roads.
The Boat Company offers kayaking excursions during its sailings.
Courtesy of the Boat Company
“It’s frustrating,” McClintock said. “It can get very tiring when you think you see the light at the end of the tunnel and then somebody jerks you back into the tunnel. But a good fight keeps you going as long as you’re fighting the good fight, which we feel we are. We’ll keep on going and hope that this place isn’t clear-cut all over one day.”
Indeed, after a week of wandering through and kayaking and fishing around some of the very old-growth forest being targeted, it would seemingly be impossible to walk away from the pristine environment in support of anything that would damage it.
The experience
The boats themselves are among the smallest of those sailed by a handful of adventure cruise operators in the region, including small-ship lines like UnCruise Adventures and National Geographic-Linblad Expeditions. And it’s the only line with fishing skiffs rather than inflatable Zodiacs so guests have multiple fishing options.
The cabins are simple, most with very comfortable bunk beds that have a double on the bottom and a single on top. The bathrooms are also basic, with one sink and a corner frosted glass shower. But hot water was always available and Aveda hair, bath, and body products are provided.
The public “living room” was reminiscent of vintage Alaska, with brown leather couches, embroidered throw pillows, lots of books on the region, and an always open, self-serve bar. Think fishing lodge rather than cruise ship.
And no, there aren’t butlers, a spa, hot tub, or grand glass enclosed top deck lounges. But if modern luxury is, as they say, all about immersive, local experiences and intimate, personalized service and activities, this is one of the most luxurious trips I have ever taken.
The Boat Company’s two small vessels have a cozy fishing lodge feel to them, including in public areas like this lounge.
Courtesy of the Boat Company
Don’t like the fresh, locally caught, and ethically sourced fish on the menu? Just let them know and they will do their best to cook you an alternative. Forgot your waterproof kayaking gloves? No problem. They can round up a loaner pair.
And flexibility is the name of the game, with discussions every evening about what everyone wants to do the next day driving the final decisions. Some of us spent most of the week hiking or kayaking, while others focused on fishing.
Regardless of which activity we chose, there was no shortage of wildlife sightings. One day we kayaked nearly four miles around a small island while a pod of humpback whales played in the distance. Another day, on our way back from forest bathing and hiking, our skift driver took us on a detour back to the boat to see where scores of Steller sea lions were wrestling for the best spots on a rock formation.
Another day, groups of whales put on shows for more than an hour in all directions as we were sailing, with one finally coming up right alongside the boat so close we could practically touch it. During a fishing excursion, one skiff encountered a pod of orcas. And some guests watched a beaver bathe in a waterfall during an early morning kayak outing.
Toward the end of the week, we began to see bears and cubs, who appeared to be just emerging from hibernation, along the shorelines.
Every excursion and wildlife encounter was a learning experience, with the experienced guides and naturalists able to identify and give detailed information about everything we were seeing and how they all interact with other animals and their surroundings. One of my favorite parts: our nightly lectures from naturalist Rachel, who had had us in stitches one evening with her imitations of the difference in how sea lions and seals move.
And while the weeklong cruise was indeed an adventure of a lifetime, McClintock said the ultimate goal remains delivering an adventure that also creates more advocates for the Tongass.
“This is why we do this,” McClintock said to our group. “You all have experienced it firsthand this week. It’s doesn’t take a lot of Alaska to suck you in and get you to drink the Kool-Aid.”
