Sumdum Motor Yacht

There are many ways to see Southeast Alaska.  The way to experience Southeast Alaska is by chartering the right yacht and planning your own itinerary.  The Sumdum means the difference between observing Alaska or becoming totally involved.

The unusual name, Sumdum, has intriguing origins in one of Southeast Alaska's most beautiful, rarely visited regions, Endicott Arm, site of the abandoned Tlingit village of Sumdum.   One hundred years ago, John Muir visited this village on a trip that resulted in the discovery of Glacier Bay.  Awed by a grandeur that silenced even the Indians of the region, Muir wrote eloquently about the several "first-class glaciers," the luxurious vegetation, purest blue icebergs, numerous chamois, and greatest array of sheer cliffs and waterfalls he had ever beheld in Alaska.  Unlike many once remarkable areas, the magnificence of the Sumdum region has endured.  John Muir's journal could have been written yesterday.

Equipment and Safety Features

Sumdum was engineered for safety and for the negotiation of the demanding waters in this region and is designed to offer you a safe, comfortable and exciting experience:  action, solitude, luxury.  It is an experience totally unlike those offered by cruise liners.

Communications

Satellite and cellular telephone enables contact with the outside world for emergency or business purposes.

Accommodations

Eight guests are accommodated in four staterooms and two full guest baths.  Custom itineraries are expected and every effort is made to accommodate individual requests.  Each night a new anchorage is selected in a quiet bay with other boats rarely in sight to disturb the overwhelming wilderness of Alaska.

Guest Services

Central hot water heat creates a thermostatic controlled temperature for comfort in all living areas. A hot tub in the after deck provides a remarkable experience during quiet cove anchorages surrounded by snow-capped peaks.

Dining

Along with fresh provisions stocked for every excursion, meals are planned around the catch of the day. Wines selected in the Napa Valley have been sent to Alaska as the ship's stock; a well-stocked bar offers a range of beverage choices.  The evening fare is delectable.  Imagine the catch-of-the-day served in the ambiance of a long Alaskan sunset.

Activities

A 17’ RIB is provided for running up wilderness river estuaries, exploring remote fjords or as a shuttle to perfect flycasting streams or stay aboard the Sumdum, troll for salmon and jig for halibut or simply lower the crab and shrimp pots.

Deep sea and freshwater fishing is unsurpassed.  Native trout species are abundant.  Five species of salmon make their annual run to thousands of streams to spawn:  sockeye, chum, king, coho, and pink.  Beaches and near-shore waters offer harvests of Dungeness crab, king crab, and jumbo Alaskan prawns.

Arrangements are easily made for seaplane rendezvous and access to mountain lakes abundant with trout.

Villages with totems and Native American art and artifacts are easily accessible.  Early white settlements are rich in history, or today's logging and fishing enterprises make worthy side trips. A hike through virgin rain forests to a remote lake or waterskiing in glasslike coves.

Wildlife

High power binoculars on board for watching wildlife:  eagles, often whales, and always marine mammals on ocean islands.  The greatest concentration of bald eagles in the world can be seen along the Chilkat River.  It is commonplace to see bears feeding on salmon during early fall.  Wolves, mink, fox, goats, and deer are abundant.  Marine mammals populate the ocean islands - seals, otters, porpoises and sea lions.  More whales feed in these coastal waters during summer than in any other area of the Northern Hempisphere.

Historical Interest

The lightly populated Southeast Alaskan coastal waterways are diverse in culture and history.  Abandoned native villages and turn-of-the-century fish canneries invite investigation.  The culture of the first tribal inhabitants, the intrigue of early explorations, provincial domination, and the excesses of frontierism all contribute to a fascinating historic tapestry.  Petroglyphs, the stone enigmas of the earliest people; totems, the icons of nearly all coastal tribes; wooden helmets and masks, all are symbols of the original people.  From the earliest Spanish explorations and Russian settlements to the 19th century frenzy for gold, the legacy of Alaska is portrayed in building remnants, ship wrecks, paintings, writings, and crumbling grave stones in dozens of cemeteries.

Boarding

The motor yacht Sumdum is home based in Ketchikan, an ideal starting point for an Alaskan adventure and only two hours by plane from Seattle on scheduled airlines.

Captain and Crew

Captain: Bob Widness
License:         1600 Ton
Nationality:     US Citizen

Crew:

Three crew members consisting of the captain, first mate and cook
Languages spoken fluently: English
All crew members are non smoking

Yacht Specifications

• Flag: United States
• Call Sign: WTT9518 (SUMDUM monitors VHF channel 16)
• Engine: Twin Caterpillar 3406
• Cruise speed: 10 knots
• Auxiliary generator: 17KW, 15KW.
• Water Capacity: 1200 gallons + water maker
• Fuel Capacity: 2000 gallons
• Diesel hot water heat
• 2 - 15 cubic foot freezers
• 23 cubic foot refrigerator
• Insurance Company: Cigna
• Area covered: Puget Sound to Glacier Bay

Boarding

Preferred port: Ketchikan
Other ports: Juneau, Petersburg, Sitka & Wrangell,
however a dead head fee is charged and determined
on cruising time and mileage
Boarding is after 8 A.M. on first day of charter and disembark before 5 P.M. on the last day.
Airport pickup: one per charter allowed on arrival and
one for departure
Turnaround time required:48 hour

Yacht Information

• Length:80'
• Beam: 20'
• Draft: 5'
• Builder:Nelson Yacht / Delta Hull
• Year Built: 1987
• Designer:Howard Appolonio

Accommodations

• Maximum # of guests allowed onboard: 8
• Aft Guest Cabin # 1: King or 2 singles
• Aft Guest Cabin # 2: King or 2 singles
• Fwd Guest Cabin # 3: King only
• Fwd Guest Cabin # 4: upper/lower singles
• Heads: 4 (electric) Showers: 3
• Crew Berth Location: Fwd Compartment, which includes 1 head and 1 shower

Dinette: seats 8

(Semi enclosed Flying bridge is also available for on deck dining)

Extras/Special Eqiuipment

• Skiffs available for land excursions and fishing
• Fishing tackle for salmon, halibut & trout
• Rubber boots in common sizes
• Crab & shrimp pots (no fly fishing tackle)
• 4 double sea kayaks
• gas barbecue
• CD stereo and satellite radio
• TV with DVD
• Cellular and Satellite phones
• Hot tub
• Water maker
• Ice maker
• Toiletries and hair dryers on board

Season

June 1 through September 1