Prince William Sound is one of those destinations that we’ve always dreamed about. Potentially tough to get to, yet holding a treasure chest of cruising delights to entice us off the beaten path. In our dreams it rated right up with Papeete and Quinn’s Bar (from the olden days)as a draw.

Part of the allure is the journey. Another is the lack of civilization, with few tourists and fewer cruising boats.

And then there is the challenge of navigation where the charts are based on widely scattered soundings, with Mother Nature having provided lots of changes since most of the surveys were taken.

Take the sounding data panel from the chart we are presently using. Look at the east corner above, and then the areas labeled "B4". That’s where we’ve spent the last few days (with partial bottom surveys from the 1900 to 1939 era).

We’ve been exploring Port Gravina and Sheep Bay. There are a number of wonderful anchorages, replete with cascading water falls, shear granite mountains, huge snow fields, streams to explore in the dinghy, and abundant wildlife.

Each anchorage seems to have eagles guarding the entrance. Perhaps it it the wind flow at the mouth, or maybe the chow line is better.

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Bear Trap Bay must have a dozen significant waterfalls. You need a well insulated boat in terms of sound, as they are not exactly quiet.

We’ve only seen a few patches of sunlight – so when it comes out you really appreciate it. The daytime temperatures are in the mid to high 40s (about 5C to 8C), less than half of what is the norm this time of year at the old homestead in Arizona.

Alaskans are a hardy bunch. This family joined us in one of our anchorages for a Memorial Day weekend outing. We did not see sign of a heater, but they were enjoying themselves in the rain just the same. This is, after all, almost summer.

The mountain peaks are hidden in the clouds, but you can get a feel for the shape. They are precipitous, very close to the edge of the anchorages, almost overpowering.

One of the factors to consider in choosing an anchorage is avalanch risk. We like to stay far enough away to be clear of anything which might launch on its own, or as a result of an earthquake (more on this later).

We’ve been using the power dinghy to explore the shallow areas of the bays. There are lots of water fowl, and we’re also keeping an eye out for bears. It is too early for salmon, but bear occasionally cruise meadows fronting the water. Earlier today we saw a huge brownie (grizzly) almost black in color, but with the telltale hump on its back. We watched him for a long time in the binoculars, but he was too far away for a photograph.

Today is Memorial Day and the sun has been teasing us with a few rays. That patch of blue to the left of the photograph and the sunlight is enough to make the photos a bit more interesting.

Our favorite critters are these sea otters. Sheep Bay teams with them. We saw them in groups and on their own as we worked our way through the channels. They lie on their backs or occasionally tummy, watching us go by, often allowing us to come within a boat length.

We understand that two moms with babies will share babysitting responsibilities. One mom will watch both babies while the other goes out for a meal.

It is really hard to capture the feeling induced by these surroundings working our way through poorly charted channels. We are concentrating on the SONAR, depth finder, and radar, while watching the water for signs of trouble below the surface. But every once in a while we just stop the boat to enjoy the view.

This is a typical circle of mountains around the anchorages we’ve been visiting. Relatively new upthrust peaks heavily carved from the last ice age. So far we’ve been able to find good holding for the anchor in depths of 30 to 80 feet (9 to 25m). We are a little leery of the shallow water at the heads of the bays. This area has a history of earthquakes and tidal waves, and deeper water is always safer.

And this is what the head of Sheeps Bay looks like with the sun behind us. It is so lovely that this one half-hour period makes the entire journey to Prince William Sound worthwhile.