The Klondike Express: An Alaskan Success.

• Position: Brief Article

If you haven't taken a cruise on the MV Klondike Express, you haven't taken a cruise!

Plying the pristine passages of Prince William Sound, Brad Phillips' 137-foot, sightseeing catamaran accommodates 350 passengers in splendid luxury through milky-blue and jade-green waters, the likes of which are seen nowhere else in the world.

May is National Tourism Month and while last month premiered with snow and freezing weather for most of Alaska, this June issue we seize the official season opener as our excuse to focus on many of Alaska's unique visitor options. We feature tourism for three months running and can't begin to scratch the surface of what's fun to do in Alaska in summertime.

When last we cruised aboard the Klondike Express, it was ending its first full season (2000) of operation and a full complement of passengers was on board, many visiting from around the world. If one was ever proud to be an Alaskan, that was one of the times. Scenic beauty we often take for granted had macho gauchos and dilettante docents awestruck and lost for words to describe the untamed, uncivilized and unbelievable sights of the sound.

And the boat! The boat is one-of-a-kind on the West Coast of the Pacific. Truly. An honest-to-goodness catamaran, even in the roughest waters the ride is steady and smooth. Seated inside viewing through picture-window galleries or from three open observation decks (two heated) puts one up close and face-to-face with the marine world of Prince William Sound (named by Captain James Cook for William Henry, later King William TV of England).

Nina at the Helm

Brad and Helen...