Browse our Charter fleet available in North West America
The Pacific Northwest, between Alaska and Northern California, exhibits an invigorating dynamic between the wild and the well heeled. Alaska is a powerful affirmation of nature’s scale – from intimidating mountains and rolling glaciers to the fearsome spectacle of whales, bears and eagles. San Francisco Bay, however, is a hotbed of fabled urban icons, like Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge, all wrapped up in a rich landscape of surfing beaches, verdant vineyards, yacht-friendly coves and National Parks, rich with redwood trees and tourist trails. Northern California occupies a huge portion of America’s Pacific coast and its diversity as a charter destination is extraordinary. In addition to surf beaches, world-famous national parks and renowned wine regions, it features a deep-rooted maritime heritage that manifests itself in gorgeous historic wharfs, backed up by modern yacht facilities and endless waterfront diversions. However, with its steep streets, its tram system, its leisure-friendly harbours and its 60-mile bay, the sunny maritime city of San Francisco is the region’s premier charter yacht destination. On the extreme-North West America nautical road, Alaska is not a commonplace charter yacht destination. It encompasses an astonishing 34,000 miles of coastline on three different seas and its wildness is every bit as extreme as its scale. This is a place of the Yukon River and the Bering Glacier; of endless summer days and glittering northern lights; of brown bears, bald eagles and orca pods. It’s a distinctly inhospitable place – and yet in the far south is a region that makes some of Alaska’s most precious gifts openly accessible to the charter yacht explorer.
San Francisco Bay is rich with big-ticket yacht charter attractions. In addition to Angel Island, with its easy anchorages and beautiful views, the Golden Gate Bridge is a major highlight. The vibrant yachting destination of Sausalito is a gentrified, boutique-rich hub with great bay views and an elegant alfresco café culture. And further inland, a stop at Benicia brings easy access to the vineyards and wine tours that have made the Napa Valley so famous.
Out in the bay, Alcatraz, the infamous island-prison known for its incarceration of high-profile prisoners like Al Capone, is a fine attraction, but perhaps the greatest draw of all is Fisherman’s Wharf – a charming 19th century waterfront, built to cater for prospectors but now home to seafood restaurants, bars and sunbathing sea lions. Don’t miss the unique opportunity to fancy a trip inland to the magical Yosemite National Park : a memorable detour !
The British Columbia coast offers the untamed nature that will take your breath away, interspersed with beach towns, fishing villages and welcoming wilderness lodges. The region offers so much to explore: the warm, hospitable Salish Sea, breathtaking Yoho National Park, mazes of islands, fjords and channels, or the open coasts of Vancouver Island West and Haida Gwaii.
British Columbia’s unparalleled network of coastal marine parks and protected areas ensure any superyacht charter on site with abundance of whales, seals, otters, grizzly and black bears and the oafish moose. Whales breach nearby, grizzlies vie for ocean bright salmon and eagles soar and dive. For fishing lovers, British Columbia waters are some of the best fishing waters in the world!
From the Tongass National Park in the south to Glacier Bay in the north, a labyrinthine arrangement of fractured west-coast landmasses brings some spectacular Alaskan venues within reach of the charter yacht. The sheltered ‘Inside Passage’ winds its way between islands, fjords, bays and glaciers, past Ketchikan, Petersburgh, Admiralty Island and Hobart Bay to the pretty town of Haines. It’s a wonderful place to watch the eerie creep of ice sheets, to explore the silent shores by sea kayak or to fish for wild salmon in the icy streams.
For a taste of urban fun ‘Alaskan-style’, the capital city, Juneau, is accessible only by yacht or seaplane – and the popularity of this far-flung charter destination among cruise ships creates a magical blend of merrymaking and isolation. Top activity to do : observing brown bears fishing for salmon in Katmai National Park.
Delivered during the Summer 2017 – and exclusively available through Imperial – this gorgeous 55m (180’5″) Amels superyacht for charter...