The S.V. Arcturus offers a different Glacier Bay National Park experience/Adventure Flow

Having spent a week cruising and kayaking through Glacier Bay National Park some years ago, when I saw notice of a new floating base camp for exploring the park, it caught my attention. And when I saw a photo of the ship, it convinced me I had to find a way to persuade my wife we needed another watery visit to this Alaskan park.

While the S.V. Arcturus has engines beneath decks, the main propulsion is by wind caught in its sails, wrote Eric Oravsky in response to my query about their trips. This is definitely an intimate approach to exploring Glacier Bay, one that is promoted as A Muir Alaskan Adventure.

"The vessel we use is a 54-foot steel hull with main, aft, jib and stay sails. There is a couch and dining area for eight," wrote Oravsky, who wears multiple hats as deck hand, guide, and cook. "There is a small, tightly packed kitchen area that has the stove, sink, and range. In the back there is a shower and marine head. There are three guest bedrooms, a master, state room, and bunk room. The master bed is a queen-sized bed at the aft of the ship. The state room is bunked beds with space for two people to maneuver and change. The bunk room is the same bed setup as the stateroom, but with only floor space for one person at a time."

Sailing out of Juneau, the company, Adventure Flow, currently offers six-day trips through Glacier Bay with prices ranging from $3,120 – $4,080 per person. The sailing season is a bit unusual -- March and April -- but there's a reason for that, explained Oravsky.

"Our spring schedule is mostly to avoid traffic, but also because it affords winter sports that aren't available in the summer season and allows access to places much harder to reach. It allows for the combination of fair weather, wildlife, and an experience all to ourselves," he wrote. "It can be a little colder in the bay in the spring, but sometimes it can surprise us with warm sunny days in the spring. It would be a good prediction to plan for colder and snowy though."

Days might be spent kayaking or packrafting to get a closer look at the landscape, some of which was covered with ice when John Muir visited Glacier Bay in th late 1800s. Back in the ship for the night -- before a possible moonlight paddle -- your internal furnace is refueled with meals of salmon, halibut, sablefish, Dungeness crab and, of course, sourdough.

Now, where's my to-do list...?