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2011 Inside Passage Cruise
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NORO LIM



Joined: 24 Apr 2008
Posts: 875
City/Region: Olympia
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 23 Venture
Vessel Name: NORO LIM (sold 12/12/14)
Photos: NORO LIM
PostPosted: Sun Sep 25, 2011 8:26 pm    Post subject: 2011 Inside Passage Cruise Reply with quote

I finally got around to posting some pictures from our trip north this summer. We were on the water mid-June to mid-July, and boated from Olympia to Petersburg, Alaska and back.


We had one relatively minor equipment problem. We lost reverse in the port engine. It turned out to be the cap off a wiring harness that someone had dropped into the engine when it was installed. It had been floating around for more than 5 years and finally became jammed in the linkage. When I had the engines serviced in Petersburg, the mechanic found the piece.

The weather was something else. Don't let the picture fool you. It was cool and wet most of the way up and back, but two days into the return trip, things got out of hand. Clarence Strait was just miserable. 35 knot winds. Heavy rain. A lot of white on the tops of some very steep waves. We spent a week in Ketchikan, some of it in a nice coffee shop with a view of the harbor. I watched a seine boat make repeated unsuccessful attempts to get to the net float. There was a whole lot of engine revving, gear shifting, wheel spinning and deck crew scrambling accompanying the unplanned 360's that big boat did as it was blown away from the float again and again. It took a death defying leap by a crew member to finally get a line from the stern to the float. Ten minutes later, the boat was secured.

We poked our nose out after three days in Ketchikan and retreated quickly. Even though the winds were abating some, the water was still very unfriendly. Early one morning a couple of days later, the local guy with a boat moored next to us told us he had just talked on the radio to his son who had crossed Dixon entrance in the night in a big boat. The report was two foot rollers. We were gone within 30 minutes and had an easy crossing to Prince Rupert.

Even though this trip was squeezed for time by kids' visits before and after, and by waiting out the weather, we still had a great time. Among other things, we went north via Keku Strait, and south via Dry Strait - two trips I've wanted to do for years. Keku Strait is a piece of cake for an alert person in a shallow draft boat. Dry Strait (the "short cut" between Petersburg and Wrangel) is much more worrisome. We went on the last two hours of a flooding 13 foot tide. I would probably not recommend anything under a 15 foot tide for a first trip, at least. I've spent a lot of time looking at Dry Strait on charts, from the air, and from the shores of Mitkof Island. Some local old hands we're very helpful, especially those who admitted they had run aground. The Stikine River makes the water in the strait so murky it's impossible to see 6 inches into it. The sounder registered 2.8 feet for a short stretch. Had some white knuckles, but all went well.

More pictures Inside Passage 2011

_________________
Bill, Formerly on NORO LIM
2001 CD 16, 2001-2006
2006 CC 23, 2006-2014
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Valkyrie



Joined: 09 Jan 2005
Posts: 1028
City/Region: Loudonville
State or Province: OH
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Valkyrie II
Photos: Valkyrie
PostPosted: Sun Sep 25, 2011 9:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bill,

Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for sharing. Marcia and I are talking about doing the same when she retires in two years.

Question: what was your round trip distance and how much spare gas did you carry?

Thanks,

Nick
"Valkyrie"
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NORO LIM



Joined: 24 Apr 2008
Posts: 875
City/Region: Olympia
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 23 Venture
Vessel Name: NORO LIM (sold 12/12/14)
Photos: NORO LIM
PostPosted: Sun Sep 25, 2011 10:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Valkyrie wrote:
Bill,

Sounds like a great trip! Thanks for sharing. Marcia and I are talking about doing the same when she retires in two years.

Question: what was your round trip distance and how much spare gas did you carry?

Thanks,

Nick
"Valkyrie"


Having done a round trip (Olympia to Petersburg and back) a couple of times now, I can highly recommend it. Two years is about right for some serious planning - so get started now! I won't say it's half the fun - the trip itself is just too spectacular - but it has been very satisfying to plan carefully for the trips.

Each trip was just about 2,000 miles, and each trip burned just about 600 gallons. The mileage totals include a number of shorter day trips from Petersburg, where we spend quite a bit of time. You can certainly make the trip a lot shorter by trailering up the route a ways, or a lot longer by boating as far as your time permits.

I don't really carry any "extra" gas other than a 2.5 gallon can for the generator. It is possible to plan the trip so that you are never more than 80 - 100 miles from fuel. I'd say Hartley Bay is probably the hardest to skip fuel stop. My boat has two 30 gallon tanks. I have purposely run them dry, so I know that the real usable capacity is about 27.5 gallons each or 55 total. I assume a conservative 3 mpg when I plan, so that gives me a safe range of close to 150 miles with 10% to spare. In fact, I always seem to average more like 3.3 mpg on long range heavily loaded cruises, but bad weather on any given leg can really drop your mileage. I build in lots of margin when I plan fuel stops. It's a good idea to check as many sources as possible right before you go, to see if fuel will be available. And more than once, we have cooled our heels for half a day waiting for the fuel guy to get back from lunch.

Plan away!
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Sarge



Joined: 12 Mar 2007
Posts: 488
City/Region: Edmonds
State or Province: WA
Vessel Name: Sea Badger
Photos: Gigi
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 2:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bill,

You really are a man of a few words. 1 month on the water travelling over 2000 miles and you summed it up in 529 words (I counted).

You're pictures are beautiful and I'm sure you've much to tell us if we poke hard enough. Smile

Thank you for sharing. What I did read sounded both relaxing and exciting.

Sincerely,

_________________
-Sarge

2001 2150 Bayliner, sold
2007 CD25, sold
2007 Harbercraft Kingfisher 2850, sold
2011 Stabicraft 2250SC, sold
2011 Eastern 18cc

Blog: http://theseabadger.wordpress.com
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NORO LIM



Joined: 24 Apr 2008
Posts: 875
City/Region: Olympia
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 23 Venture
Vessel Name: NORO LIM (sold 12/12/14)
Photos: NORO LIM
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 9:09 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sarge wrote:
Bill,

You really are a man of a few words. 1 month on the water travelling over 2000 miles and you summed it up in 529 words (I counted).

You're pictures are beautiful and I'm sure you've much to tell us if we poke hard enough. Smile

Thank you for sharing. What I did read sounded both relaxing and exciting.

Sincerely,


Sarge,

Well, I may be terse, but you've managed to reduce 529 to two: "Relaxing and exciting"! Very Happy Very Happy Perfectly apt.

Thanks for the kind words about the pictures. You'll notice that many of them are shoreline closeups taken in calm protected anchorages. (Speaking of which, Oyster Bay in Fish Egg Inlet off Fitzhugh Sound is beautiful and had about the most remote feel to it of any anchorage we've found - which is saying something.) Much of the trip was too overcast for long range panoramic shots, and a lot of it was rough enough to require full attention to the helm.

I'm not much on travel logs, and believe me you don't want to get me started on some unstructured ramble, but here are a couple of things that were memorable.

First, the most unpleasant thing that happened - and I'm including the worst beating we took in Clarence Strait. We were cruising south down Grenville Channel at just about the mid point. It was flat calm water in a surreal world of gray, green and blue, and we hadn't seen another boat in hours. Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck appeared - 50 feet tall and smiling at us from a Disney cruise ship headed north. They were gone in a matter of minutes, but the horror lingers on. (Unless you have a lot of time on your hands, and can tolerate salty language, do not prod me further on my views about the cruise ship industry.)

Second, the funniest thing. We were walking back to our boat in a drenching rain after one of our many forays into Ketchikan during our unplanned stay there, when we encountered a young man on a bicycle. In a wet suit. Beet red face. He was pushing his bike up a very steep ramp from a dock. He backed up another 20 feet, got on the bike, and peddled like a maniac back down the ramp. He shot across the dock at the bottom, up a short plywood launching pad he had placed there, and did a back flip on his bike into the water. He held onto the bike and swam back to the dock where a friend helped him climb out. All this was done to the cheers of people on a harbor tour boat. I don't know if he was a tour company employee, independent contractor, or unpaid aspiring movie stuntman. Most people do everything possible to stay out of that water.

Third, the most surprising. We saw lots of sea otters. Way more than I've ever seen before. And no killer whales. I know there were Orcas all over the place, we just didn't encounter any. On the other hand, shortly after we left Wrangel headed south, we nearly hit a Humpback. We were on flat water with just a slight wind ripple cruising at 22-23 mph. I saw what I thought was just a little tide rip of some sort maybe 150 feet ahead, and swerved gently to port to avoid it. As we passed the spot, the whale rolled right outside my starboard window, less than a boat length from us. Very big. Another reminder to pay attention at all times.

Honestly, I find these trips so exhilarating (really, Sarge, that's just a synonym for "exciting"), that I'm ready to get in the boat and go again as soon as we get back.

I'm glad to answer anyone's specific questions about the trip.

Bill
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Don and Brenda



Joined: 22 Feb 2009
Posts: 588
City/Region: Camano Island, Wa
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2011
C-Dory Model: R-27 Tug
Photos: C-Quest
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 9:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hi Bill

We were up for a week in mid June, I guess we got spoiled as the water was dead flat with the exception of 1 day, sorry I guess we left the rough stuff for you. Our 1 day of rain was in Petersburg. Spent the day in town doing the tourist thing. I will admit that trip was in a chartered 64' yacht. Next trip in 2 years in the C-Dory.

Don
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NORO LIM



Joined: 24 Apr 2008
Posts: 875
City/Region: Olympia
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 23 Venture
Vessel Name: NORO LIM (sold 12/12/14)
Photos: NORO LIM
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:40 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Don and Brenda wrote:
Hi Bill

We were up for a week in mid June, I guess we got spoiled as the water was dead flat with the exception of 1 day, sorry I guess we left the rough stuff for you. Our 1 day of rain was in Petersburg. Spent the day in town doing the tourist thing. I will admit that trip was in a chartered 64' yacht. Next trip in 2 years in the C-Dory.

Don


Don,

Yeah, Clarence Strait in particular was nasty both ways. At least northbound was with the wind. We did have smooth, if not sunny, cruising for a lot of the way south of Prince Rupert. Queen Charlotte and Georgia Straits were both really nice - and they can be miserable. Johnstone Strait was predictably windy in the afternoon.

Petersburg is practically a second home to us. We've been there almost every year since 1974 - since before jet service, when the Twin Otter flight down the Wrangel Narrows below the clouds was what you might call entertaining. If you went to the bookstore, you may have met my sister. If you went to Northern Lights Smokery, you met my daughter and son-in-law, and I hope purchased some of the best smoked salmon or black cod in the world. If you encountered the best looking 5 and 8 year old boys in the world, you met my grandsons. Here's a shot of some young guy in Petersburg in 1979.



Maybe we'll be able to show you around town and "out the road" if our paths cross in a couple of years.

Bill

PS: The 64 foot yacht thing sounds terrific. I'd love to do that sometime.
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Don and Brenda



Joined: 22 Feb 2009
Posts: 588
City/Region: Camano Island, Wa
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2011
C-Dory Model: R-27 Tug
Photos: C-Quest
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 1:23 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

We did the book store and bought a few things, hit the pizza place for lunch, and went into the store at the head of the pier and sent some salmon to a few people. It rained most of the day and the following morning we headed out into glassy seas for the run to Endicott. I must admit being on the yacht got the wife and I spoiled.
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lloyds



Joined: 02 Aug 2005
Posts: 1724
City/Region: sublimity
State or Province: OR
C-Dory Year: 1996
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: undecided
Photos: 1996 22 Cruiser (Lloyds)
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 2:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

wondering what book or chart set you used for planning your route, especially the fuel stops? Plan on making the trip next spring.
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20dauntless



Joined: 23 Jan 2008
Posts: 879
City/Region: Mercer Island and Decatur Island
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Retriever and Nordic Tug 37
Photos: Retriever
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 2:20 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lloyds, when are you planning on heading north? I'll be making the trip up from Anacortes as well. I can't leave until around June 1 and I expect to be gone until at least September 1.

Bill, great pictures and info. I'm sure I'll start a thread sometime soon about the best anchorages along the way and I trust you'll have some to add to the list!

A couple quick question...what was the range of prices you paid for fuel along the way? And were credit cards always accepted, or should I carry cash? I would hate to need fuel and not have a way to pay for it...
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NORO LIM



Joined: 24 Apr 2008
Posts: 875
City/Region: Olympia
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 23 Venture
Vessel Name: NORO LIM (sold 12/12/14)
Photos: NORO LIM
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 3:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

lloyds wrote:
wondering what book or chart set you used for planning your route, especially the fuel stops? Plan on making the trip next spring.


Regarding route planning: I began with one of those big (6 feet tall?) wall charts of the Inside Passage. I cut it into 6 sections and laminated them. They stack perfectly on the dash of my boat. These are not navigation charts by any means, but they give a great large picture of where things are and where it might be fun to go. Then I started reading Don and Reanne Douglass' 3-book series: "Exploring the South Coast of British Columbia," "Exploring the North Coast of British Columbia," and "Exploring Southeast Alaska." I also used 2 books by Kevin Monahan: "Proven Cruising Routes Volume I" and "Local Knowledge," and also Morris and Heath's "Marine Atlas" Volumes 1 & 2. You do want to spend as much time as you can looking in detail at any routes you might consider. Find out where the extreme tidal currents are before you're in them!

On our first trip, I did everything by hand - sketching out rough course notes on a yellow pad. I have a Furuno GPS Chartplotter with Navionics Gold charts. It's kind of clunky for actual plotting. Anyway, I'm not really interested in following a line on a screen for hundreds of miles, and a lot of the trip is piloting rather than navigating. On our latest trip, I also used Rose Point's Coastal Explorer on a laptop. It was nice backup and did provide some useful extra information from time to time. Sometimes in long twisting courses it was kind of nice to have both the Furuno and the Coast Explorer on, set at different scales so I could see both the big and small picture without having to change anything.

I used everything I could to check on fuel availability - the books and laptop mentioned above, online searches, phone calls, and word of mouth along the way.

In response to the question from Dauntless about fuel prices - I try not to think about it. It's not like you can do much comparison shopping in Wright Sound. Then there's the whole Canadian US exchange rate and litres to gallons confusion. Crook Best not to dwell on it, I say. Laughing There will be quite a range as you move into and out of more remote areas - but you should be prepared for $6/gal in places. As I say, there's not much you can do to avoid it. I was able to use my credit card everywhere. It's still smoking.

Bill
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20dauntless



Joined: 23 Jan 2008
Posts: 879
City/Region: Mercer Island and Decatur Island
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2008
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Retriever and Nordic Tug 37
Photos: Retriever
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 6:50 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
In response to the question from Dauntless about fuel prices - I try not to think about it. It's not like you can do much comparison shopping in Wright Sound. Then there's the whole Canadian US exchange rate and litres to gallons confusion. Best not to dwell on it, I say. There will be quite a range as you move into and out of more remote areas - but you should be prepared for $6/gal in places. As I say, there's not much you can do to avoid it. I was able to use my credit card everywhere. It's still smoking.


Thanks. I figured (quite conservatively, I hope) that I'd burn 1000 gallons of gas at $6 a gallon. But, it costs what it costs, and I'm sure it will be worthwhile.

Thanks for the tips on route planning. FWIW, I'm using a combination of the planning charts that Bill spoke of and the Navionics PC app. With the Navionics app I can place waypoints and plan routes, export them to a CF card, load them onto my plotter, and have the autopilot follow the route. These are useful for planning, particularly for distance calculations, but I'm sure I will deviate from them often as opportunities and anchorages present themselves.
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lloyds



Joined: 02 Aug 2005
Posts: 1724
City/Region: sublimity
State or Province: OR
C-Dory Year: 1996
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: undecided
Photos: 1996 22 Cruiser (Lloyds)
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 10:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I want to leave sometime late may. Don't know when I will be coming back. I am retired now so the wife's situation will have to be considered somewhat. She runs a kids tennis program every summer so we will see if she even goes, or maybe meets me along the way. The douglas books will probably be where I start planning. Did you ever draw your traveled route on a map with fuel stops?
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Don and Brenda



Joined: 22 Feb 2009
Posts: 588
City/Region: Camano Island, Wa
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2011
C-Dory Model: R-27 Tug
Photos: C-Quest
PostPosted: Tue Sep 27, 2011 11:29 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with Bill on that 6' map. I really like using it because it starts in Washington and takes you all the way up into SE Alaska.
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NORO LIM



Joined: 24 Apr 2008
Posts: 875
City/Region: Olympia
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2006
C-Dory Model: 23 Venture
Vessel Name: NORO LIM (sold 12/12/14)
Photos: NORO LIM
PostPosted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 1:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

lloyds wrote:
. . . Did you ever draw your traveled route on a map with fuel stops?


No, but before each trip I hand drew schematic type diagrams on paper with rough mileages between fueling possibilities. For instance, I did one for a route up the west side of the Straits of Georgia and one for the east side, identifying possible fuel stops every 80 or so miles. For that stretch there are plenty of options most of the way. When you get north of Vancouver Island things thin dramatically. Because of weather or whimsy, I often didn't decide exactly which way I was going through the maze of islands until I raised the anchor in the morning, but before I set off in any direction I checked and rechecked fuel remaining and distance to the next available stop. When I had cell phone coverage (not often) and a phone number, I tried to call ahead to confirm fuel availability and hours of operation. We've had extended waits at both Klemtu and Hartley Bay for attendants to show up during what were advertised business hours. We've also had to wait for the fuel barge to offload before we could fuel. It's all part of the experience. Flexibility and patience are prerequisites for a successful cruise.

If I get out to the boat in the next day or two, I can retrieve my log and at just list for you the places we got fuel. Not sure how helpful that is, but I'd be glad to do it.

Bill
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