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Hunkydory



Joined: 28 Mar 2005
Posts: 2652
City/Region: Cokeville, Wyoming
State or Province: WY
C-Dory Year: 2000
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Hunkydory
Photos: Hunkydory-Jay-and-Jolee
PostPosted: Mon Jan 30, 2017 11:16 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Colby, we waited until our 7th SE Alaska cruise to explore Glacier Bay & the wait wasn't due to being troubled about its remoteness or weather challenges, though New Moon, Richard is right about the need for its consideration as he is about his other advise pertaining to Glacier Bay especially during June 1 to August 31, when permits are required to enter & many restrictions are in effect. The restrictions & permit process making one have to commit to a specific date was a non starter for me. Before May 1, there aren't any restrictions on where one can go or even having to let them know you are there. In 2016 from April 22 to April 26, we spent 5 wonderful days cruising around 250 miles in the Bay & going places there, where very few others will ever see. During this time we didn't see another person or boat in the Bay. It is a grand place, but in my opinion there are other places it's equal with just as magnificent views with as much or more wildlife that doesn't have time & other restrictions & personnel looking over your shoulder to enforce them with verbal or monetary rebukes. Some of these are Holkham Bay with its very active tidewater glaciers with Tracy Arm a combination of recent & old glacier withdraw & Endicott Arm with it's remote raw beauty. Fords Terror a place beyond anywhere else I've been & the east side of Baranof Island has several bays that I believe superior to any I saw in Glacier Bay. Add to this Pleasant Bay in Seymour Inlet, Admiralty Island, Pybus Bay, Admitalty Island & Dundas Bay a unrestricted part of Glacier Bay National Park located just to the west of the main Glacier Bay off the North Inian Passage between Cross Sound & Icy Strait.

Bob is right about making cruising loops & he showed some good ones. These loops can include both inside & outside waters if desired. The Delorme In Reach link, I provided in my last post shows the loops we made in 2015 & 2016 & if you zoom in on the tracks it will give you exact coordinates in longitude & latitude of our different anchorages. Some of these you can tell are very protected & others just spots we waited out weather conditions for short periods & not overnight. Some were only good from specific wind directions & others good for full out gales with wind from any direction. It's not just the scenery, I prefer in the more northern parts of SE Alaska, the equal draw there is more wildlife to view with fewer other cruise boats to compete with at anchorages & dock space at most of the small town marinas. Though the working boats between seasons or openings & during short periods of extreme weather can make any port crowded.

Jay

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Jay and Jolee 2000 22 CD cruiser Hunkydory
I will not waste my days in trying to prolong them------Jack London
https://share.delorme.com/JuliusByers
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thataway



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 20779
City/Region: Pensacola
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: thataway
Photos: Thataway
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 1:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

One thing not mentioned in AK cruising is a "Schedule". There are going to be a few days when you don't want to move--heavy winds, fog or heavy rain. We found those relatives few--but there can be a week at a time, when you might not want to move or move minimal distances. So a flexible schedule is important.

Our first Glacier Bay trip was the year we brought the Cal 46 up from Long Beach CA. Pretty much a non stop trip--stopping only for fuel and dog pit stops occasionally (our two labs were boat trained, but...) We had made our Glacier Bay permit appointment the first of the year, and there was a specific window when we had to confirm it. We had to do that thru a ham radio patch, since we were at sea, and cell phone service was not what it is. At the end of our week in Glacier Bay--we applied for a second week (at the lodge in person--and it was granted)

One other place which is a must stop if....you can get a permit, is Pack Creek. This probably the best brown bear viewing station in AK. It has one of the highest brown bear populations in 'AK. You have to have a permit. They can be obtained for a specific day the first part of the year. Permits are handled on line--and used to be available for 6 people 72 hours ahead of time in Juneau Forrest service headquarters by lottery. (Not sure if that is still available). We had been told about it at Anan Creek Bear watching station by a ranger. Anan does not require a permit, and is mostly black bears. It is 30 miles South of Wrangell. We arrived at Pack creek without a permit. We asked if we could go ashore if people who had permits didn't show up. Answer was "no". From Fish and Wild life who patrolled in the AM. But we might ask Forrest Service in the PM--they also said "no"--even though not a single person who had a permit showed up that day. We were told "They have until 9 PM to show up!". The next year we put our name in at the lottery in Juneau, 72 hours ahead, and got 4 slots for us and friends who were flying in the day of the lottery. There are going to be some "Tourists" who come in by float plane. Also there is now an outfitter who maintains a station and rental Kayaks on Windfall Island, in the cove. You cannot camp at Pack Creek, but tourists can camp on Windfall Island. If you can get a permit--this is an experience you will not forget--up close to the Grizzly Bear. (we have gotten close several times by accident--when fishing or berry picking, despite our precautions -- one tends to want to avoid that type of encounter.

_________________
Bob Austin
Thataway
Thataway (Ex Seaweed) 2007 25 C Dory May 2018 to Oct. 2021
Thisaway 2006 22' CDory November 2011 to May 2018
Caracal 18 140 Suzuki 2007 to present
Thataway TomCat 255 150 Suzukis June 2006 thru August 2011
C Pelican; 1992, 22 Cruiser, 2002 thru 2006
Frequent Sea; 2003 C D 25, 2007 thru 2009
KA6PKB
Home port: Pensacola FL
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NewMoon



Joined: 21 Dec 2008
Posts: 430
City/Region: Holladay
State or Province: UT
C-Dory Year: 1991
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Cindy Sea
Photos: Cindy Sea
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 2:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Update on Anan: after July 1 (if I remember correctly) a permit is required, as of the last 2 years at least. Not sure how tough it is to get one.

In 2015 spoke with the Forest Service rangers out of Wrangell who manage Anan, and they said there would be few bears to see much earlier, as the salmon were not likely to be running yet.

You can call them on (907) 874-2323, 874-7551, or 874-7520.

_________________
Richard Cook
Dream Catcher (Nordic Tug 37, 2016 to present)
New Moon (Bounty 257, 1998 to 2016)
Cindy Sea (CD 22 Cruiser, from 1991 to 1998)
"Cruising in a Big Way"
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thataway



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 20779
City/Region: Pensacola
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: thataway
Photos: Thataway
PostPosted: Tue Jan 31, 2017 5:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Richard,
Thanks for the update--not surprised. Anyone have more recent information on Pack Creek. I didn't see anything about the lottery on the several sites (Forrest Service, and Reserve.gov. It is possible that has gone away too. There are reasons that number of people are restricted--but if no-one is there, then it seems to me only logical to allow others to utilize the facility.

The beauty of Anan for us was watching bear catch salmon in the rapids/falls as they were jumping. Also ran into a bear on the trail as we were coming back down to the dinghy.
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Hunkydory



Joined: 28 Mar 2005
Posts: 2652
City/Region: Cokeville, Wyoming
State or Province: WY
C-Dory Year: 2000
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Hunkydory
Photos: Hunkydory-Jay-and-Jolee
PostPosted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 12:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

We stopped by Pack Creek in 2004, while exploring all the coves in Seymour Inlet. It was an during a extremely warm June & the only bears we had seen during the previous couple of weeks were way back in the Khutzeymateen Grizzley Bear preserve near Prince Rupert. Since there, we had been to Red Bluff Bay & all the bays on Southern Admiralty Island & up Seymour without a bear sighting, so hopes for Pack Creek were high. At that time permits weren't required, but a fee collected on sight of $20 was. When we arrived no other boats or visitors were there, though a ranger met us at the beach & informed us there was only one bear a female in the area & she wasn't in sight at the time, so we didn't even go to shore. I have seen & been around many bears prior to this & many more after with my personal preference for bear viewing to be by myself & observe them in a manner similar to the guy, Bob posted about who spent 70 days alone on Admiralty. Few things compare to the heightened senses one obtains, when all alone on a sedge grass meadow with numerous brown bear all about or watching them fish in close proximity at falls or rapids, either while on shore or in a inflatable or Mokai boat. I have also observed numerous bears & wolves while in the company of other people & some of those experiences were exceptional too, so I can also see the value of a Pack Creek or Anan bear observing experience.

I don't have any other resent information on Pack Creek, but do remember conversations during our cruise last summer that it was getting more difficult to get a permit when desired as tours were making it a destination by air & boat if I remember it correctly.
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colbysmith



Joined: 02 Oct 2011
Posts: 4523
City/Region: Madison
State or Province: WI
C-Dory Year: 2009
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: C-Traveler
Photos: C-Traveler and Midnight-Flyer
PostPosted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 12:14 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Some thoughts have recently come to mind. Fuel and Dinghy. I believe my current fuel provisioning is about 100 miles. (Loaded CD22, 40-42 gallons full). I suppose I should "measure" what I'm really getting, as this is just a guestimate... Also, currently I do not have a dinghy, or any other secondary watercraft. Would it be foolish to consider this trip without a dinghy? I am considering the worth of a survival suit. I do have a Personal Locater Beacon, and the usual other safety equipment. (Dual radio's and a handheld. AIS transmitter, etc.) This summer has been busy with other destinations, and I probably won't do a lot of SE Alaska planning until towards the end of the year. Also wondering if anyone else is looking to be cruising in SE Alaska next summer? I'll look into the Sloboat cruise and joining along the route, rather than beginning in the PNW. But I really think I'd prefer to be in the company of other boats for my first time doing this.
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Pat Anderson



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 8551
City/Region: Birch Bay, WA
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Daydream
Photos: Daydream and Crabby Lou
PostPosted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 2:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Colby, I'll throw a clinker in here for you. If you have never done the Gulf Islands, Princess Louisa, Desolation Sound, and the Broughtons, and you have the time, why not launch in Blaine, WA? $7.00 launch and unlimited free parking, you just have to check in with the Harbor Master if you are out more than 5 days, but there is no outside time limit!

You cross from Blaine to Stuart Island to Bedwell Harbour on South Pender Island to clear Canadian customs. Then cruise up inside the Gulf Islands - you can get lots of advice here on the great places to see in the Gulf Islands - to Nanaimo. At Nanaimo, cross the Strait of Georgia (you might need to hang a day or two for suitable weather, I suggest using SailFlow and Marine Weather, so you know wind speed and direction and wave height and period). Princess Louisa Inlet is not to be missed! Then into Desolation Sound, again lots of advice here on what to see in Desolation Sound. Then through Johnstone Strait to the Broughtons - again all the advice you could want here about where to stay in the Broughtons. We ran up the mainland side from Sullivan Bay the Broughtons to round Cape Caution in one day. Once around Cape Caution, you will have the absolutely greatest cruise on the Inside Passage in northern B.C. - see Slowboat.com to see where Sam and the flotilla stopped. If you go directly either to Prince Ruppert or Skagway, as others recommend, you will miss what may be the BEST part of the trip, which we think if from Cape Caution to Prince Ruppert!

Here is our photo album from Daydream and Anna Leigh's 2006 cruise from Washington to Ketchikan. You can of course go farther north than we did.


_________________

DAYDREAM - CD25 Cruiser
CRABBY LOU - CD16 Angler (sold 2020)
Pat & Patty Anderson, C-Brat #62!
http://daydreamsloop.blogspot.com

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colbysmith



Joined: 02 Oct 2011
Posts: 4523
City/Region: Madison
State or Province: WI
C-Dory Year: 2009
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: C-Traveler
Photos: C-Traveler and Midnight-Flyer
PostPosted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:43 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Not that I don't want to see those areas, but I've had several tell me it might be better to divide the Inland Passage into a north half and south half, and then choose which to do with the time available. Thus, I'm planning on just doing the north half this time. However, with a flotilla like Sloboat, it might be possible to do the entire cruise, but I do like the idea of having more time available by just doing one part of it. Colby
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thataway



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 20779
City/Region: Pensacola
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: thataway
Photos: Thataway
PostPosted: Thu Jun 29, 2017 5:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

First, If you have not already obtained this MAP of the inland passage Do so! Also get the guide book and start reading---Spend hours and days researching the trip. It makes all of the difference.

Fuel range: You are gong to have to slow down to get the range--and maximize the fuel usage. If you start in the lower 48, you will have to count on going from Port McNeil to Bella Bella (where you should, be able to get fuel, Then to Prince Rupert, you will need over a 100 mile range. (Understand you are not doing that now. But if you want to make the most interesting passages, you need to plan fuel stops--and for example going from Petersburg to Ford's Terror, and then doing Sawyer Arm, to Juneau, you will have a run of about 220 miles. You can do a direct run from Petersburg to Juneau at about 110 to 120 miles...but miss some of the really great places. This is not cruising the St. John's river--where there are fuel stops every 10 or so miles...You need to read up in Wagner and find the reliable fuel stops, and calculate passages to them.

As for a dinghy--I have always had one (or two) and found them to be almost essentials--of course we have dogs...so that is another dimension. You can find docks at many of the good areas, but at times the docks are full--then what?

We have never carried survival suits--but had some type of inflatable / inflatable life raft, and heavy (double in the chest and head) wet suits. Hard to imagine the sinking of a C Dory, but I suppose you could be run down by big foot (the fishing trawler) or something like that.... A kayak would suffice--but remember the tides are in the 20 to 25 foot range, so you don't normally stick the bow on the beach--but we have anchored our RIB several hundred feet off shore--with a retrieval line--not sure I would do that with a c Dory 22....
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Pat Anderson



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 8551
City/Region: Birch Bay, WA
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Daydream
Photos: Daydream and Crabby Lou
PostPosted: Fri Jun 30, 2017 10:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Colby, your thread has got me wanting to go back to Alaska! Now that we are retired, and can take as long as we want, we can do it right! Here is one of my favorite photos (a vivid memory actually, we were kind of beaten down at this moment, you can see see it in Patty's "look"!) from our 2006 cruise, it is entitled "The Hike from Hell at Meyers Chuck." Sam and his 2017 flotilla stopped here too!



Pictured: Dave Olson, Pat and Patty (Daydream), David McKibben (Anna Leigh) and Alan Olson.
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colbysmith



Joined: 02 Oct 2011
Posts: 4523
City/Region: Madison
State or Province: WI
C-Dory Year: 2009
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: C-Traveler
Photos: C-Traveler and Midnight-Flyer
PostPosted: Fri Jun 30, 2017 11:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Pat, if you want to head up there next summer, and be joined by another boat, Let me know! I'd even consider starting out in the San Juans if that was your choice! Very Happy But ideally prefer to spend time in the Alaska portion. I have all the time in the world, retired also. Where it gets tricky is the part about being married to a still working wife, and not really wanting to be a part for an entire summer. Ideally she will be able to fly out and join me for a few weeks at a time. Colby
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NewMoon



Joined: 21 Dec 2008
Posts: 430
City/Region: Holladay
State or Province: UT
C-Dory Year: 1991
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Cindy Sea
Photos: Cindy Sea
PostPosted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 11:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

colbysmith wrote:
Some thoughts have recently come to mind. Fuel and Dinghy. I believe my current fuel provisioning is about 100 miles. (Loaded CD22, 40-42 gallons full). I suppose I should "measure" what I'm really getting, as this is just a guestimate... Also, currently I do not have a dinghy, or any other secondary watercraft. Would it be foolish to consider this trip without a dinghy?


Our first AK trip in 96, we towed our CD22 to Prince Rupert and spent two months on the water. We did not know what our fuel range was, but found out by running it nearly out, then watching how many gallons it took to get to each mark on the gauge. I'd suggest this would be worth doing. Traveling at 16-18 knots, our two cycle 90hp Yamaha gave about 3 nmpg with a heavy load. 58 gal tank gave about 175 nm max range.

A minimum of 130-150 range with some reserve would be wanted to allow you to get to most places in SEAK.

We carried a small cheap dinghy, but used it only a few times as it was a pain. It made seeing bears at Anan possible.
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colbysmith



Joined: 02 Oct 2011
Posts: 4523
City/Region: Madison
State or Province: WI
C-Dory Year: 2009
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: C-Traveler
Photos: C-Traveler and Midnight-Flyer
PostPosted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 2:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks. That's good to hear about the Dinghy. And the fuel. I'm heading up the Chicago River middle of this week, (Starting downstream of Joliet about 8 miles, on the Des Plaines River) so think I'll get a good idea of gas usage at slower speeds. I'll start monitoring my fuel usage more the next longer cruises I take at various speeds to see how I'm really doing. I suspect it might be wise to carry some extra gas, and I'm thinking two 5 gal jugs may be appropriate. But I also want to watch the weight in the boat. Colby
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thataway



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 20779
City/Region: Pensacola
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: thataway
Photos: Thataway
PostPosted: Sat Jul 01, 2017 5:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Running rivers to get fuel usage is going to be a problem because of current. At low speed this can have dramatic effect on fuel consumption.
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colbysmith



Joined: 02 Oct 2011
Posts: 4523
City/Region: Madison
State or Province: WI
C-Dory Year: 2009
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: C-Traveler
Photos: C-Traveler and Midnight-Flyer
PostPosted: Mon Jul 10, 2017 12:58 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just came back from our Chicago River trip. Running speeds anywhere from 5mph to 18 mph, and even a short time up at 25 mph. And while there is some current in the river, we went both ways, so I believe it's still a good average, and I'm sure with an Alaska cruise, there are tidal currents and all. Anyway, 150 statue miles, 39 gallons of fuel, so 3.8 mpg is what I figure. My boat topped off carries 42-44 gals of fuel, so that doesn't leave me with too much reserve. Colby
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