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thataway



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 20778
City/Region: Pensacola
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: thataway
Photos: Thataway
PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 8:06 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have seen all too many who believe "Safety in numbers" and then get left when there is real need. Be prepared/self-sufficient and you will be fine. This is not uncharted waters or the end of the Earth. It is very easy now in comparison to before chart plotters and GPS.

One who does it on a cruise liner misses most of the "experience of Alaska".

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Thataway
Thataway (Ex Seaweed) 2007 25 C Dory May 2018 to Oct. 2021
Thisaway 2006 22' CDory November 2011 to May 2018
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Thataway TomCat 255 150 Suzukis June 2006 thru August 2011
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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 10:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have been up as far as the NW corner of Vancouver Island, (Nahwhitti Bar and Hope Island) and though it is not Alaska, I have done nearly 3 months on the water in one stretch. For me, I don't mind having some alone time, but it is also nice to have a buddy boat around. For me, I like that because I enjoy setting up and taking advantage of some great photo opportunities as they come up. I also like getting to meet, and know fellow C-BRATs and have had some great times with folks I hadn't known until we crossing wakes, side by side and enjoying new places together.

There is a safety factor though I think that may be more imaginative than for real, but it is there. The comradeship is welcome. Some of the times we would do a together for a day or two, then split up for a bit and plan a meeting in a couple days. Some of the time within radio range, some not. It is all great time, and worth the experience.

Harvey
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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 Nov 27, 2017 10:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I agree with Harvey here. Bob the safety in numbers means other boats are around if in peril on the water. I don’t think any of us here would leave someone stranded broken down in the middle of the water. And many times it may be just the emotional support if one runs into waters not expected or forecast. Or just being in “new” territory. (Confidence comes from experience, but not everyone has the same level of experience, which can only be gained by increasing ones exposure to the subject at hand.Wink Realizing confidence, complacency or stupidity are not the same! Mr. Green Even the best maintained and prepared boats can experience problems. Colby
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thataway



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 20778
City/Region: Pensacola
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: thataway
Photos: Thataway
PostPosted: Mon Nov 27, 2017 12:53 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Nothing wrong if you want to run along with another boat. But so often it happens that one of the group wants to stay somewhere longer or go to another point.

Nothing to do with abandoning other boaters. It may be better now--but many areas of AK and BC are not covered with CG--and the fishermen, and other boaters come to the rescue.

Example:

We heard a MayDay relayed by a light house in upper BC--no one responded, so we ran 4 hours at 8 knots to "rescue" the boat--had to launch the dinghy, because where he had drifted and anchored--was too shoal and dangerous for our Cal 46. When we got to the boat, there were half a dozen boats about his size (25 feet) within view! None had responded to his MayDay! We towed him another 3 hours: was dark when we got to the lee of land where he could safely anchor, and a native village could take the family in for the night.

Problem was loss of steering with an I /O--probably could have fixed it was a few bolts--if he had any spare. He had left his kicker at the camp because "it got in the way of fishing"... One of the natives towed him the next day to the area where his "camp" and trailer were.

I have a bunch of other stories...similar. Certainly if two solo guys wanted to follow each other the entire time--it would work fine. When we went with Molly Brown up the tributary of the St. John.s it was with the understanding if one boat ran aground the other would pull them off...But this was a very specific adventure of a few days...

While it sounds great to "buddy boat"--some do it very well--and some don't.. I suspect that there actually are some C Brats who would "split" and go on--maybe not intentionally.
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journey on



Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Posts: 3593
City/Region: Valley Centre
State or Province: CA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: journey on
Photos: Journey On
PostPosted: Mon Nov 27, 2017 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'll vote for Bob on this one. We've been with a group, which was great for the companionship, but when something went wrong, we were left alone to solve it. The others had to meet the timing of the next narrows, and they all went for it.

We were used to cruising alone, we were prepared and we took care of the problem. No hard feelings and we had an extra thrill when we went through the rapids at a non-optimal moment.

Boris
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thataway



Joined: 02 Nov 2003
Posts: 20778
City/Region: Pensacola
State or Province: FL
C-Dory Year: 2007
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: thataway
Photos: Thataway
PostPosted: Mon Nov 27, 2017 12:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Duplicate
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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 Nov 27, 2017 10:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Bob & Boris, I understand what you are saying. I also don't see any issue if someone wants to split off at some point and go their own way. I think our cruises after St. Johns gathering is a good example of that. I also think most of us that have done that the last two years, are also going to help each other out rather than abandon....but let's face it, you're really no farther than a few hundred feet from shoreline. Mr. Green I can also understand if someone wants to go it alone and have the independence to make changes enroute. Regarding the Mayday call, you chose to respond to that as an avid and responsible sailor. Something the guy making the call probably wasn't. But had he been "buddying" with somebody, perhaps he wouldn't have needed to make that mayday call. Wink I actually think it's pretty prudent for several boats to "buddy" together on larger bodies of water to have that "safety in numbers". Of course that works best if you know who you are buddying up with and everyone agrees on the expectations in the beginning. I too like my independence at times. But there are other times, it's nice to be along with another boat or two. Very Happy Colby
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JOHN C



Joined: 08 Jan 2016
Posts: 52
City/Region: Cleveland
State or Province: OH
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Mighty Wench
PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:15 am    Post subject: Alaska - you are most likely right Reply with quote

No question the weather was a factor. We had a very few days where it wasn't raining and with fog so thick visibility was under a .1 mile (even so the float planes were still flying VFR!) By the time we cleared Cape Caution, we had had it with the cold and wet.

No question we probably missed some good stuff. However, we found hurricane holes harder to find and had to settle more than we liked (I like anchorages with no fetch). We also found many of the hyped locations had tour boats and planes flying in at an absurd rate (glaring exceptions like Ford's Terror exist). There was 10X the commercialism everywhere we went in AK in comparison to BC. Even the remote anchorages often had mini cruise boats - not really a bad thing, but it just didn't exist in BC.

Maybe ignorance, but we found far fewer opportunities to hike through the woods in AK than in BC.

We elected to skip off shore islands because we didn't want to mess with that much open water.

We looked into launching at Prince Rupert for this trip and elected to launch in Bellingham again because we really liked the area between PR and WA. The added factor was that the charge for parking a rig in PR over 4 months would have added significantly to the trip cost. Turned out to be a good thing - trying to head home from there through the fires could have been interesting.

One other comment, we both found spending 4 months on a 24 ft boat detrimental to our health due to not enough exercise. It is an on going struggle to bring things up to where they were 3 years ago. Having said that, it was most certainly worth it.

One other comment. We never used this other than to advise relatives back home that we were healthy enough to push buttons, but a satellite texter along with towing and health transport insurance would be a good idea. I have to admit, my willingness to help mariners up there would be limited to making sure they were OK and contacting someone to come get them. Towing someone long distance through those waters would be something I would not want to mess with and probably beyond the capability of our boat.

John

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JOHN C



Joined: 08 Jan 2016
Posts: 52
City/Region: Cleveland
State or Province: OH
C-Dory Model: 25 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Mighty Wench
PostPosted: Tue Nov 28, 2017 7:15 am    Post subject: Alaska - you are most likely right Reply with quote

No question the weather was a factor. We had a very few days where it wasn't raining and with fog so thick visibility was under a .1 mile (even so the float planes were still flying VFR!) By the time we cleared Cape Caution, we had had it with the cold and wet.

No question we probably missed some good stuff. However, we found hurricane holes harder to find and had to settle more than we liked (I like anchorages with no fetch). We also found many of the hyped locations had tour boats and planes flying in at an absurd rate (glaring exceptions like Ford's Terror exist). There was 10X the commercialism everywhere we went in AK in comparison to BC. Even the remote anchorages often had mini cruise boats - not really a bad thing, but it just didn't exist in BC.

Maybe ignorance, but we found far fewer opportunities to hike through the woods in AK than in BC.

We elected to skip off shore islands because we didn't want to mess with that much open water.

We looked into launching at Prince Rupert for this trip and elected to launch in Bellingham again because we really liked the area between PR and WA. The added factor was that the charge for parking a rig in PR over 4 months would have added significantly to the trip cost. Turned out to be a good thing - trying to head home from there through the fires could have been interesting.

One other comment, we both found spending 4 months on a 24 ft boat detrimental to our health due to not enough exercise. It is an on going struggle to bring things up to where they were 3 years ago. Having said that, it was most certainly worth it.

One other comment. We never used this other than to advise relatives back home that we were healthy enough to push buttons, but a satellite texter along with towing and health transport insurance would be a good idea. I have to admit, my willingness to help mariners up there would be limited to making sure they were OK and contacting someone to come get them. Towing someone long distance through those waters would be something I would not want to mess with and probably beyond the capability of our boat.

John
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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 Dec 04, 2017 12:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Call me indecisive but I’m thinking maybe Alaska 2018 could still happen. My choice would be out of Skagway! Maybe start with the Friday Harbor gathering then load out and tow north... Guess I’ll decide by the first of May what I’ll do! Mr. Green Colby
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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:37 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Colby, Between now and May there are a lot of things that could come up that could change your (our) plans. It is always good to have options and allow time for things to gel.

I'm in the same boat about a big MC trip. It might be 2 months or more and 7+ thousand miles about that same time. Might mean I miss some boating, but also take advantage of a once in a lifetime opportunity. Priorities are still all up in the air here too.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

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Marco Flamingo



Joined: 09 Jul 2015
Posts: 1154
City/Region: Seattle
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2004
C-Dory Model: 16 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Limpet
Photos: Limpet
PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 9:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

hardee wrote:
think going from Tsawassen to Duke Point (Nanaimo) then drive north to Pt Hardy. I have done that trip 3 times now and it is more direct, less $$$ and quicker than the Anacortes to Victoria route.


Harvey,

I've crunched the numbers a couple of times. I can be at the Port Angeles ferry in two hours. For me, Tsawwassen is closer to a 5 hour drive if all goes well on I5 in Tacoma and Seattle (which is unlikely). Maybe it's because of my overall length, but I would only save a few dollars and, even though I get 20 mpg when towing, most of the savings would be spent on gas when driving around. I remember that for the amount that I would "save" I'd gladly pay that to avoid the traffic in Seattle and Tacoma. As a bonus, going through customs on the Blackball is quicker.

I took the Tsawwassen ferry back from the Powell River CBGT last year and spent almost an hour in a goobered up traffic jam at the border. And then I still had a 5 hour drive ahead of me. Getting to the ferry in time, B.C. ferry ride, driving through Blaine to Dewatto took 11 hours. Waiting for the Blackball, ferry ride, driving to Dewatto takes 5 hours.

As a bonus, I get to hear Bing Crosby and the Andrews sisters sing about my Blackball ferry adventure.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alttvzdVBPE
That's much more pleasant than the B.C. ferry jingle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKQCco0qpcA

Mark
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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
C-Dory Model: 22 Cruiser
Vessel Name: Sleepy-C
Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 10:07 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mark, Laughing Laughing Nice find on the music.

When that song was done, the Black Ball company was considerably different, and ran from Seattle to Victoria, (The Princes Margaret) and into the San Juans. I don't know about the other places, but rode the Coho to Port Angels frequently back then.

AS you well know, the customs crossings are always gamble, though most of the time I have been fortunate to not have more than a few minutes up to about 20 to wait. I usually try to time it at "off hours".

I know about driving up I-5 and for me, "Seattle" is everything from Tacoma to Everett. (My first Bellingham CBGT trip was driving from Sequim to B-ham, 9 hours, via the Tacoma Narrows bridge, and ALL of the Friday afternoon traffic. Roger and Janet made it in a bit over 2.5 on the Tomcat.)

When you were looking at the costs, were you using the standard BC Ferry fares or the promotional fares. The "promo" fares are limited in times of use, but nearly half of the standard.

Also, if you can manage to get your birthday on the day you travel to Canada on the Coho (Black Ball), you get a free ride for you, (not the vehicle) and a week to use the return voucher.

I know the Coho is closer, (for me about 30 min from my house), but I still could not work out the $$$ to make it a viable option.

Harvey
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san juanderer



Joined: 12 Aug 2014
Posts: 234
City/Region: Stanwood
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 1990
C-Dory Model: 22 Angler
PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 11:24 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hardee,

Since you reside in Sequim, what would have been the RT cost of the Port Townsend- Keystone ferry ride for your trip to Bellingham gathering.

Hard to believe anyone would be willing to drive into that Tacoma/ Seattle traffic mess, just got back last night after a drive into that mess.

I try to AVOID it unless there is no alternative route.

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hardee



Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 12632
City/Region: Sequim
State or Province: WA
C-Dory Year: 2005
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Photos: SleepyC
PostPosted: Mon Dec 04, 2017 10:10 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't remember exactly, that was about 10 years ago, but it was around $100 round Trip. I figured I could drive around for less $$. yup, I could but I didn't figure in the hours of parking on the freeway.

I take the PT to Keystone ferry when I take the Taswassen ferry going up north on Vancouver Island. It still comes out cheaper than the Coho.

Harvey
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