AK inside passage cruise guide

[C-Wolfe]

Looking for recommendation for a cruising guide to the inside passage.

The idea of doing this cruise got stuck in my head a few days ago and I would like to start planning this trip, knowing it may or may not happen (at least in near future), but the planning will be still enjoyable.
I'm not far from the northern end so I could start there, I'm revisiting the report from Jay on his 2022 adventure on Hunkydory, I could plan a variation of this trip. I'm also considering upgrading my boat, if i find the right boat in the PNW, I could use this as an opportunity to bring the boat here throughout the inside passage.

[DayBreak]

This is a great time to start planning your travel for the up-coming boating season. There are many good publications out there but here are two that we use and are a favorite of many.

www.nwyachting.com/best-anchorages-of-the-inside-passage/
Covers the Southern Gulf Islands up to Fitz Hugh Sound and Central Coast up to Bella Bella.

https://waggonerguide.com/2024-waggoner-cruising-guide-30th-anniversary/
Covers South and Central Puget Sound up to Southeast Alaska at Skagway.

Enjoy your planning.

[thataway]

I would get the yearly Waggoner's guide, and the "Exploring Southeast Alaska, 4th Edition
by Don Douglass and Reanne Hemingway Douglass"

I have not seen the BEST ANCHORAGES OF THE INSIDE PASSAGE – 2nd Edition. but it sounds good also.

Also"North West Boat Travels" Another one I have not seen.

Also you need the tables for currents and tides. They are essential for planing daily runs to do passes mostly at high slack water.

My first trip (1993), we did not have any single guide. There are a few minor errors in the Exploring SE, but mostly have been corrected. We did 4 trips in our Cal 46 from Sequim. Each of these started in late April and returned in Oct. One 6 week trip in the 25 from Sequin to the Broughtons, and one 5 week trip in the 25 from Prince Rupert to Alaska. (and a month cruising). The C Dory was fast (averaged about 15 knots) in comparison to the Cal 46 (6 knots)

This is a trip to be savored. There are a number of wonderful anchorages, and camps along the way. I like to have my last stop on Vancouver Island at Port Mc Neil. Then overnight at God' Pocket (a diving camp). Don't miss Ocean Falls, and Bella Bella. You can stay at night in Foggy Bay if it is late in the day, rather than arriving late to Ketchikan.

[Hunkydory]

The best cruising guides for the area you are interested in my opinion are as Gary suggested, Wagooner & Bob’s suggestion of Exploring Southeast Alaska. Like Bob, I don’t know about Gary’s other suggestion, but worth checking on Gary’s advice.

I seldom need a guide book in these areas now, but I’ve about worn out my old ones from many hours of use, especially in planning. Now for the most part, I prefer getting new information from those, I can communicate directly to, like former C-Dory owner & still C-Brat, New Moon, Richard, who has cruised SE Alaska for 32 years. He has written a published book on small boat cruising & has personally shared much valuable information with me in the past & now cruises the Inland Passage north & south each year in a 37 foot Nordic Tug. The cruising guides are all written primarily for boats much larger than our C-Dory’s & in many instances not relevant to our small boats. As you are presently doing with my account of our last trip there in 2022, the Grand Adventure Forum right here, can be some of the most relevant & helpful information available. Every year in the planning for my next SE Alaska cruise, I go back to my first cruise here & re read them all to refresh my memory on past mistakes, places preferred & what worked out well along with the pure enjoyment of reliving adventures. Several others have made well documented accounts of their cruises with extremely valuable information for a first timer or even the experienced in the Inland Passage Area.

C-Wolfe, Haines or Skagway would both be good for you to start with Haines closer, but I don’t know about truck/trailer storage, where Skagway in all ways has worked out great for me. Also, you might consider keeping your cruising area north of Petersburg, Port Protection & Port Alexander the first time. That line in the south to Skagway contains the very best, the Inland Passage & SE Alaska has to offer in a more condensed area. I would also advise just like when viewing & pre planning, using a guide book along with a map, you read the available Grand Adventure Forum threads with Navionics on a IPad, Google Earth, the Inland Passage Maps by FineEdge or their combination. Hard to beat, best pre learning, the routes & best places, while reading, the accounts of being there & viewing where on a map or chart.

JoLee & I are considering another cruise out of Skagway this year, so we might see you somewhere up there.

Jay

[colbysmith]

[colbysmith]

Also, as Jay mentioned, I had the pleasure of getting a lot of good advice from Richard Cook before I made my Inside Passage Cruise. And a lot of information from Jay's writings. However, during my cruise, we chose to start and end our trip at Prince Rupert. While I believe the drive to Skagway would be another vacation within itself, it was Richard that suggested due to weather the Lynn Canal can get kind of rough, with few places to duck in to. (However, I know when Jay and a group went there a year ago, they didn't seem to have any problem during their Lynn Canal voyage.) When we used Prince Rupert, Coastal Propane was providing rig storage. However, they are a small business and I know of at least one Brat that was unable to store his rig there after making reservations. Since then, I know at least two places that have opened up and provide storage. (I forget at this time who they are, but I did mention it in one of the previous Inside Passage threads.) I don't know if I'll get back to the Inside Passage or not, but I think on my next trip I would plan to go out of Skagway, to see some different scenery.
Colby

[C-Wolfe]

Thanks for all those recommandations, I certainly have plenty of homework ahead of me but it's all very exciting. now if it can stop snowing so I don't have to spent so much time shoveling and have more time to read and plan

[Marco Flamingo]

[NewMoon]

Thanks for the kind words, Jay and Colby!

Hi Stephan,

If you like I could email you lists of anchorages we have considered or used.

One winter years ago, we sat down with the guides and paper charts, and started to build lists of anchorages we thought would work for us in our CD22. By now we've stayed in most, but not all, of these anchorages, and all the towns/marinas mentioned. Page numbers shown are from the Douglass Exploring series cruising guides.

When we started cruising the PNW we would study charts and cruising guides together, and write down anchorages we thought would be useful. With experience, we added brief comments on some, when we thought there was something worth remembering that was not necessarily in the cruising guide. Anchorages without comments may be ones we have not yet used, or ones where no additional comment seemed necessary.

They are listed roughly in the sequence you might come upon them as you travel (if you start from the south). When we're deciding where to go next, we often look at the lists rather than hauling out the cruising guide. Makes it easy to select the day's destination, and to have in mind a few places along the way where we might bail out, if weather begins to be a problem. We check the weather forecast at least twice/day, and choose our anchorage to be protected from the wind we expect.

Holler if you'd like me to send these lists, or if there's anything you might like to discuss. My email is richardcook257@gmail.com