Alaska 2007

[Knotty C]

Is anyone planning on cruising to Alaska this summer? Don and I are planning a five-week trip leaving in early July and returning in August. We'd like to leave earlier, but can't leave until school is out. If anyone else is planning a trip, we'd like to know so we can watch for you and maybe meet up somewhere.

Dee

[Jeff and Julie]

Well, we are going up this year but on a cruise ship!! We are thinking that we may be able to go up into Canada for a week or so but probably won't be able to do Alaska until 2008 in our boat.
Have you started planning an itenerary??

Julie

[Gene Morris]

Margaret & I are planning to tow to Prince Rupert. Then head to Prince of Wales Is on the northern end. We only have three weeks and it will probably be in July. What is your time schedule?

Gene Morris

[Knotty C]

We have two huge maps of the inside passage that we are marking where we would like to go but haven't decided when we'd like to be where. We just made our decision to go. We're also getting the cruising guides and tide books so we can do some tentative plans. It has to be this year or not again until 2009 because I'm the budget person at work and we do biennial budgets on the even years.

We're planning on leaving the second week of July. Launching at Cornet Bay so we can leave our rig with a relative.

[Gene Morris]

Dee;

You might want to look at CHARLIE'S CHARTS. They aren't good for navigation but, they are great for planning. Then you can see what charts will come into play during your cruise. Coast Pilot 8 would be another good publication. We haven't confirmed our trip as of yet. We are 90% sure that is what we'll do for 2007.
Gene

[Doryman]

I feel I should get some more miles under my keel before underaking a trip of that length and complexity, but would like to hear from others who have made the trip about how much experience one needs for this trip. In any event the Inside Passage is one of the major reasons we moved to Washington.

Warren

[Pat Anderson]

You can do this trip in your Tomcat, no doubt about it. Here is the photo album of our trip from Blaine to Ketchikan in June 2006. The next issue (January 2007) of Motorboating Magazine should have a feature article and pix on our trip. A lot depends on the weather, and we were incredibly lucky in that respect. I cruised up with two guys, and Patty flew into Ketchikan and met us there, then we cruised Behm Canal for a week, and flew home, and the other guys cruised Daydream back down. We actually missed the magazine guys, we must have literally passed them in the Ketchikan airport. David made the trip both ways on Anna Leigh. Here is the photographer, Neil Rabinowitz, shooting our boats at Allison Harbor, B.C.

[jdower]

We are planning a cruise from Deception Pass State Park (Cornet Bay) up to Desolution Sound, for this summer. Our schedule is flexible so let me know when you set a firm date and perhaps we can go part way.

[Hunkydory]

[Hunkydory]

[thataway]

Our plans are never solid until we go--because of Marie's 91 year old mother--and any needs she may have. But we usually can leave her with another relitative for 6 weeks/First June to Mid July.

Current plan is that I will take the boat to Prince Rupert and launch the end of May. Marie Flies there or Ketechakan and we cruise for 6 weeks, with Marie flying back and I bringin the boat/driving back.

We have made three previous trips to Alaska in our Cal 46--much slower, and longer peroids of time (Early May to late Oct). The biggest issues in any of this area are the passes, and timing to be going thru them either at high slack water, or at least with favorable current. The C Dory's speed makes this much easier than in a slower boat. The other issues are potential heavy weather crossing the Straits. We had more of this in lower BC than in upper BC or Alaska--but one does have to be aware of the weather. The fog/visability can be an issue, but in our experience we only "had" to have radar 4 to 5 days a summer--and those could have been sat out, just like we sat out heavy weather.

Although these books were not published at the time we went, I would suggest the Don Douglas/Renee Hemmingway/Douglass's books on Exploring SE Alaska. I am not sure if Charlie's Charts have been updated, but they do give ideas for places to visit. The Douglas books have a lot more detailed information. (Also on West Coast Vancouver Island, North Coast of BC and routes and passages.)

I would also get the Waggoneer's guide if doing the BC part of the trip, and the Milepost (although more geared for roads, there are still lots of boating related information)

However--there are literally thousands of places to explore and with the C Dory, one can get into almost all of the more remote areas. It is nice to plan an itinery ahead of time. Once in Alaska, the fuel stops are adequate for all of the C Dories--in Northern BC, there are some longer stretches where about 200 miles of range would be desirable.

If there are any boats going about the time frame we are considering, we would be glad to hook up with them.

[Pat Anderson]

I would second the recommendation for the Douglass books, I think they are all great - Exploring the South Coast of BC, Exploring the North Coast of BC, and Exploring SE Alaska, about $60 a pop, but worth it. The Waggoner guide is great too, and a lot cheaper - but the Douglass series is better, more detailed, and includes lat/lon for each entry. I think it would be a pity to drive to Prince Rupert to launch - for my money, the best part of the trip was the BC portion between Calvert Island / Fitzhugh Sound and Prince Rupert (i.e., after you get around Cape Caution and out of Queen Charlotte Sound!) - you miss a LOT of great areas launching at Prince Rupert. Obviously you will need the appropriate chip for your chartplotter (for our Raymarine C80, it took two chips - Vancouver Island and SE Alaska. Also I did not have them, but David did, and I wish I had - you really want the Marine Atlas 2005 Volumes 1 and 2: Volume One:Olympia north to Port Hardy, Volume Two: British Columbia to Skagway, Alaska. These give tried and true courses. You also should have the tide and current tables from the Canadian Hydrographic service - we had a lot of discussions on the way, it finally sank in tenuously that tides and currents are two related but different critters...Also, there are three areas where weather looms larger than anywhere else - Georgia Strait, Queen Charlotte Sound, and Dixon Entrance - any one of these can be so snarly that you may need to hole up for an indeterminate amount of time for it to settle down - we just breezed through each of these, and made it from Blaine, WA, to Ketchikan, AK in six days, but that was pure good luck, you CAN'T count on good weather. I guess Johnstone Strait and Milbanke Sound can be that way too, although we took Brent Hacking's advice and went backside around Milbanke Sound.

[Hunkydory]

I'll third the Douglass books or at least book. I have the Exploring SE Alaska from Dixon to Skagway. Its well worn. I have read it from cover to cover many times. I generally have a couple hours aday at work where I'am free to read and its diffenently on my preferred reading list. Its well worth the $60. Would not sell it for many times that if it couldn't be replaced.

[Casey]

Here are some thoughts/recommendations on cruising Southeast Alaska in a C-Dory:

(1) In my opinion FineEdge Publications ( http://fineedge.com/BOOK%20LISTS/planning_maps.html ) set the standard for cruising guides and large scale cruising oriented maps (not to be confused with charts...). This is the Douglass stuff... damn expensive, but worth every penny (er, dollar).

If you buy the North or South map...uh, chart for the Inside Passage you will find it is so long (ie. about six feet!) as to be nearly worthless on a small boat. SUGGESTION: carefully crop each North or South chart into three 11x17" segments, then take them to Kinko's and have them laminated. You may want to mark-up proposed routes, waypoints or other reminders on your charts before laminating. Once laminated, the charts will be EXTREMELY useful, and even work as a placemat! You can also put all sorts of other data on the reverse side of each chart before laminating.

An EASIER solution: send me a PM/email (lorencasebeer@aol.com) and I'll loan you my laminated charts (IF you promise to return them!) There may also be copies of a few other laminated FineEdge charts hiding out there in the C-Dory community; ASK and Ye may find them!

2) If you spend all your allowance on Douglass/FineEdge cruising guides (as I did), spend a little more and take the largest guide to Kinko's and have it divided into Vol I and Vol II then have them SPIRAL bound. With the spiral binding they will lay flat and/or can be folded back; very convenient. Before you do all this xerox pertinent pages (ie. the index) to include in both volume's. Make another color copy of the cover (for Vol II, laminate it, and you'll amaze other boater at how organized you are! ...trust me, it'll be handy.

3) NAV chip(s). I have a Raymarine system on Naknek that uses C-Map NT+ chips. I am willing to LOAN my AK NT+ chip (SuperWide: M-NA-C821, Prince Rupert to Kodiak, AK) with the understanding if it's lost/damaged it will be replaced (although SuperWides chips aren't available any more).

Likewise, if you plan to do the whole route from Anacortes to AK (see Note #4, below) I also have the relevant C-Map NT+ chips and will LOAN them to a C-Brat (same replacement agreement please).

4) I strongly recommend driving to Prince Rupert and launching there versus doing the whole enchilada (...from Anacortes or Bellingham). I can almost guarantee that on the return leg (homeward Bound...) having your truck and trailer in Prince Rupert will be a MOST welcome sight. I like boating too, but enough is enough!!! From PR to Anacortes is a great trip (the Broughtons are FANTASTIC), but 'dang it's a Long (and EXPENSIVE trip!). In future Alaska trips we'll drive back to PR. (For future trips to the Broughtons we'll do JUST the Broughton's. Does that make sense?) Truck trailer parking in PR can be a bit of an issue. About 400 yds south of the PR launch ramp (opposite side of the street) is a propane distributor with a fenced yard. They will store your truck&trailer for a monthly fee (sorry, I don't remember what we paid, but it was the best I found and very convenient).

5) If you drive to PR plan to overnight (sleep in your boat...) at the Icefield Visitor Center south of Jasper, BC. The view is simply beyond description. Be advised: there are NO diner's or places to eat after hours, so be sure you've got some good stuff in the galley.

6) Gee's ... all this writing about Alaska makes me want to go back again this year! Oh well, a guy's gotta do what a guy's gotta do. We'll tough it out in the Keys ... and 'maybe Bahama's.

Tyboo: have I won the award for the most verbose email??

Casey
C-Dory Naknek

PS: 7) (In my opinion) the best halibut strips* in Southeast Alaska can be found at the "Diamond D" cafe in metropolitan-downtown Wrangell. (*The only halibut that comes close is if you're traveling with Chris on Rana Verde.....................................)

PS2: Obtain a copy of the Inside Passage Recreational Guide ($6.95, ISBN: 0-938011-03-0). Great Pacific Recreation Maps & Guides, POBox 872, Bellevue, WA 98009-0872. It contains data and information from a variety of diverse sources and will save you quite a bit of time reading other stuff (example: it shows all the USFS cabin locations ...with buoys or docks throughout Sougheast AK). ...plus LOTS of other stuff.

Ok ... I'll be quiet now.

[El and Bill]

Except for the lack of tidewater glaciers, the coast of British Columbia has virtually all the glories of southeast Alaska, in our opinion, and it's much closer access for most of us from the lower 48. If you have limited time, you might want to consider the BC coast and save yourself the long (but beautiful) drive north to Prince Rupert. Take a look at some of the postings on our Halcyon Days website to see some of the scenes.

You might cross wakes with Halcyon in the fiordlands of BC this summer.