Alaska 2007

K

Knotty C

New member
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
 
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
 
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
 
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.
 
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
 
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
 
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.

Anna_Leigh_photo_shoot_Allison_Hbr_BC_July_96.jpg

Lori Ann":1y0teujv said:
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
Click to expand...
 
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.
 
Knotty C":3rfgfzfn said:
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
Click to expand...

We are planning on towing to Skagway and be on the water by the 1st of June headed south as far as Peterburg. Wished you were able to leave a little earlier. Always looking for other c-dorys. In 2003 and 2004 only saw one other c-dory out of harbor between Prince Rupert and Skagway.

Jay
 
Lori Ann":2wn7iqxl said:
I feel I should get some more miles under my keel before undertaking 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
Click to expand...

I doubt very many have made the trip between Prince Rupert and Skagway with less experience than us. There are many ways to judge how much experience is needed. For us, on top of the list would be:

1. How much time can you devote to planning. It takes a lot.
2. How high is your accepted risk factor. The less the experience the higher the risk and you have to accept that.
3. Your individual ability to learn and level of judgement in making good decisions.

If you care to see just how little prior experience we had before going, read in the forums under C-Brat Cruises and Gatherings, Mackenzie River, NWT, posted by Chris, Upper Yukon River, posted by El and Bill, Also under Grand Adventures, A Hunkydory Adventure on a 22 Cruiser.

Wishing you many safe and wonderful trips on the Inland Passage.

Jay
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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: 8) 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.
 
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.
 
Don here,

Thanks to all for the helpful advice. I have read Small-Boat Cruising to Alaska by Lief G. Terdal at least twice. His book and his advice led us to purchase our 2005 CD 25 Cruiser at the Seattle boat show a couple years ago.

Gene, I took your advice and I am half way through Charlie’s Charts North to Alaska. The drawings are the unique feature of this guide. Charlie passed on almost twenty years ago and his wife Margo Wood has maintained and updated his work. Dee and I had an opportunity to meet her at the last Seattle boat show. We obtained a personalized autographed copy of her book “A Prairie, Chicken Goes to Sea”. Dee enjoyed Margo’s account of how a Midwestern woman went from a non-swimmer/boater to a person who frequently solos her sailboat.

Jdower, Our approximate departure date from Cornet Bay is the second week in July. Our plan is to take five weeks, getting to Skagway post haste and take our time on the trip back. I’ll update you when we finalize. Can you provide a way to email or PM you?

Pat and Jay, I have seen the Douglass cruising guides and will pick up a copy/copies, thanks.

Casey, we have both of the Inside Passage Fine Edge “maps” as well as the San Juan and Gulf Islands “map”. They are very handy for planning. I like your suggestion for spiral binding. We have a Raymarine C80 and I am hoping Santa will drop a couple of chips in the Christmas Sherpa sock this year, but if it comes up empty I may take you up on the loan. Thank you for your kind offer.

Thanks also to El and Bill, Casey, Penny and George, Pat and Patty, David and many others for insights drawn from their experiences and inspirations from the photo albums and slide shows.



Thanks again to the Brats,

Don and Dee
 
Hey, Pat and David (also known as Beer Guys), that helicopter photo by Neil Rabinowitz is a once in a lifetime shot. How many guys have an experience like that?

The January issue of Motorboating Magazine is coming soon to a news stand near me. Then I can look from the cameraman's angle at two enterprising Brats on a spree.
:rainbow
 
Don,

If you have the Raymarine C80 you probably use Navionic's chips. Our Raymarine system is the older RL70 series, and uses the C-Map NT+ chips (the two chips systems are not compatible). Sorry. But for other C-Brat's who may be planning a BC/AK trip this summer (and use C-Map NT+ chips), give me a shout.

One more thought RE the FineEdge maps. If you opt to do the cut and laminate idea; you can do the entire North and South maps in three laminations if you put the North series on one side and the South series on reverse side. Pretty handy.

Have a Great trip!

Casey
C-Dory Naknek
 
Knotty C":f9rp4icc said:
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
Click to expand...

Hellow C-Brats,

My family (Sundog Crew) is seriously considering doing the Alaska portion of the inside passage this summer. Our initial thougths are to be down in Haines at last week of May and then go down to Ketchican and Back seeing as much country as we can in as much of a circular route as possible.

We are just in the beginnings of route planning and I have really appreciated reading the various threads on this site from people who have done this trip before. I must admit that the idea is a little intimidating traveling with a 3 and 6 year old and I will appreciate any advice I can get as I organize our route plan and gear.

Since I own a internet company I really hope to document the trip with photos and video and share our experiences with others -- likely at our web site www.alaskaphotography.com

We especially would love to spend some time with fellow C-dory folks along the way.

Sundog Crew
Joe, Cathy, Caleb & Joshua Law + puppy abby
 
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