South Sound to Ketchikan Timelines

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covalbro

New member
Hello fellow adventurers!

My wife and I have plans in the works to sell our current boat and will soon be in the market for a C-25. We live in the South Puget Sound area in WA and plan to get to know our Dory for a season or two before taking the leap and fulfilling our life-long dream of running up to Ketchikan area and back.

We understand the value of taking our time to see the boundless points of interest along the way, but unfortunately find ourselves having to compromise with the time constraints of our careers. That being said, we've read many stories, books, and blogs of the trip taken at varying paces. Before we get too far into the weeds with routes, harbor stops, overnights etc., we are looking for some insight on some realistic timelines for the trip. From what we've read, our initial thoughts are to run up on an aggressive schedule and meander our way back with whatever time we have remaining in order to have a more relaxed schedule and more freedom for adventures.

If we take a more expedient itinerary northwards and put in 10-12 hour days on average, at comfortable cruising speeds (which I realize may not necessarily mean fuel-efficient speeds), how many days might be a good goal to set aside for this leg? Again, I do understand that there are many more intricacies that will eventually go into the planning, i.e., tides, passages, weather uncertainties, re-fueling, etc. but at an initial planning phase what would you say is a reasonable window?

Thanks for the help--I look forward to all of your insights and advice!

Respectfully,

Brody
 
Brody. Welcome to the C-BRAT community. Great place here with lots of good folks, and great information. I'm sure you will get lots of answers.

Have you been watching the Race to Alaska thread here:

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=26477&highlight=

Typically, the winners are into Ketchican in about 4-6 days, and those are sailboats. And yes, they do run through the nights, but their average speeds are near 5 knots. A C-Dory can double that speed average, so taking time of to sleep, I think it can be done in about a week, given decent weather. Your mileage may vary as the saying goes, but 10 days should be possible, unless you are waiting for perfect, glass flat conditions. That could take a month.

You might consider trailering up, and dropping the boat up north also as a possibility and then having someone bring the trailer back, or taking the boat up on the ferry. Alaska Marine Hiway ferry will carry a boat on a trailer up and then you can have someone up there pick tha boat and trailer up do the launch and then maybe even put the empty trailer back onto the ferry.

Planning ahead is good.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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I just came back from spending about a month in the waters around the east side of Vancouver Island. However, I trailered my boat on the ferry over to Vancouver Island, and then after attending the Friday Harbor gathering, trailered between the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound and the Broughtons. Another C-Brat that was at the FH gathering, at the last minute decided to head up to Alaska. He was in Ketchikan before I left the Gulf Islands, within less than a week after the gathering! You can find Reef Madness's posts on C-Brats regarding his trip. I think Hardee has given a good reply. The only unknown variable is with the weather! On a flat calm day, it's probably pretty easy to go at least 100 miles. Through a little chop in the mix, and 50 miles might be a bit long. I had both water types while I was in the PNW this past month. But I never went more than about 27 miles a day, if that far. Colby
 
I think the possibility of running 10 to 12 hours on any given day is pretty optimistic. You might get 6 in the morning but who knows how bad it will get in the afternoon.
 
Welcome aboard. I wonder why you would want to stop at Ketchikan? This is just the beginning of AK, and by far not the most interesting part. Read Jay and Jolee's (Hunky-dory) posts.

I think that Harvey's 4-6 days is optimistic. Seattle to Ketchikan is over 770 nautical miles. The racers this year probably will finish sometime on Sunday--8 days. We did the inland passage 4x in a 46 foot motor sailor--6 knots average speed- and it was a month plus getting to ketchikan. 3 1/2 months in AK and a month getting back. We figured that 50 miles was a good day. Even in a C Dory 50 miles a day is pretty aggressive. Also none of this accounts for wind and seas.

For our C Dory trips to AK, we trailered to Prince Rupert and then the 50 or so miles to AK--giving us a full month in AK. Although we rarely didn't move during a day--there were times when it would have been better to have waited, or we went at a low speed.

What is your time frame? What is the budget for fuel? (You can double your range or more by going at displacement speeds-6 mph. Some places you have to slow down to get the range you need.) What is your boating experience?

There is a lot of planing--and a lot to see and experience. Although some dash thru an area and say they have seen it--that is not getting the full experience of meeting the people who live in remote areas, learning about cultures, fishing, crabbing, shrimping,
 
I would second Dr Bob's advice.

We've traveled through BC to Ketchikan in our current 7-knot boat twice, in 10 or 11 days one way. And then spent 2-3 wonderful months in SE Alaska. The leg through BC to Ketchikan was a big hurry, with long days. We were hurrying to meet guests airplane schedules. Took a month this year, much more enjoyable. Presently in Sitka, after 2 months on the water so far.

Did the trip to KTN in 3 weeks (and then on through SE Alaska) in a planing 26-footer - barely enough time to enjoy the beauty of BC.

If Alaska is your goal, I'd suggest towing to Prince Rupert, launching there, and piddling around SE Alaska as long as time permits. We've done this in our C-Dory 22, and many times in our 26-footer.

Or, do BC, no farther north than Prince Rupert.
 
I agree with both Richard and Bob. Earlier I said the Race boats are doing it in 4 - 6 days and they are running 24/7. I would not recommend that at all. There are things that go Bump in the night -- spelled L O G S, and that would be scary at best. I think a hurried trip in a C-Dory would be around 10 days, but you are going to have to leave at first light, and go as long as conditions allow, which might be 6 hours (even less on some days) and some days maybe 15. To do it in 2 weeks you would only have to average 55 miles a day. Some days that is an easy 4 hours travel, some that could be 4 hours at 9 knots and working a boat ride, (steer and throttle full time), for the full 4 hours. That will be at somewhere between 5 - 9 knots. Timing is everything.

I think that the best way to see SouthEast AK would be to tow to Prince Rupert and boat from there. If I was doing it it would probably be that way. I have boated the east side of Vancouver Island enough to know I could skip that on a SE AK cruise. AND you will get better mileage per fuel gallon on the road.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

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I've done three round trips from Olympia to Petersburg. All I can tell you is do not make plans involving a really tight schedule unless you are willing to abandon your trip - perhaps even going so far as leaving your boat somewhere and finding another way home if you really must be somewhere by a specific time.

I always chose to get under way at daybreak each day, and to try to be at my next anchorage by early afternoon. I rarely ran as much as 10 hours in a day. If weather and water conditions allowed it, cruising at 22 mph or so was comfortable and reasonably fuel efficient. There are (theoretically) fuel stops spaced adequately to allow that kind of pace if that's what you choose to do and the weather allows it. Normally, we would never try to keep to that kind of schedule. Once, we did and got lucky with the weather and the trip up took 8 days. Most often, conditions won't let you do that. (This years R2AK, however, shows that a week of almost no wind on the Inside Passage can happen. Take a look at the conditions last year, however, and imagine trying to maintain a schedule in those conditions.) If weather is perfect and you want to hurry, a week is doable without running dangerously long hours, or running at night. Reality check: we spent an unplanned stay at the dock in Ketchikan one year and celebrated the Fourth of July in 40 degrees, heavy rain and 30 mph winds while we waited out a storm that lasted for a week. Three years before that, we waited 3 days for a shorter but more intense storm (gusts upward of 50.) Normally, we spent a lot of time slow cruising and exploring.

Planning and flexibility are really important if you are going to make this trip. There is a wealth of information here on doing the Inside Passage, so look around and ask lots of questions.

Good luck, and I hope you do it!
 
There are several places on the trip to AK that could require waiting for the weather. Crossing the Georgia Strait, transiting Johnstone Strait, crossing Queen Charlotte Sound around Cape Caution, and the Dixion Entrance are all places that require decent weather.

I have waited for the westerly wind to abate in the Johnstone for 5 days. I crossed the Dixon Entrance in poor conditions and got beat up pretty badly (in a 40ft trawler). That would have been impossible weather in a C-Dory. As it was, I made it to Ketchikan and then the Dixon shut down for a week!

It is also possible to arrive at a fuel dock and find it closed or out of fuel. Never plan a run that uses more than 2/3rds of your fuel. Never pass up a chance to fuel up.

If you are meeting visitors that are flying in, tell them that they might have to wait for you to arrive, unless they delay flying until you are there.

The most dangerous thing aboard a cruising boat is a schedule! Do not be too goal oriented. If the wind and weather gods are not cooperative, change your plan.

I have made 5 trips to SE AK, 2 on a C-Dory 22 and 3 on a 40 ft trawler.
 
Slightly off topic, but the winners of the race to Alaska this year made here to Ketchikan it in 6 days, 13 hrs, 17 minutes. It was team Sail Like A Girl, an all women 8 person crew!

Jackie
 
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