what's the earliest you can head up the inside passage?

C

colobear

New member
We are doing planning for next year and going up the inside passage is high on the list. I don't know how early is too early to start. Yes I understand all is weather dependent but there should be some general guidelines. Is mid May too early? How about late April? I'd appreciate some wisdom from those who've made the trip.

Thanks
 
Hi Barry, I made the run up the inside to Prince Rupert in a 27 foot sailboat one year leaving Nanaimo May 8th. We were in Rupert by mid May and then strait on for Dutch Harbour before the end of May. (crossing the North Pacific end of May....not recomended ....14 days to Dutch, I still have bruises) The run to Rupert had a couple of grumpy days and we had to push, but you don't. Wait out the grumpy days and grab the good ones and you'll have no worries. It's remote and empty of travelers for the most part that early, I know you'll be prepared. George
 
You might also check with your insurance carrier, I don't recall the date off the top of my head, but if I recall cannot go above Port Hardy until after May something. I have Chubb yacht insurance. This may also be a factor for others as well.
 
Thataway Bob gave a date for this, and another for the cut-off in the fall, only a month or so ago, in answer to a similar question. He'll be chiming in here pretty soon, I'm sure!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
colobear":36heb2gd said:
We are doing planning for next year and going up the inside passage is high on the list. I don't know how early is too early to start. Yes I understand all is weather dependent but there should be some general guidelines. Is mid May too early? How about late April? I'd appreciate some wisdom from those who've made the trip.
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Hope to see you up there, somewhere! We are also planning to head north, perhaps for as much as 3 months. Probably leave Anacortes mid-May but it is all very preliminary at this point.

Warren
 
Barry,

The trip north sounds great. Did I miss the reports on your boat travels after Lake Powell, other than the ball/hitch issue? I'll look for them but otherwise you'll have to let us know what you thought of some of the California waters you visited.

Good luck on the planning for the inside passage trip. (think of Wandering Sagebrush's usual sign off line)

Jim
 
I was thinking of using the Friday Harbor gathering as a jump off for Desolation Sound & perhaps as far as the Broughtons. Ought to be great waterfalls that time of year.
 
colobear":10fs4d95 said:
We are doing planning for next year and going up the inside passage is high on the list. I don't know how early is too early to start. Yes I understand all is weather dependent but there should be some general guidelines. Is mid May too early? How about late April? I'd appreciate some wisdom from those who've made the trip.
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Barry, I have received some excellent advice from Richard Cook (if you haven't bought his book on cruising Alaska yet, be sure to do so!) WRT your specific question, he told me that:

The one trip we did from Everett all the way up through SE AK we started May 9 and returned in late August. May had us slipping on frost in Port Hardy, and we had rain/cool through most of June.
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You did not ask about August, but I did, and he told me that:

I'd say the first winter winds tend to arrive in SE AK late August or early September. I've had tough conditions for several days in late August or very early September in SE AK twice so far. Best weather in SE AK usually seems to be late June through late August.
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HTH.
Warren
 
In our Cal 46 we left Sequim the end of April and were back by mid Oct. The season is really fairly long. The fall was more of a problem than the spring--in that there were more heavy winds, and colder weather. I would not hesitate to head out the first part of May, and just watch local conditions.
 
Barry,

You should maybe leave today it's probably warmer up there :roll:

Let us know how the planning goes we would love to buddy boat with you on at least some of it and we are busy training our new Pup to be a C-dog (She is already a Brat!!).

Glad to hear of your lucky escape with the trailer. I see that someone else had the same problem with bad consequences according to Komo4.

Let's get together and yak sometime soon.

Merv & Kathy
 
Grumpy":3iwentlp said:
Let us know how the planning goes we would love to buddy boat with you on at least some of it and we are busy training our new Pup to be a C-dog (She is already a Brat!!).
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Merv (and all others who cruise with dogs) -- have you had any luck with using a pee pad device for the dogs so you don't have to take them ashore?

Warren
 
Warren,

She is only 5 months old and her only trip so far was Oak Harbor to Deception pass where we sprinkled the ashes of our last German Shepherd then we hauled the boat for the Winter.

Our latest is a Mini Australian Shepherd who should only get to about 35 lbs and will be much more boat friendly. So far she does her business pretty much on command outside the house so I don't think we will have too much trouble training her to poop on the poop deck. Problem will be in getting rid of her excess energy. Maybe I can get a treadmill and connect it to a generator.

Merv
 
Hi Warren,

I may have already mentioned to you that Scrappy happily pees on her pee pad. It's a piece of faux-grass doormat about 14" wide and 21" long, zip-tied (on one end only) into the upside-down top of a rubbermaid tub. Her feet stay dry, it doesn't slip around much on the deck, and it's easy to dump and rinse overboard.


Just for grins for everyone else, here's the full text of my thoughts to Warren on Inside Passage trip scheduling:

>
> This year we launched in Prince Rupert on 6/11, and pulled out on 9/7. Through the end of August we had minimal difficult weather, then got stuck in Ketchikan for six days waiting for decent conditions to cross the Dixon. That and crossing the Queen (rounding Cape Caution) are generally the biggest challenges, although some of the long straight and wide channels in SE AK can get very tough. The sections in my book about weather and the cruising areas may be worth another look.
>
> I understand the "North Pacific high", which keeps the stormy weather away from us in the summer, breaks down around the equinox in September. I've generally believed I should be south of Cape Caution no later than 9/15 or so. My experience (8 SE AK trips so far, and many more BC trips) suggests being south of the Dixon by 9/1. You can cruise at much higher speeds than most boats - the larger/slow cruisers typically head south from SE AK in early August, but you don't necessarily need to.
>
> I'd say the first winter winds tend to arrive in SE AK late August or early September. I've had tough conditions for several days in late August or very early September in SE AK twice so far. Best weather in SE AK usually seems to be late June through late August. Most of June can be pretty cool and rainy, and sometimes windy, even in BC. The one trip we did from Everett all the way up through SE AK we started May 9 and returned in late August. May had us slipping on frost in Port Hardy, and we had rain/cool through most of June.
>
> Two months is pretty short for that whole trip, unless you blast on through a good part of the distance. Were I able to travel as fast as your Tom Cat (20-25 knots?), I'd get at least to Port Hardy or Blunden Harbour very quickly (you can always do southern BC on a shorter trip) and be more leisurely north of Cape Caution, or even Prince Rupert.
>
> If you really want to see much of SE AK, I'd suggest traveling as quickly as practical and enjoyable on up to Prince Rupert, spending at least a month in SE AK (there's so much to see that six weeks would be much better), then deciding how much time you want to spend in BC on the way home. Desolation Sound can be really nice in September. With only two months, you really don't have enough time to poke around southern BC on the way north, unless you want to barely skim SE AK. I'd think that you could get to Prince Rupert enjoyably in about two weeks with decent weather.
>
> Once you've made the investment to get to SE AK, I think you're going to want to be there for a while. Just about everywhere from Petersburg on north and west is particularly wonderful, in my view. Don't miss the Tracy Arm, eastern Baranof and Chichagof Islands, Peril Strait and Hoonah Sound on the way to Sitka, Icy Strait and Cross Sound, and if you're lucky Glacier Bay. I'd be happy to discuss these areas and others in much more detail.
>
> Are we getting excited yet? I'm already thinking about next year.
>
> Richard
 
Richard gives some really good advice. Even with the Cal 46, we often ran as fast as we could North, to have as much time in AK (usually 3 to 4 months)--We missed really doing the Broughtons in the 4 years we went to AK--and then did them in the C Dory a couple of years ago.

As for dogs--we have had them aboard for over 80,000 miles--including some ocean crossings. The "pee training" pads do work. But remember that the cockpit is your living area--and dogs generally don't like to soil that area. In the C Dory and Tom Cat, we take the dog/dogs ashore at least 3 to 4 times a day--usually the last time about 10 PM at night and 7 AM. (similar to what our schedule is at home). I can make for some iteresting trips ashore (we saw a wolf up close one night (our labs didn't get excited, and we drifted about 50 feet from where he was on shore for a number of minutes before he departed), and a couple of grizzley's--so take a good light and make lots of noise before landing).

For ocean crossings, we trained the dogs to astro turf. But we had large decks and safety harnesses for the dogs. A dog will eventually "go", but sometimes you worry that they won't...

Enjoy the trip--nothing better! (the boss lady is rethinking our plans down the line--and we may go agan)
 
Barry, we left in June but I think May would be dandy.This really breaks down into a couple of trips or maybe more. The first big deal is crossing Queen Charlotte and rounding Cape Caution. This is the first place where the weather will really dictate things (not to minimize the run up the Strait of Georgia, but it is NOTHING like this short stretch open to the ocean). The trip between Calvert Island and Rupert is very protected and awesome (just be sure to take the "back way" behind Milbank Sound, also open to the ocean) - my one regret from the 2006 trip is being on a schedule, take your time and enjoy this beautiful stretch! The next time, I know we will! The next big deal is crossing Dixon Entrance, also open to the ocean - we thought our fillings might get knocked out here and it is a little longer run, just watch the weather, the usual test is the weather at the Green Island Lighthouse. Once across, we only went to Ketchikan, Meyers Chuck and the Misty Fjords National Monument, so others will need to advise about going north of there. I can hardly wait to go again! I LOVED this trip!
Daydream_at_Rudyerd_Bay_6_21_06_Another_Shot.sized.jpg
 
The departure timetable has been pretty well covered. A May departure is not too early, but in these climes EVERYTHING is weather dependent.

Dr. Bob always makes a good point. When going North, one is well-advised to travel North quickly in order to increase the dwell-time in the northern destinations, and still permit a safe and comfortable return trip. This points out one of the advantages of a planning/cruising boat versus a hull speed (only); we can usually get there more quickly if we want to. Of course we can also do as much hull speed cruising as we choose.

Personally, I think coastal BC and Southeast AK both deserve more time than the cruising season permits. I could easily spend a summer on the BC coast, AND a summer in Southeast AK! ...and hopefully, will.

I've made several trips to Alaska from Prince Rupert and one trip (2006) from Anacortes. I've enjoyed them all, but I must confess that on the 2006 trip north from Anacortes the return leg (approximately 540sm from Prince Rupert to Anacortes) was just plain Long. Don't get me wrong - I really enjoy boating, but after month(s) on the boat getting back to the truck can be pretty attractive! Halcyon had traveled north ( with Halcyon, Wanderer & Naknek) but had their son drive the truck to PR so they could trailer-out from PR. If I had been able to remember where they put their spare truck key - I might have left Bill and El boat gas money for the return leg, and a note telling them where to collect their truck and trailer (in Anacortes!).

After the aborted trip to AK this summer I'm once again in the planning stages for "Alaska 2011." I usually enjoy the (driving) trip from AZ to PR, and will aim at launching in PR on/about June 1st. This timetable will permit me plenty of time to "dawdle" and poke-around in Southeast, but have me off the water (in PR) by late August or (very) early September.

...see Ya on the water!

Best,
Casey
The Villages, FL
 
One could avoid a lot of the 'return trip blues" and the exposure to the open to the ocean water (except for Dixon Entrance) by launching at Prince Rupert, going north, and then hauling out on the trailer for the return trip at Skagway. This is, of course, IF you could arrange some shipping or transport of the tow vehicle and trailer on the ferry or by the AlCan, though the cost would be fairly high. (???)
 
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