Cruising to Alaska

Aug 27, 2014
91
Beneteau 373 San Diego
I have heard of many people cruising to Alaska up the west coast, but I have searched the forums and books on Amazon have come up empty. Anyone have any good links or books to recommend on this subject?
 
Jan 25, 2011
2,391
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
You can start out with Waggoners Cruising guide. Download for free from Fine edge publishing. Another is Dreamspeaker. Google should provide some good hits. Alaska can be wet. No, it will be wet. Just about everyone that does the trip has a fully enclosed cockpit and heat...
 
Jul 1, 1998
3,062
Hunter Legend 35 Poulsbo/Semiahmoo WA
Mark's guide choices are good ones. His comment about "it will be wet" and the other about cabin heat are spot on. For cabin heat I'd recommend forced air as it does a better job of fighting humidity. Air circulation in the cabin is important - the forepeak, the aft end of the boat, and where things are stowed that block air circulation are good candidate for mold to get started. Bringing wet things inside the cabin to dry, like foul weather gear, doesn't help with cabin humidity which needs to be below 50% RH to avoid mildew.

An enclosed dodger is a real plus; however, in any event, a good dodger is a must.

Grenville Channel: I'd avoid it going or coming. There's really not much to see and sailing it is a pain due to the canyons. We enjoyed Principe Channel much more and, unlike Grenville Channel, there are numerous good anchorages.

As a rule, the further inside you go, the stronger the canyon winds will be due to higher mountains with canyons. Constant wind changes in direction and speed. On the other hand, a couple of the low lying islands on the outside where we anchored had bloody horse flies: Gillen Harbor and Dundas Island to name a couple.

Don't stock up on tons of food items, but instead, spread your money among the small villages and stores along the way. They'll appreciate it.
 
Dec 25, 2000
5,704
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
I have heard of many people cruising to Alaska up the west coast, but I have searched the forums and books on Amazon have come up empty. Anyone have any good links or books to recommend on this subject?
What does your cruising window look like? Where would you depart from? How much time do you have? Summer cruise or off season? Mark's suggested readings are good ones. There are other quite good ones out there.

What kind of boat do you have in mind to make the journey? We have not been to Alaska, but were close; Princess Royal Island. We did this in 2015 during the summer season. Quite nice. Cape Caution a bit of a slog. Make time for a slow journey; much to see and do along the way.


Another suggestion: http://www.privateboatinginstruction.com/voyplanning.html
 
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Jan 25, 2011
2,391
S2 11.0A Anacortes, WA
Concerning gps..when you get into the narrower places with high mountains on either or both sides, gps can be erroneous as the beautiful landscape can hinder gps signals of satellites closer to the horizon. Hone up on your DR skills..
 
Feb 28, 2013
67
Pacific Seacraft 40 Belfast
You probably already know about Active Captain but, if not, check it out. There's a wealth of recent information about anchorages and services.
 
Jan 5, 2017
2,263
Beneteau First 38 Lyall Harbour Saturna Island
As well as the books mentioned above you might take a look at Don and Reanne Douglasses books and Sailing Directions ( in 4 volumes ) put out by CHS . Bev and I have just returned from the B.C. Alaska border to our home here on Saturna after a 5 month cruise. We had a full canvas inclosure and a Dickenson diesel furnace plus fans and we were very comfortable the whole time.
 
Dec 25, 2000
5,704
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
As well as the books mentioned above you might take a look at Don and Reanne Douglasses books and Sailing Directions ( in 4 volumes ) put out by CHS . Bev and I have just returned from the B.C. Alaska border to our home here on Saturna after a 5 month cruise. We had a full canvas inclosure and a Dickenson diesel furnace plus fans and we were very comfortable the whole time.
Welcome back Michael.
 
Jan 5, 2017
2,263
Beneteau First 38 Lyall Harbour Saturna Island
Thanks Terry. Time to get busy and put up some pics of our trip. Sure had fun. Bev is already planning for next year. Very lucky skipper on my boat!!!!
 
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