Sailing from Vancouver, BC to Seward Alaska

[paralog]

Originally Posted by Sun Gypsy

Canadian registered/licensed boat? Although I've never been asked to produce them we are supposed to have on board Sailing Directions; B.C. Vol. 1, Pac 201, Pac 205 and Pac 206 plus paper charts for the area you are in. Sailing Directions are handy, we use them all the time while exploring the B.C. coast.

A registered boat is fine, licensing is not required.

FYI previous posting - firearms are not allowed ashore in most BC Parks or Conservancies, unless it is allowed for hunting purposes during an open hunting season. You will most likely be anchoring in many of them and some do not show up on the charts.
Being caught with a firearm could result in seizure of the firearm and or a fine.
Carry bear spray and go ashore in groups.

[Sun Gypsy]

Originally Posted by rbk

There are exceptions to the the paper chart requirements including being in familiar waters and the use of electronic charts for vessels under 100 tons. Most recreational boaters are not required to carry paper charts in Canadian waters to the level required by large commercial operators.

I agree about the legal paper chart requirement however they are not subject to electrical failure and are a handy back-up for the larger picture. We carry two chart plotters and all the paper charts. I think we have more $ invested in charts then in chart plotters.

[Flagfish]

If you want to sail, you'll definitely be heading to Hawaii first. Once there, you might decide to stay in the tropics. Get Jimmy Cornell's passage making books to determine the winds.

[Johnknutson]

Originally Posted by Captain Kev

You and your crew are going to have a trip of a lifetime. There are several considerations I have to pass on.
1. Plan your departure to take advantage of the tidal currents. A few days one way or the other can make a huge difference. Look at Cambell River, Dodd Narrows and the Greenville Channel tidal current first. Those can have several knots of tide and in my case, it was faster than my boat could motor. Also there are several stretches where there will be no anchorages or docks where the tide is strong.

2. Plot all the hot springs you can and stop at most of them. This was so welcome to stop at after a hard Gulf of Alaska crossing at Warm Springs Bay. There are plenty of them and enjoy them.

3. There are bears and plenty of them. Plan for that. The best defense is numbers when going ashore but a 12 gage shotgun with slugs is a must. If you just don't like the idea of a gun on board, get over it and take that 12 gage. It might mean the difference between a tragedy and a close call.

3. Pelican is your last stop before leaving Cross Sound and the three or four day passage (hopefully) across the gulf. Wait for the weather you need. You can make the run to Yakutat and break up the crossing. You will have to go south of Kayak Island and far out into the Gulf at one point. Plan for good weather on that leg more than any other. You could go into Prince William Sound north of Montague Island if you need to hide from a storm. Otherwise look out for the shallows near Middleton Island and go for it.

I wish I was going with you.

Kevin Colson

Great comments. Lots of study and planning to do, but I'm getting excited about the trip. Thanks!

[Johnknutson]

Originally Posted by paralog

A registered boat is fine, licensing is not required.

FYI previous posting - firearms are not allowed ashore in most BC Parks or Conservancies, unless it is allowed for hunting purposes during an open hunting season. You will most likely be anchoring in many of them and some do not show up on the charts.
Being caught with a firearm could result in seizure of the firearm and or a fine.
Carry bear spray and go ashore in groups.

I was wondering about that. A while back, I brought a few hunting rifles from the states to Alaska. It was quite a process.

[Johnknutson]

Originally Posted by Flagfish

If you want to sail, you'll definitely be heading to Hawaii first. Once there, you might decide to stay in the tropics. Get Jimmy Cornell's passage making books to determine the winds.

I'm saving Hawaii for a few years down the road. I'm ok with motoring. Besides, I need to walk before I run.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by Sun Gypsy

I agree about the legal paper chart requirement however they are not subject to electrical failure and are a handy back-up for the larger picture. We carry two chart plotters and all the paper charts. I think we have more $ invested in charts then in chart plotters.

And that is part of the electronic usage requirement, that you have a backup. For general routing I prefer the Marine Atlas's, less space, easy for cockpit etc. They don't replace charts but they are handy.

[desodave]

Sounds like a great trip and I can understand the excitement. You have 3 choices for passes to get through the Discovery Islands at the N end of the Strait of Georgia - all need to be timed carefully. Seymour Narrows is in the middle of Discovery Passage just N of Campbell River and is the main transit for commercial traffic, including cruise ships. Disc Passage is also on the W side of the Strait, you will have approx 10nm of significant current to deal with before you reach the Narrows, and the S entrance to the Passage can be dangerous in a significant SE blow.
The Yacultas have already been mentioned but can be difficult to time - there's actually 3 different "passes" - going N in a sailboat, especially on larger tides. The northernmost changes first and its about a 5 nm passage.

The middle route has always been my preference, and there are 2 options. One is Surge Narrows, then the Oksillos, but this route requires 2 tide changes to transit. However, Octopus Islands is a beautiful anchorage between the two and may be a good overnight stop. The second option is using Hole in the Wall and the Oksillos, and the two can be transited on the same tide change, especially if you're transiting on a change to ebb and/or the tide changes are minimal. FYI - tide changes are minimal the last week in April. Octopus Islands are across from both passes if you want to overnight there.
The Ports and Passes publication has a great section in it on transiting Johnstone Strait. Your tradeoff is staying in the Strait and suffering through the turbulence around Sayward, or taking the "northern" route and having to time both Greene Point and Whirlpool Rapids. The latter are likely much easier if you transit around that last week of April.
FYI - this is the site I use for planning purposes;
Current table for Seymour Narrows, British Columbia
FYI - Gillard is the N route. P&P will give you the info to calculate Hole in the Wall, or here is the Gov of Canada source ( Beazley is Surge Narrows);
https://www.tides.gc.ca/eng/data/currents/2019#vol5

[thataway41]

We have made 4 round trips (starting April, returning in Oct.) from Sequim to the vicinity of Icy Straits. Done pretty much all of the various routes, including outside, in a Cal 46. Having a good hydrophonic diesel fired heating system was important. A pilot house helps, if not a fully enclosed cockpit is second best.

This is a trip which should be savored. Rushing thru this does not do it or you justice. We have also made several trips in small pilot house outboard powered motor vessels to places we especially enjoyed, in later years.

With the sailboat, generally we could figure one of the major passes each day--and had to plan carefully--with the small power boat--we could almost run at will.

No reason to take a shotgun. We went ashore 3 to 4x a day walking two Labrador retrievers, often seeing grizzly bears. We always had bear spray--but never felt threatened. Just take normal precautions!

Although the Douglas books are somewhat outdated (there have been some updates) they are a good general guide. Lots of stuff on the internet now. You are smart to start planning now.

I would want to have a good range under power for the jump off across the Gulf of Alaska. Be sure the fuel tanks are clean and you have good clean fuel. Rolling around can stir up sediment--and we had helped several vessels who had run out of filters, and were no longer able to power because of stirred up fuel sediments.

Enjoy some of the best cruising in the World. We have only had an AIS receiver, and I believe that was adequate. (In the Cal 46 we only had Radar--some fog--but not as much as I would have expected. in 4 years only a handful of days where the fog was an issue. Never stopped running because of fog.)

[topmast]

Definitely AIS. It looks around corners for shipping.Radar has it's limits that way. I usually took Yulkatas .So much easier now with stuff like GPS and radar .and sounders.WE were pretty tech short back in the day. Been twice to Skagway (had radar by then) and a season Homer / Valdez. So much to experience on the coast. Envy you.. Watch out for logs.

[Johnknutson]

Thanks. I will.