Sailing from Vancouver, BC to Seward Alaska

[dkroar]

In addition to the Douglas/Hemingway guides for BC, and SE AK, if you can find a copy of "The Cruising Guide to Prince Wm Sound" by Jim and Nancy Lethcoe, and that's a big IF, that's the best for PWS.

Having good ground tackle, good foulies, paying close attention to tides, current, and weather, and take time to enjoy yourself.

[Kelkara]

Originally Posted by 01kiwijohn

Paul, He's going to Seward; which Douglas guides cover the section north of SE Alaska? I'm also seeking info on sailing to PW Sound and out to the Aleutians.

This one:

https://www.waggonerguidebooks.com/s...ulfAlaska.html

Douglass also produce a "Planning Map" for Prince William Sound.

Unfortunately Jim Lethcoe's "Cruising guide to Prince William Sound" seems to be out of print and hard to find used.

The fall back is Coast Pilot volume 9 which covers all of Alaska beyond Cape Spencer.

I've no idea how accurate any of them are ... my trip didn't go past Lituya.

[redhead]

I got a lot out of "Best Anchorages of the Inside Passage" by Anne Vipon and William Kelly. It's very detailed and we found it's advice very accurate in terms of good or bad holding, openness to winds from a certain direction, etc. It covers from the Gulf Islands up to Bella Bella.

Tip: All these books together are going to add up. Try to find them used on thriftbooks.com. I haven't paid more than $10 for each of them and I usually get a retired library book that's been very gently used.

Good luck and have fun!

[rosatte]

I’m sitting in Sidney vancover now planning same trip come May best thing is buddy boating with somebody whose already done the trip a lot of cruisers here do just this trip all summer then shelter back in vancover area for winter so far I’ve come across 5 boats doing same route come spring 4 outta the 5 have done trip before but guide books and videos .theres one lad who just came from Alaska and video whole trip I believe it’s ,life is like sailing chaps name is Alfy great video coverage cheers and enjoy

[Primal Alliance]

I just got done taking my Dana 24 single handed from Seattle to Sitka in 2 legs. In April from Seattle to Port Hardy in 5 days and in May from there to Sitka in 9 days. A couple things. I only got a strong useable trailing breeze for one day in the Straits Of Georgia between Nanaimo and Campbell River. It was motoring the rest of the way and I only had to get off the water early on one day during the entire trip due to strong norwesterlies. Going now you're more likely to get some useable soueasterlies. But be aware of the fact that I found the anchorages up north on the inside to be far more challenging than on the west side of Vancouver Island, a place I visited annually since the mid 90's. I often put the hook down in relatively deep water close to shore and the shore was frequently not very hospitable looking at it at the end of the day. And make a point of going into each anchorage in broad daylight. Not in the dark.

[Johnknutson]

This is going to be as quick as I can without doing anything too crazy. We drive the Al-Can highway in 3 days non-stop. I was hoping to do the passage in 2-3 weeks? But not sure if this is realistic. Thanks!

[rbk]

I've done Vancouver to Skagway inside in 2 weeks with mostly good weather luck (no head or tail winds). If we had favorable winds we could easily have cut that down by quite a bit.

[Johnknutson]

My plan was to leave in April or May as well. It would be great to join others for at least part of the trip.

[rbk]

Usually good weather months but lacking wind. I would watch the weather and make outside jumps when possible to make use of the offshore winds. It can be blowing 25 kts offshore and totally becalmed inside. There are lots of places to hide on the outside as well and some you can get back inside should it get nasty on the outside. Not so much after Elfin/Cross sound though.

[Scorpius]

Originally Posted by Johnknutson

This is going to be as quick as I can without doing anything too crazy. We drive the Al-Can highway in 3 days non-stop. I was hoping to do the passage in 2-3 weeks? But not sure if this is realistic. Thanks!

Others are saying 2-3 weeks is doable - and I guess it is - but
a) It seems awfully tight to me,
b) rushing through the beauty of BC and S. Alaska is a sin, and
c) In my opinion, almost any schedule is dangerous. You may be tempted to cross Queen Charlotte Sound in poor or dangerous weather, or push on too late in the day and enter a new-to-you anchorage after dark, or not get your bilge pump (or whatever) fixed before continuing. A tight schedule is an invitation to disaster.

[rbk]

Originally Posted by Scorpius

Others are saying 2-3 weeks is doable - and I guess it is - but
a) It seems awfully tight to me,
b) rushing through the beauty of BC and S. Alaska is a sin, and
c) In my opinion, almost any schedule is dangerous. You may be tempted to cross Queen Charlotte Sound in poor or dangerous weather, or push on too late in the day and enter a new-to-you anchorage after dark, or not get your bilge pump (or whatever) fixed before continuing. A tight schedule is an invitation to disaster.

I absolutely agree and he will need Mother Nature on-board with his plans to make it work. This also doesn’t include any mechanical or system failures. When we did it in 2 weeks that included only three days total of waiting for weather and we were incredibly lucky. Good thing about the spring is the days just get longer and longer. Storms in the gulf still spring up that time of year and can easily put you a week behind.

[Johnknutson]

Well, in truth planning and what actually transpires are often two different things. I have some flexibility with my schedule, in case it takes a little longer. In the worst case, I suppose I could park it at a marina in Ketchikan or Juneau temporarily. Then fly back to the boat and finish the trip?

[rbk]

Hoonah is a good spot to leave a boat before jumping the gulf. Air and ferry service. You could do Elfin as well but there is only air service or if you can catch a ride back to Hoonah.

[Johnknutson]

Originally Posted by rbk

Hoonah is a good spot to leave a boat before jumping the gulf. Air and ferry service. You could do Elfin as well but there is only air service or if you can catch a ride back to Hoonah.

My buddy was trying to talk me into leaving the boat in Hoonah. He wants to use it for hunting. Who knows, maybe he will get his wish. Thanks for the suggestion.

[rbk]

Why are you heading to Seward? Just out of curiosity. I’ve met a few folks from the interior that keep boats in SE. doesn’t seem ideal and would think PWS would be a closer option with larger cruising grounds.