Sailing California to Alaska

[windlass79]

Hi, I'm new. Know of any books written about making the passage from California to Alaska?

Cheers
Rob

[rbk]

Enjoy Hawaii while there and get warm before coming up here

[Paul Elliott]

I don't know of any books, but there have been many discussions right here about the SoCal - San Francisco trip, and the San Francisco - Seattle trip. Hint: It can get deadly tough north of San Francisco, and challenging north of Santa Barbara. Occasionally it's a fun sail, or so I have heard.

As for the rest of the way, you might look at the Race to Alaska website (https://r2ak.com/), from Port Townsend WA to Ketchikan AK. They have run the race four times now, and there's plenty of discussion about the conditions encountered along the way.

But most people go via Hawaii. That way it's mostly downwind.

[Don C L]

Welcome aboard Rob! There are definitely threads here that discuss it and I do remember mention of a couple of good books, just can't recall the names. Do a search here, and i will too to see what turns up.

[Don C L]

Here's a couple:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ok-200769.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ns-197561.html

[MJH]

Get a copy of the "Waggoner Cruising Guide". It is the Bible for everything in the Puget Sound north to Alaska. You will also need "Ports and Passes" once you get here for dealing with all the tides and currents in the area. They are published annually so up-to-date on the changes.

As for sailing from CA to the Northwest, Jimmy Cornell (World Cruising Routes) says June, July, August are the best. Pay close attention to the weather and go with a northerly flow...good luck. I have a couple neighbors who did it; one says it was a terrible trip bashing all the way, the other jumped from port to port on the way up waiting for weather breaks. But it will be worth it after you get here.

"God may live in the hearts of men but his mailing address is British Columbia."

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[Kelkara]

If you're looking for detailed cruising guides for BC and SE Alaska, I recommend the Exploring series by Douglass and Hemingway-Douglass. They describe pretty much every anchorage, harbour and tricky navigational pass that a cruising boat can fit into.

https://waggonerguide.com/product-ca...series-guides/

[joel383]

I have a ton of paper charts for WA to AK if you are interested. A few cruising guides too, but for general planning, jimmy cornel's 'World Cruising Routes' is the best tool to get things started. Then move to the Waggoner guide and Charlie's charts. Finally, the most detailed info will come from the NOAA Coast Pilot books.

[joel383]

Forgot to mention, first decide if you want or can handle 2 big and really long open water passages... Or go coastal.

It is probably to late to go by hawaii this year. By the time you get there, spend some time, ect it will be approaching October. The gulf of Alaska has a particularly nasty reputation in October. Think deadliest catch style.

[psk125]

For reading material you could do worse than "Passage to Juneau". It's an autobiographical story by a good writer who seems to also be a decent sailor. He goes from Seattle to Juneau, He details some of the passages - fog, wind, current...- quite vividly and has some interesting episodes ashore.

For advice, my brother sailed his new-to-him J/30 from Seattle to Juneau . They ended up motoring most of the inside passage in June due to lack of wind . It is a LONG way. Currents are an issue too.

[Lionheart]

This past August/September my wife sailed from San Francisco to Seattle, if anyone wants to ask questions. Lots of motoring. If you dont count our one stop in Brookings Oregon to pick up a friend, it was 8 days from SF to the Straits of Juan de Fuca.

[windlass79]

Originally Posted by Lionheart

This past August/September my wife sailed from San Francisco to Seattle, if anyone wants to ask questions.

What boat do you have?

How many crew?

How did it go?

Would you do it again?

What ports did you stopover?

How big were the waves?

If you were do to it again, what would you do differently?