Princess Louisa Inlet is iconic. It’s a “holy grail,” and with good reason. It’s not too far from the major population centers (200nm from Seattle, for instance), yet it is among the most scenic spots on the coast. Cliffs rise from the water all the way to peaks thousands of feet above. Waterfalls tumble down. Trees cling for dear life. A classic fjord. About 10 years ago, Princess Louisa was … Read more
Last summer I took eight boats (nine including mine) from Anacortes to Southeast Alaska. Naturally, we experienced a few failures along the way. Below is an accounting of those failures, how we addressed them, and what lessons can be taken away. Failure: Inverter cabling This “professionally-installed” inverter cabling was woefully undersized—2 AWG rather than the specified 2/0 AWG, and the lug was 2/0 sized and poorly crimped to the cable. … Read more
“Taliesin, Taliesin, Taliesin, this is Just Get’n By.” “Just Get’n By, this is Taliesin.” “One of our crew just passed out for 15 seconds. They’re awake again, but out of it, pale, and they have a weak pulse.” Thus started our ninth day underway. Read more on samlandsman.com
Rounding Cape Caution can be a challenge. Queen Charlotte Sound is one of the few places where the Inside Passage goes outside. Normally we go to Port McNeill before rounding Cape Caution. This gives everyone a chance to resupply (there’s a supermarket!), fill boats with fuel, and catch up on chores. Last year we got stuck in Port McNeill for several days waiting for strong winds to die down. Read … Read more
One week in, and we’re still having fun! Today we meandered through the Broughton Archipelago. From Port Harvey we headed up Chatham Channel, across Knight Inlet, and through Tribune Channel. The weather was PERFECT…hot even. Six of us jumped in the water at Echo Bay (okay, there is a hot tub nearby). Read more on samlandsman.com
Today was a perfect day on the water. Five hours of bliss—sunshine, drone flying (twice), a nap, totally calm water, favorable current, no major boat problems… We left Blind Channel at 8:30. First we had to transit Greene Point Rapids. Even though we were about an hour before slack, it was no big deal. The current gave us a nice boost and we made it through without drama. Read more … Read more
We set our alarm for 4am this morning to check the 4am weather and forecasted conditions for Dixon Entrance to make the final call about whether to go or wait. At Dixon Entrance East, waves were 1-2 meters. Hard to know what that means without the period of seconds between waves. At Buoy 46145, which is smack in the middle of Dixon Entrance, north of Haida Gwaii (so quite a bit further … Read more
Whoa! We made it to Prince Rupert! Two weeks after leaving the San Juan Islands. 🙂 We left Hartley Bay this morning at 6am. The cruise to Prince Rupert was almost 80 miles, so we had a long day ahead of us… …a long day in Grenville Channel, that is. (Also known as “the Ditch.”) This time in Grenville Channel was not nearly as exciting as our trip south was. (See here … Read more