Day 22 | Flotilla to Alaska | Ketchikan to Kasaan

Today’s forecast for Clarence Strait: SE wind 20kts diminishing to 15kts in the afternoon. Seas 4 ft. Rain. We saw nothing over 10kts, about a 1ft chop, and only a tiny bit of drizzle for our cruise across Clarence. (We left Ketchikan around 7:30 a.m.) But once we entered Kasaan Bay the wind picked up to 16kts or so and finding a non-bumpy spot on the dock was a bit of … Read more

Days 20 and 21 | Flotilla to Alaska | Hanging Out in Ketchikan

The weather in Ketchikan for the past two days has been typical Ketchikan — gray and windy and raining sideways. This is a town that averages more than 150 inches of rain per year. Seattle’s 37.5 inch total is paltry in comparison. We only intended to stay in Ketchikan for two nights, but the weather on the day we planned to depart was truly bad. At the dock, we recorded … Read more

Day 17 | Flotilla to Alaska | Lowe Inlet to Kelp Passage

Today felt like a longish day from Lowe Inlet up Grenville Channel to Kelp Passage. It wasn’t actually that much longer than any other day, it’s that it was a day of gray, rain, fog, and not a lot of scenery or wildlife. Grenville Channel can be a bit boring when the weather is less than stellar and visibility is poor, and today was one of those days. As soon … Read more

Day 15 | Flotilla to Alaska | Windy Bay to Butedale

We’ve been lucky with the weather so far. We’ve had sun almost every day, sometimes not until the afternoon and occasionally with some rain showers mixed in, but overall it’s been really nice. Yesterday afternoon, clouds moved in, and this morning felt like a typical day on B.C.’s central coast: misty with low clouds clinging to the mountainsides. Since it was too bumpy yesterday afternoon to run the dinghies up … Read more

Day 13 | Flotilla to Alaska | Shearwater to Rescue Bay

After a busy day doing chores in Shearwater, we were ready to get back to the fun part of cruising—anchoring in remote, beautiful places! From Shearwater, we headed west out Seaforth Channel towards the ocean, then turned north, transited Reid Passage, and slipped through Perceval Narrows. This is a relatively complicated route, but it avoids the worst of the swells in Milbanke Sound. The south entrance of Reid Passage can … Read more

Day 11 | Flotilla to Alaska | Codville Lagoon to Ocean Falls

We were on our way to Ocean Falls by 7am this morning. This is an early (and independent!) group. The wind started to pick up as we approached Cousins Inlet, but the sun was shining and the scenery was beautiful as usual. We took advantage of the nice weather to hike up to the dam and the lake, then wandered around town in and out of some of the old … Read more

Day 9 | Flotilla to Alaska | Fury Cove to Pruth Bay

The group was up early this morning and opted to depart Fury Cove at 7:00 a.m., rather than the “Hey let’s sleep in and leave at 9” decision we chatted about last night at dinner. I guess it’s tough not to leave with conditions like this (note the still-present fog bank out on Fitz Hugh Sound): Conditions out on Fitz Hugh were calm (and foggy), the cruise was on the … Read more

Day 6 | Alaska Flotilla | Port Harvey to Pierre’s Echo Bay

Our cruise from Port Harvey to Pierre’s Echo Bay (33nm) was easy and calm. We planned to head west in Knight Inlet and then around the west side of Gilford Island, but the morning weather reports gave us some pause. The northwesterly hadn’t died down in Johnstone Strait during the night. With a 20 knot northwesterly, we worried Knight Inlet might be uncomfortable. The alternative route, through Tribune Channel, is … Read more