Making the decision to stay put in a location that’s not bursting with rainbows and unicorns (aka calm water, multiple bears with cubs foraging on shore, whales and dolphins frolicking around our boats) is always a tough call. Small Inlet is beautiful, and sure, there are some birds (seagulls, mergansers, an eagle in the distance), but the 20-30 knot wind (gusting to 38 knots!) has kept us all sailing on … Read more
We’re headed north again for another adventure up the Inside Passage to Alaska! We met two boats from this year’s group in Prevost Harbor at Stuart Island, and had a nice meetup on Airship to discuss tomorrow into Canada, and the overall plan. This is going to be a really fun group!! We will meet up with our third boat in Ganges today (Mike and his brother Garry on a … Read more
My last blog entry had us in Hoonah, AK, after returning to Southeast Alaska from Prince William Sound at the beginning of August. The next month was filled with guests, whales, bears, and rain in Alaska. By the middle of August, the rain was getting to us and we were making concrete plans to head south to Mexico for the winter. We figured we’d be back in Washington around the … Read more
Southeast Alaska is among the finest cruising grounds in the world. Stretching more than 300nm from north to south and more than 100nm west to east, it’s a huge and diverse area. Most of it is protected, too, with calm water, relatively easy access to services, and no overnight cruising required. I’ve spent most summers for the last decade exploring SE Alaska and I haven’t seen it all, but Prince … Read more
Overnight the wind dropped and the swell (Friendly Cove gets some swell) died off. The 4:40 a.m. light station reports sounded promising (single digit winds, one foot chop or rippled), so at about 7:00 a.m. we got underway for the four hour trip from Nootka Sound to Clayoquot Sound. The morning light was particularly pretty: Sea conditions were perfect: a gentle swell, no wind waves, little current. As we neared … Read more
This morning before leaving Bligh Cove, we took a few aerial photos since the light was so pretty. After breakfast we cruised the 6-7nm over to Friendly Cove, some of us snaking our way through the smaller passages between islands to kill time and add scenery. We anchored in Friendly Cove, rejoining the two boats that skipped Bligh Island yesterday for more time at Friendly Cove. After hiking and lighthouse … Read more
We met the West Coast Vancouver Island group at North Island Marina in Port McNeill on August 14th. This gave us a few days to get to know people, do lots of provisioning, and answer questions before departing on the 16th. Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t cooperating. Winds on the 16th in Queen Charlotte Strait were predicted to be blowing from the northwest at 20-25 knots, which would make for a … Read more
One of the most important skills for successful cruising is understanding the weather and how it impacts your plans. This doesn’t mean being a meteorologist, making your own forecasts, or interpreting esoteric weather charts. Rather, it means selecting the right forecast from professional meteorologists (NOAA, Environment Canada, European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts), utilizing real-time weather data from the multitude of weather reporting sites along the coast, and adjusting cruise … Read more