Liveaboards in SE Alaska

[Cruising Sea Venture]

We liveaboard and cruise full time, without any permanent moorage, on our 54' Cheoy Lee LRT.

While our original plans were to spend this winter in the Sea of Cortez, Covid-19 ended those plans. Instead, we have found ourselves in the opposite climate - SE Alaska, where we are spending the winter and plan to stay out and about cruising as much as possible.

While up here this summer (we transited from Washington to Alaska in July) we saw very few other cruising boats.

Are there other trawler liveaboards in Alaska this winter? Are you out there?
We would love to hear from anyone who is up here so at least when we are out cruising over this winter we can meet up with other trawler owners.

If interested, we do film and document our trawler life adventures on our YouTube Channel, Cruising Sea Venture. It's just a hobby that has gotten a little out of control, but it's fun and allows us the chance to meet lots of folks with a shared passion.

If your in SE Alaska on a trawler or if you know of anyone who is, please let us know.

Thanks,
Jim and Rosy
M/V Sea Venture
www.youtube.com/CruisingSeaVenture
CruisingSeaVenture@Gmail.com

 

[Tator]

Are you basing out of a particular port this winter? Hear there is some weather coming your way.

Tator

 

[Alaskaflyer]

Have no intel on your specific request, but I will mention that if you think of venturing that far, permit restrictions for private vessels in Glacier Bay end August 31...IOW, subject to other regulations which are in effect year around, limits on entry into Glacier Bay are not in effect and you can spend as many nights there as you want. Also you can anchor in Bartlett Cove for foot access to park HQ - though this time of year there are no real services at Bartlett Cove except for emergencies. There is a year-round taxi in Gustavus unless the operator is out of town for the day You should be able to get fuel in Hoonah every day or Pelican on M - W - Sa. You can contact the park for more info. https://www.nps.gov/glba/planyourvisit/boat.htm Near the bottom of that page is a link to park boating regulations and a boaters' briefing, you can disregard the parts regarding permits.

 

[Nomad Willy]

I was born in Juneau and lived several places in Alaska. Juneau is where I’ve seen the most people living aboard boats. Mostly decades ago and my memory is mostly of poor people squeaking by in Harris Harbor, many looking about ready to sink. Juneau usta be very expensive (think 70’s & 80’s) but I think housing in Juneau is more or less normal now.

Juneau would be a good harbor but I don’t know you. Restaurant's, stores, boat parts, connections to flights outside should the need arise and other things make Juneau the place. However Petersburg, Sitka and Ketchikan have noticeably better weather. The 50 knot Taku winds at 10 degrees can be brutal. People usta hold on to parking meters while making their way down the street. Petersburg is small and most people would be bored there. Sitka is mild temp wise w a little more rain but still probably the most pleasant place to be. Sometimes they have a big snow but you get that anywhere in SE.

Talk to the fishermen for up to date current situations in the different harbors.

 

[Cruising Sea Venture]

Thanks. We have a slip in Wrangell as a base for the winter. In addition, it was where we needed to be for a boat project - the addition of a bulbous bow.
thanks, Jim

 

[Ken E.]

I'm only there in the summers, so I can't really relate to wintering through. You can't beat where you are in Wrangell for boatyard services and support, but my winter choice would be Sitka, all things considered.

 

[GFC]

Jim, I would love to see a bunch of photos of the addition of the bulbous bow to your boat and hear of your cruising adventures.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Wrangell is good,
But they may have suffered from the Ak ferry service reduction town freight.
And you can go to Ketchikan now and then weather permitting. We lived in Thorne Bay and found getting to Petersburg is iffy because of tide and daylight issues. Going someplace in the winter with a slow boat and limited daylight is difficult unless you’re inclined to run in the dark. Wrangell Narrows is well lit w lots and lots of nav-aids. On a clear night it’s a sight to behold though.

 

[MurrayM]

...Going someplace in the winter with a slow boat and limited daylight is difficult unless you’re inclined to run in the dark...

It's dark here on BC's north coast for 16 hours on a mid-winters night, so even less wiggle room daylight wise up north. Definitely something to consider, especially if it's a long run to an anchorage with few bailout options along the way.

Friends of ours live aboard all year round doing contract work for the Canadian Fisheries Dept on the north coast in a 50' converted seiner, so imminently doable

 

[Cruising Sea Venture]

Mike and Tina,
We will do a complete "tech talk" video on our YouTube channel on the bulbous bow project, but in the meantime, we will post a new video tomorrow about riding out a big storm that came through in August. At the end of every video we do a Q&A and a viewer ask us about the bulbous bow project and I showed a couple of photos.
Thanks,
Jim and Rosy

 

[Cruising Sea Venture]

Murry,
Contending with the short days is certainly a challenge.
We have run at night (we did so when we came up to Alaska this summer to minimize our anchoring in BC).

We also do have a FLIR camera as well, but we would still prefer to keep it mostly in daylight hours if possible. We will work to pick some routes that give us the best options possible for anchorages.

If nothing else, it should be an adventure.
Jim

 

[ksanders]

I’m a part time winter stay aboard in Seward Alaska.

Very similar climate. A little colder but not as much as one would think.

 

[MurrayM]

How long is your rode? I ask because during cold snaps the water near shore can be frozen; fresh water from creeks and rivers floats on top of salt water a good distance from shore and freezes before mixing with salt water.

If there has been a cold snap there could be 100' to 200' of ice from the shoreline, or, if you are anchored close to shore when a cold snap hits, you could get frozen in for a couple weeks until it warms up again.

We plan on getting a 600' to 700' rode if we start winter cruising. North coast BC is a lot like SE Alaska in that the bottom can fall quickly to deep water as you get further from shore.

 

[MurrayM]

Speaking of ice...

If you rummage ashore, these can be lifesavers on steep side slopes, ice covered shore boulders, or even when crossing creeks on wet logs:

https://kahtoola.com/product/microspikes/

We've never had icy decks while cruising, but can imagine how dangerous they would be. Letter carriers here wear something like these...the carbide spikes are very small and don't penetrate the ice much, but are real game changers which allow you to walk with confidence even on smooth, wet ice:

https://www.duenorthproducts.com/everyday-pro

Better photos here:

https://www.duenorthproducts.com

 

[ktdtx]

I believe the Dauntless has chosen Wrangell as "home" for the last year or so.


https://dauntlessatsea.com/

 

[MurrayM]

Do you have a personal location device?

Some areas will have no radio reception due to mountainous, twisting waterways. Another reason to have one is that if you are off on a day hike, you might come back to find your boat gone. A horrifying thought, made even more horrifying if you have to wait days for another boat to come into that secluded bit of paradise you've discovered.

Implausible? Maybe, but 'stuff' happens in addition to wind & tide...saw a video of a Humpback Whale that towed an anchored boat away after getting its pectoral fin caught on the rode. A Grizzly or Moose might get offended by your dinghies presence upon its shores...yes, Grizzlies get out for a stretch even in the coldest of cold snaps and Moose are always unpredictable.

Pepper spray highly recommended, as is a small pack with enough gear to spend the night ashore if you have to.

We broke an oar getting to shore in a secluded anchorage once and had to lash it together with driftwood to get back to the boat. We had left our SPOT device on the boat. That never happened again!!!

 

[Cruising Sea Venture]

Murry,
Thanks for the insightful tips.

To answer your questions:

a) We have 400' of 1/2" chain.

b) To reduce pitching on Sea Venture we are in the middle of a major hull modification - the installation of a bulbous bow. A side benefit is the ability to push through ice with a higher degree of safety, if needed.

c) We do have strap on micro spike units for our boots - everyone in Wrangell recommended them because the docks can get quite icy.

d) We never go ashore without our bear spray and an air horn

e) Our tender is equipped with an EPIRB and our backpack that goes ashore with us has an additional personal EPIRB in it as well.

f) We also have a sat phone that goes with us in the tender and to shore.

g) To help improve VHF communication we are in the middle of adding commercial quality VHF antenna array from Morad Antenna's in Bellingham. It's what most of the fishing fleet has. While expensive ($800 per antenna), and requiring more than one antenna, it should increase the realistic range of VHF from 20 or so miles to 60 or so miles in most cases. At least that is what the fishing boat owners are telling me. We will see. The install should be completed in the next few weeks.

h) Yes, Sea Venture is equipped with two separate tracking units. One is tracked by our family, and the 2nd is actually for our YouTube family. It allows anyone to see where Sea Venture is in real time, see the weather in real time at the boat, and see post that I put up while cruising. We keep our satellite connection up 24/7. It updates every 10 minutes around the clock.

i) We also use Predict Wind for up to date weather, which when cruising we download twice a day.

Here is a link to our YouTube Channel tracking page:

https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/SeaVenture

As a side benefit, if you go to the post on the right hand side of the screen and open them up you will see some pictures of the bulbous bow under construction.

We intent to be very careful in our winter cruising. We know the weather can turn in a bad way. Just this last Sunday, we had 30 knots of wind here in Wrangell and a local fisherman had to be rescued by the Coast Guard just 30 miles south of here after his boat rolled. The Coast Guard reported 98 knots of wind on scene during the rescue. Thankfully he had a survival suit on - since he was in the water for 4 hours hanging onto a hatch cover. (and yes, Sea Venture is equipped with survival suits)

I am sure there is more we could do, but eventually you need to leave the dock.

Still, it should be a great adventure. So far, cruising in September and October has been great. Lots of crisp clear days, no other boats, and mostly, completely calm weather.

Thanks again for the ideas and thoughts. It's very much appreciated.
Jim

 

[Cruising Sea Venture]

Ken,

Thanks so much. We have seen their boat - they are down on "A" dock. We will go down and introduce ourselves when we are back in the marina.

Again, Thanks,
Jim

 

[MurrayM]

Sounds like you're getting all your ducks in a row and have buckets of northern boating/shore walking experience already.

Winter cruising will be a lot like being on the dark side of the moon, or solo mountaineering, in that self sufficiency is more critical than other seasons.

Most southern boaters just don't get it. There aren't any tow services and you can't expect someone nearby to give you a tow. We've gone days without seeing another boat, in the summertime.

We went on an Alaskan cruise(ship) once and I was shocked to see people wandering off into the bush like it was a big city park, or part of a sanitized Disneyland experience. Glad to hear you're not in that group

 

[Ventana]

We live aboard full time in Sitka and use the boat year round.

 

[Alaskaflyer]

We live aboard full time in Sitka and use the boat year round.

We came down from Healy once during Christmas break to attend a wedding, at a house on one of the islands in Thimbleberry Bay. We’ve been in, around and through Sitka in the summer many times but I found late December very charming there.

 

[Alaskaflyer]

Ha. Found this in my old Facebook photos. From the deck.

 

[Cruising Sea Venture]

We live aboard full time in Sitka and use the boat year round.

Great. Lets stay in touch, and maybe we can meet up somewhere between Sitka and Wrangell. You can reach us via email at: CruisingSeaVenture@Gmail.com

Thanks,
Jim and Rosy

 

[Cruising Sea Venture]

Great photo. This morning its sunny, 29 degrees and just beautiful in Wrangell.

 

[MurrayM]

Great photo. This morning its sunny, 29 degrees and just beautiful in Wrangell.

Exactly the same here

We're 60 miles up Douglas Channel & tucked into the Coast Range so usually much colder than Prince Rupert (currently 35F there).

 

[albinalaska]

We're in Ketchikan, AK - a great little harbor town - especially in the summers when Covid hasn't shut everything down. Boat is on the hard for an engine room refit we're in the middle but know the area really well if you're ever in these parts.

 

[MV Caroline]

In SE for winter

Hi Jim and Rosy,
I also am in SE for winter and some spot cruising, weather permitting. I am currently in Ketchikan awaiting some parts for an alternator problem. I am hoping to make it up to Petersburg for the winter slip and cruise from there. I will look out for you when I get to Wrangell.

Pete Phillips
MV Caroline

 

[Cruising Sea Venture]

We're in Ketchikan, AK - a great little harbor town - especially in the summers when Covid hasn't shut everything down. Boat is on the hard for an engine room refit we're in the middle but know the area really well if you're ever in these parts.

Great. We will certainly make it south sometime this winter. We'd like to do the Misty Fjords loop - though the last time we did it we ran into 50 knot winds at the south end. When we know we will be headed that way, we will reach out.

Thanks again,
Jim and Rosy Addington
M/V Sea Venture
www.youtube.com/cruisingseaventure

 

[Cruising Sea Venture]

Hi Jim and Rosy,
I also am in SE for winter and some spot cruising, weather permitting. I am currently in Ketchikan awaiting some parts for an alternator problem. I am hoping to make it up to Petersburg for the winter slip and cruise from there. I will look out for you when I get to Wrangell.

Pete Phillips
MV Caroline

Sounds great Pete,
If we are not out cruising, we will be on "D" dock in the Heritage Marina.
Thanks,
Jim
M/V Sea Venture
www.youtube.com/cruisingseaventure

 

[Alaska JD]

Introduce yourselves to Bill and Donna on Denali Rose, a 43’ Nauticat. They are currently in Petersburg but will be in Wrangell around the end of the month. I think they are on C dock in Heritage Harbor. Bill and Donna have lived aboard in SE Alaska and been based in Wrangell for a number of years. Very knowledgeable and helpful... We’ll be based in Heritage Harbor, living aboard Arctic Jade, an OA 42 this spring. Currently having some maintenance completed in Anacortes. I look forward to meeting you next spring.