Alaska 2018

[AlaskaProf]

Last summer, I invited a bunch of family and friends to join me in the San Juans and Gulf Islands, and a dozen or so did for various periods.

Expanding my horizon, I've made a similar invitation for a 5-month excursion to Alaska this year, and the acceptances have started to come in, surprisingly including some recidivists. Also got one from KThoennes of this forum (Karl and I were actually classmates in grad school!)

I won't bore you with the full solicitation, but I sent the invitees a photo array of previous nautical experiences to reassure them that I might be capable of carrying out this expedition. If you wish, you can see it here.

Departing Tacoma about May 17 and Vancouver May 25; arriving Seward about July 5, returning home by mid-September. I'd be glad to cruise in company with any of the TF cohort. If not, watch for Seeadler on the AIS.

AlaskaProf

 

[Ken E.]

Prof, We'll be looking for you enroute. Departing Bellingham mid May, operating out of Sitka for the summer, returning home mid September. Can't wait to head out.......
__________________
Ken Hatt Trick

 

[Doug]

Wonderful invitation AlaskaProf. Who could resist that? I’m sure you’ll have lots of company. Have great trip.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Well dang, figures we are not going north this year. Be safe as your schedule looks a little tight.


ASD will be following you. Don't forget to post pics.....

 

[Crusty Chief]

Enjoy your voyage Bill! We do expect you to post regularly here with plenty of pics!

And say hi to Ketchikan Al for us, you wont meet such a stellar storyteller and gracious representative of the SE Alaska area.

Cheers

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Enjoy your voyage Bill! We do expect you to post regularly here with plenty of pics!

And say hi to Ketchikan Al for us, you wont meet such a stellar storyteller and gracious representative of the SE Alaska area.

Cheers

This is very true. Lots of pics, story telling and yes Ketchikan Al is the best representative of SE and he is a "real" Alaskan.

 

[Al]

Dang!!! Should never have proffered the Alaska beer on their arrival!!!, Like cheese to a mice, these two near-do-wells

Bill-Always up to give a hand where needed if needed. Appears you will be around K-Town around, near, the 15th of June, Give me a PM with your schedule as it firms up cell phone stuff, repair folks, and such.

As to Tom and the "Chief", does the term "86" ring a bell, Rumor has it the reason no traveling North this year. Their 'Admirals' are priceless they themselves are credit cardless. No that is too harsh.

"There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dream and hug them for real"

Charlie Brown

Al-Ketchikan:lol:

 

[FlyWright]

How about a SE Alaskan Rendezvous to put those Ft. Pierce, FL party posers to shame? How many Alaskans will be in the area together?

 

[AlaskaProf]

Bill-Always up to give a hand where needed if needed. Appears you will be around K-Town around, near, the 15th of June, Give me a PM with your schedule as it firms up cell phone stuff, repair folks, and such.


Al-Ketchikan:lol:

So far, I have no guests on the leg YVR-KTN, so I may proceed more expeditiously. Will arrive some time between the 7th and 15th of June. Then should be back in Southeast somewhere for all of August on the return leg.

I'll publish tracking data for AIS and for my new InReach before departure.

 

[Salish Nomad]

We plan to leave Anacortes mid May, and slowly head for Sitka (our home town), arriving mid June.
Ketchikan, Edna Bay, and Port Protection, are on our must revisit stops.

 

[AlaskaProf]

How about a SE Alaskan Rendezvous to put those Ft. Pierce, FL party posers to shame? How many Alaskans will be in the area together?

Good plan. What's your itinerary look like? I suspect you and I have a couple stories from the workplace to swap.

 

[Al]

So far, I have no guests on the leg YVR-KTN, so I may proceed more expeditiously. Will arrive some time between the 7th and 15th of June. Then should be back in Southeast somewhere for all of August on the return leg.

I'll publish tracking data for AIS and for my new InReach before departure.

 

[Wxx3]

I am so envious. Hope to join you all in 2019.
Have a good time

Rcihard on Dauntless

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Dang!!! Should never have proffered the Alaska beer on their arrival!!!, Like cheese to a mice, these two near-do-wells

Bill-Always up to give a hand where needed if needed. Appears you will be around K-Town around, near, the 15th of June, Give me a PM with your schedule as it firms up cell phone stuff, repair folks, and such.

As to Tom and the "Chief", does the term "86" ring a bell, Rumor has it the reason no traveling North this year. Their 'Admirals' are priceless they themselves are credit cardless. No that is too harsh.

"There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dream and hug them for real"

Charlie Brown

Al-Ketchikan:lol:

Well........Maybe Crusty Chief......

 

[FlyWright]

Good plan. What's your itinerary look like? I suspect you and I have a couple stories from the workplace to swap.

No doubt you're right! Hmmmm....I hear Ketchikan is nice in early June.

 

[AlaskaProf]

No doubt you're right! Hmmmm....I hear Ketchikan is nice in early June.

Could work. I'll arrive KTN between the 7th and 15th, depending on whether I have pax for that leg.

 

[Jstyers]

Hi All! I've been lurking in the shadows and learning a lot from all you trawlers out there. This is my first post.

My wife and I (plus 2 cats and a yellow Lab) will also be cruising from PNW to Alaska this year, beginning 5/15, in our 1989 Fleming 50' Trawler ("Nirvana"). We brought the boat up to the PNW from San Diego last year and spent the summer in Desolation Sound and the Gulf Islands. We currently have the boat in the Des Moines Marina, WA.

I'll be looking out for you fellow travelers and will be available to lend a hand, give advice or offer a cold beer whenever our paths cross.

I wouldn't mind receiving some advice and, in particular, suggestions for stops we should not miss. This is our first trip north and we are not on any schedule, other than to head back to San Diego sometime in September.

I'll be keeping my eye out for you fellow travelers: AlaskaProf; Ken E and Helen Marie...and hope to meet up someday.

 

[AlaskaProf]

We currently have the boat in the Des Moines Marina, WA.

I'll be keeping my eye out for you fellow travelers: AlaskaProf; Ken E and Helen Marie...and hope to meet up someday.

Well, you'll be able to see me, even if afflicted with myopia. I have pax to pick up at Des Moines on May 15. Probably get some cheaper diesel also.

We may not be moving fast enough for you though. Ive promised pax they can debark in Vancouver on 5/25. Next date-certain is Ketchikan on 6/11.

 

[dhays]

Welcome. I have a vague feeling that I may have seen your boat last year. Can’t recall where but we were up in the Desolation Sound area last August.

 

[drb1025]

The standout anchorages for me from last summer are Bottleneck Inlet, Kynoch Inlet, and Baker Inlet, all in BC, and Ell Cove on the east side of Baranof Island.

 

[RCook]

Hi Jsteyers,

We'll be cruising the Inside Passage from Poulsbo WA up to the top of SE Alaska, starting in ~2 weeks, returning sometime in September. Here are some of our favorites:

[FONT=&quot]Some Inside Passage favorites[/FONT][FONT=&quot] R. Cook 12/4/2017[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]BC[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Campbell River - good provisioning stop[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Prideaux Haven - very scenic, crowded in peak season[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Von Donop Inlet – protected anchorage close to Yucultas rapids [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Waiatt Bay, walk to Small Inlet[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Octopus Islands – shore tie often reqd, crowded in peak season[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Lagoon Cove marina[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Goat Islet (Crease Island Cove)[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Port McNeill[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sullivan Bay[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Blunden Harbor - good place to stay before Crossing the Queen northward[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Fury Island Cove – good place to stay after Crossing the Queen northward[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Rescue Bay[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Bottleneck Inlet[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Khutze Inlet – very pretty, anchor carefully in 60-75 feet. Great crabbing.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Prince Rupert – good place to stay before Crossing the Dixon[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]SE Alaska[/FONT][FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Foggy Bay – convenient anchorage between Ketchikan and Prince Rupert[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Meyers Chuck - neat little community heading north from Ketchikan. free moorage[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Anan Creek bear watching – permit needed after July 1. Anchor carefully[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Petersburg – great little town, huge fishing fleet[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Portage Bay – pretty and convenient anchorage[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Tracy Arm (Holkham Bay) – spectacular fjord and glaciers[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hoonah[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Neka Bay, near Hoonah – pretty anchorage with great crabbing, especially earlier in the season[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Glacier Bay: Reid Inlet, Johns Hopkins Inlet, Margerie Glacier[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Dundas Bay – part of Glacier Bay park, without the restrictions[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Mosquito Pass Cove – nifty anchorage between Icy Strait and Cross Sound. Near sea lion rocks[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Elfin Cove – neat little community and harbor. Free moorage, space often available inside[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Pavlof Harbor – falls often has brown bears chasing salmon[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Tenakee Springs – tiny town just off Chatham Strait[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Warm Springs Bay / Baranof Hot Springs – beautiful, nice walk to lake, float often crowded[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Red Bluff Bay – beautiful anchorage[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Half Tide Neck (Hoonah Sound) – out of the way as you travel Peril Strait. Great shrimp/crab nearby[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Sitka – historic, nice walks, including Totem Forest [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Honeydew Cove – beautiful remote anchorage in NW conner of Keku Strait[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Rocky Pass (Keku Strait) – time to have high-water slack as you reach Devil’s Elbow[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hole in the Wall[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]El Capitan Passage / Dry Pass – protected and interesting route toward Craig[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Craig area – no cruise ship mobs, great fishing nearby[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Port Refugio – good crab earlier in season[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Hydaburg – very fine totems[/FONT]

 

[Retriever]

I'm heading north from Seattle about May 3rd with five boats! Should be to Juneau around June 9. Then starting south, but I have to leave the boat a few times and fly back to the lower 48 so I won't be spending as much time cruising Alaska as past summers.

Will return through BC via West Coast Vancouver Island. Say hi if you see me! If you want to avoid our group (I promise we're nice!) feel free to PM me or call on the VHF and we'll tell you where we're heading!

 

[Al]

Hi Jsteyers,

We'll be cruising the Inside Passage from Poulsbo WA up to the top of SE Alaska, starting in ~2 weeks, returning sometime in September. Here are some of our favorites:

[FONT=&quot]Meyers Chuck - neat little community heading north from Ketchikan. free moorage[/FONT]

Hi Richard, A bit of change to your offering. Unfortunately, the moorage in Meyers Chuck is now charged. It is on the honor system,. You fill out a form with the required information, insert the slip into the box provided. Cassy Peave, the Post Mistress famous for her warm breakfast buns, ordered the prior night (Sorry, on the road and without my phone numbers or channel to contact suggest making some sort of contact in person on arrival), delivered by 0700 AM. will forward the collections to the Wrangell Harbor Master office. The rate is the same as Wrangell. You can call in your credit card info during office hours.

Regards, Al-Ketchikan

 

[RCook]

Hi Al,

Thanks for the update on Myers Chuck.

 

[Nomad Willy]

Thorne Bay isn’t as cute as MC but there’s a whole lot more there. Look up their web site.
Something to consider especially if the weather may keep you there a day or so. You can rent a car and go over to Craig and Klawock. Check out the harbor there.

 

[Salish Nomad]

Thorne Bay isn’t as cute as MC but there’s a whole lot more there. Look up their web site.
Something to consider especially if the weather may keep you there a day or so. You can rent a car and go over to Craig and Klawock. Check out the harbor there.

Hi Eric, do you know if there is fuel available at (new) Tokeen? I can't seem find any information on the web. When last I was there delivering troll caught salmon it was a bustling place.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

The standout anchorages for me from last summer are Bottleneck Inlet, Kynoch Inlet, and Baker Inlet, all in BC, and Ell Cove on the east side of Baranof Island.

El Cove is nice, buy Red Bluff Bay, Warm Springs and Cannery Cove were our favorites last year.

Have fun all! Wish we were going north this year too. 2019 for sure.

 

[Al]

Thorne Bay isn’t as cute as MC but there’s a whole lot more there. Look up their web site.
Something to consider especially if the weather may keep you there a day or so. You can rent a car and go over to Craig and Klawock. Check out the harbor there.

Good catch Eric, As I favor the mainland shore heading North I forget Thorne Bay. You are correct, if one veres toward the Prince of Wales shore leaving Tongass Narrows, then Thorne Bay is a given. I often swear that I will purposely take that route however, being small, I tend to tread towards the shortest route to Wrangell. Going to make a point of taking your suggestion this year.
Thanks for the post- Al

 

[Al]

Hi Al,

Thanks for the update on Myers Chuck.

 

[Jstyers]

Thanks for posting favorite stops

many thanks for all the suggestions. They are much appreciated and I suspect will make the trip even more interesting.