Escapade’s Alaska Adventure
Oyster News, Winter 2006
The wonderful thing about cruising is that there are always new and exciting areas to visit, no matter where you have been before. After circumnavigating the world, cruising in the Mediterranean for four years and sailing the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States we had Escapade positioned to Vancouver, BC in 2004 so we would have a new cruising ground to explore. That year we had only time to circumnavigate Vancouver Island, but that was a wonderful experience by itself. Resuming cruising in 2006, the tenth birthday for Escapade, we decided on a major passage plan that will extend over 18 months. It will take Escapade from Alaska to Maine via the Panama Canal and include major new cruising areas and challenges.
Thus, the first part of our adventure was to go to Alaska and back. It took us 6 weeks to travel the 1,500 miles each way from Vancouver, BC. We chose the most optimal time of year, departing early May and reaching Juneau by mid June and returning to Seattle by mid August. Our passage from Seattle to San Francisco was during the first week of September.
Our primary objective was to visit Glacier Bay and Tracy Arm to view and get close and personal with the glaciers. We accomplished that and in a remarkable bit of luck we had magnificent weather for both visits with sunshine and clear blue skies.
Overall, it was a very interesting and exciting experience. We did not sail at all in Alaska, and there were only about five days in three months that we sailed at all. Those were in the Dixon Entrance and the Queen Charlotte Sound during small craft and gale warnings. But, as usual, that is the kind of conditions that Escapade loves and we enjoy. So do not go there for sailing! But the grandeur, the wilderness, the vastness, the desolation, and the areas devoid of human impact are overwhelming. We saw dozens of humpback whales, orca whales, porpoises, seals, sea lions, sea otters, bald eagles, bears, and other wildlife. We stayed in anchorages with no other boats most of the time. So if you want remoteness and isolation, Alaska is the place.
The distances are quite large and there are often very few facilities for cruising boats. So it is a different cruising experience with many challenges. These include navigating among rocks and reefs in very close quarters (down to 20 feet), negotiating rapids with currents of up to 7 knots if you get it wrong, competing for space with fishing boats, deep, rocky anchorages (up to 28 meters deep) with little swinging room, and practically no communications some times (the high mountains often cut off the GPS, the satellite phone, and Inmarsat-C). Points of interest include waterfalls, some of which are at sea level, hot springs where you can bathe, and trails in the woods, some on boardwalks. Although you are surrounded by land much of it is impenetrable. The locals are very friendly, and they speak English! It is a very different area to cruise, but added to our prior experiences, makes a more complete picture of the world. You need to develop the skill of winding around icebergs and pushing aside ice bergy bits to be able to reach the face of the glaciers. In terms of towns, we stopped in Prince Rupert, Ketchikan, Wrangell, Petersburg, Sitka and Craig in addition to Juneau. Basic supplies are available and most towns cater to cruise ship tourists. But it is life on the rustic side.
Taking cruise ships to Alaska is quite popular now, but the experience cannot even compare to being there on your own boat. For example, only two cruise ships per day are allowed into Glacier Bay and they must be out by sunset. In contrast, we spent four days in Glacier Bay including three overnight anchorages, one in front of a glacier. We were able to go up arms and see glaciers where cruise ships are not permitted. We spent hours drifting in front of the Johns Hopkins Glacier on the Fourth of July. Our “fireworks” were the glaciers themselves. There would be a sharp crack, a deep rumble and then a splash followed by a wave. Certainly it is hard to experience the isolation and solitude of Alaska on a ship with hundreds of people.
The weather is not always cooperative as often there is rain with dull overcast and low-level clouds and sometimes fog. Of course, that totally destroys the view of the snow-capped mountains. However, we were able to move and keep on schedule on all days except for one. It is necessary to have electronic charting and radar for safe boat movements. The temperatures are cool to cold and can run in the 50's (F) but that becomes down right cold with no sun, a bit of rain, and some wind. However, during the day it can reach 70 degrees in the sun. We kept the cockpit enclosed with clear plastic side curtains that kept the wind and rain out and improved the comfort considerably. I added a diesel heater to Escapade and it made all the difference for comfortable life aboard.
We went north in the Inside Passage but returned south sometimes on the outside so we could visit Sitka and other ports, which was well worth it. We also visited the Queen Charlotte Islands including the Gwaii Haanas National Reserve Park in the south. That is a protected area and only a limited number of people are permitted in at one time to protect the heritage sites of First Nation peoples. These are impressive and best seen by private boat. For both this area and Glacier Bay permits are required in advance.
The area around Vancouver Island including the Bay Islands, San Juan Islands, and Desolation Sound are all wonderful cruising grounds well worth spending time at. In fact, you could spend a whole summer in this area alone. It is popular so there are many other boats around. Victoria on Vancouver Island is well worth the visit and you can find dockage in front of the Empress Hotel.
We enjoyed the voyage to Alaska and the different challenges and experiences it presented and would highly recommend it for those who have seen the rest of the world.
