As we approached the east coast of Baranof Island in 2008, we saw a tall white slash of a waterfall on a green forested slope from a long way off across Chatham Strait.
Category: Features
Cruising Northwest’s Feature Stories
Opening Day 2013 – Seattle Yacht Club Parade Results
Seattle Yacht Club Opening Day Boat Parade 2013 “Hawaiian Magic” Boat/Entry Name Club/Group/Owner Number Classic Power 40’ & Over “Golden Potlatch Trophy” Class “F” 1st Place Olympus Seattle YC, Classic Yacht Association F6 2nd Place Flying Cloud Classic Yacht Association F3 3rd Place Winifred Seattle Yacht Club F9 Classic Sail – “Oldtimers […]
Tips for Communicating with Your Crew
Most people who are thinking about cruising in the Inside Passage already have the skills, techniques and ability to handle a boat. In other words, they are practiced in seamanship. To cruise to Alaska, there are several areas of seamanship that you need to feel comfortable with, and which I’ve already covered in this series. […]
Tides, Currents and Rapids in the Inside Passage
Cruising in the Inside Passage should be on every boater’s Must-Do List. The rewards for making the trip to Alaska are interesting towns and villages to visit, amazing natural beauty and a wild and remote feel you can’t find elsewhere. The southern part of the Inside Passage from Seattle to Desolation Sound is chic with […]
Choosing the Right Charts for the Inside Passage
Safe cruising in the Inside Passage means having the right charts, but this can be confusing and expensive. You have to know which charts and how much detail you think you need. Do you want electronic only or will you carry paper charts? For your electronic charts, which software will you use, and do you […]
Useful Electronics for Cruising the Inside Passage
When we bought the David B, it did not have any electronics, or an electrical system for that matter. So we needed to plan for our electronics package. Jeffrey’s experience as a professional mariner helped him make educated choices about which electronics were mandatory, which were simply nice to have, and what was just icing […]
Outfitting the boat for the Inside Passage
(3rd Article in a Series ) March and April are outfitting months on the David B. It’s the time of year when we prepare the boat for our Inside Passage trips. Throughout the years we’ve developed a checklist of equipment that we need to have on board, and another list of items we need to […]
Planning Your Inside Passage Cruise Itinerary
In a couple of months we’ll be taking the David B on a 12-day trip from Bellingham to Ketchikan. Our cruise is a learning cruise we’ve created for other boaters who are interested in a hands-on experience in the Inside Passage. We’ve done this trip for several years in a row now and each year […]
Learning to Cruise – Introduction
The beginning of a series born from a partnership with Christine Smith and Northwest Navigation and Cruising Northwest! Cruising the Inside Passage first caught my imagination in 1998 when Jeffrey and I decided we wanted to own and operate a tour boat in the San Juan Islands and Alaska. In 2006 we began offering tours on our […]
More Faster Backwards
The Motor Vessel David B and her crew, Captain Jeffrey and Christine Smith, have a unique story. From the first day Jeffrey and Christine met, it was their dream to own and operate a small passenger boat in the San Juan Islands and Alaska. In More Faster Backwards: Rebuilding David B, Christine chronicles their ups […]