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Jan has worked at Bluewater Books & Charts for 13 years now, in the chart department and behind the scenes. She provides the expertise behind Bluewater's help e-mail system, so chances are good that anybody who has ever e-mailed Bluewater for any reason has heard from Jan.

This is the first of a two-part series outlining the preparation for and completion of the trip. Please call Bluewater Books & Charts if you are planning a similar voyage, or if you need advice on charts and guides for any part of the world, and let's wish for fair weather as Jan and Don begin their adventure.

The Inside Passage: Bellingham, WA, to Juneau, AK

Part I, Getting Ready

We were surprised that the charter company and the boat owner would allow us to take Sunny Sue, their Sabreline 36, 900 miles from its home base in Bellingham, WA, to Juneau, AK... one way. I personally think they're nuts. But we are set to leave Bellingham on July 23, with five weeks to make the trip up the Inside Passage. The owner wanted to make the trip as well, so he will be driving the boat back to Washington himself.

From a quick glance at an atlas or strip chart, one would think that, with endless chains of islands to provide protection from the nasty old North Pacific, it should be an easy cruise. We still expect to have a blast, of course, but we have learned of several factors that will require diligence, caution, and preparation on our part.

The Inside Passage is a big place. Everything is big, including the surface area of the water between the outer islands and the mainland. The tides are also big, which means that when the tide is rising or falling there is a very big amount of water trying to flow back and forth through the gaps between the islands. This makes the tidal currents big. 7 knots is not uncommon. The tide/current books should be dog-eared by the time we reach Juneau. If we pay attention, we should be able to hitch a ride on the smaller currents now and then, and not spend all day bashing up against them. The boat can do it okay. It has two 250 hp engines and is designed to cruise at 20 knots for as long as you can afford it. But we are sailing-turned-trawler folk and anything over 8 knots or 4 gph makes our jaws tight and our disposition sour.

Fog is a certainty along the Inside Passage. Navigating in the fog is required. In the past, morning fog has always meant we go back to bed and wait for the sun to burn it off. On this trip there will likely be times when we will be leaving port in the fog and hoping it clears by mid-afternoon. We plan to become very proficient at using the radar thinghy.

We don't like marinas. If we had to spend every night in a marina we probably would not go boating at all. True bliss for us is being the only boat anchored in a quiet lagoon. Many would say, "Sure, but how blissful is it when the anchor drags in the middle of the night?" They have a point, and holding is an even greater concern along the Inside Passage because the water is usually so deep. Anchoring in 30 ft. or more is the norm. But Sunny Sue has good ground tackle and a good windlass and lots of chain. Wherever possible, we plan to anchor on the upslopes near shore with a long fat stern line double-wrapped around the biggest tree we can find. In other places we will throw several hundred feet of rope and chain overboard and make sure we have swinging room.

Provisioning is also somewhat of a challenge because of the remoteness of the area. It helps a lot that we will be sharing Sunny Sue with good friends who are experienced boaters and have cruised with us many times in the past. None of us is a gourmet, and, since the purpose of the trip is to expand our horizons and not our posteriors, we opted to keep it simple. Each couple prepared a set of K.I.S.S.-type menus for one week, made up a grocery list based on that, and doubled the quantities for a second week. With meals ashore included, the five weeks will be covered and each on-board menu will be served twice. Because of the fishing industry, dry ice is readily available along the way, so we plan to augment the cold storage with a couple of ice chests with dry ice in the bottom.

Weather is another important consideration in the Pacific Northwest. We know there will be many bright, warm, sunny days. But Southeast Alaska is basically a rain forest and the water is very cold, so we are packing shorts and tank tops along with rainproof pants, rubber boots, thick wool socks and life jackets that are comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time.

92 paper charts! That's how many we are asking the owners to put on board to back up the existing integrated electronic chart plotter/GPS/radar/Autohelm system. This may be my first opportunity to drive a boat with a mouse. We will try to remember to look away from the monitor from time to time to take in the view, which we hear is quite nice.