Pacific Northwest Navigation Necessities in 2024

The Pacific Northwest is one of the last frontiers in North America for the voyager who’s looking for more than just a sandy beach with palm trees. With cobalt blue waters lapping against forested shores, a maze of inland passages, and a backdrop of snow capped peaks, these cruising grounds are surely the most magnificent North America has to offer.

We recommend taking at least one guide and chartkit along with a flag, logbook, and an up to date digital chart for your plotter.

1. Maptech Chartkit 15 Pacific Northwest To Northern California
We consider this chartbook to be a must have for powerboats and sailboats cruising along the Pacific Northwest. Only Maptech offers such a convenient package with 89 pages of up to date charts, over 500 marine facilities, and GPS waypoints for your plotter. Coverage begins in Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, through Washington and Oregon, and takes you along the coast all the way to the Northern California Coast. The geographic index allows you to quickly find and plot routes to your next destination.

2. Waggoner Cruising Guide 2023
Updated annually, Waggoner has grown a reputation among our customers as the most trust cruising guide for the Northwest. The 2022 edition of the Waggoner Cruising Guide includes the most comprehensive and up-to-date information from Olympia, Washington to Ketchikan, and Alaska. This year, in addition to information on marinas and passages, there is a special section on the local wildlife which I absolutely love.

3. Northwest Boat Travel Cruising Guide 45th Edition 2023
Now in its 44th year, Northwest Boat Travel is a unique cruising guide containing twenty geographically arranged chapters presenting descriptions and useful information about the ports-of-call, anchorages, bays, inlets, waterways, marine parks, marina and resort facilities, fuel docks, services, and things to see and do along coasts and islands of Washington, British Columbia, and Southeast Alaska.

4. DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Pacific Northwest
The first travel guide on our list comes from DK Eyewitness who are known for including tons of images and graphics to help you build an itinerary to remember. This newly updated guide covers all the major cities, from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington, to Vancouver, British Columbia, and provides all the insider tips you need, whether you want to kayak on Lake Ozette in Olympic National Park or go shopping in downtown Seattle's Columbia Center. Explore the culture, history, architecture, beaches, and scenic walks area-by-area.

5. Charlies Charts US Pacific Coast 6th Edition
This cruising guide is a proven reference for safe navigation of the challenges for travel from San Diego to Seattle. It clearly describes the choices of routes for travel along the coast: harbor-hopping, inshore and offshore routes and discusses weather, crossing bars and safety issues. A safe approach to all major facilities is described and sketched in detail as well as the anchorages in the Channel Islands.

6. Charlies Charts North To Alaska 6th Edition
This edition was prepared using the original maps and photos with many new photos added. Some valuable information has also been updated to accommodate the mariner undertaking this voyage. While this edition has been revised for an updated look, we have made every effort to maintain the integrity of the original book. This cruising guide provides navigation information for a boater departing from Victoria and traveling along the British Columbia and Southeast Alaskan coasts following the protected waters of the Inside Passage to Glacier Bay, Alaska.

7. Exploring Southeast Alaska 4TH ED
The companion guide to Exploring Pacific Coast San Diego To Seattle, brings unparalleled detail to cruisers who plan to spend a lot of seatime on the Alaskan waters. The Inside Passage to Alaska is one of the world's most spectacular trips for cruising boaters. Each summer Alaska's sheltered waters, picturesque islands, deeply cut fjords, icebergs, and tidewater glaciers-along with outstanding flora and fauna-draw hundreds of adventurers who experience the beauty and challenges of this magnificent wilderness.

Interested in something else or want to order digital charts for your plotter? Call 954-763-6533 or email [email protected].

Happy Cruising!
James Henjum
Content Writer