#2013-01 Our 2013 Alaska Cruise Begins

It's Saturday, April 27th, 2013.  We're up early at San Jose Airport ready to fly to Seattle and Wild Blue.  It will be a busy day as our first guests arrive tomorrow and the we need to prep the boat. We'll split up: Pat will take the car to Trader Joes, Fred Meyer, fresh pie company, and local market; Alex will install the fly-bridge sides, stow the chairs, tables, fishing poles, ice chests, bedding, then inventory the pantry.  Early tomorrow we'll both take the boat to Cap Sante to fuel up then Pat will pick up our our in Seattle. Whew!

WINTER BOAT IMPROVEMENTS

This winter we added a few improvements to the boat including a water maker.  The unit is essentially like the Reverse Osmosis (RO) in a home, with the addition of some high pressure pumps and large filters.  No more taking on questionable water in some of these remote marinas. And now we can cruise to Mexico without having to drink the local water.

Wild Blue's new water maker extracts 60 gallons of fresh water per hour from the sea.

The filters and UV sterilizer insures we don't drink any living organisms!

The water maker produces crystal clear water.  No minerals and no chlorine.  If this pure water sits in the tank for a awhile, especially in a warmer climate, algae and organisms would grow, there not being any chlorine to kill it.  So we thought it best to install fine filters and an ultraviolet light water sterilizer.  This "Water Fixer" model runs on 12 volts and is plumbed to the cold water at the galley sink.

Another improvement is a full size toilet for the guest head.  Now we can take along our really BIG friends!  We also installed warm white LEDs in most light fixtures.  These dramatically reduce the power consumption and heat, and give off almost as much light as the old halogens.  Exterior, running and anchor lights are now all LEDs.

THIS YEAR'S ITINERARY

We plan to spend a good amount of time in Sitka then leave Alaska early to make time for extended cruising in northern British Columbia.


2013 WILD BLUE ALASKA CRUISE ITINERARY

Leg #1 SUN-APR 28 ANACORTES, WA TO SUN-MAY 5 PORT MCNEIL, BC.
Northbound BC cruising with Vancouver and small resort visits, prawning and crabbing. Vancouver, Gorge Harbor, Desolation Sound, Broughton Islands, Port McNeil – 8 days.

Leg #2 TUE-MAY 7 PORT MCNEIL, BC TO SUN-MAY 19 KETCHIKAN, AK.
Northbound BC cruising, anchoring at night with Prince Rupert and small town visits, prawning and crabbing. Port McNeil, Namu, Shearwater, Boat Bluff/Alexander Inlet, Hartley Bay, Northern BC coastal ports, Prince Rupert, Dundas Island, Ketchikan – 14 days:

Leg #3 WED-MAY 29 KETCHIKAN, AK TO SUN-JUN 9 SITKA, AK.
Northwest bound Alaska cruising, anchoring at night, visiting Craig, fishing, prawning and crabbing, El Capitan Cave exploring: Ketchikan, South Kaigani Harbor, Craig, El Capitan Cave, Port McArthur or Kell Bay, Port Alexander, Red Bluff Bay, Warm Springs Bay, Peril Strait, Kalinin or Fish Bay, Sitka – 12 days:

Leg #4 TUE-JUN 11 SITKA, AK TO SAT-JUN 22 SITKA, AK.
Local Sitka cruising with King Salmon fishing in waters, anchoring at night, visit to a hot springs and small town of Pelican: Sitka, Kalinin Bay, Piehle Passage, Ford Arm, Baker Cove, Ilin Bay, Mirror Cove, White Sulfur Hot Springs, Pelican, Double Cove, Sitka – 12 days:

Leg #5 MON-JUN 24 SITKA, AK TO THU-JUL 4 SITKA, AK.
Cruising the southwest coastline of Baranof Island with King Salmon fishing in local Sitka area, anchoring at night, hot springs visit, Sitka Firework show (JUL 3): Sitka, Goddard Hot Springs, Shamrock Bay, Jamboree Bay, Whale Bay, Secluded Bay, Scow Bay, Kidney Cove, Sitka – 11 days:
 
Leg #6 SAT-JUL 6 SITKA, AK TO MON-JUL 15 CRAIG, AK.
Cruising the southwest coastline of Baranof Island with King Salmon fishing in local Sitka area, anchoring at night, hot springs visit: Sitka, Goddard Hot Springs, Jamboree Bay, Whale Bay, Scow Bay, Kidney Cove, Redfish Bay, Little Puffin Bay, Port Alexander, Port MacArthur, Nagasay Cove, Craig – 10 days:

Leg #7 TUE-JUL 16 CRAIG, AK TO TUE-JUL 23 KETCHIKAN, AK.
South bound Alaska cruising, anchoring at night, with salmon and halibut fishing, crabbing, and whale viewing, visits to Craig, Hydaburg, Nutkwa Inlet, Hessa Inlet, Nichols Bay, Ketchikan – 8 days:

Leg #8 THU-JUL 25 KETCHIKAN, AK TO MON-AUG 05, SHEARWATER, BC
Northern BC Southbound, anchoring at night, Coho salmon fishing, crabbing and prawning, and a visit to Prince Rupert: various northern BC ports on the “outside” inside passage, Hartley Bay, Klemtu, Roscoe Inlet, Ocean Falls, Shearwater – 12 days.

Leg #9 WED-AUG 7 SHEARWATER, BC TO FRI-AUG 16 PORT MCNEILL, BC.
Central BC Southbound cruising, anchoring at night, fishing-crabbing-prawning, visits to small boat resorts, Namu, McNaughton Islands, Fish Egg Inlet, Pierce Bay, Rivers Inlet, and Port McNeil – 10 days.

Leg #10 SUN-AUG 18 PORT MCNEILL, BC TO WED-AUG 27 ANACORTES, WA.
Southern BC Southbound cruising, anchoring at night, fishing-crabbing-prawning, visits to small boat resorts, Port McNeil and Vancouver: Port McNeil, Lagoon Cove, Desolation Sound, Smugglers Cove, Vancouver, Anacortes – 10 days.

We're going to complete our boat prep so we can get going.  Weather looks awesome for the next week or longer.  Hope to carry this sunny streak through BC.