Pacific N W Local Knoledge

[Nomad Willy]

Sunchaser, I assume the question of water was directed to me. To see a boat named Sunchaser in S E Alaska may lead people to belive the skipper is lost. We carry separate drinking water also but do not purify the main tanks, however I see no reasoon we should'nt though and of course the reasons to purify are obvious. Good water at the dockside is almost everywhere. The only exception to that is where water is not good and the word is not out or where it's said to be contanimated. When we passed through Shearwater ( 2 mi from Bella Bella ) we were warned thier water was contaminated so we went to Bella Bella the next morning and filled up. Since we are campers and our last boat had only 17 gal water we tend to not use much water. We have a shower in the head but did'nt use it on the trip. We showered ashore as showers are readily availible. We started out with a 5 and an 3 gallon plastic can for our drinking water but soon found ourselves buying bottled water in stores along the way. Since our water tanks are astern we took on water several times mostly for proper ballast. I did'nt want to get caught in a big following sea with a light stern even with the Willard's large rudder. In B C there are occasionaly water hoses hanging over the water where it's deep enough to place your vessel under the hose and fill up. These water hoses are usually fed from a spring up the hill from the beach but right now I don't know where any of these 24/7 water hoses are. My advice ? Don't change your water practices but temporarily change the name of your boat to " Rainchaser "

Eric Henning
Willard 30
Thorne Bay AK

 

[Old_Salt]

RE: Pacific N W Local Knowledge

Pacific Northwest Local Knowledge

Fresh Water Supply on the Inside Passage

Sunchaser (tgwhite) asked the following question in another thread:

"Time permitting, I'd like to get to Craig Alaska next summer. My DeFever has 400 gallons of water capacity. I've no watermaker onboard - intentionally so at this time. As I venture north from Port Hardy I read in Waggoners there are plenty of fill point stops, but for you who have traveled this route is this indeed the case?"

Tom:

Port McNeill and Port Hardy offer good fresh water, which can be taken on at the fuel docks, or at the floats if you overnight at Port McNeill Harbour Authority floats or Quarterdeck Marina floats in Hardy.

Traveling North on the IP the best stops for both fuel and good water are at the*local band operated fuel docks at New Bella Bella, Klemtu, and Hartley Bay.* I will not put water from Duncanby Landing, Dawson's Landing, or Shearwater in the water tank.* We purchase our drinking water in quantity at the large market stores at home in Halfmoon Bay/Sechelt before departure, and in Port McNeill, Port Hardy and Prince Rupert en route to Alaska.* Ocean Falls has good water but is not on the direct IP route.

Once in Alaska, good water is available at Ketchikan, Thorne Bay, and in Craig.* I just completed a tour of POWI this summer and only used these sources for fuel and for water for the tank.*

If you have any doubt about water quality for your tank, look the local operator in the eye, and ask if a "Boil water advisory" has been issued on the water, before putting it in your tank, or do the "Stalwyn" water quality test: fill a 1 gallon (4 Liter) clear jug with water from the hose and set it in the cockpit for an hour or so to see what settles out, before putting any in the tank.* At Point Baker, the water looks about 3 shades darker than Guiness.* The jug got dumped as soon as we cleared the harbour (sorry, harbor).

With your capacity, you should have no problems, even if you dawdle to smell the roses.* Just don't water them!

Why don't you tell us some more about your planned trip?

Old_Salt*