Living aboard on the inside passage

[SteveK]

And for an interesting variation

 

[Airstream345]

Hey, that's us! It's funny how many people have told us they've seen this video. Suzanne often gives tutorials in random marinas.

 

[DDW]

Don't really want to highjack the thread, but I will guarantee that I can do 4 cleat hitches in the time it takes you to do one of those. The guys who work fuel docks and are good at it can do a cleat hitch in <2 seconds, by lassoing the horns. I've seen people do it entirely from the boat deck. It isn't so much initial tying up that I object to (though I do object) but if I want to reposition the boat or sweat a line in, far easier on a cleat. And let's not even get into splinters.

Now back to the program.....

 

[guy with a boat]

Cleat hitches aren’t worth much on bull rails. On bull rails, a round turn and 2 half hitches is faster than the Douglass hitch etc for me and very secure. It also is easier to snug up, which can be significant.
Bull rails are a bit of an acquired taste. I wasn’t a fan for the first couple of seasons but I almost prefer them to cleats now.

 

[Mac2]

Don't really want to highjack the thread, but I will guarantee that I can do 4 cleat hitches in the time it takes you to do one of those. The guys who work fuel docks and are good at it can do a cleat hitch in <2 seconds, by lassoing the horns. I've seen people do it entirely from the boat deck. It isn't so much initial tying up that I object to (though I do object) but if I want to reposition the boat or sweat a line in, far easier on a cleat. And let's not even get into splinters.

Now back to the program.....

I believe the context was in reference to only bull rails in Canada.

 

[greg_c]

I think that 44 days Canadian is equal to 30 days U.S.

This just reminded me that Washington state has a boater card requirement. I completed an online test years ago. I remember I missed one question having to do with "personal watercraft" (you can't shoot at them). I don't remember getting a card and if I did, I have no idea where it is. When I mentioned this to my wife, she instantly pulled hers out of her purse. So for me it's no more than 44 days if solo?

I've always kind of wondered. I suppose if you get 'pulled over' by CG for a check, they might ask.

I suspect its more of a "if something else happened, and it turns out you didn't have one, the hole just got deeper for you" kind of thing.

But the courses are free and take less than an hour. And it will probably knock a bit off your insurance (it did for me)

 

[Bmarler]

Ha, over the years, we've grown to prefer bull rails. We've also mastered the "Douglass Hitch" which makes making fast so much faster and more flexible on rails.

We recently docked where they only had cleats, and we had to remember how to tie up!

Me too. Cleats are seldom sized properly or spaced right .
With bull rails you can place the lines anywhere, use a clove hitch, or circle back to the cleats on the boat.

 

[heysteve]

These guys bought a giant steel sailboat and are fixing it up in Wrangle AK. Their channel is getting better as they usual do over time. Here's the latest video where they walk the docks in the snow and talk about the various boats. No influencer bling here, just a nice couple.

 

[liquidsands]

@Frosty You seem to be finding my posts offensive lately, I do not know why. Be Nice or put me on ignore.

Anyway, all boat operators need insurance, usually insurance expects you to be competent. Then the mere fact you have operated your boat without that cash grab card, makes you more competent than the never having driven a boat person who pays $30 CAN to do the same written test, able to be done in 15-30 minutes.
Yes I think it is a big joke that we Canadians say you Americans need to prove you can operate your boat after 44 consecutive days doing exactly that by proving it with a written test and paying a fee for the privilege.

Hi Steve,
I'm an American with 40 years boating experience as a commercial diver / fisherman / liveaboard. Canada and Alaska were my absolute favorite places in the world to go to. For me the time in inside passage travel was usually in a hurry (point A to B) oriented. When I had a small breakdown in Campbell River area I got to experience a bigger taste of true Canadian hospitality. My poor wife was always stuck at home with our 4 kids. We are now taking our 50th anniversary trip up the inside passage in the spring. Hope to spend about 2 months cruising thru Canada and finally ending up in Alaska for good. We live on our 50' trawler now so we can get used to going from a 1300 sq' house with a shop half that size to a 50 x 16 boat and figure out any changes we need to make before getting on the "road".
I always try to cross the T's and dot the I's before going on an international trip or any other for that matter. Is there any single source of "REAL" and accurate current info on what i need for traveling within the legal requirements thru Canada? I expect to take about 2 or three month to go thru Canada when we go in the spring.
I have no Nexus experience, I don't think it even existed back in the 80's and 90's, at least I never heard of it. I have a Washington State boat operators card, insurance, a very safe and well organized boat with full electronics and way more CG safety equipment than required. I have full scuba equipment on the boat and made my living as a salvage diver/vessel captain for many years. My wife is disabled now but can still get around some and she is very excited to get going on this trip. It may be her last long boat trip. I want it to go smoothly for her.
I intend to get a non-resident fishing license for Canada and we plan to just go along wih the tides and check out every little nook and cranny that looks interesting. I am also a pro photographer and plan to do some underwater stills and video. Do I understand that the boater card needed for 44+ days in Canada does not need to be registered with Canada in advance or is that something you would show at customs?
I had not heard of that requirement, and I am a bit paranoid that I could mess things up for us by missing some miniscule detail. I keep finding conflicting info on the net.
Also in your experience, has the US president ruined things for the average American going into Canada? He has been unbelievably rude and crass to countries that have been allies for so long and I would hate to think that the wonderful atmosphere I experienced with one of the most spectacularly beautiful places in the world was destroyed by one powerful person with no concern for anyone but himself. Personally, I have loved every minute I have spent and I've been in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba so far. My favorite though has been BC, thats why we chose this place for our "hopefully not" final cruise.

 

[greg_c]

The Waggoner cruising guide has a good chapter on crossing both directions. Updated yearly as far as I can tell.

The biggest things I've had to deal with is immigration (stay lengths, passports, vessel paperwork, know the rules, and get nexus), and also food/alcohol exemptions (and what food you can and cannot cross with, how much alcohol, etc).

Your WA card is fine but I've never had CBSA ask to see mine. CCG might ask to see it if you get stopped for an inspection, but if you can pass a USCG inspection prima facie, you should be fine.

 

[SteveK]

Hi Steve,
I'm an American with 40 years boating experience as a commercial diver / fisherman / liveaboard. Canada and Alaska were my absolute favorite places in the world to go to. For me the time in inside passage travel was usually in a hurry (point A to B) oriented. When I had a small breakdown in Campbell River area I got to experience a bigger taste of true Canadian hospitality. My poor wife was always stuck at home with our 4 kids. We are now taking our 50th anniversary trip up the inside passage in the spring. Hope to spend about 2 months cruising thru Canada and finally ending up in Alaska for good. We live on our 50' trawler now so we can get used to going from a 1300 sq' house with a shop half that size to a 50 x 16 boat and figure out any changes we need to make before getting on the "road".
I always try to cross the T's and dot the I's before going on an international trip or any other for that matter. Is there any single source of "REAL" and accurate current info on what i need for traveling within the legal requirements thru Canada? I expect to take about 2 or three month to go thru Canada when we go in the spring.
I have no Nexus experience, I don't think it even existed back in the 80's and 90's, at least I never heard of it. I have a Washington State boat operators card, insurance, a very safe and well organized boat with full electronics and way more CG safety equipment than required. I have full scuba equipment on the boat and made my living as a salvage diver/vessel captain for many years. My wife is disabled now but can still get around some and she is very excited to get going on this trip. It may be her last long boat trip. I want it to go smoothly for her.
I intend to get a non-resident fishing license for Canada and we plan to just go along wih the tides and check out every little nook and cranny that looks interesting. I am also a pro photographer and plan to do some underwater stills and video. Do I understand that the boater card needed for 44+ days in Canada does not need to be registered with Canada in advance or is that something you would show at customs?
I had not heard of that requirement, and I am a bit paranoid that I could mess things up for us by missing some miniscule detail. I keep finding conflicting info on the net.
Also in your experience, has the US president ruined things for the average American going into Canada? He has been unbelievably rude and crass to countries that have been allies for so long and I would hate to think that the wonderful atmosphere I experienced with one of the most spectacularly beautiful places in the world was destroyed by one powerful person with no concern for anyone but himself. Personally, I have loved every minute I have spent and I've been in BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba so far. My favorite though has been BC, thats why we chose this place for our "hopefully not" final cruise.

You have a boater card from WA so you do not need to worry about our 44+ BS requirement about proving proficiency. You do not need to pre register, just have it handy in case you are the one millionth visitor.
NEXUS is just the latest trusted traveler card (used to be Canpass?) to show custom officer you were prescreened. That said Florida customs were not familiar, it seemed when we were last there. You are interviewed by both CAN and US custom people and then once you get the card you re-up with a 5 year fee. Worked great for many years with only a cell phone call both ways. Now we also need we Canucks need to fill out other stuff in addition and electronically send before we enter. I have not heard of any changes for you to enter Canada with NEXUS. Since you do not have it you will go to one of our entry ports and use a landline phone. They will randomly decide if they will come to see you, unless they are there from a previous visitor.

I have not been across the line since covid. Then after I did fill out the requirements for the new entry system, paid WA cruising permit, I still did not go as now I needed this/that for my dog. I would love to see the San Juans again, go to LaConner etc.

As far as politics go, which we cannot discuss, except to say, I have not heard of any Canadian boater taking it out on an American boater. I have taken a cruise liner to Alaska and it is similar but different as well to our inside waterways so I see the attraction.
As for myself I will have to digest the latest news about the 5-10 years worth of social media and emails required to enter the US.

 

[liquidsands]

The Waggoner cruising guide has a good chapter on crossing both directions. Updated yearly as far as I can tell.

The biggest things I've had to deal with is immigration (stay lengths, passports, vessel paperwork, know the rules, and get nexus), and also food/alcohol exemptions (and what food you can and cannot cross with, how much alcohol, etc).

Your WA card is fine but I've never had CBSA ask to see mine. CCG might ask to see it if you get stopped for an inspection, but if you can pass a USCG inspection prima facie, you should be fine.

Thanks Greg,
I always get a CG voluntary inspection before any significant trip. It saved my hide one time and the attitude of the CG is greatly improved when they know you are trying to be compliant to the greatest extent possible. Then again I always surpass the requirements by far. Also I feel it's easy to forget something and if I do I don't want it to be something potentially life threatening. Thanks for the response.

 

[RCook]

We (US citizens) have been cruising from Puget sound up into BC and SE Alaska for 32 years. No NEXUS, just our passports. We follow the food and alcohol rules, and don't carry guns. Check into BC in Sydney heading north, and Prince Rupert heading south. Use CBPRoam heading north into AK and south back into WA. It's not very complicated, and often takes only a few minutes. Just to be nice, we fly a Canadian courtesy flag. We have always been welcome, including this past summer.

 

[SteveK]

BTW, I looked like an American boat once, when I forgot to put up our stern flag. Being close to the border I chuckle watching US boats enter without a stern flag.

 

[luna]

What is so amusing about a foreign boat entering Canada flying its National Ensign from the stern flagstaff?

Flag and Etiquette Committee

United States Power Squadrons Web Page, listing all the topics of interest to members and the public regarding boating safety topics.

www.usps.org

 

[AlaskaProf]

The guys who work fuel docks and are good at it can do a cleat hitch in <2 seconds, by lassoing the horns. I've seen people do it entirely from the boat deck. ...

I used to work with a former Boatswain's Mate who could tie a "Canal Zone bowline" in a line he was dragging along the ground with one hand. I actually replicated this one time while he was standing there coaching. Never since.

 

[Mark Laurnen]

The DTOPS (“customs”) sticker is for boats over 30 feet. It’s really just a $40 annual (luxury) tax.

I obtained the “mandatory” WA boaters card years ago. I still have it but no one (WA, USCG, insurance) has ever mentioned it.

The CA agents are typically more friendly than their US counterparts. While temporarily living aboard a few years ago, I entered CA in the customary fashion. The agent, located back east, laughed heartedly after I declared my on board alcohol, declaring it was “ships stock”. He said that he was certain that I was not in compliance, and to please don’t bring in such quantity in the future. Recently I docked at the customs dock at Roche Harbor and called the agent based in Friday Harbor. Maybe she was having a bad day. She rudely berated me for not checking in on-line BEFORE reaching the customs dock. My explanation of poor reception got me off the hook, but probably didn’t make her any nicer for the next customer.

Canada takes a much stricter view on drunken driving than the US, it is a felony there. A DWI conviction will bar entrance from the US at any road border crossing. With boats they are equally serious. A good friend, fishing on his own boat of the NW coast of Vancouver Island was stopped a year ago for a check. Aboard the patrol boat were CA Customs, CA Fish & Ocean, local Mounty officers. All licensing and boat documents were in order. The trouble began when the skipper admitted that he had had a beer for lunch some hours previous. They are serious, and fully prepared to perform a sobriety (breathalyzer) test any place at any time.

I envy all of you who have found the time to poke about the marvelous nooks and crannies of the Inside Passage. My only experience was running a 21’ boat from Roche Harbor to Ketchikan a few years ago. We picked a probable June weather window, but we allowed a week for the trip and packed provisions to spend days on a remote protected beach if necessary. We left RH at 06:00 on a Saturday, slept in a bed at Port Hardy that night. Slept, again, in a bed at Prince Rupert the second night. We docked in Ketchikan at 10:00 Monday morning. I believe we were shorter, had loose teeth, and appreciative … 600+ miles without a head … by the time we arrived. What we missed out on was really taking in the sights, people and culture along the way. I do hope to take a leisurely trip and see what so many of you have already seen!

 

[SteveK]

What is so amusing about a foreign boat entering Canada flying its National Ensign from the stern flagstaff?

Flag and Etiquette Committee

United States Power Squadrons Web Page, listing all the topics of interest to members and the public regarding boating safety topics.

www.usps.org

Thanks I corrected spell checker

 

[luna]

Thanks I corrected spell checker

Either way using the word with or without, it is still spelt just fine.

How would spell checker know "with a stern flag" is not what you wanted?

Perhaps what you need is an intent checker.

Someday soon, AI may well just do that.

 

[SteveK]

Either way using the word with or without, it is still spelt just fine.

How would spell checker know "with a stern flag" is not what you wanted?

Perhaps what you need is an intent checker.

Someday soon, AI may well just do that.

My intent was shown in the first sentence.

 

[liquidsands]

We (US citizens) have been cruising from Puget sound up into BC and SE Alaska for 32 years. No NEXUS, just our passports. We follow the food and alcohol rules, and don't carry guns. Check into BC in Sydney heading north, and Prince Rupert heading south. Use CBPRoam heading north into AK and south back into WA. It's not very complicated, and often takes only a few minutes. Just to be nice, we fly a Canadian courtesy flag. We have always been welcome, including this past summer.

It is nice to know. I was looking into Nexus, and it looks like a ton of hassle and expense if you only intend to use it once. We have passports and all necessary ids. I do have a rifle on the boat but no handguns.

 

[Frosty]

Just to be nice, we fly a Canadian courtesy flag. We have always been welcome, including this past summer.

LIke you, I found Canadians to be nothing but welcoming to this US citizen over the summer.

I did get curious about what you wrote about the courtesy flag. I mean, I don't know that it's a "law" per se; but I always thought it was a step more than just being nice. Not sure how to word it but more.....prescribed(?) with maybe some legal connotations (?).

I guess I've always thought that it's somewhere between being a sign of respect and a signal that shows you are aware of, and intend to comply with the maritime laws etc. of the country you are visiting. Not sure where I picked that up and don't have my Chapman's to hand. I could be completely wrong. Maybe I thought that because it's connected to lowering the Q flag, which does have legal implications (tho as I understand it, one does not fly the Q flag when entering Canada as a US citizen).

So hmm. I'll do a little research on this (but perhaps someone else here can correct me or explain further).

 

[greg_c]

It is nice to know. I was looking into Nexus, and it looks like a ton of hassle and expense if you only intend to use it once. We have passports and all necessary ids. I do have a rifle on the boat but no handguns.

As an added benefit, you also get GOES and TSAPre Check with it -- if you fly a lot (even just in the domestic US), those can be handy.

And it qualifies as a REALId!

 

[SteveK]

It is nice to know. I was looking into Nexus, and it looks like a ton of hassle and expense if you only intend to use it once. We have passports and all necessary ids. I do have a rifle on the boat but no handguns.

Now you know how I feel about going through the hassle only to have rules change by NEXUS not being enough anymore.

 

[Mako]

Next summer I plan on leaving Seattle for good (god willing).

Ha, I beat you by one year!

 

[guy with a boat]

It is nice to know. I was looking into Nexus, and it looks like a ton of hassle and expense if you only intend to use it once. We have passports and all necessary ids. I do have a rifle on the boat but no handguns.

Do your homework on the rules about bringing the rifle into Canada. There are some requirements so be prepared.

 

[RedRascal]

Do your homework on the rules about bringing the rifle into Canada. There are some requirements so be prepared.

There are also rules for bringing a gun into the U.S. so add that to your check list. On one trip I took a shotgun into Canada and was super focused on getting everything right to do that. It was a breeze bringing it into Canada but it was a mess bringing it back into the U.S. and not pleasant at the border.

 

[sunchaser]

Cruising SE Alaska is very different than cruising BC. First off, costs for moorage, supplies and fuel are much less in AK as compared to BC. Distances, remoteness, weather knowledge and high tide adaptability in AK requires different skill sets. Don’t get me wrong, we’ve equally enjoyed both BC and AK but there are tangible differences to keep in mind.

The Waggoner cruising guide refers to various points between Seattle and say Skagway as experience and vessel “gates” as one cruises northward. Each “gate” likewise requires better skipper skills and proven vessel reliability.

A few years ago we were in Ocean Falls BC enjoying the rain. As it was later in the summer we were following the weather and current updates and noticed a series of gales were about to descend upon the coast from Prince Rupert to south of Campbell River two days hence. The next morning we departed at dawn and rounded Cape Caution to Blunden Harbour traveling for 14 hours and covering about 120 nm. The weather was ideal that day but terrible, especially offshore, for the following week

My point is, in these remote coastal areas you’d best have a vessel, range and crew capable of doing a dawn to dusk non stop journey at any moment. For us, the biggest watch concern was during fog and rain events - logs and debris. Calm waters and sunny days are a godsend especially in later summer as cooling inland temperatures hit warmer water resulting in daytime fog making for shorter cruising days.

For BC cruising I’d consider TF member JD Cave a go to source of knowledge. Likewise, for Southeast AK, TP Brady or R Cook. These three guys know their stuff.

 

[greg_c]

Do your homework on the rules about bringing the rifle into Canada. There are some requirements so be prepared.

You know, this is a good one.

There are rules for people that are in direct transit to Alaska - and slightly different rules if you're going to be floating or driving around in Canadian waters for a few weeks / months exploring and maybe getting to Alaska with time and weather.

You can register your firearms w/ US Customs which may make it easier to prove ownership when asked.

They take this very, very seriously. Up to seizure of the vehicle, seizure and destruction of the weapons, and potential jail time.

Some good websites discuss the ins and outs -- usually focused on people driving from WA to AK through BC.

 

[SteveK]

Previously it was discussed that firearms needed to be shipped to Alaska to a gun store. I am not aware you can have one on board if you are gunkholing in Canada. They do mean direct travel and no stopping except emergencies. So yes ask, avoid the hassle later.