When to return from SE Alaska

[RedRascal]

Starting to do some high level trip planning for a summer exploring SE Alaska. I'll be starting from Seattle and it seems like May is usually the time folks start working their way north. The questions is when to head south from Ketchikan? My may goal is to visit a bunch of the glaciers and other sites of interest so I figure I should count on the whole summer of exploring. I am a little fuzzy on when folks start heading back south. I cruise around 6.5knots so 20-30 mile days are pretty comfortable and 60 mile days are about the limit of listening to my trusty Ford Lehman "purr" along. I figure roughly about 3 weeks to return however if the weather is nice I could see slowing down to to enjoy some late season cruising as I work my way south. Is September 1st the usual time to start back south or is it better to get moving south earlier? I think I would probably push a bit to get to Port Hardy to get the open ocean sections out of the way then relax a bit the rest of the way south.

 

[ksanders]

We are making the exact same trip next summer, starting from and returning to Victoria BC.

You want to leave going north during the month of May.
You want to be safe by October 1st.

Our plan is to cross Queen Charlotte Strait northbound around the end of May, and cross going south around the 15th of September.

How far you go depends on how much time you want to spend underway, but you have 5 months maximum to explore.

 

[RedRascal]

Our thinking aligns on timing. I am curious what some of the regulars that do this annually have to say.

 

[tiltrider1]

The faster you can travel the shorter a weather window is needed. Starting in September the number of good days to get around Cape Caution or across Dixion start to decrease. The rains start to return in September as well.

I would want to be south of Cape Caution by Oct 1. For a slow boat it might mean starting to head south form Ketchikan September 15th.

Even when I came down towards the middle of August there were 5 days of no go, followed by two days of good to go, followed by 5 more days of no go. It was easy for me to time Crossing Dixion, hanging in Rupert and then traveling to Fury cove to lay up a day and then dash around the Cape. Still, the weather was in control of my schedule.

My boat is stabilized and my wife has a 4-5' swell max comfort level. None the less, I timed everything for 2' swells and she was very happy, made me a steak dinner for such a smooth crossing. My point is some people can handle having the crap knocked out of them and other can't. This tolerance gives you a larger weather window to work with.

Most boats head South from Ketchikan between August 10th-15th.

 

[guy with a boat]

South of Cape Caution by October 1 is a good policy, and is sometimes a requirement of boat insurance policies (worth checking yours if you don’t know). September can be beautiful and can be stormy. The chance of storms increases after about August 15, but seems to ramp up around Sept 1.

Take advantage of September if you want/need to max out the duration of your time in AK, but know that it is the shoulder season for most recreational boaters. Our next trip we will probably be south of Cape Caution by September 1 and enjoy the remainder of the season in BC. The later you are far north, the higher chance of having to endure weather delays and/or rough conditions.

Plan your schedule based upon your tolerance for uncertainty.

 

[RedRascal]

So does summer kinda of end mid-August in SE Alaska and fall weather patterns begin? Also are boats scampering south to get the kids back to school or is it more of a weather thing?

I am still getting to know the boat(CHB 34) and only had a couple chances to run it in open ocean this summer so I don't have much to go by. We were hanging out in Barkley Sound and went out late one afternoon after the NW winds had some time to build up the seas to test out the ride. About 15 knots on the nose with a 3-5' swell slows us down to about 5 knots to get a tolerable ride which isn't really comfortable at all. We just headed out for about 30 minutes then came back at different angles to the waves to get a feel for the boat. Based on our test ride I'd want to shoot for 10 knots or less for the open ocean crossings. If the swell is <5' and stretched out to 10-12 seconds what is the upper wind speed limit that you would cross(Dixon & cape) at?

It seems like somewhere in the first week of September is about the max for me to depart Ketchikan based on my speed, miles per day and comfort at sea.

Good point about insurance, I'll have to check on that.

 

[tiltrider1]

It’s a weather thing.

 

[DDW]

The rain increases in Ketchikan throughout August on average, with October being the rainiest month of the year. But it also seems to be highly variable with the year. Another consideration is the availability of services in more remote areas. Starting Sept 1 things start shutting down and by Oct 1 seasonal businesses are generally closed. More of an issue between say Cape Caution and Lund. On the other hand we have had some beautiful weather through October up in the Broughtons.

 

[RCook]

We often head toward Ketchikan from the Craig area, after a good bit of fishing. S from KTN in the first week of September. Our insurance requires us to be south of Cape Caution by 9/15, which works well for us. Once S of the Cape, we can dawdle in mostly easy weather if other commitments permit.

 

[jrd22]

I'm no expert, only done this once but from people we talked to and from the lack of recreational traffic we saw I'd say most boats leave Ketchikan by Sept 1 if not earlier. We left Ketch on Aug 26 this year and arrived in the San Juans Sept 12. I was really surprised by the lack of boats we encountered on the way down, expected several boats in our anchorages but mostly it was just us. The weather in SE and Prince Rupert was really wet all summer so maybe that was a factor. We lucked out and for the most part had sunny, calm days. No weather delays at all at Dixon or Caution (I'm sure next time will make up for it). We travel at 7.5 knots.

 

[RedRascal]

This chart really helps show the popularity of departing in August unless your a duck. I didn't realize August was such a pivotal month. Thanks for all the feedback, expectations have been set for my high level plans. This is for the 2027 season so I have tons of time to work through the details.

 

[ktdtx]

Agree with all the above. The further you get into October the longer you might have to wait for weather. Also, if you need to refuel you will find some of the seasonal operations will be closed/closing.

 

[RedRascal]

Seems like the only constraint I could have other than weather is getting a refill on water. I can go about 2 weeks before needing a refill so as long as I can get water in Bella Bella I should be good. Should have enough fuel to make it without a refill and insurance(Progressive) doesn't have any date restrictions. Not that I want to be north of Cape Caution after Oct. 1st but if I have a string of problems and delays coming south I could be north of Cape Caution from an insurance perspective.

 

[SeaDogAK]

Seems like the only constraint I could have other than weather is getting a refill on water. I can go about 2 weeks before needing a refill so as long as I can get water in Bella Bella I should be good. Should have enough fuel to make it without a refill and insurance(Progressive) doesn't have any date restrictions. Not that I want to be north of Cape Caution after Oct. 1st but if I have a string of problems and delays coming south I could be north of Cape Caution from an insurance perspective.

I believe Shearwater is open all winter.

 

[DDW]

Shearwater is open all winter. South of there, Port McNeil, Sullivan Bay, Lagoon Cove, Blind Channel. All will sell fuel all year. Maybe Echo Bay, not sure, it has changed a lot lately.

 

[Airstream345]

Good advice here. August often turns into “Fogust” in Central BC and SEAK. By October, the stronger Northern Pacific systems start showing up. That said, we stayed up here this season (Petersburg) and had the longest stretch of the very best weather we’ve ever experienced in Alaska this September. Who knew? By October, it felt like gale after gale rolled through almost weekly.

There are plenty of services in SEAK, but less so between Prince Rupert and Port McNeill. Water in smaller places is often limited and not always filtered. Usually it’s excellent water—but I grew up drinking out of a garden hose.

Everyone focuses on the crossings (and for good reason), but the inside passages can get gnarly too. Time is your friend—just wait for decent conditions.