A Sail Tale

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North America

Inside Passage (Puget Sound to Alaska)

Roughly 1,000 miles of sheltered channels from Puget Sound through British Columbia to Alaska, with whales, glaciers and fierce tidal rapids.

23 episodes on the chart

Length
about 1,000 miles Olympia to Skagway/Haines; Seattle to Ketchikan about 650-660 nm
Typical duration
about 1 month round trip Seattle-Ketchikan; most take a season
Season
May to September
Segments
Puget Sound, about 520 miles in BC, about 50 miles in SE Alaska to Ketchikan
Tidal currents
Seymour Narrows up to about 16 knots
Border
Customs clearance into Canada and back into Alaska

The Inside Passage threads sheltered straits and fjords from Puget Sound through the San Juan Islands, British Columbia's Strait of Georgia, Johnstone Strait and Queen Charlotte Strait to southeast Alaska, ending around Skagway and Haines. Seattle to Ketchikan is about 650-660 nautical miles, including roughly 520 miles in BC.

Cruisers usually go from May to September, taking about a month round trip or several months to explore properly. Most boats plan around tides, using slack water at Dodd Narrows, Active Pass and Seymour Narrows. Anchorages are frequent and often deep, and cruisers clear Canadian and US customs at the border.

Wildlife and scenery draw boaters to orca, humpback whales, bears and glaciers. The challenges are strong semi-diurnal tides, currents up to about 16 knots at Seymour Narrows, unpredictable weather, fog, deadheads and deep anchorages. The open stretch around Cape Caution adds swell and exposure.

Highlights

  • San Juan Islands
  • Desolation Sound
  • Johnstone Strait orcas
  • Great Bear Rainforest
  • Glacier Bay and Juneau region

Watch out for

  • Timing narrows at slack water
  • Fog, logs and deadheads
  • Exposed open water at Cape Caution and Queen Charlotte Strait
  • Deep anchorages and limited safe refuges

Episodes on this route 23

Crews on this route

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A summary for learning and dreaming, not for navigation. Rules, fees, seasons and security advice change: check current official sources before you go.

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