2DESTINATIONS ANO THE AREA COVERED BY TH15 GUIDE
The full Inside Passage reaches to Glacier Bay National Park and to 5itka
in South East Alaska. Beyond lie other portions of Alaska: Prince Willìam
Sound, the Kenai Peninsula, Cook Inlet, and the are of the remote and untouehed
Aleutian Islands which can be reached from this area, but are outside the scope
of this guide. Also not included are the offshore Queen Charlotte Islands of
British Columbia, and the rugged west coast of Vancouver Island. Areas of
great beauty and few visitations, alI of these ha ve their own intrinsic beauty
and navigational demands.
This volume covers the route from Victoria, B.C. through the waters between
Vancouver Island and the mainland, and then behind the skein of islands that
make the Inside Passage to South East Alaska. Because this is a great distance
this guide is restricted primarily to the main route of the passage itself.
There are many anchorages and interesting places everywhere, but it would take
several volumes if they were alI included. Other nearby anchorages whieh can
be used as alternatives for those detailed here are indicated.
The Iure of this guide is Glacier Bay, Alaska. This is a foca l destina-
tion and the route described traverses the main beauties of an area which is
growing in reputation and popularity. This is particularly true of South East
Alaska --simply "South East" to its inhabitants. Thus the guide provides a
rewarding circuit that covers both the spectacularly distinctive scenery as
well as the smaller communities and less known but equally attractive areas of
the state. At severa l places it is possible to make additional routes off the
main circuiti to go up around Behm Canal to Misty Fiords Natìonal Monumeot for
example, or to go ioto bays and anchorages not described. These side trips
will depend on your time and inclination. The criteria used io selecting
anchorages and harbors are based on a nominaI day's run of 50 nautical miles
for a slower moving vessel such as an auxiliary sail boato Sources of fuel and
water are other factors. However, this is no hard and fast ruIe, and in
several sections the anchorages are more closely spaced if of special interest.
They also allow for a wider selection of stops for vessels with faster speeds
and longer daily runs. The choice of daily destinations depends on the
vessel's capabilities and one's interests.
In a few cases longer legs may be necessary due to lack of a suitable
intermediate stop. This is usually true of the open water crossings i.e.
across the Strait of Georgia, the run across Queen Charlotte Sound past Cape
Caution, and for the crossing of Dixon Entrance. These are given special
attention in the generaI notes that follow.The anchorages described in this guide have been personally visited and
evaluated. As with other guides issued by Cl:ARLIE'S CHARTS, the sketches and
drawings are based on these visits, though wherever large scale charts of
anchorages are available they may be used as a basis for the sketches. The
sketches are alI hand-drawn to emphasize that they are NOT TO BE USED FOR
SAVIGATION. Proper charts and sailing directions should be carried and used
for actual navigation. A list of charts is given in Appendix I. Neither this
guide nor any other relieves a skipper of the responsibility of navigating
his/her own vessel safely. A go od sailor is always prudente