Torries

january/february 2017

cruisingworld.com

51

ENDS OF THE EARTH

Peninsula to be a quite formidable teacher

of high- latitude sailing skills.

ALL

-weather anchorages along

this coast are scarce and

poorly charted. Seth and I were lucky

to have tips from local friends and sail-

ors who were familiar with the region.

Originally, we had planned to sail from

ESSENTIAL HIGH-LATITUDE SAFETY GEAR:

➾ AIS receiver for fog, night and poor visibility. A transponder would be nice but isn’t

essential if you keep a good watch.

➾ Radar. Not all boats have AIS, but radar picks them up. It’s also great for navigating in fog.

➾ Reliable weather forecasts. We use OCENS WeatherNet via satellite phone with external

antenna, which provides detailed and comprehensive predictions. For coastal waters where

conditions change hourly, the National Weather Service broadcasts over VHF and SSB.

For Alaska, print the weather-zone map ahead of time: pafc.arh.noaa.gov/marfcst.php.

➾ Good ground tackle. Winds are strong and anchorages deep. We use a 45-pound Mantus

anchor with 175 feet of chain. We also have a 65-pound Mantus just in case.

➾ Survival suits. If all goes wrong, you won’t last long without protection, even in a life raft.

➾ Storm sails. You’ll probably beat against strong winds at some point; the standard genoa

won’t work. We have a high-cut yankee as well as a staysail and storm jib. Celeste doesn’t

balance with a trysail, but it would be good for most boats.

After a difficult hike to a ridge above

King Cove, near the end of the Alaska

Peninsula, the author takes in her

first sight of the Bering Sea.

CW0217_FEAT4_Alaska.indd 51 11/21/16 10:44 AM