Blog of Our Alaskan Cruise

[Tom Keevil]

This summer we returned from a three-year cruise to Southeast Alaska. We left the boat there over two winters, and returned each spring to sail for the summer. During the trip I sent a number of rather lengthy e-mails with photos to friends and family to let them know what we were doing. They were designed to show our non-sailing friends what we do when we're gone, and to provide information for our sailing friends who might want to make such a trip.

I found that reading the blogs of other Alaskan cruisers was helpful in planning our own journeys, and have decided to post our e-mails online to help others in planning their own adventures.

I've posted them as a blog, since that was easy and cheap, but it's not really a blog, since it is all in the past, and I don't plan to continue posting in the future. For that reason they are posted in reverse order, so they read chronologically from the top to the bottom.

Anyhow, if any of you are thinking of cruising Alaska, you might find it helpful. You can find it at

http://sailingrover.blogspot.com/

[Paul Clayton]

Tom, great website, with the pictures, maps and description to let us vicariously enjoy your voyages. The normal chronological order makes it a lot easier to follow.

[Paul D.]

Thank you for this Tom. Our boats seem pretty similar in how you've set up your gear. Though I have not read through each entry of your blog, I would be interested in your specific thoughts of using the main with a third reef. Have you had the opportunity to sail in 35kts+ wind and if so what tips could I glean from you?

Your cruising ground also looks similar to ours on Western Lake Superior (with some higher mountains and tides of course). Beautiful wilderness cruising.

[Tom Keevil]

Paul, yes we have on occasion sailed in gale force winds, but I hesitate to call it an "opportunity." It is something we try very hard to avoid. We bought the mainsail with the third reef when we were based on the Oregon coast, and doing some overnight trips. When the weather goes bad down there, the coast guard closes the river bars, and you can't seek shelter, so we thought we should be prepared for the worst.

The few times we have been caught in a gale we have been headed downwind with a furled main and a reefed jib, so we have never needed the third reef. Caught on a lee shore, it would be nice to have.

Now that we are based in BC we no longer need to do overnights, and now that we are retired we watch gales from a secure anchorage, waiting for better winds to travel. Even so, we did get caught a time or two in Alaska.

Yes, Lake Superior looks like an attractive cruising ground. We have toyed with the idea of shipping Rover to Minnesota and exploring your neck of the woods, but I'm not sure that's a realistic idea.

[fmueller]

Great reading and viewing. Great pictures and prose. Thanks so much for sharing. You are "bookmarked" ...

Fred