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PNW - Cruising Guides.

16K views 37 replies 16 participants last post by  NullPointer 
#1 · (Edited)
What I would like to see is a compilation of PNW Guides plus any other information that relates to the area, be that books, magazines, links to websites, dvds etc. This is not meant to be the place for individual cruising reports (though we can link to them) but could include your favourite marinas, restaurants, whatever.

Cruising Guides

A Cruising Guide to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands - Migael Scherer

Don Douglass and Réanne Hemingway - Exploring Series Cruising Guides

Charlies Charts - Charlie and Margo Wood

Dreamspeaker - Anne and Laurence Yeaden-Jones

Northwest Boating On Line

Waggoner Cruising Guide - Bob Hale

Sailing Directions (from the Canadian Hydrographic Service)

BC Marine Parks Guide (published by Heritage House)

Multimedia

SAN JUAN ISLANDS CRUISING GUIDE

Marinas, Repair Facilities, Restaurants etc.

Rosario Resort (Sept 09)

Cleats and Eats

The Burgee - David Kutz

Personal Blogs and Cruising Reports

Faster -- Yet Another Great Summer

JRD22 -- Desolation Sound Trip

nikolajsen -- 31 Days to Desolation Sound in a 20' Yawl

Erps -- Labor Day Weekend in the San Juans

Around Vancouver Island: A story about circumnavigating Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Publications

48° North

NW Yachting

BC Marina

Books

Raban, Jonathan - Passage to Juneau

Post your suggestions and I'll edit them into the list. If you think any of the suggestions are utter rubbish, please feel free to say so. The same goes for the layout and the categories. Tell me what you want.
 
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#2 ·
I do not at this time have too many guides per say, but three on the list I have and like,

A Cruising Guide to Puget sound and the San Juan Islands, I have the Olympia to Port Angelas version, would assume there is another for the gulf islands north, but could be wrong. Witten by Migael Scherer. It also has a few tide current charts at the rear along with how to get into different bays and marina's etc.

I also have two current carts, one of puget sound, and another that is popular for the san juans. But being as both are 15 min away on the boat........I'll get them maybe later tonight, or this weekend if someone else does not mention them in the mean time. Currents can be rather tricky around here. Where you think the water would be flowing, it is going opposite!

Marty
 
#3 ·
A few more that I have used

Exploring Vancouver Island's West Coast, 2nd Ed. (Paperback)
by Don Douglass

Bill Wolferstan's books - a little dated, but still good resources.

Gunkholing in The Gulf Islands and Gunkholing in Desolation Sound and Princess Louisa by Al Cummings and Jo Bailey Cummings

The San Juan Islands - Afoot and Afloat by Marge and Ted Mueller
 
#4 ·
Good thread tdw, thanks.

"Exploring the North Coast of British Columbia" - Blunden Harbour to Dixon Entrance. By Don Douglass & Reanne Hemingway. 600 pages jam packed with very useful cruising info including lots of historical info.

I find this one to be invaluable and very interesting to browse even when I'm not cruising.
 
#5 ·
If your suggestion doesn't make it onto the list at first, don't despair. I am trying to give each suggestion a quick run through before I edit the main list and I only have so much time.

I fear the links may end up getting the shaft. It is perhaps a little bit too difficult to keep from becoming overly commercial.

We shall see.
 
#6 ·
I fear the links may end up getting the shaft. It is perhaps a little bit too difficult to keep from becoming overly commercial.

We shall see.
I expect that some search engine or online bookstore can be used if the links disappear.
 
#7 ·
I have not looked at the above links to see if they go to a book store, the authors web site...........

Hopefully, "IF" folks choose to link a book, then the link disappears for what ever reason, they will list the book name/author etc, as this is probably the "best way" IMHO as to not worry about losing the info! I can then look up the book via my favorite seach engine, be it google, yahoo, msn or lets see if we can come up with a benehuntalina word for it..........."yagoosn"

Anyway, 10pm here in the lovely NW, I've had my IC, cold drink, walked the bleeping dog.......time for bed!

Marty
 
#8 ·
TDW,

May I suggest that you include some of the great trip reports that our PacNW Sailnet members have posted here? Maybe you could list them under the "Personal Blogs" category?

I think these would really help to give folks a taste for sailing in the PNW. Recently we've had some trip reports from Faster, JRD, Erps, and others (I'll stick some links in at the bottom), but I know there are plenty of others who have made nice contributions in the past.

Faster -- Yet Another Great Summer

JRD22 -- Desolation Sound Trip

nikolajsen -- 31 Days to Desolation Sound in a 20' Yawl

Erps -- Labor Day Weekend in the San Juans
 
#9 ·
Not strictly a cruising guide.

Sailing Directions from the Canadian Hydrographic Service

It has some information lacking in a cruising guide

- Weather conditions throughout the year
- Traffic Zones and VHF frequencies, etc.,

As an official publication, none of its information is prefaced with "not for navigation."

When teaching, I refer my students to Sailing Direction before a cruising guide, and compare the advice.

Jack
 
#10 ·
Marine Parks forever publishes a nice guide to BC marine parks. Agree that the rather out-of-date Pacific Yachting/Wolferstan books are still of value for the historical aspects in the text. (There's one for the West Coast of Vancouver Island as well)

I think TD has pretty well covered the other (more or less current) editions. Keep in mind that the marina and aquaculture situations are always in a state of flux, and often recommended destinations may well turn out not to be as advertised.....

There are a couple of pure marina guides out there... "Docks and Destinations" is one of them. Again, though, be prepared for changes to what's listed.
 
#11 · (Edited)
The following can all be referenced free online. These are some of my favorites and all very good reads about making your way north.

This one shows an exhaustive number of photos of the various islands, bays, towns, docks etc. along the west coast up to Alaska. Clicking any one of the many entries in the left hand column gives access to the various photo spreads.
BC Canada North Coast and Southeast Alaska Images.

"Around Vancouver Island" by Tim Whelan. A great Vancouver Island circumnavigation story. Includes a route chart.
Around Vancouver Island: A story about circumnavigating Vancouver Island, British Columbia

"Adventures in the Charlottes" Another one by Tim Whelan. This is one of my favorites and a must read for anyone heading up to the Charlottes. Includes a route chart.
Adventures in the Charlottes: Chapter 1

Article from 48 north magazine. Running the Nakwakto rapids and exploring the vast and remote Seymour Inlet.
48° North - Feature Article

"Up the inside passage" Although this is a documentation of a flotilla of converted salmon trollers heading north it's still a great read.
Part 1
NWYachting
Part 2
NWYachting

"Up the west coast to Barkley Sound" by Marianne Scott. Going the wrong way around the outside of Vancouver island up to Barkley Sound.
NWYachting

From 48 North Magazine. "The Kindest Coast" by Jeramy Pataky. Purchasing a San Juan 24 and taking it up the inside passage.
48° North - The Kindest Coast
 
#12 ·
Good work, Steve... I believe the Mariane Scott article you referenced is part of a book detailing several seasons exploring the west coat "the wrong way".
 
#13 ·
How about a list of advisories "both good and bad"

We have experienced out of date guide information.
I would like to see updates from current cruisers.
Examples would be when a anchor bouy is missing or a gas dock has gone out of business or a marine waterway park is removed.
Speaking of fuel, I sure would like a list of fuel docks and their hours.
My suggestion to add to the list of guides is "Fish-n-Map Co".
They print a waterproof, cheap, San Juan/Gulf/Straight of Juan De Fuca map with lots of useful information.
TJ
 
#14 ·
There is another guide, something to the effect of "Burgee's of the NW/BC" It lists marina's, and the YC's that in habit the marina's, with typically B&W copy of the burgees. I recall it being greenish in nature on the cover, with colored burgees in the background.

I am recalling there being another like it too.

Yachting, a larger freebe rag you can get here in the states, I believe it is availible up in BC too, Jan or Feb issue has a list of marina's, with the most recent hrs for the coming year with prices etc too.

Marty
 
#16 ·
There is another guide, something to the effect of "Burgee's of the NW/BC" It lists marina's, and the YC's that in habit the marina's, with typically B&W copy of the burgees. I recall it being greenish in nature on the cover, with colored burgees in the background.

I am recalling there being another like it too.

Yachting, a larger freebe rag you can get here in the states, I believe it is availible up in BC too, Jan or Feb issue has a list of marina's, with the most recent hrs for the coming year with prices etc too.

Marty
Blt.....
Found it...The Burgee by David Kutz...havn't found the other two you mention.

In General

How about books not specifically related to sailing and/or boating ?

History perhaps ?
 
#15 ·
Well it certainly appears that the basic idea is well received.

Having slept on it I think most of the links will have to go. It's too hard to differentiate between what is non commercial and commercial.

Nonetheless links to cruise reports and blogs will go up and will stay I think.

I wasn't sure whether cruise reports as such should form part of the list but given the feedback lets do it.

One thing that is worthwhile is that any mention of shore facilities will carry a date of the report. Anyone then thinking of using that facility can ask for an update if the original is say more a season out of date.
 
#17 ·
Fuzzy,,

Here a copy and paste from a post about 2 down from here, first by wiley1 with the SJ current charts etc, the other is "Puget Sound currents" or some such thing, forgot to look last night at my boat. Was to busy pearing at "lady Washington" which is an old replica of a schooner or equal that appeared in the three pirates movies among others.

Marty

I am pretty sure blt2ski meant:

Current Atlas
Juan de Fuca Strait to Strait of Georgia
Canadian Hydrographic Service

And with it be sure to get :

Washburn's Tables 2009

Washburn's Tables goes with the Current Atlas and all the calculations have been done for you. For cruising the Straits, San Juans and Straits of Georgia I would not leave home without it. Makes planning your trip much easier.

Bests,
Wiley
 
#18 ·
Murray's Tables and Ports and Passages both have publications that work with the Current Atlas. I actually have no problems using the Point Atkinson method from the inside cover of the Atlas.
 
#19 · (Edited)
I would like to second the "Afoot and Afloat" series. The used one we have is out of date but even if they aren't updating them we really enjoyed reading the history of the region.

Anyone know of a good guide to the Charlottes? I read the cruising reports linked above but would also love to pick up a book if there is a good one. We are heading up there this summer.

We reviewed the Dreamspeaker series on our blog. They are our go-to guide for the regions they cover.
 
#21 ·
also Jeff Renner's paperback on weather for NW sailors is a must read for San Juans and south. If you really want to get into PNW weather read Cliff Maas' recent book. He's the UW person who runs the NOAA computer for the area. The Seattle Power Squadron runs a many week course on PNW weather that's very good but it's well underway by now. The point is that open ocean weather stuff just doesn't apply inshore here.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Two absolute musts for weather:

Marine Weather Hazards Manual (essential for local weather hazards)

The Wind Came All Ways (more theoretical but great for linking local conditions to weather patterns)

Both from Environment Canada

One other:

Pacific Northwest Weather - Miller
 
#24 · (Edited)
#26 ·
#28 ·
Cross posting this from my post on SSCA because it seemed like a useful item for PNWers.
----
This may be old news for some but new news for me.

You can download the current/tide tables for Canada in the nicely formatted .pdf version for free here.

I knew you could access individual days online for Canada but didn't know that I could download and print sections rather than buying the volumes. And I can keep them on my computer/Nook. Very nice.

If only I could download the entire volume at once instead of section by section. Still, this was useful for us.
 
#29 ·
Cruising guide of BC or Alaska waters.

Hello.
I live in Poland and with my friends we plan to charter boat in Vancouver and sail North to Alaska.

Maybe someone has any cruising guide in pdf format or could scan it for us.
I have to plan our trip and it's very dificult without cruising guide.

If someone could also share any raster or vector charts for BC we will be very gratefull.

We could share some materials aubou European water eg. North Sea, Baltic Sea, Meditarenian

please help
with regards
Maciek
 
#30 ·
Hello.
I live in Poland and with my friends we plan to charter boat in Vancouver and sail North to Alaska.

Maybe someone has any cruising guide in pdf format or could scan it for us.
I have to plan our trip and it's very dificult without cruising guide.

If someone could also share any raster or vector charts for BC we will be very gratefull.

We could share some materials aubou European water eg. North Sea, Baltic Sea, Meditarenian

please help
with regards
Maciek
Not much for free. Official charts in Canada are not copyright free. The charter company should supply them.

Online stuff - Northwest Boating Northwest Boat Travel On-Line and The Waggoner Cruising Guide, Annual Guide to Northwest Boating from Weatherly Press

Which charter companies are you considering?
 
#33 ·
The beauty of Pacific Coast Pilot's Gulf Islands guide is that it's free to download.
Here's me blowing our horn.

I know your post is a couple years old, but I should note that Pacific Coast Pilot became Salish Sea Pilot soon after you posted that.

And after 17,000 free downloads of our guides to the Gulf Islands, San Juan Islands and Desolation Sound, we did complete updates of them and this spring started charging $5 for each ebook, hoping to cover our costs.

We will soon add guides to Puget Sound and Northern Georgia Strait, essentially covering all of the Salish Sea.

Sorry about the commercial.
 
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