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ALASKAN SONG
ALASKA YACHT CHARTERS Since 1996
Crewed Yacht Charter - The Personalized Cruise Alternative
PREPARING FOR YOUR TRIP
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CLOTHING
SUGGESTIONS
Casual
clothing is the norm both on the boat as well as in towns, even in some of the
better restaurants. Staying warm, dry and comfortable will allow you to maximize
the enjoyment of your experience. Layering for warmth is the best approach. If
you plan to be outside in windy or rainy conditions, We recommend a long sleeve
shirt, sweater and waterproof (not water-resistant) windbreaker and rain pants.
- Pants
(Levi’s, denims, khakis)
- Shirts (long
& short sleeved cotton, one flannel-like, one turtle-neck)
- Sweaters (
sweatshirts, wool or synthetic pile)
- Sweatpants or
other comfortable pants
- Rain
jacket/windbreaker - preferably with hood
- Rain pants - lightweight
waterproof/optional
- Shorts (it can
be warm!)
- Gloves -
lightweight wool or acrylic gloves are the best
- Bathing suit
(in case we stop at a hot springs)
- Hats - Rain hat and
a sun visor or ball cap
- Shoes - Soft, with
non-marking soles for the boat.
- Knee-high
rubber boots for hiking, beach landings and tide pooling.
Rubber boots can be easily cleaned of after a muddy hike. If you don't want to pack boots,
we have a good assortment of rubber boots on board or you can buy inexpensive ones in Juneau
& Sitka.
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CLIMATE INFORMATION
Southeastern Alaska is a temperate
rain forest, with the most rain falling in the southern part.
Annual rainfall amounts range from 150
inches in Ketchikan to 30 inches in Skagway. May and June are the
driest months while July and August are a bit wetter but warmer as well.
Normal temperatures run from the mid-fifties to low seventies with temps
dropping about ten degrees at night. Rarely,
when the sun comes out, temps in the eighties can occur.
It is important to note that there
can be up to 20 hours of daylight in early summer. The weather in southeast can and does change with
amazing frequency. In order to stay
comfortable one needs to be prepared for these changes.
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SITKA CLIMATE AND HOURS OF DAYLIGHT |
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Month
|
Avg. High |
Avg. Low |
Rain |
Daylight |
|
Jan |
29 |
19 |
4.5" |
7.1 hrs |
|
Feb |
34 |
23 |
3.75" |
9.4 hrs. |
|
Mar |
39 |
27 |
3.28" |
11.8 hrs. |
|
Apr |
47 |
32 |
2.77" |
14.4 hrs. |
|
May |
55 |
39 |
3.42" |
16.8 hrs |
|
Jun |
61 |
45 |
3.15" |
18.3 hrs. |
|
Jul |
64 |
48 |
4.16" |
17.6 hrs. |
|
Aug |
63 |
47 |
5.32" |
15.4 hrs. |
|
Sep |
56 |
43 |
6.73" |
12.8 hrs. |
|
Oct |
47 |
37 |
7.84" |
10.3 hrs. |
|
Nov |
37 |
27 |
4.91" |
7.9 hrs. |
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Dec |
32 |
23 |
4.44" |
6.4 hrs. |
LUGGAGE TIPS
Remember
that you will be on a boat. Avoid bringing hard luggage. The cabins have closets and drawers, but storage is
limited. Soft luggage or duffel bags are to be preferred as they stow easily and you
will not be competing for space in your stateroom with your luggage.
EQUIPMENT
AND OTHER ITEMS
- Soft day pack
- Binoculars
- Sunglasses
- Sun block, lip
balm
- Hair dryer - We have hair dryers on board
- Camera with extra batteries & lots of film
- Fly-fishing gear (saltwater gear and light
spinning gear is already on board)
- CD's (if you
have a favorite) We have a library of over
200 CDs
- Personal
toiletries
- Bring sunscreen, just in case.
Bug spray is a good idea too. Mosquitoes
are generally not a problem on board but can be in small, quiet, windless coves or on shore.
CAMERA
AND VIDEO EQUIPMENT
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Rule #1: Start
with fresh batteries and bring extras.
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Rule #2: Bring
twice the amount of film than you think you could possibly use. You'll really
kick yourself if you run out!
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400 ASA film
allows you to shoot in the many different light conditions, but the prints will
be grainier if you enlarge the pictures. If you are more into photography, you
may want to use film in the range of ASA 64 (slides) or ASA 100 (prints) for
sunny days to ASA 200 for overcast days. If you use a camera with
interchangeable lenses, bring at least one wide-angle lens (between 24mm and
50mm) and one telephoto. An 80-200mm zoom is the most versatile. A 300mm lens
can be very useful for wildlife, if you have a steady hand. A monopod
is quite useful on a boat.
-Digital photographers, we do have a computer (pc) on board with a
CD-R/W burner. We can copy your digital photos from either floppy,
smart media, memory stick, secure digital or compact flash to the hard drive during the cruise and then
burn all your images on to a CD-ROM for you prior to your departure.
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If you have a
video camera, you'll be able to get memorable footage and you'll be recharging your
battery often, so bring two batteries and lots of video tape.
- When traveling in the
skiff we will be close to the water. Even on a sunny day in calm water there is
an "invisible" salt mist in the air. This is hard on camera equipment.
Make sure to bring some kind of case for your equipment or at least a heavy
plastic bag. Rubbing alcohol works great to remove salt spray from camera
bodies. Lens cleaning fluid or a chamois cloth is best for cleaning lenses.
SUGGESTED READING LIST
Destination Map -
Alaska's Inside Passage
National Geographic Maps Trails Illustrated
1-56695-122-4
Best map of the area
to use for planning your trip and to bring along
Passage to Juneau
Jonathan Raban
Pantheon Books
0-679-44262-6
New in 1999 – A lovely & thoughtful look at the
history and culture of the area
The Coastal Companion
Joe Upton Coastal
Publishing
0-9645682-0-9
All around guide to the entire
inside passage
Southeast Alaska- Touring the Inside Passage Sarah Eppenbach
Globe Pequot Press
1-56440-363-7
Good background on history, wildlife, weather, native heritage and points of
interest
Adventure Guide to Coastal Alaska
Lynn & Ed Readicker- Henderson Hunter Publishing 1-55650-630-9
All around guide to coastal Alaska
The Curve of time
M. Wylie Blanchet Seal Press
1-878067-27-3
Written by a single
mother from British Columbia who cruised the coast while home-schooling her
children in the 20s & 30s
The Last Wild Edge
Susan Zwinger
Johnson Books
1-55566-241-2
A thoughtful
naturalists account of her journey from the arctic circle to the Olympic rain
forest (friend of the captain)
Spirited Waters
Jennifer Hahn
The Mountaineers
0-89886-744-4
A woman's solo
sea-kayak and spiritual voyage through the inside passage from Ketchikan to
Bellingham
(friend of the captain)
Reaching Home -
Pacific Salmon, Pacific People
Natalie Fobes
Alaska Northwest Books
0-88240-449-0
Award winning,
National Geographic photographer's work on the natural and human history of the
salmon (friend
of the captain)
History & Fiction
Where the Sea
Breaks its Back
Corey Ford
Alaska Northwest Books 0-88240-394-X
Story of naturalist Georg Steller
and the Russian Exploration of Alaska
The Sea Runners
Ivan Doig
Penguin
0-14-006780-9
Fictional Account of true story of four Swedish indenture
servant who escape Sitka in a stolen Tlingit canoe and paddle all the way to the
Columbia River. A great read!
The Reader’s Companion to Alaska
Alan Ryan
Harcourt Brace
0-15-600368-6
Compendium of great travel writing about
Alaska
Working on the Edge
Spike Walker
St. Martin’s Press
0-312-08924-4
Great account of the perils of
work on a king crab boat not about Southeast but a great read
Coming
Back Alive
Spike Walker
St. Marin's Press
0-312-26971-4
Incredible true story of an heroic Coast Guard rescue mission on Alaska's high
seas
The Inside Passage to Alaska
Hugo Anderson
Anderson Publishing
0-945989-21-0
Hard to find but worth the effort
Cruising Guides
and Mariner’s Resources
Exploring the Inside Passage to Alaska
Don & Reane Douglas Fine Edge Prod.
0-938665-33-2
Excellent guide to anchorages and passages San Juan Islands to Skagway
Charlie’s Charts – North to Alaska
Charles Wood
0-9697265-4-6
Similar to above but not as detailed on anchorages – good hand drawn charts
Southeast Alaska Current Atlas
Randel Washbourne Weatherly
Press 0-935727-05-1
Invaluable graphic atlases of tidal currents – requires current annual tables
Southeast Alaska Boat Harbor Directory Alaska Dept. Fish & Game
Complete information & charts of all small boat harbors in Southeast Alaska
Other Books of Note
· Alaska-Yukon
Handbook, David Stanley
· Travels
in Alaska, John Muir
· National
Geographic, January 1984, "Southeast Alaska-An Incredible Feasting of Whales" (highly recommended)
· Guide
to Marine Mammals of Alaska, Kate Wynne
· The
Sierra Club Handbook to Whales and Dolphins, Leatherwood and Reeves
· Voyaging
With the Whales, Cynthia D'Vincent
· Alaska's
Glaciers, Alaska Geographic
· Plants
of the Pacific Northwest Coast, J. Pojar & A. MacKinnon
· The
Tlingit, A. Krause (about native cultures)
·
I
Heard an Owl Call My Name, Margaret Craven (about priest who learns the ways of
the native culture)
·
Raven Stole the Moon, Garth
Stein – Supernatural thriller set in modern day Alaska
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