Climate & Clothing - Preparing for Your trip
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.
Sitka Climate and Hours of Daylight
| 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 | 4 | 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. |
| 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
- Rule #1: Start with fresh batteries and bring extras.
- Rule #2: Bring twice the amount of film than you think you could possibly use. You'll really kick yourself if you run out!
- 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.
- 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
Guidebooks & Travelogues
| 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
