TUG STORIES

The Inside Passage: Washington to Alaska

The eve before the trip begins...
We'll be departing the Tomco dock June 1st, bound for Alaska on a brand new American Tug 49'. I'll talk a little more about this beautiful boat as I post weekly updates, but for now it's time to settle in and prepare for the adventure ahead.

Greg and Monica Clark



As promised, a little more about the American Tug 49': This is the second AT49 built by Tomco Marine and has quite a few custom features to augment the already very well equipped standards. Below the waterline are Trac stabilizers and thrusters at the bow and stern. Atop the pilothouse is a flybridge with bimini and three solar panels, and brand new to American Tugs is pilothouse access to the sun deck, where there is also an all-hydraulic deck crane. In the engine room we have a 600 gpd watermaker and dual inverters, and a plethora of Garmin electronics in the pilothouse. If all that wasn't enough, we've also added a 13' Whaler with a 40 hp 4 stroke Mercury to serve as dinghy.

The first leg of our trip takes us to Ketchikan, and joining Monica and I are the Padulas of Port St. Lucie, FL. Luckily for all of us, the weather has been unusually warm, a first in our five trips made to Alaska. The stabilizers are having a hard time earning their keep in these 6" seas. We are loving these conditions! We covered the 85 miles to Nanaimo in about six hours, leaving us time enjoy the area. After a walk appreciating the ocean vistas and flora of the gorgeous Newcastle Island, we visit the Dinghy Dock Pub and true to its name, you need a dinghy to get there. The sunset marks a crescendo to a perfect first day, zero issues from our American Tug 49' (save for a bit of operator error), this is the life.

What an awesome boat.



The infamous Seymour Narrows lie some 80 miles ahead, known to have a 16-knot current and turbulent conditions on a good day, we adjust our speed to arrive during slack tide at 2:28. Fortunately the biggest disturbance on the water are the popping heads of seals, who gaze upon this strange intruder to their domain. Along the way is a designated military zone, and rather than risk the chance of causing an international incident with our Canadian friends, we decide the prudent action is to alter course.

Growler Cove, a small protected harbor off the Johnstown Straits, produces our first bear sighting, a beach combing black bear exploiting the low tide for a quick meal or two hidden along the rocky shore.

The American Tug 49', while still new to us, is becoming quite familiar. The 575 hp of the main Volvo engine is quite generous, and at about 10 knots we're burning around 7.5 gph of diesel. It's still too soon to tell how the various currents will alter that figure, though if it holds we'll be more than pleased. It takes about two hours for the Village Marine watermaker to produce copious amounts of water, more than sufficient for the four of us and the Bosch washer/dryer. All the comforts of home.

On this, our fifth trip to Alaska, our endeavor is to visit those ports we have yet to frequent. One such port is Namu, where an abandoned cannery and sawmill is the most prominent feature. As one might expect, the structure is in various states of disrepair. One notable oddity is the grocery store, when the owners parted they did so without the store's inventory. Today there must be at least $500,000 in its stockroom. According to Pete, the town's caretaker, there were some 3,000 residents at Namu's zenith. After investing hours exploring the various facets of this fascinating place, we make our leave, though we hope to return later this year.

A required stop on every trip to Alaska is Bishops Bay, a pleasant protected bay a bit off the beaten path. However, the feature that necessitates our return are the hot springs. So appreciated are these pleasant waters, that the local boat club has constructed a cement enclosure to contain them. And so popular it has become, that when we arrive at 6pm there is a bit of a line. With no space at the dock we executed a Med Moor, and our reward was a relaxing 20 minutes in the hot springs drinking some Bahama Mamas.

After 97 miles, we arrived in Prince Rupert; tomorrow Alaska!


Winstanley Bay, Alaska is like a favorite dive bar, plenty of cheap fun to be had but you wouldn't want to find yourself waking up there. They certainly know how to cater to the New Englander in me, with soft shell clams ripe for the picking at low tide, though some of fellow clammers can be a bit of a bear, literally. There's a rustic cabin made available by the state of Alaska for daily or weekly rental. Though I think the shock of moving into something so primitive after the abundant luxury in our new 49' would be too much to endure, and I'm confident Monica would protest if I tried. Instead, we enjoy a bucket of steamers (as clams are known around here) and some Dungeness Crab.


For the five and a half days since departing the factory in LaConner, Washington, we have experienced one gorgeous day after another. Warm temperatures and sunny days have become almost routine, until this morning -- the clouds have finally arrived, and they brought their good buddy the wind.

The throttle has had a bit of a workout along this trip while we worked on finding the perfect balance between speed and economy. We have tried 8 knots at 3.5 gph to 15 knots at 24 gph and everything in between, and after 700 nm, 10 knots at 7.5 gph seems to be ideal for this trip. As an added bonus, we still have 150 gallons of fuel remaining in the tank from when we filled it back in Washington. Not bad considering the size of boat and speeds we have been running.

Ketchikan is a town with a colorful history, a prosperous fishing fleet, and unfortunately for us cold winters. The locals inform us that the latter was particularly harsh this past year and has put a bit of a damper on the fishing. In an attempt to skirt this downturn, we tried our hand at catching Halibut which is essentially bottom fishing, unfortunately our efforts were met without success, a rarity for us.

Our friends have to return to Florida before work starts to wonder what has become of them.

We are due in Juneau, some 220 miles away, to meet our next guests, but with five days before their arrival, we have plenty of time to visit a few ports on the way. Though now the beautiful weather is just a memory as temperatures drop and a light rain becomes omnipresent, welcome to Alaska.


Next stop Wrangell. We opt to travel the Zimovia stream, our charts and plotter show a perilous outcropping of rocks so our enjoyment of the breathtaking natural scenery is somewhat tempered. When we arrive at the rocky narrowing, a little bit of maneuvering and we are through, so despite some trepidation it was well worth the detour. Wrangell, in our well-travelled opinion, is the friendliest little town in Alaska. We tie up at the summer float, which is a bit rough because of the weather, and I set off to look for crabber we met on our last visit. He worked on a king crab fishing boat, like those on the TV show Deadliest Catch, and sold us enough fresh crab that we ate quite well for four meals. As I understood it his bonus was paid for in crabs, but this year he seems to be a no show.



Today we challenge the current of the Wrangell Narrows. It is a 20-mile passage with Petersburg on the other end, and as we enter, we do so with the current. About halfway along the current shifts, and though there is a massive amount of force opposing our course the 49' charges through.

We anchor in Portage Bay, and find ourselves neighbors to four fellow trawlers. That night we dine on steamed crab and decide to breakout a neat toy. The Tug Tub is a floating hot tub! It resembles a old survival raft with its rectangular shape and floor, unlike a survival raft it has seats and a gas water heater. After ten minutes we have it up and running, and in an hour the salt water has gone from a deadly 48 degrees to a relaxing 103 degrees. What a life!


Auke Bay is a bustling little harbor on the west side of Juneau. Stalls, as they call the slips out here, are assigned on a first come basis. Stalls with power are a rarity; fortunately, we hit the jackpot and put the Bosch washer and dryer to work.

John and Jo, our friends from Ft. Meyers, Florida arrive and we depart to play spectator to whales going about their daily business. A quick survey onboard revealed that no one was a marine biologist specializing in whales, so John and Jo impart a bit of wisdom they learned from a guide while on safari in Africa. When quizzed about how to locate the animals his reply, "Look for the other Land Rovers." So we set about finding ourselves a whale watching boat. Sure enough, we found a small fleet of whale watchers and with them six or seven whales. On our way to Funter Bay we try fishing for Salmon with little luck. Good thing I bought a 14-pound King Salmon from one of the commercial fishermen in Auke Bay. Crabs are happily an easy catch, stuff bitts of salmon into a trap's bait container and drop it over the side, return a little later and (hopefully) find a meal or two. On past trips with fellow American Tug owners, we have had a few laughs about bottom depth versus length of line on the trap. One unfortunate Tugger had a trap with 50' of line that he sent overboard into 75' of water, that is one trap he'll never see again. With that in mind we carefully check the depth before we setout our traps.


We retrieve our traps and find ourselves with three crabs for a future meal. Today our goal is Glacier Bay, truly a national treasure -- amazing glaciers, wildlife throughout, and breathtaking scenery. I decided to take the 49' to an old favorite, Sturgess Island and North Bay. It is a small bit of water somewhat reminiscent of a lagoon nestled in between a few nondescript islands. Along the beach, we spot two black bears frolicking in the grass, boarding the whaler we head in for a better view. It wasn't until we closed to within 40' that the bears took any notice of us, and even then they didn't seem to care.


Pulling anchor, we head for Tracy Arm by way of Taku Bay. We stop at the accommodating state pier, find ourselves with a few more crabs and head ashore to visit the old Cannery. The ghosts of these former factories cast a sullen shadow as my mind turns to thoughts of dreams dashed with the closing of the doors for the final time.

Tracy Arm is a canal flanked by towering walls either side, evocative of a canyon, with two glaciers at the end. In 2006 we could only go halfway in because of the massive amounts of ice coming off the glacier. Bergy Bits as they are known can be insignificantly small or bigger than a house and the best policy is to avoid them. This year we eclipse our 2006 distance, nearly reaching the end of the canal before the ice became too thick for this Captain's comfort level.


Windfall Harbor is the site of one of many salmon spawning rivers, and as such a popular location for bear watching as latter arrive to feast on the former. Mid-June there aren't any salmon heading upstream, and so the bears aren't here either.

Time to return to Auke Bay so John and Jo can head back for home.

Our AT49' has covered some 1,500 miles and it is time to return to Washington and the factory to await the massive cargo ship that will transport her to Florida.

Along the way back, we stop in Berg Bay, set the crab traps and drop a line. Halibut are abundant on the bottom here, and they seem to specialize in bait theft before you have a chance to hook them. Clever fellow that I am, my hook goes down sans bait. A bit of jigging and up come halibut, a quick visit, and then back to bottom -- catch and release here.


Anan Bay is another popular spot for bear watching, but the salmon runs have yet to start so instead Monica and I stop to do a bit of exercise. Taking advantage of the mile long boardwalk, we head inland from the beach. It is nicely maintained, though narrow and uphill enough that we find ourselves looking forward to the downhill return. At the end of the walk you come to a viewing platform overlooking the waterfalls, and during the right time of year bears feasting on fish as they move upstream. Instead, we find ourselves joining a few hopeful eagles gazing into the stream below. We head back to the boat and enjoy some crab stew and a few Oreo cookies. You can't go overboard on the fitness thing.


We have passed Meyers Chuck several times over the years, but this time decide to make our first visit. Traveling south through the Ernest Sound in 5 knots of wind and 3" waves I take note of something ahead, holding the binoculars to my eyes I spy a few whitecaps off Lemesurier Point. When we make the turn there, the calm winds jump to 35 knots and 5' plus waves, I take a quick glance from whence we came and the conditions remained perfectly calm, a geographical oddity I guess. This is the "roughest" conditions we have yet to encounter on this trip, though you hardly tell on our stabilized 49'. Even taking the worst of the waves broadside to make a required turn there was absolutely no roll.

Finding ourselves in a quaint little harbor lined with well-kept cottages and another nicely maintained state pier, we look for a space to dock. A challenge since pier stalls were not wanting for occupants, but we found one that might work. A fellow trawler owner, braving rain and wind, paced off the stall length for us. Needing to accommodate our 53' overall length we took no delight learning we had a 60' stall to work with, this would be a challenge. With fenders and lines at the ready and hydraulic bow and stern thrusters standing by, we inch forward. It was a tight fit, but after a few tense moments, we were moored. Later that evening one of the cottage owners informed us that the wind blew 60+ knots.


At 7:30 in the morning, with 40+ knot winds and rain, a nice lady came by selling hot sticky buns, perfect accompaniment to our coffee on a cold day like this. There is no power available on the dock, but it is stout in this weather and as an added bonus free. We decide it is time to turn on the Tracvision and watch a little TV, something that would normally require the generator and battery charger to run a couple times a day. That's not the case on the 49', with three solar panel overhead putting out enough electricity to keep things running even on this cloudy and rainy day. What a great investment.


Sunday morning and the winds have dropped a bit, though we found it somewhat difficult to obtain a clear weather report on the VHF so we debate whether to brave a trip to Ketchikan or stay in the safety of the harbor. With conditions appearing quite a bit calmer than they have over the past few days we setout.

About 5 miles into the short jaunt to Ketchikan the wind decides to make an encore performance, exceeding 42 knots. The boat was doing fine, spray was going over the top, but first mate Monica was not happy. And truthfully neither was I, so we ducked into a small harbor that goes by the name Lyman Anchorage and wait for conditions to improve.

With a change in tide and a somewhat calmer winds we intrepidly venture to complete the remaining 16 miles to Ketchikan across open water at the junction of two sounds. The winds were now at 35 knots and 8' seas on the beam. I cannot stress enough how pleased I am with how the boat handled in this extreme weather with steep narrow valleys between the wave peaks. The spray was so high the wipers were useless and the defrosters were heavily challenged with the constant 48-degree seawater showering down on the partially fogging windows. It was quite reminiscent of a few New England blizzards I have experienced over the years.

We arrive at Ketchikan with a few large fishing trawlers who seem to share our joy at being out of those stormy waters.

American Tugs by Traditional Yachts

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