Inside Passage Sailing Adventure - Summer 2011

Imagine a place where glaciers thunder into the ocean, whales breach, snow-capped peaks scrape the sky and the landscape is so stunning it takes your breath away.  This summer, imagine yourself in this majestic landscape as you sail a 45-foot racing-cruiser down the Inside Passage from Juneau, Alaska to Bellingham, Washington.  Considered the Holy Grail of near-coastal cruising, the Inside Passage is one of the most sought-after sailing destinations in the world.  Renowned for expansive wilderness, profuse wildlife and deep solitude, this unique thousand-mile coastline is home to the largest remaining tracts of old-growth temperate rainforest in the world.  Completely inaccessible, except by boat and seaplane, the southeast coast of Alaska and central coast of British Columbia host the world’s largest and healthiest populations of grizzly bears, eagles, grey wolves, marine mammals, and pelagic birds.  Join us for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure and discover this rare ecosystem first-hand.

The Inside Passage Sailing Adventure consists of two major legs, both filled with the opportunity to sail through some of the most stunning and wildlife-rich waters in the world.  On the third, shorter leg, we are inviting parents to join their child as we sail the final two hundred miles of the Inside Passage.  You may choose to join us for one, two or all of three of these phenomenal passages.

Your adventure begins on the Waterford campus with intensive classes in coastal navigation, sail theory and practice, marine radio procedures, and general shipboard living.   From there, you will fly northward and join the boat as its functional crew, quickly learning the ropes and taking full control of the vessel.  Each day you will sail between three and six hours, navigating the course using charts, compass and GPS, steering the boat, and trimming the sails to maximize speed.  In the afternoon, we will find a secluded anchorage, often surrounded by thousand-year-old vegetation, drop the anchor and explore our new home by sea kayak, inflatable dinghy and foot.  With a generous itinerary, we have deliberately built-in time to hike to freshwater lakes, through old-growth forests and to the top of coastal-mountain summits. If fishing fits your fancy, you will have numerous opportunities to try your luck at catching the largest salmon, halibut and Dungeness crab in the world.  As the peaks surrounding our anchorage are lit by the evening’s alpenglow, we will settle into the boat’s cockpit or around a roaring beach fire and enjoy the coming of night as we recount the day’s adventures and anticipate what the rising sun will bring.