Hi tugnuts! I just joined this site. I'm not a Ranger owner, but sure enjoyed crawling all over an R-25 at the Seattle show a couple of years ago. Now I just have to see the 29.
Thought you might some of these thoughts on cruising Glacier Bay useful. We've done so 7 times starting with our first AK cruise in 1996, in our C-Dory 22.
Visiting Glacier is no trivial undertaking, as it is a very big place, and with its huge snow-covered mountains has some of the most challenging weather in Southeast. Distances are great, anchorages are few, and there are a number of restrictions required of visitors.
Only 25 boats are allowed in Glacier Bay at a time, and you need an entry permit from Park HQ at Bartlett Cove. Cruisers often make reservations ahead of time, and then find that weather or other difficulties make their planned schedule unworkable. From our experience, the best way to get a permit may be waiting to call Bartlett Cove until you’re close by (say at Hoonah or in Icy Strait), and the forecast for the next few days looks reasonable. For best odds, call right at 6 AM (they’re open 6 AM - 10:30 PM) on VHF channel12, or (907)697-2627. Chances are fairly good that a cancellation has freed up an entry permit, and if you’re nearby and ready, you can take advantage of it. If no permit is available, try again later or the next day – they don’t mind you asking again.
You’ll need a minimum of two days in Glacier Bay to make it to and from the Margerie Glacier. The Margerie is a spectacular and fairly active calving glacier you can get close to, some 65 miles from the entrance, at the top of Glacier Bay. On the way up, the Lamplugh and Johns Hopkins glaciers are spectacular as well. A third or fourth day would allow you to see more, at a less frantic pace, and also give you a better chance of dealing with uncooperative weather.
To start your Glacier Bay excursion, you must stop in at Park HQ, and attend an orientation on do’s and don’ts. As of 2008 the lecture was given only at pre-scheduled times, so you’ll want to plan your first day accordingly. You might try entering the Bay very early (calling Bartlett Cove to check in as soon as you cross the boundary). Tie up at the float, and catch the 8 AM orientation. With good weather, you should then be able to make it a good part of the way north, to an anchorage at Blue Mouse Cove, North Sandy Cove, or Reid Inlet.
Parts of the bay are whale waters, with boat speed limited to 13 knots. Even if you have a fast boat, you’ll find that first day very full, getting through the entry process and on to an anchorage, unless you anchor right there in Bartlett Cove (you can’t stay at the float – it’s limited to three hours max). If you anchor there, be aware that it’s open to the west, and can get pretty lumpy in a west wind. You could also anchor fairly close at Fingers Bay (entering carefully).
From Blue Mouse, North Sandy, or Reid, you could head north the next morning, spend 2-3 hours at the Margerie Glacier, and come back south to anchor again.
If you get back to Bartlett Cove for your last evening, and are out of permit days, you can always call to obtain a “transit permit” to leave the park the following day. My understanding is that you may request a transit permit to leave the park within the same day from any anchorage, but VHF radio contact is often not possible from the more northern anchorages.
If weather sounds intimidating, or you’re able to get only one or two permit days, a nice way to see Glacier Bay is the Fairweather Express tour boat, operated by the park lodge. For about $180 (in 2008) per person, you can have a wonderful day tour, seeing some of the finest glaciers and lots of wildlife, with friendly crew and an on-board naturalist. For us, one ticket cost about the same as touring the bay in our own boat. Even with only a single day’s permit, you could still enter Glacier Bay, get your orientation, and then anchor at Bartlett Cove. The next day, leaving your boat at anchor, you could row your dinghy in to the float and catch the tour boat (you may not operate any motor vessel without a permit for that day). On the third day you could call Park HQ to request a transit permit when you’re ready to go, and exit the park.
