Lessons learned wilderness cruising

[Hamster]

We just got back from two weeks cruising the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, Toba Inlet and Octopus Islands in our “weekend” boat, the R-23. Two adults and yellow lab. I’ve done a lot of extended backcountry climbs and whitewater rafting and always felt prepared for most things. But after this trip, I learned to add a couple of things to my checklist.

Inflatable boats. To get to shore for the dog or stern tie, I take an inflatable kayak that is ready to launch. I also carry a Takacat that I need to assemble. On one trip to shore, my kayak found an oyster shell and ripped a 7” gash in the boat. I was able to get back with one tube and the floor still inflated but I didn’t have a proper repair kit on board. I tried waterproof duct tape but it didn’t work. If I ripped a hole in the Takacat, I would be in an uneasy place. Lesson learned: take a proper repair kit if you have inflatable boats.

Stern ties. This was the first time we did stern ties. 5 nights. I had spooled my yellow poly onto a garden hose reel several years ago. When unspooling the first night, part of the rope came off the spool and wrapped around the drum, creating knots. I had to come back to the boat and destroy the hose reel with a hammer to clear the line. The second night the winds picked up and when waking up in the morning, we found that our anchor drug. I had to untie the stern, raise the anchor and reset all. Lessons leaned: check your spool before your trip and don’t put more rope than your spool can handle. Don’t assume less anchor scope due to a stern tie.

Dog first aide. Our yellow lab loves the water and has little fear running across the beach at low tide. Oyster shells and barnacles aren’t very nice to her paws. She ended up with cuts to both of her rear paws, which continues to challenge us two days after we returned. Last year in Tofino, her eye swelled, maybe due to jellyfish or something else. Lessons learned: we’ve since heard that there are barnacles booties for dogs and we need to bring other meds to address ears, eyes, and rashes.

Groceries. Since we went before June, we had not realized that some of our grocery places weren’t open yet or well stocked (Refuge Cove). Check the hours before you leave and plan accordingly. In order to have dinner, I “had to” catch a salmon.

Those are the new things for my checklist. There are many others already on it, like using a Garmin InReach to message location when cell isn’t available, carrying spare parts like anchor, water pump, oil, lights, fuses, tools, etc.

 

[Eager]

This was great!

We are heading up from Tacoma in mid July with the intention to do a very similar trip, with a similar sized dog and all. We have a 2017 Cutwater C-24C, so size-wise we are very similar also.

You mentioned spending 5 nights stern tied, which is about what I figure we’ll do. We’ve done it before, but in easier conditions than we’ll find up there. I’ve upgraded the anchor, but not the rode or chain yet. Can you let me know what you used, what you’d recommend, and where you anchored? I year lots of people talk about tons of chain and I intend to upgrade but would like to hear from a similar sized boat about lessons learned before I change my ground tackle.

 

[Submariner]

In preparation for our trip to SE Alaska on our R27, we knew we needed to potty train the dogs on the boat. In Glacier Bay, as a wildlife refuge, pets are not allowed to leave the boat. We were planning on a 3 day permit into Glacier Bay. So how did we train our 3 dogs to go potty on the boat?

We dedicated a weekend on the boat. We left the dock with the objective "we're not coming back until the dogs are potty trained". We then headed off to an anchorage, dropped the hook, and waited. It took about 26 hours before the corgi couldn't hold it any longer, we scooted her over to the green fake grass patch, she went. The other two dogs, once they saw that, they were quick to follow. The biggest challenge the dogs had, at home they are used to all going into the backyard together, and thus, go at the same time. On the boat, they have to take turns since the patch is only big enough for one dog at a time. But they figured that out pretty quick.

The dogs were literally trained in that one weekend. The key was, we dedicated the weekend to this, so we weren't out trying to have fun, kayak, explore town, take the dinghy for a leisure ride... We were there to train the dogs so our attention was on them.

Now, dog-life on the boat, is easy. We get up in the morning and the dogs gotta go... we open the cabin door to the cockpit, and the dogs treat it as the backyard at home. They go right to the green patch. Dog walks and dinghy rides to shore are for fun, and not a necessity.

Trying to get 3 dogs in life jackets at 6am for a dinghy ride to shore, when all three gotta go, and all three love dinghy rides, and it's raining, and I haven't had coffee yet... it's like we shook up 3 cans of red-bull and were in a race to shore before opening. Boating is so much easier now with them potty trained on the boat.
Even at the dock, we don't have to get up early to walk the dogs when they need to go.

During our SE Alaska trip, we'd be underway and Nuka, for example, would begin to get restless. He usually sits or lays next to me at the helm. When he starts standing up, squirming around... and otherwise being restless... I slow the boat down to 6 knots, autopilot on heading hold, and take him out to the cockpit to go potty while we're under way.

Life is so much easier with dogs on the boat when they're potty trained on the boat especially for wilderness/off-grid cruising.

Conquer Boat Life Challenges: Dog's bathroom breaks on a boat

P.S. We have a Corgi, an American Eskimo (standard size), and a Maltese-Poodle.

 

[glider4]

Over the past 6 seasons we’ve been to Desolation Sound 5 times plus a 3 week trip to the Broughtons. We will be back up to Desolation Sound again in late July. Most of our trips to DS run 17-22 days.
I recommend testing out your equipment (stern tie reels, etc.) before arriving at a remote venue. There are a few places (e.g. Stuart Island) to try stern tie techniques in the San Juan’s and more in the Southern Gulf islands. A RIB dinghy makes dealing with the razor sharp shells found at most DS anchorages a bit less stressful.
Have a good anchor (Rocha, Mantus, Vulcan, etc.) and be comfortable setting it. We use 50-60 ft of chain and haven’t ever had a problem. Get as much scope as possible for your anchorage. Many anchorages are crowded and it can be challenging to get even a 4:1 scope without the risk of bumping into other boaters.
Know your limiting consumables. By that I mean food, fuel, energy/battery, fresh water and black water holding tank capacities. Our limit is fresh water -we can go 4 days or so. We go 9 days on our black water tank. Fuel in DS is usually not a problem with availability at Gorge and Refuge Cove. Fresh water refills and limited groceries are available at both marinas too.
Just like in the San Juan and Gulf Islands, desirable anchorages are pretty close to one another. Don’t expect to do long engine runs between anchorages to recharge your batteries. We have 335 watts of solar, 220 AmpHrs of house batteries and a 85 AmpHrs Anker C-1000 power bank. We can go 4-5 days on our setup without running the engine on average.
Build into your schedule a day or two or more to account for bad weather. Be flexible with your itinerary including your get home date. You don’t want to be crossing the St of Georgia in bad weather!
The better prepared you are before starting your trip will be directly correlated to maximizing your satisfaction with your cruise! Hope to see you up there! Cheers!