Proven Cruising Routes: Precise Courses to Steer : Seattle to Ketchikan

At last, actual routes-waypoint to waypoint, with a diagram of each waypoint-from Seattle to Ketchikan! A first-of-its-kind, this route guide covers the conventional ferry/cruise ship routes northbound, as well as the Outer Passage, and many remote inlets and passages preferred by small cruising boats. The results of several years of on-site testing, this guide, which sets the standard for all future route guides, is a boon for skippers wanting a quick, accurate reference. Waypoints are given for each step of a route with steering courses, distance-to-go, and other critical data for helmsmen and navigators.

Proven Cruising Routes is a major breakthrough in presenting clear and concise directions for navigating the intricate passages between Seattle and Alaska. Each step of the way complete steering information for the helmsman is instantly available with instructions for every turn, the location of every waypoint, magnetic and true courses to steer, distances to go and detail maps of every waypoint and route. Three years in the making, these two highly experienced GPS navigators have combined efforts to describe each and every waypoint to use when cruising between Seattle and southeast Alaska.

These are the routes they have used dozens of times in plying the waters of the Inside Passage and their unique and concise presentation of the technical information is as user-friendly as it is exact and unambiguous. In Proven Cruising Routes, their routes have been optimized for small craft travel and the presentation is designed to alert a helmsman when following or crossing shipping lanes, separation zones, precautionary zones and other known hazards within 400 yards of the route. Should the skipper wish to follow another route, junctions are identified for painless decision making. Proven Cruising Routes provides an instant reference for the skipper who needs to know-quickly and clearly-the course to steer, the distance to the next waypoint, or the presence of hazards in the vicinity. Proven Cruising Routes will be an invaluable companion for a skipper using GPS in any weather and visibility-giving both the novice and the old timer an added margin of safety in piloting these challenging waters.

Don Douglass has logged more than 170,000 cruising miles over the past 30 years-from South America to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians. He considers Alaskan waters as some of the finest in the world. He began exploring Northwest waters in 1949 as a youth and has sailed the Inside Passage on everything from a 26-foot pleasure craft and commercial fishing boats to a Coast Guard icebreaker. He holds a BSEE degree from California State University and a Masters in Business Economics from Claremont Graduate University. Don holds honorary membership in the International Association of Cape Horners and, as a founding father of the International Bicycling Association, was elected to the Mountain Biking Hall of Fame. He has documented over 8,000 anchor sites and created highly acclaimed Exploring series guidebooks and maps, published by FineEdge.com.