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Names, dates and links to IP trip reports. - An essential bibliography for the Inside Passage paddler/rower. - Links to free charts, coast pilots, ferry schedules, weather and more. - Miscellaneous info about charts, maps, GPS, food, and other essentials. This page was started in, but as of May 2016 is no longer being updated.

Don't let the lack of new content keep you from exploring, though. Just like the Inside Passage, there's a lot to see here.

Happy and safe paddling, pedaling and rowing! (Soggy Beavers) 2015 - Port Townsend to Ketchikan () six man outrigger canoe - What do you get when you mix half a dozen young, hardcore, Canadian outdoor athletes, a massive 40-foot outrigger canoe, and a crazy, no-engines, no-holds-barred race up the Inside Passage? A blistering, Beaver blitz of 11 days, 5 hours, and twenty-some odd minutes (Victoria to Ketchikan). I’ve been tracking kayak, canoe, and rowboat trips up and down the IP for nearly a decade now and three to four weeks to Ketchikan has always been smoking fast; keep in mind most people aren't racing or trying to set speed records. A week and a half, and with few stops, and serious headwinds, I’m simply in awe. 7th place overall (going up against a fleet of zoomy sailing vessels) and the first human-powered vessel across the finish line.

Well done lads. The Beavs’ and Facebook have more info. (Team Discovery) 2015 - Port Townsend to Ketchikan () Hobie Island Adventure - I know.

A Hobie Adventure Island is really more of a sailboat than a kayak, but after getting a chance to meet Roger and talk with him about his race, he definitely belongs on the IP Registry. The veteran tested his endurance and seamanship skills on the chilly IP waters, and was the first solo-skippered boat to cross the Race to Alaska finish line in an impressive 13 days and handful of hours (out of Victoria). Roger ended up pedaling his 16’7” long, Mirage drive-equipped trimaran about 60 percent of the trip. He endured pitchpoling the boat on a surf landing, losing all of his electronic navigation equipment, staving off frequent bouts of hypothermia, and other major and minor calamities; any of which would surely have caused a lesser competitor to throw in the towel. And best of all, he remains humble and reflective about his truly epic journey.

Check out Roger's Facebook for more. (Team Mike's Kayak) 2015 - Port Townsend to Ketchikan () single kayak - Mike was the first (and only) kayak to complete the inaugural Race to Alaska, using a carbon-fiber Greenland paddle to propel his plastic Prijon between Victoria and Ketchikan in a bit over 24 days. Mike is pretty well known within the Northern California paddling community and adds the IP to a long list of trips and expeditions.

Apollo Xt1 Cross Trainer Manuals. Expect a full recap at his after he recovers. (Team John) 2015 - Port Townsend to Bella Bella, BC () single kayak - John paddled and sailed his EasyRider Eskimo kayak as part of the first R2AK.

After making unrelenting progress against conditions that caused many larger sailboats with full crews to withdraw from the event, he decided to call Bella Bella his final destination due to time constraints. 375 some odd nautical miles out of Victoria in 20 days ain't too shabby; especially considering all the nasty headwinds, losing a lee board, breaking a seat, and almost capsizing due to a flooded outrigger. 2014 - Vancouver Island circumnavigation single kayak - Endurance paddler Russell Henry flew around Vancouver Island in an amazing 12 days 23 hours and 45 minutes, beating the old record by 2 days. Russell's next adventure is a team effort, paddling a 6-man outrigger canoe in the 2015 Race to Alaska. 2013 - Port Hardy to Bella Bella single kayak - Jeff writes in that he paddled from Port Hardy to Bella Bella via the Goose Group islands in June. He's added videos of the trip to his extremely informative.

2013 - San Juan Island to Skagway, AK single kayaks - Brooke and Kelly departed San Juan Island, WA on May 31 and arrived in Skagway, AK on August 31. Head over to their blog for a great account of their adventures (including lots of photos). 2013 - Ketchikan to Glacier Bay (via Sitka) double folding kayak - David and Pearl, who paddled between Vancouver Island and Ketchikan in 2009, put another 900 miles under their keel, this time traveling between Ketchikan and Glacier Bay in over 70 days. Check out their very well documented trip account, which contains daily journal entries with photos and an extensive discussion of equipment. Philip Torrens 2013 - BC portions of the IP single kayak - Philip sends in a couple of very well documented (including photos and videos) trip reports. A two parter describing a trip from Gilford Island in the Broughtons to Powell River, transiting several of the tidal rapids ( and ). And a four part account of solo circumnavigation of Princess Royal Island (,,, ).

I can't recommend enough that prospective IP-ers check out the site for great information like this. 2012 - Juneau to Seattle dory - Dick rowed and sailed an 18-foot wooden dory down the IP, taking 79 days to complete the journey. He has a new book (December 2013) about his trip out, titled 'Gear List of the Golden Moon.' Here's a for it. For more, including a review, see the Books section below. 2012 - Black Cr eek, BC to Hyder, AK (with a Vancouver Island circumnavigation) single kayak - Jeff paddled a venerable Klepper Aerius I up to Hyder, Alaska, took the ferry back down to Port Hardy, and finished his trip with a Vancouver Island circumnavigation that took him to his starting point.

He spent 63 days paddling, putting 2,136 kilometers under his keel. Check out an interactive map he put together of the route (one of the best I've seen) on his and a great collection of videos he shot on this. 2012 - Bellingham to Skagway single kayak - Denis, author of 'Point To Point: Exploring the Inside Passage by Kayak' (available as an ebook and in ) made another successful IP trip this year, paddling between Bellingham and Skagway.

2012 - Bellingham to Kotzebue, Alaska Not rowing or paddling all the way, but an epic, 4,000 mile trip by rowboat, ski, packraft, foot, and canoe. One of the earliest starts on the Inside Passage I'm aware of (March).

The blog has breathtaking photos of the expedition. 2012 - Seattle to Ketchikan single kayaks - Traci and Tracy headed north from Golden Gardens (Seattle) on June 24 and arrived on Ketchikan on August 9. Check out their blog for photos and info.

2011 - Bellingham to Skagway rowboat - Michael and Elizabeth spent their honeymoon rowing/sailing up the Inside Passage in a 1958 15-foot sailboat (what a great way to start a marriage). Download their very well written and photographed account as a PDF file from the above link. 2011 - Ketchikan to Skagway single kayaks - Brett and Sarah continued a previous IP trip from Port Hardy to Bella Bella this year, paddling from Ketchikan to Skagway in 21 days. Check out their videos on Vimeo -,,. There's more about the trip on Brett's blog, linked above. 2011 - Anacortes to Skagway single kayaks - From their GPS track log, it looks like the Inside Out Expedition duo made their goal. Abbott King, Nick, Jake, and Matt 2011 - Anacortes to Muir Glacier single kayaks - Abbott writes in with news of a successful trip starting on June 15th and finishing August 17th.

The group made side trips to La Conte Glacier and Ford's Terror, logging some 1,200 miles over in 64 days. (I'll post a link to Abbott's blog and Facebook page as soon as I get them from him.) 2011 - Around Vancouver Island rowboat - Colin smashed Joe O'Blenis' old record, circumnavigating Vancouver Island in an amazing 15 and a half days. More about the trip and Colin's other adventures at the link above.

Susan Conrad 2010 - Anacortes to Ju neau single kayak - After being on her to-do list for several years, Susan checked off an Inside Passage trip. She spent 66 days getting from Washington Park in Anacortes to Jun eau. Her friend Becky Hardy accompanied her between Port Hardy and Bella Bella. Check out some of Susan's photos and. Susan wrote a book about her adventures that was published in 2016. Check out: 2010 - Seattle to Haines single kayaks - Doug, Katey and L'il Bit (their miniature Dachshund) paddled and sailed between Seattle and Haines between May and August to raise awareness and donations for the non-profit company Interplast. Doug and Katey used Easy Rider kayaks set up for sailing and their trip account is very instructive for anyone thinking about using a kayak with a sail rig for the IP.

Check out t heir trip Web site for a great combination of stories, photos and practical advice. 2010 - Seattle to Skagway single kayaks - Dave and Amy were successful in the first leg of The North American Odyssey project. Reaching Skagway (accompanied by John Amren and Clayon White who paddled with them from Bellingham) the pair continued overland to the Northwest Territories. They're currently taking a break but will resume their epic one lap around North America expedition in February 2011, working their way east across Canada with dog sleds and canoes, then paddling the East Coast of the United States; destination Florida in the spring of 2013. 2010 - Seattle to Anchorage single kayak - Conor put over 2,300 miles under his keel in about 4.5 months time (between March and July). All for a good cause in raising money for medical supplies for developing countries.

More about the trip at his blog. 2010 - Olympia to Skagway single kayak - Endurance athlete Andy Linger made his goal of doing the full length of the IP followed by an excursion on the Chilkoot Trail.

Check out his detailed account of the trip at the above link. 2010 - Nanaimo to Port McNeil WiTHiN - It's not quite yet the end of February 2010 and I get an email from a guy named Greg who said he'd just finished a 2.5 day, human-powered trip up most of the interior Vancouver Island side of the IP. I thought, it's not even spring yet and we're talking close to 200 nautical miles. A little skeptical, I checked out his Web site. All I have to say is 'wow.' Greg Kolodziejzyk in planning on pedaling his 30-foot, custom-made boat from Canada to Hawaii later this year. His run up the Inside Passage combined a bit of training with sea trials.

Check out his trip report. What a fantastic blend of technology, fitness and determination.

Best of luck with the Pacific voyage, Greg. 2010 - Vancouver to Ketchikan single kayaks - Maggie and Bryan successfully completed a fundraising paddle for an East Africa charity.

The couple plans to Vancouver Island in the summer of 2015. 2009 - Prince Rupert to Port Hardy single kayaks - Jon has a very good write-up of his latest BC trip. If you have a compressed time frame or want to avoid the considerably more populated Vancouver Island stretch of the IP, be sure to check out his blog. The logistics of taking a ferry across to Vancouver Island, driving up to Port Hardy, and then loading kayaks on the ferry to Prince Rupert makes a whole lot of sense. Jon also has reports for a 2005 Bella Bella trip and an excursion to Klemtu in 2007.

All of his accounts are great reading with entertaining and informative narrative. Bill Nedderman 2009 - Olympia to Skagway single kayak - Bill (who hails from Iowa) left Olympia on April 22 and arrived on Skagway, August 5. He then journeyed back down to Glacier Bay and ended his trip in Juneau on August 31.

This was a great year weather-wise to spend the spring and summer on the IP. Bill's craft of choice was a venerable Klepper T-9. 2009 - Seattle to Skagway single kayak - Glenn put 1,700 miles of paddling under his hull in 147 days, including circumnavigations of Glacier Bay and the San Juan Islands.

Check out his blog for a full account. Glenn is planning another IP trip in 2011 and is looking for fellow paddlers. 2009 - Gig Harbor to Glacier Bay single kayaks - After 111 days, Apryle and Phil finished their trip devoted to raising awareness of depleted salmon populations in the Broughton Archipelago and other parts of the IP. Check out their Web site for a blog and lots of information about their gear and route (as well as their worthy salmon cause). 2009 - Port Hardy to Ketchikan double kayak - David and Pearl paddled a Folbot Greenland II on their trip and took extensive photos and notes. Yet another must read account for the prospective IP paddler.

2008 - Vancouver Island circumnavigation single kayak - 17 days 4 hours 49 minutes - Sean shattered the old single kayak record by 6 days and the double kayak record by two days. His blog tells the details. 2008 - Vancouver Island circumnavigation single kayaks - 2008 seemed like a big year for circumnavigating Vancouver Island. 2008 - Skagway to Seattle single kayaks - 95 days - The Dudes on Media did it. Check their Web site for a blog (with great pix) and info about the 52-minute documentary they made. Here's a recent newspaper. 2008 - Seattle to Wrangell single kayak - Darrell is making his way from the California/Mexico border to the Arctic Ocean by foot and boat.

He started in 2004 and Stage III of his expedition was paddling the IP. Darrell used podcasts to blog his way up the coast. 2008 - Port Hardy to Skagway single kayak - Denis paddled between San Juan Island and Port Hardy in 2007, and then finished up the entire Inside Passage in 2008. Denis continued his excellent trip report blog (recently revised) for this leg which I highly recommend.

Aya Reiss 2008 - Skagway to Bellingham - I received an email from Aya that she completed her trip (rowing), but don't have any other details. 2008 - Ketchikan to Seattle kayaks - Colin's article about his trip appeared in several newspapers (including the Seattle PI) 2007 - solo Vancouver Island circumnavigation single kayak - 23 days and 10 hours. 2007 - Seattle to Petersburg single kayaks - Mikko just sent me the above link to a gorgeous, very large collection of IP photos hosted on Flickr.

Check 'em out. 2007 - San Juan Island to Port Hardy single kayak - Denis' excellent trip report blog, including lots of photos, is a must read for anyone planning an IP trip (and recently updated in 5/2009 to even be better). The narrative and level of detail is first rate.

He also has a very thorough. Denis also has slideshows of his trip up on YouTube. Check out these links:,,,,,,,,,. 2007 - Anacortes to Skagway single kayak - Check out BC's blog for lots of photos and trip info. BC recently sent me his journal and it's now been converted to PDF format. This is required reading for anyone considering an IP trip. An excellent, detailed narrative coupled with extensive (and gorgeous I might add) photos that captures nature, adventure and personal reflection.

Two thumbs up for one of the best practical and well-written accounts I've read. The journal is broken up into six parts. Right click on one of the following links to save a file.,,,,,. 2007 - Glacier Bay to Bellingham single kayaks - Another great trip blog from a pair of serious adventurers.

(There's also a newspaper article about their trip.) 2007 - Ketchikan to Anacortes double rowboat - Robin sends in this email: We just finished our adventure, pulling in on July 4. Thanks for all the useful information you supply on your site, and the connections are great. We met Karen and Rob who did the trip in 2000 on the ferry on our way up, and also BC who was paddling northward this year, and I was able to find their contact info through your site.

There are a few people that are doing the trip and looking for info, and I'd be glad to talk with them if you want to pass my email on to them. Our website has never been that informative, and we didn't keep it as a blog, so I'm afraid it won't be of any assistance to them. Better if they contact me if they'd like to talk to someone.

It was a fantastic adventure, and thanks so much for supporting trips with your site! I'm in paradise, rowing through BC, and as Ed Abbey said - Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to your body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much: I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those deskbound people with their hearts in a safe deposit box and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this: you will outlive the bastards.' 2007 - Seattle to Skagway single kayak 2007 - Vancouver Island circumnavigation double kayak - Speed record attempt with a goal of 700 miles in two weeks (they did it in 19 1/2 days - impressive).

Paul Clark - In 2013 I received an email from Paul that read, 'Next year, my seventieth, i am planning a trip from Prince Rupert to Victoria by oar and sail along the outer shorelines of Porcher, Banks, Aristazabal, Calvert, and Vancouver Islands to Victoria as a way of revisiting the past, the places i fished commercially over a twenty five year period. I will travel in a Paul Gartside designed skiff of 16 ft built of cedar and epoxy and modified for coastal expeditions. I have tested it by sailing/rowing across the Gulf of Georgia a number of times.' Paul was good to his word and departed Prince Rupert in July 2014. He was last seem north of Aristazabal Island. When he didn't check in with a family member a search was initiated. Paul's was found off the Washington coast on July 31, 2014.

He remains lost at sea. - Sometimes called the Grandma Moses of Kayaking, Hawaii resident Audrey Sutherland started paddling when she was in her 40s (her book, Paddling My Own Canoe is an inspirational must read for any sea kayaker). Audrey got an itch to paddle Alaska and over a 20 year period (1980 to 2002) kayaked over 8,000 miles of Alaska and British Columbia waters. In inflatable kayaks, mind you. A true pioneer of the sport, she passed away at in February 2015. Audrey's last, Paddling North, recounts many of her IP adventures.

Other Notable Human-Powered IP-related Trips 2011 - Honorable mention to Jonathan for making it a lot further than I thought he would on a stand-up paddleboard (SUP) 2007/08 - Seattle to the Bering Sea (over 4,000 miles) foot, ski and packraft 2005 - Vancouver Island circumnavigation swimming Check out the photo page (hat tip to Denis Dwyer) (links to Amazon and elsewhere) Susan Conrad Susan's book about her 2010 IP trip from Anacortes to Juneau was published in May, 2016. I've only had a chance to skim parts of the memoir, but think it's a thoughtful and well-written account worthy of any paddler's library. Dick Callahan Dick piloted an 18-foot wooden dory between Juneau and Seattle.

He recently (December 2013) published a book about his 79-day trip. Click the link above to check out his awesome YouTube trailer. Here's a of the book with my thoughts. You can order it from. Taku Graphics in Juneau () handles distribution for book sellers. Or reach Dick at harborsealpress at gmail dot com. Jennifer Hahn Kayak guide and naturalist paddles between Ketchikan and Bellingham over several seasons.

This is a pretty good book that captures the spiritual (not religious though) and practical aspects of kayaking the Inside Passage. The author adds a lot of natural science and history to her story. Byron Ricks Husband and wife (Maren Van Nostrand) kayak from Glacier Bay to Seattle. Just finished reading this book and I highly recommend it. An excellent introspective account of the challenges and adventures of paddling the entire route in a pair of Mariner IIs. Ricks is an excellent writer and story teller (also Maren did the wonderful illustrations) and I'd consider this book a must-read for anyone planning to paddle all or part of the IP. Jill Fredston Jill and her husband's many rowing and outdoors adventures, including an account of the couple's 1986 trip up the IP (she rowed and he paddled).

Betty Lowman Carey Personal account of a woman's 1937 IP solo trip to Ketchikan in a 13' 10' long dugout canoe (rowed not paddled). Very detailed information including a trip log. A good story. Pete and Nancy Ashenfelter A retired couple's story of their 70+ day trip up the Inside Passage (done during a year with no summer, and more than 50 days of rain).

Maria Coffey, Dag Goering Vancouver Island circumnavigation account. Lots of photos. Kim Heacox Another Alaska kayak book.

Written by naturalist Kim Heacox, a longtime resident of Glacier Bay. More of a conservation-oriented account of Heacox's time as a kayak ranger in the 1980s, versus a trip guide. John Muir Muir's accounts of trips in Southeast Alaska, including his 1879 canoe journey from Wrangell to Glacier Bay and Haines. (This link goes to the free eBook version.) EBooks Denis Dwyer Accomplished IP paddler Denis Dwyer gets honors for publishing the first ebook (December 2009) on kayaking the IP. I've long recommended Denis' as essential reading, and this is a chance to get all of the information (and more) in an easy to access, offline readable ebook file. The reference is available in Kindle format; directly available from Amazon. If you don't have a Kindle ebook reader, don't sweat it.

There's free reader software for Windows. The book is also available in paperback. Denis Dwyer Denis has a new book out based on his 2012 trip from Bellingham to Skagway. A 400+ page compendium of essential skills, knowledge, and wisdom for anyone planning to take on the IP. The book is available in ebook and paperback formats, and as with his previous book, highly recommended. Kudos to Denis for both his prolific paddling and writing. (Check out Denis' list of campsite GPS coordinates further down the page, which appear in this book with further detail.) Out of Print Books Ken Wise Four Sea Scouts, circa 1936, start out in Seattle and paddle the Inside Passage in two canoes.

Review coming when I get around to ordering a copy. Michael Poole Three month IP trip in a canoe. Review coming after I get a copy.

Kenneth Macrae Leighton A doctor in his 60s rows from Vancouver to Prince Rupert. Found a copy in a used bookstore the other day.

This is a special book that's really written from the heart. The stories and accompanying woodcut prints are wonderful.

Kenneth has since passed away and this short, little book is a legacy to his adventure and the type of person he was. I would have liked to have met him. Not a whole lot of practical trip information, but worth trying to find. Greg Rasmussen Three month IP trip narrative with lots of photos. Review coming after I get a copy. Guide Books Robert H. Miller Published in May 2005.

This book is a must for anyone paddling the Inside Passage. The first complete guidebook for kayakers paddling the IP, it identifies campsites, water locations, hazards and more. Well written, with maps, photos, and practical advice. (It uses the Calm Channel route to get to Johnstone Strait through Yaculta, Dent and Green Pointe Rapids versus the more direct Seymour Narrows route.

The author says it's more scenic and safe. Ballpark measuring with Google Earth shows this route to be about 30 miles more paddling than going through Seymour.) There's an October 19, 2005 review comment on Amazon from a kayaker who used the book as his guide for paddling the entire route. Pay attention to what he has to say about campsites mentioned in the book. Miller is now selling a 50 page update with corrections and new information.

He also hosts a discussion forum. For more on both visit:. The Wild Coast ( ) John Kimantas The author put in over 6,000 miles of paddling on the BC coast during a five year period, so is pretty qualified to discuss the Canadian parts of the IP.

These guide books have been recommended by a number of paddlers and are top-notch. Kimantas' had a large amount of valuable information for the IP paddler, including a collection of trip reports. However since he took over publishing magazine in 2008 much of the content from the Wild Coast site has been moved to the magazine site. Denis Dwyer I already mentioned this reference in the Ebook section, but it 's worth repeating in the Guide Books too. Be sure to check Denis' latest out.,, and. Don Douglass and Reanne Hemingway-Douglass cruise around the Pacific Northwest and Alaska in their big boat (at least compared to a kayak), visiting all sorts of different places and taking copious notes.

The above mentioned cruising guides are a product of their first-hand knowledge and experience. In these three volumes you'll find charts (not to replace the navigation charts you'll need for the trip), GPS coordinates and detailed information for the entire IP route (and a whole lot of other places too). These books are kind of spendy between $50 and $60 US, depending on which volume you buy. At over 500 pages each, they are great planning references.

Is considered the Bible of northwest cruising (updated annually). A few years ago the publisher started to offer a PDF version of the complete book for (just sign up for an email newsletter). A great resource as you can put the full book on a phone or tablet and easily print out pages relevant to your IP trip.. Anne Vipond and William Kelly. This is a relatively new cruising book that looks promising for IP paddlers. More info when I get a chance to see it in person.

Other Books of Interest Eric Enno Tamm OK, it's not about kayaking the Inside Passage, but I really enjoyed this book and wanted to list it. This is the story of Ed Ricketts, one of the pioneers of marine ecology.

It's a fascinating account of a maverick marine biologist with no college degree who was way ahead of his time. Author Eric Enno Tamm brings to life Ricketts and an amazing cast of characters from the 1930s and 40s including novelist John Steinbeck (who used Ricketts as a model for 'Doc' in Cannery Row) and scholar Joseph Campbell (the famous mythology scholar who's work was influenced by Ricketts). There's lots about BC and the Inside Passage, including a 1932 collecting trip that Ricketts and Campbell took from Tacoma to Juneau in the 33-foot Grampus (captained by Jack Calvin, who earlier paddled the IP in a canoe with his wife three years earlier). Patrick Chapman I'm a self admitted kayak guy, and although I've done some canoeing in the past, have always preferred the closed deck, double blade mode of transportation.

I've got to admit it though. After reading Patrick Chapman's excellent historical account of the Willits Brothers and the wooden canoes they made for over 50 years, I've got a lot of new respect and appreciation for these decidedly old-school boats (and their creators).

From the 1930s to the 1960s a number of Willits canoes did the IP, and the functional, yet work of art boats are now treated as collectors' items. Chapman does a great job of describing the Willits, their manufacturing operation, the boats they produced, and even presents some untold accounts of IP trips such as a 1961 boys' summer camp trip from Tacoma to Juneau. Check out this article for more about the brothers. Wylie Blanchet Yet another non-kayaking title, but a classic story of 1930s life on the IP (I'm a sucker for period historical works). A recently widowed woman and her five children spend summers cruising the IP in a 25-foot boat. Wonderful descriptions of people and places in a simpler time. A must read for anyone planning an IP adventure.

Old Magazines Nakwasina Goes North - National Geographic, July 1933 - Jack Calvin A Man, a Woman, and a Pup Cruise from Tacoma to Juneau in a 17-foot Canoe. Jack and Sasha Calvin paddle and sail (12 hours out of 53 days) a up the Inside Passage in 1929. Lots of photos. Worth tracking down at a library or on eBay.

For nearly thirty years, Sea Kayaker magazine was the go-to, information source for anyone interested in open-water paddling. Since 1989, I was privileged to have 20 articles published by SK. Sadly, t he magazine’s last issue hit the newsstands in January 2014. There was a history piece I wrote for SK that was one of my favorites. In memory of the magazine, here it is:.

Chris and Sea Kayaker, thanks for the journey. You will be greatly missed and always appreciated. Navigation NOAA has all of their latest Coast Pilots online as PDF files. For the uninitiated, a coast pilot contains written descriptions and information about waters and landforms - they're meant to be used with charts. Coast Pilot 8 covers US coastal waters between Mexico and British Columbia (including the Puget Sound, where you'll either start or finish your trip). Coast Pilot 8 covers the British Columbia border up into Southeast Alaska.

The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency is responsible for creating defense related maps for the United States government. They also provide quite a bit of maritime information, including Sailing Directions (similar to a NOAA Coast Pilot) for non-US waters throughout the world. 154 is for British Columbia and is freely available as a PDF file. (The NGA has lots of other cool online worth checking out.) British Admiralty Sailings Directions Well, they're not really free, but. The United States is unique in that it makes digital maps, charts and pilots freely available to the public - they're created with tax dollars, so why the heck not. Unfortunately, Canada and the UK are pretty stingy with their charts and pilots, keeping them tightly copyright controlled. However, an anonymous IP paddler who goes by the name of Edward Teach informs me that PDF versions of the British Admiralty Sailings for British Columbia - NP 25 (12th 2004) British Columbia Pilot Vol.1, NP 26 British Columbia Pilot Vol.2 - are floating around the Internet and may be found by doing a little Googling.

CHS doesn't offer as many free resources as NOAA, but it's still worth poking around their Web site to see what they have available gratis and for pay. As of early December 2005 NOAA has put all of their charts online for viewing or download; both the raster versions, which are scanned charts, and the vector versions, which look computer-generated instead of hand drawn. Nice for planning and reference or when you're bored at work. You can use the free, Windows program to view downloaded charts or use Maptech's free to view, plan and print RNC/BSB charts. Chart Navigator is the same as their commercial Offshore Navigator program, but lacks the GPS connectivity and real time navigation features (which you don't need for kayaking anyway.) Better yet, I highly recommend NOAA's for Washington and Alaska waters. In 2006, NOAA started playing around with the idea of breaking a full size chart into rescaled, easy to print, 8.5x11' pieces.

They started with Chesapeake Bay and have been expanding the program ever since. Now you can get most of their charts in this format. They come as Adobe Acrobat PDF files and allow you to conveniently print kayak-friendly charts. As of the first part of 2010, the BookletCharts are still considered 'experimental' - which means they are updated once a month versus once a week like the RNCs and ENCs.

Due to lots of positive public feedback and getting a few software glitches worked out, NOAA will be striking the experimental status very soon and making BookletCharts a part of their official offerings. Kudos to them for providing yet another excellent, free resource.

For the Washington and Alaska legs of the trip you can use USGS 1:24,000 scale topographic maps (called DRG or Digital Raster Graphic, these are scanned paper maps in GeoTIFF format). A list of where to get free DRGs for each U.S. State can be found at the above link.

1:50,000 scale digital topographic maps of Canada. These are scanned paper maps in GeoTIFF format that you can open with any graphics program and print.

Here's a link to an so you know which ones to download. The entire BC portion of the Inside Passage spans 56 maps (sizes range from 10 to 48 MB a piece, so you definitely need a broadband connection to download). Thanks to the Canadian government who made this resource freely available in 2007. Other maps are available at the site and it's worth looking around. If you have a Garmin GPS receiver that uses Mapsource maps, check out these free 1:50,000 scale maps that Dale Atkin makes available for uploading. Other free Garmin compatible maps for locations all over the world are, but unfortunately nothing for the Alaska portion of the IP.

However, a newer site called does have some Alaska maps that will work with your Garmin - no topo maps yet, but it's worthwhile checking back every now and then to see if some amateur cartographer had added something new. The Magic Maps project plans to convert Canadian topographic vector data to free maps you can load on a Magellan eXplorist or Triton GPS receiver. Not much of BC is done at this point (3/31/08) but it's worth checking back as maps for the entire country are planned. 1:250,000 scale digital topographic maps of Canada. A good navigation resource for British Columbia waters, especially for locating stream water sources. (These are vector maps, not raster-based scans of paper maps.) An amazing program that displays satellite imagery.

Much of the same data is available on the Web at, but Google Earth allows you to display terrain in 3D and measure distances. This is a cool planning tool that will give you more of an idea of what the IP is like compared to a paper chart. Highly recommended and free! (For online topographic maps of Alaska and Washington, visit.) High-resolution satellite coverage unfortunately isn't available for most of the IP, but Google is incrementally adding data and hopefully one day we'll have access to 1-meter (or less) resolution data for everything between Puget Sound and Skagway. In 2015, Google started offering its premium Google Earth Pro for. Highly recommended because of the advanced features. Free Web-based nautical and aeronautical charts, terrain maps and aerial photos.

Mostly for the US and definitely not meant for use on the water, but a handy and quick reference; especially for planning. (See below in the Pay Information Sources for more about Maptech's commercial software.) Light Lists Light lists are lists of navigation aids such as buoys, lights and fog signals. Handy to have if you pass a navigation aid and want to know where you're at (for example if you cruise by a white cylindrical tower with a green band at top and a green light that flashes every second, you can consult the list to help you zero in your location). Click here for and here for.

- Lightkeepers have a pretty friendly reputation to kayakers. Here's the definitive list of lighthouses, with maps, photos and even the ability to send some lightkeepers email. Weather - Historical weather data for the Western United States. While the past doesn't necessarily predict the future, having good statistics can give you a better sense of the weather you'll be facing during different parts of the year. - NOAA's generalized temperature, precipitation and hazard forecasts for the US.

Outlooks range from 6 to 10 days to 3 months in the future. - Canadian weather, including historical, for the BC leg. - Real time wind and temperature data for the Puget Sound and San Juans collected by state ferries. An excellent resource. Route and General Info is an excellent BC kayaking Web site. The forums are an especially good source of local knowledge. Annually updated, the Waggoner is considered the Bible of northwest cruising.

The book's Web site had a whole lot of useful information for paddlers and rowers, particularly in the Interviews & Articles and Reader Questions section (one gem is to check the West Sea Otter ocean buoy hourly report on your weather radio - if it's 1 meter or less, Queen Charlotte Sound is going to be nice and flat.) A few years ago the publisher started to offer a PDF version of the complete book for (just sign up for an email newsletter). A great resource as you can easily print out pages relevant to your IP trip.

Is an effort to create a human-powered water trail along the BC coast. The non-profit effort is just getting started but will be extremely beneficial to the IP paddler in identifying camp sites. West Coast Paddler has a dedicated to listing camp sites that will eventually be incorporated into the official trail.. Bruce Campbell has been compiling this list since 1998 and it's an excellent resource for places to stop and stretch the legs a little bit (or perhaps even for locating a possible camp site). Is a Canadian kayaking magazine with lots of information about various parts of the route (from past issues), freely available online.

Ferries - Schedules and fares for getting between Southeast and Bellingham. - Serving beautiful British Columbia. - For getting to and from the San Juan Islands. Cruise ships Yeah sure, you can take a cruise ship up the IP, but that's not what I'm going to talk about here. Suddenly having a giant cruise ship looming over your kayak as you round a point can be a bit of a heart-stopping surprise. However cruise ships are creatures of habit and follow set schedules.

If you're so inclined, with a little Web research you can get a pretty good idea of ports of call and when a ship may be in the same vicinity as you. To get a better idea of summer cruise ship traffic on the IP (at least the southern section) check out the marine traffic Web site. This slick resource uses AIS (Automatic Identification System) to display real time positions of vessels all over the world - including speed, vessel name, and size.

Zoom in and out to an area you're interested in and see what vessels are on the water. Click on an icon to get information about the vessel; some even have photographs. AIS is a fairly recent technology and not all vessels use it (yet), but I've found cruise ships on the move seem to always be transmitting their positions. If you have a cell phone with a data plan (that doesn't cost an arm and a leg to use in Canada) and coverage, using AIS tracking Web sites such as this one can give you a heads-up on what's ahead (or coming up behind). Other - Hard core paddlers in Florida who do serious, expedition length races.

Yes, I know, wrong coast, warm water, and snakes, but some of the gear and safety recommendations are applicable to the IP (plus the stories are good). - Not about kayaks, canoes or rowboats but still one of my favorite maritime blogs. Captain Richard Rodriguez pilots the Vessel Assist boat Remedy in the San Juan Islands. He accounts his adventures (and the misadventures of others he ends up towing) in words and photos. Entertaining and educational even if you don't drive an internal combustion craft. What brand of boat does the good captain end up towing the most? If you guessed Bayliner, give yourself a gold star.

Free Tide and Current Software Knowing the tides and current in the IP is essential for planning as well as day-to-day travel. In addition to the numerous printed tide and current tables that are on the market, there are also a number of excellent free software programs for providing this information. Here is a list of some programs to download and check out.

• Windows - Your two choices are and. Download both to see which one you like the best. • Mac - The Unix version of XTide should compile and on an OS X system. Is another tide program based on XTide that is already compiled and ready to run. • Linux - is a very popular Unix tide program. In fact most of the other tide programs listed here are based on the open source code.

• Java - is a multi-platform tide program that runs on any computer that supports Java. Some cool features, simple to use and made in local Port Townsend. This has turned into my favorite tide program and I find myself using it just about every day for planning paddles or beach walks. • Palm - runs on most Palm PDAs. • Pocket PC - Or if you're of the Microsoft persuasion, check out. Inside Passage Motoring Not human-powered, but still some good reference information. (there is a very lot of good information here, including many photos - motorboat oriented, but still useful for paddlers and rowers) (these little guys are as long as my surfski, but are very cool) Routes Just as an FYI, here are distances between potential stops on the Sydney BC to Ketchikan route (via Seymour Narrows).

Distances are in nautical miles and were plotted on electronic charts based on following a typical kayak route more closer in to the shore.

Rugged & Waterproof - Top Choice for Outdoor Adventure! The eTrex 30x is a small rugged mapping handheld GPS that will provide the user with features usually found in much larger and more expensive handheld GPS. Built with an upgraded display the etrex 30 x has an increased resolution of 240 x 320 and is a 2.2” Color, 65K sunlight readable screen. With its high sensitivity WAAS enabled GPS receiver, GLONASS support and HotFix satellite prediction the eTrex 30x locates your position quickly and maintains a lock on you location even in heavy cover or deep canyons. The eTrex 30x has a larger internal memory, 3.7 gb for holding map detail whether it is Topographic mapping, Street level detailed mapping or even marine charting without having to add a micro SD card, which you can still do for even more storage. Electronic sensors like a built in three axis tilt compensated compass and a barometric altimeter are also part of the eTrex 30x, the benefit being you can get a compass heading without moving and a more accurate elevation reading. The eTrex 30x can also be connected wirelessly to other GPS or sensors that are so enabled.

This is great for sharing waypoints, routes and tracks with hiking partners and also pairing a cardiac strap or foot pedal. A top of the line handheld in a small package for just about every user, whether you are hiking, biking, Geocaching or just using it in your car the eTrex 30x may be the perfect handheld for you.