Kenai Fjords from Seward
Seward, Kenai Fjords & Prince William Sound
93 NM · Challenging · 7 days
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ChallengingOpen Gulf of Alaska coast with swell, glacier ice and no services past Seward; keep two weather days.
A seven-day sailing loop from Seward out of Resurrection Bay to Aialik Bay in Kenai Fjords National Park, with tidewater glaciers, calving ice and whales. Resurrection Bay Sailing Charters is the one bareboat sailing source we found, and it asks for real sailing credentials. This is the open Gulf of Alaska coast: rounding Aialik Cape can be rough, there is no fuel past Seward, and you should keep two weather days.
DAY 1 · Seward Small Boat Harbor (Seward)
Photo: Mark Nenadov (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY 4.0Leave 1:00 pm
The city harbor at the head of Resurrection Bay, base for the tour boats and charter yachts and the last full-service stop before the Kenai Fjords coast. Visit the chandlery and the grocery store before you go. Call the harbormaster for transient space: a published reservation system is unconfirmed.
- 9:00 amCheck out the boat and provisionMeet the charter company, complete the check-out sail and buy groceries in town.
- 12:00 pmCheck the marine forecastRead the NWS Resurrection Bay and Gulf coast forecasts before you leave.
9 NM · about 1 h 30 mto Thumb Cove State Marine Park (Resurrection Bay)
Thumb Cove State Marine Park (Resurrection Bay)
Photo: Paxson Woelber (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 3.0Arrive 3:30 pm
A steep-sided cove on the east side of Resurrection Bay, with a glacier above and waterfalls on the walls, and the usual first night out of Seward. Alaska State Parks says there are no public buoys or docks in the bay's marine parks. Check the chart for depth, since soundings and holding are unconfirmed.
- 5:00 pmRow ashoreWalk the beach; a stream gives fresh water and there are two public-use cabins.
20 NM · about 3 h 20 mto Three Hole Bay (Aialik Bay)
DAY 2 · Three Hole Bay (Aialik Bay)
Photo: National Park Service (Wikimedia Commons) · Public domainArrive 2:30 pm
A small nook just inside the entrance of Aialik Bay, used by a sailing crew as the first anchorage after rounding the cape. The leg from Resurrection Bay passes Aialik Cape, the exposed part of the trip, where swell can build quickly. Depth and holding are unconfirmed, so sound in carefully.
- 8:00 amRound Aialik Cape earlyLeave early in settled weather, since afternoon southerly breezes build seas on this coast.
7 NM · about 1 h 10 mto Coleman Bay (Aialik Bay)
DAY 3 · Coleman Bay (Aialik Bay)
Photo: Diego Delso (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0Arrive 12:30 pm
A bay on the east side of the upper fjord, whose inner pocket, called the thumb, is the best anchorage according to the NPS. Two mooring buoys exist but are not maintained and should not be trusted, so anchor in the thumb. The park lists VHF 16 for contact.
- 2:00 pmLook at the iceWatch for floating ice and wildlife from the anchorage.
6 NM · about 1 hto Aialik Glacier (Aialik Bay)
DAY 4 · Aialik Glacier (Aialik Bay)
Photo: Diego Delso (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0Arrive 10:00 am · leave 12:00 pm
A big tidewater glacier at the head of the bay that drops ice into the water. The NPS says stay at least half a mile off any glacier terminus, because calving can still raise large waves, and never land or camp within two miles of tidewater ice. Keep clear of bergs by twice their height or width.
- 10:30 amWatch it calveStay well back and keep an eye on the wind and the ice.
8 NM · about 1 h 20 mto Holgate Arm: Glacier and Public Use Cabin (Aialik Bay)
Holgate Arm: Glacier and Public Use Cabin (Aialik Bay)
Photo: Enrico Blasutto (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0Arrive 1:00 pm · leave 3:00 pm
A side arm leading to Holgate Glacier, whose ice often clogs the arm. The NPS says heavy ice can make boating and landing difficult, and advises keeping off the small beaches near the glacier, which can be washed by waves. A reservable cabin sits on the north-east shore.
7 NM · about 1 h 10 mto Coleman Bay (Aialik Bay)
Coleman Bay (Aialik Bay)
Photo: Diego Delso (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY-SA 4.0Arrive 4:00 pm
Return to the thumb of Coleman Bay for the night, or stay put if the weather is poor. Keep one day in hand here as a weather day before the exposed run back around Aialik Cape.
7 NM · about 1 h 10 mto Three Hole Bay (Aialik Bay)
DAY 5 · Three Hole Bay (Aialik Bay)
Photo: National Park Service (Wikimedia Commons) · Public domainArrive 2:00 pm
Back down Aialik Bay to the sheltered nook inside the entrance, ready for an early start. Check the marine forecast before deciding whether to round the cape tomorrow or wait another day.
14 NM · about 2 h 20 mto Sunny Cove State Marine Park (Resurrection Bay)
DAY 6 · Sunny Cove State Marine Park (Resurrection Bay)
Photo: Frank Kovalchek (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY 2.0Arrive 3:00 pm
A cove on the east side of Resurrection Bay near Fox Island. A cruising blog quoting the US Pilot rates Sunny or nearby Humpy Cove as the best anchorage in the bay, though that is second-hand. Alaska State Parks says there are no public buoys here, so check the chart for depth.
- 8:00 amRound Aialik CapePick a settled day for the exposed leg back to Resurrection Bay.
14.5 NM · about 2 h 25 mto Seward Small Boat Harbor (Seward)
DAY 7 · Seward Small Boat Harbor (Seward)
Photo: Mark Nenadov (Wikimedia Commons) · CC BY 4.0Arrive 12:00 pm
Return to Seward to end the trip. Refuel at the Shoreside dock (marine hours and fuel types are unconfirmed), clean the boat and allow time before check-in.
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