# Inside Passage in January



## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

For those nuts (like me) who consider Alaska's Inside Passage a year round cruising ground here is something to consider:

From front page of Capital City Weekely











> The M/V LeConte takes a giant breaking wave as the wind carries the spray over the entire ship between Shelter and Admiralty Islands near sunrise Jan. 24. Both cold and high winds have battered Southeast residents this week. When this photo was taken, the wind was measured by crew members to be *blowing 70 knots and a peak gust of 120 knots* that created sea spray and excessive icing. The icing aboard LeConte knocked out the ship's radar and GPS systems causing many delays.


M/V LeConte
General characteristics
Displacement: 2,132 long tons
Length: 235 ft (72 m)
Beam: 57 ft (17 m)
Draught: 13 ft 10 and 7/8 inches
Horsepower: 4,300
Speed: 14.5 knots


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## Aasem (Sep 3, 2006)

*Cool shot!*

Who shot that pic? - and from where? He/she obviously used a long telephoto, so a rocking boat wouldn't allow such a clear shot. It's hard to tell from the background whether the shot faces east or west. Maybe from Pt. Retreat? -- or a cabin along South Shelter?

I've done my time in those winds in that neighborhood, but it's been awhile.


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## Plumper (Nov 21, 2007)

A miserable day!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

According to "Station PRTA2 - Point Retreat, AK" wind wast blowing NNW that morning. That would indicate the camera was east of the LeConte. Highest gust recorded by PRTA2 was 60 knots.


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## btrayfors (Aug 25, 2006)

Yeah, and where are those "giant breaking waves"? Looks like sheltered water and 4-8' waves at worst, though maybe the pic is deceiving.


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

btrayfors said:


> Yeah, and where are those "giant breaking waves"? Looks like sheltered water and 4-8' waves at worst, though maybe the pic is deceiving.


Its from a free distribution news rag what do you expect?!? But.. considering the fetch is around 5 nmi or less in the lee of Lincoln Is. in Saginaw Chan with winds from that direction. I wouldn't want to be there.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

bt-
Supposedly that's a 235-foot-long SHIP, not a wee boat, so maybe the photo just lacks scale to our wee eyes? Although even figuring that...I'm not seeing huge waves, just one of something that broke over her.


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## Plumper (Nov 21, 2007)

I think she is just on a crest and about to nose down and take another greener.


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## billyruffn (Sep 21, 2004)

Gee, 70 kts of wind against a 3+ knot tidal current. I wonder what happens to the sea state?


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## Aasem (Sep 3, 2006)

btrayfors said:


> Yeah, and where are those "giant breaking waves"? Looks like sheltered water and 4-8' waves at worst, though maybe the pic is deceiving.


That area is very sheltered. You'll get steep, short-interval seas, but no swells at all.

On nice days, I used to (early 80's) take my 80 mph 18-foot jet boat out there, and it only had about 6 inches of freeboard!


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## TSOJOURNER (Dec 16, 1999)

That's why I love my pilothouse up here... Though I wouldn't want to be in that particular place at that particular time. I like to be able to see through my weather windows...


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