Meridian 580: Family Cruise to Alaska

We love it when our readers send in articles and pictures of their cruising adventures, and one of the most interesting to hit our in-box recently came from Greg Peters, the proud owner of the 58' Meridian shown above. Since last February he has put 400 hours on her engines and taken "Perfect Pearl" through 12' to 14' head seas and 10' following seas off the infamous Oregon coast. Greg's biggest complaints about the boat are that its defogger switch didn't work and when plowing into the big, green stuff referred to above, the starboard pilothouse door leaked. Other than those two items he says the boat performed flawlessly. Greg sent us a copy of his daily log along with a couple of dozen pictures and we are sharing them with you today. Even if you don't plan on cruising the Inside Passage to Alaska, we think you will find his careful planning and experience instructive.

Purchased new in February, 2010, the Meridian 580 "Perfect Pearl" left Seattle in June for a two-month cruise to Glacier Bay and back.

Meridian 580 Layout Plans

See BoatTEST.com videos of the Meridian 580 and full Captain's Report...

Log of Perfect Pearl – 2010

June 3rd ……..Seattle to Roach Harbor……Leave Elliott Bay Marina @ 9 am….about 77 miles @ 10 knots…..7 hours…..Top off in Roche Fuel pricing as of 3 /25/10 $3.03 over 200 gal…$2.93 over 300 gal….$2.83 over 500 gal….estimated fuel used 100 gallons

Went to rendezvous for Meridian and Bayliner owners organized by the dealer. There were about 130 Meridians and Bayliners for this event. It was a big party atmosphere. Saw a pod of Orcas.

L. to R.: Stormy Davis (daughter), Lauren Peters (daughter), Hunter Peters (son), Greg Peters, Donna Eaton (wife).

June 4th-6th…….Roche Harbor Meridian getaway

June 7th……Roche Harbor to Poet ….Clear Customs in Sidney. 10 miles @ 10 knots….1 hour…..Coal Harbor Chevron Fuel Barge (604-681-7725) price on 3/25 $94.97 ~ $3.39 gal….estimated fuel used 20 gal.

Stayed in Sydney because it was a cute little town that needed exploring. Found a nice bakery for breakfast. Customs cleared us over the phone without coming to the boat. Saw another pod of Orcas.

British Columbia is famous for its waterfalls in the Inside Passage.

June 8th…..Poet to Vancouver ….VTS 12 (Coal Harbor Marina….604-681-2628…..VHF 66)…..through Active Pass Leave @ 7 am on rising tide 52 miles …..4.5 hours…..estimated fuel usage…. 70 gal

We traveled through Active Pass with the current running about 5 knots. There were some small whirlpools. Vancouver was a lot of fun, bicycled around their waterfront park, shopped in China Town and Gas Lamp District, and met up with a friend we met at the getaway for a tour of the city. We picked up the kids from the airport. At this point, on board for the trip are: Greg Peters, Donna Eaton (wife), Stormy (13), Lauren (12), Hunter(6) and Alexes (13).

June 9th - 10th ….Re-supply……kids join us

June 11th ….Vancouver to Pender Harbor….VTS 12 then 71…. (Painted Boat Resort 604-883-2456) Nightly Rate: $1.20 per foot per night + GST….Leave in the am (best time to leave 11 am) 54 miles …4.5 hours….estimated fuel usage 70 gal

Anchored in 40 feet and lowered the dinghy. Took a ride to a park and went for a hike. Ate at the marina restaurant. Good food. Stormy jumped into the 64 degree water from the fly bridge.

June 12th….Pender to Princess Louisa Chatterbox Falls….46 miles… 4 hours…Must leave @ 9 am Low slack at 1 pm @ Saltery Bay…confirm tides….Use mooring ring on east side of bay with a stern tie….Noise restrictions…estimated fuel usage 60 Gal

This was one of the best stops along the way. On the way up the fiord the walls got steep and the mountains reached for the sky for over a mile high. We hit Malibu Rapids just before low slack. The rapids are about 100 yards wide with rocks on both sides and an S-turn in the middle. I powered through them with ease. There is a summer camp on the point overlooking the rapids. After the rapids the water turns to glass and it is 5 miles to the head where Chatterbox Falls are.

That 65-degree water is refreshing on a hot Canadian day.

The walls on either side were 5000 foot sheer cliffs with hundreds of waterfalls snaking their way to the channel. We dropped anchor in the wash of Chatterbox Falls where the outflow will keep your bow facing the falls through all the tides. There was maybe a 14 foot tide there. I dropped in about 10 foot of water let out 60 foot of scope and was in 100 foot of water. Just a little steep!. I did not sleep well but we did not move at all. Hiked around the falls, lowered the kayaks, and the girls went swimming again.

June 13th….Princess Louisa to Harmony Islands…Leave @ 11:30…3.5 hours…Anchor on the North East Side…stern tie…estimated fuel usage 45 gal.

Strait of Georgia was lumpy so we got on plane then anchored in Squirrel cove.

June 14th…. Harmony to Gorge Harbor Marina…. 250-935-6433….VHF 66…. $1.50 per foot….Best time to leave is @ 6 am….61 miles… 5 hours….estimated fuel usage 75 gal.

At this point Donna wanted a hot tub to soak in so we went to Dent Island Resort. I timed the arrival for slack at the Yaculta Rapids and Dent Rapids. This was another highlight. The Nordstrom family owns this little resort and caters to the Yachtys. The docks were in the best shape of any we found for the whole trip. We took a jet boat rapid tour later in the day when the rapids were running. There were 30 foot whirlpools that dropped 6-8 feet to the center where the hole was. The story is there was a 70 ft commercial fishing vessel that got flipped when its engine broke down and drifted in to the “Devils Hole”. There were 6 foot overfalls and the water boiled.

June 15th….Gorges to Blind Channel……888-329-0475…VHF 66….$1.35 per foot….Must leave at 4:30 for Yaculta and Dent Rapids….3 hours to Yaculta slack flood @7 am…..53 miles….estimated fuel usage 65 gal

June 16th….Blind Channel to Echo Bay Pierre’s Resort….250-713-6415….VHF 66….$.90 per foot….Should leave @ 6 am….80 miles….8 hours….estimated fuel usage 100 gal.

Stayed at Dent for two days. We went to Pierre’s in Echo Bay. When we hit Johnstone Strait the current was heading north and the wind was 20 knots to the south. The waves stood up into 6-8 ft square waves. Echo Bay was OK.

Look closely at the shoreline and you can see Perfect Pearl anchored.

June 17th….Chill out for a day or move on

June 18th….Chill out or move on… watch weather in Queen Charlotte sound …Probably want to move on to stay a night and day in McNeill then stay in Blunden Harbor for an early morn departure on the 21st.

June 19th….Echo to McNeill….250-902-8128…VHF 66…$.85 per foot….Top off fuel …. 10 knots for 29 miles for 3 hours…possibly stop at Alert Bay….3 hours ….estimated fuel usage 35 gal refuel and re-supply.

On our way to Port McNeill we found a large pod of dolphins that took turns riding our bow wake. Nice marina and town. Refueled and re-supplied.

There was a boat named Sea Otter docked in front of us. The Sea Otter is a converted aluminum crabbing vessel set up for having fun and cruising. We got to know this captain and crew because we had three young teen girls and they had 5 young teen boys. It was odd when they kept showing up at other ports and anchorages. The official meeting of them was not until Shearwater.

Heading north into the famed Inside Passage.

June 20th….McNeill or Blunden to Shearwater ….(1-800-663-2370 VHF 66) $1.00 per foot….Leave @ 6 am…135 miles from McNeill or 115 miles from Blunden….10 knots for 30 miles for 3 hours….18 knots for 40 miles around Cape Caution 2 hours….10 knots for 65 miles for 5 hours…Total time is 10 hours…Total Fuel usage is 280 gal…Shearwater's fuel is expensive try Bella Bella.

We went to Blunden Harbor to get an early start the next day. Blunden was nice. We did some fishing and crabbing. Took a walk on the beach.

Had an early morning crossing of Queen Charlotte on the way to Shearwater. Left at 5 and handled 4 to 6 ft swells with no problem. On the way up Fitz Hugh Sound we saw 4-5 pods of Humpbacks. Stopped and played our “whale music” really loud.

Shearwater is a great stop. Nice little restaurant and some supplies and the kids found the toy store. There was a guy feeding two eagles some fish on the picnic table. Dockmaster was great. Sea Otter came in after us (are they stalking us?)

June 21st….Chill for a day or move on

June 22nd….Shearwater to Fiordland/ Culpepper lagoon…Anchor….Must go in on high flood to negotiate the rapids….Read the books ….Leave by 7 am….10 knots for 70 miles for 6 hours….estimated fuel usage 80 gal.

On the way to Culpepper we stuck the bow into Kynoch Falls. The girls got wet as did I on the flybridge. We lowered the dinghy and explored the stream. We tied up and explored further by walking through the water. It was a lot of fun. The Sea Otter showed up here and we got together for some incredible crab cakes that Donna cooked up. Fouled my anchor here took, an hour to get it up.

Occasionally the Peters party encountered fog along the way.

June 23th….Culpepper to Khutze….Anchor….Leave at 12:30….10 knots for 55 miles for 4.5 hours ….estimated fuel used 65 gal.

June 24th….Khutze to Bishop Bay Hot Springs….Anchor….10 knots for 40 miles for 3 hours….try to leave on ebb tide but get there early to get a good spot…estimated fuel usage 45 gal

Skipped Khutze and went to the hot springs. On the way out there was a shrimp boat so I put my VHF on one watt and hailed him to see if he had shrimp for sale. He said he has not seen the hard in weeks and would trade a bucket of shrimp for a case of beer. This transaction was on VHF 16.

A large bucket of fresh shrimp for a case of beer sounds like a good trade to us.

The shrimp were huge spotted shrimp and he gave us almost a five gallon bucket full. Latter that day we passed the Sea Otter who left before us. They hailed us and we went to 68 to talk. Apparently even 10 miles deep into the fiord the Canadian Coast Guard could hear our conversation with the shrimp boat. The Coast Guard said “ You can not trade beer for shrimp on 16!!!!!!!!”. (I knew better but thought I was out of range. )

Bishop Bay was Donna's favorite stop. We stayed two days. A natural hot tub, rustic but not too rustic. We left our stamp on one of the hanging floats. Sea Otter broke and rafted up to us at anchor. The girls enjoyed the attention.

June 25th….Bishop Bay to Verney Falls / Lowe Inlet….Anchor….Leave at 6 am…10 knots for 50 miles for 4.5 hours….estimated fuel usage 60 gal

On the way to Verney Falls we found the Sea Otter dead in the water. They must be stalkers at this point. We towed them to Hartly Bay, an Indian village that charges triple for their fuel. The Sea Otter had run out of fuel.

Verney Falls was really nice and the Sea Otter rafted to us again. We golfed, fished, crabbed, and shot his cannon. The falls double in height when the tide goes out. We got about 8 crabs and the Sea Otter pulled in a 110lb halibut.

June 26th….Lowe Inlet to Brundige….Anchor….Leave at 5:30 am….10 knots for 94 miles for 8 hours….Estimated fuel usage 110 gal….If fuel is necessary go to Prince Rupert.

Just an anchorage, very safe and secure and all alone.

June 27th….Brundige to Ketchikan….Bar Harbor (907-228-5632) VHF 73….Clear Customs….Leave at 8 am…10 knots for 63 miles for 6 hours….estimated fuel usage 75 gal.

We added my mother and her boyfriend Howard to the boat. The girls were a little upset they had to move out of the forward stateroom. Went to see an enjoyable lumberjack show. The city doubles and triples its population when the 5-6 cruise ships hit port. Then they leave and the port turns back to a rustic bar haven. We stayed at the “city floats”; Nice enough but very active with fishermen and tourists. First come first serve for dockage. Sea Otter went to Prince Rupert….done stalking us.

June 28th….Ketchikan

June 29th….Ketchikan

June 30th….Ketchikan or anchored out somewhere

July 1st….Ketchikan to Anan Harbor….Reservation at USFS cabin which allows us to tie up to the 25 ft float….Leave at 8 am….10 knots for 76 miles for 7 hours….Estimated fuel usage 95 gal.

Look closely and you can see the dark area in the river is made up of solid salmon.

One of the most incredible stops. We rented the cabin for $38.00 so we could have access to the one moored float that was 30 ft long. The girls stayed in the minimal cabin that night to have a fun experience. We hiked about a mile to the observatory. The fish in the stream are so thick it looks like a carpet.

Because of the amount of food available at this stream, the bears tolerate each other and the human presence. We saw 3-4 black bears and 2 grizzly bears. They would catch a fish in a matter of minutes and bring it up next to the observation area and eat it with an eagle ready to get the scraps. When the one grizzly was done with his food he scratched his back on the tree attached to the four foot high railing that separated us from the 900 lb bear. The ranger had bear mace and radio in hand.

July 2nd….Anan to Petersburg….South Harbor has 50 amp power (VHF 16 then 9 call 30 min before arrival)….Leave at 8 am….10 knots for 78 miles for 7 hours…estimated fuel usage 90 gal.

Very minimal port, nice but we were sandwiched between big fishing boats. The smells that come from them can be frightening.

This brown bear decided to take a good look at the tourists behing the railing.

July 3rd….Petersburg to Juneau….Make reservations for IVF intermediate vessel float (907-586-5255 VHF 16 and 73)…10 knots (leave at 8:30) for 122 miles for 10 hours or 18 knots (Leave at 9:30) for 6 hours….Estimated fuel usage 135 or 280 gal.

We are in Juneau for the Fourth of July. They had a parade and fireworks. The rain stopped for just long enough for the fireworks then it started again. We went to the Mendenhall Glacier and hiked to the falls. It was very beautiful. Juneau was less rustic than Ketchikan but still had the wild bars after the cruise ships left town. We docked right downtown at the intermediate vessel float (IVF) nice location but subject to every wake in the very large harbor.

The Peters' party investigates the moraine of a receding glacier in Alaska.

July 4th-6th ….Hang out in Juneau

July 7th….Juneau to Hoonah….(907-945-3670 VHF 16) ….Leave at 8 am….10 knots for 78 miles for 7 hours….estimated fuel usage 85 gal.

Hoonah is an Indian village and trying to become a cruise stop. It was very enjoyable. They have the longest zip line in the world. It is over a mile long. We did the zip. It takes ½ hour to get to the top of the mountain and 90 seconds to get down. It was a very neat experience. We had dinner and a native show that explained some of the native culture.

July 8th….Hoonah to Reid Inlet Glacier Bay….Check in at Bartlett cove (907-697-2627 VHF 16 then 12)….Leave at 6 am….Stop at Bartlett and check in….Marjorie Glacier and then to Reid Inlet to anchor….10 Knots for 110 miles for 10 hours….Noise Restriction at 10 pm….150 gal.

[Cruising yachtsmen must get a permit to enter the National Park. This was arranged for well in advance of the trip.--Ed.] Checked in at Bartlett cove for the National Park officers to lecture us on rules. I mean give us advice. They have a lodge there where we had a nice lunch. Bear and moose roam around the area also. We found a lot of blueberry bushes and picked some for pancakes in the morning. Anchored in Fingers inlet.

Only 20 permits a day are issued for passage into Glacier Bay National Park.

July 9th….Reid Inlet to Fingers Inlet….Sightseeing Muir inlet….Go whereever we want….10 knots for 80 miles for 7 hours….Estimated fuel usage 150 Gal.

Went to Marjorie Glacier and Grand Pacific Glacier. Lowered the dinghy and got some incredible pics. There was some calving but not much. We anchored in front of Reid Glacier which is only a tide water glacier at very high tide. We did explore the glacier and physically touched it.

July 10th…. Fingers Bay to Auke Bay…Statter Harbor (907-789-0819 VHF 73)….Leave at 6 am….10 Knots for 88 miles for 8 hours….Estimated fuel usage 100 gal.

Explored more of Glacier Bay and stayed at Fingers South Cove.

Greg Peters reported that cruise ships could not go up into Tracy Arm do to the icebergs.

July 11th ….chill out for a day…. Kids leave….

Long trip back to Juneau for the 3 teens to get on a plane and go home. Yea!!!!! Spent another couple days at the IVF.

July 12th….Auke to Tracy Arm Cove…Anchor on west side….Leave around 10:30 am….10 knots for 66 miles for 6 hours….Estimated fuel usage 75 gal.

Anchored in Tracy Arm Cove with about 10-12 other boats waiting for first light to go through the ice field to Sawyer Glacier in Tracy Arm. Launched the dinghy and drove out to a huge iceberg where we climbed on and took pictures. We stood on an ice berg!!!!!!!!

July 13th….Tracy Arm cove to Fords Terror…. Leave at 6 am….Sightseeing Sawyer Glacier 25 miles up Tracy Arm 25 miles back to head of inlet….Anchor in the west arm in 50 -70 ft watch the shoal….28 miles from Tracy Arm entrance….Must enter at slack tide High water should be about 2:30….Total distance 80 miles for 7 hours…Estimated fuel usage 90 gal.

Went to the head of Tracy Arm. We passed berg after berg for 10 miles then they started to get thick. Donna and my mother went on the bow with pole to fend the small ones off. I would have to steer around the big ones. This part was the most amazing part of the trip. The glacier was the biggest we have seen and was calving at regular intervals. We put a lot of ice into the cooler for cocktails latter in the day. We anchored at Farragut Bay.

July 14th….Fords Terror to Farragut Bay…. Leave at 2:45 pm Only at high tide….15 knots for 87 miles for 5.5 hours….Estimated fuel usage 200 gal

Watching huge glaciers split off into the water was a high point of the trip.

July 15th….Farragut Bay to Wrangle…. (907-874-3736 VHF 16 then 10)….10 knots for 69 miles for 6 hours…estimated fuel usage 75 gal

Wrangle was ok

July 16th….Chill for a day

July 17th….Wrangle to Ketchikan….10 knots for 95 miles for 8.5 hours….estimated fuel usage 105 gal.

Ketchikan…Mother and Howard left. Go figure, Sea Otter was there.

July 18th….Ketchikan to Prince Rupert…. Clear Customs ….. Prince Rupert Rowing and Yacht Club (250-624-4317 VHF 72) 10 knots for 105 miles for 9 hours….estimated fuel usage….115 gal.

Cleared customs anchored out because we could not get a slip.

This brown bear has just caught lunch and will spend the rest of the day fishing.

July 19th ….Prince Rupert to Math Islands….Anchor in Clear Passage….10 knots for 65 miles for 6 hours…estimated fuel usage 75 gal.

Went to Verney Falls again. There were salmon everywhere and a bear in the falls looking for his next meal.

July 20th….Math Islands to Racy Inlet….Anchor in Carney Bay….10 knots for 70 miles for 6.5 hours….estimated fuel usage 80 gal.

Donna wanted to go back to Bishop Bay Hot Springs. Enjoyed the soaking.

July 21st ….Racey Inlet to Shearwater….10 knots for 86 miles for 8 hours….estimated fuel usage 95 gal.

Shearwater was uneventful

July 22nd ….Shearwater to Fish Egg Inlet….Anchor in Waterfall inlet….10 knots for 55 miles for 5 hours….estimated fuel usage 60 gal.

July 23rd ….Fish Egg Inlet to Port McNeil….10 knots for 93 miles for 9 hours….estimated fuel usage 200 gal.

Went all the way to Port McNeil. Crossing Queen Charlotte was not a problem.

July 24th….Port McNeil to Blind Channel resort….(888-329-0475…VHF 66)….10 knots for 74 miles for 6 hours…estimated fuel usage 80 gal.

Donna wanted Dent Island. We had one of the smallest boats there. A 167 footer with a helicopter was leaving as we arrived. Daedalus (Boeing) at 151 ft came in after us.

The narrows in British Columbia are just that and the current can flow as fast as 20 Knots in some of them, according to one guidebook.

July 25th….Blind channel to Campbell River….Coast marina (250-287-7455)….10 knots for 30 miles for 3 hours….estimated fuel usage 30 gal

Went to April Cove by Campbell River. Very nice place and Donna got her massage.

July 26th….Campbell River to Nanaimo….Nanaimo Port Authority (250-755-1216 VHF 67) make reservations….10 knots for 88 miles for 8 hours…estimated fuel usage 95 gal.

The BathTub Races were in full swing and we drove through the course by accident. Those guys are nuts. Anchored out with a hundred other boats with the winds blowing 20-25 kts.

July 27th….Nanaimo to Roche harbor…. (800-586-3590) 10 knots for 56 mile for 5 hours….estimated fuel usage 60 gal

Poets Cove was a great stop with a pool and a baby seal swimming around.

Greg Peters says his cruise to Alaska was a trip of a lifetime. Next stop for Perfect Pearl is the Panama Canal.

July 29th…. Roche to Elliott Bay Marina.

Back in the US.

Total engine hours ……257

Total fuel usage…….2,956 gal

Total mileage …. 2,717 miles

Average speed...10.5 knots

--Greg Peters