NEXT ADVENTURE
6 LEFT!
May 17 - June 13, 2027
Arrive & Preboard on Monday, May 17
Provision & Check-out on Tuesday, May 18
Depart on Wednesday, May 19
Disembark on Sunday, June 13
Our northbound Mother Goose flotilla begins in Bellingham on May 17, with two days on the dock: arrival and preboarding the first day, provisioning and check-out the second. Lines come off May 19, and the fleet reaches Ketchikan on June 13, 28 days and ~914 nautical miles. The route runs north through the Gulf Islands and Desolation Sound, takes a timed passage through the rapids, and follows Johnstone Strait to Port McNeill before rounding Cape Caution. From Aristazabal Island the fleet crosses Hecate Strait to Haida Gwaii, where most of a week is spent in Gwaii Haanas: SGang Gwaay, Hot Spring Island, the old-growth forest at Windy Bay, and Tanu. The final days cross Dixon Entrance into Alaska. You run your own boat, chartered from our fleet or your own vessel, while our lead crew handles planning, daily briefings, reservations, and the Parks Canada permits for Gwaii Haanas.*
*Note: This itinerary is tentative. The final route is set by weather, currents, group input, and the lead boat captain. Participants may cruise on their own or with the group during the day, but must rejoin the group at each day's destination.
Mother Goose2027 FLOTILLA
Bellingham to Ketchikan: The Coast, Then Haida Gwaii
This 28-day flotilla begins with two days at our Bellingham dock, then heads north through the Gulf Islands, Desolation Sound, and the rapids to the Central Coast. After Cape Caution comes the crossing to Haida Gwaii and most of a week in Gwaii Haanas, before the fleet continues across Dixon Entrance to Ketchikan. Late May brings long days and quiet anchorages, along with cool, often wet weather, so pack for all of it.
EXPERIENCE
THE ROUTE NORTH TO ALASKA
The route follows a sequence our lead crew plans around tides and weather: customs at Bedwell Harbour, a first raft-up at Prideaux Haven, a timed passage through Gillard Passage, and Johnstone Strait to Port McNeill. From there you round Cape Caution to the Hakai area and Shearwater, cross Hecate Strait to Gwaii Haanas, and finish by way of Prince Rupert and Foggy Bay into Ketchikan. Planned stops can shift with the weather, but the rhythm holds: a new anchorage most days, with two lay days built in.
CONNECT
WITH FELLOW BOATERS
A month on the water with the same group of boats builds real friendships. Evenings bring raft-ups, shared dinners, and conversation about the day's run and tomorrow's weather. During the day you can cruise with the fleet or on your own schedule, as long as you rejoin the group at each day's destination. Many guests bring a partner, friends, or family aboard. Others come for the company of boaters who share the same goal, and the confidence that comes from making a long passage together.
LEARN ABOUT
HAIDA GWAII'S LIVING HERITAGE
Haida Gwaii has been home to the Haida Nation for thousands of years, and Gwaii Haanas is managed jointly by the Council of the Haida Nation and the Government of Canada. Every visitor completes a Parks Canada orientation before entering, and our lead crew arranges the permits and orientation for the fleet. At village sites including SGang Gwaay, T’aanuu Llnagaay, and Hlk’yah GawGa, Haida Gwaii Watchmen live on site through the season to care for each place and welcome visitors ashore. SGang Gwaay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where poles still stand in their original village setting. It is a place to move slowly, listen, and follow the Watchmen’s guidance. At the end of the trip, Ketchikan sits in Tlingit homelands, and its totem poles at Saxman and the Totem Heritage Center are worth a day before you travel home.
SKIPPER
YOUR OWN BOAT
You skipper your own boat the whole way north. Charter from our fleet or, for the first time in decades, bring your own vessel. The two dock days in Bellingham give you time to settle aboard, provision, and complete a boat check-out with our team. Our charter team asks each captain for a cruising resume so we can confirm the experience this route asks for. Our training programs can close any gaps before May.
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF
AN EXPERIENCED LEAD CREW
Our Mother Goose lead crew runs the lead boat alongside the fleet from Bellingham to Ketchikan. They plan the route, time the passages through rapids and exposed water, and brief the fleet each morning on weather, tides, and currents. They handle marina reservations and the Gwaii Haanas permits, and they are available by radio when you have a question underway. Weather, currents, group input, and the lead boat captain set each day’s final route, so you can focus on running your boat well.
ADVENTURES
QUOTATIONS
Your efforts to keep the boats running smoothly, surprising us every day with a walk, and taking the time out to buy us a beer in the local pub, give us a car tour in the larger towns, and deliver us with bags to the airport made the adventure really enjoyable.
We have chartered with NWE nine times now and Change of Latitude is the best equipped boat we’ve used. Kirk was impressed by the spotless engine room and premium navigation equipment. I appreciated the quality cookware and little touches like hooks in all the right places.
I can say without exception we have never had an experience that came close to matching our adventure. You and your staff were accommodating and gracious at every step of our arrangements. The NW Explorations staff operates at a Ritz Carlton level of service.
MAGAZINE REVIEWS
The trip of a lifetime. That’s how everyone described my upcoming assignment to Alaska on a 10-day charter with NW Explorations. After returning I have to say, it was that and so much more… I can now say without a doubt that I wouldn’t have wanted to experience Alaska any other way. The flotilla allows clients to visit the immensely beautiful Alaskan coast independently on a chartered boat, while providing the comfort of guidance from a lead vessel (hence the name Mother Goose) and the camaraderie of fellow charterers doing the same thing.
By joining NW Explorations on one of the company’s guided flotillas, you will be embarking on an adventure with fellow cruisers–and have the comfort of knowing an experienced captain is aboard the lead vessel. Along the way, you’ll hear from the lead boat regarding native culture, local history, and wildlife. Once the flotilla arrives at an anchorage, you have the option of participating in guided on-shore and dinghy explorations, or relaxing in your chartered Grand Banks yacht. NW Explorations is a first-class operation, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Consider the fact that 70% of their charters are taken by repeat customers.
QUESTIONS
Guests often fly in and out to join our charter clients for portions of their trip. There are certainly locations along the way where scheduled flights facilitate this happening. In other cases, we must employ the assistance of chartered float planes. There is always a way to make “crew changes” happen along the way!
Each flotilla has a detailed itinerary which will specify areas that have cellular and/or Internet service to help our clients plan ahead if they will need to check in with family or business while away.
The flotilla price includes the rental of the vessel, insurance, moorage fees, and the support of the lead vessel. The lead vessel has a USCG licensed captain, a marine technician, and a naturalist. Our crew will be there to catch your lines, assist with any maneuvering needs, communicate over VHF on wildlife sightings/important sites, and even collect your garbage & recycling at the end of each day! Fuel and provisions are at the expense of the client as well as transportation costs getting to and from the specific port of call where your vessel is moored.
Each flotilla has a detailed itinerary that will specify locations where provisioning opportunities will be available. We do recommend for those charters that originate in Washington and cross into Canada shortly thereafter to wait and purchase their fruits and vegetables until they have crossed into Canada. Certain restrictions apply and can change regarding these items.
CANCELLATION FEES: (1) All cancellations must be received in writing. (2) Final payment is due 120 days prior to your departure date. If you must cancel your charter, the following terms shall apply:
- 120 or more days: Cancellation Fee of $500 per week, no proration
- 119 – 90 days: Entire reservation deposit
- 89 – 0 days: Entire charter fee
Each flotilla participant is asked to fill out a Medical & Emergency Form. The purpose of this form is to provide the crew on the lead boat with valuable information to use in the case of an emergency. To the extent that the crew is able to assist, they will make every effort to do so. For those situations that are outside our level of training, we have VHF radios and a satellite phone that allow us to be in constant communication with the US Coast Guard. Although it is not a situation that we anticipate or hope for our clients to have, we are prepared to make arrangements to have guests flown out to receive medical treatment if needed.
