The first part of the voyage is usually spent traveling north. While occasionally the weather and conditions are perfect and allow a vessel to head straight out into the Pacific at Cape Flattery, it’s more likely that a captain will choose to take the vessel through the protected waters of the Inside Passage.

It usually takes our vessels about two days to make their way north on the Inside Passage, and the weather tends to be good here with calm seas. This gives the crew extra time to make sure the ship is secure and ready for the open waters of the Gulf of Alaska.

While at sea, our crews usually work six-hour watches: six hours on, six hours off. This means your shortest day will be 12-hours long, at a minimum.

Typically, you’ll spend six hours standing watch and six hours on general ship’s work every day while you’re at sea. General work could mean checking deck cargo, but more commonly it means maintenance like painting, splicing lines, slushing gear, cleaning toilets, and all the projects that need to be done to keep the ship in good shape.

Deckhands and A.B.s stand their watch in the wheelhouse with the captain or mate, learning navigation and piloting skills. Wipers stand watch in the engine room, trading off shifts with the chief engineer and keeping the engine room log. 

You’ll keep checking the deck cargo and make sure it’s all chained down well for the voyage through the Gulf of Alaska. Throughout the trip, you’ll continue to check on the deck cargo to make sure it stays safe and secure.

While underway, the captain runs many different safety drills for the crew members, to ensure that if an emergency happens, they’re well equipped to deal with it. There will be drills dealing with fighting fires, man overboard, medical scenarios, and respiratory protection. These drills are taken seriously, and the whole crew participates. This is critical training. In an emergency, everyone needs to be familiar with what needs to happen.

A side benefit of traveling through the Inside Passage is that it allows the crew glimpses of the beautiful Canadian and Alaskan coastline as they head north. But it’s also a busy waterway, and extra care is taken when navigating these waters, especially in places like the Seymour Narrows, where the tides make the difference between navigation success or failure.

While the rest of the crew sees to maintenance, cargo, wheelhouse watch, and duties in the engine room, the cook’s job is to provide meals all voyage long. For the most part, it’s like any cook’s job ashore. They prepare and serve three square meals a day. When the crew is working cargo around the clock, they’ll serve a midnight meal, too.

But the galley our cooks have to work with isn’t a typical kitchen. Space is cramped, and all the surfaces to cook on move with the ship. The stoves and counters all have rails to keep pots from sliding onto the floor. Even with these challenges, all of our cooks are adept at producing tasty meals. Even in the worst weather, our cooks keep the crew well fed and healthy through long hours and poor conditions. You definitely won’t starve with our capable cooks onboard!