Curriculum

The Captain’s Mindset: The wilderness mariner always has backup plans, redundant systems, and spare parts. What do you plan for and think about to keep your boat afloat and crew safe?

Piloting: Charts of the wilderness often lack the data of charts closer to home. How do you read a chart and plot a course when the data is thin, wrong, or missing? 

Resource Management: You are on your own out there. What are the basic time, speed, distance, and fuel calculations when fuel, fresh water, and food are far away?  

Night Operations: Sometimes we must travel in the dark. What are the dangers of being underway at night, and how to do it safely, and with what gear?

Understanding Sea Conditions: Today’s online weather forecasts are accurate, but how do you use wind, waves, and swell data to forecast the sea state … and what sea states are acceptable?

Rough Water Operations: How do you handle a boat in rough conditions? How do you mitigate the motion? What can you do if it gets worse than predicted? 

Icy Water Operations: Ice in the water is common near tidewater glaciers.  What ice can you push through and how do you do it? What ice do you need to avoid? How close can you get to a glacier?

Shallow Water Operations: Shallow water in the wilderness is unavoidable. Where and when is it safest to go shallow, how do you avoid running aground … and what do you do if you do run aground?

Anchorages: Good anchorages are not always obvious. Neither are bad ones. How do you read the land, as well as the chart to tell a safe anchorage from trouble?

Anchors and Anchoring: Your boat and probably your life depend on your ground tackle. Which anchors are best, how much chain do you need, and how to you deploy it all when you don’t know what’s on the bottom?

Shore Boats on Shore: Tides in the north can be huge. When going ashore, how do you cope with low tides stranding your shore boat or high tides setting it adrift?

Running Shore Boats: Shore boats are essential in the wilderness. How do you run an outboard in unknown water, how do you run a jet boat up a river in four inches of water, and what are the human-powered alternatives?

 
Remote Medical: People can get hurt in the wilderness. What goes into a medical kit for the wilderness, does telemedicine work, and how can you call for an evacuation?

Line Handling: We still need knots and we need to know how to handle lines and fenders. What are the basic knots and techniques you need to know?

 
Gear for the Wilderness Boat: It’s often cold and wet in the maritime wilderness. What are the best hats, jackets, gloves, and boots for wet, cold weather on the wilderness boat?

Wildlife: Whales, bears, birds, sea lions, otters, and other wildlife are everywhere in the north. What is the best basic gear for finding, watching, and listening to wildlife?

Fresh Seafood: In distant waters, fresh fish, crabs, and shrimp are welcome in the galley. How do you catch them while underway, with a minimum of gear and hassle?

Bear Defense: The threat of attack from a bear or other wild animal is remote but real. How do you protect yourself and others?

 
Provisioning: A crew cruises on its stomach. How do you keep meal plans simple and effective, and how do you provision for the long haul?