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Jack Burgess
11/21/2025 4:49 PM

After enjoying Mark’s presentation about cruising Alaska at the Baltimore Selene Rendezvous, the deal was struck. Terry and I decided to pack up a U-Haul truck in the spring, filled with all our boat stuff, tender, motorcycle, fishing tackle, dive and snorkel gear, pots, pans, dishes, clothes and everything else that came off Shangri-La 5388, and drive cross country to meet 6047 in the PNW. We plan to complete commissioning there, do some short shakedown cruises, then head to Alaska. BUT, and it is a big BUT, we have never been out there, know nothing about where to set our sights for commissioning, vendors for some final installations (watermaker, ground tackle, outriggers for fishing, Starlink, etc.), marinas, provisioning, towns or much of anything.


Would some of you PNW Seleners please, please share some ideas about where we should consider? I know Chris and Elizabeth Powell are going to do the same thing first, and it will be fine to follow in their wake, but I would like to educate myself a bit over the winter. If you have suggested destinations, reading, U-Tube videos, or other resources you can recommend, please spill the beans.


Thanks in advance - Jack & Terry Burgess, Selene 6047, Shangri-La



Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

Carolyn Fawcett
11/21/2025 5:11 PM

Hi Jack


We have done some cruising in the PNW but just getting started. Elizabeth and Shawn on MV Freedom (Norhavn not a Selene) have done extensive cruising in PNW WA and BC. They have YouTube Channel we follow to make our buket list of destinations. Here is the link. https://www.youtube.com/@mvfreedom/videos We enjoy their video's of those area's.

For Alaska Alison and James on a tiny sailboat have had some epic adventures and worth watching as well. https://www.youtube.com/@AllisonandJamesSailing

You can never go wrong following Tony's Adventures Playlist on Fleming Yachts Youtube. He has several video's of Alaska, PNW. This should be a link to his playlist. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdqmG9q_n4XA_8cpaAR4atGLbeDpxhk3m if that doesn't work this is his Youtube Channel and naviage to Tony's Advnetures in the playlists. https://www.youtube.com/@FlemingYachts


Those are our top three for video's of the area.


I am sure Mark and other PNW Selene owners have extensive cruising information for you as well.


Good Luck


Carolyn & Curtis

Selene 5560 currently Next Chapter - Vancouver Island, BC


Mark Tilden
11/21/2025 7:08 PM
Jack:

Re: cruising Alaska:

There's an entire folder in the Document library on the Owner's Site devoted to Northwest cruising. You'll see a bunch of folders and one of them is titled "Cruising/Destination Info". Inside that folder are 3 sub-folders for various areas. One of them is "West Coast/Pacific". Inside the folder is a PDF of a presentation that Alex Benson (long-time Selene owner---first a Selene 53 and now a Selene 57) gave. Alex has been to Alaska many times. His presentation will give you a great overview of a typical route and some things to see. I'd recommend downloading the SE Alaska presentation and looking through that. It's 133 slides!

Then, you might want to read our cruising blog from last summer in the blogs section. It will give you--again--a high-level idea of an itinerary and some things to see. Keep in mind that the blogs show you the last/most recent entry first, so you'll need to use the navigation bar ("Blog Index") in the left. Start with the April 2025 Archive and work your way forward. Here's a link to the first post in that series: https://www.seleneowners.org/content.aspx?page_id=2507&club_id=849970&item_id=5813&pst=27947

Southeast Alaska--which is a pretty small piece of the state overall--is still very big and there's no way you're doing to see even 1/3 of it in 3 or 4 months up there (let alone the many wonders of the British Columbia coast!). Some of our PNW owners have been to Alaska a dozen or more times!

There are also two primary cruising guides that most people use in the Northwest:

2. The Douglass Cruising Guide for SE Alaska: (https://www.landfallnavigation.com/exploring-southeast-alaska.html).

There are many others as well, but these are probably the two most respected/used.

There will be quite a few very experienced Alaska/BC cruisers at the PNW Rendezvous this summer that you can learn from as well.

I hope that helps you at least get started. There's SO much to see in Alaska that it can be a daunting task to even know where to begin.....

Let us know if you have any questions!

Mark



Peter C. Adams
11/22/2025 6:41 PM

Hello Jack,


You are in for a cruising treat. SE Alaska, British Columbia Coast, and the Puget Sound area are wonderful. Some of the best cruising I've ever seen, anywhere.


A number of people on this site have more experience and expertise in SE Alaska than I do as I've only been twice and I'm planning on going next summer too.


I've blogged about both trips, and you can find those on this site or at: www.OnBlueRedd.blogspot.com (2024 trip) and www.2025OnBlueRedd.blogspot.com (2025 trip). I hope you find them amusing and helpful.


I also am open to talking with you and answering any questions you may have.


I hope to see you "out there"!




Safe Adventuring,


Peter C. Adams

m/v Blue Redd 5726

Jack Burgess
11/27/2025 4:59 AM

The latest word on the completion of 6047 suggests a June 2026 date, which would likely put delivery in July with final commissioning by mid-August if everything goes smoothly. That likely hinders our efforts to cruise very far north in the PNW next summer. We would like to see and do as much as we can as long as the weather holds, but I prefer my cold weather on skis rather than boats and will likely head way south when winter appears.


For those in the PNW and with cruising experience out there (I have none), how long can we expect to cruise comfortably in the PNW and when should we commence the Baha Ha Ha? We want to retrace John Steinbeck’s path and visit the Sea of Cortez winter of 26-27. Can’t wait to do some off highway biking in Mexico!


BTW, I did pick up my SMOG machine yesterday, a balmy 77 degree day before Thanksgiving in Virginia. It was a perfect day for a first ride from Richmond Triumph to our place on the Potomac River on the Northern Neck of Virginia. She (Scrambler is named La La La (tender is La La)) will be on deck on Shangri-La. Photos attached.


Happy Thanksgiving to all!


Thanks - Jack


Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

Mike Cero
11/27/2025 8:24 AM

Jack,

We really like the shoulder season in the Great Pacific Northwest, ie up to mid-October. Yes the days are shorter and you have to keep an eye on the weather, but it's a completely different atmosphere than August and September. Congratulations.


Mike Cero

M/V Sea Rose 6605

Rick Panowicz
11/27/2025 12:31 PM
September is our favorite month in the NW. perfect weather and calm seas. Be sure to plan a day or two to go through the locks and explore Lake Washington! Rick 4734
Sent from my iPhone

Mark Tilden
11/27/2025 12:41 PM
Hi Jack:

The latest word on the completion of 6047 suggests a June 2026 date, which would likely put delivery in July with final commissioning by mid-August if everything goes smoothly. That likely hinders our efforts to cruise very far north in the PNW next summer. We would like to see and do as much as we can as long as the weather holds, but I prefer my cold weather on skis rather than boats and will likely head way south when winter appears.

Yeah....if delivery is June, you aren't going to be really cruise ready for at least another couple of months. We often have wonderful late summer weather and the "crowds" are smaller after labor day. You can cruise reliably through September. It's a little hard to tell exactly when the "turn" happens, and sometimes it happens pretty suddenly. You won't really have time for Alaska next year. There's awesome cruising in British Columbia. Desolation Sound is stunning--and better after the crowds thin out after labor day. The Broughtons are even more fabulous. All of that is easy in August/September and often even into early October.

For those in the PNW and with cruising experience out there (I have none), how long can we expect to cruise comfortably in the PNW and when should we commence the Baha Ha Ha? We want to retrace John Steinbeck’s path and visit the Sea of Cortez winter of 26-27. Can’t wait to do some off highway biking in Mexico!

Oh, Jack......please consider staying another year. I can totally understand the interest in getting down the coast and into the Sea of Cortez. I've actually talked with Wayne and Paul about trying to organize something like the old "FUBAR/CUBAR" for Selene owners (from San Diego to La Paz). We did the very first one in 2007 with John & Kathy Youngblood on Mystic Moon and it was a hoot.

HOWEVER.....it's unlikely you'll get back this way once you head down the coast and it would be a real shame for you to miss the wonders of Alaska. Hang out another year and head for Alaska in the summer of 27. Then go down the coast fall of 27 and Sea of Cortez over the new year.

Mark Tilden
Selene 60 "Koinonia"


JOHN ZIMMERMAN
11/27/2025 1:13 PM
Jack, I should add my 2 Cents since you mentioned the Sea of Cortez.   If you plan to head to Baja, you will need to make a slip reservation at least five plus months in advance.    La Paz is the jewel of Baja, and it has good marinas and services.   A reservation is important even if you plan on staying briefly. 

Feel free to reach out, I am pretty familiar with Baja and mainland Mexico destinations.  Like what was said about the PNW, the same is said about Baja.

John Zimmerman 
Felix 5359

Jack Burgess
11/28/2025 4:14 AM

Thank you all so much for the truly intoxicating information you have shared! You have clearly conspired as a group to kidnap us entirely from our east coast paradise. For a taste of what Thanksgiving is like on the Northern Neck of Virginia, the strip of fertile land between the Potomac River to the North and the Rappahannock River to the south, check out the attached photo from our yard on the Potomac with the new ride I picked up Wednesday at Triumph of Richmond, my SMOG machine that will be on the bridge deck of Shangri-La 6047 in chocks next to the tender. Yesterday we chased striped bass on the Potomac in the CC in the background (WASABI), then I went for a land cruise on the Scrambler on country roads past lots of farmland, some vineyards, the Ronnie Bevans oyster operations, and George Washington’s baptismal site, Old Yeocomico Episcopal Church, before riding past his mother’s childhood home on Skipjack Road where we live just in time to take the bird off the smoker for dinner.


We do really want to summer in Alaska one time, and we want to do it ALL at least one time of course. So, as Jules said in Pulp Fiction, “I’m Tryin’ Ringo, I’m tryin’ real hard” to make it happen. Terry will never agree to leave her home on the Rivah for too long, so I am struggling to come up with a plan to load up the U-Haul truck with our stuff and head cross country on the Oregon Trail to the PNW in May 26, arriving in time to take delivery of 6047 in June 26, commission and cruise for as long as is comfortable in the PNW before winter, store the boat in or out of the water somewhere (looking for suggestions here), then come home for the holidays, maybe visit some friendly Selenes in the Caribbean winter of 26–27 before returning to the PNW in the spring to do Alaska properly that summer. We would then cruise south down the west coast to Baja and the Sea of Cortez fall of 27 and go south from there.


If a Fall 27 Baja Ha-Ha sounds interesting to folks on the west coast, let’s make a plan. We would likely winter in Sea of Cortez and then continue south, Ecuador being a bucket list destination we want to travel to. This is gonna’ take a minute I think, so if like minded folks want to dream something up, let’s get started.


Happy Holidays - Jack and Terry


Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

Brian Calvert
11/28/2025 7:34 AM
Hi, Jack, now if you really want to see Alaska, and all of it, start here in the Philippines. A very common route. Not to mention the other advantages,

Cheers
Brian

Ernie Pearn
11/28/2025 10:18 AM
If looking for dry storage, we keep our 43 at Banana Belt Boats in Anacortes. $12/ft per month plus $40 electricity. We full time in AZ so it's nice to have her out of the water and not worry about any of the normal worries. Location is right next to Cap Sante Marina which is perfect to launch to and provision while filling water tanks and verifying all systems operational. It's also a great leaping off point close to San Juans and Canada.


Thank You,
Ernie Pearn

Jack Burgess
11/29/2025 9:42 AM

Thank you Ernie! I need that kind of detailed information. It really helps me flesh out a plan.


Now, if the Selene Yachts Americas folks will give me some information regarding preferred ports of arrival from China, commissioning location and vendors, marinas to complete commissioning and unloading our U-Haul truck on board 6047, we will have the beginnings of a game plan for the PNW. They reportedly will have a couple weeks of work to do to get the boat to their standards, then I will have a few weeks of work with vendors if they are ready and willing to complete watermaker install, TV, ground tackle, chocks for motorcycle and tender, outriggers for offshore fishing and such.


On the topic of fishing, I have more equipment than I like to admit. One of my scariest nightmares is that I die and Terry, when liquidating my estate, prices the equipment based on what I falsely told her I paid for it. Anyway, I fish with everything from six to 14 weight fly rods for everything from trout to yellowfin tuna and mahi, spinning and bait casting tackle for lots of saltwater species, and stand up offshore tackle from 30 lb to 80 lb class for creatures from the deep. Conservatively estimated at 50 rods and reels - so what should I bring for ther PNW? I understand what I need for any offshore action, but what about salmon and halibut fishing and such? I will be a newbie.


Thanks - Jack



Jack Burgess, Shangri-La 6047

Ryan Gist
11/29/2025 9:58 AM
Make sure you crowdsource recommendations for vendors with this group. I suspect we’ve seen them all in the PNW.




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