Guide to Peril Strait and Wrangell Narrows, Alaska
by Hopkins, William
150 p., 6 maps, 5 charts, 8 x 10
Format: Paper and electronic
Price: $29.95
2020
Learning how to pilot a ship through
Wrangell Narrows and Peril Strait is not
an easy matter for a vessel operator new
to the area, or even for those with experience. It takes time, patience, and a
certain appetite for risk. The older generation of captains knew the channels
in great detail, but they did not write
anything down to leave for the next
generation coming up through the
ranks. Recognizing the wealth of the
knowledge these navigators possessed
in their memories, William Hopkins
decided to document their charts and
methods as he himself learned to maneuver ships through these important
and narrow southeastern Alaska channels. Now a retired captain who logged
many voyages, Hopkins delineates the
navigable courses for passing these
treacherous waterways in this essential
guide.
William Hopkins has been a resident of Alaska since 1970, graduating from Anchorage
Community College with an A A degree in Natural Science and later obtaining a BS degree
from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy in 1976. Soon after, he began a thirty year sailing career. He lives in Ketchikan, Alaska.