Roche
Harbor 4th of July balloon contest for kids in dinghys
yes, there was room for more, lots more
Expenses:
DNR buoys are free
(Cypress Island) State Park buoys are $10, many park floats are 50 cents a
foot, Marinas charge between 75 cents and $2 a foot. (2010 prices - expect modest increases) Gasoline is a little
more expensive than on land, but not much more. Food, groceries, ice are
just a little more than the mainland but very fair priced overall.
How many days to plan:
Plan a minimum of four
days, but up to two weeks depending on what you like to do. (I like to sit on
the dock at Jones Island and read my book between naps and walks, then I make a
campfire in a empty tent site and cook Kielbasa followed by a glass of wine.
Then retire to my boat for a good nights sleep. The next day, do it
again)
Salt Water:
Salt water drys sticky
and does not suds up well with soap, you will get it all over you and your
boat, count on it. After a week you will look forward to a shower.
Your boat will be covered with salt crystals. Most marinas
have little water and don't want you washing your boat.
Squalicum Harbor in
Bellingham has boat and trailer fresh water wash-down hoses in the parking lot.
You should use them each time you dunk your trailer.
Provisions:
For the most part you
will want to provision before you leave on the boat. Anacortes and
Bellingham have all the big stores and each has a West Marine store. All
the resorts and towns have grocery stores, if you drive a fast
boat, supply's may be only minutes away, putt putt's should work a
store visit into your circuit. I say circuit because most cruisers will
follow a circle of some sort trying to hit many stops. We find that ice
needs renewing after four days, so a stop over at Friday Harbor, Deer Harbor,
Roche Harbor, Blakely's, or Orcas landing fits the bill. All these places
except Orcas, have gas and showers. Showers will cost a handful of
quarters so be quick or be poor. Cold showers are free.
Garbage:
All the parks are pack
it in and pack it out, the marinas have dumpsters. If you are new to boat
camping you will find garbage to be a pain because you are not used to storing
everything in your boat. Little things like empty water bottles suddenly
take space you don't have. You must give careful thought to what your
bringing, and the garbage it will generate. We don't use disposable
bottles, minimize pop consumption, and try to have campfires to burn burnable
trash. It is against the law to toss anything, (even a apple core) in the
water.
Animals:
Your dogs must be on a
leash, period, everywhere. Raccoon's are on all islands and will
climb right into your boat or kayak in the daytime if you let them. Deer
are all over too, but they shy away, except on Jones Island where you can hand
feed them.
Otters live under most
floats and docks, they will crawl all over your boat, get into things and make
a mess. Otters will mark their territory by pooing on your stuff, coiled dock lines are a favorite and not very cute.
Bathrooms:
All the parks have nice
composting toilets, (each island mentioned for overnight is a park) the rangers
service all parks on a regular basis. You will be pleasantly surprised at
how clean the facilities are.
Where
to launch
Squalicum Harbor in
Bellingham is probably the best of all places. At Squalicum you will find a
four lane all tide all hours ramp with floats. There is a freshwater wash down
area, truck and trailer parking is free for long term or short term stays. The
guest docks are 75 cents a foot
Cap Sante in Anacortes
has a sling hoist and a travel lift for bigger boats. They can step your mast
for a fee. You probably should book your launching in advance and then be
prepared for delays. Check for hours of operation, parking fees are charged for
trailers.
Washington Park is a
city park in Anacortes, the ramp is exposed to the strait, has a float and
sometimes is covered with sand. Parking is limited and signs warn you to
make sure you have a space before launching. On weekends they fill up.
They also have a campground onsite which may work into some people's
plans. (if you have a fast boat, camp at Washington Park and make day trips to
the islands coming back each night)
Cornet Bay at Deception
Pass State Park, the ramp is four lanes with floats and lots of pay parking.
The dock adjacent to the ramp has plenty of room to overnight, on shore
are some so so bathrooms and quarter pay showers. Parking is $10 each 24 hours.
Ramps are in
most cities, but are further away, you might consider, Twin Bridges (ick), Oak
Harbor, or La Conner.
Even if your boat is
fast, do not consider Port Angeles, or Port Townsend or any launches
across the Strait of Juan De Fuca because weather and sea conditions may ruin
your vacation. Leave crossing Juan De Fuca for another trip.
Parks,
Parks, Parks
This a partial list of lesser known islands and parks I judged to be of value and worth a visit when cruising,
resorts are not included:
James Island, Jones
Island, Sucia, Matia, Patos, Stuart, Cypress, Saddlebag, Obstruction
Pass, Spencer Spit, Odlin County Park, Doe Island (closed), Deception Pass.
Suggested
80 mile Itinerary (5+ days) starts right here.
Lets
start this cruise in Bellingham at Squalicum Harbor
Day # 1 You arrive late
in day and launch boat, (don't forget to hose down the trailer) then secure a
space at the overnight dock and pay at the self pay kiosk. Bathrooms,
showers, restaurants are all on site for you to use, now park the trailer
and drive into town (ten minutes) and shop for all those last minute
provisions. (Costco, Walmart, Fred Meyer,. etc.) Eat dinner out or come back to
boat for a Barbecue, and your first night on board. It is ill advised to cast off late in the day or at dusk. NAVIGATING IN THE DARK IS NO VACATION FOR NEWBIES!
Day # 2 Cast off
for Cypress Island, leave early or late it doesn't matter, (you're now on Island
time) Bellingham Bay should be good sailing, make your way to Inati Bay for a
quick look, or anchor for lunch. Head for Pelican Beach on Cypress Island, grab
a free buoy or anchor, there's no docks on Cypress. If for some reason
you can't stay at Pelican Beach, no problem just motor south about one half
mile and tie up at Eagle Harbor where you will find 16 more free buoys and lots
of anchor room. Pelican Beach has a steep gravel (90% skipping stones) beach
suitable for dinghy's at all tides. On shore are camp sites, campfire
rings and bathrooms. If you have some daylight, take a quick hike on the
Islands trail system.
Day # 3 You may
cast off for Matia but I suggest you stay put and hike up to Eagle Cliff, on
your way back detour to Smugglers cove on the Rosario Strait side of Cypress
(don't forget your camera, it will be worth it) If you want to spend another
day hiking you can hike the ten miles or so to Cypress lake and the old
airstrip. Back at the boat, relax, but be sure to go ashore and mingle with the
kayakers, wrap up the day with a sunset campfire with s'mores and drinks.
Day # 4 Rise and
shine, say goodbye to Pelican Beach and head for Matia Island. The current may
be against you, if you have a puttster boat you should wait for the tide
change, then get a free ride all the way, remember your on Island time now.
On your way to Matia, swing into either side of Clark Island for a quick
dinghy ride to shore and lunch stop. Clark has anchor buoys and a campsite on shore, but doesn't get much use probably because it's not that cool of a place and has no trail system).
When you get to Matia,
run straight to the cove on the far west end and hopefully get a spot at the
little four boat dock, there are a couple anchor buoys and room for a few
anchors to be dropped. If for some reason you can't stay at
Matia, that's OK, simply move on to Sucia. Sucia is only an hour
further and has unlimited room. Matia is a little gem and should not be
missed, there is a cove on the east end where you can anchor if the west end
cove is full. On shore are the standard state park composting toilets and
a great trail taking you through a rain forest setting. Unfortunately campfires are not
allowed and pets may not use the Matia trails. However -- If foul weather, fog,
high seas, or beach combing keep me in port, Matia is where I want to be.
It is easy to spend quality, quiet, leisure time.
Day #5 Pry yourself away
from Matia and set course for close by Echo Bay or Fossil Bay on Sucia Island.
Sucia has many, many bays where you can find good anchoring plus a host
of buoys and linear tie ups. (Fossil Bay has two docks) It is easy to spend several days exploring
the trail system on Sucia. You can spend some more days exploring by
dinghy. For many, Sucia is the ultimate destination, and boat clubs
routinely have gatherings. (rendezvous)
Day # 6 (or day # 12 if
you've been taking my suggestions) check your tide table and up anchor when a
favorable current will assist you, then set course for Jones Island, home of
the famous tame pygmy deer you can pet, feeding them is frowned upon. On the way to Jones cut over
to West Beach Resort on Orcas Island. Tie up at the dock and enjoy a
waffle ice cream cone from the small store. You can also pick up ice,
groceries and gas. At Jones Island sail straight into the north cove and
grab a spot at the dock, the dock holds six to ten boats depending on size, if
no dock space, there are half a dozen buoys and plenty of anchor room. Jones is
a favorite spot for day visitors and kayaker's from Deer Harbor, expect boats to
come and go, be ready to move to the dock should a space open up. The
cove at Jones is very protected and is a great place to weather a
storm. Hiking and tide pooling are awesome. On shore are lots of
campsites, running water, and a great shoreline trail. Deer wander around and
may be approached. ( they say,"don't feed the animals, they will come to
expect it, then starve when you leave," (phooey) these deer have got it great) There are apple trees,
help yourself.
Day # 7 It is hard
to leave a place you enjoy, and most likely will have met some new friends too.
Jones is a place you will come back to again and again, but for now, cast off
to the fair winds, leave Jones Island and set sail for Deer Harbor.
Its just a short run to Deer Harbor on Orcas Island, you can skip this
stop, but should you need anything, the on the water resorts store and deli has what
you want including overnight slips, gas, etc. You can also skip the next stop
at Orcas landing, but it is right on the way, the docking is easy, so why not
stop for a few minutes. A few feet up the plank at Orcas, you will find a
gift shop, restaurant, a park for lunch, public bathrooms with running
water, wahoo. The ferry lands here and is a good place to watch them
coming and going. Now get going for James Island our
next overnight-er is still a long way to motor. You probably
will have some adverse currents that can't be avoided since leaving Jones, the
good news is that the currents are less on the inside than they were out in the
straits. At this point in the trip you could detour and stay at Friday Harbor or
Rosario, or skip James and head straight for Bellingham to end your cruise. If big city life at Friday Harbor doesn't beckon you, go to James for your last night in the San Juans. At James is a small
four boat dock and a cove to anchor. The cove on the Rosario Strait side has some buoys. James has a shoreline trail plus two
summits you can hike. On shore are bathrooms, campsites with fire pits.
Otters and raccoons are a real nuisance on James, they will
leave muddy footprints all over your boat, make sure your cooler is latched or tied shut. From James you may spot orcas in Rosario Strait.

Day # 8 Study your tides
and currents, time your departure properly and you may get a free ride all the
way to Squalicum Harbor. With a little luck the wind in Rosario Strait
and Bellingham Bay will team up for a fast broad reach all the way to
the guest dock. When you arrive back at Squalicum late in the day, plan
on spending your last night on board but take a long hot shower ashore. The boat basin never closes and
they have three or more areas for transient boaters with self pay kiosks. As a
last resort you can always go get your trailer and sleep aboard in the parking lot. (they don't officially allow sleeping in parking lot)
The official transient boater policy at both Friday Harbor and Squalicum Harbor is that they never turn boaters away, they will always find room. If you arrive after office hours (about 5-6pm) contact security for guidance.
Day # 9 Load up and drive for
home, while driving make plans for your next trip to the San Juans, you're no
longer a first timer.
Swinomish
Channel and Deception Pass
Oh boy, here's a love
hate relationship for sure, although I think most would swing towards love
after some wild (fun for some) experiences.
Scroll back up to the
map at the very top and familiarize yourself with Deception Pass and
Swinomish channel. When heading north Deception Pass provides quick
access to Juan De Fuca Strait and the San Juans, but along with that you get
big open water to cross, the potential for heavy seas and nasty pea soup fog.
Plus the pass itself may be impassable to slow boats if the current is against
you. Many years ago, along comes the Corp of Army Engineers, and cuts a
channel through to Padilla Bay creating Swinomish Channel and a neat
bypass route to avoid the aforementioned nastiness.
Note:
Some people coming
from Seattle or even Olympia will travel the other side of Whidbey Island, past
Port Townsend and out into the Strait of Juan De Fuca on their way north. That
is just fine, but they deal with commercial traffic, heavier seas, and could
run smack into a wall of fog with no way around. Deception Pass is subject to
two high tides, two low tides every day and the resulting currents that
accompany tide changes. Because some tidal changes are huge and some not
so huge, the pass will see fast and not so fast currents (0-9 mph) along with
standing waves that are less big at times, and then much much bigger (1ft and
up+++)
Don't be scared away,
the scenery is spectacular and well worth your visit, just consult your tide
tables and arrange to go through near low or high tide (slack water) the water
will be still, flat, calm, and glossy smooth as silk. Fog is another
thing and does not respect tides or your
schedule, remember your on island time, your schedule is, and should
be subject to change. Many times the fog will hover at the pass and
outside all the way to the islands, while inside is sunny, sometimes for days.
Transiting the pass is a five minute 1,000 foot ride, but if you miss your time
slot you may have a 4+ hour wait. Waiting it out at Cornet Bay (Deception Pass
State Park) is not a bad thing, our son once talked us into staying there two
extra days. (it's an easy place to hang around)
Okay, now about Swinomish
channel, it's about 11 miles long and supposed to be dredged to a 12 foot
channel depth. The south entrance is only 5 or 6 miles from
Deception Pass, so when heading north or launching at Cornet Bay, it is easy to
make a final decision of which way to go after you arrive in area. If
your destination is the Bellingham Bay area or Anacortes, the channel may be
your first/best choice, and visiting La Conner along the way is a major
plus anyway. (you can overnight, get gas and provisions at La Conner) I personally like using the channel because it is dependable. Rosario Strait is like a crazy relative throwing fits once in awhile, making you wish you were somewhere else.
Lets not forget the
current in Swinomish Channel, if your driving a puttster, the current may take
half your speed away, or double your sog (speed over ground). Locals joking, have told me that the current
flows northward for 23 hours and south for only 1 hr, and no one knows when
that hour is. My experience has been that the current seems to be against
me both ways, but after stopping in La Conner for ice cream, I don't care.
That's it, I have tried to give you some basic answers to help get you going. If some little thing is holding you back and you need an answer, you may e-mail me or - post a comment so others may benefit.