Some of us consider, Puget Sound (as an area) to encompass everything salty, from the Strait of Juan De Fuca south. So this means both sides of Whidbey Island are included, but not the northwest side that faces the San Juans and Vancouver Island, or Anacortes, or Bellingham. I like to think of Bellingham as on Bellingham Bay and Anacortes as up Guemes channel a bit from Rosario Strait. So where does that put Olympia?
We started in Olympia, at Swantown Marina, and so should you. There are numerous ramps scattered around the area, but nothing compares to the Port of Olympia facilities, they have the welcome mat out more than any (boating) city we have ever visited, bar none. I haven't forgotten the praise I lavish on Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham, but the entire waterfront at Olympia is boater friendly, which bumps them to the head of my list.
At Swantown, is a two lane all tide ramp, open 24/7 with a long term parking lot for only $3/day. Transient moorage is abundant, both at the ramp and a short walk away, at the old town waterfront. Don't make a mistake and think of Olympia as simply a place to splash the boat and take off from. Plan your trip to include one or more nights or days at the dock, and bring your bikes, you will be glad you did.
Rather than gush over Olympia, let's get going north. On this trip our turnaround point is Lake Washington. This means we will wander a circuitous course to Seattle, visiting as many Marine State Parks as we can. At Seattle we will go through the Ballard Locks, through Lake Union (Lake Union is the downtown area you see from the freeway) and into Lake Washington to spend the night anchored at Seward City Park. All total we will visit eleven parks, bike and hike most of them, spend seven nights at docks, one at anchor, and motor about 175 miles. Wow-- when I write the specifics it sounds rushed, but we relaxed the entire time.
Day One: We are in the water and on our way at 5pm, this may seem late to get going, but we only have 8 miles, maybe 16, to our first nights stop. We ran the 8 miles to Hope Island State Park, but all the buoys were taken so we continued to the dock at Jerrel Cove State Park, another easy 8 miles, and with plenty of daylight, why not? You sail-boaters should know that we encounterrd a low 31 foot fixed bridge providing vehicle access to Harstine Island. You can avoid the bridge by taking the long way around Harstine. Jerrel Cove has two docks, and across the way is a private marina with a store and transient space. The park is well kept with onsite rangers, car campers, a mile or two of trails that are rideable, and of course you can head out onto the island roads and ride to your hearts content. Perhaps I should remind you that, unlike most of the San Juan destinations, all of the places we spent the night are car accessible. This means you can plan a Puget Sound rendezvous with friends or family to re-supply or switch out crew members.
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| Jerrel Cove at low tide, the ramp is as steep as we have ever seen. |
Day two: click here
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Day Two: We spent the morning at Jerrel Cove hiking, biking, and talking with the only other boater, did I mention, two docks, two boats. I know June 16th was a little early but where is everyone? We stayed until past noon and pushed off at low low tide with about four feet depth to float our three foot draft next to the dock. Jerrel Cove has about 15 anchor buoys plus room to anchor should it get crowded. I give it a thumbs up, and would not hesitate to plan a high season visit. Our next stop for the night is Penrose State Park, about 21 miles. On the way we stopped at McMicken State Park. McMicken is just a very small island, and has overgrown trails, it's not worth the trouble, and seems to be propagating Poison Oak. Don't even consider bringing a dog ashore and hiking or you will definitely regret it. I would not bother stopping here except to use an anchor buoy. The on shore bathrooms are a fifteen minute hike from where you will come ashore, and the beach is not steep enough to land the dinghy without getting your ankles wet. We read a ten year old review where they said of McMicken - don't get your hopes up - They were right.
To get to Penrose Park you will need to travel alongside McNeil Island. The charts show it as somewhat shallow and we thought about going around, a much longer route, but we followed some water skiers through Pitt Passage and found plenty of depth and no problems. Penrose is quite similar to Jerrel Cove in that, just a 100 yards across the way is Lakebay Marina, a place where time has stood still since the sixties, or so it seems. Once again we found an empty dock after driving past rows of empty buoys. On shore is a very nice and somewhat large campground.
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| Penrose State Park dock is not very large, in the back ground is Lakebay Marina. Again we cast off from a steep gangplank, in thin water. |
Day Three: We spend the morning goofing off and go for a long bike ride on nice park trails. I give Penrose a thumbs up too, but they only have one smallish dock, and it will probably fill up on weekends in July and August. I have not been paying attention to currents, since we really don't have much choice when and where we travel, we will just have to pay the price. A couple headlands cause swirlies and back eddies, but for the most part we make about seven knots at 1300 rpm, which in our boat ends up averaging about 1.5 gph or 4 mpg. Around noon we head for Gig Harbor, a distance of about 13 miles. So far on this boat ride we have not back tracked nor covered any routes previously traveled on prior trips. Next we duck between Fox Island and the mainland and go under the only other lowish bridge (tall masted boats can go around) then come out facing the Narrows. This spot (Narrows at Tacoma) we have traveled before, and the nasty current is very memorable, only today, our ducks are in order, and we ride for free getting whisked right into Gig Harbor.
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| Gig Harbor really rolls out the welcome mat, this dock is free and right downtown where you want to be. See the sand spit on the right, of course it is near low tide. |
Like Olympia, Gig Harbor has the welcome sign out for boaters, and is not to be missed. (thumbs up) The public wharf is in the center of old town extending straight out with space on both sides. Depending on lengths, there is room for about 15-30 boats. At the top of the ramp is a bathroom, and there is no fee.The only other place I can think of with no dock fee is St Helens in Oregon. If you come to Gig Harbor planning to spend the night and the inn is full, simply anchor right in front at the end of the dock. The end of the wharf is reserved for dinghy landing and the bay has lots of room. Since Gig Harbor is a city, you won't find any nearby trails to hike and bike, but the road is easy to ride, and lots of local businesses will keep you busy. I like gig Harbor, I 'm sure you will too. Another thumbs up.
Day Four: My plan was to run all the way to Seward Park in Lake Washington, so we got an early start. I think we left Gig Harbor at 9am, don't laugh, it's well before noon. 36 miles later we anchored in the approved cove.
Ballard Locks, if you have never been through a lock, is a good place to live the experience. The lock is busy and runs 24/7. The procedure is straightforward and I will give a fast accounting. We showed up before noon, and got in line with the other boats milling around trying to hold position in the current and wind . We were number five or six, and it was real evident who had thrusters and who did not. Eventually we tied up to a mussel and barnacle encrusted wall to wait (no thruster for us) and spent an hour keeping the barnacles from slashing our fenders and gel coat. Our second boat hook was put to good use. They have a big and little lock, and we entered the little one when the green light came on. The lock only holds about six boats so we had to wait until the second group. The single lock rises about twenty feet more or less depending on tide and ten or fifteen minutes later the door opens and you are on your way. Think of it as a big wet freight elevator with no roof. Coming back the next day they directed us into the big lock (as big as a ship) and pretty much reversed the procedure except there was no wait and all the boats fit in one corner. Hanging over the rails all around the lock are tourists taking pictures of our boats, and of course we are tourists ourselves, taking pictures of the tourists, that are taking pictures of the tourists.
This barnacle and mussel covered waiting wall was a real challenge. Due to my excellent planning, it was low tide everywhere we went.
Seattle, unlike Olympia does not have out a "boaters are welcome sign", in fact we felt thoroughly unwanted and couldn't wait to get out of Dodge asap. We anchored at Lake Washington's Seward Park, only to find out later that it is the only legal place on the entire lake where you can anchor overnight. Seward Park discourages boaters, forcing us to anchor in one small designated area, it is illegal to bring your dinghy to shore except in one small ten foot spot away from the parks shore-side bathrooms and interpretation center. The bike trails are excellent, but we had to ferry the bikes on the dinghy and get wet unloading due to the poor dinghy landing area. The legal anchor area is open to a long fetch, and in the early evening before dark, 3-4 foot wind waves began breaking and threatening to break us loose off the lee shore. I can't imagine how bad it would be in a real blow. I did what any prudent skipper should do. I re-anchored around the corner in the lee of the park, offshore from the sign saying no boats allowed, poured myself a glass of wine, and had a pleasant slumber. In the morning daylight I felt terribly guilty and on display. On shore a police cruiser kept circling the park parking lot. We made coffee and left.
If you are contemplating visiting Seattle's lake Union and Lake Washington, be advised that there are no public docks or parks that we could find or know of where you can land. (not even for ten minutes) There are scads of private moorage/marinas/billion dollar homes/condo's that have slips, but you better have a reservation and know that you are welcome.
Our destination today is Blake Island State Park, but first we explore some State Parks on Bainbridge Island and drive into Rich Passage and Clam Bay looking for a dock or dinghy friendly beach at any of the parks, we don't find either, and turn our attention back to Blake Island. All of Blake Island is a State Park with quite a bit of dock space, and lots of buoys in three different areas. We laid claim to our spot at the end of the dock in the early afternoon. On shore are campsites, but mostly picnic areas. The state has leased the Tillicum Village building to a private concessionaire that runs a tour boat over from Seattle for salmon dinners and a visit to their gift shop. It is all open to transient boaters too, but we had our own salmon in the freezer and so took a pass. The island trails were another thing. The ranger suggested that the trails might be a little steep, and he wasn't kidding. We got off our seats and walked up many hills and then rode the brakes wide eyed coming down as many. The map said it was only three miles around, but we are sure the map is wrong. We got back to the boat tired, sore, and hungry and ready to kick back, except that left no one to fix dinner.
Our plan had been to check out Blake Island and then shoot back down Colvos Passage to spend another night at Gig Harbor. It's only fifteen miles, and it is after three o'clock so the current will help us along. I find it difficult to leave a dock I just paid $22 to stay at, (day use fee is required from 1pm on, and good all night) and then possibly find that Saturday night, is when all the boaters from Tacoma move over to Gig Harbor, leaving us anchored in the bay. It would only be a couple hundred foot dinghy ride, but I like having a grocery store and a bathroom I can walk to. I'm also thinking about fuel, I'm pretty sure we have enough to take us all they way back to Olympia, but only if we take it easy and don't battle any strong currents. I know there is no fuel in Gig Harbor, so maybe I don't want to go there at all. It's not a tough decision, I was actually thinking while on our strenuous bike hike that we may want to stay at Blake anyway.
By the time evening takes firm hold in the marina, all the dock fingers are pretty much filled, but boats keep arriving. Most make a u-turn and go hook on to a buoy, we see their dinghies coming and going. A fifty foot classic cruiser with brand new paint shows up and we overhear the ranger yelling that he would fit at the head of the dock. I silently thank that we are not downwind of him, and are relatively out of the line of fire should things go horribly wrong. The skipper on this classic heads in the fairway, I'm somewhat in disbelief and have my pole ready to help. His crew runs around getting lines ready, pretty quick she and another bystander are scrambling over boats using legs and poles as he powers backwards into a parked boat. If not for an inflatable dinghy hanging from davits on his stern doing fender duty, he would have been buying more than a paint job. It all worked out in the end, but using a shoehorn is not the way to park expensive toys.
I give Blake Island a big thumbs up, I recommend making a stop overnight or just for lunch. Keep in mind, any visit after 1 pm will require full payment, just like spending the night. Of all the places in the Puget Sound, not counting cities and marinas, Blake Island is likely to be your best and favorite stop, and I can see it as your primary destination where you would spend several nights.
Day Six: We depart Blake at noon, I'm in no hurry because the current is against us, and will not turn favorable at the Narrows until three pm. We puttster 11 miles to Des Moines where we fill our tanks. We take on thirty three gallons, we hold seventy, but figure fifty is our range. That means if we had decided to run all the way back to Olympia, we would have gotten into our reserve. After fueling we continue heading south and consider slipping into Gig Harbor for an ice cream break, but decide instead we will run all the way back to Olympia if we don't stay at Hope. This means we don't have any extra time for a sweets treat shore excursion. On the way we must stop at Eagle Island, and then backtrack a few miles to Hope Island. Eagle Island is just like McMicken Island, overgrown trails, poison oak, and not worth stopping at unless you just want to hang on one of three buoy's. Thumbs down! I wish we would have skipped the place and used the time on Hope Island or in Olympia.
We finally show up back at Hope Island State Park, exactly where we skipped over, six days earlier because there were no empty buoys. Its getting late, and we plan to spend the night, but all the anchor buoys are still taken. We try to set the hook three times unsuccessfully, the strong current and heavy seafloor seaweed are teaming up to thwart me. Not wanting to look pathetic any longer, we give up and run around the corner looking for a more suitable spot, but after talking with someone on a buoy I decide I don't want to be there anyway. We drift back to to the previous spot and endure two more failures. I am about to give up, our windless is slow, and the current is fast, so I have been hauling the chain by hand on each attempt, and then must strip off all the seaweed before trying again. Finally in desperation, we sneak into a tiny cove, where the current is diminished and manage to set a tenuous at best anchor, in six feet of water. I know we can't stay for long. We jump in the dinghy and immediately feel the current as almost too much to row in. It yanks us away from the boat alarmingly fast. Adrenalin pushes me to shore. Once landed, some kayakers comment on what a time we were having getting hooked.
Hope Island is a nice place, deer graze in a mowed orchard and allow visitors to walk among them. There is a small campground and some deep dark woods trails to wander. You could bicycle there but it is so small it may not be worth hauling your bike ashore. I give it a thumbs up, although I am glad we skipped it the first night and went to Jerrel Cove where we had a dock. It was getting dark fast so we scooted out of their quickly, the dinghy ride back to the boat was short and hard work, it seems the current was just getting started. I would not be surprised if we dragged anchor any second, and in that particular place dragging meant the boat would be miles away by the minute. Because of the current I don't recommend anchoring at Hope Island. I would only use buoys, and I would back down hard on any buoy I was going to stay at overnight. In the San Juans the anchor spots are nicer, and setting the hook creates confidence, not the other way around.
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| You don't see this view of deer all that often, she was picking apples. |
Day Seven at Olympia: We tried to sleep in, but the nearby ramp generated a little too much noise as people launched their boats for summer fun. We heard the term jackasses thrown around reminding me of the frustration boating sometimes causes, instead of the stress relief promised. We jumped on the bikes and rode over to old town, and talked to people on boats at the other transient docks. Saturday Market was still in full swing. I lamented that I would like to move the boat around to this side, and spend another night or two, but we had already announced to the kids that we would be home early, it was Father's Day.
One of several empty transient docks at Olympia
This flat friendly fountain in Olympia was no challenge on a bicycle, but dodging the random water jets was another thing.
Final thought: If you are contemplating a trip in the south Puget Sound, I would do the same route we did, or perhaps in reverse. We stopped at several locations not noted, but I listed the worthwhile overnight places. If you want an abbreviated trip, or are just passing through, be sure to go to Gig harbor, Olympia, and Blake Island, and spend a few nights at each place if you can.If your sights are set on going through Ballard Lock for the fun of it, consider locking through, cruising through town, and then go right back out to spend the night at Blake Island. The lock is free and they don't mind if you act like a tourist riding their ride.
In all fairness to Seattle, we did not approach from the salt water Elliott Bay side so my experience was totally based on Lake Union and Lake Washington. And of course Shilshole Bay Marina, right outside the locks is a great place to get fuel.
