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Where are the most dangerous rocks and shallow areas in the San Juan Islands?
Swinomish Channel
Fisherman Bay
Prevost Harbor entrance
Sucia Island approaches
Shallow water, shifting tides, and misleading shortcuts can quickly put a boat aground. Dangerous rocks, reefs, and shallow areas in the San Juan Islands are usually near shore and often charted, but still easy to hit if you cut corners.
Most groundings happen in places that look safe.
"I only worry near shore because that is
where the shallow water is."
Okay, I don't remember exactly what I read but you get the idea. Understanding San Juan Islands boating hazards helps you avoid reefs, shallow water, and common grounding mistakes. In the San Juan's we are pretty much always near shore (it's not that big an area) so should we worry all the time? No! We should pay attention using our heads and our tools.
All the rocks, reefs and shallows are marked on charts, the especially egregious places have buoys, signs, sticks and posts out in the water.
Of course with storms, high tides, poor maintenance, things go missing, so we are back to paying attention and using the old noggin.
Once not too long ago we were motoring in flat mirror perfect water at about 7 knots in twenty feet of depth. Up ahead I saw a disturbance (some itty bitty ripples) I glanced at my chart plotter and saw nothing alarming, nevertheless as we neared the ripples I braked and prepared to go full astern.
While watching the depth gauge, suddenly -- there it was -- the depth dropped to six and then four -- and we came to a halt. (no we didn't hit) I stopped, turned and went around the shallow spot.
on watch
Here is a list of potential problem spots where you could easily relax your vigilance and get hurt.
What are the best boat ramps to use when launching for the San Juan Islands?
Most experienced boaters do not launch from the islands. The best boat ramps for accessing the San Juan Islands are located on the mainland.
Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham
Cornet Bay at Deception Pass
Washington Park in Anacortes
La Conner along the Swinomish Channel.
These ramps offer reliable launching, parking, and access routes, while most island ramps are limited or unsuitable for overnight parking.
Taking your boat for a camping vacation cruise isn't expensive or difficult if you know the places to go and what to do.
If you're going to camp on the boat or on shore, I recommend that you start out in Bellingham or Deception Pass State Park. But if you need or want a campground with a launch ramp for your home base, you should reserve a site at Washington Park in Anacortes.
Boat ramps with parking:
#1 Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham
Lots of parking, fresh water rinse hoses, guest docks, restaurants, nice showers (you will be glad you began and ended your trip here) (updated 10/1/21) I just became aware that Squalicum Harbor has changed their free parking to FIVE days maximum. This is bad news for some of us that like to take 7-10 day cruises. I recommend calling them. (they used to stick longer term in the overflow gravel lot) Cornet Bay requires payment but at least has longer parking.
#2 Cornet Bay at Deception Pass State Park
lots of pay to park, guest docks, showers, nice place to hang out before, after and during your vacation. Only minutes from Anacortes.
#3 La Conner (south end of Swinomish Channel)
single lane city ramp, float, on street parking, cheap fees, nearby guest docks. Current to deal with.
#4 Washington Park in Anacortes
limited pay parking, double ramps with float but open to swell and waves from Geumes Channel, no guest docks, showers, very nice on-site campground, easy bike ride or hike to ferry.
#5 Twin Bridges (north end Swinomish Channel)
County ramp, limited pay parking, small float that's dry at low tide, security risk area NOTE: It's just a little further to La Conner and well worth it!
#6 Oak Harbor
free ramp, $2/day parking, guest docks nearby, full marina services nearby, long walk to town! long ways to San Juans for slow boats.
#7 Cap Sante in Anacortes
should not be listed because they have a sling, not a ramp, Cap Sante would be a second choice if you want to sling your boat in. Guest docks and big RV or trailer pay parking lot. (you can spend a lot of bucks here)
Note: Taking your boat and trailer by ferry to the islands is probably a bad idea because ramps and parking are inferior or not available. However, launching a skiff you can muscle around off the beach at a county park with no float is very doable.
Click on picture to make it bigger!
For first timers, see articles titled "San Juan Islands for First Timers"
Click below First Timers Itinerary
Click below for a satellite view of Squalicum Harbor
How do you make marina reservations and find contact information in the San Juan Islands?
Marina reservations in the San Juan Islands are typically made by phone or online, especially during the summer when slips fill quickly. Key locations like Cap Sante, Friday Harbor, Roche Harbor, and Deer Harbor accept advance reservations, some use a lottery for 4th of July reservations, and parks and smaller docks remain first-come. Having phone numbers and a call plan improves your chances of securing moorage.
Sometimes it is really nice to have a slip reserved just for you.
After spending a few nights on the hook somewhere or jostling for dock space at a park that only holds four boats and has no water or shower, I look forward to my guaranteed reservation.
If you have a firm date planned,4th of July,maybe, you can call or get online and reserve a slip.
Most of these places will be able to fit you in with short notice, but plan ahead to be sure.
Did you know?
For your landbound friends and relatives (children). They can make campground reservations.
Sucia Island State Park Odlin County Park San Juan Island County Park Spencer Spit State Park Washington Park (Anacortes city park)
These five parks are boater accessible and take reservations for camping.
Think outside the box, and plan a combination land and sea adventure with your non-boater friends.
Follow this link to a post outlining a land and sea outing involving - cars - campgrounds - ferry rides - bicycles and one boat used as a taxi. Outside the box cruising
If you find some useful places on the orientation map below, you will want to click this link of Parks and Islands to zoom in on details of specific parks.
Yes, they will be good forever, it is the page number that you need to know because like the tides they repeat year after year but you need to know which pages have the correct charts for your cruise. Just like tide forecasts need a date/time and location to be useful, so do the current charts.
Here is a url to find date tables for use with the Canadian Current Atlas. There are others online, or you can do the mathematics outlined in the front of the Canadian Atlas.
http://code.borsboom.io/current-atlas-tables/
If you don't know what this is referring to, you need to go to the Current Atlas guide posting several years ago >> go now by clicking this link
BTW if you find something you like, or helps you, you should say so. Lots of people work for nothing, not even a thank you!
No No Not me, I work for nothing cause I'm bored
JR
Big arrows are faster currents. An hour later or earlier will be different. What you need is a date and time for this forecast. That's why you need a page table for the current atlas, just like you need the date and time when you look up tide forecasts.
One of the reasons we go to the San Juan's is to see the Killer Whales.
Except more often than not we are in the wrong spot and only get to see snooty seals. Probably the same ones we see every year.
Fear not! You can get in plenty of trouble interfering with any marine mammal you choose.
So even if you miss out on the orca sighting of a lifetime, you still have a chance at getting a big fine levied on you for messing with their smaller cousins.
With just a little online research, I came up with these rules for whale watching.
Keep in mind that new regulations and changes to existing laws happen all the time, and my interpretation is likely flawed.
You know of course, that you are not allowed to bring your boat closer than 200 yards
(that's about the length of two football fields end to end) of a southern resident whale. Which begs the question, how does one know if it's a resident, let alone from the south? What I knew once, but forgot, was that you are required to put your transmission in neutral if you find your self inside the 200 yd limit.
You are not allowed to position your boat, (and this includes kayaks, rafts, dinghy's, etc.) so that you intersect with a whale coming towards you. The rule is 400 yards ( that's about a quarter mile )
So if I understand correctly, when whale watching,
you can hang around as long as you're two football fields away, but if they come at you because you cleverly set it up by getting in their way, you may get a $1,025 fine. Plus you may unwittingly get yourself in trouble for not putting the motor in neutral when they approach closer than 200 yards. So all you kayakers, lift your paddles I guess.
This means you are not supposed to turn tail and run away when you get too close, but stay put in neutral until the Orca has swam outside the 200 yard radius. This sounds silly at first, but I think the logic is that others may be nearby that you can't see, and your spinning prop is a danger to them.
Now for seals or any cute marine mammals:
It's not legal to feed, harass, handle, jeer, taunt, or make fun of them, and this includes lost or abandoned pups. Fines may reach $11,000, jail time, and losing the boat. Ouch.
My last words of warning:
Enforcement or compliance is a subjective thing, this means you might disagree with the grounds for your arrest or citation.
To be safe, keep back a fair distance, and don't feed the non-human animals that hang around your boat.
Happy whale watching!
And for gosh sake, have some fun!
BTW. We have seen large groups of Orcas in Rosario Strait off of James Island and in Haro Strait off of Lime Kiln, which tells me they circle the San Juan's.
Click below to see a satellite view of Whale Watch Park (Lime Kiln Park)
"What does the 3 R's, - red, right, returning - mean to you?"
Well, it should mean to keep the red markers on the right side when returning from sea.
In keeping with this site's mission, I thought just a few basic boater bits of information were in order. If you're an old salt, skip right past this post, but first timers or part-time first mates may find something useful.
Aids to navigation are the road signs of our waterways, and just like driving a car down the highway, you wouldn't think of not knowing or understanding some basic safety rules.
Consider a three-year-old driving toward you on the road; he can't reach the brakes, he can't read the stop sign, and he doesn't know which side of the road to drive on. Now picture yourself driving your shiny new boat in a busy waterway or dangerous channel. No brakes, check!, confusingstriped buoys, check!, parallel park a boat, oops, check!. You owe it to other boaters to understand a few rules, or at the very least have lots of liability insurance. Speaking of insurance, does your insurance cover damage to your boat and passengers and the mega monster and passengers that you hit?
The three R's (3 aaarrr's) rrr. is a nautical mnemonic you should memorize "Red, Right, Returning"That's it, everyone knows it, everyone uses it, so should you.
Another cool nautical mnemonic for you is, "a good red wine is port"which will remind you that all boats running lights will have a red on the port side bow, which leaves green for the starboard side bow
3R's "red, right, returning"means to me, keep the red buoys on my right when returning from sea.
So this means keep the green ones on your left. Returning from sea would also be heading up river. As a practical usage, one would approach and enter a strange marina keeping the red markers on his right. See, already you're keeping off the rocks. Of course, there are a few places where local conditions dictate other rules. For example, Swinomish Channel has red buoys on the right at both ends of the passage.
What good is knowing which side of a boat (or big ship) the red and green lights are on? I'll tell you why, but first you need to turn off the sun and go boating at night. Next, when you see a red light coming at you, adjust your course so you don't collide. OK, now what if it's a green light coming towards you? OK, now what if the green light changes to red and then back to green? What if the light is both green and red?
I'm just a little confused, and so are others. Out on the water these are the signals that boaters use to tell others what their intentions are, and there is no confusion if you remember a few rules.
Remember this "a good red wine is port"It means the red light is on the left side (port) of the boat. Following normal rules of the road you would meet other boats keeping to the right, just like on the highway, so you pass each other red to red (port to port). OK when you see a red, then green, then red changing again, and again, it means they are turning back and forth. A steady red/green at the same time means the other vessel is more or less pointed at you. OK, now when you wander back and forth, steering your boat like a drunken sot, you can imagine what message your lights are sending out over the dark waters.
Some wisdom learned the hard way: When navigating in darkness and the lights you are watching go out (as in you can't see them suddenly) it may mean something is in the water between you and the lights, let's see what could be blocking the view. A headland, another boat, a reef or rock, a piling, your crews head. What it means is you better stop or slow down and figure out immediately why the lights are blinking.
Just for fun, I looked up some other sayings, some silly, some confusing. When all three lights I see ahead, I turn to Starboard and show my Red: Green to Green, Red to Red, Perfect Safety -- Go Ahead.
Red over Red The Captain Is Dead Vessel not under command
Danger Signal: Blast quick five. To stay alive This is the danger signal to be given if you think there is confusion or imminent danger of a collision. It's also the signal that the ferry boat will blast at you if you're being stupid.
"I wonder if there's any red port wine left." OK, I got it now, red on left and port means left. (not that port is good)
Below are a few buoys that need to be understood
The top band marks the preferred channel
Safe water, the above buoys may be passed on either side
Stay away, these buoy mark rocks and bad things.
(check your chart)
The below buoys are your sign posts,
odd numbers on green, even on red,
the same numbers are on your chart.
Red Right Returning 3rrr's
The above striped marker demands your attention, slow down or stop
until you figure out where you are.
Many times individuals will make a buoy/marker out of a jug or old fender.
Do yourself a favor and use caution, there is a reason for the marker, and watch out for a trailing line if it's floating free, you don't need something wrapped around your propeller.
If you had a chart, you would be able to spot the nav. aids on the chart
and figure out where you are and what to do.
I use NOAA chart number 18421, it has an 80,000 scale. I prefer this chart because it shows most of the areas I like to cruise on one chart. You may wish to have a larger scale and more charts
By the way, if you're using your chart for trip planning purposes, you may like non-navigational charts/maps better. We find a fish-n-map chart inexpensive and very useful.
Our favorite for planning is a full-color waterproof laminated tourist map with topo lines, but it does not show depth or rocks.
A warning some boaters don't heed,
Please don't take off anywhere with just your chart plotter or portable GPS, iphone, or whatever gadget is popular today. You really need to have a hard copy chart or map. (and a compass too) If it just sits rolled up in the corner, that's fine. You probably don't use your whistle, flares, PFDs, or any number of emergency items either, but you still carry them.
Click below for a satellite view of Rosario Resort
%2Bfor%2Bthe%2BSan%2BJuans-1.JPG "San Juan Islands map or boat ramps")
