Flotsam galore!

localboy · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 5:34 pm Post subject: Flotsam galore!

My son and his family were up for T-giving and the weather was nice on Friday, so we decided to take advantage of it. A day cruise around the South end of Whidbey w/ a stop near Double Bluff. We took a crab pot hoping to catch a Dungie or two. No luck.

As we left Everett and ran along the southern edge of the bay towards Mukilteo we found ourself surrounded by...logs...I mean hundreds of them, all of various sizes from 1-2' to +20' and some barely visible. It was a nightmare negotiating them like I was a rat in a maze. Hit something at slow speed; contacted under the port co-pilot seat and thumped the prop as it passed, causing a momentary drop in rpms. Mad

My son quickly looks back and says it appeared "small", about 1' by a few inches. Stopped, lifted the engine; no evident/visible damage.

After about 5-10 minutes of dodging and weaving it didn't improve so I altered course hard to starboard and ran towards Hat Island in hopes of escaping the field. It worked. Guess the winds were pushing all the crap towards the south. Seems to almost be in a line running parallel to the shoreline.

My granddaughter didn't care though. Her only request; "stop the boat from bouncing". Laughing

We gave the shore a wide berth on the return and only encountered a few logs bobbing in our path. The boat seems unscathed except for some obvious scratches/dings in the black gel-coat along the port half, running front to back a few feet long. Rolling Eyes

colobear · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 7:57 pm Post subject:

Welcome to the Pacific Northwest!! Laughing

What...boating bumper cars is not what you had in mind??

Don and Brenda · Posted: Sat Nov 28, 2009 8:48 pm Post subject:

That is certainly something one has to watch out for especially during the winter! I left Everett one day and just cleared the breakwater, logs were everywhere, one I did not see hit the motor, I lost rpm's, then the high temp alarm went off, I was able to drift back to the naval station and raised the motor. The prop and water intakes were covered in bark. The boat hook took care of the problem and I was on my way down to the hood canal.

DaveS · Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 1:25 am Post subject:

Several years ago during one of our floods, there were several hundred bright orange pumpkins floating in a line that had been washed down the Snohomish River from a pumpkin farm. Easy to see and I'd rather "bump" into them than a log.

1TUBERIDER · Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 9:10 am Post subject:

Commercial fishermen were setting pots yesterday. In the beginning you really need to maintain a watch and slow down because between buoys and floating line its snarly.

We get the debris after storms. The stuff accumulated on the river banks gets it annual flush after high water. It can be anywhere.

starcrafttom · Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 2:20 pm Post subject:

just a reminder to you crabbers, area 8 is closed to winter crab. you have to go to area 9 or 10. dam cop out poaching!

the local everett sail boat race is called the log dodge.

localboy · Posted: Sun Nov 29, 2009 10:32 pm Post subject:

starcrafttom · Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:43 am Post subject:

Sorry i thought you were in area 8, 9 is wide open 7 days a week. you said whidby island and i was thinking camino.

Besides I was raised in the summer months by a poacher (grand father). there not all bad. Laughing

Matt Gurnsey · Posted: Mon Nov 30, 2009 1:07 pm Post subject: