Visting the Northwest

Will-C · Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 2:43 pm Post subject: Visting the Northwest

We are starting to plan a trip to the northwest. I wondered where would be the best place to launch and use as a home base marina, store the truck and trailer at a secure location etc. to be able to explore the San Juan islands and surrounding areas and beyond.
D.D.

Two Bears · Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 2:56 pm Post subject:

Bellingham, WA. The parking is free in a side lot that is patrolled. People leave their truck & trailer there for the summer and head to Alaska. All the boating shops needed are in the area. It is less busy and less "business frenzied" atmosphere than Anacortes & especially Seattle.

We trailer over from Idaho at least once a year and Bellingham is our "home" of choice.

Chuck

rogerbum · Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 2:59 pm Post subject: Re: Visting the Northwest

Will-C · Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 3:45 pm Post subject:

I'm thinking the middle of June and plan to stay a month or as long as I can get away with. But if there is a better time to be there we can bend. I just thought I would want to avoid any snow in the passes. I'll probably pull the boat out solo from Pa. and fly my wife in to Seattle once I get settled in etc. We will probably take a couple of road trips always wanted to go to Vancouver etc.. Also open to any local knowledge as I am coming over from the other side. I looked at the map and Active captain and Bellingham looked good to me from an untrained eye.
Thank you all for your responses.
D.D.

AstoriaDave · Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 4:10 pm Post subject:

Definitely Bellingham. Aside from the launch area aspects, it has pretty much everything you might need in the way of supplies, marine and otherwise, services, etc. And if you decide to spend a day or two ashore, plenty of scenic stuff at hand, with Vancouver BC a short drive away.

rogerbum · Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 4:14 pm Post subject:

To me the ideal time to visit the PacNW is August. June is usually still pretty rainy and it's often the case that the weather doesn't get really nice until after the 4th of July. By July/August, we're usually looking at one or two rainy days in the entire month while June is usually 9-10 days of rain (sometimes more). Also, in August, the ocean is almost always nicer than in any other month of the year (should you choose to go to the coast). Finally, if you're interesting in fishing, there's more opportunity in August than in July and more in July than in June. Ocean chinook seasons usually open mid to late June, coho become more available in August, Puget sound salmon (and San Juans) open in July or August depending on the specific area.

JamesTXSD · Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 4:58 pm Post subject:

Hi Dave. You are going to love the PNW. A month will give you a great preview, and you will want to go back again.

I will echo Bellingham as a good launch site. Let them know in the Squalicum Harbor office that you will need long term parking. It isn't secure in the behind-a-fence kinda way, but we have left our truck and trailer there for up to a couple months, and not had a problem.

There are great marine supply places nearby, you will need to drive to get groceries. Transients have a 3 day limit for staying in the marina there, and the prices are so low compared to the East Coast and Florida.

You are very close to the San Juan Islands. Bring your passports, because you will want to experience the Canadian Gulf Islands. We happen to think Victoria (Vancouver Island) is a "British experience" that is an easy 3 hour jaunt from Friday Harbor (even closer to Roche Harbor); less than that if you get up on plane.

There are many places to anchor in protection in the San Juans and Gulf Islands. Good options for marinas, as well... from quaint to luxurious.

Having spent the last 4 summers working in the San Juans (and cruising there a couple summer before that), I think June is a good time to be there. The crowds are still light. "The Season" is 4th of July to Labor Day - during which there will be more competition for slips, mooring balls, and anchor space. Yes, June can have some rainy weather - didn't happen this year; it was the driest, warmest June and July on record in the San Juans. That said, you will want to bring rain gear and plan on some warm clothes... the water in the San Juans will be in the upper 40s, maybe up to a balmy 50º, in June. You won't be "jumping in to cool off." Cool

Your new boat is perfect for this area... and you will see them out and about daily. All the docks are floating, so you don't have to deal with the tidal changes for docking. You will want to pick up a Waggoner's Cruising Guide - it will have specifics on all the marinas and anchorages you could hope to visit in a month. You will also want to get a tides & currents guide... the bottom in most of that area is rocky... shoal areas are well marked on the charts.

Roger would be the one to talk to regarding the fishing. Being out on the water daily, I don't see as many fishing boats in June compared to July and August.

We just finished another summer working for a whale watch company (Friday Harbor and Roche Harbor, on San Juan Island). While I'm glad to not be on a schedule again, I don't tire of the beautiful scenery, the abundant wildlife, and the spectacular cruising to be had in the area. Some islands are State Parks. Great hiking on other islands. Resorts. Funky little island stores. No chain restaurants. Friendly people (especially in June).

Dang, I get excited just writing this, and I just left!

Drop me a note if you have any questions,
Jim

ddenver · Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:18 pm Post subject: Gonna love PNW boating!

Hey Dave.

You have some fantastic cruising to look forward to here in the PNW. You can also perhaps tie in to a couple C-Brat and or those other guys (Ranger Tug) get-togethers in the area if your timing is right during your visit!

Like Jim said, obtaining a Waggoner's guide (see http://waggonerguide.com/) - preferably ahead of time to read up on things - is invaluable for this area. As Jim further mentioned bringing the passports is a great idea since the Canadian Gulf Islands are just north of the U.S. San Juan Islands and also places like Victoria, Cowichan Bay, or Sidney on Vancouver Island as well as various places on the mainland would be great to visit too.

Another thing to consider is purchasing a Washington State Parks moorage pass. At $5 a foot for the boat, these annual passes pay for themselves PDQ if you spend as little as a week at the myriad WA State Park docks or mooring buoys located throughout the Puget Sound.

Many of these sites such as Sucia Island, Jones Island, Stuart Island, or James Island in the northern sound are incredibly gorgeous locations offering you lots of natural beauty, hiking trails, and sometimes even peace and solitude (especially real early or late in the cruising season).

You can see general info on these WA St. Parks moorage passes at http://www.parks.wa.gov/653/Annual-Moorage-Permit and also see a link to a very basic map of the many WA State Marine parks these cover. See the link for BOTH the Northern Sound's Moorage sites at http://www.parks.wa.gov/651/Northern-Moorage-Sites and the Southern Sound's moorage sites at http://www.parks.wa.gov/652/Southern-Moorage-Sites.

You can see a brief overview on each WA State Marine Park site by clicking on the various sites on the two maps. During the peak of the cruising season many of these locations get very busy and a little hard to find available dock space and/or moorage buoys but some places like Sucia Island can host a pretty incredible amount of boats and still have room for anchoring at least (for which you would not require a WA St. Parks moorage pass).

Anyway, please do not hesitate to ask other questions or reach out for more advice on planning your visit sir.

Take care,
Dan, Tanya, and Hannah on Echo

Pat Anderson · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 12:06 am Post subject:

I will second, third or fourth the choice of Squalicum Harbor in Bellingham as the launch / parking site of choice, for all the reasons already mentioned. We live about 15 miles north of Bellingham, and I will PM you my cell number, please call and let us know when you are in the area and Patty and I will come down for a face-to-face. Also, what Jim said, bring your passports, because Canada, from Victoria to Desolation Sound (and maybe beyond) is just an extension of PNW waters!

hardee · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 2:26 am Post subject:

WOW, the "Heartbeat of America" guy is coming to the PNW. Cool!! Well pretty much everybody gave you all the good answers. Bellingham is a good answer, close to the SJ Islands and good parking. June would be good, could be a bit rainy, although, it's the PNW and could rain anytime. Be sure and look at the Washington State Marine parks and the pass info that Dan mentioned. Absolutely worth it.

June is Good, May is better, There will be a really cool, big CBGT at Friday Harbor in May and it is worth the trip alone.

As you get into planning, keep this thread in mind and ask here. The CBRATs is a great resource, as you know and have been a part of... so thank you too.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

Sunbeam · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 3:48 pm Post subject:

I'm no expert on the area, but I noticed you said "home base marina," and, if I remember correctly, when you used to go to the Keys you'd base at a nice marina.

I'm not sure what the marina is like in Bellingham - it may be a great base. But if it's not quite what you are looking for, I think quite a few people who were looking for a comfortable marina have based at Cap Sante Marina in Anacortes, plus there are others in Anacortes as well.

Again, just mentioning this if the marina/base is a key factor. Maybe someone can address how the Bellingham marina is as a base. Cap Sante would be walking distance to groceries, restaurants, etc.

ddenver · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 5:09 pm Post subject:

Good point Sunbeam.

While Bellingham might very well be the optimal launch point as others have stated (I live out on the Olympic Peninsula, so Port Townsend is the optimal launch point for me), I believe BOTH the Port of Bellingham and maybe even Anacortes (Cap Sante) have a theoretical limit of 3 consecutive days for transient moorage.

This should not be an issue for cruising in the local waters since one ideally would be moving from place to place - possibly staying in a combination of marinas, WA State Marine Parks, or even anchoring out - to maximize seeing as much of the areas as possible. This kind of makes the idea of a "home base marina" pointless at least in the sense of thinking of one single place (i.e. the home base) as the place one would return to over and over. Rather you might consider it as the "home base" for the truck and trailer and the boat ramp you use for your initial boat launch and final retrieval at the end of your stay while moving around in a somewhat nomadic fashion while cruising.

As Sunbeam mentioned, if one is on foot - and the truck nor any other vehicle is nearby - certain marinas such as Anacortes, or Friday Harbor (i.e. the "big city" in the San Juans), would be more convenient to be able to get off the boat and easily walk to a grocery store or such. No real grocery store is immediately nearby at Bellingham although there are restaurants and such nearby.

Definitely ask as many questions as you can and get a Waggoner's guide as well as start eyeballing maps/charts of the area to get an idea where things are and how far a distance there is between the different locations you might want to visit.

You might also search the C-Brats archives for past threads as to an itinerary of things to see and destinations to visit by boat in the San Juans and surrounding area.

Also, if you had ample time, besides heading north (i.e. to the San Juans and/or Canadian Gulf Islands) there is also lots of great cruising and such in the South sound and also in less visited areas like the Hood Canal. You will likely find even a whole summer is not near enough to visit all the places one might want to see while out cruising in our local waters.

Take care,
Dan, Tanya, and Hannah

Larry Patrick · Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 7:27 pm Post subject:

Nice trip to look forward to get ya thru the winter.

Phil Barnes · Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 12:21 am Post subject: Visiting the Northwest

As many others have said, be sure to have a copy of Waggoners Guide. We also use a San Juan Islands Guidebook by Blue Lattitude Press. We find it to be an excellent compliment to Waggoners.

It is available at : http://www.bluelatitudepress.com/bl_sji.html for about $40.

The couple that writes the guidebook has several for Mexico. They are currently the care takers of Vendovi Island in the San Juans.

We also carry a San Juan and Gulf Islands guidebook by Don Douglass and Reanne Hemmingway Douglass that we find to be excellent. Available from Fine Edge Publishing for about $50. We find this particularly helpful in the Gulf Islands up to Nanaimo.

Happy Cruising!

Will-C · Posted: Sat Sep 12, 2015 10:25 am Post subject: Visting the Northwest

Thanks for all the replies and information. I bought the Waggoner's Guide to the Northwest from Fine Edge. We have an older bulldog who won't do any of her business on the boat. That said, it makes anchoring out a little more of a challenge as if she needs to go you will get no sleep until someone walks her. I'd rather anchor out which we will do if when she decides to roll on out to the next world. From the looks of things she might not make it long enough to see the northwest she's 14 and for a bulldog she is already on bonus miles.
So we are planning with a variety of options. In the past we liked to stay somewhat close to the truck as we like to do some land day trips. Plus are lack of storage on our previous boat was fine as we always had the truck close by with extra water etc. It looks like maybe two other R-27's that normally we see in Florida are also traveling to the northwest next summer. Our business has sold and my last day of training the new guy is Oct.2nd. Yeah!! So with some other variables we might be able to stay a little longer than a month. Time will tell. Once again thank you for all the thoughtful replies. Oh yeah, what's the name of first local beer I should try?
D.D.