wake boarding in the San Juan Islands

[pauley]

Do People do wake boarding in the San Juan Islands in june and july ? And has any body ever been on a wake board behind a Ranger R-25?

[Alyssa Jean]

I have never seen anyone wake boarding in the San Juans. I am not a real proponent of wake boarding. Your never much more than a mile or two from an island in the SJ's and almost certainly closer to other boats. Trying to create a large wake on purpose is not something I or other responsible boaters look highly on. Then there is also the danger posed by CO poisoning from the exhaust. I am sure there are areas where the wake is not intrusive on others, but I can't think of any around here.

On the other hand, some of the big Bayliners put out a huge wake just trying to get from here to there.

[JamesTXSD]

[pauley]

I guess we will leave the rope and the wake board in San Antonio when we go to pick up the new R-25 at the end of June . When I get it back to lake Travis later in the summer we can do some boardind there in the warm water, the tug should get up to 21mph fairley quick and put out a nice wake.

Jim ; we will be puting in at Aransas Pass at Hamptons Landing most of the time . Port Isabell wil be one of the first trips we take .

[JamesTXSD]

Pauley, if you get down this way, drop me a note. Even if we aren't around, I'd be happy to pass on some local knowledge. We also enjoy Port A; plenty to see and do around there. That's a very nice boat you're getting, and should make for some great cruising.

For any folks not familiar with the size of Texas, Pauley is in "south" Texas... only 300 miles NORTH of us.

[westward]

Wake boarding in the San Juan Islands is likely to cause you nothing but trouble, if you consider hostility and resentment directed towards you to be trouble. Jet ski's are illegal. Most small communities within protected bays (the only place calm enough to wake board in the SJI) have docks and moorings where boats could be damaged by big wakes. The offender is liable for such damage and folks are increasingly reporting offenders. I apologize for the sanctimonious tone of this post, but please consider saving your wakeboarding for Lake Washington, Lake Chelan, etc., where the local ethos is more favorable to watersports. Respectfully, Mike.

[Sea Wolf]

Pauley-

The photo below depicts the Memorial to Bobby Bluesome, the first, last, and only wakeboarder ever known to the San Juan Islands area.

Bobby was caught doing tricks on his wakeboard behind his Moomba X-10 towboat just inside the Friday Harbor entrance in July 4, of 2006.

The U.S. Customs/Boarder Patrol/Homeland Security patrol boat cited Bobby for violation of the "NO Wake Zone" policy, seized his board, boat, and tow rope, and remanded Bobby to the U.S. Coast Guard Station and temporary Homeland Security Detention Center at the Port of Bellingham.

Billy was already freezing his arse off from the cold water when apprehanded, and the sparce facilities at the makeshift detention center are not heated in summer due to the high cost of heating oil.

Needless to say, Bobby froze off more than his arse that following night, hence the design of the Memorial.

No Court of Inquiry was every held, as the Preside Judge of the U.S. Judicial Court moors his boat at Friday Harbor and is a "No Wake Zone" advocate.


Wickipedia reporter Phun Too Yoo stands at the base of the Memorial to Bobby Bluesome near Bellingham, Washington in this 2007 file photo. Bobby was the first, last, and only known wakeboarder to trick wakes in the San Juan Islands. See story above for details.

[Dreamer]

Note to Ron on Meander, This is what happens when you're retired and have too much time on your hands! Be careful what you wish for. Joe, Take the Dory to the lake!

[Socrateur]

I commented to my Lopez neighbors during a group dinner where I was being introduced as the newest property owner that I wanted to install a slalom course off my property on Mud Bay. I was a tournament slalom skier for 20 years, and there is ideal water there. Boy, did that ever kill the conversation, and there were looks of utter disbelief all around. I was joking, of course.

Side note: cold water need not be a deterrent to wake boarding. Water sports are very feasible in 50 degree and colder water with a good wetsuit or even better, a dry suit. This is done routinely during the winter months around NorCal during the tournament offseason at which time the water temps drop into the 40's and the air temps are not much warmer. Some people enjoy the invigorating effects of cold. I happen to be one of them and went for a dip in Lake Michigan north of Chicago just today where I am visiting my soon to be 88 year old mother, and the water is 53F; not too bad. My wife joined me.
Where we swam today:

[Sea Wolf]

Jay-

Good point about cold weather water sports and wet/dry suits! I still have my sailing wetsuit farmer johns, but getting into them may be questionable at this point(!)

BTW, I think I can see a curvature in the surface of Lake Michigan in your photo above.

I held a ruler up to your photo above and, sure enough, can see the arc or curvature in the lake's surface.

II wonder if this is a photograph of an observable phenomena or just an effect of some spherical aberration of the lens?

Also BTW, I hope no one was offended by my attempt at humor above.

Joe.

[Hunkydory]

Was much appreciated by me Joe. But then I liked DoD Dan's too

Jay

[Sam Walker]

Hey Capt. Jim, you need to look at Rub N' Tug's photo album. It seems that I saw the owner, Rob, I think, boarding on something behind his R-21.
Where is It-Sea-Bit-Sea when you need him?

[20dauntless]

I'm in the minority here, but I certainly think that wakeboarding could be done in the San Juans. There are many mornings with glassy water that would be perfect. As long as you choose your area carefully and avoid throwing a big wake into an area with docks or boats, you'd be fine. Given the right conditions you could wakeboard in Rosario Straight, Haro Straight, San Juan Channel, Thatcher Pass....

Basically, use your common sense. Don't wake people up with a big wake, don't go out if it's too rough or if there is too strong a current, be mindful of flotsam, etc.

Obviously the water is cold, so the wakeboarder would need to wear either a wetsuit or a drysuit. Lake Washington would probably be a better place to wakeboard but on warm summer days it gets very rough with boat wakes early on making it unsuitable for boarding.

I can't comment on the Ranger's performance pulling a boarder, but I'd imagine that it would turn some heads.

[hardee]

Joe, took me clear to here to get up off the floor I was laughing so hard.

Harvey
SleepyC

[drjohn71a]

Wake boarding behind an R-21??? Maybe tubing?

Isn't most wake boarding done between 18-21 mph? I don't think a fully loaded R-25 could sustain those speeds.

John