05/18 - 05/19 - Friday Harbor Gathering

redbaronace":204ra7sv said:
Can you give any particular advice surrounding Deception Pass. Somewhere along the line, I heard that it could be a dangerous place and it always stuck with me. Perhaps with the size and power of our boats its easily manageable, then again, I do not want to be too casual about this leg of the trip.
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Allow me to quote myself, from three years ago:
I don't claim to be an expert, but I did go through Deception and/or Canoe Passes more than 70 times last season! I was a tour guide for Deception Pass Tours, and on my days off I literally "played" in the passes aboard Two Lucky Fish. My favorite is going dead-in-the-water and letting the current suck the boat through and spin it around, first one way and then the other. Very peaceful, actually, although it confuses the hell out of the other boats, so don't do this if there's traffic.

So here's the deal with Deception Pass for our boats: You can make it through at virtually any state of the tide.

And here's the huge, huge caveat: On a big ebb, with a swell coming down the Strait of Juan de Fuca from the Pacific OR a westerly blowing at the southern entrance to Rosario Strait, you do NOT want to be out there. In any boat, probably. Impressively steep 3 and 4 foot waves develop over what locals call Deception Bar, which you will seem to experience as 5 and 6 foot waves. It sucks, big time. Only time I've been frightened the boat might swamp, actually. That wasn't in Deception Pass itself, mind you...it was just outside the pass.
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And where I say "Only time I've been frightened the boat might swamp, actually."...That was true then, but now I have another spot I treat with similar respect: Cattle Pass.

So my advice is to head out Deception Pass, and if it's crappy out there just TURN RIGHT (north) and keep moving. Wait until you get away from the bar to turn left (west) and cross Rosario Strait for Lopez Pass.
 
C-cakes and crew are lolling in the sun at Friday Harbor right now :teeth life is good. Checking with folks here to make sure all will be well in a few weeks. We go out through Deception Pass all the time. For us it is not a big deal. Our boats have plenty of power to get through most conditions with ease. Occasionally there will be standing waves when wind is against tide and you have to pay attention to those. But even then there are safe routes. Once you have gone through the pass, if you go through on a strong current, there are often tidal boils and the occasional whirlpool so pay attention there. We do not worry about them particularly but try to avoid driving directly into a whirlpool. If you have concerns just wait for the current to be less than 3kts and it will be a piece of cake. We will head out on Thursday mid-day and welcome fellow travelers.
 
Tim, Hes in a older 24 tomcat. He could cruise at 30 if he wanted to.

Red. In your boat either way would do just fine. If you are launching from Everett then the inside is the way to go as you would have to head south to go around Possession and take the outside route. Way longer.

You will have no problem running the pass at any tide in that tom cat. What you have to watch out for is other slower boats that should not be going thru the pass on a tide change but have not really figured it out yet. Steer clear of them. The strong current can swing a 40 ft boat around really quick and there is nothing they can do to stop it once it happens.

As the FAA said this week when they shut down all those towers " good luck and you all be careful now you hear"
 
starcrafttom":1gk3nt2q said:
Tim, Hes in a older 24 tomcat. He could cruise at 30 if he wanted to.

Red. In your boat either way would do just fine. If you are launching from Everett then the inside is the way to go as you would have to head south to go around Possession and take the outside route. Way longer.

You will have no problem running the pass at any tide in that tom cat. What you have to watch out for is other slower boats that should not be going thru the pass on a tide change but have not really figured it out yet. Steer clear of them. The strong current can swing a 40 ft boat around really quick and there is nothing they can do to stop it once it happens.

As the FAA said this week when they shut down all those towers " good luck and you all be careful now you hear"
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Guess I will just try plowing through the Deception Pass enroute to the San Juans. If we hit slack tide, would be ideal for the first time. Should the conditions be nasty, I might just pucker up and see how it feels. Either way, it will be a learning experience.
 
Red, there is an alternative to going thru Deception Pass. You can make a right turn and travel up the Swinomish Channel. The only problem, you're supposed to travel at no wake speed, making it a very sloooowww journey. But it's protected.

As Tim, Barry and Tom mentioned, Deception Pass is probably your best bet. We traveled thru there several times and have never experienced adverse conditions. Either lucky, good planning or both.
 
Let me be clear: I am ENCOURAGING a trip through Deception Pass. It's perfectly pleasant 95+% of the time. But I didn't want to disregard the <5% of the time it can be downright scary out there, in which case you want to TURN RIGHT and KEEP GOING. Easy! :-)
 
The slack at Deception Pass Friday 17 May will be 9 AM and 3 PM The max ebb and flood will be only 2.1 kt. sounds like a good day all around. :teeth
 
The Town Administrator of Friday Harbor, Duncan Wilson, is a friend of mine. I invited him down to our Saturday night soiree, hope we can give him the mike for a few minutes for an official welcome from the Town of Friday Harbor! He is also a fan of C-Dorys, I learned today!
 
Glad to have him Pat! We've had such good luck with the Friday Harbor folks maybe we can also let them know how much we appreciate the support from the port and businesses.
 
Hey Pat is Duncan going to come? And is his wife Tracy coming also? You know she used to teach music with my wife. Was hoping to see them while we were there.
 
Another activity that we might want to look into is the Life Jacket World Record Day, May 18. Since we will be there already.

See the thread:
http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=19811&highlight=

Might be something we could do about Pot luck time and get some C-Dory, C-Brat publicity/recognition and boost a bit of community awareness for the use of PFD's when on the water and on the dock.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

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Just so I can tell Duncan the right time and place, it is Saturday, May 18, at 5:00 p.m. on the float and the end of H Dock, correct?

colobear":2olwktcz said:
Glad to have him Pat! We've had such good luck with the Friday Harbor folks maybe we can also let them know how much we appreciate the support from the port and businesses.
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Well Pat, as you probably recall, it kind of depends on how the cats we are herding think about it. We usually start moving down to the breakwater at the end of "H" dock around 5ish but there is no "official" starting time. If your friend were to get there sometime after 5 that should work out.
 
Another activity that we might want to look into is the Life Jacket World Record Day, May 18. Since we will be there already.

See the thread:
http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?t=19811&highlight=

Might be something we could do about Pot luck time and get some C-Dory, C-Brat publicity/recognition and boost a bit of community awareness for the use of PFD's when on the water and on the dock.

Harvey
SleepyCMoon
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Sounds like a good cause, Harvey. Could be fun.

Might need to amp it up a bit to help the C-Brats/C-Dory clan to break through all the noise and make the 11 pm news. A PFD/C-Brats Lawn (Deck) Chair Drill Team video might do it.

I can picture Jim (Wild Blue) as drill sergeant...

Amy
 
I have a demo inflatable to show for the effort. (Details later). I checked with the office at FH marina. (No Clue. Gave them the website to check.)

Hope we can get some interest.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon
 
Caiprianha":984fvzyv said:
I can picture Jim (Wild Blue) as drill sergeant...

Amy
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Our good friend Jim may call cadence but I expect The Blonde would put him and all of you through the drill! Have fun in FH, wish we were closer than DownEast Maine!

Charlie
 
I thought La Conner was going to be our first C-Brat event but Friday Harbor sounds too good to miss. Looking forward to meeting the group.

Joan and David
 
Quick couple of questions.
1) For the Saturday evening pot luck, how many do people usually prepare for?
2) do we need to reserve at Friday Harbor marina?
3) what are the Friday evening plans? WE hope to arrive Friday afternoon.
 
No set rule for how many to prepare for, most people do 6-10. it is a true potluck, just whatever you wish to bring. No need to separately register with Friday Harbor, just call in as you approach the marina, tell them you are with the C-Dory group and they will direct you to dock H where we will be. We have a group dinner scheduled at 5:30 Friday at the Downrigger restaurant a short walk from the marina. not a requirement (there are none!) but most folks join us.
 
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