05/18 - 05/20 - 2018 Friday Harbor CBGT

Gary and Colleen, We would be happy to have you! Use the "event signup" link near the top of the CBrats main page to add yourselves to the Friday Harbor event. Then watch this thread for details in early May and assume you will have a slip waiting.

Greg
 
Due to a family obligation we will not be making this years Gathering. We were very much looking forward to being there & enjoying the company of so many we’ve spent time with in the past & others we only know from this site. We know you all will have a wonderful time & it’s our loss. On a more positive note we hope to be cruising again in SE Alaska out of Skagway in very late May or early June.

Jay
 
Hey Jay, I'll miss seeing you guys at FH. And wish I was joining you in Skagway, but putting that end of the Inside Passage off till next summer. I do hope to get up at least as far as Desolation Sound after the gathering, and will have about 4 weeks available to do so. Colby
 
colbysmith":5rx11cwr said:
Hey Jay, I'll miss seeing you guys at FH. And wish I was joining you in Skagway, but putting that end of the Inside Passage off till next summer. I do hope to get up at least as far as Desolation Sound after the gathering, and will have about 4 weeks available to do so. Colby
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Colby, I’ve been following your planning. With this years experience behind you, it should have you well prepared for a cruise out of Skagway next year with others or by yourself. At present, we are planning next year for a Northwest Canada area road trip & inflatable boat exploring of rivers & lakes, so most likely won’t be in SE Alaska cruising after this year until 2020.

Jay
 
At least 3 others have indicated an interest in joining me next year, and I know of at least one other couple that are planning on doing the Inside Passage next year that said I could join them. I think all are looking at Prince Rupert as a launch point. So unless I can talk them into Skagway, or head that way on my own, I may have to settle for starting out in the south also. Maybe just make it an official C-Brat Gathering Cruise! :) (But a Skagway launch would only add a few more days to the travel time, and it's a beautiful drive!) I'm looking forward to getting more tidal experience this year. And a little more open salt water experience. And of course the social aspect of the FH gathering! Colby
 
Question about La Conner. I have finally decided to launch out of La Conner this trip. I understand there is both a ramp, Twin Bridges Ramp, and a Sling Launch at La Conner's Maritime Dry Boat. However I was a bit surprised to learn the sling launch is $50 one way, or $80 round trip. Anyone here have any recommendations about either? I do have that nifty rinse system I fabricated and installed on my trailer brakes and hubs, so really no reason why I can't dunk the trailer in the salt water. (The trailer itself is aluminum, but most the running gear is steel or galvanized steel.) But I would want access to a fresh water hookup nearby the ramp. Colby
 
The Twin Bridges boat ramp would not be a good place to leave your truck and trailer for a month or so. Too much chance for it to get vandalized. Plus it's a tricky ramp with lots of current and very tide dependent. Definitely doable for you Colby but not my favorite boat ramp. My $.02.

I've never used the La Conner sling launch. Maybe Starcraft or another Brat could chime in. Have you looked into Cornet Bay?

Peter
 
Twin Bridges is not a good choice for long term parking. The ramp can be covered with dead heads and debris. The ramp is right next to the bridge supports and with the current can post a problem. Not to forget about the oil trains closing the train bridge.
I would highly recommend Bellingham for a long cruise
 
Marco Flamingo":3bdbslgp said:
I thought that Cornet Bay was $10/day for parking and there aren't any nearby options for long term.

Mark
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I'm sure you're right Mark. I just threw it out there as a possibility. I didn't know the specifics. Thanks for clarifying.
 
Call the office at Squalicom (Bellingham). Ask them about the long term parking options. We used them once for a two week trip back in '13. All we had to do was contact the office and provide them vehicle/trailer info & dates. They gave us a different (long term) pass that I left on the driver's seat. There was no extra cost. We did have to park across the street in the gravel lot, so that probably changed since the opened that up as a bypass road of some type.
 
Parking is not a problem, as I have been offered some real estate for leaving my pickup and trailer at. La Conner is fairly close by, and seemed to be more protected than Camano Island ramps. Also, if the parking situation falls through, La Conner does have long term parking at $60/month, albeit I don't think it's secured parking, but then many if not most places are not secured. Port of Everett was another possibility, but longer boat run. Bellingham and north are pretty much out of my preference. (Unless I found some free secure parking in that area. :wink: ) I also understand that a south wind can mess that area up. (And realize weather can pretty much mess up anywhere depending upon from which way it blows.) Ideally, where ever I launch, I could also spend the night near by, if I launch in the evening. In the long run, the $80 lift launch may be relatively cheap all things considered. And I hear La Conner is a neat town to visit. This also gives me the opportunity to check out Deception Pass, yet I can still access a familiar route out of Anacortes, if necessary, by transiting thru the canal from La Conner north. So really, I'm just looking for a good ramp with fresh rinse down water near by, or an inexpensive sling launch, which is probably just Cap Sante. For comparison, I believe it's sling is $46/round trip. Colby
 
Colby, originally when you asked about Cap Sante and Bellingham launch points, I shared my personal preference for Cap Sante given those two options. However, with that said, I would personally still prefer Bellingham over all the other options you've since mentioned, such as Twin Bridges, La Conner Sling, LaConner Pioneer Park, Washington Park, Everett, Cornet Bay, etc. As far as launch ramps go, Bellingham is one of the best, with a nice steep grade for easy launching/retrieving (but not slippery), easy access to freshwater wash down and convenient location to your northern cruising destinations. The chop in the bay is nothing to be feared, it's really just more of an annoyance that I prefer to avoid, so the parking situation should be your main question with Bellingham, as suggested in previous posts. Don't forget there is also another ramp in Bellingham in Fairhaven, also with fresh water washdown, but it's not as nice of a ramp for a 25 footer (it's better for smaller boats), but maybe there are better parking options over there.

-Mike
 
Thanks Mike. I just called the Squalicum Harbor. The person I spoke to said they do not park trailers there long term, but I could check with Hilton Harbor or Colony Wharf. He said I could get a pass from them (Squalicum) and park my pickup for free during that time in a nearby lot. However, when I asked him about security of if they have had any problems, he kind of hmmmmd a second, then said he couldn't guarantee anything with the influx of transients and homeless in the area recently. They only have one security guard and he is unable to patrol the entire premises often enough. That was enough to shut Bellingham out of the running for me. (So I didn't even check with the two boat storage yards about cost for storing the trailer....) Colby
 
Of course he cannot "guarantee anything". Allow me: there is no such thing as "secure storage" unless it's your locked garage and you are home 24/7...and even then, theft can occur.

If you think Everett is "immune" from the cancer, you are in denial. Everett is probably second to only Seattle when it comes to homeless, criminals, dopers...(those terms are interchangeable to me) Same with Twin Bridges, Anacortes... Any public parking area is a target. Period.

I don't leave anything in my truck. NOTHING, nada, zilch. I even take the reg/insurance paperwork, so they cannot glean my address. I leave the center console and glove box open, so they can see they contain NOTHING. I leave nothing of value in the bed. Sometimes I even leave a door unlocked to avoid a broken window, but that's rare. Trust me. This area is now a destination for criminals, homeless, dopers...
 
Last October we launched at Oak Harbor and left the truck and trailer there for two weeks. Launch was free and parking was nineteen bucks and change. They asked that I park by the fence and unhook so the trailer was beside the truck. I ran a chain through a trailer wheel but that was it.

The good part was that the fence borders part of the naval base and the office lady said they don't have much trouble because of it.

The bad part is, the ramp is intended for float planes and is long with a gentle slope so I had all four wheels of the truck in the water to launch the boat at mid tide. High tide is easier, they say. There is a fresh water hose right at the top of the ramp that is free to use. I didn't even try to retrieve the boat there but I did see a guy with a collapsible keel on a sail boat pull out with no trouble. I took the boat over to Cornet Bay State Park and got a ride to the truck from a friend. It worked out well.
 
So let me get in this a little. I have been talking to Colby on the side about launches. I think that what he is looking for is maybe non existent . I believe that your enjoyment level will be higher if your expectations are set at the right level. If anyone thinks their boat or truck is 100% safe at any launch or storage yard, fenced or not, your crazy.

That said I have left my boat for at least 5 days at almost ever launch mentioned on this list except camano island park. I have never had a thing stolen, broken or destroyed at any of them. Other people have had stuff stolen at all of them. The only time my boat has been broken in to is in my fenced yard at my old house in Marysville. They took the radar, downriggers and MFD. It was done in the day light next to a busy street.

I think that this thread is over thinking this subject. figure out which launch is best located for your travels and use it. The only c brat I know of that has had a trailer stolen in long term parking was in Bellingham.

As soon as I get my parking lot finished, work work work, at my present house I will have room for 3 rigs and trailer for cbrats looking for long term parking. Susan and I will be offering this to Cbrats next summer so that out of state boaters have a place to leave their rigs.

As for Corbys present problem I would launch near rogers and arrange for a some one else to park it at rogers,which has been offered. Roger is a great guy and knows how to park a trailer.

It seems that all the parks are limiting the amount of time you can leave a trailer. last year during FH I got a ticket for over staying at Cornet bay. There was not a limit a few years ago.

Trailers- if you have a aluminum trailer with stainless steel line i would not worry that much about washing it the one time you are not going home that day. We never have the option to wash a trailer until we get home. Even if its a week trip. Hit it with salt away when you do get home or dip in in the lake for a hour.

Have fun.
 
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