05/20 - 05/22 - 2016 Friday Harbor CBGT

Most gas in Canada is ethonal free so we are not accustomed to putting additives etc. in our gasoline and I (and others) would prefer not to put ethonal gasoline in our motors while visiting in the US.

As I am planning to spend some time in the area after Friday Harbor, I would like to find places that I can buy non-ethonal gas while I am down there.

I have found this list of marinas that sell ethonal gas. Does anyone know of others? I'm particularly interested in finding ones in the San Juans.

Marine Servicenter
• Located: Anacortes
• Phone: 360.293.8200

Cap Sante Marina - Fido's Fuel
• Gas: $3.36 | Diesel: $2.33
• Located: Anacortes
• Phone: 360.293.0694

Rosario Resort
• Gas: $4.63 | Diesel: $2.83
• Orcas Is. E. Sound
• Phone: 360.376.2222 ext 5

Semiahmoo Marina
• Gas: $2.99 | Diesel: $1.99
• Located: Drayton Harbor
• Phone: 360.371.0440 ext 0

La Conner Landing
• Gas: $ n/a | Diesel: $ n/a
• Located: Swinomish Ch.
• Phone: 360.466.4478

Skyline Marina
• Gas: $3.25 | Diesel: $2.38
• Located: Flounder Bay
• Phone: 360.293.5134
 
If you are using your boat regualry using E-10 fuel is not a problem. It's storing the boat with the Ethanol laced fuel that causes the problems. Millions of vehicles use E-10 regularly without problems. Enjoy the trip and look for the cheapest fuel!
 
Please excuse my lack of experience. I've never "crusied" before. I only have experience in a 14' boat with a 6hp motor staying relatively close to boat launches going fishing.

I now have a 16' C dory!

What would it be like to launch my 16' 50hp Angler from Seattle and drive to this gathering? How long of a Journey? How much fuel? Crazy idea? Any safety issue to be aware of?

I don't yet really know how to use my VFH and the electronics are old and I'm not sure if the GPS work. Although I do have good nautical maps.

Alternatively, I could launch from Mukilteo, Everett or Anacortes?

Thanks! I'm really excited to be new at this, and a new member of this community!

-James
(206) 915-8827
 
James,

I mapped out the possibility of travelling by CD 16 from Dewatto (south Hood Canal) to Friday Harbor. It is doable, but there would be a lot of variables that I decided not to deal with this time around. The wind forecast seems good, the tides seem good, the travel time is 6 hours or less if I catch the current (5 a.m. departure) and the weather stays calm. If the weather isn't calm, and I have a slow transit in one area, then I would miss the current in another area, slow down because of chop, and the transit time could easily go from 6 hours to 10 hours or more. I could be late for dinner!

So not this time. I'm going to trailer and launch in Bellingham, even though it means a 3.5 hour drive from here to Bellingham. Once at Bellingham, I consider the trip to FH a short island hop that is doable in any likely weather. That's what I would recommend for an initial outing. If it's calm, then there's the scenic route going north around Lummi and Orcas.

The other factor is that I get 20 mpg on the road and only 6 on the water.

Time to saddle my horse.

Mark
 
Wood Zeppelin":m0l444lz said:
Please excuse my lack of experience. I've never "crusied" before. I only have experience in a 14' boat with a 6hp motor staying relatively close to boat launches going fishing.

I now have a 16' C dory!

What would it be like to launch my 16' 50hp Angler from Seattle and drive to this gathering? How long of a Journey? How much fuel? Crazy idea? Any safety issue to be aware of?

I don't yet really know how to use my VFH and the electronics are old and I'm not sure if the GPS work. Although I do have good nautical maps.

Alternatively, I could launch from Mukilteo, Everett or Anacortes?

Thanks! I'm really excited to be new at this, and a new member of this community!

-James
(206) 915-8827
Click to expand...

Overall the trip is very doable in a 16. I'd launch either at Anacortes or Bellingham. From either location the trip can be done in 1.5-2.5 hours depending on chop. In general, once you get into the San Juan Islands, there's enough protection that the water is pretty calm except on the windiest of days. Going from Seattle is very doable especially if you have lots of time, but its much easier, faster and cheaper to trailer N and launch from up there.

For me, the bigger concern would be your inexperience with the radio and your navigational tools. There are a lot of islands in the San Juans and many "obstructions that cover" (e.g. rocks that are below the water at certain tides). Often these obstructions are near entrances to passes and harbors. Hitting one or getting hung up on one can be very dangerous and if you couple that with not knowing how to use the radio, more dangerous. On the bright side though, VHF radio use is not difficult and you can easily learn what you need to know in < 1 hour online. Ditto for using your GPS. You can play with the GPS while the boat is on the trailer and discover if it works and how to use it. You can also load the Navionics boating software onto any smart phone (or tablet) and then you'd have up-to-date charting and a modern GPS as a backup to the GPS you currently own. The software is <$40 (I think around $19 or $29) and it's well worth it. Personally, I wouldn't go on a trip this far until you are familiar with the use of both the radio and an onboard GPS. Navigating in the islands is a bit trickier than navigating elsewhere because there are so many islands and passes it would be easy to get lost with just a map and compass if you don't have some experience with navigation and/or local knowledge of the area.
 
James, we regularly launch out of Squalicum Harbor (Bellingham) on our San Juan or more north trips. Nice marina, nice ramps, good parking and all very reasonably priced. We have never had any issues. We even parked there over 2 weeks for one trip. Bellingham Bay can be rough/bumpy but once you clear that it's a nice, safe journey to FH and beyond.

https://www.portofbellingham.com/199/About-Squalicum-Harbor

A heads up for anyone driving north. Marysville has been a major PIA due to expansion joint repair. The n-bound work created horrendous backups. This weekend will be no different, southbound at least.

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/News/2016/03/18_15marysvilleexpansionjointthisweekend.htm
 
Hi Peter, We don't have any reservations for Thursday night, but if there is space, you can use it. We will be there in about 30 minutes and post here what availability looks like.

Greg
 
James, when would you be going?

We're leaving from Seattle, towing up to Deception Pass (Cornet Bay) to launch, and then heading across Rosario Strait and through Lopez Pass (between Lopez and Decatur islands). I'd be happy to cruise in company, which would make the navigation easy for you.

We won't be heading north until daughter Arwen gets out of school at 3 pm, though. Might be at Cornet Bay around 5 pm.
 
Wood Zeppelin":xd7uag1w said:
Please excuse my lack of experience. I've never "crusied" before. I only have experience in a 14' boat with a 6hp motor staying relatively close to boat launches going fishing.

I now have a 16' C dory!

What would it be like to launch my 16' 50hp Angler from Seattle and drive to this gathering? How long of a Journey? How much fuel? Crazy idea? Any safety issue to be aware of?

I don't yet really know how to use my VFH and the electronics are old and I'm not sure if the GPS work. Although I do have good nautical maps.

Alternatively, I could launch from Mukilteo, Everett or Anacortes?

Thanks! I'm really excited to be new at this, and a new member of this community!

-James
(206) 915-8827
Click to expand...

Hi James, this is very last-minute (thanks to a questionable weather forecast all week that keeps changing by the minute), but as of right now I'm hoping to launch from Anacortes tomorrow morning around 8, and like others have also offered, you are more than welcome to follow me over.

Your proposed trip from Seattle is definitely do-able, I've done the round trip in a single day, but it was a LONG day of non-stop cruising. Plan to take several hours to get up there, and to be safe you might want to carry 3 x 6 gal tanks although you might only use 2 of them if the water is flat. But there are also several re-fueling options along the way, depending on which side of Whidbey you take. Some additional things to be aware of - you'd be cruising through shipping lanes, so watch your charts and stay close to shore (it's more scenic to cruise close to the shore anyway, not out in the middle of the strait). Also the water between Whidbey Island and San Juan Island can be anything from flat-calm to downright scary, depending on wind/waves. The East Entrance forecast for tomorrow currently looks OK, but don't forget about the return trip and even though Sunday looks good right now, weather forecasts this time of year can change quickly.

Even though Bellingham is my old stomping ground and I love their launching and parking facilities, Bellingham Bay is notoriously choppy so I find Anacortes hard to beat when driving up from the Seattle to go to the San Juans, and that's where I'll be launching from tomorrow. Mainly I like the option of using the sling launch, even though it costs a lot more (see my "trailer rant" thread from a couple years ago on why I hate dunking the trailer in salt water so much, even with a good rinse).

Hope to see you out there!
-Mike
 
http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20160520/NEWS01/160529932

if you are planning to come thru marysville today ( highway I-5) you better allow more time. This has been a on going problem while they do this needed work. just not sure why they do it on fridays?? 2 hours to get from south everett to north marysville when they are working. Have fun now you hear.

Oh and I just wanted to chime in on the whole e-0 e-10 gas thing. If you are going to use a tank of fuel in under 30 days, cruising in the islands, then using stabilizer or other additives is just plane silly and a waste of money. the fuel is not in the boat long enough to cause a problem. A good filter will remove all the water you need unless you have just water. I try to always run my tanks as low as I can then fill then up. This keeps water from collecting over time. I have never used e-0 gas or additives ( other then a injector cleaner) in my fuel and I have never had a fuel problem. I just use the boat a lot and always run one tank or the other dry every trip. Also drain any water ( never had much) from the filler every trip. Additives are for storing your boat with fuel in them.
 
Well ya'll are having a good time right now. Couple of issues with my new (used) boat and trailer, so I wasn't able to make it, but will be prepared and ready next time!
 
Thanks to all who attended the Friday Harbor CBGT this year. We've had a fabulous weekend and loved seeing all our C-Brat friends. Missed all of you that couldn't make it and hope to see you soon. Safe travels everyone.
 
Greg, Cindy and Aven, thanks very much for organizing yet another great cbgt
We had a wondeful time seeing old friends (and our old boat),it was just as much fun as in the past. Patti and I are refreshed and recharged. Life is good. We hope to be back next year.

Barry and Patti
Formerly C-Cakes now marooned in California
 
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