San Juan Islands June 2014

Going back through my "logs" here, wanted to add that while on Stuart Island in Prevost Harbor we parked at the State Park dock. If we had used the "County" dock, our walk would have only been half as far! :-) And to reiterate, there is a trail at the top of the "129" stairs, that remains relatively flat and comes out at the school house. We took this back, but used the road going. The road has some steep ascents to make up for the "129" steps down to it. The Turn Again Light station is not a light house, and we understand is only open for tours during July and August, so we only got to see the grounds. For Geocachers, there is a geocache near the "privvy". The only other geocache on this island appears to be on Cemetery Island, which of course we did not get to do without a dinghy.... At Roche, we enjoyed walking out to the Mausileum, which was a nice walk and interesting to see. We skipped walking through Sculpture park, but if we had more time think that would be interesting as well. The gardens in front of the Haro hotel are beautiful. We did not get off the boat at Rosario or Olga, and not really that much to see from the water. At Deer Harbor, the marina has a nice gift shop and ice cream shop/store, and nice view coming in, but you are a ways from town. We did find dock space at all these places, but seems like we are still a bit early in the season. There was no charge for parking on the end of the fuel dock at Blakely Marina, but they do charge a minimal fee at Fisherman's bay. (I think like $10 unless you are eating at the Lopez Resort...that is if you use their docks.) We ended up pulling into the Island Marine Center docks, and since they were closed on Sunday, we were able to find a spot on the outer dock with no problem for free! Everyone has said stay out of the Ferries way or they will come up behind you and then honk their very loud horns. I have heard and seen that happen several times here at Friday Harbor. (No, not us. :-) My wife also noticed most sailboats around here are under power with sails down. The Lopez Historical Museum curator (or at least gal working today) said that's because lack of wind...that's it's not really a big mecca for sail boats to sail! I have been amazed at the amount of floatsom in the water. Not just the kelp, but some sticks and rather large logs that I'm glad I see! Today was actually one of the roughest water days since we've been here, and that was while crossing the short distance between Friday Harbor and Fisherman's Bay. Don't know if it was the combination of a little bit of wind and opposing tide or not, but on a scale of Lake Michigan/Green Bay proportion, it still rated fairly smooth. :-) (Slightly choppy, but still ran at 16mph fairly comfortably.)
 
Glad you are enjoying yourselves...and are now warm. You've hit the marina and some other hotspots but there is a lot more. If you can make it back sometime, try to get across the border. The Gulf islands are a very different experience. You are right, most sailboats in the SJ's are just powerboats with keels. Squirrelly winds shifting around the islands is often given as an explanation but when you cross the border and get into the Gulf Islands you will see many more boats under sail. Too bad you did not get off the dock at Rosario. The resort has quite a past, with a big pipe organ (concerts), pictures of the battleships built by the owners, good restaurants and a lot of history. Worth a visit if you get there again. Your Apostle islands have a reputation around here as really good cruising, hope your visit will leave good memories.
 
Colby,

enjoyed the visit and hearing about your journey (can't wait for my turn!). The chop you went thru on the way to FB was just tidal. Take my word for it, you will know when the wind opposes the tide. As there is no dock at Blind Bay (it is a great anchorage), you might want to run up from there to "Eastsound". There is a county dock about 1/2 of a mile back from then end of the channel on the right hand side that you can tie up to. Easy walk into town and enjoyable venture. Was also thinking on your trip back to Anacortes from Sucia Bellingham Channel is usually a calmer route and less exposed. Safe travels!!

Eric
 
After talking with Jim (Wildblue)) today, think I'm going to run Cattle Pass and see if we can find any Orcas on the south side. I suppose I shouldn't leave here this time without running Cattle Pass. :-) So far, we've very much enjoyed the San Juans. But I have seen a lot of scenery at my young age of 56, with having a motorhome earlier in life. And both the USCG (with a stint in Kodiak, Ak) and American Airlines on my resume. :-) Door County with Green Bay and Lake Michigan and the Apostle Islands in Lake Superior have very good scenery also, and at a much closer distance too me. (And without the tide and currents. :-) My next big adventure has to be the North Channel. I hear that is another beautiful spot. So anyway, still taking in all I can while here. Some day I may be back, but so much more to explore in many other places. If all I do is scratch the surface in many places, that still gives me a pretty good flavor of what our world has to offer! Colby
 
Colby,

If you are not likely returning to the San Juans anytime soon, visit Sucia on the way back to Anacortes. Not a direct route, but also gives you the N and E sides of Orcas, and Matia as well. Matia and Sucia are quite different from the inner islands. Not a lot of rough water that route except maybe NE corner of Orcas. Swing wide. Longer crossing of Rosario, but you can do it.
 
Glad that routing worked out for you! The San Juans are a special place - getting to see Orcas makes it even more of a treat.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Colby,

Thanks for sharing your San Juan's trip with us. It's fun to see the islands with a new set of eyes.

I've read several times that the waters were calm during your stay. You've been lucky due to the combination of low winds and small tidal exchanges. It can get nasty out there at times, believe me. But it sounds like you timed your trip perfectly and I'm glad the water conditions were ideal for your trip.

Have a safe trip home.
 
The last couple of days I have ran into some chop. But still not bad enuf that I've had to back down from doing around 14kts. The Orcas were a special treat. We stayed with them for almost an hour I think. Mostly behind a commercial whale watcher, so I'm pretty sure we were outside of the required distance. Finally he veered off to go check out the Orcas that we could see quite a ways farther out in the distance. We continue to run with the group going along the shoreline, keeping our distance. However at one point we probably strayed to close to their path for "Sound Watch", as one of their boats came over and motioned to speak with us. They asked if we were aware of the regulations. I was only aware of the 200 yard regulation, but they politely passed us a card with the regs and informed us we were in the Orca's path and that was a 400 yard distance requirement, and also we shouldn't be doing more than about 7 kts in the vicinity of the Orcas. I had gotten closer to shore than I wanted and had put us up on plane to go farther out.... I sort of appreciated their approach and demeanor, and I'll leave it at that... :roll: Running back in Cattle Pass I must have hit some drift wood or something that I didn't see ahead. Heard the thump, then seemed to have some vibration in the motor. This was at 4000 RPM. I could run at 3500 and 4500 with the vibration going away, so we decided to can our plan of going then to Blind Bay, and headed back to Friday Harbor. Backed into the slip so I could get a closer inspection of our prop. Didn't see any damage, and main output shaft seemed to be running true also. Put my other prop back on, and vibration was gone. So guess I'll be taking the "bad" prop in to be trued out when we get back home.... After changing the prop and doing a test run, we ate lunch then headed up to Blind Bay. There was room on the small store dock there, so docked and went up to check out the store and eat some more ice cream! :-) Came back to Friday Harbor and went back up to Hailey's grill. Had some great Fish (Salmon) Tacos there yesterday, and the Nacho's today were a complete meal for my wife and I! Tonight will be our last night on the water here. Tomorrow my brother and his wife will probably come up on the ferry to join us, and we'll run up to Sucia, before back down to Anacortes to pull out.
 
Sorry to hear you hit something, Colby. There is a lot of debris in the waters of the Salish Sea. Deadheads, debris, and logs are a hazard that Salish Sea boaters have to deal with and work to avoid.

Regarding the regulations with the Orcas: there are a LOT of regulations (Federal and State) regarding distance, speed when within 1/2 mile of the whales, distance from shore, and getting between the whales and shore. Soundwatch may give you a "warning," but they also pass registration information onto NOAA and WDFW, if they see deliberate infractions. Hopefully, that is not the case with you. I have heard of boat owners getting "the letter" weeks or months after the occurrence; especially if photo evidence exists.

On a regular basis, I see people who try to run ahead of the whales, and shut down... thinking that they will "let the whales come to them." BIG No-No. That is considered intentional obstruction by law enforcement.

When you and I visited about the whales, I did specifically say that the 200 yards was a "lateral distance." When I suggested that you "watch what the professional operators are doing and stay at least that distance away," there was no discussion of getting in front of or behind the movement of the whales. 7 knots when within 1/2 mile of the whales is not a recommendation, it is also a written regulation. The west side of San Juan Island (and other sensitive areas) has distance regulations for how far off shore you have to stay when whales are in the area; the distance varies according to the location. Get between the animals and the shore, and you are potentially violating two regulations if you get too close.

The resident Orcas are among the most protected mammals in North America; there are fewer than 90 of them. NOAA and WDFW are out there frequently. The protective regulations apply to all vessels (some specific research boats are exempt), powerboats, sailboats, kayaks, paddleboards, etc. I have also heard people incorrectly state that those regulations are only for commercial operators.

This is not meant to be a lecture, but others might learn from the situation. It has been discussed on this forum and other forums in the past, and the "this is what I've been doing for years" stuff just doesn't fly with the increased LE presence and more regulations. I'm not saying that is your situation - just relating my experience.

Hope none of this diminishes your enjoyment of boating in the area. Next time, bring your passports and a dinghy - there is an endless variety of places to explore in the waters of the Pacific Northwest.
 
No Lecture taken Jim! :-) I don't think I'll have any issues with Soundwatch either. As I said, it was a polite encounter, and I accepted their education as it was intended. :-) And I pretty much "moved on" after they left, again going much farther off shore. I didn't think I was in the path of the Orcas, but was on my way farther away from shore when Soundwatch approached me. Probably not a good excuse, but I'll just claim clueless from Wisconsin! :-) Interestingly, it looked to me like several boats just up a little farther from me, where actually in closer to shore than I was. Also after my encounter with Soundwatch and reading the regulation handout they gave me, makes me wonder if any of us in the area were "legal", as there were some Orcas we could see off in our 10 o'clock at quite a distance. (We were in shore of those... but well behind.) In any case, personally I believe we gave them plenty of room from our boat. But this is all good info for others to know that are not familiar with the area and it's regulations!
I have been a bit surprised about all the stuff in the water. The Kelp I expected! But there has been a lot of both small and large logs floating too. Makes me wonder what's just beneath the surface! In any case, we have enjoyed our stay here and all the advice and suggestions that have been offered from you and others. Our adventure isn't over yet. Got to get back to Anacortes today, then the long tow back home! Colby
 
Laurie and I have read this thread with great interest as our plan is to tow our C Dory "Slack Time" on up to the San Juan Islands at the end of August for the first two weeks of September. WHOO HOO!! Great current info for us. We still have not decided on our itinerary or where we plan on launching yet. I've really enjoyed just reading and learning about the area as much as I can and just generally chart gazing... ok dreaming of getting some time off work and doing whats really important. We are coming up from the SF Bay area. Sounds like you've have had a great voyage. :D Safe travels to you on the rebound home.
 
Today was another absolutely beautiful day for our last voyage in the San Juans this vacation. Brother and his wife got off the ferry at Friday Harbor just a little after 10a, and we were all on our way by 10:30a. Headed up San Juan Channel, and as we came up to President Channel between Jones and Flattop Island, we saw a group of boats following Orcas from right to left. We just stopped this time with plenty of distance between us and the Orcas and Other boats. This was a really nice send off on our vacation here, with my brother and his wife along! Made it up to Fossil Bay on Sucia, with plenty of room on the docks. Wish we had more time, but just hiked a short distance over to Mushroom rock where we took some pictures, then back to the boat for lunch. Down Rosario Strait, just north of Sinclair, along Guemes and into Cap Sante. Watched our hoist guy Ryan (he put Midnight Flyer in the water too) pick Midnight Flyer back up and put her more square on the trailer than I usually do at the ramp! Another fine dinner at Anthony's and we were on our way. (The Blackened RockFish is superb! :-) A few days at my brothers now, with maybe a day trip to Mt. Raineer and another to Pikes Market, and off for our long drive home through some national parks. Got Midnight Flyer all cleaned up late tonight for the drive home. Should pass all the invasive species inspections again!
 
The great weather continues. Brother and his wife took us up to Mt. Rainier National Park, Paradise visitors center. Many in shorts and t-shirts! Great views all around. Stopped by the Recycled Spirits of Iron Sculpture Park near Elbe on the way back. If you are in to metal art, you'll enjoy this place! Also stopped by to visit an old friend I haven't seen since college. She is a retired physician that now keeps a Bed and Breakfast near Mt. Rainier. ( http://www.minerallakelodge.com/ ). Pikes Market tomorrow!
 
And yet another nice day in Seattle! Did our part to help the local economy at Pike's Market today. :-) Once again, another part of our vacation will come to an end tomorrow as we leave my brother and his wife's home, and begin our drive back home via some National Parks. Most everything is loaded up and we hope to get a decent start out in the morning.
 
2014 Waggoner cruising guide p. 155 Captain Jim Bathurst has an excellent diagram and write up on keeping distance.

Also the new customs dock is discussed for Victoria BC in that same publication
 
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