South Sound points of interest

S

sportner

Member
Toni and I will be putting the new "Traveler", Ranger 27, in at Swantown/ Olympia next Monday or Tuesday. We will be working our way up through the sound to the Bellingham gathering and would like to know points of interest, favorite anchorages or mooring buoys, quaint towns, restaurants, bars, etc.. We look forward to seeing our C-Brat friends on the way up and while at Bellingham.
 
While I wouldn't call Seattle and Bell Harbor marina "quaint", it's well worth a stop. Walking distance to many good restaurants and to Pike Place Market and the bars and night clubs of Pioneer Square. Plus if you do spend a night there, I've been known to drop by with Krispy Kreme donuts at breakfast.

I'd also recommend a stop at Blake Island. It's a nice place to over night and it also the home to Tillicum village (native cultural experience and salmon bake) and it's a good place to take a nice hike.

Eagle Harbor on Bainbridge Island also has a nice public dock with a number of nearby restaurants and shops.
 
Hope Island State Park is a nice spot for a walk in the woods. You'll see big trees and probably deer. Sorry, no pets allowed. No dock either but worth the effort.

Karl
 
Bremerton has a nice new marina, a very interesting museum and neat park with "submarine sails" for water features right by the marina, a water taxi to go across to Port Orchard. We have enjoyed it very much and in the summer there is a good farmer's market at Port Orchard.
 
We really enjoyed Poulsbo last summer; lots of quaint shops, stores a sports bar up the dock etc and the bakeries...oh, god...the bakeries. There's one about half way up "main street" on the right side that is unbelievable. Gig Harbor was nice too. Great protected anchorage, nice mud bottom, cool old town w/ restaurants etc if you have a dinghy just run to the city dock and tie up.
 
Thank you for the great suggestions and PM's. We hope to be on the water later today or early tomorrow. We look forward to seeing everyone in Bellingham.
 
I am late getting this one Russ & Toni, but no one said much about the South Sound. So I will speak up for the South Sound as you make your way up from Swantown. Along the east coastal side and you can view the fancy new golf course on the water near Robbi's Digs , McNeil Island Prison on the west, Day Island, then just before the Bridges on the east side you will see the clubhouse and ramps for the Tacoma Outboard Assn. As you go along you will experience fun in the Narrows and Point Defiance. If you want some dock and dine you can duck in to Gig Harbor and tie up at the Tides and enjoy decent food,or go east past Tacoma Yacht Club into the Foss Waterway and do it at Johnny's Dock,and you can spend the night free if you dine with them, and see all the new development along the Foss ,i.e. Glass Museum and esplanade. Further north of course is Des Moines Marina and as Patty mentioned Blake Island State Park is a great overnight spot that now has hookups and a new flagpole paid for and installed by the Northwestern Boating Council Clubs(TOA is one of them).
After Blake the other folks have spoken.
 
Jim - Patty mentioned Blakely Harbor on Bainbridge, not Blake Island! Seems like Ricardo had a similar confusion when he went to Blake Island when the rest of us went to Blakely Island in the San Juans!
 
I love Longbranch as a nice place to hang out. Nice dock, great scenery. No shopping or anything like that, but that's part of why I enjoy it so much.
 
Russ & Toni, I'll be out solo on Thursday afternnon somewhere between S. Camano and Hat Island. So what color hull should I be on the look out for? IIRC, you were torn between yellow and sage green. :?:
 
Got ya Pat, I didn't realize there was a Blakely at Bainbridge I guess. I was just know of the Blakely in the San Juans.. too many Blakes and Blakelys. Kind of like too many Clear Lakes and Silver lakes in WA.
 
We finally splashed at Swantown at 4:30 pm and are spending the night here. We are anxious to try some of these places everyone has mentioned. Toni is busy right now trying to put them all in order, fun stuff.

Our new hull color is Laureen green (sage is close enough), pictures in our album. What VHF channel for hailing?
 
We got underway this morning on our northward journey. We met Robbi and rafted up at Hope island to give her a tour of the new digs and get some more ideas on where to visit. She took some action photos of the new Traveler and we down loaded those on the computer, thank you Robbi.

We hiked Hope island and cruised north past Anderson & McNeil Islands, under the Narrows bridge and we are now in Gig Harbor enjoying a few cocktails. Tomorrow we will explore the town and decide on our next destination.

What a beautiful day to be on or near the water, blue sky, light winds, it just doesn't get much better.

The new boat is running great, we are changing speeds regularly to try to break it in. Our top speed, fully loaded, was just over 20 mph and 2 mpg. At 15 mph we were getting 2.5 mpg. At 10 mph about 3 mpg and it just gets better as you slow down. The boat handles well in the chop, looking forward to see how it handles in the heavier stuff.
 
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A very beautiful boat!!! Thanks Russ and Toni for the tour. It was great to see you.



Robbi
 
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