Washington Park (Anacortes) or La Conner to park?

D

DuckDogTitus

New member
going to take a few days island hopping and trying to decide... should we launch in la conner and leave the truck/trailer there, or launch at Washington Park?

The upside to Washington Park is shorter distance to islands, no deception pass, save some boat fuel.

the upside to la conner is its closer to home (slightly, 30 minute tops), and we get to venture through deception on our way to the islands :twisted:


anyone have one strong preference over the other?


part of me would like to explore deception to see what all the hoopla is about, and the current charts I consulted suggest that its no worse than what I am used to at Tacoma Narrows;

2013-08-30 1:46 AM PDT -5.69 knots Max Ebb
2013-08-30 5:31 AM PDT 0.00 knots Slack, Flood Begins
2013-08-30 6:25 AM PDT Sunrise
2013-08-30 8:33 AM PDT 4.71 knots Max Flood
2013-08-30 12:33 PM PDT -0.00 knots Slack, Ebb Begins
2013-08-30 2:50 PM PDT -4.91 knots Max Ebb
2013-08-30 6:57 PM PDT 0.03 knots Slack, Flood Begins
2013-08-30 7:55 PM PDT Sunset
2013-08-30 8:58 PM PDT 3.12 knots Max Flood
Click to expand...
 
Dustin,

Theres two things about Washington park that Im not a big fan of. #1 is parking. You may or may not have a place to park your vehicle, especially this coming holiday weekend. Also, at a lower tide your trailer will go right off the end of the ramp. Its best at medium and high tide. The ramp is very exposed, so if your retrieveing the boat on a North wind, its a little rough. The plus side is it's the closest launch.

Cornet Bay is the other option. You'll be right at Deception pass at that point.

The public ramp in LaConner is not very good, but Port of Skagit has a launch in La conner and you can leave your rig there for a fee. From LaConner, its probably easier to go north in the channel and out, instead of into Skagit bay and through the Pass. This time of year its all the giant yauchts that make the pass a white knuckle experience.


I really like the highway 20 launch, at twin bridges marina outisde Anacortes. Tons of parking, launching and retrieving a 22' at any tide is fine. Its also protected from all wind and waves. Its a little bit of a run from there to Friday Harbor, but theres alot of fishing around Guemes and Cypress island. We usually launch there if were staying out in the islands.
 
Thanks Paul!

To be honest that Twin Bridges looks perfect to me. I will do some digging and maybe give them a call about this weekend. I once did an early sept goose hunt around there, love the area.
 
You dont need to call, the dry stack marina thats located there is a different operation i think.

There is an automated machine, you stick your CC in there and pay 7$ a day ahead of time, for as many days youll be cruising. Place the receipt in your truck window and your good to go!
 
thanks Paul, no concern of being over booked in the parking lot? with it being a holiday weekend I was a little concerned about that but everyone I have called so far said they were pretty darn empty, especially considering its a holiday. I'm wondering how many will show up at the last minute with me with no rsvp, lol
 
You should be OK at twin bridges I think :/ there's lots of parking. There is no way to reserve a spot there since there is no management but I have yet to see it fill up, even on really busy weekends.

If that happens, Washington park and Cornett bay are definately full!

The good part is there's so many options around the area to get the boat inand out. You know if its full at twin bridges, go to Cap Sante!
 
I know StarcraftTom loves the Twin Briges launch but I personally don't like it, the current moves really fast there. Many times when I reverse out, I can do nothing but let the current take me and try to steer in the same direction within a very small area. Doable but kind of a pain.

Also do not try retrieving at low tide, it's impossible with bunks. We keep our boat at the dry stack storage next door (Twin Bridges) and prefer the. Slinging the boa on the trailer rather than messing with that launch. But that's just me. :wink:

If $35 (or so) is no object, the sling launch at Cap Sante is cool. It pays for round trip and lots of parking. And AFAIC the parking is safe and secure. About 5 years ago we parked our rig there for a 3 day weekend and when I returned to pick up the truck, I discovered my window had been down the whole weekend and no one bothered it sometimes better to be lucky than good!

Anyway, my $.02
 
people keep telling me about slings. i think there is one somewhere near a mukilteo marina... what is the benefit of a sling vs just dunking the boat?
 
Being slinged in offers 2 advantages. First, your trailer isn't in salt water. second, the launch ramp isn't slippery. Oh, and 3, the tydes don't matter. Your choice.

Boris
 
la connor ramp sucks and there is no or little parking.

Twin bridges is fine and I use it a lot for short and long trips.
washington park is subject to north west winds and low tides ( matter of timing) but I dont think you can park there for more then 2 days. that may have changed.

cornet bay is great and close to the islands but you have to tow farther.

If you are gone for a week and don't mind a sling launch then Cap is great. I think parking is included in the sling out. which is by the foot so my boat cost more.
 
We live very near and have never used Washington park, it is exposed, ramp is shaky, parking limited and it is a very popular park thus lots of people wandering around. We launch at Cornet Bay often. Good ramps, safe, secure parking. Can launch and retrieve at near 0 tide. Downsides: $7 to launch, $10/day to park plus Discover pass. Cap Sante is a nice sling but it would be $44 to launch (round trip) plus parking fee and you have to be there when they are open. In our boats Deception Pass is not hard.
 
t Launch Facilities
The facilities at Washington Park are developed and maintained for the specific use of recreational boaters. Boat launch parking is $8/day and boaters may stay a maximum of 14 days. Annual boat launch passes are available through the Parks and Recreation Department. Please see Boat Launch Polices for more information or click here.
Click to expand...

from the washington park web site. If you can park that long and you can choose to time the tides then that is a good choice
 
DuckDogTitus":lmtql1bw said:
people keep telling me about slings. i think there is one somewhere near a mukilteo marina... what is the benefit of a sling vs just dunking the boat?
Click to expand...

Edmonds marina has a sling. It is pretty expensive to launch there though vs Everett or self serve places. $40 vs $10.
 
port of anacortes boat launch price sheet.

Trailer Boat Launch Operation and Prices:

Hours
Daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. : June 1st - Sept 30th
Fee Schedule
Annual Passes* All season passes are based on ten times the appropriate Roundtrip rate
20'11" & Under
One Way $25.00
Roundtrip $35.00
21' to 23'11"
One Way $29.50
Roundtrip $44.00
24' to 25'11"
One way $36.00
Roundtrip $54.00
26' to 29'11"
One way $50.00
Roundtrip $75.00
30' and longer
One way $70.00
Roundtrip $120.00
Click to expand...

It would cost me $75 to launch and recover my boat. Thats a lot. a 22 would be $44.
 
Dustin, one launch site that has not been mentioned and is my favorite when I cruise the San Juans and Canada is Bellingham.

Although Bellingham is a farther drive, there are a number of plus factors.

1) Parking for your tow rig and trailer is free. (You just pay $7.00 to launch).
2) There are two hose bibs near the launch ramp where you can rinse off your trailer after launching and likewise rinse your boat and trailer after retrieval at the end of your cruise. (The only other place that I know of in the Northern Puget Sound area where hose bibs are provided are in Everett).
3) Personally, I normally stay clear of sling launches, because I don't enjoy being on a tight schedule when I return to port. With sling launches, a person has to be certain to be back to port before the sling operation is closed for the day. (Additionally, they cost more).
4) There are C-Brats that will tell of rough sea conditions on Bellingham Bay, but I personally have never experienced conditions there that concerned me......However, it is possible to find treacherous conditions anywhere in the Puget Sound, given the proper weather conditions.
5) Most certainly it is farther to drive than other launch sites and farther to Friday Harbor from Bellingham than many other places, but I go for the cruise as well as the destination. (Most certainly, if the destination is Sucia, Matia, Clark, Patos Islands and parts of Orcas Island it is closer). We cruised two weeks ago to Sucia and it took us one hour to cover the distance.
6) Although the drive seems farther than say Cornet Bay, I would venture that the drive time and tow rig fuel consumption is not significantly greater motoring straight up I-5 to Bellingham at a consistent 60 MPH speed. (Unless of course the I-5 Bridge collapses again ....but then I've known of Deception Pass Bridge being closed due to head-on collisions, semi-trucks hanging over the bridge railing, etc. etc. ....but "brown stuff" does occasionally happen).

As you have gleaned from this "thread", there are a multitude of options and I as well as most of the others have tried them all and have formed their own opinions as to what works best for them. That being said, try them all at different times and then you will know what you and your family likes the best.

Have a great and delightful cruise!
 
Thanks for the plethora of info there Dave and Tom.

Google says Enumclaw to Cap Sante is 2hrs 10min. Enumclaw to Bellingham is only 2hr 20min. over 4 days it looks like I'll be saving a few bucks by going to Bellingham, so that is definitely worth considering as well.

how is the security risk for overnight parking in Bellingham? our Tow-Hemi was rear ended pretty hard last Friday (maybe totaled) and dad is letting us use his Cummings this weekend, so I feel even more inclined to park safely.
 
Back
Top