05/18 - 05/20 - 2012 Friday Harbor CBGT

We made a quick trip to Triton Marine this morning and Scott was more than generous (as usual) supporting the C-Brat group. We received some wonderful goodies for Barry's FH CBGT. We're looking forward to seeing everyone that's going to be there.

Ruth and Joe
R-MATEY
C-BRATS #22
 
Summer will be here soon so I’m interested in looking into hooking up with other C-Dory’s to tag along to Friday Harbor on 5/18 since I have never boated the PNW and am green behind the ears in those waters. I’m not sure where folks are leaving from (Bellingham, Anacortes, etc) so I’m trying to find out where is a good place to meet up with C-Dory’s headed to Friday Harbor. Can anyone help me? Also are folks leaving on the 18th or a day before? I will leave the Delta Bay trip on the 14th and will get south of Bellingham to put the cat into a cat resort on or about the 16th (cat does not do will in the boat but OK in the RV nor does he do well on a leash) so I can get to anywhere within 100 miles of the cat resort easily. I’m really looking forward to the trip and boating the San Juan Islands this summer and meeting PNW C-Brats and of course meeting old friends.
 
riversun45":3e5c07yu said:
... I’m interested in looking into hooking up with other C-Dory’s to tag along to Friday Harbor on 5/18 since I have never boated the PNW and am green behind the ears in those waters.
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I've only taken our boat out so far in freshwater (Lake Washington, Lake Union, the canals). I'm not experienced either, but I'm also looking for a potential caravan. We'll probably sling launch from Edmonds on the Friday and leave the truck/trailer there over the weekend.

I don't want to make firm plans with anyone since I can easily see us getting a late start due to forgetting stuff, etc. At least we'll get a little practice at the Fisherman's Terminal get together. And if we forget anything at that one we can walk home in about 20 minutes!
 
Riversun45,

There will be folks leaving from Everett, Coronet Bay, Bellingham and Sequim to name a few. Just post where you're boarding the cat and somebody nearby will chime in I'm sure. The trip from Puget Sound ports to the San Juans is short and usually a non-event.

Looking forward to meeting you.
 
thataway":wjo4a724 said:
We will be 3/4 of the way to Friday Harbor, when in the delta and missed the PNW last year. So we might as well do the Friday harbor gathering. It will be great to see old friends and meet some we have not met in person before!
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Hey Bob, that's great you're going to Friday Harbor. It's going to be fun meeting brats for the first time (some for the second time). And I'm looking forward to checking out your setup, and maybe bringing a bottle of something to thank you for your help.
 
Hi Jon. It will be good to see you again. I'll be coming in from Sidney via Roche Harbor. Crossing B'ham bay is best to watch the weather maybe early am or evening best. Open fetch for a ways can breeze up but easy if the weather is calm. Travel safe have fun in the Delta. Where are you going in at? George
 
Good to hear from you George. I'm looking forward to visiting with you and everyone else. As far as the Delta, I'm not sure where we start from but I'm sure that will be discussed soon. I have radar and ais so should be able to get to Friday Harbor but I do like company. See you soon
Jon
 
We are excited for the get together and a request was put in to the Idaho potato commission for some prizes. In Cahoots, now snowed in, should be up and running, and she will be in need of a coast guard aux. inspection and a blesssing from the preacher. If momalena from B.C. signs up, I might bring my horn. Roger
 
At this point it looks like we have that weekend free. It would be great to see old C-Dory friends. If I can figure out how to get the 14 C-Dory to Anacortes that weekend, I may try to tow her over behind the bigger boat.
Lyle
 
Questions :

Is the ferry from port Townsend suitable for a 22 towed by a Yukon Xl?
(I understand that the substitute ferry was smaller and less reliable schedule. )

In the past we have just driven our boat On the water from Sequim.

if rough we may trailer across. This also sets us up better for the next stage of our trip.

Where is the best place to launch~~Anacortes?

Thanks!
 
Bob,

There is a brand new $MM ferry on the Port Townsend run which is no problem at all for 18 wheel trucks so you are fine there.
However, they now run a reservation system and they are really busy in the Summer months so you would be wise to reserve as sitting in the "standby line" or driving around PT with a trailer might be less fun.

Anacortes is a great place to launch. We are moored there in Anacortes Marina (which is private) but Cap Sante has just renovated much of their dock area and has a brand new Anthony's restaurant and many other venerable eateries downtown.

Not sure yet which day we will be crossing to FH but there will be others going the same way. If Rosario is "snotty" you can easily go over the top of Guemes and avoid some of the washing machine effect. I'm sure David will chime in here with more suggestions.

Merv
 
Bob,
The only launch at Cap Sante is a lift. No ramp there. I have never launched at Washington Park, which is just west of the Anacortes WA State Ferry dock. I understand that at low tides it is a little challenging. The best ramp launch is at Cornet Bay (over Deception Pass Bridge) just past Les's Boat Shop. Good parking for a fee, but also has a caretaker on site.

Most C-brats monitor 68 for talk traffic. Looking forward to seeing you.
 
We were thinking of launching from Edmonds on the Friday morning. Would that be crazy for us relatively new boaters who have only done trips on Seattle lakes so far? I suppose it would be weather dependent.

If not Edmonds, would be easier from Anacortes, or just shorter?
 
North Harbor Diesel in Anacortes does storage and haulout. Kingfisher I was located there last year. Might be worth a call.

Also Marine Service Center has a brand new ramp. I am not sure if they would let you use it for a launch if you rented storage there. Otherwise they charge nearly $3/ft each way for a launch

I agree with David, Cornet Bay is an excellent ramp and facility but parking is a tad expensive and you will get a ticket if you underestimate your stay and are late back. Not the end of the world but.. We have used it and never had any problems with the truck or trailer.

Oak Harbor has a long flat ramp better suited to sea planes but is not too bad with a CD22. Parking is variable and unsupervised.

La Conner is also do-able and I'm sure Tom or Larry can advise on latest rates.

Keystone/ Coupeville, where you land with the ferry has a good ramp but you still have to make the long trip up North through two tide rips to get to FH. Just walked the dogs there this morning and there are 5 ft breaking waves at the dock entrance right now :shock:

M
 
ferret30":2ta5m5ak said:
We were thinking of launching from Edmonds on the Friday morning. Would that be crazy for us relatively new boaters who have only done trips on Seattle lakes so far? I suppose it would be weather dependent.

If not Edmonds, would be easier from Anacortes, or just shorter?
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First time we launched in Everett and made the trip up to FH. Not challenging; just time (& fuel) consuming. The long trip up Camano, around the head, up Skagit Bay...then thru La Connor. We did it that way just to experience the channel. I'd now go thru Deception if I had to do it again. You cannot produce a wake at all going thru La Connor. You'd make much better time going under the bridge.

But we do Bellingham instead. We now just drive up & launch there. You still get a nice journey and we don't have to leave at dawn. My second choice would be Cornet Bay. JMO.

As said, Anacortes is sling only and that's expensive.
 
Thanks to all! We will make a reservation. I have launched smaller boats at the ramp on Deception Pass-and had forgotten about that one entirely--Thanks--there are several things which make that a more viable alternative.

(If smooth water, it is probably faster to run by water from Sequim than to drive to Port Townsend and take the ferry, launch etc)--

Our good friends in Sequim take the Port Townsend ferry at least once a week since they board two of their reining horses not too far from Deception pass.

Looking forward to seeing you all!
 
. We have 30 boats signed up right now. We launch at Cornet Bay 95% of the time. I have launched and recovered at zero tides with little trouble. There are three good ramps and quite a bit of parking. Parking is $10/day and the launch fee is $7. I have never had any security trouble at all. A C-Dory can easily handle currents at Deception Pass with the caveat that a strong current 8/9kts against a strong wind can creates 4ft standing waves under the bridge and that is a good time to wait for conditions to improve. At about 14kts it is about 1 1/2 hrs to Friday Harbor. Sometimes Brats form "flotillas" from Cornet Bay to Friday Harbor and they can be both fun and quite comforting for folks not too accustomed to the waters here. You can set one up on the site or monitor 68 on the day of travel. We will be leaving fairly early Friday AM, probably around 0900 so we can get there in time to get things set up so if anyone wants to go over with us we are happy to share the water. If you cross the Straits of Juan de Fuca you will likely be going through Cattle Pass between Lopez and San Juan Islands. That can be very ugly water and is worth paying attention to. Unlike Deception pass where you are out of the washing machine in little more than a hundred yards, you can get tossed around at Cattle pass for a good mile. Be sure to check tides and currents. A good site for tide and current information is: www.protides.com for tide and http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/index.html for currents. The Washington marine Forecast can be found at: http://www.atmos.washington.edu/data/marine_report.html. We have 30 boats signed up right now!
 
localboy":1cx5iu35 said:
But we do Bellingham instead. We now just drive up & launch there. You still get a nice journey and we don't have to leave at dawn.
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I agree with you Mark. I've posted it before and I'm sure I will post it again that I now always use Bellingham to launch when cruising in the San Juans or in Canada. The only cost you incur is the launch fee. The parking is free, (however if you are going to park for more than 2 or 3 days, you get a free parking permit at the Harbor Office). The additional miles and time of road travel to Bellingham versus Coronet Bay is not that much. There is fresh water washdown at Bellingham for spraying off your trailer after launching and for spraying off your boat and trailer after retrieval. I'm not a fan of sling launching because you have limited hours for launch and retrieval, additionally there is the added cost. Folks sometimes are concerned with rough water in Bellingham Bay, however that has never been a problem for us.

(Obviously, I'm speaking of launch accessibility from the "mainland", as opposed to accessibility from Whidbey Island).
 
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