09/29 - 10/01 - Sequim Bay, WA

Joy":12x49p12 said:
Dave
You said you may cruise up from Olympia -- Sandra and I are attending too. Our first outing (owned boat fro 2 years!). If you cruise up what time on Friday will you depart, we could perhaps travel together!.

Randy
Click to expand...
Randy – early this morning I checked the weather/wind conditions for the sound. The predictions were for 15+ knot winds in the South Sound and Admiralty Inlet area and 10+ knot winds in the rest of the sound for Friday. Fighting the wind and waves for more than eight hours to make the trip was more than I wanted to do, so I left for Bend, OR this morning. Have some networking and server backup problems I want to take care of. From here, I will be going to Hood River then The Dalles, so I won’t be going by boat. Instead I will trailer up there early Saturday morning. Hopefully get there just after daylight.

Sorry I won’t be available for the cruise up there with you.

As a side note, I just checked the weather again as of 15:00 hrs and now the prediction is for fairly calm conditions through-out the sound. Looks like it would be a nice cruise up there. However, this time of the year it can change again but looks like we are in an improving trend.
 
OK, how does this sound.

Saturday, the potluck starts at 5:00 p.m. at the group campground. The group campground is at the beginning of the dock. I have plenty of firewood and will gladly bring a bunch.

Food... Anything you want to bring, it always works out great.

This year native and hatchery coho will be open in area 6. Fisherman might want to give it a try. Crabbing will be closed unless something changes in the next week.

Mini Cruise??? Port Townsend and back is kinda fun or just running around Sequim Bay might work for me.

I'll probably bring the camper and Pee Wee(16 foot). C-Lou(22 foot) is going to stay behind this year.

Also, I believe the State Park removed their parking fee, but not sure if that's just daytime or overnight fee?

The State Park Dock holds about 10 C-Dorys and we "raft up" after that.

See you soon, Jon.
 
Jon.

Since it is now "Offishially" Friday thru Sunday, is there anything planned or any ideas for Friday Night ??

Idea of picking off a few fish appeals to us. So anyone intersted ......
Also being a "newbie" to this park, how practical is getting into "downtown" ?? Do I have to bring both German Shepherds and hitch a dog sled ride or what ?

We are planning to make it either by sea or by ferry so any input would be gratefully ingested.

Merv & Kathy

To hell with spell "chequer" I speak old English (actually Welsh) and no sheep jokes please. Some of my best friends...... (eat lamb)
 
Well, sadly I don't think C-Cakes will make it to Sequim. Our daughter is flying in for a long weekend on those very days and since we haven't seen her in some time we're going to spend most of the time just with her. But!! we plan to take her to Victoria on C-Cakes and if the sea gods and weather are favorable we may try to cross the Straits to visit for a little while. We wish a great time to all of you and will miss you. :( :(
 
I hope you folks will be able to pop in

hot damn, we've always wanted to make the Sequim thing but the kid was doing football or the weather stunk...it's looking like we're going to make it this year :) :)
 
Grumpy":e0wqrhct said:
Also being a "newbie" to this park, how practical is getting into "downtown" ?? Do I have to bring both German Shepherds and hitch a dog sled ride or what ?
Click to expand...

If you have a vehicle, it's a 5-10 minute drive.

If you don't, there's always somebody there who does, and you could probably hitch a ride if necessary.

It's too far to walk.

Grammy":e0wqrhct said:
How is the boat ramp at Sequim Bay State Park compared to the one at John Wayne Marina? :roll:
Click to expand...

I've used it every year, but I'm in the minority. It's definitely not as nice as the ramp at John Wayne Marina, particularly after they yank the small dock for the year. It's a toss up if the small ramp dock will still be in the water...perhaps Jon can find out for sure. It was in last year, but in previous years they had already taken it out by the Sequim gathering, and waders were the name of the game.

If you want to play it safe, pay a few more bucks and launch at John Wayne.
 
Thanks Bill,

Grammy and I may make it direct from keystone if the weather looks reasonable, it's only a short session of "pain" and we know where most of the holes are in the water over that stretch!! Otherwise I think we will take your advice and take the ferry then launch at John Wayne

Merv & kathy
 
Merv and Kathy, I don't know of anything that's planned for Friday. Just good "ol fun!

For boat ramps, I would definitely choose John Wayne Marina. Great ramps, patrolled parking lot and plenty of space to park.
 
Anybody have experience navigating the tide rips around the point (forgetting its name right now) North of Port Townsend that marks the transition from Admiralty Inlet to the East Straight?

If that forecast holds through Sunday, we'll likely make a run for it and join everyone but our cruising book makes a big to-do about those rips and either passing at slack tide, going close to shore, or going way out and around to avoid them.
 
We launch regularly from Admiralty head which is just opposite Point Wilson and, yes, there are a number of tide rips all around this area, any of which can be uncomfortable. Seems they are worst at ebb against the (usual) NW breeze. (But I have never been in them at Flood against a S wind !!)
Given good visibility you can usually spot them quite easily and skirt around them whichever way you are most comfortable with.
If you are coming up from South you will have a number of them from Point No Point onwards and the one at Marrowstone seems to extend virtually all the way across the Sound at some tides. Not much relief coming up the Whidbey side either.

If you do have to head through one, try to time it so you don't get a big wake from a container ship or something at the same time and if you go round them, then watch out for the container ship itself, you are really close to the shipping lanes through this section. Beware anything on CH 16 that starts with "Little white boat...."

That's just our opinion, perhaps someone will have more specific advice.

Hope to see you there,

Merv & Kathy
 
I have had the best luck running a little east of center, opposite point wilson. They seem to build just off point wilson and can be really bad out east to the center of the channel. Go east and go around them. Unless you like to watch the porpoises.
 
Only thing I would add to that is to watch out for the rip that starts just West of Admiralty Head if you go too far East of Wilson. This one seems to start fairly quickly after high tide as there is a strong current sets west along Crockett lake very early and creates all sorts of fun for the ferry drivers coming into Keystone. Between the two you only have Ferries, Navy, Tour boats, Tankers, car transporters, container ships and a number of tugs towing anything they can find.

If you go out there in poor visibility, check your radar and talk to "Traffic"

From the tide tables, I would guess late morning to midday would seem like a good "window" to get through the Admiralty inlet area. Given decent weather forcast through Monday we will probably head for it starting from Keystone around 1100 or so.

If anyone is in the area give us a yell on #68 and we will form an Armada.

Merv
 
it's getting close, the weather is sure looking good.

For the potluck, I got a killer deal on some packaged spinach

wahoo, hurry up friday
 
We'll be arriving Saturday without a boat, we will stay in a motel. Not sure if we will get there in time for the day cruising, if so, we would be looking to hitch a ride with somebody! Jon - beer?
 
Pat, I love your beer, and you two are sweethearts, but I don't even know if we're going to bring our boat.
Cynthia is working swing shift all weekend so I got to bring the camper for her to stay. Still trying to figure out if I can bring Pee Wee. I can't tow it behind the camper, so I might have to make two trips.

And boy, do I hope the weather holds. The Strait has been glassed out going on two weeks now.

Jon
 
Jon,

Our local weather-guess-guy (usually wrong) has predicted this beautiful weather through the weekend. Sure hope he's right.

It would be nice for a change to keep this flat calm stuff -- although we have lucked out in the past. Some of the return trips have been a little rough but that's what C-Dory boats are for, huh?

This has been a really skinny year for both Kings and Coho. Think Cynthia got the only good one in the Straits. Nothing under the Deception Pass Bridge, and this is Silver Season!!

Best,

Dusty
 
Back
Top