Washington State Marine Parks: Favorites, and Why

[hardee]

Washington State Marine Parks: Favorites, and Why

With the soon to arrive, Friday Harbor CBGT and the flocking of C-Dories to the San Juan Islands, I’d be curious to know about your favorite Washington State Marine Park. Where? Why? etc. For those out of the area, these are parks that are generally boat in and have mooring balls, docks or anchorage and if you are frequenting them at all, it is worth it to get an annual pass or permit, (charged by the foot) but usually pays itself off in 5-7 nights of usage. The rest of the summer is free --- well sort of.

I have a few that I frequent: (These are not in the San Juan Islands, but anyway)

Sequim Bay State Park: Just a couple miles down the west shore of Sequim Bay from John Wayne Marina. Easy to get to in any weather, and fairly open access, meaning not frequently used, so often I may be the only one at the dock. Not water there, and seasonal porta johns.

Mystery Bay State Park: A west shore bay on Marrowstone Island, with an “interesting” navigational approach, and a myriad of floating craft in the bay. Most frequently used by the locals, but generally room for a 22 Cruiser. Hand washing water at the head of the dock, and permanent pit toilets year around. There is a launch road, as opposed to a ramp with alongside dock there.

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So, before, or after FH CBGT or through the season, hope to see you on the water and around the parks. Here are some links:

63 WA State Parks:
https://www.boat-ed.com/washington/hand ... ge-Permits

Where to go to learn about the permits, and includes a link to the permit site:
http://www.parks.wa.gov/653/Annual-Moorage-Permit

Northern parks map:
http://www.parks.wa.gov/651/Northern-Moorage-Sites

Southern parks map:
http://www.parks.wa.gov/652/Southern-Moorage-Sites

WA parks FAQ site:
http://www.parks.wa.gov/FAQ.aspx

Enjoy,

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[RobMcClain]

Great thread! My wife and I are unfamiliar with boating in Washington - in fact, all of the Pacific Northwest - and we look forward to experiencing it starting in August with the Bellingham gathering. We have truly appreciated all of the knowledge and experience offered by Brats to those who travel to unfamiliar locations, and this is just one more example of it. We look forward to learning/reading more thoughts and opinions as this thread develops. I would also like to read suggestions on good launch areas, ones where the car & trailer could be safely left for several days without too much worry.

Thanks Harvey!

Rob

 

[hardee]

Rob,

Thanks, I didn't think about the launching angle, mostly because I live here and usually only use 2 places, Port Townsend or Sequim's John Wayne. Of the 2 the least hassle is Port Townsend Boat Haven for long term. JW gets excited if you park for more than 72 hours so I bring the truck and trailer home for longer excursions, which means longer on their dock at the launch and retrieve, and I just don't do that during busy time.

There is a fair amount of thread posts dedicated to the parking thing but you will need to search that out. Not sure of any really recent additions though. There are lots of folks who know much more about the far side (read east side of the water) launch spots than I do. I'm sure they will chim in for you.

Port Townsend is a great launch area for northern Puget Sound trips, or east end Juan de Fuca areas. Sequim across Juan de Strait is 25 miles to Cattle Pass, and the southern entrance to the San Juan Islands. It is a weather dependent crossing. I use Sequim Bay State Park for staging that crossing frequently.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[lloyds]

Jones Island is my favorite. Pretty place. When I was a live aboard I quite often ended up at Illahe. It is on a point on the way into Bremerton. I would go there and grab one of the five moorings and usually be the only one there. During the summer when everywhere else was filled up this was my plan B.

 

[kevin ware]

Rob from Nevada:

If you are towing your boat up from Nevada with the intention of spending time in the SJI, you should:

1. Launch somewhere between LaConner, Anacortes, and Bellingham. All three are on the edge of the SJI, and on the east side of Puget Sound, which saves you an expensive boat trailer and tow vehicle ferry trip across the Sound.

2. To get to those locations, if coming from the east side of the Cascades (as opposed to Portland), head to Wenatchee first, then cross Stevens Pass to Everett, then take I-5 north. Doing this will enable you to avoid Seattle traffic.

3. All 3 of the above locations have public launch facilities with monitored parking areas, but it is useful to know which ones are favored by locals.

The Port of Skagit in LaConner has a sling to launch your boat ($25), plus guest moorage and a camera monitored place to park your rig. The town itself is also quaint, and within walking distance.

There is a free public launch just north of LaConner under the highway 20 bridge, but vehicles left there overnight have been known to be vandalized. The tide running by the launch ramp, can also get tricky. We avoid that location.

Just a bit north of that is a private marina (Twin Bridges), with safe vehicular storage. Great facility, but last time I launched there it was $100, which is more than you need to pay.

Further west on highway 20, The Port of Anacortes has several self launch
locations, with overnight parking generally regarded as safe. The town is a bit distant from some of the launch sites, but still doable on foot.

The Port of Bellingham also has good launch facilities and safe parking. It is about an extra 40 minute drive north of the I-5 exits from LaConner and Anacortes. Generally, local people who live south of Bellingham, do not trailer their boat up there if going to the SJI.

Anacortes is as close as you can get by vehicle to the SJI, running time by boat to the first island is about 1/2 hour, directly west. From LaConner it is about 50 minutes, as it is located a bit further east. Bellingham is actually north of the SJI, so you will first need to drive north to launch from there, then run your boat SW.

We live in Mount Vernon, keep our boat in La Conner, and run out to the SJI all the time. Our favorite times are spring and fall. Conditions are almost always suitable for a 25 foot boat, and if not, there are ample places to hide until things get better.

The islands that have public ferry service, usually also have some form of grocery store nearby, so no need to overstock the boat. Fuel is almost always within a 45 minute run, anywhere you are in the SJIs. Fresh water for your on board tank is generally available, but use of fresh water to wash your boat usually frowned upon.

Friday Harbor has a local airline that flys directly to SeaTac, and their public marina almost always has some small vessel moorage available. This is handy should you decide to fly back to Nevada for a couple days, then return to pick up where you left off.

The nearly free public moorages and marine state parks are a Washington secret. Even in mid summer, if during the week, there is usually space available on a first come first served bases. Sucia on the north end of the SJI is probably the largest, and it is not uncommon to see 50 boats there on a mid summer weekend...a time we would avoid the place.

If you launched in LaConner and were uncomfortable with open water on your first trip, you might make your first run down to Coupeville on Whidbey Island. It takes about 50 minutes, you will never need to be more than 300 yards from land, and in bays the entire time. Coupeville is one of the oldest towns in Washington, has a public dock, and some interesting shops and restaurants.

If not accustomed to the area, tides, and salt water island navigation, you can get lost. Make sure you have a decent GPS moving map, and good tide tables. When running in marked channels, stay inside the USCG markers, and don't cut corners, however appealing it may appear to do so.

It is a beautiful and quite safe area to operate a C-Dory sized boat. You will have a great time, and may decide to move here. We did.

Kevin Ware
El Gato Tomas
Tom Cat 25.5

 

[hardee]

Kevin, Thanks for the really nice write-up. Hope to see you at Friday Harbor this coming weekend.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

 

[RobMcClain]

Thanks for your response Kevin, it is packed with very helpful info. I need to pull out my charts and maps to more clearly visualize the locations - always a fun thing to do!

Rob