Home

List of All Trips

Mail List & Trip Signup

Links to Other Sites

Past Trips

"Summary"

Thanks for expressing interest in our little paddle around the islands. This is a trip that we have found to be very popular in the past with the folks that have gone with us, and a trip that we continue to enjoy. Consequently, it will probably continue to be an annual affair.  You have picked a good time to participate in a paddle through these wonderful islands. The  hell of  trying to find a camp site during the normal summer months is eliminated, leaving us a leisurely approach to each and every island knowing that plenty of space "likely" awaits us. The weather too, this time of year, can be quite stable and pleasant. We did this trip 2 years ago with near perfect weather every day; so good in fact that we started to miss the challenge of a good blow.  Hopefully we can replicate those ideal conditions on this trip. Well now  ...  to the quick!

"Details"

• Human Requirements:  This is a Class III+ paddle that requires individuals to be able to paddle up to 20 miles a day on a consistent basis.  Good endurance is a must as we will be averaging about 16-17 miles per day.  If you are a fast paddler, for group safety you must be prepared to paddle at the back of the group.  If you are a slow paddler, you must be prepared to paddle at the front of the group and be willing to accept a tow line if it becomes apparent to us that you need it or that it will help the group get out of a potentially dangerous situation.  If you find that this "group" style of paddling does not fit your way of doing things, then this is definitely not the trip for you.
  

• Equipment:   You'll need standard kayaking & safety equipment.  In addition I require everyone to have a wet suit.  If you have a tow line, please bring it.  You should have a water containers for 3 days as some of our campsites are dry.  Wheels can be handy in case we need to come back on the ferry.  A compass for fog navigation will also be useful.  I'm a strong advocate for using wet suits in a cold water environment. If you have room in your boat, bring some type of light or lantern as the nights are starting to come a bit earlier this time of the year and we need a little illumination for our card games.
  

• Costs:  Many of the campsites will cost between $5 - 8 per night. Carry a bunch of $5's & $1's for the honesty boxes we'll encounter. Carry enough money to stop at a couple of restaurants on the route as well as money for the ferry in case we have to bail out because of bad weather. In addition, parking at Washington Park costs $4 per day.  I may have to pay for one or two of our campsites in advance, in which case, be prepared to reimburse me.
  

• Mileage:  As you can see from the mileage log, we are averaging about 15 miles per day, making this a fairly strenuous trip. If these sort of figures bother you, consider gracefully canceling the trip.
  

• Specific  Maps:  The Canadian chart #3462 at a scale of 1:80,000 is a good choice of one map to cover all of the islands as well as a large portion of The Gulf Islands. Tide tables and current maps will come in handy too.
  

"Details"

• Sept. 20 (Mon.)  6 Miles - Launch at Washington Park to James Island.  This campground and launching site is located a few short miles west of Anacortes. Follow  the ferry traffic until the cars turn right down towards the ferry docks.  You instead go straight a short distance further to the park. Parking is somewhere in the $3 - 4 range per day.  We will launch sometime between 9:00 am and 4:00 PM depending on the tide and current situation. I'll let you know a couple of days before, when we actually plan to launch. The crossing of Rosario Strait is not to be taken lightly, so we will shoot for a crossing around slack tide. Unfortunately, I don't have tide & current information as I type this description, so I'll send you a notice of launch time & last minute details the week before the paddle. In case you don't hear from me, plan on being able to launch at 9:00 am. This is definitely our easiest day, but also gives us our longest exposed crossing.  The campsite at James Island has no water.
  
• Sept. 21 (Tues.) 20 Miles - Griffin Bay Camp (DNR)  This is a pretty big mileage day, fortunately the long miles have great scenery as we work our way down the south end of Lopez Island. The camp has water.
  
• Sept. 22 (Wed.)  16 Miles - San Juan Island County Park.  We have a group site reserved here just for us. The camp has water.
  
• Sept. 23 (Thurs.) 18 Miles - Stuart Island.  After a quick meal stop at Roche Harbor we'll make a run out to Stuart Island, conditions permitting.  The camp has no water.
  
• Sept. 24 (Fri.)  15 Miles - Sucia Island.  This big wonderful island offers the chance for a lot of exploration.  The camp has no water.
  
• Sept. 25 (Sat.)  17 - Miles Pelican Beach on Cypress Island.  After a run down to Doe Bay Resort for a quick meal we'll rip across to beautiful Pelican Beach.  This used to be a great secret campsite. No more; in fact on our last trip, it was the only crowded camp of our trip. The camp has no water.
  
• Sept. 26 (Sun.)   10 Miles - Washington Park.  We might go down either the west or east side of Cypress Island depending on conditions and group wishes.                                                               
  

Home

List of All Trips

Mail List & Trip Signup

Links to Other Sites

Past Trips