Solo trip report Anacortes to Friday Harbor, 8.15.99 Forecast weather: S winds 10 knots rising to 15 knots in the afternoon. Rain turning to showers. Actual weather: Smith Island station showed winds about 8 knots to 13 knots, gusts only a few knots more. Intermittant light to moderate rain. Visability 5 to15 miles. Rosario Strait currents Slack 0823 Peak ebb 1217 2.1 knots Cattle Pass currents Slack 1430 Peak flood 1740 2.9 knots Left bike at ferry port, put in at Washington Park (better beach and avoids parking fee). Elected to try Greenland paddle for the first time on serious water. Spare Euro paddle accessable on rear deck, VHF tucked inside PFD and tethered in case I lost the boat. On the water at 1050, a little late but not an issue. Ferried across current out of Bellingham Channel, keeping course just north of bouy at Belle Rock, correction angle about 25 degrees. Visability north in Rosario Strait a bit marginal due to rain, so checked often that way and back into Bellingham channel for big, fast traffic. No large ships seen today. After I was well over on the west side, saw a barge piled so high with containers that it looked a bit like a Borg cube. An extensive rip area (about 1/4 mile square?) south of bouy could be fairly easily avoided, but not a big deal with such light wind, so I went through. The east edge of this rip is close to or in the traffic lane, so skirting it on that side would be less desireable. Common murres and rhinocerous aluklets seen in edges of rip. Exited rip area toward Bird Rocks. Larger birds, probably gulls and cormorants, sitting on rock, but did not approach closely. Headed for Cape Saint Mary, only a small correction angle neaded to close the shore. No significant hydraulics noticed around or west of Bird Rocks. If there is a rip off Lopez Pass, I could not see if from my course (about 2 miles off shore). From here, Shoal Bight beach looks as much like an open passage as Lopez Pass does. A stronger rip over Kellet Ledge was visable soon after passing Bird Rocks. Offshore from the bouy, the rip is visably stronger. Just inshore of the bouy the water was calm around the charted kelp patch. Went stern first into the lesser rip inshore of the kelp, tried to surf but couldn't get a steady ride, just kept paddling up out of the waves. Waves maybe 1.5 feet. Didn't notice if rip extended up to shore. A couple hundred yards south, another small rip, like the last only a few boat-lengths deep. Could easily be avoided around either side. Again couldn't get any solid rides on waves. Saw a few each Marbled Murrelets and Fork-Tailed Storm Petrels around these rips. Left this area at 1220. Worked on the sliding stroke some more. Awkward. A crowd of gulls seen enroute to Watmough Head; could only identify 3 Herrman's gulls. Not much in the way of rough water near the SE corner of Lopez, some rips seen a bit offshore. Saw a huge blue heron flying over the island. Drifted past Castle Island, finally remembering to munch a Clif Bar and a banana. Count of rhinocerous auklets shot from about 12 to nearly 30 in a few minutes. One splashing/flapping weirdly along just on and above the surface for several yards, maybe being pursued by a wake. A seal under there? A whalewatching boat went by going back into Rosario--guess there won't be any orcas ahead. Leisurely paddle across the south Lopez bays. Tied a kelp frond into the deck bungies to stop behind the little island at the edge of Aleck bay, had a cup of tea from the number 1 thermos. Luxury, in the comfort (silence, knees) of one's personal yacht. Gloves now coated in kelp slime, so it's a good thing I used that bare wooden paddle. Sliding stroke starting to feel a little less awkward. Poked though a couple rafts of kelp on the way to Iceberg Point. The Greenland stick may be an advantage in kelp: no shoulder on the blade for the fronds to snag on. Landed at Agate Beach park, nothing there but a couple of picnic tables. Skulked into the bushes to pee. Skipped a few rocks, hopped back into the boat and poured another cup of tea. Wow! 1440 already! Doubtful that I'll make the 1645 ferry. Hurried off toward Cattle Pass. Despite the bad reputation of this area, there's nothing to see here except a few weak eddylines and boils, and a bunch more alcids, including an immature puffin, I think. Big tides here hit 5 knots, so today is pretty small potatos. Now a long leg just chugging along heading 310 magnetic toward Turn Island, humming and watching the clock tick by. Looks like I'll get to the port about the time the ferry leaves. Passed just by a few gulls, murres and auklets working a herring ball, presumably. A tour group, probably, mostly in doubles, just south of Turn. I'd like to go chat, but there's still a dim hope of making the ferry. Pulled into the Harbor at 1640, no ferry! It comes in from the other side of the little harbor island as I'm heading for the marina. They're farther behind schedule than I am! A bit tired by this point, though. I took out on the dock just NW of the ferry port, barely managed to carry the boat to the base of the dock. Actually, I dragged it part of the way on the wet wood dock. Only one thermos next time, or some wheels!! Luckily, some tourist offered to carry the bow onto the ferry with me, before I dropped the boat or hurt my back. Total: 23 nm 6:00 (minus breaks and surfing the wrong way, about 5 hours paddling forward) Aftereffects: Sore calf--need more thigh support in seat. Slight weird sensation in tendons of right forearm--probably need to reshape paddle to make grip more natural. It doesn't take much to get me overgripping with my right hand. MIke Wagenbach *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
>Solo trip report Anacortes to Friday Harbor, 8.15.99 Mike, I am tentatively planning Anacortes to Friday Harbor on Sun or Mon, 8/29 or 30. Why did you go around the south end of Lopez? I am planning to cross Rosario to James at slack. Go through Thatcher Pass on the flood and continue through Harney Channel around Shaw, still with the flood. Then come around Shaw turning south to Friday. Alternatively, through Upright Channel (against the flood but shorter) to Friday. Any comments. I am unfamiliar with the area. Jerry *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:01 PDT