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From: Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com> subject: [Paddlewise] San Juan Islands on the Muthah-Shp Date: Wed, 29 Jul 2009 12:26:27 -0700 · This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:33:51 PDT

It wasn't the longest trip in the world but it was certainly fun - except
for the thunderstorm. After almost 2 years of working to get our Carver
Santa Cruz 2565 ready for service as a kayaking mothership - and after
several attempts to get away we finally managed it last weekend. One of our
major issues, after resolving the fuel feed issue on the mothership, was
whether a 60-something guy can somehow get into a kayak with a 32.5 inch
long cockpit from a powerboat with a cockpit 40 inches above the waterline.
The answer to that question involves a Zodiac and turns out to be no more
difficult than using a decent dock.

The biggest problem was a leak over my bunk during a 45-minute thunderstorm
and rain downpour Saturday night. Fortunately the rain came before bedtime
but it soured my wife somewhat since there was another - shorter - rain
which I slept through while she protected my head from the leak. The next
issue was the heat which was a big surprise for the San Juan Islands in July
where one typically expects the high to be no higher than about 75F. In
fact, it's not unusual to have the high and low temps both in the 50s (F).
This year the region is in the throes of a record-setting heat wave and we
had temps of 90+ (F) with little or no wind. Sue made a temporary sun screen
for the cockpit but we returned home to Moses
Lake with, ironically, sunburns.

The major surprise was just how easy it was to get into and out of my F-1 (a
SOF copy of a Mariner Coaster kayak) using the Zodiac. Also the light weight
of the F-1 allowed me to secure the kayak alongside the fly bridge and take
it down by myself (although it was a bit easier when my wife helped). The
Carver, at 25-feet, makes a good stable platform for carrying kayaks
(especially kayaks that weigh only 28 pounds) and that's important when you
are manhandling 14 or 16 foot long kayaks around. It was pretty simple to
move the kayak from its secure carrying-place next to the fly bridge back to
the cockpit and then onto the Zodiac.

We were somewhat surprised to discover that the "mix" between powerboats and
sailboats was reversed over what had been the norm in the 1970s (remember
the "gas crunch"?) and there were simply lots more boats and people than
before. There were especially a lot more big powerboats which make huge
wakes and lots of noise as they travel around tight waterways in a bow-high
attitude. You can recognize these boats at rest by the radar antennas which
have to be installed pointing down to take into account the bow-high
attitude the boats assume when traveling. We had one of these boats pass us
in the entrance to La Conner and had to throttle back to zero to manage the
4-foot high wake. The inefficiency of these boats is staggering to imagine.

We also managed to anchor for a few hours smack-dab in the middle of the
Wasp Islets (just south of James Island and west of Crane Island in the San
Juan Channel) in the small bight at McConnel Island next to Yellow Island
(owned by Nature Conservancy). McConnel Island is mostly private but has a
small bluff which is open to public access. The anchorage is not exactly
protected but does offer convenient access to the Wasps as long as the
weather is settled. The bottom is mostly mud with one rocky patch that's
well marked on the charts. From Mcconnel you can paddle to any of the Wasp
Islets and rocks, spend a few hours picnicking on the beach and then head
back to James Island's marine park or Deer Harbor's anchorage for the night.

We saw a lot of boats with kayaks but few boats with "real" kayaks. Most of
the kayaks were either the Costco variety or inflatables or fishing
sit-on-tops. When I paddled around the west side of James Island in the F-1
on Sunday evening there was a large contingent of paddles at the WWTA
campsite but when we walked over there Monday morning they had all left by
8am. Two campsites at the southern cove of James Island were occupied by
tour-group paddlers; one group of young people who played frisbee as their
guides prepared breakfast and one group from S. Calif whose guide was decked
out in an apron as he prepared their morning meal. My wife got a laugh out
of imagining me preparing breakfast for anyone much less wearing an apron.

Most of the paddlers we saw were in large groups and appeared to be guided.
Lots of doubles are the trademarks of guided paddles in the San Juan
Islands. Sometimes the only single is the one the guide is in. There is a
plethora of outfits offering guide services and rental kayaks on Orcas,
Lopez and San Juan Islands.

There is a new hue-and-cry regarding renewed protection of Orcas from
(mostly) powerboats with some new regulations requireing a 200-yard
separation between boats and whales (double the existing regulations). Since
no one is enforcing the existing regulations it's difficult to see how new
regulations can help but the numbers of Orcas does not seem to be increasing
the way biologists would prefer. I can't see how kayaks are contributing to
the problem but it's not likely that kayaks will be excempt from any new
regs. It is likely that large ships, pilot vessels, tugs, and military craft
*will* be exempt and that is adding fuel to the argument. At any rate, we
saw lots of wildlife but no whales.

Despite the rain (and leaks), the hot weather, the numerous boaters and the
wakes (and fewer of both after the weekend) we enjoyed the trip a lot. The
first "real" trip of the muthah-shp was a success. Photos are at
www.nwkayaking.net.

Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net
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