anyone thinking about heading to San Juan this weekend?

One more question. I see that the slack time for tomorrow is at 13:44 and Ebb at 16:11 @ 6.13mph. While it is my goal to pass the pass at that time, how bad would it be if I get there about an hour late like 14:44? In other words, when does it become ugly enough for me to make a different plan?
 
With the power you have, an hour either side of slack should not be an issue (but know that at 14:44 you will have 5.0 mph current carrying you). 90 minutes can be done with care (at 15:15 you would have a 5.7 mph current carrying you). I am more comfortable going against the current since it is easier to maintain steerage.
If you are worried, there is a state park at Cornet Bay where you can anchor or tie up and wait.
 
Last edited:
it turned out to be easier than I thought. I got to the pass at 1130am so rather than waiting I decided to just power thru. That was no event. However, it was so foggy that I couldn't see anything at all. I had to rely on Navionic on iPad as well as Simrad. I couldn't even see the bridge. I am writing this from Friday Habour waiting for my slip. (#4 on the waiting list) Thanks everyone.
 
Have followed this post. Discussing the journey, people jumping in with advice, then making the trip.

Congrats on the journey. Have fun, wonderful place.
 
Yes I really appreciate the great advice. After checking the New Dungeoness and Smith, we took the route through the Strait, and it was great! Max 1 ft waves. Including a 30 min stop for fuel, it was 4.5 hrs from Tacoma to Friday, and we got a spot on the docks. Score!
 
And Tacoma290 and I just met. Super cool! You guys are great.
I cruised the entire island and headed out to Rosario for lunch.
 
SRP, congrats on stretching your legs and making that journey. In doing so, you built your confidence level plus you've undoubtedly become a better skipper because you handled some conditions you were unsure of.

I've always said that anyone can drive a boat up and down a waterway. It's making trips where you're unsure of your skill level that turns you into a better skipper.
 
Thank you GoFirstClass. You are absolutely right.
We just got home after spending two nights because we have a family birthday party tomorrow. On the way back, I decided to visit Port Townsend first. The journey to PT was truly amazing because the water was like a mirror. It was so flat that I had never seen water like that even in Lake Washington. We encountered a bunch of different wild animals. Right before Port Townsend (Point Wilson?) , there was some serious turbulence but nothing that I was concerned. This trip gave me all the confidences I needed from reading charts, weather channel, docking in all different shapes of slips , driving with and against strong currents, driving in completely foggy condition and etc.
Thanks everyone. I will post some interesting video clips later.

Some interesting stats:
  • Total Hours driving the boat:18 hours
  • Total distance traveled:290 miles
  • Total gas used:195G
  • Max speed:38MPH
  • Avg.Cruising:30MPH
  • Total Payload:950lbs


SRP, congrats on stretching your legs and making that journey. In doing so, you built your confidence level plus you've undoubtedly become a better skipper because you handled some conditions you were unsure of.

I've always said that anyone can drive a boat up and down a waterway. It's making trips where you're unsure of your skill level that turns you into a better skipper.
 
SRP, now reach around with your right arm over your left shoulder an give yourself a pat on the back for doing that trip. Many would not have tried it.
 
Sounds like a great trip. Congrats on stretching the comfort zone a bit.

Have followed your thread, sounds like you planned well, exercised caution when needed, and had success.

Whole new world opens up, that is such a phenomenal cruising area.

Mark
 
As promised, here are a couple of clips. Note that the 2nd clip shows the bow is wandering because it is sped up and I was going against 4-5 Knot flow.
  • Cruising to Deception Pass. (watch from 3:00min mark)
  • Passing the pass
 
As promised, here are a couple of clips. Note that the 2nd clip shows the bow is wandering because it is sped up and I was going against 4-5 Knot flow.
  • Cruising to Deception Pass. (watch from 3:00min mark)
  • Passing the pass

Nice. What do you use for a video editing program? I just bought DJI Phantom Drone and I want to make some aerial videos but not sure of the best program to use.

Thanks
Shawn
 
Nice. What do you use for a video editing program? I just bought DJI Phantom Drone and I want to make some aerial videos but not sure of the best program to use.

Thanks
Shawn

Hi Shawn,
Those two clips were just uploaded directly to youtube and edited using Youtube editor. I also fly a few different DJIs and simply use Photo app built-in Windows 10 trying to keep it simple. Because DJI files are huge, you would rather edit or at least trim offline before uploading it. I used to use all sort of programs like Premier and such but quickly realized I was spending too much time making it look nice rather than doing things outside :)
 
Hi Shawn,
Those two clips were just uploaded directly to youtube and edited using Youtube editor. I also fly a few different DJIs and simply use Photo app built-in Windows 10 trying to keep it simple. Because DJI files are huge, you would rather edit or at least trim offline before uploading it. I used to use all sort of programs like Premier and such but quickly realized I was spending too much time making it look nice rather than doing things outside :)

Thank you for the info. I bought the drone because it popped up on the Facebook Marketplace for $250 and I've been looking for one but being a cheap bastard this seemed like a good idea. This winter I thought it would be a good hobby to make some videos. I'll check out your suggestions.

Thanks
 
Thank you for the info. I bought the drone because it popped up on the Facebook Marketplace for $250 and I've been looking for one but being a cheap bastard this seemed like a good idea. This winter I thought it would be a good hobby to make some videos. I'll check out
ah, thanks for the link. Now, I remember camping at Penrose state park many years ago. It looks like I need to head south before it starts raining too much :)
 
Thank you GoFirstClass. You are absolutely right.
We just got home after spending two nights because we have a family birthday party tomorrow. On the way back, I decided to visit Port Townsend first. The journey to PT was truly amazing because the water was like a mirror. It was so flat that I had never seen water like that even in Lake Washington. We encountered a bunch of different wild animals. Right before Port Townsend (Point Wilson?) , there was some serious turbulence but nothing that I was concerned. This trip gave me all the confidences I needed from reading charts, weather channel, docking in all different shapes of slips , driving with and against strong currents, driving in completely foggy condition and etc.
Thanks everyone. I will post some interesting video clips later.

Some interesting stats:
  • Total Hours driving the boat:18 hours
  • Total distance traveled:290 miles
  • Total gas used:195G
  • Max speed:38MPH
  • Avg.Cruising:30MPH
  • Total Payload:950lbs

Sounds like you had a great trip! The area you're referring to near Port Townsend is Marrowstone point. If you're using the app WindAlert, you can tap on the bouy and it will give you information on the current conditions as well as the forecast. Marrowstone and Smith island are the two bouys that I check before we decided whether or not to go throught the Strait or more importantly - when to go. Marrowstone is famous for having "chunky" water, confused seas as there are many converging currents and the winds seem to whip up there especially in the afternoon. We've also encountered some nasty standing waves that are created from container ships passing through Admiralty Inlet. It's perfectly safe to traverse through that area, but always proceed with caution and only after checking your wind and current carefully. Glad to hear that your cruising season ended on a good note.

The weather in the Pacific Northwest is typically fairly good through October so you can still enjoy quick getaways to Poulsbo, Kingston, Edmonds, Bremerton...for a little while yet.

Enjoy!
 
Thanks Sandy. It was such a nice day today so I took a few friends out on my boat from Bellevue to Daniels Broiler at Leschi to celebrate Monday( just an excuse). The rearaurant has a guest slip avilable and this was the first time I drove boat at night. What a beautiful evening where I could see stars, lit up buildings and etc.
 
We got back on Saturday, and I'll do a full follow-up later this week of our two-week 620 mile trip. Prior to heading home, we checked the info at Marrowstone, New Dungeoness, and Smith Island, and an early crossing was warranted and it paid off handsomely: left James Island at 6:30a, went through the Strait, and docked in Tacoma at 10:40a (4 hr 10 min transit time at a leisurely pace). Like a millpond. Thanks for all those who have generously contributed knowledge to this thread!
 

Forum statistics

Threads
112,948
Messages
1,422,804
Members
60,930
Latest member
Ebrown69
Back
Top