Planning a family trip to the San Juans-need advice

[bscott]

I am in the planning stages of a road trip in late June to Friday Harbor, Anacortes by way of Coeur D'alene,Idaho to pick up my son, his wife and 2 yr old (at the time) daughter. 1,400 miles from Denver area.

A few questions
? Does Cap Sante have a wash station to clean the salt from the trailer? Is the sling a better choice?
? Can you sleep on the boat while slipped in the CS marina?
? miles to FH?
? Best time of day to make the crossing to Friday H--tide, prevailing wind? Is the sail/motor across too rough for a 2 yr old? Or to send Mom and daughter across on the ferry with my Jeep--their first adventure on a sail boat?
? Does FH marina allow you to sleep over at the marina? Roche? Others? Son, wife are avid tent campers and might pitch a tent ashore--however, I do not have a dink so a marina seems like the only choice?
? Mosquitos? How bad?

Best chart for a Hummingbird 595c?
? How much gas to haul? E-tec 60
? Is a Fotress OK with 14 lb Super Hooker (Danforth) as secondary?
? Boom tent OK for sleeping in cockpit?

It's a long list so politically incorrect advice is OK and much appreciated. Thanks,

Bob

[Chinook]

Hi Bob,

The San Juans are outstanding cruising waters. You should have a great time. I'll take a stab at some of your questions. Sleeping aboard while in a slip should be no problem at either Cap Sante, Friday Harbor or Roche Harbor Marinas. I don't know about sleeping in the boat in the parking lot at Cap Sante, and also can't help you out regarding wash down facilities there. I've just sling launched there, and can't remember if they have a ramp there or not. I usually launch at Washington Park in Anacortes, which is a City Park a couple miles beyond the ferry terminal. They do not have wash down facilities for trailer there, but I usually sneak into the RV dump station and rinse down quickly there. The on-water distance to Friday Harbor is around 20 nautical miles. Time if day isn't much of an issue, so long as you check the local weather forecast. Tide isn't an issue per se, except if you want to launch at the Washington Park ramp. It's good to around a zero tide, but doesn't work on a minus tide. The main consideration when crossing to Friday Harbor is going across Rosario Strait. It's only around 6 miles across, but you're going at right angle to the current direction. If you have wind against current, the waves can get steep and close together, which makes for an uncomfortable crossing. Check the daily forecast for wind direction and speed, and check the current tables for the day of your crossing, and you should be able to figure things out. Both tide and current forecasts can be found on the internet. I've never found mosquitoes to be a problem in the marina areas, and this time of year should be no problem. Gas consumption will be mostly a matter of the speed you run at. If you cruise around 50 nautical miles and get around 4 miles per gallon at or near hull speed, you'll probably only use 10 or 12 gallons. I'd recommend having 20 or so gallons along for the trip. The marinas in the San Juans are well served with fuel docks. Cruising hazards in the San Juans, in addition to wind/current, include woody debris in the water, always a potential problem. Keep an eye out for the Washington State ferries, since you'll be traveling along or across several ferry routes. They go much faster than you might think. Their skippers are accustomed to navigating around lots of recreational boats, but they don't appreciate someone cutting across their path. Also, keep a watch out for fog. This time of year it can be an issue. Regarding anchors, lots of folks use a danforth type of anchor, and I'm sure it would work fine, but be aware of shifting wind and/or current. Danforths don't always reset if you swing around. There are lots of options for hanging out on the anchor or mooring ball at marine state parks. A nice stop for the night or just lunch is at James Island State Park, just across from Anacortes. Just be sure the wind isn't coming into the dock if you tie up there. Also, I recommend heading in toward Spencer Spit State Park on Lopez Island, just past James Island. There is a narrow passage between the spit and Frost Island which doesn't look navigable, but is actually navigable at all times, and is fun to go through. Good luck, and have a great time.

[Trouts Dream]

Made 2 trips in the San Juans last year, spring and late summer.
I would defiantely look into a dink as there are some great spots to anchor and you'll likley want to go ashore. I have a small outboard but could have easily rowed the short distances I used the tender.

Fuel is available throughout and you'll likely motor more than sail as the islands block a lot of what wind there is.
One day we went from double reefed to full sail to spinaker, back to reefed and finally motor as I was heading into a current and the wind.

Enjoy

[Freedom77]

Ditto on the Dink. We launched at Anacortes. Better check but I think you will need Passports if stopped by U.S. or Canada. Also take foul weather gear. We were there for two weeks in Summer and it rained a lot. Also, DO NOT miss the Bouchard Gardens on Victoria. There is a seaward entrance and you can pull right up and tie off at the dock. It's absolutely fantastic. We were sailing between two islands and registering 6 kt on the meter and sitting still. There was a 6kt tide coming from the other direction. Fair winds and full sails....Old Salt

[yukonbob]

Did 90nm with 24gal /suz 70hp this summer cruising at 7.5kts (going against tide+4ft waves for five hours)and burning the last 14nm at 15kt with 3 gal to spare. No fill ups between ports either.

[mastreb]

Did 90nm with 24gal /suz 70hp this summer cruising at 7.5kts (going against tide+4ft waves for five hours)and burning the last 14nm at 15kt with 3 gal to spare. No fill ups between ports either.

Almost 3 gallons into my 24 gallon tanks after eight months of sailing Kind of worried that my gas will go bad in the projected four years its going to take me to burn it.

[seacatcapt]

Bob - I'll add to the advice from a trip July last summer. Cap Sante does not have a ramp but the sling is an easy way to launch and recover without getting the trailer wet. They sell a round trip ticket at the office. You can definitely sleep on board at the CS marina. Regarding the crossing across Rosario Strait, try to time the crossing for centering on a slack tide, otherwise your trip will seem much longer! I was amazed at the angle of approach to Thatcher Pass when sailing out of Guemes Channel via GPS (straight line). I stopped at Spencer Spit for the first night which is an interesting walk ashore, but you'll need a dink as mentioned. And mind the tide range when ashore - it's shallow at the beach, so the shore line (and possibly your dink) changes quite a bit! Other stops included slips at Deer Harbor, Fisherman Bay, Roche, and Rosario. All allowed sleeping on-board. Another stop was at Eastsound on Orcas. No slips but good anchorage with some mooring balls, but if you get a south wind the fetch can bring you some waves. The winds were generally light in mid-July last summer, so in many cases motor sailing was the order of the day. And as Chinook mentioned, morning fog is not unusual. No mosquitos observed. It was a great trip. PM me if you want a copy of my sail plan. Happy sailing - Randy

[bscott]

Thanks everyone for your advice--we are having fun planning--ordering charts and cruising guides.

I just called Navionics and they have a MSD/1XG chip to upgrade my Hummingbird 595c. For an additional $50 they have a chip that includes Canada - MSD/2XG. Not sure which to get. Anchor Express seems to have the best price so far.

Any suggestions for a sea level prop for my E-tec 60?

Thanks again for the help,

Bob

[Wind Chime]

Here's how we decide our Passage Plans to the San Juan Islands ...

... we let our kitty decide



... but all that chart work makes her sleepy

[kadet]

Any suggestions for a sea level prop for my E-tec 60?

Thanks again for the help,

Bob

For cruising with weight I use a 14x11 3 blade aluminium Solas and can still get WOT. But if cruising around only at hull speed I don't think it matters too much what prop you have .

[Freedom77]

Wind Chime: Looks like passage could be a little hairy Sorry, couldn't help it. Fair Winds and full sails...