5 days in Puget Sound

[PNWTX]

Hello!

We're looking to head out for five days in mid April. Leaving from Des Moines marina. Thinking either a South Sound exploration or heading over to Hood Canal. We've not boated in either area before. It'll be my wife, I and two kids (7 and 13).

Just thought I'd post to see if anyone had any particular suggestions for either? Or recommend one over the other?

Thanks in advance!

 

[bshillam]

I'd look to the weather. This time of the year it can get really nasty in the sound. However, the south sound is more protected and has some interesting bays/marina. What is your style of cruising? With the kids are you going to want to be at a marina tied to a dock and be close to services or would you prefer to be on the hook? That will help us make some suggestions.

 

[SJI Sailor]

The trip over to Hood Canal is long (unless coming from the west) and more likely than South Sound to run into weather. And there is "less to do" (meaning towns and marinas). So I would suggest South Sound in general for April.

Get a copy of Waggoner's cruising guide 2021. There are many, many great choices. Olympia, Tacoma Dock Street, Poulsbo, Gig Harbor, and Blake Island are all excellent options. And maybe venture north to Kingston, Edmonds, Langley, or up to La Conner.

That's assuming mostly marinas and walkable towns. As noted by bshillam, anchorages or mooring buoys would be quite another great set.

 

[JeffreyAC77]

A Waggoner's Guide will be invaluable and help you make the best decisions for your family.

 

[PNWTX]

I'd look to the weather. This time of the year it can get really nasty in the sound. However, the south sound is more protected and has some interesting bays/marina. What is your style of cruising? With the kids are you going to want to be at a marina tied to a dock and be close to services or would you prefer to be on the hook? That will help us make some suggestions.

Yes, we'll be sure to check the weather forecast and change plans if it looks to be nasty. Hoping for the best on that front. It's tricky in April.

As far as our type of cruising - We have the speedier outboard, and aren't afraid to use it, but also don't want to feel like we're in too much of a hurry. We like exploring state parks a lot but also like seeing marinas and seeing towns from that angle. I'd say our ratio of anchored/marinas averages out to roughly 50/50. We do have a medium sized dog which I suppose could be a factor as well. All that said we're open to any suggestions.

We've lived in the PNW for 16 years, but have only been boating here for about a year. There's so much to explore that it's a little overwhelming!

 

[PNWTX]

A Waggoner's Guide will be invaluable and help you make the best decisions for your family.

Yes, I've been thinking I need to get one. Thanks to your post I'm ordering one today!

 

[PNWTX]

The trip over to Hood Canal is long (unless coming from the west) and more likely than South Sound to run into weather. And there is "less to do" (meaning towns and marinas). So I would suggest South Sound in general for April.

Get a copy of Waggoner's cruising guide 2021. There are many, many great choices. Olympia, Tacoma Dock Street, Poulsbo, Gig Harbor, and Blake Island are all excellent options. And maybe venture north to Kingston, Edmonds, Langley, or up to La Conner.

That's assuming mostly marinas and walkable towns. As noted by bshillam, anchorages or mooring buoys would be quite another great set.

That's an interesting note on the weather in Hood Canal. I figured it was fairly protected, so good to know. We've gone north a bit before and are over at Blake a lot, so we're most likely wanting to focus on the south end.

 

[SJI Sailor]

For Hood Canal and weather, I was thinking mostly about the part going around through Admiralty Inlet to and from the canal; that would be the potentially trickiest part for weather.

Hood Canal itself is protected similarly to south Sound -- except with more uniform direction (and wind fetch) if you get just the wrong winds!

I think your plan will be great almost anywhere, though, if the schedule has some flexibility. Enjoy!

 

[Hydraulicjump]

Boy, if you catch a break like the weather today (Friday March 12th), you are golden. Finally got back up to Seattle to stretch the legs of the boat and see the pandemic grandchild (born one year ago). And what perfect weather it was. 50’s, glassy calm, Mount Rainier and the Olympics in clear view and covered in snow. Still, I imagine that is not the norm.

If I was doing a fun 5 day trip out of Des Moines, I would spend the first night at Gig Harbor. You can anchor out or tie up to the public dock. Take the kids to the distillery. If the kids don’t like it, you won’t notice. Day 2 would be a short trip down to Tacoma to Dock St. Marina. The museums are opening up—including the Glass Museum—and there is a lot of exploring. Day three I would take advantage of your speed and head over to Jarell Cove on Harstine Island. You can catch a mooring ball or use the public dock. Then a short day to Penrose State Park to do more hiking around. Again, lots of choices for how to secure the boat. Then a fast all day haul back to Des Moines, filling up on the cheapest fuel in Puget Sound.

Obviously, ActiveCaptain is your best friend when messing around in the South Sound.

Weather is a crapshoot, but you could get lucky. Hope is the PNW strategy, I am told.

Jeff

 

[PNWTX]

Boy, if you catch a break like the weather today (Friday March 12th), you are golden. Finally got back up to Seattle to stretch the legs of the boat and see the pandemic grandchild (born one year ago). And what perfect weather it was. 50’s, glassy calm, Mount Rainier and the Olympics in clear view and covered in snow. Still, I imagine that is not the norm.

If I was doing a fun 5 day trip out of Des Moines, I would spend the first night at Gig Harbor. You can anchor out or tie up to the public dock. Take the kids to the distillery. If the kids don’t like it, you won’t notice. Day 2 would be a short trip down to Tacoma to Dock St. Marina. The museums are opening up—including the Glass Museum—and there is a lot of exploring. Day three I would take advantage of your speed and head over to Jarell Cove on Harstine Island. You can catch a mooring ball or use the public dock. Then a short day to Penrose State Park to do more hiking around. Again, lots of choices for how to secure the boat. Then a fast all day haul back to Des Moines, filling up on the cheapest fuel in Puget Sound.

Obviously, ActiveCaptain is your best friend when messing around in the South Sound.

Weather is a crapshoot, but you could get lucky. Hope is the PNW strategy, I am told.

Jeff

Thanks so much for the input. I'm thinking this type of itinerary will work great and I think we'll save Hood Canal for another trip. It's interesting, I've been hearing several boaters I talk to mention that they actually prefer the South Sound over the San Juans.

Thanks again.

 

[H28]

very helpful for planning cruises in PS

http://nwcruising.net/