Howdy experienced Nuts in the PNW.
The last couple of weeks of storms have churned up the sound something fierce. Everett marina looks like chocolate milk.
Is running the engine and AC/Heater, or head and other raw water systems safe in these conditions? Or ideal?
Thinking to get a cruise or two in during breaks in the weather, but kinda wondering if we should be waiting out the flood of sediment a bit.
Thanks!
I ran my boat from Everett to Mt. Vernon on Saturday, Dec 13, right after the major flood. (45 miles) without any issues.
The water, around any river, this time of year always turns to chocolate milk as we get our normal rainfall. This season is different in that the rivers saw massive flooding. The Snohomish River, which I'm moored on at Dagmars Marina, reached 34.1 ft in height, breaking its 1990 record of 33.5 ft. (It's normally under 18 feet). Flooding brings the deadheads and they float around Puget Sound for months.
I don't worry about the chocolate color, other than the normal saying "Brown is Ground" which usually works around the entrance to La Conner, doesn't really work when the entire Saratoga Passage is all brown (which it is). Makes it harder to visually see the sand bar on the north side of the Swinomish south entrance towards La Conner.
The bigger issue is all the dead heads that are out there now, and will be for many months to come. LaZina and I are working on a video of our cruise on Dec 13th, with the flood waters that illustrate this. It was all eyes on deck, focused on the water in front and around us. Plenty of logs and debris to avoid. The commercial crabbers were also out enforce.
I took this photo passing Camano head, heading North up Saratoga Passage.
We live near the Hwy2 Trestle in Lake Stevens, WA, which gets a log jam every year. This year was the worst I've ever seen. Most of these logs will end up in Puget Sound, just outside of Everett. Stay safe out there. It's treacherous.
