Winter Cruising in PNW

M

msu1966

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2021
Messages
109
Fluid Motion Model
C-28
Hull Identification Number
FMLT2714J213
Vessel Name
MAROONED
I hope to be the proud owner of a 2013 R-27 in a few days. We are snowbirds from Michigan and are hoping to winter out West with our Tug in tow. Any suggestions on waters that would be enjoyable for the months of Nov. thru March, hopefully above 32 degrees at night. Am I being realistic by considering: Klamath Lake, San Juans, Columbia River?

Thanks,
Ken
 
As far as Klamath Lake, in a word, No! I live about 45 miles away. The lakes pretty shallow and it gets really cold and very windy in the winter. I don’t even go there in the summer!
Perhaps by the fall the Gulf Islands in Canada will open up to US visitors. Lots of protected marinas and anchorages up there. Yes, still as cold as the San Juan’s would be, with occasional snow. Lots of folks use their boats in the winter in both the Gulf and San Juan Islands.

PS: And of course the entire Puget Sound, from Port Townsend down to Olympia would be great as well. More protected and fewer logs in the water. I’d add the San Francisco Bay to your list of places as well. Milder weather and plenty of places to explore.
 
Washington and Oregon are split East and west by the Cascade Mountains. In summer, the east side is hotter. In the winter, east side is colder, in the 15’ range colder with lows in the 20’s. The Columbia Gorge separating the states north and south has its own weather, typical very windy, since it funnels air between the east and west climate zones. So winter on the Columbia reservoirs or Klamath Lake would be very cold. Maybe not Midwest cold, but not comfortable.

The Salish Sea includes all the inland waters in WA/B.C. Canada. Our winter weather is mild yet moist. Lots of cloudy days with abundant rain November through March. Not the best small craft weather but time on board with a good furnace is still enjoyable. The ports of call may seem almost empty.

You might check out the reservoirs in the desert Southwest. Lakes like Mead, Powell, Pleasant and Havasu are nicer in winter if you don’t like the 95-115 degree summer heat. I’ve done November to May trips to all of those lakes. Just fantastic places to be that time of year.
 
All of the Puget Sound is good for winter boating. Just need to keep an eye on the weather. Wind and waves are the big factors to consider. As far as cold goes, it rarely drops below 32 at sea level and even then, the water temps are around 48 which means your engine should be safe. Just need to make sure any outside fresh water faucets are attended to.

What I like best is the availability of marinas and dock space is so much better, in particular:
-Gig Harbor, Poulsbo, Blake Island State Park, Kingston, Port Ludlow, Port Townsend, LaConnor and even downtown Seattle. You can buzz through the lock in Ballard and be on Lakes Union and Washington without long waits.

The Webasto furnace keeps the cabin toasty warm and just sips fuel when it is running. There are a lot of Ranger Tugs in the area plus easy access to the parts department in Kent should a need arise.
 
We did very well during Winter crab fishing just outside of Port of Everett. October and November we had more crab than we could keep. December, tried our luck at crab for Christmas dinner. Ended up with prime rib instead.

We spent the night up in Hunter Bay, Lopez Island (San Juan's) in March and had the entire anchorage all to ourselves. Not a single boat within sight anywhere on the horizon.

Winter time around Puget Sound and the San Juans is very nice. The only challenge is your weather windows are much shorter to transit between ports and anchorages. You will have a day to get where you want, but you'll have to wait for that day and take advantage of it.
 
I recommend contacting the Washington State Parks to purchase an annual mooring permit. If you stay at a Washington Marine State Park mooring bouy or dock more than 10 nights, the annual permit is cheaper than paying by the night. There are Marine State Parks all over Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.
 
Well, I think you'd be the first snowbird to ever visit the San Juan Islands for cruising in winter. It does snow here, too. And, the winds can be very ferocious in winter. Days are short up north, with the sun setting before 5 p.m. in December.

I'm 15 minutes from the boat launch into the San Juan Islands, and my winter trips are limited to good windows - which do exist. I guess if you like hunkering down in marinas in winter weather, you can boat here year around.

You might also be able to go to Canada (BC) and the Gulf Islands this winter if they open up as assumed. Same weather as the San Juans.
 
Right now the water levels of Powell and Mead are declining substantially....not many ramps open...Lake Pleasant, closer to the valley and City of Phoenix and warmer during winter is not quite as impacted by drought right now....boating is slow during the winter season and marinas and anchorages are not crowded.....maybe a stop on your trip .....water levels will be the key...have you considered "the loop"?.....
 
As much as I’d like to agree with the recommendation of side trips down to Lake Mead and Lake Powell, with many of the boat ramps at these lakes already high, dry, and closed, or predicted to be so by mid July, neither is a place I’d recommend venturing to unless we have a very (VERY, VERY) wet Fall and Winter season. I won’t/can’t even try to launch my 23’ C-Dory at either location anymore. Many of the ramps have already been closed, and warning signs are posted at the others. If you consider trying to make this detour you must absolutely do some in-depth research to assure you’ll have a place to safely launch and retrieve or you may just find yourself camping in the parking lot and looking out at dry lakebed. Even if you find an “open” ramp, remember you need far more water and room than a 16’ fishing boat. The drought here is quite serious and it is so sad to lose such incredible cruising grounds, especially Lake Powell.

Rob
 
Winter boating is quite possible in the San Juans ... with two things needed: (1) no schedule. (2) backup options.

We spent 6 weeks this past Dec-Jan in the San Juans, and they were great. Scenic, very quiet, and no worries about space anywhere. At the same time, the weather was erratic, we frequently changed plans, sometimes by days, hit a log that we couldn't see because of the low sun angle ... which did prop damage, and we spent a lot of time staying on land. We would not want to be trapped in an anchorage or a marina, except maybe Friday Harbor, for days during an off-season storm.

Would happily do it again!
 
I would find marina space in the areas you want to explore, perhaps 2 months in the south puget sound and the remainder in the San Juans, then when the weather cooperates make day trips to nearby locations. That way you can have a dependable location to wait out the weather where you can enjoy the local area, and then use your opportunities to explore on the days of cooperative weather. Perhaps have a rental car available at your marina locations so you can explore this beautiful area.
 
One consideration for you staying in Washington for an extended period. The Washington state laws limit time of out of state registered boats in Washington waters to 60 non-consecutive days per year. If you exceed this you can be subject to paying Washington state use taxes on the value of the boat with a rate ranging generally from 8% to 10,25% of fair market value depending on where the boat is located in the state. If the boat is registered to non-corporate party (eg you and a spouse) you can get for $25 an extra 60 consecutive days permit. An additional 60 day permit after that is possible with the right paperwork and fees paid.
If you have questions about all these potentially substantial taxes, I’d suggest contacting Fred Robinson to discuss at:
Robinson Law Firm, PLLC
11027 Marine View Dr. SW
Seattle, Washington 98146
Office: 206-431-2686
Cell: 206-557-0177
 
scross":34r09r1v said:
One consideration for you staying in Washington for an extended period. The Washington state laws limit time of out of state registered boats in Washington waters to 60 non-consecutive days per year. If you exceed this you can be subject to paying Washington state use taxes on the value of the boat with a rate ranging generally from 8% to 10,25% of fair market value depending on where the boat is located in the state. If the boat is registered to non-corporate party (eg you and a spouse) you can get for $25 an extra 60 consecutive days permit. An additional 60 day permit after that is possible with the right paperwork and fees paid.
If you have questions about all these potentially substantial taxes, I’d suggest contacting Fred Robinson to discuss at:
Robinson Law Firm, PLLC
11027 Marine View Dr. SW
Seattle, Washington 98146
Office: 206-431-2686
Cell: 206-557-0177
Click to expand...
Just curious, how exactly would they know? If you are not staying in one spot for extended periods of time it would be pretty tough to tell?
 
I have no idea whether they would compile the data and figure it out, but they would quite easily know, if one visits the marine state parks that are a key attraction in the San Juans. A ranger comes around every day and positively checks who is there, and whether they registered on shore and/or have the annual permit. (And they generally just check up and help folks!)
 
How would they know? I was told by the Harbormaster at Friday Harbor that all public and private marinas in the state were required to report all out of state registered boats that stayed over a month to the department of revenue. That was 6 years ago. Don’t know if that’s still a policy or what the compliance rate is by marinas to report.
I was told yesterday that if the department of revenue does come to you, the burden of proof that you haven’t been in the state longer than 60 days is on the boat owner, not on the state.
This potential WA state use tax liability is handled completely separately from the requirement to have the boat registered in WA if it is in the WA waters for more than 60 days per year. Two different branches of WA government with completely different rules and regulations.
 
There is a good chance that our son in Salt Lake City is going to have his post Covid wedding reception this coming Labor Day weekend. If so, I am considering going from SLC to Jackson Lake,WY for our first long distant cruise location then onto Bozeman, MT to visit our other sons. From Bozeman to Coeur D'alene Lake before heading home in October before the snow flies.

Anyone been to either of those lakes? Are they desirable locations and are there other waters in those areas that you would also recommend. Probably cruise the San Juans on another trip.

Thanks,
Ken
 
Ken,
We are currently planning a trip starting Aug. 30th to Lake Chelan, WA to Coeur D’alene for Labor Day weekend then on to Yellowstone Lake then to Flaming Gorge. Ruled our Jackson Lake that time of year due to low water levels at Colter Bay and difficulty launching and parking at Leeks Marina. Yellowstone’s Bridge Bay Marina closes up Sept 12th and we leave that day.
 
Water levels at all lakes in Utah are at extreme lows with the drought we are having.
And from the reports, most communities are warning to conserve water and let the lawns go yellow or brown.
Lake Powell for example is 140 feet down from full pool and has lost 40 feet this past year and many ramps are high and dry and unusable!

Scross, be careful at Flaming Gorge!
 
Thanks BlueStreak!
I’ve been watching the water levels at Flaming Gorge but the local ramps websites aren’t really great about their minimum water levels for operation.
Vicki and I took Our Journey to Lake Powell last September because I was afraid that it could possibly be our last chance for the ramps to be available with reasonable weather for a long time. Really loved that Lake Powell trip and very glad we made it happen.
The currentvrumors in Vancouver BC are hot and heavy about the US border opening to Canadians heading south in the next couple of weeks. Also talk of the Canadians letting US vaccinated folks across without needing the 14 day quarantine period. If that happens, we will delay our lakes trip and plan on a three week desolation sound trip instead.
 
Sure hope the border opens up WITHOUT restrictions on the 21st!
The economy of both countries has suffered enough.
However, that being said, it would not surprise me to see it stay closed for another month and be re-evaluated in July or even later.
 
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