Sea Kayak - Chuckanut Bay

Trip

Sea Kayak - Chuckanut Bay

Paddle from Wildcat Cove up into and around Chuckanut Bay exploring the coastline as we go. Stop for lunch on Chuckanut Island at low tide, then head back.

  • Sea Kayak II+
  • Moderate
  • Mileage: 8.3 nm
  • Maximum Wind: 15 kts
  • Maximum Waves: 1 ft
  • Pace: 2 knots

Trip Date: Saturday, July 6th, 2019

Meet at 8:45 a.m. for a 9:45 a.m. launch.

Launch Site
Larrabee State Park, Wildcat cove boat launch

Directions
245 Chuckanut Drive
Bellingham, WA 98229

From I-5 northbound:
Take exit #231. Turn right onto SR 11/Chuckanut Dr., and drive north 14 miles to park entrance.

Parking consideration
A Discover Pass is required unless you are camping there.

Facilities
Toilet, no potable water at launch.

 

What to Bring
Be prepared for weather changes, and immersion. With dicey weather capsizes are a risk. If weather is nice, this paddle offers some nice photo ops. If not, some possible rescue drills. Bring snacks, lunch and drink. Note that we’ll be having lunch a bit late: 1:16 p.m. 

Trip Plan
Let’s meet at 8:45 a.m. and plan to launch at 9:45 a.m. so we have easy access to Chuckanut Island at low tide. This plan has us arriving at the island one hour before low tide so we head back out right at low tide. 

Here’s NOAA’s tide prediction for Saturday, showing low tide at 2:14 p.m. 

ChuckanutTides070619.jpg

Currents are not an important consideration for this trip. 

We’ll be paddling approximately 8.3 nautical miles, round trip, exploring the coastline as we head North through Sammish Bay, around Governors Point, into and around Pleasant Bay, continue up the East coast of Chuckanut Bay until we reach a point where we’ll make a bee line to the Northwestern part of the bay before heading down to Chuckanut Island. We’ll stop at the beach that is revealed at low tides near the South end of the island for an hour lunch break, and perhaps a short hike, and then head back. Since this trip is about exploring the coastline at a leisurely pace before we reach the island, we assume a slow pace of 1.75-2 knots, and allow for some wind heading to and from Chuckanut Bay. We target a return to Wildcat Cove around 3:30 p.m. Little squalls can pop up--particularly in the afternoon.

The Trip Plan in DetailChuckanutTripDetail.jpg

Chart

ChuckanutBayChartSm.jpg

 

Trip Leader Contact
Daniel Hale dan@danielhale.net 425-343-8661

 

Leader permission required to register for this trip. 

As with standard Mountaineers Sea Kayaking activities, participants are responsible for making arrangements for their boats, gear, food, and water.

Dry suits required.

Route/Place

Chuckanut Bay


Roster
Required Equipment

Required Equipment

These eight essentials plus The Ten Essentials are required on all sea kayaking trips.  All but the whistle and clothing should be provided with any kayak rental.

  1. Floatation in both ends of the kayak
  2. U.S. Coast Guard approved Personal Flotation Device (PFD)
  3. Paddle
  4. Spray skirt
  5. Bilge pump with floatation
  6. Self-rescue paddle float
  7. Waterproof whistle
  8. Drysuit
Trip Reports