Sea Kayak - Skagit & Hope Islands

We’ll meet at 8:00 am at the Cornet Bay boat launch area, at the kayak launching beach near the restrooms. Please plan to arrive by the meeting time, or earlier if you need more time to get your kit in order. Launch will be at 9:00 am sharp. We will take a break on Skagit Island and have lunch on Hope Island. I expect we will return to Cornet Bay before 2:00pm.

Remember to bring your Discover Pass for parking, or be prepared to purchase one at the kiosk next to the boat ramp.

As with all Mountaineers SK trips, participants need to provide their own boats, gear, food, water, etc. Dry suits suitable for sea kayaking are required for this paddle due to cold water and air temperatures, as well as the possibility of capsize. Expect to encounter rough water at times, particularly in the presence of power boat wakes, when rounding Hoypus Point, and at the passage between Ala Spit and Hope Island.

Participants should bring their own chart, tide data, current data, and marine weather forecasts for the area.

An inexpensive way to get a chart is to go to the NOAA chart locator site, choose Paper Charts, zoom into the chart that covers the area in question (hint: it’s 18427), and choose the PDF product to download it to your device. To get a readable printout of the area we’ll be paddling, you may want to zoom in on the PDF image then take a screen shot and print it.  When zooming in like this, I like to include a compass rose and enough of the latitude scale so I can estimate headings and distances from the printout.

NOAA Chart Locator: https://www.charts.noaa.gov/InteractiveCatalog/nrnc.shtml

NOAA Tide Predictions (hint: find the tides at Cornet Bay):https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tide_predictions.html

NOAA Current Predictions (hint: find currents for Yokeko Point, Deception Pass (PUG1629) Depth: 7 feet and Skagit Bay channel, SW of Hope Island (PUG1628) Depth: 10 feet): https://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/noaacurrents/Regions

NOAA Marine Point Forecast for immediate area: https://marine.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lon=-122.56998&lat=48.38971#.YIJRRC1HafA

NOAA hourly marine forecast graph for immediate area: https://marine.weather.gov/MapClick.php?lat=48.3897&lon=-122.57&unit=0&lg=english&FcstType=graphical

NOAA Marine associated zone forecast for the greater area: Zone Area Forecast for Northern Inland Waters Including The San Juan Islands

Windy forecast for the immediate area: https://www.windy.com/48.393/-122.572?48.374,-122.577,13,m:eZOacKR

Extra points for marking up your chart with a route, tide, and current data.  Extra extra points for noting the distance, estimated travel time, heading for each leg, noting what the tide is expected to do thoughout the day, and noting what the currents will be up to at Yokeko Point and the channel between the west end of Hope Island and Ben Ure Spit (aka Ala Spit).