Sea Kayak - Skagit & Hope Islands

We’ll meet at 10:00 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 11:00 am sharp. We will take a break on Skagit Island and another on Hope Island. I expect we will return to Cornet Bay before 6:00pm.

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

Sign up for this trip if you are enrolled in any of the Mountaineers Basic Sea Kayaking courses for 2023. The purpose of this trip is to serve as one of the student paddles required in order to complete the requirements for the Mountaineers Basic Sea Kayaking badge.

As with all Mountaineers SK trips, participants need to provide their own boats, gear, food, and water. 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.

Note for Basic SK students in the class of 2023...Prior to the trip, please download, complete, print the Paddling Conditions form. Bring it it to the activity and give it to the trip leader. The trip leader will review your responses and send the form to your Basic SK course coordinator. Here is the link to that form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1wnz841_wlKXWKF91wKymBT4GHRxvRw48GGLPWY-gJUg/edit

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 quick 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

Bonus points if you figure out how to make your own chart PDF with NOAA's Custom Chart tool (warning - it can be addictive!): https://devgis.charttools.noaa.gov/pod/

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).