Sea Kayak - Skagit & Hope Islands

Students are responsible for providing their own boat, paddle, PFD, spray skirt, dry suit, gloves, booties.

Remember to bring your sunglasses and plenty of sunscreen. Sunburn happens even on cloudy days.

Plan on dressing for cold water, regardless of the air temperature. Wear enough synthetic or wool/silk layers (no cotton) under your drysuit to keep you warm if you go in the water, but not so much that you overheat or can’t move. Finding that balance takes practice. Bring extra layers so you can adjust throughout the day, or in case you capsize unexpectedly with a partially open zipper. (Guaranteed to happen at least once in your kayaking career!)

If you don’t have a dry bag, start with a 10L bag. And if you can’t buy one before the paddle, a double layer of sturdy garbage bags, inside a stuff sack or small pack, is a fine substitute for keeping gear dry in your hatch. I’ll show you how to secure the ends if you go with that system.

We will be taking one short break and a longer lunch break. Be sure to bring hats/gloves/ponchos to keep you warm and dry while we sit on the beach. High winds may cancel the trip. Cold weather and pouring rain will not.

At some point during the day, we’ll take time out for students to practice buddy rescues. Don’t sweat this. It’s simply practice to reinforce what you’ve already learned.

Bring food and water for our lunch break. A thermos of hot liquid can help warm you up if the day is cool. It’s also a good idea to pack a bar in your PFD pocket in case you need a quick snack while paddling.

Before the trip, download and fill out the Paddle Conditions Form to the best of your ability and hand it to me when you arrive. If you have questions, write your questions on the form and we can talk about that after the paddle.

Please bring a chart of the area with our route roughly drawn based on the route description below. A chart can be printed from DeepZoom or from the NOAA Chart Tool. Store the chart in a chart case or ziplock bag. If you don’t have a chart case, feel free to wait and see what others are using on the trip before you buy. It’s helpful to note tides and currents directly on your chart for easy reference throughout the day.

You can check weather conditions  online at NOAA or Windy.

Our Route
From Coronet Bay we’ll head over toward Skagit Island, then on to the south side of Kiket Island where we will stop to adjust clothing, eat a quick bite, and take a bio break, if needed. From Kiket, we’ll head back to Skagit, paddle counter-clockwise around the island (just because we can), then down to the north side of Hope Island where we will stop for a relaxed lunch.

After lunch, we will warm up with a clockwise paddle around Hope, cross over to the small bay north of Ala Spit and practice rescues. From there, we’ll head back to the launch.

The plan may vary depending on conditions for that day.

If you took the time to read all of this, thank you and keep reading.

We may not return exactly on time. Please keep your evening open in case we return later than planned. Once we’re back at the cars, it usually takes about an hour to debrief, load boats, and be ready to drive away.

• RENTAL INFORMATION
  Individuals are responsible for ordering and purchasing their own rentals. 
  You can order your rental dry suit and gear through Body Boat Blade International's website.
  This rental does not qualify for the class rental option, so you will need to select your dry suit and gear separately.
  Choose 9am and 4pm for your rental times.
  
  I will make final arrangements with Alex to ensure boats and gear are delivered in time for launch, so you don't need to worry about that timing. 
  
  On the "check out" page, please copy/paste the following sentence in the Additional Information box, so BBB knows you are paddling with my group on this day:
  "This rental is for Marie Mills' Mountaineers paddle on May 10th, launching from Cornet Bay."
  
  If you are renting from Body Boat Blade, please email me at: mcmills7049@gmail.com and let me know so I can coordinate drop off and pick up with them. And if you have any questions about renting, just email me.

We will launch from Coronet Bay. 

• Discover Pass required. 
• Bathrooms available.
• Park in the vicinity of the bathrooms.
• Launch is a short walk to the beach from the parking lot.

8:15 am: Meet at the launch.
9:10 am: Ready to paddle.
9:30 am: Launch.
3:30 pm: Return to cars.

It’s always a good idea to show up early if you’re not sure how long it will take you to get ready. Please be fully ready to paddle by 9:10, at which time, we’ll have a short beach talk, a final quick bathroom break, then launch.

Our pace will be steady but not fast. If the weather is super unfriendly, we may shorten the day but rescue practice is mandatory.