Quartermaster Harbor

Trip Report; 1-31-2015 Quartermaster Harbor Trip
The trip started on schedule from Owen Beach, 9:30AM. The winds where light from the NNE, and the seas where one foot or less. The Crossing to Vashon Island was non eventful. Although there was fog in the area, we had good visibility the entire trip. The Ferry was docked at Pt. Defiance and was not an issue. We rounded Neill Point and proceeded to DNR land about a mile north of Neill Point for a nature break. We then crossed the harbor to Manzanita, headed north to Dockton, and landed at the Dockton Park. We arrived and hour or so before high tide, and a small beach was available. This area can be very muddy at lower tides. We enjoyed lunch in the park and noted the excellent facilities. I would recommend others stop and enjoy this park. After lunch we proceeded north and crossed to the Burton peninsula. We proceeded to the “Governors row” area, named because several of Washington States governors have lived there. We then proceeded to the Shawnee area to look at the estates. We then headed south to the mouth of the harbor. We rounded Point Neill and proceeded towards the Tahlequah ferry dock. We stopped short of the dock and waited for the ferry to clear our path and dock. We finally crossed Dalco passage and returned to Owen Beach avoiding small boat traffic. We practiced skills near the beach for about 5 minutes, and landed at 3:45PM. The total distance of this trip was 13nm. All paddlers performed well, and there were no incidents. We did see many sea birds in Quartermaster Harbor, but no large rafts of birds. A great winter trip.