Trip Report
Sea Kayak - Skagit & Hope Islands
Great Day for a trip through Deception Pass on the flood at ~3.6 kts. We then paddled to Hope Island, Kiket Island, and Skagit Island for breaks before returning via Canoe Pass just as the ebb was starting.
Barbara Motteler
- Fri, May 23, 2025
- Sea Kayak - Skagit & Hope Islands
- Skagit & Hope Islands
- Sea Kayaking
- Successful
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- Road suitable for all vehicles
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Fast flood current and light breeze (WSW) contributed to a speedy and bumpy trip through Deception Pass. On the return via Canoe Pass just as the ebb was starting there was a light head wind and smooth water.
This trip was planned to provide an opportunity for kayakers to complete one of the three SK IV trips of at least 12nm (at a 3kt or better pace) required for the Seattle Intermediate Sea Kayak course. The flood current in Deception Pass provided the SK IV conditions. The route included the required mileage, and the paddlers maintained the necessary pace.
We launched from Bowman Bay in calm conditions an hour and a half before max flood. There was a light breeze from the west/southwest. One person in our group had a sail, but each time it was deployed the wind died. We encountered small chop (~2') and Calpotis going through Deception Pass. We ferried across towards the south shore and were careful to avoid boat traffic on this busy weekend. The current was about 3.6 kts through Deception Pass, 2.4 kts as we passed Yokedo Point and 1.6 kts in the channel between Ala Spit and Hope Island providing a quick and mostly smooth current assisted ride around Hoypus Point and past Ala Spit to the south side of Hope Island. We tried to play in the eddy line there, but it wasn't strong enough to be very interesting.
We paddled the rugged Hope Island shoreline counterclockwise to the campground on the north shore where we had a short snack/toilet break. Next, we paddled to the tombolo that connects Kiket Island to the shore and stopped for lunch. The beach there is soft at low tide and the first paddlers to land were sinking in the soft sand. The rest of us landed further west where the footing was more solid. We enjoyed some sunshine during lunch and then paddled the south shore around the end of Skagit Island and then to the campground on the north shore. We had a final pit stop while waiting for the ebb to begin before heading back to Bowman Bay.
The final 3 or 4nm back to Bowman Bay were smooth with a small current assist which was mostly offset by a light head wind. Part of the group stopped to take a few turns through the eddy line just after the bridge. We landed around 3pm and had a short debrief. Our trip ended up being 13nm long with an average moving speed of 3.1 kts.
