Tying to figure out if we should attempt deception pass at slack tide or have the option of going through the swinomish channel (La Conner). Chart says the channel's controlling depth is 6.8ft for 100ft wide. I have 7.2 draft so it seems at any medium tide should be fine. Then there are a couple of bridges, one opens the other two have 75ft vertical clearance. I have 62ft air draft plus some appendages like windex (add another 3ft). Problem is the tide can be as high as 11ft, so we could be too close. How is the bridge clearance reported (for what tide)? Thanks!
Deception pass or swinomish channel?
- Thread starter TropicalSeattle
- Start date
I just went through Deception Pass at slack tide in August. No problem just make sure your using current tables specifically for Deception Pass. As far as bridge height, check your chart legend but common sense tells me bridge height would be at high tide.
I have gone through Swinomish channel probably a dozen times each way. Everyone should do it at least once as it is an enjoyable trip. Try to plan a stop at LaConner for either lunch or dinner but beware that docking can be a problem--head into the current when docking. There are sandbars but the latest word that I have is that the Corp of Engineers have dredge them. You might check by calling the Port of LaConner. Nice folks. If it is blowing stink out in the strait this is the way to go.
Just to be honest, I have gone aground in the slough once and just south of the slough twice but was able to get off the mud in a half hour.
On the other hand Deception Pass is a piece of cake......IF...... you go at slack time and the wind isn't blowing in the strait. If the weather is good this is the way to go if you want to get over into the San Juan Islands in a hurry. There is a park on the southeast side of Deception Pass that you can most of the time dock and wait for slack water. I don't recommend sailing through the pass as the winds are very fickled.
Have fun.
I forgot to say that the bridges (3) are fine. I've seen big (55') sailboats go under the LaConner bridge (I don't remember what the tides were), the Anacortes/I5 bridge is way too high to be a problem and the railway bridge is most of the time open to boat traffic. But if it is closed (I've only encountered it closed once in forty years), just power in place and it will soon be open.
Just to be honest, I have gone aground in the slough once and just south of the slough twice but was able to get off the mud in a half hour.
On the other hand Deception Pass is a piece of cake......IF...... you go at slack time and the wind isn't blowing in the strait. If the weather is good this is the way to go if you want to get over into the San Juan Islands in a hurry. There is a park on the southeast side of Deception Pass that you can most of the time dock and wait for slack water. I don't recommend sailing through the pass as the winds are very fickled.
Have fun.
I forgot to say that the bridges (3) are fine. I've seen big (55') sailboats go under the LaConner bridge (I don't remember what the tides were), the Anacortes/I5 bridge is way too high to be a problem and the railway bridge is most of the time open to boat traffic. But if it is closed (I've only encountered it closed once in forty years), just power in place and it will soon be open.
I went through the channel when I brought my boat home in 2009 from Olympia. It is a very cool trip and should be done as Les said. People in Laconner are the salt of the earth.
I have been wanting to go through the Channel for a couple of years but have always shied away at the last moment and continued on to Deception. Reason being, I have found that for every 1 sailboater that has had an easy time going through Swinomish, there seems to be 2 or 3 that have not. Power boats seem to be a bit aggressive and the silt build up on the west end of the Channel is a bit unnerving. The problem is nearly everyone has good things to say about La Connor. So the carrot is still there.
As far as Deception Pass goes, as any pass, you'll find differences in opinions as to when the best time to go through is. Standing waves, barges and debris is always a concern. Having an AIS helps with large boat traffic. I like to transit the Pass at the start of a flood and then take advantage of the north going current as I make my way up Rosario.
Hello Hello, et al,
The Swinomish slough is an adventure and enjoyable if you take your time. First, there is no accounting for the current flow and it is not predictable. That said, the south entrance is narrow but doable--take your time. Yes, big power boats leave a wake but you can get through them--a few epitaphs yelled at them will help your stress. Be sure to have the binoculars on deck as there are range markers on Whidbey Island side...but a long way back when heading up to Laconner. This entrance is where one of my crew made the informis remark, "Don't go where the seagulls are walking ON the water." There is a lot of thin water on both sides. Stay close to Goat Island.
There are navigation buoys but they are tricky if you don't realize they change about haft way through the slough. I actually just follow the flow of the water as it goes from one side to the other.
Once through the railroad bridge going north (I believe one of the few swing bridges left in the state) it is a piece of cake--buoys every so often. Just stay between them...there is a major dolphin near Hat Island, then you get deep water and you can continue north or turn left to Anacortes--another great marina. They treat visitors well there.
Tell us how it goes...
The Swinomish slough is an adventure and enjoyable if you take your time. First, there is no accounting for the current flow and it is not predictable. That said, the south entrance is narrow but doable--take your time. Yes, big power boats leave a wake but you can get through them--a few epitaphs yelled at them will help your stress. Be sure to have the binoculars on deck as there are range markers on Whidbey Island side...but a long way back when heading up to Laconner. This entrance is where one of my crew made the informis remark, "Don't go where the seagulls are walking ON the water." There is a lot of thin water on both sides. Stay close to Goat Island.
There are navigation buoys but they are tricky if you don't realize they change about haft way through the slough. I actually just follow the flow of the water as it goes from one side to the other.
Once through the railroad bridge going north (I believe one of the few swing bridges left in the state) it is a piece of cake--buoys every so often. Just stay between them...there is a major dolphin near Hat Island, then you get deep water and you can continue north or turn left to Anacortes--another great marina. They treat visitors well there.
Tell us how it goes...
Deception can be a lamb or a lion. Please avoid ebb tide into a northerly blowing down the Straight. It can be harrowing!
I'd be really, really careful if you go through Swinomish with a 7+ draft. I went through twice this summer at a +5 tide and we were under 10 feet total depth, which is definitely less than what we should have been seeing.
This is a good article on navigating the channel...
http://threesheetsnw.com/blog/2012/...swinomish-channel-is-anything-but-a-safe-bet/
I've been through Deception Pass a couple of times, both at slack, and no problems at all.
This is a good article on navigating the channel...
http://threesheetsnw.com/blog/2012/...swinomish-channel-is-anything-but-a-safe-bet/
I've been through Deception Pass a couple of times, both at slack, and no problems at all.
Thanks everyone, super helpful information, both first hand and the linked article. I wasn't sure about the channel, now I am even less sure. I can time slack tide, and the pass is short, so I think I will stick to that plan. In the northwest we get used to depths in the hundreds, anything less than 20 is stressful ;-) I typically travel outside Whidbey island, with good weather that is a very easy trip, but I am concerned about November.
Of course respect the weather, but the prevailing winds in the fall/winter will be from the SE. So with a flood tide and a moderate wind, your trip should be enjoyable up Rosario negating transiting Deception and Swinomish altogether. Your return trip may be a different kettle of fish.
Don't think the tides won't get you in the channel. You will be timing for tides either way. It just depends on how much time you want to spend.
I personally think there is more to go wrong in the channel. When I went through I found myself facing a tug pulling a log raft in the opposite direction. It wasn't a problem only because the tug kept the logs in shallow water, leaving deep water for us.
If you do Deception Pass, there is a bay where you can wait for the tide in on the south side if you are west bound called Cornet Bay, It's well shielded from prevailing wind. If you are east bound there is a nice bay on the north side called Bowman Bay. Pick a side of the bay depending on wind direction. Both are great places. Prevailing winds are southwesterly.
For an exciting ride, go through with the tide in your favor. I'd just avoid max flow rates.
Ken
I personally think there is more to go wrong in the channel. When I went through I found myself facing a tug pulling a log raft in the opposite direction. It wasn't a problem only because the tug kept the logs in shallow water, leaving deep water for us.
If you do Deception Pass, there is a bay where you can wait for the tide in on the south side if you are west bound called Cornet Bay, It's well shielded from prevailing wind. If you are east bound there is a nice bay on the north side called Bowman Bay. Pick a side of the bay depending on wind direction. Both are great places. Prevailing winds are southwesterly.
For an exciting ride, go through with the tide in your favor. I'd just avoid max flow rates.
Ken
Clearance through the twin bridges should not be an issue at any tide state based on your mast height. We keep our boat in Shelter Bay so we transit the channel with regularity. Our boat draws five feet with a 62 foot plus height. I use the Bellingham tide table.
Since the current can drift at a rate of two plus knots I almost without exception transit out on an ebb and in on a flood. I normally will make sure that any transit is done when the tide state is at least a 1+ or more.
The water in the south entrance, especially around channel marker 4, 6, and 8 is thinner than the north channel. Some dredging has helped with shoaling, but in your case with a draft of seven feet, I would transit when the tide state is at least a 3+. Keep in the middle of the channel and you should be okay.
Terry Cox
As a foot note, transiting Deception Pass in a displacement hull boat needs to happen at slack water safely within a half hour of the period. You can do it outside of the half hour, but the drift can be very strong. The unsafe part of doing so outside the half hour is due to debris such as logs that flows through submerged and then shoots to the surface as it passes overfalls and strong currents. These have been known to strike vessels causing considerable damage. Better safe than sorry.
Terry Cox
I ended up taking the easy path, got lucky on the weather, so I just went straight up across the San Juan de Fuca strait. It was a beautiful and warm November day, so we did it in one 10 hour stretch. Deception pass looks beautiful from the outside, now we're planning to go through just for fun in the spring. Thanks!
I would love to see pics of the passage. I used to come up to WA often when I worked for Boeing. Road trips to Whidbey Island, Deception Pass and other cool places were a common agenda. Never got to sail up there, just took the ferries.