Dear Puget Sound Sailors, My wife and I are currently stuck in the Midwest, sailing our H320 on a Corps of Engineers lake that's only a few miles long. She is going to be losing her job soon (company is being sold off in the next 6-9 months) and we are contemplating a move to the Northwest. I'm a software consultant and I should be pretty portable jobwise, my wife is a data analyst/programmer, so we think we can relocate without too much stress. The attraction being better weather (we love the 50's, 60's and 70's, but we'll hit 100 here today, and 90's all week) and better sailing. So I have a few hundred questions, since we've never been out that way. If you have a few minutes, please let us know your thoughts on the questions below. We'd really appreciate it! There are in no particular order, just however I thought of them! 1. What is the slip space situation out there? Our marinas here are 99% full. 2. How long is the sailing season? 3. We've been checking the weather near Bellingham, and it looks like they don't get really cold winters. Do you have to winterize your boat? 4. Not much can go wrong on an inland lake other than running into the mud or a sudden thunderstorm popping up. How "dangerous" is the sailing? What are the currents & tides like? What dangers do the sea life present? We don''t have anything in the lake that will take up residence in a thru-hull, or anything big enough to present a collision danger. 5. How are the winds? Steady or shifty? We get light and shifty some days, but if it's blowing over 10kts here, it's probably going to keep it up for a while, and may get pretty strong (20 kts). 6. As we look for a place to live, work and sail, we want to be close (no more than 30 minutes) from our boat. We are currently about 75 minutes away, and it makes a weekday evening sail impossible, and the weekends with good weather are too few here. So what areas/cities come to mind where we could have a house, be close to the boat, and close to technology-related jobs? The job websites often mention Seattle and Redmond of course, but not knowing the area I don't know if it is feasible to work in those areas and still be close to the boat and the sea. Thanks a bunch, everyone!
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NW sailing pretty darned nice
1. The most sought-after marinas are full, but there's space available in locations on Lake Union (further fromthe Sound), Elliott Bay Marina ($$$). If you can stand to move now and then you can always sublet a slip at Shilshoal or Edmonds, I think. It's not at all impossible if you're flexible. 2. Depends on your tolerance for cold-weather sailing. Many folks sail year-round, others just summer. I like April - October. A good heater, some foulies, and a flask will carry you through the worst local weather. 3. Yes, you do winterize, but not in mid-west terms. If you plan to leave your boat for the winter you'd want to drain the water system and make sure engine coolant is fresh. the water will not freeze around your boat, even though we do get a handful of sub-32 degree days. 4. This is the tricky part. Tidal range is about 10' plus, so you have to pay attention when anchoring. Currents can be fierce in narrow channels . But all that means is you have to learn to read a tide/current table, which everyone does. I've never heard of anyone colliding with sea life in the Sound proper, but you do have watch for shipping traffic and floating logs known as 'deadheads.' the further north you go the greater this danger, but its easily managable. Winds are typically light sunny, stronger when rainy or cloudy. With the exception of a rare blustery day, winds are usually 10-30 kts in winter/spring, 5-15kts in summer/fall. We do get the occasional 40kt day but there are plenty of harbors to duck into if you get caught. The land masses on either side do tend to make the winds changeable and often gusty. The big issue with the wind here is the topography. Winds run north or south, and so do the waterways. So if you're really trying to go anywhere you either need a spinnaker or you motor. With the currents and widnc hanges you tend to motor quite a lot anyway. East/west day sailing is terrrific. Marinas are never very far from cities here so you can't go too far wrong. Stick to Seattle, Edmonds, Everett, Bellevue, Kirkland, Des Moines, Tacoma, Olympia, and you'll be close enough for evening sails. In early summer we have daylight until nearly 10pm. Good luck! ph.
1. The most sought-after marinas are full, but there's space available in locations on Lake Union (further fromthe Sound), Elliott Bay Marina ($$$). If you can stand to move now and then you can always sublet a slip at Shilshoal or Edmonds, I think. It's not at all impossible if you're flexible. 2. Depends on your tolerance for cold-weather sailing. Many folks sail year-round, others just summer. I like April - October. A good heater, some foulies, and a flask will carry you through the worst local weather. 3. Yes, you do winterize, but not in mid-west terms. If you plan to leave your boat for the winter you'd want to drain the water system and make sure engine coolant is fresh. the water will not freeze around your boat, even though we do get a handful of sub-32 degree days. 4. This is the tricky part. Tidal range is about 10' plus, so you have to pay attention when anchoring. Currents can be fierce in narrow channels . But all that means is you have to learn to read a tide/current table, which everyone does. I've never heard of anyone colliding with sea life in the Sound proper, but you do have watch for shipping traffic and floating logs known as 'deadheads.' the further north you go the greater this danger, but its easily managable. Winds are typically light sunny, stronger when rainy or cloudy. With the exception of a rare blustery day, winds are usually 10-30 kts in winter/spring, 5-15kts in summer/fall. We do get the occasional 40kt day but there are plenty of harbors to duck into if you get caught. The land masses on either side do tend to make the winds changeable and often gusty. The big issue with the wind here is the topography. Winds run north or south, and so do the waterways. So if you're really trying to go anywhere you either need a spinnaker or you motor. With the currents and widnc hanges you tend to motor quite a lot anyway. East/west day sailing is terrrific. Marinas are never very far from cities here so you can't go too far wrong. Stick to Seattle, Edmonds, Everett, Bellevue, Kirkland, Des Moines, Tacoma, Olympia, and you'll be close enough for evening sails. In early summer we have daylight until nearly 10pm. Good luck! ph.
A bit more...
Phil did a great job of answering, but I figure I will add a little more for you. If you haven't already, I would recommend getting a map of Washington so you can relate to where we are guiding you. First off, you will have to choose a tradeoff. You can either live & work downtown, live close to work, or live close to the boat. We have pretty nasty traffic so living 30 miles from the boat can be much farther than 30 minutes away. We have a pretty good local publication available on the web at www.48north.com Off the main page you can find a link to marinas, but it does not list vacancy status, so I would suggest figuring out where you are interested in mooring then calling all the marinas around there. When looking for moorage in the Puget Sound region, you can find saltwater moorage on the sound, or freshwater in Lake Union & Lake Washington. If you start looking at Lake Washington, get the above mentioned map then look up the bridge clearances for the I=90 and SR-520 floating bridges. If your mast is taller than the bridge height, moor north of the bridge(s). SR-520 is heavily used so getting the middle section opened is not always quick or popular. If you are afraid of bad weather, you will only be sailing late June through August. We get lots of rain the rest of the year. But if you don't mind cold weather and rain you can enjoy sailing year round. I know many people who do, and later this year when I buy my first boat I will do so as well. Most days I want to go sailing on the Sound (for now, I use a friend's boat when able) the winds are steady or sometimes gusty. Because of the Olympic Mountains, occasionally there will be a convergence or divergence zone; the forecasters can usually tell you where and it is not difficult to motor through the region. Although the San Juan Islands get most of the attention, the sailing is typically great from Tacoma to up past Desolation Sound in BC. The only negative comment I have ever heard was from a sailor in Olympia, right at the south end of the Sound. Right now the software industry is going through a really slow time. I know a lot of people who just graduated from Western Washington University's CS program in June; only one had a job lined up. I've been told it's much better if you have a few years of experience, but if you decide to move before the industry really picks up again I would recommend looking for a job before you actually move out here. Hope to see you out here one day! Brian
Phil did a great job of answering, but I figure I will add a little more for you. If you haven't already, I would recommend getting a map of Washington so you can relate to where we are guiding you. First off, you will have to choose a tradeoff. You can either live & work downtown, live close to work, or live close to the boat. We have pretty nasty traffic so living 30 miles from the boat can be much farther than 30 minutes away. We have a pretty good local publication available on the web at www.48north.com Off the main page you can find a link to marinas, but it does not list vacancy status, so I would suggest figuring out where you are interested in mooring then calling all the marinas around there. When looking for moorage in the Puget Sound region, you can find saltwater moorage on the sound, or freshwater in Lake Union & Lake Washington. If you start looking at Lake Washington, get the above mentioned map then look up the bridge clearances for the I=90 and SR-520 floating bridges. If your mast is taller than the bridge height, moor north of the bridge(s). SR-520 is heavily used so getting the middle section opened is not always quick or popular. If you are afraid of bad weather, you will only be sailing late June through August. We get lots of rain the rest of the year. But if you don't mind cold weather and rain you can enjoy sailing year round. I know many people who do, and later this year when I buy my first boat I will do so as well. Most days I want to go sailing on the Sound (for now, I use a friend's boat when able) the winds are steady or sometimes gusty. Because of the Olympic Mountains, occasionally there will be a convergence or divergence zone; the forecasters can usually tell you where and it is not difficult to motor through the region. Although the San Juan Islands get most of the attention, the sailing is typically great from Tacoma to up past Desolation Sound in BC. The only negative comment I have ever heard was from a sailor in Olympia, right at the south end of the Sound. Right now the software industry is going through a really slow time. I know a lot of people who just graduated from Western Washington University's CS program in June; only one had a job lined up. I've been told it's much better if you have a few years of experience, but if you decide to move before the industry really picks up again I would recommend looking for a job before you actually move out here. Hope to see you out here one day! Brian
Northwest Sailing: Try San Diego
Northwest waters are cold, it rains too much, and on clear days, seeing the Olympic and Cascade Mountains from Puget Sound gets boring. The salmon are vanishing, and the high per capita boat ownership means waters are crowded all of the time, since you can sail 365 days a year, with the mild, wet, foggy, soggy rainy weather (did I say it rains a lot). With such crowded waters, many are forced to explore the nearby Canandian Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast. You'd be much happier in San Diego. I suggest you try moving there.... A Washington Native (a vanishing species)
Northwest waters are cold, it rains too much, and on clear days, seeing the Olympic and Cascade Mountains from Puget Sound gets boring. The salmon are vanishing, and the high per capita boat ownership means waters are crowded all of the time, since you can sail 365 days a year, with the mild, wet, foggy, soggy rainy weather (did I say it rains a lot). With such crowded waters, many are forced to explore the nearby Canandian Gulf Islands and Sunshine Coast. You'd be much happier in San Diego. I suggest you try moving there.... A Washington Native (a vanishing species)
Not San Diego..
We chartered out of San Diego awhile back. Talk about crowded waters. We spent the first half of the day dodging other recreational boats. Then, in the afternoon, the U.S. Navy decided it was a good day to return to port following several months of training in the Pacific. It was one monster after another plowing through San Diego harbor. Believe me, they don't readily move out of the way for a 26 foot sailboat. Not a great experience. Dale
We chartered out of San Diego awhile back. Talk about crowded waters. We spent the first half of the day dodging other recreational boats. Then, in the afternoon, the U.S. Navy decided it was a good day to return to port following several months of training in the Pacific. It was one monster after another plowing through San Diego harbor. Believe me, they don't readily move out of the way for a 26 foot sailboat. Not a great experience. Dale
Yes San Diego
Sorry Dale did not enjoy sailing in San Diego but I must put in a plug for San Diego sailing. I have been doing so here for 30+ years and find it a great place. Sailing all year long is one of the great benefits, it never snows, temperatures are generally mild all year, winds are usually very comfortable and no need to winterize a boat. Yes, San Diego Bay can get busy on weekends but on Mon/Fri there is never a problem. Dale was also right about watching out for the Navy ships but we all know a BGT (Big Gray Thing) always has the right of way over everything else in a harbor channel. Having the Navy ships come/go is no problem as there is lots of room outside the shipping channels and it can be great fun to sail along side a carrier, cruiser, destroyer, fast frigate, etc. as all you need to do is maintain a safe distance and don't get in their way. I recently sailed a mile or so along side a departing attack submarine which was great fun and we gave friendly waves to each other. Also recently sailed along with the SEA SHADOW. Most of you have probably never heard of her but she is a stealth ship which formerly sailed only at night out of San Francisco Bay but now that she has gone "public" she is in San Diego and is totally different from any ship you have ever seen. She is now described on the internet for those who are interested. San Diego in my opinion is a great place for sailing. One other thing - there are also many software companies in the area.
Sorry Dale did not enjoy sailing in San Diego but I must put in a plug for San Diego sailing. I have been doing so here for 30+ years and find it a great place. Sailing all year long is one of the great benefits, it never snows, temperatures are generally mild all year, winds are usually very comfortable and no need to winterize a boat. Yes, San Diego Bay can get busy on weekends but on Mon/Fri there is never a problem. Dale was also right about watching out for the Navy ships but we all know a BGT (Big Gray Thing) always has the right of way over everything else in a harbor channel. Having the Navy ships come/go is no problem as there is lots of room outside the shipping channels and it can be great fun to sail along side a carrier, cruiser, destroyer, fast frigate, etc. as all you need to do is maintain a safe distance and don't get in their way. I recently sailed a mile or so along side a departing attack submarine which was great fun and we gave friendly waves to each other. Also recently sailed along with the SEA SHADOW. Most of you have probably never heard of her but she is a stealth ship which formerly sailed only at night out of San Francisco Bay but now that she has gone "public" she is in San Diego and is totally different from any ship you have ever seen. She is now described on the internet for those who are interested. San Diego in my opinion is a great place for sailing. One other thing - there are also many software companies in the area.
Don't forget Hood Canal
Hood Canal is spectacular AND practically deserted. Rob's sailed his boat up there for the past three years and even on holiday weekends, there's hardly a soul on the water! Bald eagles, whales, crab - you name it. LaDonna
Hood Canal is spectacular AND practically deserted. Rob's sailed his boat up there for the past three years and even on holiday weekends, there's hardly a soul on the water! Bald eagles, whales, crab - you name it. LaDonna
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