San juan island cruising
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now, here you have gone and asked a question that has no firm answer. BUT... the boat will be safe if its handled correctly. the c22 is a good proven boat that will take almost anything that area can throw at you that time of year. for the most part, boats will withstand more than the people aboard it can.....
the area there is large and I wouldnt recommend sailing there without a real gps and charts.... it can be very frusterating to be amongst all the islands and not know if your sailing into a bay or around the island... or what island your sailing around.
you phone navionics may be ok, but if they're not you wont have as much fun..... and you wont be able to keep to your plan very well.
but you also need all the usual safety stuff for coastal cruising, which is a bit different than the safety gear required in lakes.... others will chime in
the area there is large and I wouldnt recommend sailing there without a real gps and charts.... it can be very frusterating to be amongst all the islands and not know if your sailing into a bay or around the island... or what island your sailing around.
you phone navionics may be ok, but if they're not you wont have as much fun..... and you wont be able to keep to your plan very well.
but you also need all the usual safety stuff for coastal cruising, which is a bit different than the safety gear required in lakes.... others will chime in
The strong tidal currents must be taken into consideration when route planning in the San Juans, you don't want to run against a 2 to 5 knot current.
http://www.dairiki.org/tides/daily.php/dec
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/currents13/tab2pc2.html#20
http://www.dairiki.org/tides/daily.php/dec
http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/currents13/tab2pc2.html#20
Don't forget the possibility of morning fog in addition to strong tidal currents and narrow passageways.
I have seen Columbia 22s in the islands and boat smaller than that. Ditto the tidal currents. Plan your route with those currents in mind and make sure your motor is in tip top shape. The nice thing about the area is the relatively small size. Nothing is more than a few miles apart. Have fun.
Love the Seattle area! We fly up, land at SETAC, hop the train to downtown, hop a ferry, and we're out to the islands! A real contrast to here in Arizona. The whole reason I'm learning to sail now, is to one day cruise the San Juans! What is the best way to begin to get the 'local knowledge' of the sailing conditions there?
Stan
Bring passports. Depending on how much time you have, you could decide to get to the BC gulf islands. June can still be rainy. Have appropriate rain gear/warm clothing. Fix leaks on the boat. As stated above, have at least paper charts at minimum. A handheld gps would also help. Have appropriate ground tackle with several hundred ft of rode. (partly chain). Some anchorages could be 40' but depends on where you want to go. A stern hook is also nice. Be cognizant of shipping lanes and ferry routes on charts. There are some BIG boats around here. Anacortes has several major refineries so there are tankers here. Be knowledgeable on how to read tide and current tables. There are areas to stay from with max currents going either direction. Feel free to PM as I don't spend a lot of time on this forum....
Thats where I sail all the time. A hand held GPS(garmin) is essential as you can see within feet of the bottom and feet of where you are and if your sailing backwards cause of currents and avoiding rocks! A good san juan sailing hand book to tell where every thing is and it's history,good reading too. Two danforth anckors with 22ft of chain each and one with 100ft of line and the other with 150ft so you can set one off the port bow and one off the starboard bow about 90deg or less apart so when the wind or tide changes you won't go around in circles or wind up on the rocks.A good outboard as the wind only blows 50% of the time and would recomend an 8HP as the curents are strong at times but no less than 6HP. After the fourth of july the summer starts and ends the end of sept. A hand held $150 radio. A swim ladder as the water does not go over 55deg and safty line and jack line that conects to D rings on an auto inflate vest. The san juans are one of the ten best places in the world to sail! Last summer, my friend and I covered 70 miles in 5 days. A good propaine BarBeque and ribs is worth every penny. The catalina22 is a hard boat to sink if you keep a lock on the cockpit locker and hatch boarded up if it gets nasty. I've never taken on water in the 5 years I've sailed with my 2001 22ft. MK11.
what is the best handbook for the area?.... another member mentioned "PORTS AND PASSES" as a good one. are there others out there that might be better?... what is your opinion?
San Juans
PJ: You've already received lot's of good advice. Based on two C22 trips there a few years ago, I found a rowable inflatable quite useful especially for using Wash. and BC marine park shore privy facilities. Also carry some cash to self pay for their moorages. Plenty water, a little fuel, and potty facility on boat also was necessary. Cap Santee was a good place to launch as they can use a sling which avoids putting your trailer in salt water. And check out saftey equipment requirements for coastal waters-- they are sensable, but a bit more stringent than for most inland waters. RK
With one anchor the wind picks up at night to sometimes 30 mph and thats alot of wind on one anchor. The waves pick up to to 2 or 3ft. Allnight the constant bobbing up and down the boat swings side to side on one anchor causing the one anchor to walk a little each time if its not in good depending on the type of bottom. In the san juans we have muddy bottom from my experince. Then the wind switches durring the night and your 180 deg. from where you anchored.The last thing anyone needs is to wind up on the rocks in the middle of the night from an anchor letting loose. I have two anchors that I put 90deg. apart off the bow and could mabe use a third off the stern. Doing it that way there alot less movement, the bow is fixed in one position and the boat dosen't move much but like I said I could use a third anchor or enuf line to tie to a tree from the stern of the boat. What's really nice is these 18in. long rubber line snubbers that you put on the anchor line. They act like shock absorbers and are really cheap about $10 for a package of two. They work wonders and take the snap of being anchored all night. You'll sleep alot better at night. The allso have mooring bouys some are $10 bucks a night and some are free and you can find them in the maps of the islands in the wagoners. They look like little boats and you can count how many there are on each island. But anchor where you think it will be safe.
We spent a week cruising the San Juans in our Capri 22 in July 2010. We had a great time and were pretty much the smallest boat at Spencer Spit and Echo Bay on Sucia. It didn't mean we had any less fun than the others though.
Never actually anchored, we used the state moorings, but I had along 2 claw anchors in case I needed them. 5 kg rated for my boat and a 7.5 kg rated for a larger boat.
The current in Rosario Strait on the way back to Anacortes was running fairly strong so we pretty much motorsailed across at a 30 degree angle. No real problems to speak of for most of the trip. Snagged some kelp on the way out of Friday Harbor, which was briefly exciting (stopped us dead in our tracks), and we got severely waked by a big stinkpot in Guemes Channel on the way back to Anacortes. That would have been lot less annoying if I'd remembered to dog the bow hatch before we left Friday Harbor that morning. I think we took about 5 gallons of water aboard; I was pissed, at myself and the ***hole in the stinkpot.
I'm putting together a group cruise at the end of July. So far it looks like we've got 2 Capri 22's, a Catalina 22 and maybe a Mac 25 interested.
Never actually anchored, we used the state moorings, but I had along 2 claw anchors in case I needed them. 5 kg rated for my boat and a 7.5 kg rated for a larger boat.
The current in Rosario Strait on the way back to Anacortes was running fairly strong so we pretty much motorsailed across at a 30 degree angle. No real problems to speak of for most of the trip. Snagged some kelp on the way out of Friday Harbor, which was briefly exciting (stopped us dead in our tracks), and we got severely waked by a big stinkpot in Guemes Channel on the way back to Anacortes. That would have been lot less annoying if I'd remembered to dog the bow hatch before we left Friday Harbor that morning. I think we took about 5 gallons of water aboard; I was pissed, at myself and the ***hole in the stinkpot.
I'm putting together a group cruise at the end of July. So far it looks like we've got 2 Capri 22's, a Catalina 22 and maybe a Mac 25 interested.
An inflatable rowing raft that holds 800lbs is good too for going ashore or in an emergency. I got mine through IBOATS.COM its a zodiac with slats for the floor.It rolls up for stowing,costs $800 or you can buy one on craigs list used.I have 9gallons of fuel. One plastic 6gal. and one 3gal. just incase As you can go along distance without finding a fueling dock. I allso have a 2 burner coleman camping stove. A 5gal. water jug.
You are aware that folks have sailed there without GPS, right?
A Danforth is a useless anchor unless it is only being used for a stern anchor or for kedging off - it is a one directional anchor. Get a Bruce, Manson Supreme or Rocna. Or use the moorings.
Your boat will do just fine - we had one for many years in the early 80's - super strong.
Try the attachment for some good ideas.
A Danforth is a useless anchor unless it is only being used for a stern anchor or for kedging off - it is a one directional anchor. Get a Bruce, Manson Supreme or Rocna. Or use the moorings.
Your boat will do just fine - we had one for many years in the early 80's - super strong.
Try the attachment for some good ideas.
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