Transferring from Blaine to Everett

Dec 25, 2000
5,737
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
As an alternative give Shelter Bay a call at 360/466-3805 to see whether they can accommodate your slip needs. We ended up paying much less for moorage compared to Everett and your Shelter Bay slip is already in the islands rather than an eight hour trip from Everett.
 
Dec 25, 2000
5,737
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
A few weeks ago, coming out of the Swinomish channel south entrance, I noticed one of the channel marker day boards was missing; the one closest to the entrance. I reported it to the Coast guard, but unsure whether they have replaced it. These day boards should show up on your navigation charts and are very important aids to keeping you safely in the center of the channel.
 
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Oct 20, 2021
63
C&C 34 Everett
Hooray! It looks like Everett will have a spot for us beginning June 1st. I don't have a slip number yet, but I have been assured we will have a spot. I think we will try to use the Memorial Day weekend to move the boat.

Fortunately we have had some time to take the boat on some adventures including a trip to Friday Harbor so the distance no longer seems quite so daunting. Based on family needs I think we will need to go through the Swinomish Channel for our trip and would love some input on our plan.

Weather is still pending, but tides don't seem ideal for the trip unfortunately. I think we will need to plan to leave Blaine pretty early in the AM to catch as much favorable tide state as possible. I think 6am looks to be ok, but 7am might be more realistic given drive time if we wind up not sleeping on the boat the night before. The good news is it looks like we would get to La Conner relatively early in the afternoon if we leave SUPER early. I think we will head down the west side of Lummi Island rather than through Hale Passage, does that make sense? The Navionics auto chart would have me head down Hales Passage and stick to the east of Vendovi Island.

The following day would we be OK leaving La Conner around 8am?

Thanks for any input!
 
Oct 22, 2014
21,110
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
I just played with DeepZoom.com trip planner.
1652819015089.png

Inputting you leaving Blaine on the 28th at 07:15AM arriving in La Conner 15:20 (3:20PM) Currents mostly helping
I'd go down the Rosario Channel, west side of Lummi unless the weather was crap. The water is open and the tidal currents are helping till about 12:30 when you near Padilla Bay (on the East side of Guemes Isl.) Being well inside of Rosario at this point avoids all the significant tidal currents. Assuming you are averaging about 5 knots gets you to the north entrance of Swinomish Channel during the middle of the flood. Good news is the water will be plenty deep. The not so good news is the tide current will be against you.

I believe the current in the channel runs about 3 knots. This means your running in the channel to La Conner will be slowed. Unless you choose to sit out in Anacortes or run the channel later.

Personally I would chug along and reach your destination between 1500 and 1600 (3 and 4PM).
I would recommend calling ahead to the marina and securing your berth for the night on the inside of the dock. Traffic in the channel can run all night and an otside tie means you will be rocked a bit by vessels moving at greater than "No Wake" speeds.

Deepzoom allows you to plot a course and play with your time of travel showing you the tide/current changes as you transition down the route.
 
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Oct 20, 2021
63
C&C 34 Everett
Perfect! This is nearly the exact route I had planned, though for some reason had charted myself cutting between Huckleberry and Saddlebag Islands. We will definitely be calling ahead for our night in La Connor! Hopefully weather will start being more 'summer-y' soon, though it seems like Memorial Day weekend is almost always dreary weather.
 
Dec 25, 2000
5,737
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Assuming you are averaging about 5 knots gets you to the north entrance of Swinomish Channel during the middle of the flood. Good news is the water will be plenty deep. The not so good news is the tide current will be against you.
Hi John, no, this is also good news. You want to transit the channel from north entrance heading south on a flood, then layover in LaConner and catch the ebb south the next day for a nice sail all the way to Everett. Depending upon the tide state, following the ebb from Blaine to Anacortes makes sense, then wait until the ebb turns to a flood before departing for the north entrance. He should time it so that there is at least one foot plus tide state for a safe passage to LaConner. Cap Sante is very accommodating to boaters for an hour or more of transit moorage at no charge.
 
Oct 22, 2014
21,110
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Terry.
High tide at the north entrance to the channel, on 28 May is identified as 16:23. His transit to La Conner would occur during last hour of the flood. I thought I read the current directional change occurs in the channel 30 minutes prior Ebb at Padilla Bay. It has been a while since I last checked that out.

Either way he should have an uneventful passage through the ditch.
I certainly find the route an enjoyable one.
 
Dec 25, 2000
5,737
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Okay. Normally, I use the Bellingham tide table for transiting the ditch. Close, but not precise. Low water on 5/28 is 10:56 A.M. with a -0.6 tide state. If it were me, I would layover in Anacortes until about 1:00 P.M., which should give enough time for the tide to build to at least a plus one foot and a pretty good current flow down the channel. It is about seven miles from the north entrance to downtown LaConner, so figure about an hour and a half, depending upon boat speed. That should put you in LaConner mid to late afternoon.

An overnight layover in LaConner offers many activities before bedding down for the night. A brew pub, several good dining establishments and an assortment of novelty shops close to the south guest dock. Tie up on the inside of the dock if you can, as John suggested to avoid passing boat wakes. I especially like the wood shop on the south end of town.

Sunday the 29th has a minus 1.1 low water at 11:23 A.M. If it were me I would plan on casting off at around 5:00 A.M., which gives me a six hour ebb current to Everett, before changing to a flood at around 11:00 A.M. Seattle time. Arriving at the south entrance to the Snohomish River at low water, you can follow the flood up the river to the Everett marina.

Hopefully, Saratoga Pass will offer a nice NW breeze (unless unsettled weather) to push you south to Everett on a broad reach. One can only hope. If such a breeze I would put my sails up once out of the gorge with a beam reach to the channel south entrance, then changing to a broad reach all the way to Everett. Done this many times over the years.

Circumstances may differ from what I've listed above. Please let us know what you experience during your endeavor towards a new boat home. I'm just offering suggestions on what I would do based upon past experience.
 
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Oct 22, 2014
21,110
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Terry, Sometimes I wonder if we are becoming "Cruising the Ditch" enablers.

I sure enjoy the route. La Conner, Anacortes, the north side of the Islands are all great places to sail.
 
Dec 25, 2000
5,737
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Terry, Sometimes I wonder if we are becoming "Cruising the Ditch" enablers.

I sure enjoy the route. La Conner, Anacortes, the north side of the Islands are all great places to sail.
Agree. Our two boys from Texas will be here this summer with their kids to spend some time on grandpa's boat.The current plan is to spend a few days around the Fourth of July in Fisherman's Bay to take in the farmers market and fireworks. Likely will head from there to Sucia. Expect it to be a busy summer around the islands. Hope to see you out there; perhaps a rendezvous, eh?
 
Oct 20, 2021
63
C&C 34 Everett
Well... Crap. Apparently there is a Yacht Club that has reserved all of La Conner Marina and they have zero guest moorage the 27th through the 29th.

So now... do I shift my timing to leave the 26th? Do I stop at Anacortes for the night instead of La Conner?

Shifting back a couple of days would require time off work, childcare, and would put back arrival/departure times a bit. Not ideal, but not impossible.

Staying in Anacortes does not seem ideal as I would would not want to wait until 1PM to leave Anacortes to head all the way to Everett.

I suppose if I were to look at staying in Anacortes I might as well consider doing the entire trip in one day. Would be a LONG day, but would be possible, I think? Another option looks to be staying in Anacortes and going through Deception Pass. It looks like slack water is around 10am so I could leave Anacortes at like 7am I think?

I might call Shelter Bay and see if they have any guest spots available, but looking online I don't really see anything.

I suppose I should have anticipated this, but Memorial Day is a blessing and a curse it looks like :(
 
Dec 25, 2000
5,737
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
Nice. They also have a pump out station inside the marina. You'll enjoy the walk over the Rainbow bridge to downtown, if you so choose. Figure a couple of miles one way to work up an appetite. :clap:
 
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Oct 22, 2014
21,110
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Yes La Conner is a fun stop. Has Shelter Bay corrected the issue of shoaling in the past year or so? When I looked at the option in 2017, with my 5 ft draft, I was cautioned about the issue.
 
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Dec 25, 2000
5,737
Hunter Passage 42 Shelter Bay, WA
No they have not inside the marina. They have been doing dredge work on Swinomish channel in different places, but shoaling remains a problem especially during minus tides. Just make it a point to enter Shelter Bay marina at a 2+ tide state and you should be fine. If he follows my suggestions above in Post 29, there should be plenty of water by the time he reaches the marina. Our draft is five feet and at a 1+ tide state I can enter without running aground. Besides, it's just mud. The shallowest point is when you pass through the first intersection of fairways. I'm assuming they will put him on either dock A, B, or C.
 
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Oct 20, 2021
63
C&C 34 Everett
Thanks for the info!

Next question - I have been offered B63 or K3 at Everett. K3 is a shorter walk and better for parking, but looks like a pain to get into and out of?

Both are starboard tie up which isn't ideal. I am leaning toward B63 as I am currently in a slip that is a pain to get out of similar to B3 in Blaine. Either way I will probably put in for a preference move.

Everett Marina.JPG
 
May 7, 2012
1,354
Hunter e33 Maple Bay, BC
If it is like most marinas you will be charged the length of the slip or overall length of your boat whichever is greater. In this case you will save 1 boat unit/year if you go with K3. However it maybe a bit of a challenge to get in and out depending on the wind, current and your ability to maneuver your boat in tight spots.