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Strait of Juan de Fuca

dc27

have boat, need time
hi all,

spring '08 will bring me some time for extended cruising north from Puget Sound. one my goals is to cross the strait and visit Victoria BC, and i'm looking for any insights or advice folks have for making that crossing.

what should i know? all comments welcome!
 

chasandjudy

chas and judy
Hi Lotus .
Several ways across-- 1 st, you do not have to cross, from Edmonds go to La Conner. check the current under for the bridge ( plenty of height) enjoy La Conner, up Snomish Channel to Anacortes thru the San Jaunes to Friday HarbourTHen to Bedwell Harbour on North Pender (Customs)
You are now in Canada. This is a beautiful cruise A great place to Anchor and explore is Spenser Spit on Lopez Island (U S side) before going on to Friday Harbour Watch this web site and if the Rendezvous is going to be in Victoria B C I would suggest Port Townsend - to John Wayn Marina Night over and cross to Victoria (Esquimalt Harbour) using channel 10 VHF for military clearance into the Canadian Forces Yacht Club and we can go fron there. boats will be going cruising after the Rendezvous watch this Web site for further info (E mail me sv-eden@telus.net phone 250 888 4503 ( I'll meet you we can get our ships together from where ever I am going to be cruising with Hilda Harris a E 28+ (John and Lynn)


Chas and Judy E30+ # 720 "EDEN"
 

GrooveSupply

Junior Member
Random thoughts: (apologies if they're obvious)

If you're doing a bit of extended cruising, you'll be able to watch the forecast and cross when opportune. There are cool hangouts to either side if you're waiting for weather, and it's a fine sail in good conditions. Ugly stuff usually gives you a break after 48 hrs or so. I try to set this expectation with all aboard so that they don't see postponing for a day as some kind of failure. Hudson Pt Marina is my favorite in WA.

Current tables are vital. Watch the wind-against-current scenario -- Especially if the current will hit max when you're mid-channel. If you do Deception Pass, go through at slack transitioning to pushing you onward.

Have a "Plan B" that's downwind. Nearly everywhere in the northwest, you can 'turn and run' and be snug somewhere in a couple hours. Have the charts and cruising guides for alternative ports of refuge.

Consider your crew. If they're not used to heavy seas, factor that into the go-no-go decision. Also, I encourage people to take pills or put on a patch before setting out. I can't tell anyone what to do, but over and over I see people doing the no-no-no-I'll-tough-it-out thing and being miserable instead of taking appropriate medication and being healthy through the passage.

This goes without saying, but study the harbor entrances, especially if you're coming in after dark. Victoria is well marked, but there are nasty rocks outside the channel markers. I'm amazed at how many people smack something hard in these areas, and I think it's mostly being a touch fatigued and focused on tasks like lines/fenders, customs and dinner reservations rather than navigation.

My best luck spotting Orcas has been between Cattle Pt and Pt Partridge.

PT to Victoria in a southerly with favorable current is a great ride. Beating into a strong westerly that's fighting with an ebb current can be quite ugly. Here's wishing you a southerly on the way up and a northerly home!

Be sure to consider your plan for clearing customs/immigration on the way home. (Locations, phone numbers, office hours, etc.)
 

Andrew Means

Member III
This is a pretty old thread, but I thought I'd add my 2 cents.

I absolutely agree about the experience of the crew. Especially if they're new, sailing in the Strait is very different from in the more protected waters, and it can be disconcerting, or even flat out terrifying, for someone who's never been out that far before, in the kind of weather you can have.

Be aware of tide rips, especially the Pt. Wilson rip. Last time I crossed it I was with the other (less experienced) owners of my boat and the waves were up - I had never really paid tide rips much mind, but they were quite distressed. Like GrooveSupply said, wind vs. current = waves.

Once my family and I were sailing from San Juan to Victoria, but were making no progress against a strong westerly wind and current, so we tucked into Oak Bay Marina - it was a nice alternative to Victoria harbor.

The San Juans/Gulf Islands are some of my favorite places in the world - the best piece of advice I can give: allow yourself *lots* of time. Shorter distances between moorings means more time sailing, and less running the motor. Enjoy!
 

Bill Sanborn

Member III
Juan De Fuca winds

Winds in the strait usually build in the afternoon starting around 1:00 pm or later so cross in the morning, the earlier the better. Afternoon westerlies of 20+ are not uncommon.

Watch your currents, Pt Wilson and Cattle Pass can be nasty.

Many years ago I caught a strong spring ebb going north from Seattle and was making great time with a light southerly wind. The center channel buoy off Bush Point was leaving a great wake. Somewhere between Bush Point and Marastone Point I noticed a white line in the water far ahead of me which I thought was a wake from a tug or freighter (common is this area). As I got closer I realized there was a huge rip clear across Puget Sound extending from Marastone Point to Partridge Point. It looked like surf. I was in the middle of the Sound and the current was strong enough that I was going thru whether I wanted to or not.

My single crew had little sailing experience and I sent her below to sit on the deck, closed all the hatches, started the engine so I wouldn't loose steerage when I hit the waves, and connected a tether to a built in harness I had in the float coat I was wearing.

There were 3 standing waves probably 6 - 8 ft. high and fairly close together and stretching clear across the Sound. The pitching was extreme as I went thru them. Scared the hell out of me. Without the engine I doubt that I could have kept the waves bow on. Getting beam to would have been a disaster.

The rip must have been created by the strong ebb current against a westerly wind coming down the Strait. There was a heavy chop on the other side of the rip but was able to sail into Pt Townsend.

I lost my crew in Pt Townsend because I wouldn't promise things wouldn't be that bad again.

This was one of my first trips in my E29. It is one tough boat.

I learned about the afternoon westerlies in the Strait later in the same trip but that is a different story.
 
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