April 11: My seventy48 friend Mark (we are Team 1 of 2 and Team 2 of 2seventy48.com) came up from Olympia to kayak with me. His boat is so much littler than mine!!!!
We poked out beyond the point of Ediz Hook to get a taste of larger waves on the strait, then commenced to circle Port Angeles harbor. All in all it was a 10 mile jaunt or so, with a Rice a Roni break in the middle. 🙂
April 24: I tried to find a sandy spot on the beach to land…… but I was lucky the boat slid between those dark rocks you can see right above the oar! Shoulda gone a little more to the left in this pic. What can I say, I’m learning a lot about swells! So far the strait has been gentle.April 24 (continued): After cruising along in nice sunshine to Point Angeles (the Elwha delta), I sensed a chill in the wind and looked west: I couldn’t see the Vancouver Island shore any more! I took the opportunity to turn around and had a sporty ride back to Ediz Hook. Winds came in strong at about 20 kts but reduced quickly, so by the time I got near the paper mill the waves were no longer building and I was gaining confidence that Patty B and I wouldn’t need to biff it onto a beach to keep me from drowning. (I worry sometimes, okay!)April 24 (continued): Wind at NOAA station inside Port Angeles harbor. I started my row at 1330 PDT and turned around at Point Angeles (Elwha River delta) 10 minutes before 1700 PDT/00 GMT. Whee!
April 29-30: Port Angeles to Port Hadlock in typical weather mix
April 29 I got a late (11 am) start, was hoping to make Port Townsend (34 miles in the most direct route), but always stay flexible. Hit tide rips when beelinging it from New Dungness lighthouse, so had to head south and beach camped at Miller Peninsula state lands, then made it to Port Hadlock the next day by 3pm. All told 49 miles in about 16 hours of moving time.
Nice calm conditions leaving Port Angeles
Landed midway up Dungness spit for a break
Fought my way out of the confused seas/tide rip area, and then against a headwind to hug the beach near Port Williams.
Destination: the low-lying Miller Peninsula on the left.
Wind and sea state relief on the north side of Miller Peninsula (west of Diamond Point).
Made it to a campsite at dusk.
April 30 I got a 9am start, bound for Port Hadlock and a family rendezvous. The sea was gentle and the wind was kind. I do need to work on getting up earlier, to have more time with light winds…
Happy camper.
A view from the Strait, those white specks are spinnakers of a sailboat race.
Rounded Point Wilson, into the luxury of protected waters.
Lilly's Marine 