WA 20 Bridges
Washington Park
Deception
Everett
I'm a carpenter so I haul my tools and boat so I can spend the summers in the San Juana Islands on working holidays. I am in and out of the water all the time. All thought this summer has turned out to be more work than holiday, whats up with that????????
Over the past three summers I have launched at all of the above mentioned ramps. The WA 20 Bridge is referred to as the Swinomish Channel Boat Launch but most locals call it the Twin bridges boat ramp and it is the ramp that I will now only use when sailing in the San Juan area. As far as I am concerned the entire San Juan area is gorgeous. All of the areas have their pros and cons and here is my take on them.
Swinomish Channel Boat Launch: Skagit County Parks & Rec
This is my favorite place to launch
You have to pass this ramp in order to get to Washington Park or the Deception pass area. Depending on traffic it should take about 10-15 minutes to reach the ramp once you turn of the freeway. You turn right just before you cross the bridge. The entire area is paved and level with 75 spaces for trailer/tow vehicle and 25 spaces just for cars. The paved are is a real plus because it helps to keep dirt from getting in your boat. When I arrive I just pull into a space to rig the boat then I launch. The nice thing is the bridge gives a nice shadow which is great when rigging. It is $5.00 to launch and park for the first day and then $5.00 for each additional day you stay. I have parked for several days at a time and have had no problems. As with all ramps weekends are busy but if you get their early youll have no problems. I have always been able to park, even when crabbing season opened. The sheriff does patrol the area. The ramp has a long floating dock and you can use either side. I recommend you use the side that the current is coming from so it pushes the boat against the dock. Even if the wind is blowing from the other direction. The current runs strong but it always runs at a right angle to the dock. 95% of the time I am solo and it is an easy ramp to use. The concrete goes right up to the dock so you can keep the trailer close to the dock. I have launched at a minus tide and still have plenty of water to slide the boat off. On returning if its a minus tide you will find it easier to power on to the trailer. The only problem with low tide is you have less dock to tie off to and the stern sticks out, but you still have more then enough room to work from. On of the nice things about the area is the ramp water area is protected by floating pontoons. I pulled away from the dock and my engine quite. Even though the current was running strong the pontoons breaks this up so I just slowly drifted over to the pontoons at which point the boat just stayed put. The water is plenty deep. I was able to calmly figure out what the problem was. I had the fuel hose on backwards
! From this ramp you can head east and go through the channel to LaConner and onto Skagit bay. At that point you can head south to Saratoga Passage or NW to Deception Pass. If when leaving the ramp you head North you will enter Padilla bay which if you then head west you will end up in Fidalgo Bay. Thats the east side of Anacortes. Be sure to stay within the nav aids at both ends. The channel is cut through the mud flats
Washington Park
This is a beautiful location but it is cramped. The parking area is dirt and some gravel and it slopes to the water. If you return on a busy weekend you will be hard pressed to find a place to take the boat apart. Once you move your trailer to retrieve your boat you may lose your space as I did. So I had to park in the driving area between all of the other trailers. Halfway through getting the boat ready to head home I had to move so another guy could get out. The place was packed. That was a real pain in the. Because the area is not paved, you end up walking in the wet dirt, tracking it into and on the boat. The ramp faces the open water of Rosario Strait. At times this can be a problem if the wind is blowing out of the West or large boats go by creating large wakes. Both of these just push you on shore while slamming you against the dock. Tom is correct plan youre launching/retrieving on a raising tide. This park is great for smaller fishing boats; hence it is heavily used by them. The best thing going for this park is you have a straight shot for heading to Friday Harbor.
Deception Pass area Cornet Bay state park
I only have one real complaint with this location; there is about 5 feet of space between the floating dock and the concrete ramps. You can see photos of this on my site, the link is below. Most guys just back down the center and drive their boats off and then go to the dock. If you are by yourself you would have to leave the tow rig sitting as you did this. As long as it is not busy that would be ok. That is what I did. I examined the ramps at a minus tide and there is a drop off in some places, plus I would be concerned about getting stuck. The only other thing is you have to drive further to get to this ramp, passing the Twin bridges. I just as soon stop at the twin bridges. Every thing else is great. This little bay is well protected from wind and currents. It is a very beautiful and tranquil place. They offer 120 spaces for trailer parking. I like stopping at this bay while circumnavigating Fidalgo Island.
Everett boat ramp
This is a great ramp but with the cost of fuel I doubt Ill ever use this one again. What I mean by this is its a lot fast to tow your boat to one of the above locations, and youll use a lot less fuel in your tow rig. Now if you plan on sailing the entire way then go for it, but it is a long sail. You are looking at about a 40 NM one-way trip from Everett to the general area (west side) around Anacortes. During which time you will probably buck the tide and may not have favorable wide conditions. You might do this trip at a later date. With only 10 days I would say just get to the heart. As BK said just do a round trip and for get a base camp. Youll see more that way.
One of my favorite places to anchor for the night is Eagle Harbor, Cypress Island (48 35'. 31" N - 122 41'.70" W). Eagle harbor is a wonderful cove to spend the night at. There are no moorings, so you will have to swing on the hook. I have found the bottom to hold well. The water is clear so you can see the bottom at about 8 or so. It is located near the North-East side of the island (the north end of Bellingham Cannel). With the shallow draft of our boats youll be able to tuck yourself back into the cove. Usually several sailors will spend the night, but they are keel boats and they stay further out. You can go ashore to explore the island. There is a lake near at the top and from the top you have a panoramic view of the San Juans.
My regular site is down but I have ramp shots at my other site. Click
here
Tides and Currents
Washington State boat ramps
) walk along and watch things. Best to not use this ramp on weekends as it is very popular with fishermen in small boats and can be crowded.
