Puget Sound vs Lake Washington - Page 2

Lukewarm · #11 07-19-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by blt2ski

I lived and grew up on the water half way between Kirkland and Juanita bay, back in the days the the little golf course was up at the north end. I could see the water, people to the south had waterfront where I kept the 8' pram I built and sailed in that area. Their would be 3-4' waves when we had some of the higher wind days. MOST of the time, figure if you see a 12-18" wave you will be doing good! The bay itself by the park on the north end, will get some of the rollers, but being as the bay is all of maybe 20' deep thru out, a majority of the waves get washed up/out before hitting the beach, but even so, some BIGGER rollers yet get thru.

The area off of shilshoal is also fairly protected as is the kirkland waterfront, so it is not too bad to learn in. If you were trying to be off of Edmonds as I am now, we weem to get some BIGGER waves here due to fetch, and there also seems to be a bit of a wind funnel, so winds will be 5-10 mph greater here than 5 miles north or south. It does pay to find out, know the area you are in, if any funky wind shifts will occur etc.

good luck and have fun

Marty

Thanks again Marty. Good info. I'll try to stay within the kirkland waterfront area till I get more experience to handle more challenging conditions. Will also make sure to ask the instructors and more experienced members for their recommendations.

I was actually looking if there are sailing clubs (i.e. members pay to use club boats) around Edmonds marina but now that you mentioned challenging conditions for beginners, I guess I'll wait till I'm ready to have my own boat.

blt2ski · #12 07-20-2012

To my knowledge, there is nothing here in Edmonds. Possibly Everett, shilshoal, Kirkland, Anacortes, bellingham, Olympia and possibly Tacoma/Gig harbor.......that is the best I can do for clubs where you belong, can rent/use the boat as part of your membership.

I know a few that have/do belong to Windworks, all seem to say it is a good program. Not sure about Seattle Sailing. I've thru the grapevne heard some good things about the program in Kirkland, which I believe has a outlet or equal in Olympia.

Reality is, in conditions under 20 knots, ANY of the area's will be fine. BUT, i would stay reasonably far away from the bridges if you can on what ever side the wind is blowing into them, that can be a bit frustrating. scary or deadly if you will in a worst case. Altho frankly, I have not heard of too many of the deadly issues. Overall, Off of Kirkland or Shilshoal would be fine out of any of those programs/ clubs.

Marty

Lukewarm · #13 07-23-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by blt2ski

To my knowledge, there is nothing here in Edmonds. Possibly Everett, shilshoal, Kirkland, Anacortes, bellingham, Olympia and possibly Tacoma/Gig harbor.......that is the best I can do for clubs where you belong, can rent/use the boat as part of your membership.

I know a few that have/do belong to Windworks, all seem to say it is a good program. Not sure about Seattle Sailing. I've thru the grapevne heard some good things about the program in Kirkland, which I believe has a outlet or equal in Olympia.

Reality is, in conditions under 20 knots, ANY of the area's will be fine. BUT, i would stay reasonably far away from the bridges if you can on what ever side the wind is blowing into them, that can be a bit frustrating. scary or deadly if you will in a worst case. Altho frankly, I have not heard of too many of the deadly issues. Overall, Off of Kirkland or Shilshoal would be fine out of any of those programs/ clubs.

Marty

Thanks again Marty. Good to know I've looked into the available options. I'm starting this weekend and the forecasts look fine. Super excited now.

jrd22 · #14 07-23-2012

You know what's really fun to do in Lk. Wash? If the wind is blowing pretty good from the south, get as close as legal (or maybe even a little closer than that:-)) to the north side of the bridge and go for a screaming reach in perfectly calm water! Then turn around and go the other way. Ah, brings back good memories.
Marty is right, it can get rough on the lake.

Marcel D · #15 07-24-2012

Luke I would sail close to home, you can learn about the tides later. The more more time your on the boat the better. My first sail was when I was 8 year old and I have been hocked ever since. Dam sail boat it has cost me a fortune!!! Never give up your dream a boat of any size can sail the ocean

blt2ski · #16 07-24-2012

John is correct on the get to the north of 520 or 90 on a windy day, and have as the saying goes, hold tight, and hang on! Especially if the boat has the ability to plane. But even a true disp boat is fun.

Marty

Crepitus · #17 07-25-2012

2 points in favor of Lake Union; No heavy tidal currents, and,, DUCK DODGE!

Lukewarm · #18 08-01-2012

Thanks for all the feedback. I completed and passed my ASA 101 and it was a lot of fun. It was also easier than I first imagined so it seems like my initial worrying were unfounded (or is it because we have a very competent instructor acting as skipper and offering suggestions before we can make serious mistakes?

).

Hope to put in more sailing time from here on till I can feel confident about sailing close to I90 and 520.

Lukewarm · #19 09-29-2012

Thanks again to everyone for advising me to go with the closer Lake Washington vs Puget Sound. Best advice I got and worked really great for me. Over the last 2 months, I was able to go sailing about 20 times which would never have happened if I went to Puget Sound right away.

I'm now thinking of venturing further out from Lake Washington to Lake Union. I checked the heights for both Montlake Bridge and University Bridge and our 22' club boat can pass even with the bridges closed. I also looked at the NOAA charts for the route and looks like shallows and hazards are fairly well marked. I'm planning to bring down sails once in Union Bay and just motor through the channel till we get to Lake Union.

For those familiar with this area, can you please advise if this is reasonable for a newbie of my skill level? Are there gotchas I should be aware of or regulations specific to passing through the Lake Washington Ship Canal other than the usual rules of the road?

jrd22 · #20 09-29-2012

It's easy and straightforward if you don't have to open the bridges. I don't think you'll be able to go under the Fremont though, IIRC it's about 30'? All you need is a horn (one prolonged and one short) to open them so it's no big deal. I know they are closed during rush hour(s) 4-6p, not sure of morning hours. It's a really interesting trip, you'll enjoy it! Tie up at Ivars by the University bridge and have lunch/dinner. My brother and I just took his boat from the San Juans through the locks to Newport Shores in Bellevue where we have a slip, and had to schedule an opening of the 520 floating bridge. We were running late so we called the bridges ahead and they wisked us right through. Quite a production opening 520, two trucks from each direction slow and stop traffic, then it's a 10-15 minute process to lift one section so the center can slide underneath it. All for a 34' sailboat, we could feel the hate from the toll paying motorists that were backed up to both highrises:-))