Seventh Trip: La Conner, WA, February 11, 2012

I think I over did it today…

From Edmonds, WA, to La Conner, WA, according to the now defunct Nor’westing Magazine Boater’s Guide is 46 miles.  If my math serves me right, a round trip is 92 miles.  92 miles in one day in bad weather, well that’s just stupid.  Guilty as charged!

Friends of mine decided to test out their 39′ boats by taking a trip to La Conner, Washington.  La Conner is a very cute town on the Swinomish Channel, and a frequent stop for boaters going to the San Juan Islands.  They left Friday afternoon, with plans of spending two nights in the La Conner marina and then returning on Sunday.   They asked if I was interested in stopping by.  I agreed to make it a day trip on Saturday.

I woke up this morning and it was glorious!  The sun was shinning and everything was good with the world.   I had arranged that my 6 year old son and I would make the trip bright and early in the morning.   Well, it IS Saturday and I was in no real rush, so by the time my son and I got to Sea Badger, put in her plugs and had her ready to travel it was 10 am and the winds started picking up.  Gary, the lift operator at the Port of Edmonds, said, “It may be a little bumpy out there, but no problem for you.”   This is the same lift operator that put me in the water for Sea Badger’s previous adventure.  He knew what Sea Badger could handle.

When we left the Port of Edmonds, we saw 4 fishing boats all within a mile of the marina.  Then as the weather picked up and the small craft advisory was broadcast over channel 16, we didn’t see another boat other than the Mukilteo Ferry for 20 miles!  Then a 50′ converted tug/pleasure boat, then nothing again until we reached La Conner.   Normally the route I took, the Saratoga Passage, is a busy waterway but not today, not with the weather and waves we were encountering.

Let’s be clear, this was not “I’m gunna die!” water, but instead we encountered following seas going to La Conner that were just relentless 2 foot waves, often confused, with the occasional 3-4 foot wave hitting from the side and then we’d climb the back of a wave expecting it to be like the others, but we’d just drop off into a deep trough and pound through the wave in front of it.

At each change in the scenery I was hoping it would lighten up, like being on the wayward side of Whidbey Island.  Nope.  Like being in the narrow section of Saratoga Passage between Whidbey and Camano Islands, where the wind is blocked from both the east and west.  Nope.  Like being in the shallow Skagit Bay.  Nope.   It wasn’t until we reached Swinomish Channel that we found calm water.

When I finally arrived at La Conner, my friend said, “I didn’t think you would make the trip, not after the winds started picking up.”   I had to gently remind him with, “Aw, come on…we’re talking about Sea Badger!”

After hanging out with my friends for a couple of hours, it was time to go back.  This time, we were going straight into the waves which at times were brutal,  but thankfully there were at least a few sections of water that weren’t consistently crappy.

I’ll be honest, 4 1/2 hours of the kind of water we encountered today beat my old @ss up.  Even my son who yells for me to “make the boat jump, Dad!”  had enough.  It was a little too much of a good thing.  I know we’ll both sleep well tonight.

Was this trip the smartest thing to do?  Maybe not, but with Sea Badger the weather window opens wider than with most other boats so when others are calling it quits, it’s more a matter of what your willing to endure.   It’s hard to explain to those who haven’t been in a boat like Sea Badger, but she different by design.  She floats better, she “bobs” out of the water quicker, she doesn’t roll from side to side as much, she’s very forgiving.  She just feels safer than ANY boat I’ve ever been in.   Once my old body quits aching, I’ll be at it again 😉